Hawk taking heat in Green Bay

[ThunderDan]

He was never considered a bust and has never had a good QB in SF while he has been there. Also I heard the interview and while he did credit himself he didn't throw his team under the bus. Thankfully Hawk is a team first guy and packer people, who needs talent anyway in the NFL. Guys defending Hawk are delusional.

Hasn't Alex Smith always been his QB?

[Cheesehead Craig]

For the love of Brian Williams, Hawk can cover a TE better than Peprah.

Ok, this quote is awesome, love the Williams' reference.

He plays just as well as any other of our LBs in coverage, tackles better than most on our defense, and gets pushed back because he's taking on linemen that walked past the DE and/or looked at Walden causing him to fall over.

Hawk never has been a "playmaker" as you Madden guys like to label players. He's a solid part of a functional defense and a reliable teammate. On a dysfunctional defense, his weakness can be exploited just like any other player. On a terrible defense, like GB's, he was often the first defender to make contact, which shouldn't be his role, because the guys in front of him were massive failures and a guy or two behind him couldn't cover a dead man with a sheet.

I've never cared much one way or the other about Hawk. But pinning the failure of the defense this season on him and pretending his play is solely a cause of that failure instead of a result of it, demonstrates a poor understanding of his role in this defense.

Very well said. I still have a soft spot for Hawk and hope he can have a better season next year.

There's easily 3 other positions on defense that are in much greater need of upgrades and help than one of our ILBs.

[pbmax]

Finley also has Rodgers throwing to him and plays on a pass first team.

True, but until Ted Ginn was unburied, Davis had precious little competition for his catches. Finley had a different problem. Number of targets might tell us more.

[Joemailman]

TT might not have taken Finley in the 3rd round of 2008 if he had taken Davis in 2006. Hawk + Finley>Davis + Reggie Smith.

[ThunderDan]

I've done this in other Hawk hating threads but Brandon494 you are so wrong.

2006: Hawk 119 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 FF Davis 20 receptions 265 yards 3 TDS Better Year: Hawk by far
2007: Hawk 105 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF Davis 52 rec, 509 yards, 4 TDs Better Year: Even
2008: Hawk 86 tackles, 3 sacks Davis 31 rec, 358 yards, 2 TDs Better Year: Hawk
2009: Hawk 89 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs Davis 78 rec, 965 yards, 13 TDs Better Year: Davis by far
2010: Hawk 111 tackles, .5 sacks, 3 INTs Davis 56 rec, 914 yards, 7 TDs Better Year: Even
2011: Hawk 84 tackles, 1.5 sacks Davis 67 recs, 792 yards, 6 TDs Better Year: Davis by far

I have stated that Hawk played like shit this year. But saying that Hawk has sucked every year or that Davis has had a much better career is disingenious.

Hopefully, because it is going to be costly to cut him, Hawk goes back to playing like he has and 2011 was just a bad year all around for our D.

[smuggler]

Thompson takes the best available. We were going to draft Finley in 2008 no matter what, because he fell way below his talent slot due to character concerns and age/immaturity.

[SkinBasket]

I'm not blaming him for our defense sucking ass this year at all I've just always thought he was overrated and not worth what he is making. He proved that greatly this season especially when 6th round rookies steps in and play better than you. As for him tackling better than most on the team is a joke. If not for him missing a wide open tackle first game of the season Tramon Williams doesn't get his shoulder injured which hurt his play all season. Not trying to put blame on Hawk but I can remember more plays this season of him fucking up then him making positive plays.

I think he's worth what he's making. Again, the defense fell apart around him and Bishop, who should both be able to flow to plays when everyone else is doing their job. Instead he found himself dropping deeper into coverages to compensate for Peprah's awfulness, and being blocked by not only TEs, but FBs and linemen. Doesn't matter who you are, you're not winning a battle against a lineman very often, if ever, as an ILB. Yeah, a rookie looked nice on some plays, but he also looked like a rookie on others. It seems your memory is being selective in a negative regard to Hawk and a positive regard to DJ or whoever that guy was. Or maybe you're just a racist, I don't know.

Blaming Hawk for Tramon's inability to tackle like anything other than a 120 pound woman is just being silly.

[sharpe1027]

He proved that greatly this season especially when 6th round rookies steps in and play better than you.

The same argument could be made with Rodgers and Flynn...

IMO, it is too small of a sample size to say that the backups were better than the starters in either case.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. Hawk is better than the players behind him, but he is far from irreplaceable and has a big contract.

[Brandon494]

I've done this in other Hawk hating threads but Brandon494 you are so wrong.

2006: Hawk 119 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 FF Davis 20 receptions 265 yards 3 TDS Better Year: Hawk by far
2007: Hawk 105 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF Davis 52 rec, 509 yards, 4 TDs Better Year: Even
2008: Hawk 86 tackles, 3 sacks Davis 31 rec, 358 yards, 2 TDs Better Year: Hawk
2009: Hawk 89 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs Davis 78 rec, 965 yards, 13 TDs Better Year: Davis by far
2010: Hawk 111 tackles, .5 sacks, 3 INTs Davis 56 rec, 914 yards, 7 TDs Better Year: Even
2011: Hawk 84 tackles, 1.5 sacks Davis 67 recs, 792 yards, 6 TDs Better Year: Davis by far

I have stated that Hawk played like shit this year. But saying that Hawk has sucked every year or that Davis has had a much better career is disingenious.

Hopefully, because it is going to be costly to cut him, Hawk goes back to playing like he has and 2011 was just a bad year all around for our D.

I don't know how many times I've said this but stats don't always tell the whole truth. It's not even a question to who the better football player is. Some here are just being bias because they are fans but not me. Exactly what are Hawks strengths in his game? I already know the answer that you guys are going to tell me and you don't draft players #5 overall or pay them 5M a year for being assignment sure.

[Brandon494]

I'm not saying cut the guy because it would save us little cap but I do believe it was a mistake to resign him to that contract especially when he got overplayed on his first rookie contract.

[sharpe1027]

If you get a guy that is assignment sure at #5, you are probably doing better than average -- based upon that list of other #5s earlier in the thread.

I would agree that Vernon Davis is currently playing better than Hawk, however, I can't really complain when we have Finley. At the end of the day, I don't give a rat's ass which guy was drafter higher or even where any of the players were drafted. The results are the same on the field. We don't get bonus points for having a low pick play better and we don't get penalty points for a higher pick playing worse.

[ThunderDan]

Did we really pick AJ Hawk over Vernon Davis?

I don't know how many times I've said this but stats don't always tell the whole truth. It's not even a question to who the better football player is. Some here are just being bias because they are fans but not me. Exactly what are Hawks strengths in his game? I already know the answer that you guys are going to tell me and you don't draft players #5 overall or pay them 5M a year for being assignment sure.

It sure seems like over and over and over you are pining on how the Packers should have drafted Davis becaue he is the much better player.

[ThunderDan]

I don't know how many times I've said this but stats don't always tell the whole truth. It's not even a question to who the better football player is. Some here are just being bias because they are fans but not me. Exactly what are Hawks strengths in his game? I already know the answer that you guys are going to tell me and you don't draft players #5 overall or pay them 5M a year for being assignment sure.

So you pay a TE $7.4M/year for 67 catches and 6 TDs? Talk about the crazy contract.

[ThunderDan]

During Vernon Davis's first three years in the NFL he got paid (on avergage) $133,980 per reception.

[woodbuck27]

Patrick Peterson
Eric Berry
Mark Sanchez
Glenn Dorsey
Levi Brown
A.J. Hawk
Cadillac Williams
Sean Taylor
Terrance Newman
Quentin Jammer
La Dainian Tomlinson


Hawk isn't the only lousy #5 in the past decade, but look at what lousy #5s have meant to the failures of other teams as well.

Those of us who wanted Vernon Davis are vindicated. Hawk is football refuse.

Vernon Davis just looked so good to me. Imagine his leadership in OUR locker room and on the field. Imagine him paired with Aaron Rodgers...mmmmm Ohh Lordy. AJ Hawk plays lazy. Somehow his motor as a College player didn't translate to us as a Pro. IMO his play as an 'Impact Player' hasn't materialized. As TT's NO. 5 pick he's never made the transition to the NFL and considering the play of Vernon Davis alone; AJ HAWK is just an ordinary LBer with a great name.