""PACKER DEFENSE IS STOCKED AND LOADED AFTER NFL DRAFT ""

[Zool]

Fair enough, I'm just not positive that those 71 passes would have been considerably knocked down if it was Collins back there instead. I would like to proposition that the large amount of deep passes could be attributed to the poor pass rush as well, not entirely poor safety play. Deep pass routes, by definition, take longer to develop. I also believe Trammon Williams and Sam Shields relatively poor play hampered the 71 over 20 yards number as well. I think it would be a mistake to point to one man (a back up at that) as the reason we gave up so many deep plays. I also don't think moving a great player from his natural position while he's still playing at a pro bowl level at that position is very wise.
Wood + CB = Pro Bowl.
Wood + SS = Good.

The question you have to ask yourself is what would be best on the field?
If CB Wood + SS Peprah < SS Wood + CB House/Hayword, then you bench Peprah, If it's the other way around, You keep him. Looking at Peprah's stats, it's going to be hard for you to convince me that a rookie or a guy fresh off injured reserve who hasn't played a down in the NFL is going to beat out CP. Pick up that safety from the jets who played at Wisconsin who's still floating around out there and you might convince me.

I'm not saying putting Woodson back there is the answer, but Peprah was worse than bad when playing the deep middle. More times than I can even remember, Williams would release his guy deep expecting someone over the top who just wasn't there. Peprah is the new Bigby.

[Smidgeon]

It's weird. Usually I'm excited about the top one or two picks with maybe a late round pick I think is a sleeper. But rarely am I hopeful for a draft class like I am for this one. The top 3 picks for the Packers all had first round grades and TT was sold on the #2 and #3 enough to trade up for them. Add to that another DT known for pass rushing, another SS from a small school with athleticism whose question mark is the ability to pick up a scheme, and an ILB that was ranked highly the year before but dropped due to injury, and I'm (scarily) drinking the Kool-Aid for the picks in the first five rounds of the draft.

Not sippin' it for the offensive picks at the end though. Both are practice squad fodder. And I'm not sure the tackle will even make that.

[ThunderDan]

I read Jason Cole mention that the Pack plans on moving Wood to safety next year - I'm sure that's just his shot in the barrel. So far I've heard Capers say that they really like Wood's versatility, I've heard Whitt say that Wood will play any position and now I'm hearing Smith say Capers said Wood will not play safety next year. I don't know what they're going to do, but I like all the confusion and uncertainty around it. I want O-Coordinators guessing what we're going to be doing. As long as Peprah keeps playing at the level he was last year, there's no reason to move Woodson prematurely. Our safeties had over 200 tackles combined last year - just under 20% of the total Packer tackles of the season compared to 13% the prior year and 10% in 09. I think that shows a break down of our tackling in the lower tiers or shows the dramatic shift in how teams play us (From behind, scrambling to keep up with our prolific offense).

That is horrible for your safeties to have 200+ tackles. You want your LBs to make the majority of the tackles. Look at the % of tackles by the safeties and the PPG allowed in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

I really think that stat points to the horrible DL play last year which caused horrible LB play which caused the Safeties to make too many tackles.

[Guiness]

That is horrible for your safeties to have 200+ tackles. You want your LBs to make the majority of the tackles. Look at the % of tackles by the safeties and the PPG allowed in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

I really think that stat points to the horrible DL play last year which caused horrible LB play which caused the Safeties to make too many tackles.

Maybe this is the magic metric by which to judge a defense! Forget yards allowed, or ppg. % of tackles made by safeties is the true measure!

[pbmax]

Peprah had a bad year but the pass rush hurt him as much as he hurt the Pack. I think the offseason will help Shields and like Harv I think they will feel better about a dime now and then (I think they played less dime in 11 than 10).

I am trying to remember which backfield was healthier, 10 or 11? Everyone was banged up at some point (Woodson every week) but only Burnett was off the table. In 11, Williams and Collins were hurt.

[Joemailman]

Don't the Packers have a minimum height requirement for DB's? Or is that just for CB's?

Until this year, TT had never drafted a corner shorter than 6'. Heyward though is 5-11 1/4. He's drafted 2 safeties under 6'. Collins was 5-11, and Marviel Underwood was 5-10.