Did Safety become a strength?

[pbmax]

i think burnett is only still on this team because of his contract making it almost impossible to cut him right not. and i forget which beat writer it was (maybe mcginn), but he agreed by saying burnett would not be the second safety this year because he played himself out of a job

burnett was bad, he was just as bad as jennings last year and blew just as many assignments. plus, burnett was responsible for making the secondary calls and getting everyone lined up right. we saw how well that worked out with everyone being confused on almost every single pass play

mcmillan was bad, he was cut. jennings was bad, he was allowed to walk. burnett was just as bad as those two, and he stays only because we can't cut him

I have missed on these before, but I don't think the Packers are done with Burnett starting. He would have to be as bad in camp as last year to fall out of the lineup. He started in OTA, we'll see if he is still there in camp. If McGinn was right, you would think he wouldn't take #1 reps with other healthy bodies around. Don't see him as Alex Green yet.

[pittstang5]

I do hope you're joking, Pittstang.


I myself am curious to see what Richardson can do. I wonder if he's healthy enough and learned enough of the system to start. I understand he is a rather skilled athlete with good size.

I'm not a fan of Burnett and hated that the Packers extended him. We need a leader back there and he has shown me nothing.

[red]

I have missed on these before, but I don't think the Packers are done with Burnett starting. He would have to be as bad in camp as last year to fall out of the lineup. He started in OTA, we'll see if he is still there in camp. If McGinn was right, you would think he wouldn't take #1 reps with other healthy bodies around. Don't see him as Alex Green yet.

well the only other option to starting burnett in ota's is to start richardson who has limited experience or hyde who has never played the position before

it doesn't matter who is starting in OTA's (look at the browns, is there any doubt that johnny football will be their starter this year? he's currently 3rd on the depth chart) but who's starting when the regular season get here. i would be a bit surprised if burnett was still the starter when regular season gets here, because i think he was every bit as bad as jennings and burnett last season,and if he is handed the starting job i would have to question whether its a case of a guy starting because his cap number says he's a starter

[vince]

Burnett was rated by PFF as a "Yellow" player for 2013 which equates to "Average NFL Starter." He had a down year for sure, but at the risk of being polarized or exaggerating my opinion (I don't think he's a real difference-maker) I don't think nearly as bad as you're depicting Red.

He made very few plays last year but "average starter" I think is a fairly accurate depiction of him. If the play of his running mate improves, and the style of the front 7 becomes more of a 1-gap penetrating rather than a 2-gap "keep 'em in front of you" style as I'm thinking it will, his play will likely improve too because he'll have more opportunities to make some plays. Some of them will fall right into his lap but he can make 'em if they come that way. If healthy, he's not a liability and that's not a bad thing for a safety to be if you got other guys making plays too.

[vince]

There were some miscommunications on the back-end but I don't think you can fairly pin those on Burnett. Without sitting in the film room and knowing what's discussed all week and hearing the communication live, it's pretty impossible to know what the reality is there.

I do wish he made about half of what he makes though. Average safeties should be paid like below average safeties if they're going to bring value to the table.

[Carolina_Packer]

Burnett will certainly be one to watch this year. I don't know what to expect, but I hope he responds with a bounce back year. He needs to.

How often did the Packers lose the down and distance battle last year on defense? Can't stop the run consistently? 2nd or 3rd and short is a whole different ball of wax vs. more favorable down and distances for the defense. It's much easier for DB's to cover if the front seven can stop the run, create more favorable down and distances, perhaps a third and long (a fan can dream) every once in a while, and then a pass rush that can get home or knock the QB off their launch point, or move his feet. Burnett was bringing a knife to a gun fight some weeks. He's not Ronnie Lott, but he's better than he played last year.

[Patler]

Absent injury, Burnett will be starting and will be what he has been, an OK starter. If he had come up with two or three interceptions last year, but was identical on all other plays, he wouldn't be an issue this off season. Two or three plays don't change him from an OK starter to a liability.

The entire team sucked at interceptions last year. Burnett's part in it is being overblown.

[bobblehead]

This is sooooo much like the center discussions. HaHa hasn't played a down yet and what we have returning has been less than impressive. I'm a fan too, but let someone play a down before anointing them HOF

Thus the question mark. I am not declaring the position a strength, I am simply saying on paper we might be worlds better than last year for all the reasons I laid out. What we have returning (as I stated already) are 2 second year guys who could make "the jump" and a guy who had his worst year as a pro and MAY return to form. I think its a valid discussion point.

[Just Jeff]

Thus the question mark. I am not declaring the position a strength, I am simply saying on paper we might be worlds better than last year for all the reasons I laid out. What we have returning (as I stated already) are 2 second year guys who could make "the jump" and a guy who had his worst year as a pro and MAY return to form. I think its a valid discussion point.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all over the HaHa pick. I think and I hope its a home run. Its the other guy I'm worried about.

[woodbuck27]

Absent injury, Burnett will be starting and will be what he has been, an OK starter. If he had come up with two or three interceptions last year, but was identical on all other plays, he wouldn't be an issue this off season. Two or three plays don't change him from an OK starter to a liability.

The entire team sucked at interceptions last year. Burnett's part in it is being overblown.

I felt that Morgan Burnett tackled and played well in 2011 and 2012.

I'm hoping that 2013 was simply an off year and the non supporting cast at the Safety position brought him down.

[bobblehead]

Don't get me wrong. I'm all over the HaHa pick. I think and I hope its a home run. Its the other guy I'm worried about.

we got 3 shots at the other guy panning out....and almost no way it can be worse than MD Jennings and McMillan. If 2 of them pan out, I can call the position a strength, but of course we are assuming haha will be good.

[Pugger]

I agree with much of what vince said.

I'm thinking pass rush and injuries didn't help the secondary, but I wonder if Burnett was hurt (he missed the start of the season) or overcompensating for Jennings/McMillian. I think he can play better than he did last year. I don't think he's a superstar, but he's good enough where he shouldn't be a weakspot. He has 14 picks in 3 years at GT, so he can be a ballhawk. Was Capers' scheme too vanilla and Burnett couldn't make plays?

I'm not sure how much HHCD will be able to bring as a rookie, rookie DBs tend to get picked on, and I'm sure he'll take his lumps. I do think if he made the calls for the Bama D he'll be able to pick up Capers scheme over the year.

Hyde's strengths (good tackler, decent coverage) and weaknesses (lack of top speed) play more to being a safety or hybrid role, and I think he will contribute, but I don't see him as a full-time safety this year.

Richardson is the wildcard to me. Who and what is he? I think he's a big guy who can play in the box and let Burnett play deep (Burnett's combine was clearly better than HHCD's), but if he can show the ability to cover and grasp the scheme he could be starting Game 1 and holding it down until HHCD takes over in Game 6 while providing depth and ST coverage.

I think Banjo is a ST guy who could surprise, but I'm skeptical he beats out any of the above.

I agree, Burnett might not have been 100% last year and having Jennings and McMillan did him no favors. IMO our safety play will be improved by just replacing these 2 with Hyde and Ha Ha - addition by subtraction.

[Bretsky]

I'll settle for average. I also won't put an ounce of value in Richardson until I see him accomplish something in a game.
With that being said, I think Burnett has the ability to be decent, HaHa can be decent, and perhapy even Hyde there.
Adding a vet with some leadership still IMO would have been wise

[Joemailman]

IMO, Burnett is a follower, not a leader. Burnett only played good when he had Collins next to him. Hell, Collins made Charlie Peprah look good. The sooner they get rid of Burnett, the better.

Perhaps you will prove to be right about Burnett not being a leader. However, the idea that Burnett only played well when he was next to Collins is a myth. Due to injuries, Burnett and Collins only played together for 4 games in 2010 and 2 games in 2011. When Burnett had his best season in 2012, Collins was no longer playing.

[pittstang5]

Perhaps you will prove to be right about Burnett not being a leader. However, the idea that Burnett only played well when he was next to Collins is a myth. Due to injuries, Burnett and Collins only played together for 4 games in 2010 and 2 games in 2011. When Burnett had his best season in 2012, Collins was no longer playing.

Then those six games were probably Burnett's best games.