Raji's Season Might Be In Trouble

[Rutnstrut]

No major loss.

[bobblehead]

Boyd and Pennel have both played a lot better than Raji. Going with them at NT in addition to plenty of the no NT packages will make the Packers better - a lot better as a result of this injury.

I will pose the same question I asked Harlan last week. Exactly what games are you watching?

[texaspackerbacker]

I will pose the same question I asked Harlan last week. Exactly what games are you watching?

Back at you - I'll ask you the same. Instead of getting push, Raji got pushed - and it ain't a thing of the past. The snaps he got just last night he got pushed around/pushed back/and run right past. And when Boyd and Pennel were at NT, the same stuff didn't happen.

MARK MY WORDS! Save this post to rub it in if I'm proven wrong. the Packers D will be MUCH better off without Raji in there - assuming they don't pull some shit like bringing back Pickett. I've been campaigning for this the whole off-season - long before they made it obvious they were going that direction - to go to a smaller more mobile better tackling D Line. Raji was the last remnant of the old shit.

[Patler]

I would not have been upset if he had signed with a different team, so I'm not overly concerned that he is out for the year. only difference is that they now have little time and fewer options fpr working in a replacement

[esoxx]

Blessing in disguise.

[HarveyWallbangers]

isn't there someone on this site that makes this same argument?

I don't think anybody's argued against the fact that the 2-4-5 is really our base defense. It's just that some don't have a problem with it--especially in today's NFL. Also, the Packers aren't the only team like this. Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and San Diego also play the 2-4-5 as their base defense. San Fran will likely play a 2-4-5 Big Nickel (where the extra DB is S Jimmie Ward and not a corner). Many teams 3-4 teams play a lot of 2-4-5.

[Joemailman]

The Packers won the Super Bowl with the 2-4-5 as their base defense. This is not something new.

[King Friday]

This really is only an impact due to depth IMO. Raji just does not have the desire to be a consistent performer. He is certainly replaceable...the timing is what really hurts the Packers.

[texaspackerbacker]

The old Okie 5-2 and the 3-4 are essentially the same. The major difference is whether or not your outside guys are in two-point - standing up or down in 3 or 4 point stances. Coaches always used to teach linemen/pass rushers to get down in the 3 or 4 point. I think the evolution of the way they call (or don't call) holding as well as cut blocks has made the down way less advantageous, and the two point makes sprinting around the corner easier. The 2-4-5 is basically a 4-2-5 with stand up pass rushers.

Not to turn this into another pro or con thread about Capers, but I much prefer all the creative pass rushing and run blitzes over the old plain vanilla way.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Defensive line is very hard for the fans to evaluate, especially when they are playing the 3-4. It is funny to me that so many people are sure that Raji is not much better than the guys on the bench, that TT gave Raji a big contract out of stupidity. TT only gives vets a contract when he thinks they are special.

[Rutnstrut]

Defensive line is very hard for the fans to evaluate, especially when they are playing the 3-4. It is funny to me that so many people are sure that Raji is not much better than the guys on the bench, that TT gave Raji a big contract out of stupidity. TT only gives vets a contract when he thinks they are special.

Or when he doesn't want to give up on one of his pets.

[Patler]

It is funny to me that so many people are sure that Raji is not much better than the guys on the bench, that TT gave Raji a big contract out of stupidity. TT only gives vets a contract when he thinks they are special.

What big contract? One year at $4 million max, but with only a $500,000 signing bonus and nothing else guaranteed? That wasn't much of a commitment by the Packers.

[pbmax]

Or when he doesn't want to give up on one of his pets.

Mind reading is a terrible analytical tool.

[HarveyWallbangers]

$4M isn't chump change. It's not like he got near vet minimum (Kuhn) or $4M for 2 years (Starks)

[wist43]

I don't think anybody's argued against the fact that the 2-4-5 is really our base defense. It's just that some don't have a problem with it--especially in today's NFL. Also, the Packers aren't the only team like this. Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and San Diego also play the 2-4-5 as their base defense. San Fran will likely play a 2-4-5 Big Nickel (where the extra DB is S Jimmie Ward and not a corner). Many teams 3-4 teams play a lot of 2-4-5.

The Packers won the Super Bowl with the 2-4-5 as their base defense. This is not something new.

And they don't have much of a beef with finishing 31st in defense, or 25th in defense, or being humiliated in the playoffs - so much so, that everyone anoited Kapnerfucker a HOF'er.

They began running it more than I was comfortable with in our SB year - we got away with it b/c we had vastly superior talent on that side of the ball, and teams didn't have 4 consecutive years of tape to pick it apart.

We lost Jenkins, Collins, Woodson, Bishop; Pickett got older, they changed Raji's role, they ran less and less real base, etc... add it up, and we simply haven't had the players to run it - on the contrary, the players TT brought in were much better suited to running a 3-3.

Hence, Capers is putting 3-3 square pegs into 2-4 round holes - the results have been dismal, and obviously so.

Now this year, they dumped Pickett and Jolly, and said they were going to go to a penetrating 3-4 instead of the traditional run-stuffing, 2-gapping 3-4 of your grandfather...

Fine, okay... there's more than 1 way to skin a cat - but, if they don't manage snap counts, and get a set rotation that maximized players strengths, then we'll be right back here next year arguing about how to fix the mess that is, and has been, our defense.