AJ Hawk released

[King Friday]

Hawk had an average career - maybe even slightly below average career.

Good riddance.

Actually Wist, you are very wrong.

Compared to other guys taken at #5 overall within a few years of Hawk, he was surprisingly ABOVE average.

Everyone on here seems to think that the #5 pick ALWAYS becomes a HOF player...but that is actually far from true.

[Patler]

I wonder if anyone like Mulumba, Perry or Neal could play inside in some situations.

[call_me_ishmael]

AJ is all class. I have mixed feelings. It's clear he's not a great player anymore but he seems like a genuinely good dude. Hard not to root for him and appreciate him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZCf...ature=youtu.be

[Patler]

Maybe AJ and his brother-in-law can sell themselves as a package deal:

http://packerrats.com/showthread.php...n-QB-FA-front!

[KYPack]

I'm still in stage two phase from Seattle loss; anger.

I'm in a mid stage, too.

My brother called me Monday and asked if I was done being pissed off.

Said, "I guess so".

[Cheesehead Craig]

AJ was durable as hell and really was what the injury prone Packers defense needed for a long time. I never thought he was going to be a multi year Pro-Bowl player when we drafted him, but I appreciated what he did do. As others have said, he'll always have my respect. Never whined, never complained.

[smuggler]

I don't see how this is anything but a step forward for the Packers.

[George Cumby]

AJ is all class. I have mixed feelings. It's clear he's not a great player anymore but he seems like a genuinely good dude. Hard not to root for him and appreciate him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZCf...ature=youtu.be

This. The guy had a solid career. Burdened by the expectations of his position in a weak draft he disappointed lots of fans. Had he been taken even in the late first round, the Choir of Haters would be much quieter.

921 combined tackles, 19 sacks and 33 passes defensed. Not spectacular but dependable.

By all accounts a good person, teammate and Packer, I'm sorry to see him go. I wish him the best but sure hope we can replace with someone more dynamic.

[Patler]

I think most think of Chad Greenway as having a much better career. I am surprised at how close their stats are in sacks, interceptions and passes defensed:

A.J. Hawk - 19 sacks, 9 int., 33 passes defensed, 921 tackles, 3 fumbles forced.
Greenway -15.5 sacks, 9 int., 30 passes defensed, 992 tackles, 8 fumbles forced.

Hawk has played 142 games, Greenway 124

[Carolina_Packer]

I think most think of Chad Greenway as having a much better career. I am surprised at how close their stats are in sacks, interceptions and passes defensed:

A.J. Hawk - 19 sacks, 9 int., 33 passes defensed, 921 tackles, 3 fumbles forced.
Greenway -15.5 sacks, 9 int., 30 passes defensed, 992 tackles, 8 fumbles forced.

Hawk has played 142 games, Greenway 124

At least Hawk contributed a lot better than this former #6 pick: http://www.mynfldraft.com/1981

Man, Green Bay was baaadddd at drafting in those days.

I wonder what the percent chance of a player making it in the league by draft round. If you look at the 2006 draft first round, there are some definite busts in the first round, so from that standpoint, you have to be happy with what A.J. was able to bring to the table. http://www.mynfldraft.com/2006 Of the guys draft #7 or later, can you say you would have rather had too many others, relative to what was available? Ngata...yes, Hali...yes Green Bay was running a 4-3 at that point, so they were probably not seen as the best fit, but I think they would have been as productive in Green Bay as they were with the teams they ended up with.

[Patler]

2006 is a great example of why you can't gauge a player's draft position relative to those of other years. In any year a GM can choose from only those who are available. Looking at the 2006 1st round, there certainly are a lot who didn't do much. Hawk doesn't look so bad relative to what was available that year. A few you would like to have had instead, but not that many.

As one of the articles pointed out, Hawk is a great example of why we shouldn't get too hung up on combine numbers. He had very good numbers for a linebacker, but didn't play that way.

[mraynrand]

2006 is a great example of why you can't gauge a player's draft position relative to those of other years. In any year a GM can choose from only those who are available. Looking at the 2006 1st round, there certainly are a lot who didn't do much. Hawk doesn't look so bad relative to what was available that year. A few you would like to have had instead, but not that many.

As one of the articles pointed out, Hawk is a great example of why we shouldn't get too hung up on combine numbers. He had very good numbers for a linebacker, but didn't play that way.

yeah, and drafts are ripe for retrospective shoulda couldas. It's always very very easy to craft alternative great scenarios. But, at the time, there were a few, including the Urinal Scented's own, Sunday Scabies, 'Scoops' McGinn, who thought the Pack shoulda traded down and picked Ngata.

[pbmax]

Spot Pete Dougherty's error:

But the scouts going into that draft who were concerned that he'd maxed out at Ohio State proved to be correct. He was constant and assignment-dependable at middle linebacker when the Packers played a 4-3 and inside linebacker when they switched to a 3-4 in 2009, but he wasn't a difference maker in any sense, even the year he went to the Pro Bowl in 2010.

Given the number of fronts the Packers line up in, it might technically be true, but doesn't really convey AJ's Packer time.

[George Cumby]

When Packers played 4-3, Hawk was outside.

[pbmax]

When Packers played 4-3, Hawk was outside.

Yep. He wasn't middle at ALL. Was WOLB. Now for an OLB, he was perhaps short, but not by much for a 4-3 where he would not be rushing the passer. And there are a lot of very good 5-11, 6-0 ILBs today in the game.