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Poppinga ready to dominate
By RICHARD PUFALL
Green Bay - Look up the word "intense," and you're likely to find a picture of Brady Poppinga slammed up against it. You see, as a linebacker, slamming into things is what Poppinga does for a living with the Green Bay Packers.
Poppinga brings an intensity to his game that shows up in the way he expresses himself. When he talks about his craft and his role in the Green Bay defense, his eyes light up, and there is a controlled, but clearly evident, excitement in his voice.
That excitement is now laced with confidence because Poppinga and Green Bay's entire defense had a strong finish after a weak start to last season.
Poppinga's start to 2006 was slowed by an injury he suffered in 2005; he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Dec. 11 against Detroit, ending his season three games early and casting a cloud over his future.
But Poppinga rallied with an unusually quick recovery and rehabilitation that allowed him to return to practice on a limited basis on Aug. 8, 2006. Then he did what seemed physically impossible: jumping from hobbled practice spectator to National Football League starter in just four weeks. There he was, starting at strong-side linebacker against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 10 at Lambeau Field. Poppinga led the Packers vs. Chicago with a career-high 11 tackles, including nine solos.
But the early reviews were not good for Poppinga and his defensive teammates. They struggled through the first part of the season, particularly against the pass.
After six games in 2006, the Green Bay defense under first-year coordinator Bob Sanders was ranked 32nd and last in the NFL. Over the last 10 games, however, the Packers improved to 17th in pass defense, finished 13th against the run and ended the season ranked 12th overall in the league.
Poppinga offered an explanation for his improved play and the late defensive run that allowed the Packers to finish the season on a four-game winning streak and with a respectable 8-8 record.
"Well, I feel like I know the defense very well," Poppinga said after a recent off-season practice session. "I feel like I'm very familiar. I'd hate to speak for everybody else, but I would assume everybody else feels the same. So there's a comfort level, and with that comfort level, you tend to think less. And you tend to just allow your natural abilities to take hold and you play without hesitation.
"So you feel like you play a lot better, be more productive. You're just more effective. So that comfort level I think is going to add to the effectiveness of how I play and how we play as a defense."
Poppinga got a slow start coming out of college at Brigham Young, too. He was older than most rookies when the Packers drafted him in the fourth round in 2005. Poppinga, who turns 28 on Sept. 21, spent two years on a Mormon mission in Uruguay before starting school at BYU.
But Poppinga, entering his third season, is now up to speed with a Packers defense that he believes can be special.
"We're only limited by our own selves," Poppinga said. "So we'll see. There are no limits. . . . There's no end to how good we can be. So we're always striving to take that next step."
Poppinga played in each of Green Bay's 16 games in 2006 and started in 12; he missed four starts when the Packers opened games in their nickel package. He made 76 tackles (51 solo), had one sack, one interception, five passes defensed and forced two fumbles. Most consider him to be Green Bay's No. 3 linebacker, but that's no insult because he's keeping some excellent company with Nick Barnett in the middle and A.J. Hawk on the weak side.
"I think we're like one," Poppinga said of the linebacking trio. "We feed off each other. Synergy. We help each other. We support each other. We try to be as one."
Right now, Poppinga is one linebacker who can't do what he enjoys most - hit. The Packers, of course, have been practicing without pads, so hitting is taboo.
"You know what, man, when you don't put those pads on, it's a little different," Poppinga said. "It's just like a glorified training session. But you try to make the most of it. The real fun of football is the physicality. So when you take that away, it's not as fun as it could be. But for the time of year it is, it's good enough. It's nice to be out there."
Green Bay's fast finish in 2006 was underscored by victories over Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago in which the Packers allowed just 562 yards - 187.3 per game. Winston Moss, Green Bay's assistant head coach/linebackers, saw Poppinga's improvement as just one piece of a total product that got better.
"Everybody improved their game," Moss said of Poppinga's late-season upswing. "I mean from coaching to players, specifically Brady, all those guys that 'struggled' early on basically turned it around at the end of the year. They started producing. They got very consistent. And they were making plays."
Moss also sees a return to health and experience as key reason's for Poppinga's improvement.
"Repetition. Familiarity. Getting comfortable," Moss said of Poppinga. "And just seeing the same thing over and over again. That's all he needed. Remember, he missed the whole off-season. . . . Last year at this time, he really didn't get a chance . . . yes, he was in the classroom studying, but it's not what it is until you actually get into the box.
"He not only had that physical part to overcome, but he also had that game speed, game preparation and he had to do all that without that off-season."
Poppinga expects the Packers to win and make the playoffs in 2007. And he has one simple, albeit lofty, goal for himself:
"Dominate. I want to dominate."
By RICHARD PUFALL
Green Bay - Look up the word "intense," and you're likely to find a picture of Brady Poppinga slammed up against it. You see, as a linebacker, slamming into things is what Poppinga does for a living with the Green Bay Packers.
Poppinga brings an intensity to his game that shows up in the way he expresses himself. When he talks about his craft and his role in the Green Bay defense, his eyes light up, and there is a controlled, but clearly evident, excitement in his voice.
That excitement is now laced with confidence because Poppinga and Green Bay's entire defense had a strong finish after a weak start to last season.
Poppinga's start to 2006 was slowed by an injury he suffered in 2005; he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Dec. 11 against Detroit, ending his season three games early and casting a cloud over his future.
But Poppinga rallied with an unusually quick recovery and rehabilitation that allowed him to return to practice on a limited basis on Aug. 8, 2006. Then he did what seemed physically impossible: jumping from hobbled practice spectator to National Football League starter in just four weeks. There he was, starting at strong-side linebacker against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 10 at Lambeau Field. Poppinga led the Packers vs. Chicago with a career-high 11 tackles, including nine solos.
But the early reviews were not good for Poppinga and his defensive teammates. They struggled through the first part of the season, particularly against the pass.
After six games in 2006, the Green Bay defense under first-year coordinator Bob Sanders was ranked 32nd and last in the NFL. Over the last 10 games, however, the Packers improved to 17th in pass defense, finished 13th against the run and ended the season ranked 12th overall in the league.
Poppinga offered an explanation for his improved play and the late defensive run that allowed the Packers to finish the season on a four-game winning streak and with a respectable 8-8 record.
"Well, I feel like I know the defense very well," Poppinga said after a recent off-season practice session. "I feel like I'm very familiar. I'd hate to speak for everybody else, but I would assume everybody else feels the same. So there's a comfort level, and with that comfort level, you tend to think less. And you tend to just allow your natural abilities to take hold and you play without hesitation.
"So you feel like you play a lot better, be more productive. You're just more effective. So that comfort level I think is going to add to the effectiveness of how I play and how we play as a defense."
Poppinga got a slow start coming out of college at Brigham Young, too. He was older than most rookies when the Packers drafted him in the fourth round in 2005. Poppinga, who turns 28 on Sept. 21, spent two years on a Mormon mission in Uruguay before starting school at BYU.
But Poppinga, entering his third season, is now up to speed with a Packers defense that he believes can be special.
"We're only limited by our own selves," Poppinga said. "So we'll see. There are no limits. . . . There's no end to how good we can be. So we're always striving to take that next step."
Poppinga played in each of Green Bay's 16 games in 2006 and started in 12; he missed four starts when the Packers opened games in their nickel package. He made 76 tackles (51 solo), had one sack, one interception, five passes defensed and forced two fumbles. Most consider him to be Green Bay's No. 3 linebacker, but that's no insult because he's keeping some excellent company with Nick Barnett in the middle and A.J. Hawk on the weak side.
"I think we're like one," Poppinga said of the linebacking trio. "We feed off each other. Synergy. We help each other. We support each other. We try to be as one."
Right now, Poppinga is one linebacker who can't do what he enjoys most - hit. The Packers, of course, have been practicing without pads, so hitting is taboo.
"You know what, man, when you don't put those pads on, it's a little different," Poppinga said. "It's just like a glorified training session. But you try to make the most of it. The real fun of football is the physicality. So when you take that away, it's not as fun as it could be. But for the time of year it is, it's good enough. It's nice to be out there."
Green Bay's fast finish in 2006 was underscored by victories over Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago in which the Packers allowed just 562 yards - 187.3 per game. Winston Moss, Green Bay's assistant head coach/linebackers, saw Poppinga's improvement as just one piece of a total product that got better.
"Everybody improved their game," Moss said of Poppinga's late-season upswing. "I mean from coaching to players, specifically Brady, all those guys that 'struggled' early on basically turned it around at the end of the year. They started producing. They got very consistent. And they were making plays."
Moss also sees a return to health and experience as key reason's for Poppinga's improvement.
"Repetition. Familiarity. Getting comfortable," Moss said of Poppinga. "And just seeing the same thing over and over again. That's all he needed. Remember, he missed the whole off-season. . . . Last year at this time, he really didn't get a chance . . . yes, he was in the classroom studying, but it's not what it is until you actually get into the box.
"He not only had that physical part to overcome, but he also had that game speed, game preparation and he had to do all that without that off-season."
Poppinga expects the Packers to win and make the playoffs in 2007. And he has one simple, albeit lofty, goal for himself:
"Dominate. I want to dominate."
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