Here's hoping Abdul Hodge starts as a ROOKIE

[outflow]

I am so excited to see how good this LB unit is going to be this year. At the minimum, the level of intensity is going to be through the roof.

Anyone else think Hodge will be an absolute animal on Special Teams?

[Tarlam!]

Anyone else think Hodge will be an absolute animal on Special Teams?

I think he'll be an animal wherever they put him, but I think he'll be challenging immediately to start at Sam or even Mike.

[gbpackfan]

I really like Hawk at the Will, Hodge at the Mike and Barnett at the Sam. Barnett is fast enough and tall enough to cover the tight ends. Plus, he has the experience to recognize plays and see the coverage assignments.


QUESTION? Didn't I hear last year that with this D the OLB spots don't move around to cover the TE and that they are INTER-CHANGEABLE?

[BF4MVP]

In the press gazette this morning there was a story that said the Packers added depth to their linebacking corps by picking Hodge. That's harsh..He's more than that..A lot more..THEY'LL SEE

[wist43]

Re: Here's hoping Abdul Hodge starts as a ROOKIE

I've made it quite clear that I think this guy is a steal.

The guy will be a PLAYER. Mark my words..

Plug him in at the Mike with Hawk at the Will and Barnett at the Sam and that's a great corps of backers for the next decade.

Yes, he's "too short." So what? He's got a motor that doesn't stop, he hits like a jackhammer, and he's a leader. The guy makes plays. He averaged over 13 tackles a game last year and it wasn't a fluke. He's got 453 career tackles! (career tackles stat from packersnews.com)

It's not as if he racked up those huge tackle totals against crappy competition either. He played in the Big Ten!

Throw him into the fire right away, and I think he'll excel, as will Hawk.

I agree. I've watched Hodge play a few times, and he stood out in every game. He's tough, instinctive, and a big hitter... Solid tackler. I'm not too concerned about his size b/c he plays much bigger than his size, and is very consistent and durable. I really like Hodge.

[Partial]

Wist, what do you think of the draft in general? I think TT is making efforts to make the team in the trenches.

[OS PA]

I feel a little disheartened thinking that Poppinga will never get his shot in the middle, but I realized that we played him at some DE last year, and he may get a shot to spell Aaron Kampman as a pass rush specialist. The special teams demon no matter what happens is valuable =).