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  • #1

    Signs of improvement?

    Hey guys... new to the forum... just hanging out on the Left Coast.
    One thing I was thinking about as I watched yesterday's game and looked at the post-game stats was that Philly's tight ends didn't kill our defence. I am far from an expert, and somebody can slap me upside the head if I'm wrong here, but is this a strong indication that Brady Pop is cleaning up his coverage deficiencies?
    If I understand your strange American brand of football correctly, the SLB is primarily responsible for covering the TE (with help from the safety). L.J. Smith is supposed to be one of the league's better TEs and he caught just two balls.
    If Pop is now merely adequate in coverage, that's an improvement. He's already stout in run defence and he provides an aggressive bulldog mentality. If he is overall an average to slightly above average linebacker, how does the Packer linebacker core compare to others around the league?

    I'd hazard a guess at 5-10?
    If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?
    Vince Lombardi
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  • #2
    Welcome to the forum VanPackFan. Nice first thread. I think when talking about the linebacking corps, you have to decide whether you're talking about the group as a whole or just the starters. I think you're right about Pop and that this group can play with anyone in the leage (I think top 5) but if you're looking at the backups as well, it gets a little trickier...
    "Greatness is not an act... but a habit.Greatness is not an act... but a habit." -Greg Jennings

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    • #3
      Welcome to the forum Van. I aint the guy to answer your question but I'd say the starters as a whole are top 5.

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      • #4
        I think for the purposes of my question I'm focused on just the top three (top four for 3-4 D).
        Obviously the backups remain subpar, which to me is disappointing because there was so much draft-day hype about Abdul Hodge. If Hodge AND Bishop were legitimate starting calibre linebackers right now, I'd have no hesitation placing Green Bay among the top five linebacker units. Unfortunately the jury remains out on Bishop, and I'm sceptical about Hodge ever amounting to anything more than waiver-wire fodder.
        If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?
        Vince Lombardi

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        • #5
          I think they have potential to be top 5 LB corps, but I can't put them there yet. While they won't be Brian Urlacher, I feel both Hawk and Barnett can play to near Pro Bowl level. Poppinga is the big unknown. He has great size and solid athleticism, and he's a beast. If his coverage does improve, he can be an above average starter. There are reasons to think it might--mainly he's recovered fully from his knee injury. If that happens, this can be a LB unit that ranks in the top 5.
          "There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson

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          • #6
            Re: Signs of improvement?

            Originally posted by VanPackFan
            Hey guys... new to the forum... just hanging out on the Left Coast.
            One thing I was thinking about as I watched yesterday's game and looked at the post-game stats was that Philly's tight ends didn't kill our defence. I am far from an expert, and somebody can slap me upside the head if I'm wrong here, but is this a strong indication that Brady Pop is cleaning up his coverage deficiencies?
            If I understand your strange American brand of football correctly, the SLB is primarily responsible for covering the TE (with help from the safety). L.J. Smith is supposed to be one of the league's better TEs and he caught just two balls.
            If Pop is now merely adequate in coverage, that's an improvement. He's already stout in run defence and he provides an aggressive bulldog mentality. If he is overall an average to slightly above average linebacker, how does the Packer linebacker core compare to others around the league?

            I'd hazard a guess at 5-10?
            The Packers mix up their coverages. Collins was on L.J. Smith quite a bit yesterday. I also agree that Barnett, Popp and Hawk are a top 10 three-some.

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            • #7
              Not being facetious, but just concerned like everyone else. What do you think would happen if we had an injury to one of the three? Who is out there to pick-up and help out? Do we have anyone on the practice squad that could help? If help is not on the team right now, that concerns me. Why isn't that backup support with us and getting used to our team in their backup role? Why leave a razor thin margin for error and be so reactive to fixing a potential problem? It seems like poor or risky planning to me. Mabye we'll get lucky and avoid injury, but these guys are colliding with someone on most every play, so chances are they are going to get nicked up or worse. Is the team ready for that, or will it instantly hurt us? Where's the safety net?
              "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." -Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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              • #8
                Like almost every other team in the league, I suppose we'd be totally screwed if one of Barnett/Hawk went out and somewhat screwed if Popinga was injured.
                I guess I've just got to hope that TT has some practice squad guy who he could nab in a hurry if he absolutely had to.
                If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?
                Vince Lombardi

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                • #9
                  You can be sure that if they got an injury, somebody would be picked up. I'm sure they think there are available players better than the guys they cut. I'm also sure that they thought some of the young LBs they cut were going to perform better (Hodge, Johnson, Havner, Simpson, etc.). It's not like they were going to be able to get a starting caliber veteran to sign here to sit on the bench.
                  "There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson

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                  • #10
                    Funny you should bring up TEs.....because we need another one! Lee made a nice catch if I remember and Bubba caught a couple but man do we need someone with some speed and agility in the middle. Were either of them blocking well? Of course it didn't seem like anyone was blocking well.
                    C.H.U.D.

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                    • #11
                      There are a lot of teams that are looking for TEs with speed. Unfortunately, they don't grow on trees. I would have liked to have seen Eric Johnson signed. However, the guy has never stayed healthy, so I can see why teams avoided him. We'll see. Favre really hasn't had great TEs since 1997. You can win without having good TEs. However, you can't win without having a good OL. Those guys need to play much better.
                      "There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Freak Out
                        Funny you should bring up TEs.....because we need another one! Lee made a nice catch if I remember and Bubba caught a couple but man do we need someone with some speed and agility in the middle. Were either of them blocking well? Of course it didn't seem like anyone was blocking well.
                        Well, it's never too early to start talking about the 2008 draft. I don't see any blue chip TE prospects though. I think Shockey is a FA after this year, but I don't think the Green Bay nightlife is up to his standards.
                        </delurk>

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Lurker64
                          Well, it's never too early to start talking about the 2008 draft. I don't see any blue chip TE prospects though. I think Shockey is a FA after this year, but I don't think the Green Bay nightlife is up to his standards.
                          Wouldn't mind Travis Beckum as a nice homer pick.
                          "I've got one word for you- Dallas, Texas, Super Bowl"- Jermichael Finley

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by BallHawk
                            Wouldn't mind Travis Beckum as a nice homer pick.
                            Tony Moeaki out of Iowa is looking to have a nice season, but he's a Junior and Ferentz guys don't usually come out early.

                            Then again, we won't know who the blue chip TE prospects are until the combine. I mean, who ever heard of Vernon Davis before the combine? Really, who's heard of him since?
                            </delurk>

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                            • #15
                              I made a comment during the game that Poppinga was virtually invisible, and that it was probably a good thing that he was.

                              He was a major liability in coverage during the first half of the season, but made few glaring mistakes in the second half. I think that was a combination of his improvement and some adjustment to the defensive scheme.

                              LJ Smith had an injury going into this game, so that could have limited his effectiveness.
                              "My problems with him are his vision and tendency to dance instead of pounding a hole." - Harvey Wallbangers

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