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Hawk off to quiet but solid start
By JASON WILDE, Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY — A.J. Hawk knows it comes with the territory. When you enter the NFL as the fifth pick in the draft, when you're viewed as the next face of the Green Bay Packers when (if?) Brett Favre finally retires, folks are going to expect a lot. And rightfully so.
"That's good. People had better have high expectations for me," the Packers' second-year will linebacker said. "Because whatever they expect of me, believe me, I expect a lot more. But I also understand my job. I understand what I'm doing here."
And what he's done through the Packers' first five games has been, well, uneventful. While he hasn't made any game-changing, glaring mistakes, he hasn't made any game-altering, great plays, either.
He enters Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins at Lambeau Field with 41 tackles — third on the team behind middle linebacker Nick Barnett (51) and safety Atari Bigby (45) — and without a sack, interception, pass breakup or forced or recovered fumble.
Yet while those outside the building might wonder why a player coach Mike McCarthy called "a prime-time player in the National Football League" this offseason has had such a quiet start, Hawk's coaches are unconcerned.
"Pretty solid," linebackers coach Winston Moss replied when asked to assess Hawk's season so far. "A lot more consistent than (his play at the beginning of) last year. He's off to a solid start. I don't think the opportunity has presented itself as much as probably he wants it to or I want it to, so you just have to be patient. Reporters or fans might expect more from him, but I'm fine. I'm fine."
The lack of opportunity, according to defensive coordinator Bob Sanders, is a function of what he's asked Hawk to do. In the first three games — against the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and San Diego Chargers — Hawk spent most of his time in coverage, against tight ends L.J. Smith, Jeremy Shockey and Antonio Gates, and saw Shockey and Gates get the best of him at times.
In Sunday night's loss to Chicago, Hawk made six tackles and was solid against the run, but once again, he didn't do anything extraordinary. He did make a savvy play by covering fullback Jason McKie in the flat late in the game, but it was for naught because safety Nick Collins incorrectly headed that direction, too — allowing tight end Desmond Clark to get behind Collins and sam linebacker Brady Poppinga for the decisive touchdown.
"We tell everybody on the defense, 'We don't need you to do anything more than what your job is. If everybody does their job, we're in good shape.' And for the most part, A.J.'s done that," Sanders said. "He played physical, he was in pretty good position most of the night on all his run fits. The plays have to be at your spot for you to make them.
"Big plays, just like turnovers or sacks, they seem to come in droves. I'm sure there's certain plays he'd like to do over or have back. But he's done a nice job. And I think he'll continue to do that.
"I think his plays will come. If the plays are going somewhere else, it's hard to make them."
For his part, Hawk doesn't feel he's played poorly and believes Sanders is right about this opportunities coming. Last season, when Hawk led the team with 155 tackles while also registering 3 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and nine pass breakups, he had 42 tackles through five games, although he did have 1 1/2 sacks.
"I actually feel pretty good about where I'm at," said Hawk, who had seven games of double-digit tackles last season, five of which came after Week 5, including a 20-tackle game (16 solo) against Seattle.
"Different games are set up for different type things, and these first few games, I'd been asked to be in coverage a lot. And so I understand when I'm in coverage I don't want to be making tackles, because that means they're throwing the ball to my guy.
"It's not frustrating to me. It's my job, and I take pride in that. It's something where I understand our scheme, I understand the defense, and I understand that different things will come to me. I can't be out there pressing, trying to do things outside the scheme.
"Obviously I'd like to be in on every play. But I know that realistically, with what we're doing and how our scheme is (structured), especially with the tight ends we faced early in the year, that I'm going to be away from the ball, I'm going to be downfield in coverage. It's a long season. I'm not worried at all about where I'm at or where this defense is at."
By JASON WILDE, Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY — A.J. Hawk knows it comes with the territory. When you enter the NFL as the fifth pick in the draft, when you're viewed as the next face of the Green Bay Packers when (if?) Brett Favre finally retires, folks are going to expect a lot. And rightfully so.
"That's good. People had better have high expectations for me," the Packers' second-year will linebacker said. "Because whatever they expect of me, believe me, I expect a lot more. But I also understand my job. I understand what I'm doing here."
And what he's done through the Packers' first five games has been, well, uneventful. While he hasn't made any game-changing, glaring mistakes, he hasn't made any game-altering, great plays, either.
He enters Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins at Lambeau Field with 41 tackles — third on the team behind middle linebacker Nick Barnett (51) and safety Atari Bigby (45) — and without a sack, interception, pass breakup or forced or recovered fumble.
Yet while those outside the building might wonder why a player coach Mike McCarthy called "a prime-time player in the National Football League" this offseason has had such a quiet start, Hawk's coaches are unconcerned.
"Pretty solid," linebackers coach Winston Moss replied when asked to assess Hawk's season so far. "A lot more consistent than (his play at the beginning of) last year. He's off to a solid start. I don't think the opportunity has presented itself as much as probably he wants it to or I want it to, so you just have to be patient. Reporters or fans might expect more from him, but I'm fine. I'm fine."
The lack of opportunity, according to defensive coordinator Bob Sanders, is a function of what he's asked Hawk to do. In the first three games — against the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and San Diego Chargers — Hawk spent most of his time in coverage, against tight ends L.J. Smith, Jeremy Shockey and Antonio Gates, and saw Shockey and Gates get the best of him at times.
In Sunday night's loss to Chicago, Hawk made six tackles and was solid against the run, but once again, he didn't do anything extraordinary. He did make a savvy play by covering fullback Jason McKie in the flat late in the game, but it was for naught because safety Nick Collins incorrectly headed that direction, too — allowing tight end Desmond Clark to get behind Collins and sam linebacker Brady Poppinga for the decisive touchdown.
"We tell everybody on the defense, 'We don't need you to do anything more than what your job is. If everybody does their job, we're in good shape.' And for the most part, A.J.'s done that," Sanders said. "He played physical, he was in pretty good position most of the night on all his run fits. The plays have to be at your spot for you to make them.
"Big plays, just like turnovers or sacks, they seem to come in droves. I'm sure there's certain plays he'd like to do over or have back. But he's done a nice job. And I think he'll continue to do that.
"I think his plays will come. If the plays are going somewhere else, it's hard to make them."
For his part, Hawk doesn't feel he's played poorly and believes Sanders is right about this opportunities coming. Last season, when Hawk led the team with 155 tackles while also registering 3 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and nine pass breakups, he had 42 tackles through five games, although he did have 1 1/2 sacks.
"I actually feel pretty good about where I'm at," said Hawk, who had seven games of double-digit tackles last season, five of which came after Week 5, including a 20-tackle game (16 solo) against Seattle.
"Different games are set up for different type things, and these first few games, I'd been asked to be in coverage a lot. And so I understand when I'm in coverage I don't want to be making tackles, because that means they're throwing the ball to my guy.
"It's not frustrating to me. It's my job, and I take pride in that. It's something where I understand our scheme, I understand the defense, and I understand that different things will come to me. I can't be out there pressing, trying to do things outside the scheme.
"Obviously I'd like to be in on every play. But I know that realistically, with what we're doing and how our scheme is (structured), especially with the tight ends we faced early in the year, that I'm going to be away from the ball, I'm going to be downfield in coverage. It's a long season. I'm not worried at all about where I'm at or where this defense is at."
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