Jarrett Bush » Packer Update

Weaknesses Exposed In Loss To Niners

Posted by Michael Rodney at 11:05 am 7 Responses »

Sep 112012

Starting nickel safety M.D. Jennings struggled in the opener against the 49ers

Anyone surprised that the Packers couldn’t stop quarterback Alex Smith and the 49ers’ offense either doesn’t read this blog or didn’t pay enough attention during the month of August. No team has more holes in its nickel and dime packages than Green Bay, and every one of them was exposed on Sunday afternoon.

Starting right cornerback (I still can’t believe I’m writing that) Jarrett Bush deserves no blame for what happened. He actually performed as well as could be expected – and that’s the problem. The career special teamer has no business playing – let alone starting – on defense. I thought it was a joke when Bush opened training camp atop the depth chart. Six weeks later, the only peope laughing are opposing quarterbacks.

I’m no expert, but it took me all of three practices to see that M.D. Jennings wasn’t ready to start in the sub-packages. And yet, there he was, lining up opposite Morgan Burnett in the nickel and dime. To the surprise of nobody (except the coaches), he was a liability. Jennings lacks experience, and he doesn’t have the physical skills to compensate. Jerron McMillian eventually replaced him, and the rookie from Maine figures to keep the job. Whether that translates to improved play at the position remains to be seen.

I’m not sure anything can be done to fix things at this late date, but coordinator Dom Capers needs to try something. I would start Sam Shields at right corner and insert McMillian and fellow rookie Casey Hayward in the dime. Will that help? I’m not sure, but it can’t hurt. Of course, what the defense really needs is a fierce pass rush. That means young players like defensive end Jerel Worthy and outside linebacker Nick Perry have to win more one on one battles than they did four days ago against San Francisco.

Packers Have Problems In Secondary

Posted by Michael Rodney at 2:59 am 8 Responses »

Aug 232012

Veteran Jarrett Bush is still atop the depth chart at right cornerback

The regular season begins for the Green Bay Packers in less than three weeks, and as of right now, special teams star Jarrett Bush will be the starting right cornerback and either M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian or Anthony Levine will be the starting safety in sub-packages. That should scare the living hell out of every fan, and it should cause sleepless nights for defensive coordinator Dom Capers and his staff.

As of now, the Packers aren’t as good at either position as they were a year ago, and they were pretty lousy at both positions a year ago. Young Sam Shields regressed badly in his second season at right corner and veteran Charlie Peprah struggled enough against the pass to lose his roster spot late last month.

The Packers have tried desperately to replace Bush since the first week of August, but an injury to Davon House and the uneven play of second round draft pick Casey Hayward has left the seven-year veteran with the ball skills of a blind juggler back atop the depth chart less than three weeks before the opener.

Jennings began camp as a starter in sub-packages, but I was unimpressed after watching him earlier in the month. It’s beginning to look as if the coaches feel the same way. McMillian and Levine have taken quite a few snaps with the starters in recent days, as Capers looks to find an answer opposite Morgan Burnett.

Sometimes a position remains unsettled in late August because all the competitors are playing so well that making a decision is extremely difficult. Unfortunately for Green Bay, that’s not what’s happening at right cornerback and nickel safety. The only reason decisions still haven’t been made is because none of the competitors have played well enough this summer to earn the positions. That’s a big problem.

Notes On A Preseason Game

Posted by Michael Rodney at 1:35 pm 14 Responses »

Aug 102012

Backup quarterback Graham Harrell directed two scoring drives

The title of this post pays homage to Notes On a Scandal – one of the most underrated movies in recent years (in fact, I should’ve watched it again rather than waste three hours of my life on whatever that mess was on ESPN last night). Anyway, here are five thoughts from Green Bay’s 21-13 loss to San Diego:

1) Graham Harrell is exactly what I thought he was a few months ago. He’s an intelligent and gutsy quarterback who’ll need 15 to 20 plays to move the ball 80 yards down the field. That doesn’t happen very often in the National Football League. His arm strength is improved from a year ago, but it’s still below-average. Quarterbacks without a big arm need to be extremely accurate, and Harrell is simply not a pinpoint passer. He misses too many open targets. Could the Packers win games in the regular season with the former Texas Tech star under center? Put it this way – pray to God we never have to find out.

2) The defensive line is markedly better than it was a year ago. Not only did the team draft a pair of talented players at the position (Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels), but veterans Phillip Merling, Daniel Muir and Anthony Hargrove have been coming on in recent days. The Packers ended last season with two and a half legitimate NFL defensive linemen on the roster (C.J. Wilson was the half). That number has now been more than doubled. Is this the new Fearsome ~~Foursome~~ Threesome? Of course not, but it’s a group that should put at least some pressure on the quarterback and make life a lot easier on the linebackers.

3) Nick Perry is going to get at least eight sacks from his left outside linebacker position. With the talented rookie on one side and perennial Pro Bowler Clay Matthews on the other, opposing QBs are going to be the meat in a lot of Southern Cal sandwiches this season. Perry still has plenty to learn about playing with his hand off the ground, but his power is becoming more and more obvious by the week. He knocked Bryan Bulaga on his ass in practice the other day and he made life difficult at times for Jeromey Clary last night. The guess here is that the really good right tackles will handle Perry this season, but fortunately, there aren’t very many of them on the schedule – or in the league for that matter.

4) The Packers need newly signed Reggie Wells to find the fountain of youth because there isn’t a quality third guard on the roster. Big Ray Dominguez might be that guy, but he’s been out for a few weeks with a badly sprained ankle. Did you notice Evan Dietrich-Smith took all of his snaps at center last night? That’s because he’s been struggling at guard in practice and the coaches are desperately looking for a young player to step up. Sampson Genus, Tommie Draheim, Don Barclay and Greg Van Roten have received plenty of snaps this summer, but none of the four is ready for the majors leagues just yet.

5) As I wrote a few weeks ago, there isn’t a legitimate second safety on the roster. M.D. Jennings has taken all the snaps in the sub-packages for months, but he’s still late to react on even the most basic routes. I’m not saying the second-year player won’t improve over time, but this defense – already with plenty of questions at other positions – can’t afford to wait. Dom Capers needs to find a safety he can rely on, and short of bringing back Charlie Peprah (yikes), moving Jarrett Bush from corner makes the most sense. The 8-year vet can’t play with his back to the receiver, but he’s OK when things unfold in front of him.

Likes And Dislikes From Practice

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:17 am 17 Responses »

Aug 032012

Third-year safety Morgan Burnett is having an outstanding training camp

GREEN BAY- Here are my 7 likes and dislikes from Thursday’s practice (the first I’ve seen in person this summer):

1) I liked watching a young quarterback who can really sling the ball. Seventh-round pick B.J. Coleman has a lot to learn and his accuracy is hit or miss, but his physical skills are obvious. Mike McCarthy has made decent quarterbacks out of players with a lot less ability.

2) I liked watching second-year running back Alex Green turn it loose. He doesn’t look like a player less than nine months removed from major knee surgery. He’s going to make an impact this season.

3) I liked watching the right side of the offensive line dominate. A completely healthy Josh Sitton looks as good as ever and Bryan Bulaga looks like he’s ready to go from being very good to being great.

4) I liked watching the energy defensive lineman Daniel Muir and cornerback Davon House bring to the defense. That side of the ball often looked like the walking dead last season. They often played that way too.

5) I liked watching three-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Clay Matthews hustle all over the field like a free agent trying to make the team. That’s why he’s so special. Of course, the immense natural talent also helps a bit.

6) I liked watching Dezman Moses get physical with running backs. I’m still not sure if he has the physical skills to ever be a starter, but he’s a better prospect than Vic So’oto, last summer’s rookie sensation.

7) I liked watching safety Morgan Burnett mature before my very eyes. This isn’t the same timid player who often went unnoticed on the practice field a year ago. This player appears destined for big things.

1) I disliked watching new No. 2 quarterback Graham Harrell too often settle for check downs when wide receivers were open down the field. He’s definitely improved from a year ago, but he’s nowhere near as impressive as Matt Flynn was in his third training camp.

2) I disliked watching undersized right defensive ends C.J. Wilson and Jerel Worthy get pushed around at times. Offenses are going to run a lot to the left against the Packers, and there’s a good chance they’ll find success. It would be nice to see Lawrence Guy step up. He has ideal size for the position.

3) I disliked watching backup right guard Ray Dominguez leave practice with an ankle injury. The offensive line was extremely thin even before arguably the group’s seventh-best player got carted off the field.

4) I disliked watching inside linebacker A.J. Hawk continue to hold down a starting position. He gives 100%, but he’s exactly the type of marginal veteran player that coaches are almost always looking to replace.

5) I disliked watching cornerback Sam Shields struggle to defend some of the same receivers he blanketed two summers ago. He wasn’t bad, but he’s definitely a young player who needs a boost in confidence.

6) I disliked watching the coaches waste precious snaps on Jarrett Bush at right corner. He’s not the answer, and based on what I saw, Shields, House and rookie Casey Hayward need all the reps they can get.

7) I didn’t like watching practice come to an end. There’s few better things to do on a beautiful summer night than watch the Packers play – even when it’s against themselves. Family Night should be a real blast!

Bush Says Defense Was ‘Damn Good’

Posted by Michael Rodney at 1:23 am No Responses »

Jul 302012

Jarrett Bush thinks last year’s defense was damn good. I have a pair of questions for the team’s current starting cornerback (I nearly gagged while writing that). The first is, what exactly do you consider bad? The second is, are you freaking kidding me?

I’m actually glad Bush said what he did because it allows me to make a point about playing defense – a point I made over and over last season. Forcing turnovers doesn’t equate to good defense. Stopping the run, rushing the quarterback, tackling and covering equates to good defense. If a defense does those four things and forces turnovers, then that defense is playing damn good. Got it, Jarrett?

Part of the problem last season was that too many people on the defensive side of the ball – coaches included – seemed to buy into Bush’s way of thinking. We kept reading about how important turnovers are and how all that matters is wins. No argument there. Turnovers are important and all that does matter is wins. But forcing turnovers and winning games is a lot easier to do in November than it is in January.

After New Year’s, a defense has to be able to get off the field by actually stopping the run, rushing the quarterback, tackling and covering. And no matter how explosive a team is on offense, that’s still the formula that wins in January. Add in a few forced turnovers, and you have the formula that wins in early February. Just ask the 2010 Super Bowl champion Packers. By the way Jarrett, that was a damn good defense.

Bush Will Always Be Mr. July

Posted by Michael Rodney at 3:01 pm 5 Responses »

Jul 262012

OK, get ready for the avalanche of tweets and stories extolling the play of Jarrett Bush. Like the Cubs sinking in the standings, it happens every spring and summer. The seventh-year cornerback tends to look pretty good when lined up against an offensive scheme and a group of veteran receivers he knows like the back of his hand. The trouble always starts when a team with a different colored jersey takes the field.

Very few players get better in their seventh season. Bush is what he is – regardless of how many balls he intercepts in the coming weeks. He’s a physical corner who’s not afraid to get his nose dirty against the run. He can also be an effective blitzer at times. What he can’t do is consistently cover receivers – especially when lined up outside. He has questionable top-end speed and he lacks awareness with his back to the ball.

Packers Getting Busy In Free Agency

Posted by Michael Rodney at 5:36 pm 20 Responses »

Mar 212012

Packers are reportedly interested in LB Lawson

The Packers are reportedly interested in free agent Lawson

The Green Bay Packers, as expected, sat out the first week of free agency, but things are starting to heat up in week two. Center Jeff Saturday was in town on Monday and more visits are possible in the near future. According to published reports, GM Ted Thompson has contacted the agents for outside linebacker Manny Lawson and defensive lineman Dave Tollefson. Also, the team re-signed defensive back Jarrett Bush.

Saturday is obviously the team’s top choice to replace Scott Wells, but getting a deal done will be very difficult. That’s because the Broncos are also interested in the 36-year-old former Colt, and the chance to reunite with Peyton Manning has to be very tempting. Thompson might have to overpay to get Saturday, and as we all know, the odds of that happening are about the same as the odds of Lindsay Lohan winning an Oscar. There are a number of other veteran centers on the market, but none have piqued the Packers interest as of yet.

Lawson spent the first five years of his career with the 49ers before signing with the Bengals last summer. While the former first-round draft choice has never lived up to his enormous potential, he has gotten better each season and is now at least an average starter. The 27-year-old appears to be more comfortable in a 4-3 scheme, but he’s also capable of playing in a 3-4. If signed, Lawson wouldn’t do much to improve the anemic pass rush, but he’s reliable against the run and adept in coverage – two things that couldn’t be said about any of last season’s right outside linebackers.

Tollefson was originally drafted by Green Bay in 2006, so Thompson knows him well. The 29-year-old had a career-high 5 sacks for the Giants last season, and while he doesn’t appear to have a natural position in a 3-4, he does have more pass rush skills than most of the players on the current roster. This alone makes him attractive. So does his fiery personality. Let’s face it, last year’s defense showed about as much passion as the Ben Stein character in Ferris Bueller.

Bush visited with the Jets and Cards before agreeing to a three-year deal worth $5.35 million ($1 million signing bonus). That sounds like a lot of money for a backup corner, but as I wrote two weeks ago, his skill set was going to appeal to a lot of GMs. That’s because there aren’t many special teams stars who can also contribute at a position. And while the 28-year-old former Utah State star isn’t much of a defensive back, he can at least get you through a game. Once Bush returned to the fold, the Packers had no need for Pat Lee. He signed a one-year contract with Oakland.

Bush Could Be A Popular Packer

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:50 pm 2 Responses »

Mar 102012

Veteran defensive back should have plenty of suitors

Defensive back should have plenty of suitors in free agency

Assuming Scott Wells and Jarrett Bush make it to free agency on Tuesday, the former will sign for a lot more money, but the latter will be in far greater demand. A 31-year-old undersized center – no matter how good – will appeal to very few teams, while a 27-year-old semi-competent defensive back and special teams star will appeal to almost every team.

Bush is unquestionably one of the top handful of special teams players in the league. That will automatically make him a fairly hot commodity in free agency. General managers are placing a much higher emphasis on covering kicks these days. Just look at the money doled out to Kassim Osgood in March 2010. The Jaguars signed the “wide receiver” with 44 career receptions in seven seasons to a three-year contract worth over $6 million. Bush is nearly as effective on special teams as Osgood, and he’s a heck of a lot more useful from the line of scrimmage. Ka-ching!

It’s easy to criticize Bush as a defensive back, but let’s be honest, how many teams have a better fourth corner? The former Utah State star is fairly effective on the blitz, he’s not afraid to support the run and he can hang with most receivers in the slot. OK, so he gets beaten like a rented mule on the outside because of his atrocious ball skills, but what can you honestly expect from a player so far down the depth chart? General managers, including Green Bay’s Ted Thompson, know how rare it is to find a special teams stud who can contribute anything at all from the line of scrimmage. That’s why Bush was a popular restricted free agent three years ago and why he’ll be just as popular come Tuesday.

Most fans remember that the Titans signed Bush to an offer sheet in 2009, but it’s easy to forget that at least four other teams were also very interested in his services. That number could be even higher this year. That’s because a number of former Green Bay executives and coaches have moved on to other franchises in the past three years. John Schneider (Seattle) and Reggie McKenzie (Oakland) are now GMs and Joe Philbin (Miami) is a head coach. These experts value players like Bush more than the average fan does – a fact that will be confirmed in the very near future.

So what will it take to sign Bush? I emailed an agent to find out. A few weeks ago, this person told me what he thought Wells was looking for and what the Packers were offering. Bob McGinn reported nearly identical numbers a few days later, so I trust this source. He thinks Bush will get between $2 million and $2.5 million on a multi-year contract. If correct, that would put him in roughly the same monetary neighborhood as John Kuhn. Sound implausible? Maybe, but the truth is, more teams are in the market for a special teams stud/backup corner this year than were in the market for an undersized fullback and a butter-fingered wide receiver eight months ago.

Chillar Coming Back To Pack?

Posted by Michael Rodney at 10:41 am 26 Responses »

Mar 042012

Packers might have interest in re-signing veteran linebacker

Veteran linebacker played three seasons for the Packers before being released last summer

According to Jarrett Bush, inside linebacker Brandon Chillar will be returning to the Packers. The seven-year veteran was cut by the team last summer after suffering a hamstring injury while training on his own during the lockout. He sat out the 2011 season.

I have no idea whether this is true, but it makes sense. Bush and Chillar both live in California and they have worked out together in the past. Also, general manager Ted Thompson obviously thinks very highly of the former UCLA star. He not only brought him in as an unrestricted free agent in 2008, but he re-signed him to a $21 million extension less than two years later. And while we can certainly question the shrewdness of handing out nearly $11 million in guaranteed money to a solid but unspectacular player like Chillar, there’s no debate as to just how much Thompson likes him.

A healthy Chillar would add even more depth to an already deep position. Holdovers Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, D.J. Smith and Robert Francois all started at least two games last season. He would also be the team’s best inside linebacker in pass coverage, although to be fair, that’s akin to calling Kourtney the most intelligent member of the Kardashian klan. The 29-year-old is also very good on special teams, a fact that could become even more important should cornerback and intrepid reporter Bush take his outstanding kick covering talents elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent.

Chillar played in 34 games between ’08 and ’10. He had 4 sacks, 10 passes defensed, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble. And while those numbers aren’t eye-opening, they compare quite favorably to those compiled by Hawk during his last 34 games. Despite playing hundreds of more snaps, Green Bay’s $33 million man compiled only 4 more passes defensed and 2 more interceptions than Chillar. And amazingly, he had 2 fewer sacks and 1 less forced fumble.

Re-signing Chillar won’t make the Packers a significantly better defense in 2012, but it certainly can’t hurt. Not only is he a solid and versatile vet, but he plays the game with unbridled enthusiasm – something missing from that side of the ball last season. I wanted the Packers to release Chillar and his inflated salary even before the hamstring injury. Ironically, only seven months later, I find myself hoping that “Scoop” Bush’s early morning tweet proves to be accurate.