Mike Neal » Packer Update

Looking Back At The 2010 Draft

Posted by Michael Rodney at 7:17 am 10 Responses »

Feb 152013

Defensive lineman C.J. Wilson was a steal in the seventh round of the draft

They (whoever “they” are) say it takes three years to fairly judge an NFL draft. By that way of thinking, it’s now OK to look back and judge the class of 2010. GM Ted Thompson selected seven players that April. Nearly three years later, all seven remain with the Packers – each enjoying varying degrees of success.

KEY

9: Great pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

8: Very good pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

7: Good pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

6: Above-average pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

5: Average pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

4: Below-average pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

3: Poor pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

2: Wasted pick based on where the player was drafted and how the player has performed.

BRYAN BULAGA – Picked in the first round, the former Iowa star has been a starter at right tackle since the middle of his rookie season. He played at a Pro Bowl level in 2011, but tailed off a bit this season before fracturing a hip and going on IR. (7)

MIKE NEAL – Picked in the second round, the former Purdue star has played in only 20 of 48 games due to injuries and a suspension. He finally stayed relatively healthy this season and recorded 4.5 sacks as a part-time defensive lineman. (4)

MORGAN BURNETT – Picked in the third round, the former Georgia Tech star has been a starter since the first game of his rookie season. He has the physical skills to be a star, but right now he’s probably no better than the seventh-best safety in the NFC. (7.5)

ANDREW QUARLESS – Picked in the fifth round, the former Penn State star developed into the team’s best blocking tight end before suffering a knee injury late in the 2011 season. He didn’t play a single down this season and his future is uncertain. (5)

MARSHALL NEWHOUSE – Picked in the fifth round, the former TCU star has started the past 29 games at left tackle. He hasn’t been great at the line’s most important position, but he’s been competent enough to allow the offense to function at a high level. (8)

JAMES STARKS – Picked in the sixth round, the former Buffalo star exploded onto the scene at the end of his rookie season and helped lead the Packers to the Super Bowl. He has been unable to build upon that early success due to injuries. (6)

C.J. WILSON – Picked in the seventh round, the former East Carolina star has started 11 games at defensive end, including 7 this season. He works hard and will usually hold his own as a starter, but he’s clearly best-suited for a backup role. (7)

OVERALL: This draft has yet to produce a blue-chip player, but four starters and three backups is nothing to sneeze at. Drafts like this are why the Packers are one of the deepest teams in the league and why they’re able to keep winning games despite so many key injuries. Based on my subjective rating system, this draft averaged out to a grade of 6.36 - which means it was above average. It can be a lot better than that if Bulaga and Burnett take the leap from solid starters to stars in the next two or three years.

Packers Come Up Short At End

Posted by Michael Rodney at 8:10 am 11 Responses »

Jan 222013

At 6’4 and 325 pounds, Johnny Jolly looked and played like a 3-4 defensive end

Johnny Jolly hasn’t played a game for the Packers since January 2010, but his absence on the D-line is still being felt. That’s because GM Ted Thompson hasn’t drafted or signed a legitimate 3-4 end in the past three offseasons. To be fair, he did draft Lawrence Guy in 2011 and he did sign Phillip Merling as a free agent last spring, but both players were long shots to stick on the 53-man roster, and ultimately neither did.

The average starting 3-4 defensive end in 2011 stood 6’3 1/4 and weighed 319 pounds. I’m familiar with the numbers because I wrote about this very subject back then (for some reason, it took most of the local media another two years to even address the issue). The current ends on the Packers average 6’2 and 304.

An end in a 3-4 defense has two main responsibilities – stuff the run and disrupt passing lanes. That’s what Aaron Smith did for a dozen years in Pittsburgh; it’s what Haloti Ngata has done for seven years in Baltimore; it’s what Jolly did in Green Bay in ’09; and it’s what none of the current ends are capable of doing.

B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett have the bulk to stop the run, but neither has the length nor the leaping ability to disrupt passing lanes. Mike Neal has the length and the athleticism needed to bat down the occasional pass, but he can’t hold up versus the run. Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels are ill-equipped to do either.

The closest thing the current defense has to a legitimate 3-4 end is C.J. Wilson, who stands 6’3 and weighs about 300 pounds. But even he’s a bit undersized, and to be perfectly honest, he’s not very talented.

The current roster is filled with defensive linemen built to play in a 4-3, but forced to line up in a 3-4. It isn’t working. It’s time for Thompson to finally address the problem. Jolly isn’t walking through the door. And you want to know what’s really sad? If he did, he’d immediately be the best defensive end on the team.

Neal Still Trying To Regain Form

Posted by Michael Rodney at 5:14 pm 6 Responses »

Aug 072012

Defensive end Mike Neal won’t be available until the fifth game of the season

Mike Neal hasn’t gotten many snaps in camp, but he does look better than he did at the end of last season. That said, he looks nothing like the player who first showed up at St. Norbert two summers ago.

That Neal was a disruptive force on the defensive line. That Neal was powerful enough to knock an offensive lineman on his ass and athletic enough to accelerate through gaps on stunts. That Neal had a burst to the quarterback. That Neal was going to be a big-time star. Unfortunately, that Neal may no longer exist.

Neal has undergone four surgeries in the past six years, and no matter how young and how strong a player is, going under the knife that many times in such a short period of time is going to take a toll.

Today, Neal is just another defensive lineman trying to make a team. The 25-year-old still flashes at times, but more often than not he’s fighting just to hold his own. He’ll have to step up his game in the next few weeks if he wants to ensure being around in October when his four-game suspension comes to an end.

Former Dolphin Could Help Packers

Posted by Michael Rodney at 10:32 am 4 Responses »

Jun 212012

Former Dolphin was signed by the Packers earlier in the offseason

The Packers quietly signed Phillip Merling a few weeks after the Dolphins released the veteran defensive end. Based on what I read out of Miami, I was expecting the former Clemson star to be a cross between Jamal Reynolds and Justin Harrell. But after watching four Dolphins games from last season, I’m feeling better about this acquisition.

Don’t get me wrong, Merling is nothing special. He started Miami’s opener at right defensive end, but after jumping offsides on his first play and falling to the ground untouched on his second, he saw only sporadic action the rest of the day. What I saw in that game, and in the other three I watched, was a decent rotational defensive lineman. Merling did an adequate job versus the run when he kept his pad level low, but for some reason he tended to rise off the snap. That’s something defensive line coach Mike Trgovac will obviously be focusing on all summer. As a pass rusher, the 27-year-old didn’t get much pressure on the quarterback, but he did work hard and at least managed to push some guards and centers around a bit.

Merling blew out his Achilles’ tendon in July 2010, so he was only 13 months removed from the injury when he lined up against the New England Patriots to open last season. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see how he looked prior to the devastating injury. I decided to watch a few games from 2009 (thanks Game Rewind). I can’t say that Merling played all that much better, but he was definitely a half-step quicker. That enabled him to be slightly more disruptive – both against the run and the pass. To put it simply, the player I saw in ’09 was better than C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Howard Green and Mike Neal. Of course, whether Merling can ever be that player again remains to be seen.

I wish I could’ve seen Merling at last week’s minicamp. Not that how a player looks in shorts means a whole lot, but it would’ve been interesting to see what kind of shape he was in, how he was moving and how much effort he was putting forth. His work ethic – or lack thereof – was one of the reasons Miami gave up on him. If that’s still an issue, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Merling released before training camp even starts. Thompson isn’t going to waste a valuable roster spot on a lazy veteran – not when there are so many hungry young players looking to make the team.

Assuming what I saw last season is what I’ll see in training camp, I give Merling a better than 50/50 chance of making the final roster. B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and second-round pick Jerel Worthy are locks to be around in early September, and if healthy, so is fourth-round pick Mike Daniels. That leaves Merling to battle it out with Wilson, Wynn, Lawrence Guy, Daniel Muir and Johnny Jones for what will probably be two spots. Even if he’s no better than he was a year ago, I would give Merling the clear edge over Wynn, Muir and Jones. Wilson is a very similar player, and since he’s younger and cheaper, I think he’ll survive for another season. That means it could ultimately come down to Merling and Guy, a second-year player from Arizona State who missed his entire rookie season with a concussion.

Here’s what one scout service said about Merling four years ago: “Compares to Justin Tuck of the Giants. Both defensive ends will make a nice living coming off the edge. They have impressive size, though Merling is best playing on the move to utilize a sudden initial step to slip past blocks. He is not a good stack-and-control type and must do a better job of protecting himself from low blocks, but he is quick to provide outside run containment and shows a quick swim-and-spin move that generally gets him into the backfield to pressure the pocket. He won’t read and react in an instant, but has closing speed to seal the deal, even in long pursuit, once he locates the ball. He has to improve his lower-body strength, but there is enough athletic ability there to get by as his body continues to mature.”

From being compared to one of the league’s premier all-around defensive linemen to having to battle the likes of Wilson, Wynn and Guy for a roster spot, life in the pros hasn’t been kind to Merling. That said, he still has enough left in the tank to extend his career. If he’s willing to work hard – something he was criticized for not always doing in Miami – there’s a chance this below-the-radar signing in the winter will pay dividends for the Packers in the fall. That’s more than I ever expected prior to turning on my computer and watching a half-dozen Dolphins games last week.

D-line Still Comes Up Short In Base

Posted by Michael Rodney at 7:41 am 18 Responses »

May 102012

Rookie Worthy is another undersized defensive end

Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Anthony Hargrove for 8 games last week for his part in the Saints bounty scandal, and just like that the Packers are in danger of lacking sufficient depth on the defensive line for the second year in a row. As of now, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji and second-round pick Jerel Worthy figure to be the starters when the season opens in September, with C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn, Daniel Muir, Lawrence Guy, Johnny Jones and fourth-round pick Mike Daniels fighting for backup spots.

That’s not exactly a plethora of talent. So unless one or two of the young returnees make great strides in the next few months, general manager Ted Thompson would be wise to get on the phone and see if he can procure a proven veteran to, at the very least, help out until either Mike Neal returns from his own suspension (for PEDs) in week 5 or until Hargrove re-emerges sometime in November. If not, we could be in store for more Wynn and Wilson in 2012.

Besides a lack of depth, there’s one other thing that sticks out about the current group of defensive linemen. Besides Guy and Jones – neither of whom was on the active roster for a single game in 2011 – there’s not a legitimate 3-4 end to be found. In fact, the last legitimate 3-4 end to play for the Packers was Johnny Jolly. The former Texas A&M star and current inmate had the prototypical size (6’4, 325) and power to do what 3-4 ends are supposed to do – stuff the run and disrupt passing lanes. Remember how tough it was to move the ball on the ground against the defense in ’09? Remember how many balls were batted down at the line of scrimmage? A lot of that was due to Jolly’s presence.

Raji and Worthy would make a great 1-2 punch at tackle in a 4-3, but I don’t love either one at end in a 3-4. Raji’s best season as a pro came in 2010, which was not coincidentally the one season he played nose tackle. The further he gets away from the football, the less effective he becomes. As for Worthy, his struggles with double teams and penchant for wearing down will only be exacerbated at end. Wilson, Wynn and Daniels are also better suited to play tackle in a 4-3.

Thompson could’ve added a more prototypical 3-4 end in round two, but he chose Worthy over Devon Still, the former Penn State standout who stands nearly three inches taller and played the run far more consistently in college. But Still isn’t much of a pass rusher, and after watching Wynn, Wilson, an overused Raji and an injured Neal feebly attempt to rush the QB in 2011, it’s obvious Thompson’s No. 1 priority this offseason was to add players who could create pressure in obvious passing situations. Worthy and Daniels should be able to do just that. Thompson couldn’t solve all the problems on defense in one offseason. Ideally, he’ll be able to beef up the base with the 32nd pick next April.

Neal Deserves One Last Chance

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:57 pm 9 Responses »

Mar 252012

Defensive end rarely got close to the QB last season

Defensive end rarely got close to the quarterback last season

It’s very easy to be frustrated with Mike Neal. After all, the former second-round draft choice has played in only 10 games since joining the Green Bay Packers in 2010, and to be honest, it’s difficult to describe what he did last November and December as playing. And now he’s going to miss the first four games of next season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs (a misnomer in his case). But it’s too soon to cut the cord. Neal deserves one last chance to show what he’s capable of doing before being tossed in the junk pile, where he can lie for eternity alongside Jamal Reynolds and Justin Harrell.

Do I honestly believe that Neal will ever be a difference-maker? No I don’t, but he showed too much potential as a rookie for me to completely dismiss the possibility of that happening. The again, that was before he underwent surgeries to his shoulder and knee and before he tested positive for PEDs. It’s fair to wonder if Neal looked so good in 2010 because he was healthy or because he was juiced. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. There are just so many questions surrounding this player, and that’s why it’s worth waiting just a little while longer to get answers. Besides, what do the Packers really have to lose?

Money won’t be an issue. Players don’t get paid while on suspension and Neal’s only scheduled to make a base salary of $780,000 anyway. An overabundance of talent also won’t be an issue. Unless GM Ted Thompson hits the jackpot in next month’s draft, the collection of returning defensive linemen doesn’t figure to be very impressive. While B.J. Raji has the talent to be special and Ryan Pickett might be able to squeeze one or two more good seasons out of his 32-year-old body, the rest of the defensive linemen are fringe NFL players at best. That’s why it’s worth waiting until October to see what Neal has to offer. Of course, waiting until October shouldn’t equate to waiting all season.

It’s important to remember that Neal will be able to participate in all offseason activities as well as training camp, so Thompson, coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers will have a good idea of what they’ve got before the suspension kicks in. Once Neal returns, he should be expected to contribute almost immediately. Otherwise, I can’t imagine him making it through a third season. Then again, Reynolds and Harrell lasted for three full seasons, so maybe that’s the unofficial threshold used by the organization before it’s finally willing to give up on a highly drafted defensive lineman. Either way, time is running out on Neal to prove he isn’t just a two-game wonder.

NEAL’S STATUS STILL UNCERTAIN

Posted by Michael Rodney at 10:46 am 2 Responses »

Aug 192011

Starting defensive end is day-to-day with a knee injury

Less than 24 hours after it appeared Mike Neal walked away from a potentially serious knee injury unscathed, the news turned a bit more ominous on Thursday. While coach Mike McCarthy continued to say the second-year defensive end is day-to-day, he also admitted that Neal underwent an MRI and he changed the description of the injury from a “torque” to a “sprain.” But what concerned me most was this quote from Mike Trgovac. “Right now, no one knows what’s going to happen with Mike,” the veteran defensive line coach told Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel. “C.J.’s mentality has to be that I’m going to be the player there. And Jarius, too.” That doesn’t sound like somebody who’s been informed that one of his most important players will be returning to the lineup any time soon.

Fortunately, Neal’s injury doesn’t appear to be overly serious, but if it was, how would the Packers have replaced him? Barring a trade and/or a free agent signing, Howard Green and C.J. Wilson would’ve picked up the slack at end and either Wilson or Jarius Wynn would’ve gotten more snaps next to B.J. Raji in the nickel. That might not be ideal, but it was good enough late last season. Remember, coordinator Dom Capers leaned on Green, Wilson and Wynn while Cullen Jenkins sat out the final four games. The defense managed to hold its last four opponents to a combined 58 points.

Capers kept things together by getting the absolute most out of Green, Wilson and Wynn and by devising schemes that made up for the lack of an effective second interior pass rusher. By blitzing his corners and inside linebackers more, Capers was able to apply just enough pressure to keep opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Erik Walden picked one of those games to become Charles Haley reincarnate. But that’s the beauty of this defense. While there’s obviously plenty of talent – three players went to the Pro Bowl and a fourth should’ve gone – it’s the scheme that allows marginal players like Green, Wilson, Wynn, Walden, Frank Zombo and Charlie Peprah to step in and contribute right away.

So would the defense miss Neal? Of course, but things would be OK. How do I know? Just watch the second half of the Super Bowl. The Packers held off the Steelers with a guy picked up off the waiver wire (Green), a guy signed for $5,000 as an undrafted free agent (Zombo), a guy who wasn’t good enough to beat out Atari Bigby and Derrick Martin in 2009 (Peprah) and two guys who couldn’t cover a wide receiver with a tarp (Jarrett Bush and Pat Lee) playing prominent roles on the biggest stage in the world. After that, are you really going to worry about having to replace one still unproven defensive end?

Q&A: WHO’S THAT LINEBACKER?

Posted by Michael Rodney at 1:22 pm 7 Responses »

Jul 032011

Smith doesn't look like a typical NFL linebacker

The United States Postal Service doesn’t deliver on Sunday, but Packer Update now does. Send me your questions on the Packers or the NFL and I’ll answer a few of them at this time every week.

I can’t wait to see Alex Green play in the NFL. I live in Hawaii, so I followed his college career very closely. He’s going to be fun to watch. Which rookie are you most anxious to see play once training camp begins? – Jonathan

Since there were no mini-camps and OTAs this offseason, I’ll be more anxious than usual to see all the picks. But the one who probably intrigues me the most is the one who I know the least about – D.J. Smith. Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly described him this way: “Does not look the part – lacks ideal height, has a soft midsection and 20 percent body fat.” That sounds more like my best friend than an NFL linebacker. But Nawrocki also described him as an “instinctive self-starter with a winning pedigree.” I don’t know what to think, and I guess that’s why I’m really looking forward to seeing Smith with my own two eyes.

I know it’s early to be thinking about this, but Jermichael Finley, Ryan Grant and Josh Sitton could all be free agents after the 2011 seasons. Which one will be re-signed first? – Chad

I’m not sure if it will happen during the season, but I can guarantee you that extending Sitton will be the focus of GM Ted Thompson’s attention in the coming months. Not only is he one of the best young guards in the NFL, but he’s dependable – something Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy really value in players. I don’t think there’s any hurry to extend Finley and Grant. Both players have something to prove after missing most of last season with serious injuries.

Who do you think will be the breakout player from either this year’s second-year players? – Mackie

I know this is the predictable answer, but I’ll go with Mike Neal. He’s far and away the most talented of the second-year players and he’ll be given every opportunity to replace Cullen Jenkins at right defensive end. I’m not sure if Frank Zombo is going to “breakout,” but I think he has a chance to really improve in 2011. I wasn’t a big fan of his last summer, but the more I watched him play, the more I began to appreciate the subtle things he brings to the defense.

I really enjoyed your list of the worst 20 Packers since 1978. Are you going to do a list of the best 20 Packers, and if so, which wide receiver would you rank the highest? – Phillip

I just finished my list of the top 20 Packers of the past three decades (look for it sometime in the next few weeks). This franchise has been blessed with a lot of really talented receivers since 1978. James Lofton, Sterling Sharpe, Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Javon Walker, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings all played at an extremely high level – some very briefly and some for a long time. And I firmly believe Terrence Murphy would’ve been a star had he not gotten hurt. I’m not going to reveal who finished the highest, but I will tell you he played in the 80s.