Shields » Packer Update

Blueprint For Fixing The Defense

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:13 am 3 Responses »

Dec 282011

Hawk is having a very disappointing season

Since writing about blueprints seems to be in vogue these days, I’ve decided to write my first post in months on that very subject. But instead of providing a blueprint on how teams can beat the Packers (that would be sacrilegious), I’ll be providing a blueprint on what needs to be done to fix the defense.

1) Draft an impact outside linebacker – I’ve begged for general manager Ted Thompson to upgrade the position opposite Clay Matthews for two years (I still cringe every time Antwan Barnes gets another sack for the Chargers. TT could’ve acquired him for next to nothing on any number of occasions over the past 18 months). Coordinator Dom Capers got by in 2010 with a motley collection of right outside linebackers, but that was only because of Cullen Jenkins. The former Packer and current Eagle was one of the top handful of pass rushing defensive linemen in the league last season and he essentially took the place of a second outside linebacker in passing situations. With Jenkins gone and Mike Neal unable to take his place, the Packers have played with only one legitimate pass rusher all season. And no matter how special Matthews is, that’s simply not enough. So unless Thompson can find a defensive lineman like Jenkins between now and the start of training camp next summer (and those guys are almost as hard to find these days as a Wisconsinite who still loves Brett Favre), he must use one of his first two draft picks on a playmaking outside linebacker.

2) Replace Hawk at inside linebacker - After watching his defense play so well en route to a Super Bowl championship, it came as no surprise when the Packers decided to re-sign A.J. Hawk and send Nick Barnett packing. After all, not only was Hawk one of Thompson’s first draft picks after taking over as GM in Green Bay, but more importantly, the former Ohio State star was coming off his finest season since joining the team in 2006. Unfortunately, the decision has proven to be a mistake – a $36 million mistake. Hawk’s play has clearly regressed. He’s only 27, but he appears to have lost a half step – a half step he couldn’t afford to lose. Even worse, he seems content to arm tackle rather than take on running backs and tight ends. As for Barnett, he hasn’t been a world beater in Buffalo, but he’s having a better season than Hawk. And while I didn’t criticize Thompson then and I won’t criticize him now for choosing Hawk, he has to admit his mistake and rectify things in the offseason. A tougher and more athletic inside linebacker must be found to pair with Desmond Bishop in 2012, and if that player is not on the current 53-man roster (maybe rookie D.J. Smith), then it’s up to Thompson to go out and get him.

3) Upgrade at safety – Regardless of whether Nick Collins returns in 2012 (I’d be shocked if he ever plays again), the Packers must add a quality safety in the offseason. Charlie Peprah obviously can’t be a starter next season, and truth be told, he shouldn’t even be third on the depth chart when training camp opens. The former Alabama star has been forced to start 24 games since October 2010, and that’s about 20 games too many. Capers was able to hide Peprah’s glaring lack of athleticism in 2010, but that hasn’t been the case this season. The difference? A year ago, the pass rush was consistently strong and Collins was playing at his usual Pro Bowl level. This year, the pass rush has been anemic and Collins has been replaced by struggling second-year pro Morgan Burnett. That leaves Peprah as an easy target for opposing offensive coordinators, who must spend the work week salivating over the chance to isolate a tight end, or god forbid, a wide receiver, on the slow-footed journeyman. I don’t know if Collins’ potential replacement is currently on the roster (maybe Charles Woodson), but I do know it’s up to Thompson to make sure the defense won’t have to turn to Peprah for a third time in 2012.

4) Draft at least one defensive end – The Packers can’t count on Neal to be the player he was prior to suffering serious shoulder and knee injuries and Howard Green, C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn have all proven to be – at best – deep reserves. Thompson needs to overhaul this group. While Green has the size to play in a 3-4, he’ll be 33 in a couple of weeks. Wilson and Wynn are both under 300 pounds, and neither has the physical ability to overcome their lack of bulk. There are a number of reasons why the run defense has been so porous this season, but one of the biggest is not a having a capable third lineman to play alongside B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett. Johnny Jolly filled that role ideally in 2009 and Jenkins, while certainly no run stuffer, held his own a year ago. Thompson needs to find a player who can at least hold his own in 2012. Fortunately, those players are often available in the middle rounds of the draft.

5) Get veterans to play better – The final step in my plan to fix the defense isn’t up to Thompson, it’s up to the coaching staff and the players already on the roster. More specifically, Raji and cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields simply have to play better in 2012. All three took a step back this season. Raji might’ve been the most disruptive interior defensive lineman in the league late last year and throughout the playoffs. Not only was he fairly stout at the point of attack, but he was making tackles for losses and getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. His relative lack of success as a pass rusher this season can probably be explained away by the loss of Jenkins and by having to play too many snaps. But his struggles against the run cannot be as easily excused. No player with his size, strength and athleticism should ever be pushed around as often as he’s been pushed around this season. As for Williams and Shields, neither is playing nearly as well as he did 10 months ago. The former deserves a lot of credit for playing through a painful shoulder injury, but he’s been healthy for the past month or so and he still hasn’t retuned to his previous form. The latter has steadily improved in coverage throughout the season, but his tackling has been pathetic. Capers fully expected these three players to be stars this season. Unfortunately, like the defense as a whole, they’ve come up short.

So there’s my five-step plan for fixing the defense (by the way, it also wouldn’t hurt to add another cornerback). Needless to say, I’m expecting Thompson to focus on defense in next April’s draft. The good news is that improving the defense in 2012 shouldn’t be a Herculean task. A few shrewd draft choices and the return to form of a few veterans is all it should take. The even better news is that the Packers, even with a defense that has more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese, are currently 14-1 and in great position to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. Hey, ain’t it a great time to be a fan?!

POSTCARD FROM TRAINING CAMP

Posted by Michael Rodney at 10:27 am 4 Responses »

Aug 082011

Starks is battling Grant for the starting halfback job

The one thing I’ve learned from watching Matt Flynn the past four summers is that he will always play better than he practices. Aaron Rodgers‘ backup is off to another relatively slow start, but there’s no reason to be concerned. He’ll find a way to move the offense as soon as the opposition is wearing different colored uniforms. I didn’t see what the coaches saw in Graham Harrell last summer and I still don’t see it. His arm is weak and his accuracy is average at best. The lockout is the only argument I can make for keeping him around. At least he knows the system.

I used to think James Starks looked like a poor man’s Eric Dickerson, but now I’m tempted to remove the words poor and man. That’s how terrific he’s looked in training camp. The playoff sensation is running with great power and decisiveness. While Ryan Grant appears fully recovered from the ankle injury that ended his 2010 season, he simply doesn’t possess Starks’ physical ability. The former 1,200 yard rusher may be the nominal starter when the Saints come to Lambeau, but I can’t imagine him getting the bulk of the carries. Rookie Alex Green hasn’t done much through the first week of practices.

Jermichael Finley is an absolute freak. His height, athletic ability and soft hands make him almost impossible to defend. He’s almost toying with the poor souls who are assigned to cover him. Barring injury or stupidity, there’s no way I can imagine general manager Ted Thompson letting this guy get away. Prior to Finley’s return to the practice field, the most impressive tight end was seventh-round pick Ryan Taylor. He isn’t as savvy a route runner as fellow rookie D.J. Williams or as strong a blocker as Tom Crabtree, but he’s a more complete player. He has a good chance of making the team.

The coaches are giving the young receivers plenty of snaps, and a few of them have taken advantage of the heavy workload. Second-round pick Randall Cobb has looked terrific. His incredible quickness makes him stand out from the crowd. I realize the Packers have the best quartet of veteran receivers in the league, but coach Mike McCarthy will find ways to get Cobb on the field. Count on it. If the team wasn’t so deep at this position, either Chastin West or Shaky Smithson would have a legitimate chance to stick. West isn’t flashy, but he runs good routes and catches almost everything. Smithson is a quick as a hiccup return specialist with enough raw skills to eventually develop into a useful NFL receiver.

Bryan Bulaga looks like the player ready to take the biggest leap from season one to season two. He’s so much more confident than he was a year ago. And why not? He now has 16 starts under his belt, and more importantly, the coaches are no longer asking him to learn multiple positions. First-round pick Derek Sherrod has struggled at left guard after spending his entire college career at tackle. Veteran T.J. Lang has been more impressive, but it’s early. If Sherrod doesn’t start, he might find himself backing up Bulaga. That’s because Marshall Newhouse will be hard to supplant as Chad Clifton‘s understudy. The quick-footed youngster been one of the most improved players in camp. I was surprised when Nick McDonald made the team last summer. I didn’t see anything to get excited about – and I still don’t. Right now, journeyman Evan Dietrich-Smith is the second-best center on the roster.

Anyone waiting for C.J. Wilson to flash big-time pass rushing skills had better get a chair. It’s going to be a very long wait. He’s not athletic enough to beat quality offensive linemen on a consistent basis. On the other hand, Jarius Wynn just might be. The undersized three-year veteran is enjoying his finest camp. He looks quicker than before and he seems to have added to his repertoire of moves. If he continues to improve, there will be a place for him on the final roster. Mike Neal has only practiced sparingly, but it doesn’t take long to see his potential. Assuming he can stay healthy, he’ll be a more than adequate replacement for Cullen Jenkins. Ryan Pickett and Howard Green look more like sumo wrestlers than defensive linemen, but extra pounds won’t be an issue as long as they can shut down the run.

Erik Walden has taken the early lead in the battle to start opposite Clay Matthews. The former street free agent is playing more like a high draft choice. He looks bigger, stronger and more explosive than he did last season. Frank Zombo and Brad Jones have been OK, but neither has flashed nearly as often as Walden. Sixth-round pick Ricky Elmore was a productive pass rusher in college, but he hasn’t gotten many sniffs of the quarterback yet. In fact, undrafted free agent Jamari Lattimore has probably been more impressive. He needs to get stronger, but he runs well and seems to pack a punch. Depth at inside linebacker is still a concern, but it isn’t quite as big a concern thanks to Robert Francois. The third-year player is much-improved now that he’s taking all of his snaps at one position. He isn’t a big hitter. but he’s smart and fairly athletic. Not surprisingly, sixth-round pick D.J. Smith is still thinking too much.

Davon House and Brandon Underwood were both enjoying solid camps before suffering injuries. The former was making a strong push to be the No. 4 corner and the latter was showing real promise at safety. Veteran Jarrett Bush is covering like a blanket so far, but I’m not getting carried away. He typically plays better in practice than he does in games. Sam Shields was the talk of camp at this time a year ago, but he’s been pretty unspectacular so far. He doesn’t seem to be playing with the same sense of urgency. I’m not worried, but it’s something to keep an eye on. There probably won’t be room for Josh Gordy, but he can play corner in this league. Morgan Burnett has been up-and-down in his return from knee surgery, but his potential is obvious. He has superior range. Brandion Ross and Anthony Levine are talented small-school players who don’t seem to be intimidated by the bright lights.

Mason Crosby is off to another slow start, but he’ll be OK. Tim Masthay, on the other hand, looks terrific. It’s amazing how much better he’s gotten since last summer. Cobb has a chance to be the team’s best returner since Allen Rossum. Under-appreciated long snapper Brett Goode is almost automatic.

-Special thanks to contributor Mike Tahan, who has been covering training camp for Packer Update. Mike wrote this post – all I had to do was edit his shaky spelling and atrocious grammar!

Ted’s best and worst of 2010

Posted by Michael Rodney at 1:35 pm 9 Responses »

Dec 312010

Rookie corner has played well

When a football team places 14 players – including six starters – on IR during the season and still has a chance to win 10 games, it’s going to be hard to find fault with the work of the general manager. That’s why it took us twice as long to come up with Ted Thompson’s five worst moves of the year as it did to come up with his five best. Here they are:

Best

1) Signing Sam Shields and Frank Zombo – Two rookies nobody wanted on draft weekend have wound up playing significant roles for one of the league’s top defenses. Thompson paid a combined $11,000 for Shields and Zombo. As it turned out, he could’ve spent first and fourth round picks on the two and nobody would be batting an eye today.

2) Not trading Desmond Bishop – Thompson turned down a number of offers for his No. 4 inside inebacker during the spring and summer. By fall, Bishop was starting. By winter, he was one of the best players on defense. By next spring, he’ll be a very rich young man – either in Green Bay or someplace else.

3) Signing Charlie Peprah – Thompson’s only free agent signing elicited nothing but yawns in April. Six months and 10 solid starts later, it deserves a big thumbs up. And even though Peprah is probably only keeping the seat warm for young Morgan Burnett, he has proven to be an upgrade over Atari Bigy.

4) Claiming Howard Green – Thompson seldom adds veterans to the roster during the season, but he deviated from form and claimed the 31-year-old off waivers from the Jets in late October. The journeyman has proven to be a godsend after Ryan Pickett and Cullen Jenkins missed substantial time with injuries.

5) Keeping Daryn Colledge – It would’ve been easy to dump Colledge after his poor ’09 season, but Thompson decided to hold on to the veteran guard. It was a wise decision. Colledge has enjoyed a bounce back year and his value to the team became evident when he was injured a few weeks ago in Detroit.

Worst

1) Not finding a return man – We’ve been begging Thompson to acquire a legitimate returner for years, but he continues to accept mediocrity at this important position. Even worse, Green Bay was forced to use Shields and Tramon Williams on returns. Neither has been good, so the reward hardly equaled the risk.

2) Not drafting an outside linebacker - The three most important positions in a 3-4 are nose tackle and outside linebacker. The Packers are set at nose tackle (B.J. Raji) and at left outside linebacker (Clay Matthews), but they’re just fooling themselves with Zombo and Brad Jones. As impressive as Matthews and the defense have been this season, both will be that much better once this need is finally filled.

3) Not signing Ryan Torain – Thompson needed to add a running back after Ryan Grant got injured and he chose rookie Dimitri Nance over veteran Ryan Torain. The former spent nearly three months learning the offense before finally getting on the field. The latter, who impressed Green Bay officials in a workout in Nov. 2009, signed with the Skins and has rushed for 681 yards (4.7 average) and scored 6 TDs.

4) Not acquiring picks – Five players released by the Packers on Sept. 4 were claimed off waivers within 48 hours. Thompson almost certainly could’ve picked up a late draft choice or two had he been willing to make trades a week or two prior to cutdown day. Instead, fearing injuries, he played it conservative and got nothing in exchange for commodities that proved to be in demand around the league.

5) Keeping Donald Lee over Spencer Havner – Like the one above, this was hardly a huge mistake (it ain’t easy coming up with worst moves). Still, it was obvious during training camp that Lee had next to nothing left. And while Havner is hardly the second-coming of Jason Witten, he would’ve offered more in the passing game after Jermichael Finley went down. He also would’ve helped more on special teams.

Some year-end mea culpas

Posted by Michael Rodney at 1:48 pm No Responses »

Dec 302010

Peprah has played a lot better than expected this season

Elton John wrote “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” in 1976. Today, as another year is about to come to an end, we offer our sincere apologies to those members of the Packers we wronged in 2010.

Let’s begin with John Kuhn, a player we’ve been trying to get rid of for years. To be fair, we weren’t the only ones wrong about this guy. He wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine, no scouts showed up when he held his Pro Day, the Steelers released him and no teams showed any serious interest when he hit the restricted free agent market the past two springs. Did we mention we almost dry heaved when Mike McCarthy named him the No. 2 halfback after Ryan Grant got hurt? Well, that was then and this is now. Kuhn has more than earned our respect by becoming an integral part of the offense this season. He’s far and away the team’s best short-yardage runner and he’s scored six touchdowns. We wanted him out of town four months ago; now we can’t imagine the Packers without him.

Next comes Charlie Peprah, the only free agent signed by GM Ted Thompson during the offseason. Not only were we unimpressed by this transaction, we were actually angry about it. Why bring back a guy who wasn’t very good in his first stint with the Packers? That’s what we thought. We were wrong. And listening to the coaches rave about Peprah during training camp didn’t change our minds. What changed our minds was watching him play. He isn’t any bigger or faster than before, but he’s healthier, and more importantly, Dom Capers has found ways to minimize his weaknesses while maximizing his strengths. In the end, Green Bay got an adequate starting safety and we got a story idea.

Our final apology is to Sam Shields – although this one isn’t quite as heartfelt. While we didn’t think the ex-Miami star was ready to be the team’s starting nickel back, we were quick to tout his potential. In fact, we wrote a very positive article on Shields after only the second day of training camp. And while it didn’t take a professional scout to see how much talent the young man possessed, it didn’t seem possible for an undrafted rookie with only one year of experience on defense to hold up for 40 or 50 snaps a game against some of the league’s best wide receivers. Well, he has. In fact, he’s been so impressive that it wouldn’t be a shock to see Charles Woodson move to safety a little sooner than expected.

Not ready for prime time player

Posted by Michael Rodney at 11:28 am 7 Responses »

Sep 012010

Rookie has a bright future, but the future isn't this season

Talented rookie cornerback has a very bright future, but the future isn't this season

Sam Shields has been impressing people – me included – from the very first practice of training camp. In fact, the rookie from Miami showed so much potential that he all but locked up a roster spot weeks ago. Now he’s on the verge of winning the No. 3 cornerback job. The first accomplishment is surprising; the second is shocking. And kinda scary, if you’re a fan of the Packers. As talented as Shields is, the idea that a legitimate Super Bowl contender would be willing to begin the regular season with an undrafted free agent in such an important role is hard to believe. Unfortunately, as of today, defensive coordinator Dom Capers really has no better option. Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood were expected to compete for the nickel job, but neither player stepped up during the summer. In fact, both youngsters regressed when the pads went on.

We have no problem with the decision to place Shields ahead of Lee and Underwood on the depth chart. He’s earned it. But we don’t want to see the rookie playing 50 to 60 percent of the snaps when the season opens in Philadelphia next Sunday. Give Eagles coach Andy Reid even more time than usual to prepare and he’s as good as anyone at taking advantage of mismatches. And no matter how much you admire Shields’ talent and salivate at his long-term potential, you can’t like his chances when pitted against DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin. And make no mistake about it, Reid will make sure to get his talented young wide receivers matched up with Shields as often as possible.

With Al Harris now officially out for at least the first six games of the season, it’s imperative for general manager Ted Thompson to acquire an experienced corner before the end of the weekend. Who’s out there? Well, it’s a safe bet that the Broncos aren’t going to be dangling Champ Bailey any time soon, but there’ll be some useful veterans available between now and Saturday evening – either via trade, the waiver wire or free agency. Thompson doesn’t like to add other team’s veterans at this time of the year, but he’s done it before. In September of 2005, he traded for outside linebacker Robert Thomas. The former Ram went on to start nine games for Green Bay that season, and while he wasn’t much more than adequate, that was good enough back then and it would be good enough now.

Is it impossible for Shields to hold up as the starting nickel back? Nothing’s impossible, but the odds are stacked against him. It also doesn’t help his cause to have a suspect pass rush in front of him and another rookie lined up behind him. Is it fair to blame Thompson for the current situation? Sure it is. He chose not to sign a corner in free agency or draft one in April. He believed strongly in two of his former draft choices and neither one rewarded his faith. But it’s not time to point fingers. It’s time for Thompson to earn his salary by fixing what has a chance to be a very big mess. He needs to bring in the best veteran he can find and then see how things play out. If Shields defies the odds and proves to be the best man for the job, so be it. But if he’s not ready, it’s imperative to have somebody around who is.

Shields off to a fast start

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:50 pm 3 Responses »

Aug 012010

Shields, left, had plenty of reasons to celebrate on Saturday

Shields, left, had reason to celebrate on Saturday

Of all the undrafted free agents signed by the Packers three months ago, cornerback Sam Shields was the one who looked to have the best chance of overcoming the odds and making the final roster. After all, the 22-year-old went to a big school (Miami), ran a tremendous 40 (4.3) at his pro day and plays a position where general manager Ted Thompson is always willing to make room for a good young prospect. But after an inauspicious off-season, Shields was an afterthought when the Packers took the field for the first practice of training camp on Saturday afternoon. It didn’t take long for that perception to change.

Just minutes into practice, Shields used his greatest asset to deflect a pass intended for third-year receiver Brett Swain. Before the 150-minute session ended, the Florida native would break up another pass and smoothly intercept a ball thrown by backup quarterback Matt Flynn.

Shields was clearly the defensive star of the day, but one good practice hardly guarantees anything. Many long shots flash early in camp, only to fade away by the middle of August. That’s because guys like Shields usually make their initial impact against second, third and fourth-stringers. Curious coaches then want to see what they can do against better players, and that’s often when the carriage turns back into a pumpkin and these Cinderella stories come to an end.

This could certainly happen in Shields’ case, but his chances are a little better than the average rookie free agent. Had it not been for serious questions about his character, he almost certainly would’ve been drafted. That’s because Shields, who played wide receiver for his first two-and-a-half years in college, showed quite a bit of potential in his only full season on defense. To say he showed some of that potential on Saturday would be an understatement. And while he’s still got a long way to go, the climb doesn’t seem nearly as steep as it did just 24 hours ago.

-Mike Tahan contributed to this report