Walden » 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!

Sitton honored by former players

Posted by Michael Rodney at 11:17 pm No Responses »

Feb 032011

Former players honor young guard's season

Former players honor young guard's impressive season

According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Josh Sitton has been selected as Offensive Lineman of the Year by the National Football League Alumni Association. The third-year right guard will be among the honorees Friday at the NFL Alumni’s 29th annual awards dinner in Dallas. The other finalists were Jake Long of Miami and Jahri Evans of New Orleans. Voting is done by former NFL players by position.

Whether Sitton was truly the league’s best offensive lineman in 2010 is debatable, but it’s hard to argue that he’s been extremely underrated for the past two seasons. The former Central Florida star has started 32 consecutive games, and the number of times he’s performed at a below-average level can be counted on one hand. There’s nothing flashy about Sitton, but he’s solid as a rock. ”He’s played well,” offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said Wednesday. “He’s reliable. He played pretty much every snap this year. He’s coming into his own and developing into a pretty good player.”

Philbin is being understated when he describes Sitton as a “pretty good player.” Center Scott Wells is a pretty good player. The man to his immediate right is a lot better than that. I’ve always viewed Sitton as a much bigger and slightly more athletic version of former Packer Marco Rivera. That’s a huge compliment considering that Rivera went to four Pro Bowls. And while Sitton has yet to go to one, that says more about the voting for the all-star game than it does his play. The award speaks to that.

In other news:

-Erik Walden practiced on Wednesday and Thursday, be he’s obviously far from 100%. “I’m still stiff and sore and I’m not able to explode like I want to,” said the young linebacker. “We have a couple days left. I feel real good about it, the progress I’m making, and I’m looking forward to the game.” His coach wasn’t as optimistic. “He was very sore, which is why we limited him today,” said Mike McCarthy. “It’s up the air with him right now. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Even if he feels a lot better, he’ll be limited. I’m going to hold him back and give him every chance to be ready for the game.” Walden suffered a high ankle sprain in the NFC Championship Game against the Bears.

-According to Gil Brandt, a longtime executive with the Cowboys who now works for NFL.com, only four teams since 2000 have placed 15 players on IR during a season. Three of those teams won fewer than six games. The fourth is 60 minutes away from winning a championship. Talk about impressive.

Linebacker shuffle continues

Posted by Michael Rodney at 5:37 pm 2 Responses »

Jan 282011

Zombo returned to practice and should be ready for the Super Bowl

Zombo returned to practice on Friday and should be ready for next week's Super Bowl

There was some good news and some bad news when the Packers returned to the practice field on Friday morning. The good news is that outside linebacker Frank Zombo is back after missing six games with a sprained knee. The bad news is that his replacement, Erik Walden, is out after suffering an ankle injury against the Bears in the NFC Championship. And according to coach Mike McCarthy, Walden won’t even attempt to practice until next Wednesday in Dallas.

It’s obviously nice to have Zombo back, but Walden is the more important of the two when it comes to the Super Bowl. While Walden hasn’t come close to duplicating his 16-tackle, 3-sack season finale, he’s been a surprisingly solid performer in the playoffs. The former Middle Tennessee State standout has gotten better against the run and his athleticism has served him extremely well in space – either dropping into coverage or spying on the quarterback. And with the very mobile Ben Roethlisberger up next, the more speed at outside linebacker, the better. Zombo does a good job of containing the edge, but he lacks the athleticism to spy on Big Ben and the quick-twitch to stay with backs and tight ends in coverage. Ideally, both players will be ready for the Super Bowl and coordinator Dom Capers will be able to mix and match depending on the situation.

In other news:

CSNPhilly.com’s Reuben Frank expects the Eagles to name Packers safeties coach Darren Perry their new defensive coordinator after the Super Bowl. In fact, Frank believes the two sides may already have a deal in place. As we wrote 16 days ago, Perry is a quality young assistant who is once again viewed as a rising star. The fact that Andy Reid intends to keep running a 4-3 makes the possible hiring of Perry a bit surprising, but good coaches can coach any scheme – or so they say. Joe Whitt Jr., who has done a great job with the corners in Green Bay, could be given an expanded role should Perry leave. Or McCarthy may decide to hire a new safeties coach. Kurt Schottenheimer is available (just kidding).

Jenkins, others ‘making progress’

Posted by Michael Rodney at 12:00 am 6 Responses »

Jan 042011

Packers could really use Jenkins against Vick and the Eagles

The Packers hope to get Jenkins back for the playoffs

After dealing with an avalanche of injuries for four months, coach Mike McCarthy finally got some good news on Monday. The Packers come out of their game with Chicago unscathed, and there’s growing optimism that defensive end Cullen Jenkins, linebacker Frank Zombo, fullback Korey Hall and safety Atari Bigby could be ready for next Sunday’s Wild Card game in Philadelphia. “They’ll be evaluated on Wednesday morning,” an upbeat McCarthy told the media. “They’re making progress and we’re hopeful that maybe they can have a trial return for Wednesday.”

While it would be nice to get Zombo, Hall and Bigby back on the field, the player Green Bay needs most is Jenkins. The former Central Michigan star is one of the most athletic 3-4 ends in the league, and with Mike Vick at quarterback for the Eagles, coordinator Dom Capers will want to get as many athletes on the field as possible. Speed on defense, along with a strong pass rush, is the best way to defend the ~~ex-con~~ Pro Bowl starter.

Quick thoughts from yesterday:

-Outside linebacker Erik Walden played very well, but let’s keep things in perspective. One game doesn’t make him the real deal. Is it possible that three different teams were wrong about the former Middle Tennessee State star? Sure it’s possible, but it’s not very likely. What’s far more likely is that Walden simply had one of those games where everything went right. If he can do it again – against a team that actually knows his name – then maybe he’ll be more than the Packers’ version of Gerardo after all.

-The number on the back of the jersey is the same, but the player wearing it looks completely different than he did a few months ago. After playing solid football in place of Mark Tauscher for seven games, right tackle Bryan Bulaga is really struggling down the stretch. And while the first-round draft pick from Iowa has been heavily criticized the past few weeks for his inconsistent pass blocking and penalties, truth be told, he hasn’t put forth a particularly good performance since Thanksgiving.

-The more you watch linebacker Desmond Bishop, the more you hope the potential unrestricted free agent will be back in 2011. Nothing against Nick Barnett, but the defense is much more physical without him on the field. That’s not a surprise. What is a surprise, however, is how well Bishop has fared against the pass. While he lacks the speed and athleticism of Barnett, he relies on instincts to get the job done in space. Isn’t it ironic that some people didn’t think Bishop had the mental capacity to start at this level? Of course anyone who watched him play at Cal knew that was complete and utter nonsense.

Walden’s the last man standing

Posted by Michael Rodney at 10:45 am No Responses »

Dec 192010

Journeyman linebacker was on the street in October

Journeyman linebacker was on the street in late October

Right outside linebacker is one of the marquee positions in a 3-4 defense, and in arguably the biggest game of the season, the Packers will be forced to start a player who was on the street seven weeks ago. That’s what happens when four linebackers are on IR and a fifth is out with a sprained knee. So Erik Walden, who has already played for four teams since entering the NFL three years ago, will now be asked to help slow down one of the most explosive offenses in the entire league.

Walden was originally drafted in the sixth round by Dallas in 2008, but he was released before ever playing a game for the Cowboys. He was claimed on waivers by Kansas City and appeared in nine games before being let go again. He then spent parts of the next three seasons in Miami – playing in 19 games prior to getting cut this past September. Since being signed by Green Bay on Oct. 27, the former Middle Tennessee St. star has shown toughness on special teams and glimpses of pass rush ability. What he hasn’t shown, however, is the ability to set the edge against the run – something you can be sure Bill Belichick has noticed. So expect to see the Patriots running to the left quite a bit tonight.

Setting the edge against the run is the one thing Frank Zombo has done consistently well this season. That’s not a huge surprise since the hard-nosed rookie was a 270-pound defensive end at Central Michigan. Walden, on the other hand, was a defensive end in name only in college. At just over 240 pounds, he was seldom asked to get his hands dirty. Instead, his job was to get up the field and harass the quarterback. And while defensive coordinator Dom Capers would obviously be happy to see Walden harass Tom Brady, he’d be even happier if his new starting right outside linebacker simply holds his own against the run. Because if the defense can’t contain underrated BenJarvus Green-Ellis, it has little to no chance of slowing down an offense that has scored a whopping 196 points in its last five games.