WILL THE TREE BEAR FRUIT?

Packers Defense Looks to get Younger, Meaner, and More Athletic (Again)

San Francisco and Seattle. Seattle and San Francisco.

These two teams have become a veritable thorn in the side of the Green Bay Packers and DE Mike Daniels made sure everyone heard what he was saying. Prior to camp even beginning Daniels took it upon himself to challenge his teammates. After hearing the dreaded ‘finesse team’ description of the Packers Daniels boiled over.

“We're grown men. We play a violent game. We get paid to be violent.” Said Daniels in June. “ So why not? If you deck somebody in the locker room because you have a disagreement, there's not going to be any sensitivity training.

"It's a barbaric sport. It’s a violent game played by violent men. So that's how you're going to have to approach it. I'm tired of getting our face punched in by other teams. I'm not used to that."

Daniels introduced himself by getting 6.5 sacks last year and a few NFL linemen have just crossed

him off their Christmas card list. GM Ted Thompson dipped into the seldom used waters of free agency to add Julius Peppers from Chicago and NT Letroy Guion (GUY-on) from Minnesota. Peppers is an athletic freak and has been coveted by Dom Capers since his days in Houston. Capers campaigned loudly to select Peppers 1^st overall but the Texans nabbed QB David Carr instead. After waiting over a decade Capers finally got his man. Guion is a former first round pick and may now see significant paling time now that B.J. Raji has been lost for the season to a torn biceps.

But Peppers won’t be used exclusively at DE. He’ll be all over the field and the preseason gives no indication as to how Capers plans to deploy Peppers at his new OLB position opposite Clay Matthews. If Aaron Rodgers is Da Man in Green Bay then Matthews is Da Other Man on defense. As Rodgers goes, so goes the offense.

The same can be said about Matthews. His value to the Pack cannot be understated. His thumb was broken twice last year and he is eager to get back in the fight. Pairing him with Peppers makes the Packers pass rush all the more imposing. But without Matthews there is a tremendous drop off altogether. The well-worn woes of the safety position have been beaten to death. Will someone back PLEASE make an interception and get the monkey off your backs?

Mike McCarthy has already etched in stone “Our defense will be better.” He aid virtually the same thing about the running game and last year the Pack’s running game not only was better but at times looked dominating. The first team unit looked impressive in pre-season in bottling up the Rams Zac Stacy and is playing with more fire and passion. All of that is a moot point. The young guns have to show up and produce. So how does this defense get better and who is going to get them there?

DL

Out with the old, in with the new. Gone are veterans Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly while former 2^nd

round pick and oft-injured Jerel Worthy was dealt to New England for a conditional draft pick.  The message is clear - the future is now for the kiddie corps. Datone Jones is in year 2 after spending most of last year hurt and learning how to play the Okie end in the Packers 3-4 scheme. At UCLA Jones was athletically gifted but in a 4-3 hybrid D he could go after the QB. In the NFL he had to learn how to be a space eater, occupy 2 OL and let the LB’s fly to the ball. In pre-season he has looked quicker and stronger than last year. The Pack will need him to become a force, especially now that NT B.J. Raji has been lost for the season to a torn biceps. Raji had looked outstanding until he was injured and in a one year ‘show me” contract the future is anything but certain for the former #9 overall pick.

Daniels has already stepped up and now has to back it up. The Nose Tackle position suddenly became wide open after Raji went down so Letroy Guion, the Free Agent signing from Minnesota is already natural fit. At 6’4” Guion has the size for the nose tackle and the hope is he can resurrect his career in Green Bay. This also creates room for UDFA Mike Pennel who has stood out in camp. Rookie Khyri Thornton along with second year man Josh Boyd will also see time. Julius Peppers and Mike Neal are officially listed as outside linebackers but they, too, could see time on the line as they are both converted from the DE slot. But with only 6 linemen it would not be a surprise to see TT go after another DL once the cuts across the board are announced. In a pinch Ryan Pickett’s phone might be ringing.

(6) – D. Jones, Guion, Daniels, Thornton, Pennel, Boyd IR – Raji PS – Carlos Gray

LB’s

This is a sight – the Pack is loaded with talent at the LB position both inside and out. There will be

some bodies cut that will hook on elsewhere. Of the starters Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones return but Nick Perry and Mike Neal won’t be going anywhere. But now comes the logjam.

Carl Bradford was a 5^th round pick and last year’s IR’d rookies returning are Nate Palmer and Sam Barrington. Barrington and Bradford have a hell-bent-for-leather style and are big hitters. The returnees from last season Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba are both NFL caliber LB’s. The star of camp has been UDFA Jayrone Elliot who became a sack master in preseason, at one point racking up 3 sacks in 4 plays against the Rams. His performance has not slowed down either as he piled up another sack against the Chiefs and will grab a spot. If there is one thing Thompson and McCarthy’s approach has proven it is you find players where you find players. No team in the NFL gives the UDFA a better shot at making the team than the Packers. This year Elliot is that player.

Meshing the pieces together gives defensive coordinator Dom Capers a bevy of weapons to deploy. Neither Matthews nor Peppers has ever played with as imposing a counterpoint opposite their position. Just how Capers will deploy Peppers and Matthews makes the price of a ticket a bargain. Expect multiple looks and multiple packages. Individually the numbers might not be as high but as a unit this defense has the tools to shine.

(10) –

Matthews, Hawk, B. Jones, Peppers, Neal, Perry, Lattimore, Barrington, Bradford, Elliot IR – Joe Thomas PS – Adrian Hubbard, Jake Doughty

CB’s

It wasn’t too awful long ago that the Pack’s corners were awful. Tramon Williams has settled that

position and Charles Woodson’s contributions on and off the field cannot be measured. Sam Shields struck gold with an off season contract and the corner spot in Green Bay looks set for a while. Davon House made huge strides last year and should be even better with another year removed from a shoulder injury.  Rookie sensation Casey Hayward is back after missing last year with a hamstring injury. Hayward’s return cannot be underscored enough as to his contributions. Hayward has a nose for the ball and with 6 picks as a rook he has much to prove. This may be Williams’s last year in green and gold with his age now pushing 30. Rookie Demetri Goodson is a unique case. A former basketball star Goodson switched to football and has tremendous athletic ability and could keep a roster spot as he probably won’t clear waivers. If the Packers are looking to the future, which they always do, they will not quit on Goodson quickly. With the depth and talent longtime special teams ace and sometimes CB Jarrett Bush just may be squeezed out. But if the Pack goes with only 2 QB’s Bush may be back in.

(5) – Williams, Shields, Hayward, House, Goodson PS – Jumal Rolle

S –

The ugly red-headed step child of the defense has doesn’t have a monkey on its collective back; a silverback gorilla has taken up residence. It will stay put until a Packers safety comes away with an interception, and until that ahppens the whispers will be “uh oh, what’ wrong with our safeties? “The woes of the safeties from last year are an ugly eyesore that has to be addressed. Somehow TT and MM got their man in the drafty when S Ha’Sean (Ha Ha) Clinton- Dix was still available at 21 when the Packers gobbled him up in a flash. Clinton- Dix is widely regarded as the S with the best overall talent in the draft. He isn’t the biggest or the fastest or the best ball hawk but he has no appreciable hole in his game.

Before Clinton- Dix could even lace them up the Pack’s brass set about rectifying the issue internally by moving CB Micah Hyde over to the S slot. Hyde will see much of the filed this year as McCarthy has said, “We have to find ways to get [Hyde] on the field.” Hyde is a solid tackler and has deceptive speed to go along with enough size that he can drop down into the LB’s position. In nickel formations Clinton-Dix will likely play centerfield while Hyde becomes the nickel back to go with incumbent Morgan Burnett.

Burnett has to rebound. The Packers safeties had zero interceptions last year. Burnett also had his

fair share of missed tackles. Moving Hyde will help but one of camp’s pleasant surprises was the solid play and hitting from Sean Richardson who looks fully recovered from neck fusion surgery. Burnett, Hyde and Richardson lessen the pressure on Clinton- Dix to be the savior of the D. Now the results have to show up on the field.

(4) – Burnett, Hyde, Richardson, Clinton- Dix

SPECIAL TEAMS –

Absolutely no surprises or camp battles here. LS Brett Goode, P Tim Masthay and K Mason Crosby are locks now and for the foreseeable future. Crosby rebounded last year to regain the form he had been missing when he was struggling. All Goode does is make a perfect snap every time while Masthay has been routine in pinning opponents back.

Mike McCarthy has said “Our defense will be better.” He said the same thing last year about the Packers running game. We believe McCarthy.

This could be a memorable, enjoyable year.

NEXT: Team by Team Predictions

LET'S GET IT ON!!

PACKERS HIGH FLYING OFFENSE SET TO TAKE OFF

 

With the start of the 2014-15 NFL season and the opener against the Evil Empire in the Emerald City looming just around the corner we, like the Green Bay Packers, are back.

Summer’s swelter has seen very large men toil in the heat and soon all will change. The kids will be back in school. The air gets a little chiller at night. Leaves begin to turn and collect on the ground. The crack of the bat meeting a ball will now be replaced by the whack of shoulder pads hitting at a high rate of speed.

Yes, football is back!

And with it the Packers are ushering in one of their deepest rosters in Mike McCarthy’s tenure. Gone are some familiar faces; WR James Jones was allowed to leave and landed in Oakland, while DL Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett are unsigned free agents. The seismic crack in the universe occurred when GM Ted Thompson uncharacteristically went shopping and picked up DL Letroy Guion and Da Bears Julius Peppers. While Peppers is 34 with questions surrounding how much he

has left he is an athletic freak who will not be required to play as many downs in Titletown as he did in the Windy City. Guion is a former first rounder who never quite found his footing on a wretched Viking defense but hopes to resurrect his career in Green Bay. Perhaps there is some irony in the fact that TT raided the shelves of two of the Pack’s most hatred rivals.

Peppers aside this year’s team has an unlimited ceiling. The offense is a Top 5 offense easily. The Packers can go far into the playoffs provided one thing.

As long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy.

The draft looks on paper to be another fine crop imported by TT. At the top of the list is S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Alabama and the battle at the safety spot after last year’s well-documented disaster is as fierce a battle as there has been in camp. TT went after pass catchers after losing Jones and picked up WR’s Davante Adams (Rd 2/ Fresno St), Jared Abbrederis (5th Rd/ Wisconsin) and Jeff Janis (7^th Rd/ Saginaw St Div 3). While selecting TE Richard Rodgers from Cal raised some eyebrows no less than the likes of another Rodgers from Cal has been heard saying “I can’t believe he (Richard Rodgers) lasted until the 3^rd round.” R Rodgers has been the talk of camp with his ability to snag almost anything Aaron has dished up.

The Packers also addressed the need for a C in picking up Corey Linsley (5^th Rd/ Ohio St) while taking athletically talented but raw DB Demetri Goodson in the 6^th.

As we open the season we’ll take a long look at the depth and make our annual prediction as to who is going to be around when the dust settles.

QB’s

Write this one down and save it: “As long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy.“ That encapsulates the Packers this year. Keeping Rodgers healthy and upright has always been a priority but after breaking his collarbone and missing 8 games that saw the Pack struggle no single item on the agenda is greater than keeping 12 in the game. As he hits his prime fully recovered Rodgers is the best QB in the game today. He has precision sharp in the preseason and looking over his array of weapons the season can’t get here fast enough. Rodgers has always played better with a chip on his shoulder and he is coming into this year’s campaign with a lumberyard in its place. After hearing the pundits place the hosannas on Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Andrew Luck Rodgers has something to prove - again – and is looking to make a statement which will send every defensive coordinator batty trying to combat Rodgers’ talents. With the new “Can’t Touch This” rule prohibiting DB’s from literally any contact Rodgers will be licking his chops as this rule will most decidedly tip the game in his favor.

The starter in GB has never been an issue. Even backup hasn’t been an issue. Prior to last year there have been more presidents (4) that Packers have had starting QB’s (2), and Bill Clinton, W and Obama will have each served 2 terms each. While other teams struggle to find even a decent QB (hello, Minnesota? Cleveland? Houston?) Green Bay fans have been spoiled with Rodgers and Brett Favre leading the charge since ’92 of the last century. Favre will finally enter the ring of honor next year when he will also enter the Hall of Fame and should rightfully be welcomed home for all he did while a Packer and not how he exited.

Green Bay didn’t struggle; they flopped when Rodgers went out. Last year’s rookie Scott Tolzien

showed promise but played mostly like a rookie in emergency starts. Matt Flynn found the bucks in free agency but no home and was brought back to engineer one of the most stunning wins when he rallied Green Bay from a 1,836 point deficit against Dallas last year. Matty Ice is back and he and Scott Tolzien are battling it out as the #2. Flynn is the clear #2 but Tolzien has shown he can play in pre-season. But can Green Bay keep 3 QB’s? Can they afford not to? Or is Tolzien likely trade bait? We don’t see Tolzien clearing waivers (hello, Minnesota? Cleveland? Houston?). Or will the IR list be used for some hocus pocus? Will Tolzien collect splinters?

As long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy.

(3) - Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien

WR’s

Jordy Nelson has a fat new contract and is happy. Randall Cobb is going to be next to get a fat, new contract and will be happy. Jarrett Boykins is still # 3 on the depth chart but is looking over his shoulder at rookie Davante Adams, the record setting pass catchers from QB Derek Carr’s (Oakland) tosses. Adams has good size at 6’1” and 215 lbs and has great hands. He will have to adjust to the speed of not only the defenders who will be looking to punish him but Rodgers’ throws. Hometown hero Jared Abbrederis is a Wes Welker clone and was wowing them in camp until he tore a knee up and will be IR’d until next season. That opens the door for Jeff Janis, the 7^th rounder from an unheard of small D3 school who last year had 131 receptions. In a year. Not a career. Janis is a virtual Jordy Nelson clone at 6’3” and 219 lbs and is deceptively fast. His middle slant grab and go against the Rams in pre-season may have been enough for Mike McCarthy to see the 5 WR’s he wants. Camp has been deep with WR’s this year. Some will hook on elsewhere but the best 5 are sticking around.

(5) Nelson, Cobb, Boykin, Adams, Janis IR - Jared Abbrederis PS Myles White, Alex Gillette

RB’s

This one was looking tight until 2^nd year man Jonathon Franklin was forced to retire with a neck

injury. Returning RB DuJuan Harris has recovered from knee surgery and has been an explosive breath of fresh air. He’ll join Rookie of the Year Eddie Lacey and James Starks in giving Green Bay its best RB crop since Hornung and Taylor, maybe even the best stable of RB’s in the NFL. Lacey was the cream of last year’s banner haul and pounded out rookie records for yards and TD’s as a Packer eclipsing John Brockington’s marks. His bruising, punishing style is reminiscent of a young Jerome Bettis. With Lacey in the backfield it will be a pick-your-poison call for the D as to just who exactly do they try to stop. Key on Lacey and Rodgers will shred the defense. Back up into coverage and Lacey will gash the line. Starks has finally found his niche in the Packer offense and was nothing short of brilliant in spelling Lacey last year. His knee high driving running makes it appear that his legs will run off his body but it also puts fear in the heats of a DB who has to try to corral him. Venerable pro John Kuhn  is back; his position has been cemented since he cut Julius Peppers down in the famous 4^th and 8 play against Chicago last year that saw Cobb come down with a Rodgers bomb that sent Green bay to their 3^rd straight NFC North crown and Chicago to the golf courses.

(4) – Lacey, Starks, Harris, Kuhn PS - Raijon Neal

TE’s

The loss of Jermichael Finley to a frightening bruised spinal cord injury that resulted in fusion surgery was an immense blow. Replacing Finley may be impossible but replacing him in the aggregate may work nicely. Andrew Quarless is the incumbent. He’s had a decent camp but Richard Rodgers (#89 photo/ left) may be the guy everyone in the NFL is gushing over come December and January. Brandon Bostick was also looking impressive but he sustained a slight fibular break in his leg that may see him out for 4-6 weeks. Ryan Taylor is a special teams ace and Jake Stoneburner may benefit from an injury to UDFA Colt Lyerla. Lyerla is the young man who was booted from Oregon’s program before running afoul of the law while running away from the law in a cocaine bust. His knee injury allowed TT and MM to place him on the IR and give him a full year to get his football head together. If he can stay clean his talent is undeniable. The Lions took NC’s TE Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick. Ebron is a pass catcher deluxe at 6’4” and 265 lbs who runs a 4.61 forty and has great hands. Lyerla is a pass catcher deluxe at 6’4” and 247 lbs who runs a 4.62 forty and has great hands. By snagging him as a UDFA this is a long term move that may bear some huge dividends provided Lyerla grows up. The beauty of all this is TT did not waste a draft pick and till got a quality player via the UDFA route. Keeping him off the field but around the facility galvanizes the Packers draft and develop approach. With Lyerla out Jake Stoneburner may just make the cut.

(5) – Quarless, Rodgers, Bostick, Taylor, Stoneburner

OL –

The starting 5 go into the season intact. Almost. JC Tretter had played very well at the C slot until

getting injured against Oakland in pre-season. He will be lost for "...multiple weeks..." according to McCarthy. How many is multiple? That's anyone's guess. LT David Bahktiari is a year older and a full season wiser after shining in emergency duty as a rookie. Josh Sitton and T J Lang anchor the interior while RT Bryan Bulaga has looked impressive coming back form a blown knee. McCarthy felt he found his long term C in JC Tretter until he went down to a knee injury in much the same fashion Bulaga did a year ago. 6^th man Don Barclay will go to the IR so rookie C Corey Linsley has to pull a Bahktiari and step in to play right away. The good news on the OLine is former 1^st round pick Derrick Sherrod has looked terrific after missing almost two years recovering from a horrendous broken leg. Lane Taylor will make the cut but TT may have to go shopping for another C to fill in for Tretter if last year’s PSer Garth Gerhart isn’t up to snuff. For the short haul the Pack rolls the dice with only 2 subs until Tretter's return.

(8) Bahktiari, Sitton, Linsley, Lang, Bulaga, Sherrod, Taylor,  Tretter IR - Don Barclay PS Garth Gerhart PS - Andrew Tiller

The Packers boast one of the elite offenses of the NFL. With the new rules regarding pass interference A. Rodgers might enjoy his greatest season as a pro. Lacey could run wild again. Cobb is poised for a monster year especially out of the slot. The kids – R. Rodgers, Adams and Janis all could factor in large. This will be a fun year to watch this prolific offense put up pinball-like numbers. Just how prolific this offense could be will be revealed right away as the Pack opens the season against the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and their imposing defense.

All of the above is true provided one simple thing - As long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy.

NEXT: THE DEFENSE – WHO MAKES THE CUT