Inside Linebacker Preview 2012

This is my first post after quite some time, and my first at our new blog. I'd like to thank Wiz...er...68MD for inviting me back after all this time. I look forward to contributing here throughout the season.

By PWC

 The Packers have made a number of changes and additions at the Inside Linebacker position this offseason, promising that the position will see some of the fiercest competition in training camp come August. Although Desmond Bishop seems all but a lock to start at inside linebacker this year, A. J. Hawk’s position is not so secure. Two questions will be settled on the field in camp this year: who will start opposite Bishop and which players will fill out whatever spots remain on the 53 man roster. Although a constant on the defense, A. J. Hawk’s 2011 season certainly wasn’t the best. Says Tyler Dunne,

the man in the middle also regressed in 2011 -- A.J. Hawk. The former fifth overall pick didn't have any interceptions, any forced fumbles and wasn't always reliable against the run.

This fact wasn’t lost on Thompson, McCarthy, and company, who picked up Terrell Manning and gave Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore some time at ILB away from their usual OLB during OTAs. However, one major factor could still be on Hawk’s side as training camp approaches. As D.J. Smith himself acknowledged, Hawk carries major leadership responsibilities on the defensive side of the ball. In an interview, Smith explained:

You can say it's kind of minor, but it's kind of a big difference," Smith said. "It's still a middle linebacker, but one position (Hawk's) has more responsibility than the other. When it comes to A.J.'s spot, he's the signal-caller. He's the guy that runs the show. He's the quarterback of the whole thing.

In other words, talent and playmaking contributions are not the sole determining factors deciding who will start next to Bishop come September. Like all other position battles, this won’t be resolved on paper in July; we will have to wait and see throughout camp to determine whether or not Hawk will keep his current position on the team. As for the remaining spots on the roster, I expect D. J. Smith to retain a role as backup and I predict he will see significant action during the season, --all this assuming the Packers decide that Hawk is the best choice as a starter, and they may very well not take that position--and Rob Francois should also have little trouble retaining his role as well. In all likelihood, the Packers will only keep 4 inside linebackers, meaning Terrell Manning will face a steep, uphill battle to make the 53 man roster, especially considering he hasn’t played since 2010*. Whatever way things pan out this year, we can count on one thing-an intense position battle at inside linebacker during camp this year.

*Edit: Manning's packers.com bio only has information up until 2010, which mistakenly led me to assume that he had not played since then.  I will be sure to check multiple sources in the future.  Many thanks to Matt for pointing this out.

Packer 2012 Preview : The WR Group

By Matt Bove

Outside of quarterback, the wide receiver position is the strongest and the deepest position on the 2012 team. The Packers have elite receivers in Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson and guys who were on the practice squad last year who would have made most NFL rosters in Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel. Then, there is a guy in Randall Cobb who has the ability to have a breakout season. Also, you have James Jones and Donald Driver who are reliable players. These 7 wide receivers, Aaron Rodgers, and Jermichael Finley are the reasons the Packers have the most potent passing attack in the NFL.

There will be great competition among these 7 players this training camp. Other then Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson being the top two players on the depth chart nothing is set in stone. Cobb will be looking to pass Jones and Driver and move up to the #3 wide receiver position. Jones and Driver will compete with each other for targets as both finished 2011 with 54. If Gurley and Borel show the same potential that they did in camp last year the Packers will likely keep 6 wide receivers. The Vikings already tried to sign Gurley and the Bucs tried to sign Borel last season, so they almost assuredly will not make the practice squad again. Rob Demovsky, of the Green Bay Press Gazette, even suggested the Packers may keep 7 wider receivers. I would see this as unlikely, but the Packers have shown in the past they are not afraid to keep a strange number of players at one position.

Jennings is a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL. Jennings caught 67 passes last season, for 949 yards, and 9 TD’s despite missing the final 3 games of the regular season. His absence was a major factor in the only loss of the 2011 regular season at Kansas City, as Nelson struggled with the extra attention he received. Jennings does not have great size or elite speed but he is perhaps the best route runner in the NFL. His routes are as smooth and crisp as they come, and his chemistry with Rodgers is outstanding. Jennings shiftiness and elusiveness also helps him excel in yards after the catch. He will be playing for a new contract this season so expect Jennings to be at the top of his game yet again.

Nelson had his breakout season last year. Nelson had 68 catches for 1,263 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Nelson started to break out during the Packers’ playoff run in 2010 and did not look back in 2011. Nelson took advantage of other teams double teaming Jennings and Jermichael Finley, but that does not take away from Nelson’s talents. Nelson’s ball skills are exceptional, as he is the team’s best jump ball catcher by far. He is excellent at using his body to shield defenders off and make adjustments when the ball is in the air. Nelson may not be able to repeat 15 touchdowns again, but he should have another solid season.

It will be extremely interesting to see how Randall Cobb is used this season. Cobb was only targeted 31 times last year, a number that is surely to go up. Cobb was brought along slowly last year because of the depth and talent of the Packers wide receivers. It will also go up because Cobb could move up to #3 on the depth chart with a solid training camp. Aaron Rodgers loves to pick out the best matchup on the field to throw to. If Cobb is in the slot with Jennings, Nelson, and Finley in the game he is likely to have a great matchup. Cobb will be used most often with slants and screens to take advantage of his athleticism, but maybe he will evolve to the point to where they play him outside more where he can beat his defenders deep running streaks with his speed.

James Jones has been mentioned in some trade rumors. I don’t expect him to be traded nor should he be. Jones is a guy who I still believe has the talent to be a #2 receiver on a bad team. He provides great depth in case Jennings or Nelson gets hurt. Jones is known for dropping passes but actually Donald Driver, who is seen as a reliable receiver, dropped 2 more passes than Jones last season. Jones always seems to get open and is very good after the catch posting a 7.7 YAC last season. He also posted 7 TD’s, which is great for being the 4th option behind Jennings, Nelson, and Finley. I was a little surprised the Packers brought Driver back, but it certainly isn’t a bad move. His playing time may diminish again, but he is a solid veteran presence to have around a team that still is pretty young. Gurley and Borel are most likely battling for one roster spot this training camp. Both will have to build off what they did last camp to secure a spot. I think Gurley has a little advantage because he is 6-4. The Packers do not have another wide receiver with his height, which should help him. He also blocked punts with regularity in training camp and the Packers value special teams highly. However, Aaron Rodgers was very complimentary of Borel during OTA’s.

“Diondre Borel is a guy that gives us a different look because he plays a similar position of that of Randall Cobb,” Rodgers said in an interview with Packers.com. “Diondre has made as big of jump as anybody from year 1 to year 2. He really made the most of his reps on the scout team last year.”

Borel is very different from Gurley. He is only 6 feet tall, slightly less than 200 pounds, and does not have blazing speed. He does not have great physical tools so why is he highly regarded? His football IQ is a big reason why. Rodgers likes the fact that Borel was a quarterback in college at Utah St.

“He’s a great teammate, hard worker and he really understands the game,” Rodgers said. “I think he has the luxury of being a quarterback in college. He sees the game through a quarterback’s eyes and that gives him a slight advantage over guys who he’s competing with because he understands timing and progression maybe a little quicker some of the than the other guys.”

It will be interesting to see if their chemistry can get Borel a roster spot. All in all the Packers are set at the wide receiver position. They have a great variety of guys with different skills. This group and Aaron Rodgers was the reason they went 15-1 last year and the reason that the Packers are one of the Super Bowl favorites again.

Countdown To Kickoff 2012, Packer Preview

Welcome back to another season of Packer football ! Over the course of the next 2 weeks we will break down the team and preview the 2012 season.

At the end of the preview are writers will give you their thoughts on 2012. We hope to bring some unique insight to you this season but without any of the politically correct bull your seeing elsewhere.

I urge everyone to come on over and talk packers with us at the forum : http://www.gbpackeraddicts.com/index.php?action=forum

Are plan for gbpackeraddicts.com is simple, talk packer football in a fun carefree environment free. Enjoy are preview and please feel free to give us feedback and or ideas at gbpackeraddicts@yahoo.com.

Let's get this party started !

Go Pack GO !

68md

Soldiers First ~ Book Review

by Mark Dudziak

I was given the opportunity by author Joe Drape to read his new book Soldiers Story : Duty, Honor, Country, and Football at West Point this weekend way before it's September release.

First let me start by saying how much I enjoy Joe's writing style. In Our Boys he sucked me into Smith Center KS so much I have looked into moving there more then once.

Soldiers First is more then a book about football. Joe Drape digs deep into the heart of why men and women choose to go to the point and become future leaders in our military.

A sample: " The Sound was forlorn,the tune haunting. Steve Ezinger had heard "Taps" played at 2230 every night he had been on campus for the past thirty-nine months. "

You will hear from LT. Tyson Quick "I got blown up by an IED in Afghanistan. I stepped on it, and lost both my legs "

Football ? Plenty from Coach Ellerson pre - game : ' Sixty minutes,one play at a time" he called "Sixty minutes, one play at a time " they shouted back.

To his wisdom :

" We Learned how much emotion you have to bring to the game, how much resilience you have to bring to the game, what it's like to turn the scoreboard off and play and love to play"

To the spectacle and tradition that is West Point,

On,brave old Army team !

On to the fray.

Fight on to victory

For that's the fearless Army way.

But what Joe Drape really captures is the heart and soul of the cadets and their struggles being a student athlete at the academy.

Duty, Honor, Country is a must read not just for football and sports fans but for all of you that want to look into the soul of men that are selfless human beings. Who each day give everything they have so each of us can be free.

Soldiers First can be pre-ordered right now at Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Soldiers-First-Honor-Country-Football/dp/0805094903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340576384&sr=8-1&keywords=soldiers+first

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. I highly recommend it. If you have not read " Our Boys" by Joe Drape grab both and understand Why Joe Drape is a very special author.

When Enough Is Enough

By 68md

In the last 24hours events have unfolded with Anthony Hargrove ( I was framed ) and now Johhny Jolly wanting to be reinstated.

I want everyone reading this to think like a coach for a minute. Come on just push away and stay with me.

OK you drafted a DE/DT in Worthy that you want to start and have excel, you have several young studs like CJ Wilson and Lawrence Guy. You have x number of practices and limited time to get them going and see who goes and who stays.

Do you keep Hargrove ( out 8 games and looking rather um scruffy) and possibly a guy in Jolly 2 years removed from action ?

Do you take snaps away from the guys that will play and are guaranteed to contribute ?

Yes I know everyone wants JJ to come back and succeed. But at what cost ? This is a very deep football team that had some great OTA and is bonding.

At some point as a GM and HC coach you have to move on. We kept guys like Justin Harrell one year too long. Let's be fair and cut both these players loose and move on as a team and organization.

My two cents

Chalk Talk - 3-4 scheme

By 68MD

Defense... Lots of talk about last years defense. Let's talk a little 3-4 defense.

At it's heart the 3-4 defense is pretty simple. You have three defensive linemen, four linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties.

The requirements for players in a 3-4 are different than for players in a 4-3, and it all starts with the nose tackle. Joe Collier spent 20 seasons with the Denver Broncos and was the one who brought the 3-4 to Denver. Bill Belicheck has credited Collier with teaching him the 3-4 originally. This is what Collier has to say about the 3-4.

"You build it from the inside out," Collier said. "The nose tackle and the inside linebackers, those are three guys that are very important. But when you go through it, the nose tackle is probably the single-most important guy."

Your nose tackle needs to be a massive guy. Generally you want him around 6'0 or 6'1 and around 330lbs or so (the average size of the starting NT in the NFL in 2009 was 328 lbs), though nose tackles do come smaller (Jay Ratliff at 303 lbs) and much bigger (Kris Jenkins at 360lbs). His job is to tie up both the center and the two guards, preventing them from reaching the LB. If he does this, he's done his job. If he can collapse the pocket as well, even better since this means that the blitzing LB has a clear shot at the QB.

The DE in a 3-4 have similar jobs as the nose tackle. They are there to provide some pass rush, but mostly to tie up offensive linemen and force runs to bounce outside where the linebackers can make plays. In a 3-4 team your linemen won't generally have big stats--the fact that Cullen Jenkins did is a testament to his ability as a player. The pass rush comes from the OLB in a 3-4 based defense.

Your outside linebackers in a 3-4 were generally college defensive ends who are too small to play that position in the pros. You want them to be around 240-260 lbs. They have specific responsibilities as well. The weak side LB (the weak side of the line is the one opposite of the tight end) is the speed rusher. You'll sometimes see our OLB switching spots on the field based on the offensive alignment and this is why.

The strong side linebacker has a different job. He needs to be able to be strong enough to take on a blocker as well as quick enough to drop back into coverage.

Finally your inside linebackers need to be quick enough to get side to side in a hurry, though if the front linemen are doing their job it's an easier transition for them.

Very few teams run a 3-4 all the time, because it's difficult to get pressure on the QB in a passing situation (in fact that's one of the major weaknesses of a 3-4). To rectify this problem Dick LeBeau invented the zone blitz. Basically you have your three down linemen rushing the QB, and then one of your outside linebackers also rushes the QB. The rest of the linebackers fill the gaps in the secondary with help from the safeties and do so in zone coverage, rather than man to man. The cornerbacks will still generally play man coverage. On almost every play at least one of the linebackers is rushing the quarterback, sometimes two or three.

A big disadvantage of this scheme is that it leaves you vulnerable across the middle to seam routes from tight ends (Owen Daniels anyone?) as well a vulnerable to the screen since one of your OLB is caught up in rushing the passer.

So with that little review why all the issues last year ? Simple put the DL did not tie up blockers consistently and allow the LB to make plays.

AJ Hawk stated this week " “Watching film I felt like I got stuck on blocks a little too much,” Hawk said Thursday after the team’s mandatory minicamp concluded. “When I was able to blitz, a lot of times I’m blitzing up the middle or going against a center or a guard, and I feel like I got Velcroed or stuck to them a little too much. So I’ve focused on working on my hands and getting off (blocks) and get to the ball more.”

He should not have to worry about shedding blockers ? The staff MUST get our backers free of the OL and making plays. Keep an eye on our DE/NT early in pre season to see how they engage the OL and if our LB are flowing more freely to the ball.

If the DL improves so will this defense.

Best of the NFC North

Hey guys,

My name is Caleb and I am the newest blogger for GB Packer Addicts.  I do want to let you all know that I care deeply about the Packers and have enjoyed being alive for two Super Bowl wins of theirs.  While the Packers are above and beyond all other NFL teams in my heart and mind, I figured that I would start of with my objectivity by creating the Best of the Division roster.  Consider it as a Pro-Bowl team (if we keep having them), but only with players from the division we like the most.

QB
1.  Aaron Rodgers
2.  Matthew Stafford

Rodgers has the NFL MVP from last season and has one of the best TD-INT ratios that anyone can remember.  I picked Stafford over Cutler simply because I think he is a better QB and let's face it, we all know that Cutler has no heart.

RB
1.  Adrian Peterson
2.  Matt Forte

Some people who read this may think that I am putting Peterson ahead of Forte because I am an Oklahoma resident, but really when it comes to college ball I am a Husker fan.  Peterson is bigger and more likely to run you over and Forte simply leaves something to be desired.  The Packers could have some room for improvement here but with our great passing game it hasn't really mattered that much, and besides we clearly don't mind that much when....

FB
1.  John Kuhn

Kuhn is our "Jack of all trades" running, receiving, blocking.  He simply is the best.

WR
1. Calvin Johnson
2. Greg Jennings
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Jordy Nelson

MEGATRON has been awesome since he played at Georgia Tech and imo he deserved the #2 overall pick by Detroit even though it probably cost Matt Millen his job.  Jennings has been great and has the experience to prove it.  I fear that many people will be upset at me placing Marshall #3 on this list, but when he actually has a QB to throw to him, he has been really good--see Denver.

Pass Rusher
1.  Jared Allen
2.  Julius Peppers
3.  Clay Matthews

Don't get me wrong Packer Addicts, I am crazy about Clay Matthews and enjoyed him getting in on the discount double take commercials.  Jared Allen has been great on the Chiefs and Vikings and racked up 20 sacks last season.  Peppers has always been great and has that extra threat to block field goals/extra points when the game is on the line because he is just an athletic freak.  That Means that Clay is 3rd.  I already told you all that I am a Husker so Suh is probably next but it is tough to put him 4th on a divisional list as well.  I want to see Nick Perry be first on this list next year.

CB/S
1.  Charles Woodson

Let's face it.  Putting someone number two behind Woodson would be a slight to Woodson.  He is a true future HOF and has a Heisman that he took over Peyton Manning, yeah, a college football championship at Michigan and now his Super Bowl win with the Packers.  Let's also not forget that he stripped the Football in what has now become known as the tuck rule game.

Well.  If you guys have any questions just let me know by commenting or send me a tweet: @kdiggs74.  Let the debate begin.