Good stuff from Pete Dougherty today looking at the secondary and Atari Bigby in particular. Money quote:

Bigby goes into training camp the likely starter again even though he missed all offseason practices recovering from ankle surgery. That projection is based on his performance as a first-year starter in 2007, especially late in the season, when the big-hitter was the best safety on the roster.

The last sentence is key. Bigby was indeed lights out over the course of the last month and a half in 2007. His play down the stretch was Butler-esque (yes, he was playing that well) and the future looked good for the first time starter. As we all know now, 2008 was a wasted season for Bigby and now he essentially needs to start all over again with the installation of Capers’ scheme. Also working against him is the fact that he had to sit out all of the OTAs and MiniCamp when the defense was being installed.

It’s no forgone conclusion that Bigby will come back and be even half the player he was at the end of 2007. Aaron Rouse looked like he would be a player after flashing in his rookie year, only to completely bomb last year when given ample opportunity to seize the job. Now, Bigby is no Rouse but he’s not exactly Troy Polamalu yet either, no matter how badly some fans want to believe that. He’s a promising talent that will have to work his butt off to get back to the level of play we witnessed at the end of 2007.

Following on the heels of Greg Bedard’s piece on Atari Bigby comes an article on the same subject from Tom Pelissero. The general gist of both? Bigby was hurt much worse than he or the Packers (specifically the Packers) let on last season. Bigby talks of not being able to walk across the room in his home without pain, much less the sideline. 

Donald’s Designated Driver has been on the case as far as the Packers’ treatment of the injury report. I think there’s a lot of smoke there, but not without a little fire. I think what this really points out is how desperately short of quality depth the Packers found themselves last season at the safety position. Not only did it force them to make the egregious mistake of moving Woodson to safety but they kept a severely injured Bigby on the field even though they knew he wasn’t in any shape to play. Obviously, after the horrific showing Peprah had in Week Three against the Cowboys, there was just no way they were going to put him back on the field, no matter how badly Bigby or Rouse played.

Going forward, I think Bigby will thrive in Capers’ scheme. I’m not sure he’ll quite be  the  ”Packers Polamalu“, but I think he’ll really surprise Packer fans this year.

In the least-shocking development of the off-season, Atari Bigby has signed his one year restricted free agent tender.

Bigby could play a big role in the Packers resurgence next year if he can come back healthy in 2009. The Packers never recovered from the dismal drop-off in play at the strong safety position last year. For all that went wrong up front, and a whole lot did, it was all compounded by the less-than-stellar play in the backend (and yes, I include Nick Collins in that sentiment.) Here’s hoping Bigby has a real return to form.

…did they just drop suddenly? Does the prospect of overpaying for marginal talent and the Packers annual removal from the process just cause otherwise usually astute observers of the Packer condition to become the blogosphere equivalent of Ignatius J. Reilly?

Brandon over at ACME Packing Company is the latest Packer blogger to lose the plot. Seems he is “depressed” that the Packers have shown interest in two safeties, an area where Brandon seems to think the Packers are just fine, thank you very much. I think this is the height of naivete, and his insinuations that neither Mike Adams or Anthony Smith are even in the same league as Nick Collins or Atari Bigby is just plain ignorance. The Packers are looking at Smith and looked at Adams (who re-signed with Cleveland) because they could indeed step in in 2010 if the Packers lost Bigby or Collins, but more importantly, because both players could EASILY beat out Bigby for a starting job, and Smith could certainly give Collins a run for his money. 

I keep saying this over and over – Nick Collins is the most overrated player on the Packers’ roster. His Pro Bowl appearance was a product of two things. 1) His peers seeing him on SportsCenter returning interceptions for touchdowns and 2) The overall weak play at the position this past season in the NFC. He is terrible in coverage, incredibly inconsistent with coverage calls in the secondary and can’t tackle. Sure he can run fast and throw a shoulder into a back or receiver that is just catching the ball but if he has to break down and make an honest to goodness tackle? Terrible. 

Now, I’m not saying Anthony Smith would suddenly turn into Ed Reed. I am saying he’s got experience in the type of system the Packers are trying to implement on defense. He has the all the physical tools to become a star at the position. You don’t ‘get depressed’ because your team is looking at that kind of player, especially if you write for one of the better Packer blogs out there. 

UPDATE: The Packers have signed Smith. Excellent.

…and now Bigby is doubtful.

Hate to say it, but I really don’t think it would have made a difference.

Welcome news.

Bigby’s return is, of course, a great development for the Packers struggling defense. They need all the help they can get. But I can’t stop the nagging feeling from deep down in dark places that only cause misery and despair when they are visited, that LeRoy Butler in his prime could take the field on Sunday, but Bob Sanders and his Magical Schemes Of Ineptitude would ensure that Butler was used in the most ineffective manner possible.

Completely agree with Andy here on the Packers missing Atari Bigby. Peprah and Rouse have been absolutely pathetic while he’s been out. Rouse’s play against Dallas was particularly shocking after the strong showings he put in last season against the Lions and the Panthers.

Bigby simply has to get back on the field. He is quickly becoming the Packers version of Colts safety Bob Sanders.

Toward the end of last season, I was a vocal proponent for Aaron Rouse to take the starting free safety job from Nick Collins. Then, this past offseason, I told anyone who would listen that there was no doubt Rouse would beat out Collins in training camp. Then preseason came and went and we were told that Rouse was not consistent enough to pry a starting safety job away from either Collins or Atari Bigby.

Well, now that Bigby will most likely miss Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys, Rouse will have an opportunity to make amends for his horrible performance in place of an injured Bigby during the second half of the Lions game. And when I say ‘horrible’ – I mean shockingly inept for a guy I thought looked like a sure-fire starter after playing against the Lions and Panthers last year. Here’s hoping Rouse and the coaching staff get his many mistakes from this past Sunday (taking bad angles to the ball, ducking his head when trying to tackle, etc) corrected before Sunday night.