Scouts Inc: Pass Defense Is Packers' Weakness
Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. lists Pass Defense as the Packers' greatest weakness.
By PackerAaron
Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc., whom I have had my issues with, lists the Packers' pass defense as it's greatest weakness in an ongoing series over at the ESPN NFC North Blog.
Writes Williamson:
Although corner play is potentially problematic for the Packers, I do expect the safety production and range as a unit to be improved with Morgan Burnett added to the mix. Green Bay could also see a leap in production from its very young set of starting outside linebackers, leading to more pressure on the quarterback. That should help, but with the receivers in this division, poor corner play is going to be exposed sooner or later.
Surprisingly, the Packers really didn’t do a thing this offseason to pump up their cornerback corps and I fear that it might cost them in the playoffs -- as it did last year. Luckily for Green Bay, it has an awful lot of firepower on offense. But will it be enough?
Yes, this is the ultimate of space-filler pieces in the deadest of times in the NFL.
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Comments (10)
July 08, 2010 at 11:59 am
I simply don't agree, and I guess it's the eternal optimist in me but I expect our coverage units to be much improved for a couple of reasons.
1. Health. While the health of Al Harris is question mark, he'll be back at the latest, Week 6. I think he will return to form and have a nice year for us.
2. Growth. 2 guys that I think are going to really improve this year are Brandon Underwood and Pat Lee. Neither of these guys got much playing time last year, and in Lee's case, none at all. I think if those 2 guys step up, it would give us a tremendous stable of CBs with Woody, Tramon, Al, Lee and Underwood.
3. Capers. If I could wager a bet on what keeps Capers up at night, it's the play of elite QBs vs us last year. I know that Dom's focus this entire offseason has been figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it. With that said, I have faith that he is going to figure out how to fix whatever was going wrong.
4. Pressure on the QB. This is the biggest reason why I feel like elite QBs had their way w/ us last year. As great as our Defensive Line was agaisnt the run last season, they provided ZERO interior pass rush against the big time QBs. Remember that one play last year during the Vikings game @ Lambeau where Favre literally just sat comfortably in the pocket for close to 10 seconds before he found an open receiver? Any great QB is going to carve up a Defense with that kind of time, no matter how great your cover guys are. One of the main reasons I feel that our Defensive Line had trouble getting push was because they were playing too many snaps and were simply worn out. I think that the additions of Justin Harrell, Mike Neal, and CJ Wilson, plus the growth of Jarius Wynn, will pay huge dividends this season. If for nothing else, to spell Raji, Pickett, Jenkins, Jolly, and keep them fresh.
I'm not concerned about our Pass Defense, but like I said, i'm an eternal optimist with an obvious bias so maybe i'm a bit off base. : )
PackerAaron
July 08, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Excellent take Brett. For the most part I agree. The one where I have some trepidation is w/Capers. I fear he'll try to rely on his zones too much again this year. I hope I'm wrong.
July 08, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Great take. I would add preparation to that. As Aaron has pointed out before, Capers just didn't/couldn't prepare the #4 and beyond CBs for responsabilities of starters.
I believe, this time, if someone goes down, or if the field is spreaded, Capers won't have to reduce his playbook...
July 08, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Great take. I believe the talent is there, they simply need to emerge from training camp with limited injuries.
I do expect to see a fair amount of zone again this year (for good or for bad) out of Capers. This defensive unit will excel at creating favorable down-and-distance, creating substantial opportunity for turnovers.
Stay healthy, capitalize on the turnovers and punish the damn quarterback (this will be the most welcome change) and keep him uncomfortable. For me, a healthy D-line rotation to push the pocket and a healthy defensive backfield to Woodson can be close to the line of scrimmage where he has game-changing impact.
July 08, 2010 at 04:01 pm
All good points. The bottom line is that our front 7 have do better getting to the QB, collapsing the pocket, and in general pass defense.
Meaning our second year OLBs have to produce (Mathews-Jones), Hawk or Chillar need to solidify the position next to Barnett and Raji needs to become that force in the middle to justify a top 10 selection.
If our front 7 gets the job done, it won't matter who we have in the secondary, they will all be in pro bowl, even Bush. Well that might be over reaching to make a point.
July 08, 2010 at 12:51 pm
That generic verbiage could be popped in for 60 percent of any NFL or College football team.
July 08, 2010 at 12:58 pm
A little off topic perhaps, but i'm bored at work and looking for a career change. How about the Pack signs Jamarcus and he and Johnny Jolly hire me to open J & J's Koolaid Stand?
July 08, 2010 at 04:54 pm
Agreed Brett. If the CB's stay healthy, we'll be fine in pass D. That was most of the problem last year. When Harris went down during the SF game, I remember thinking, "We're toast now against good passing teams". I am not happy that I was right.
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The other side to this coin is the health/effectiveness of CM3 and Jones. If they can pressure, we'll be the best D in the league next year.
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One more thought: To get the the Super Bowl you have to stay healthy. That is just plain luck. Nuttin' else. Whoever wins/gets to the big game has stayed healthy at all star positions. If we stay healthy this year, the Vikes are goin' down at least, maybe more.
July 08, 2010 at 06:29 pm
If the DL and the OLB's in a 3-4 can't Push,Rush,Collapse,Pressure or any other whatever,even if you have two Harris' and two Woodsons' in the secondary you will be charred.
The whole premise of success in the 3-4 lies with the front 7 and better yet, if the offense knows you don't need both OLB's,now your Defense is the old "Berlin Wall",no body RUNS out or away as your DB's are now snipers,sitting and picking them off.
But,as Brett said,as I have before and a certain Aaron waived off with a majic wand,the "What IF's".Lee, Underwood,Jones Bigby injured again,a rookie in Burnett.
July 11, 2010 at 03:03 pm
The Secondary is probably going to be the most anticipated group to watch for me this Training Camp. Most notably Pat Lee, Underwood, and Burnett, hopefully they're up to the task.