Cory's Corner: Lack Of Tackling Needs Leadership
It’s a question that has been asked for several years: Why can’t the Packers tackle?
Last year, many Packers missed tackles because there were guys that were loading up to make the big hit. This year, I didn’t put much stock into the tackling effort following the first preseason game because the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t allow any true tackling in practice.
What bugs me is that the defensive fundamentals aren’t there. Against Baltimore on Thursday night, how many times did defenders get embarrassed simply because they couldn’t wrap up? And granted, there are no stats for wrapping guys up, but doing the little things is what separates average defenses from good ones.
And if the Packers have any aspirations of winning the NFC North, the defense cannot be average. If the defense stays less than average, Green Bay will go 1-3 vs. Chicago and Minnesota this year.
Defenses are behind the eight ball to begin with now and that’s why I usually reserve judgment on defenses until the third or fourth preseason game. But what I saw in the second preseason game was just a lack of juice — the same ingredient that the new 39-year-old head coach is trying to instill.
Matt LaFleur has complained a few times about how the offense has responded this preseason, but now the defense is returning serve. It’s hard to talk about the offense in preseason because Aaron Rodgers hasn’t even taken a snap yet, but the defense is generally ahead of offenses at this stage of the game and that unit just looks lost.
That doesn’t mean that Kenny Clark won’t pressure the quarterback and Jaire Alexander won’t chase down a ball carrier from the opposite side of the field. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine can only do so much between the white lines of practice, so that’s why it’s imperative that a leader emerges on defense.
When a player doesn’t wrap up on a critical third down play, it’s up to the leader to hold his teammates accountable. That guy used to be Mike Daniels. Now it has to be either Clark, 23, or Alexander, 22. Those may seem like young ages for leaders but this unit is starved for leadership and those two guys will be cornerstones of this team well into the future.
If nothing gets said, players will automatically think that not wrapping up and skipping fundamentals is OK in Green Bay. Newcomers Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith may start to think that team defense is just lip service and not something that the Packers really believe in.
Is the tackling awful? Yes. Has the tackling been awful? No doubt. But what is even more alarming is the lack of fundamentals. Bringing back Pettine for another season was a great move for stability, but now he needs to show something. He needs to show that the effort in Baltimore will never be good enough and the effort and attitude need to change immediately.
The Packers are 20 days out from the season opener in the Windy City. The defense needs to be at least top 15 in scoring in order to keep some pressure off of Rodgers.
Right now, I don’t see that happening at all. There are too many leaks on defense and the only way to fix them is with leadership.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (70)
NickPerry
August 17, 2019 at 06:55 am
According to one Packers website, the Packers have missed 43 tackles in 2 preseason games already, 19 misses just this last Thursday.
As Vince would say, "What the hell is going on out there?"
Now I think Mike Pettine is a hell of a DC and I'm quite sure if he didn't really emphasize how important it actually is to get that guy with the ball ON THE GROUND, he'll be driving that point into his defenses head in the coming weeks.
This defense HAS to be able to carry this team, maybe more than we originally thought earlier in TC. With 12 getting what looks like maybe 2 quarters of work this preseason if were lucky, defense 101 MUST kick in...
TarynsEyes
August 17, 2019 at 10:29 am
As Vince would say, "What the hell is going on out there?"
This is a question that is has not been heard in football for a long time, for obvious reasons, except for Packer fans who believe saying it will evoke the spirit of Vince Lombardi and it will take over the coaching today.
Expectations are good, not high, for this team and that's where it should be. Forget what the defense didn't do in the past few years and that includes what Pettine did last year also, because this is basically his first year with all the changes in personnel.
This article is about finding a leader on defense as if somehow that alone will make bad tackling disappear...it won't. No matter how well someone may speak to a problem in the locker room it isn't a cure all. It may help with adrenaline but it doesn't fix inability or install an ability into a player that doesn't have it.
I've been accused of being the most negative person here for a long time and rightfully so since I was right as to why I was negative by abandoning the blind optimism that afflicted so many. However, as I have said here multiple times already, I'm optimistic this season and although that optimism took a hit this most recent game with the defense more so, it's not enough to have me back onto a specific half glass analogy some love to use.
I believe the last minute decision of Rodgers to not play hit the morale of the team as the offense wanted to shine with him in this new culture and the defense hoped to show it can match their play.
I believe this season is as close to the ' symbiotic circle ' theory offered in Star Wars, since we love old sayings, than has been in GB where what one does on offense/defense will effect what one does on defense/offense and that is where the leadership will be birth.
I'm Optimistic!
Ahgreen30
August 18, 2019 at 09:51 am
I don't understand why all on this site think Pettine is the next coming of Belichick. Pettine has done NOTHING to warrant that thought! I think it will be proven this year that Pettine is just another moronic meathead like Zook and the many other coaches that have passed through 1265 Lombardi Ave.
stockholder
August 17, 2019 at 06:55 am
I say it's a lack of balls. Fear of concussions, and ending up on the IR, has everybody turning soft. The placement of players looks terrible. Do we play LB first, or just rush the passer. ( And for some LBs, pass defense is more important.) As much as open field tackles can be difficult. Chopping up the offensive line just isn't happening. The Infusion of rookie talent is taking longer then planned. While I don't believe this will be mission impossible with the Smiths. I still don't like are Des. I'd rather have Lowrey on the Right side. And while Gute thought Gary was wonderful. Maybe they now could see how much we needed a replacement for Wilkerson first. Clark is a leader now. So why take the chance on not locking him up? Just to much smoke and mirrors with this defense.
Turophile
August 17, 2019 at 07:23 am
"Do we play LB first or just rush the passer" and "I still dont like are Des. "
What do these things even mean ?
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 08:03 am
It’s a combination of things, including the way the college game is going, but let’s be clear, what you talk about refers to lack of effort or commitment. That’s not tackling expertise.
If a leader is needed to make an NFL player try to tackle then that player had better be Deon Sanders good or they won’t have a career.
What I see isn’t effort, it’s mostly younger guys with horrid technique. Summers: effort to get there excellent: angles iffy, tackling technique largely absent. Poster child for the problem and also a walking rebuttal that it is lack of effort or desire.
I’m sorry, one doesn’t learn to tackle on an iPad. One can only learn so much verses a tackling dummy. This isn’t effort it’s lack of skill. Taking down a 200lb or more man in motion is not as simple as one thinks. Understanding angles and body use is key. Leadership in the locker room isn’t the answer to that.
LambeauPlain
August 17, 2019 at 08:32 am
I agree. How do you get good at a skill if you don’t practice it?
I did not know the collective bargaining agreement outlaws live tackling in practice....but if so that means the Ravens aren’t able to either. But they sure brought the wood on Thursday.
Meanwhile the Packers were whiffing and arm tackling and chasing. And the blocking wasn’t any better.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:33 am
LaFleur himself said teach the thump not taking the man down. That’s part of the problem. The thump is not the part we seem to struggle with.
Guam
August 17, 2019 at 08:37 am
I would give your comment three thumbs up if I could ColdWorld. Jennerjohn missed the point with his article - this is not about leadership/effort/commitment, it is about technique. Several times I watched Ty Summers get to the ball carrier quickly and then tackle him around the shoulders which is a sure way to have the RB slip under a tackle. That was just atrocious technique by a LB and a lack of understanding about how to tackle. And Summers was far from the only Packer with this problem.
The concern is this is not a problem that will go away quickly. Learning the right techniques requires practice time and unlearning old, bad habits. Breaking old habits and learning new ones is going to take a season or more, not two preseason games. Welcome to a very young defense...…..
Aplinal
August 18, 2019 at 02:23 am
I'm from Scotland and was brought up on Rugby and have never in my life played Football, so maybe my comment is not relevant. But, although I'm small (would never make an NFL team - 5' 6"; 150 lbs) we were taught how to tackle much bigger men safely from the first days of practice at school.
It seems to me as a viewing fan that most "tackles" in Football are actually just attempts to take the runners legs out. I see only 20% (if that) what I would call genuine "wrap-up" tackling - taking ball and man to the ground.
Maybe basic tackling technique should be taught in training camp as well?
tm_inter
August 18, 2019 at 11:47 am
I agree totally with Aplinal. Why not teach all defensive players the basics of tackling the way rugby players are taught. Hiring rugby tackling experts to teach basic tackling technique in training camp should not cost too much, I don't think. Has anyone at Green Bay ever thought about this?
Befuddled
August 17, 2019 at 07:08 am
"Players will automatically think that not wrapping up and skipping fundamentals is OK in Green Bay" Isn't that what we saw last year? One could put the penalties in there as well
Leatherhead
August 17, 2019 at 07:13 am
I think that when we draft, tackling should factor in more than size/speed, etc.
Some guys like to tackle more than others. Draft them.
splitpea1
August 17, 2019 at 11:20 am
I totally agree. Tackling fundamentals, along with motivation/willingness to work should be just as important as the player's physical attributes.
jannesbjornson
August 17, 2019 at 05:56 pm
you have to set the tone.
Lphill
August 17, 2019 at 07:33 am
These players for the most part have been playing football since they were kids , I think when it counts the hits will come , maybe it’s just a matter of season long wear and tear on ones body that maybe they hold back a bit in pre season , I don’t know if that’s the right thing or not but when your gonna get banged up 16 weeks a year maybe a few less hits now helps down the road .
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:34 am
But how long have these stars had to really tackle?
jannesbjornson
August 17, 2019 at 05:57 pm
They don't get paid very much for pre-season showdowns. No need to task the risk.
murf7777
August 17, 2019 at 07:44 am
Cory, I think your right on about Pettine. It is his responsibility to get this team working together and players with excellent fundamentals. We were bad last year and I felt it had a lot to do with injuries and first year coaching the D. Now I’m wondering?
Even thou this is pre season games I’m concerned about the Coaching. We spent a lot of draft and FA capital on D and what I think is a top 10 talent so hopefully this is an aberration of what’s to come. The talent is there, now coach em up!
Thegreatreynoldo
August 17, 2019 at 11:33 am
Cory seems a little schizophrenic about it. The first mention of Pettine is one largely absolving him for the issue: "Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine can only do so much...." Then he places the onus on Clark and Jaire to lead. Finally, he comes back around to Pettine a few paragraphs later.
Detroit signed several ex-patriot players in response to complaints by current Detroit players about the intensity of practice. The players they signed were not great players but were acquired to change the culture of the team. I hope ZaDarius, Adrian Amos, and Preston Smith can help with that.
One thing I've omitted from the practice roundups is the length of practices this year. They are significantly shorter this year than under MM. GB has had a ton of practices that lasted between a bare 90 minutes and to about 1 hour and 50 minutes. If it is the third practice in a row, those have long team drills session. I gather that most teams do not practice for as long as the CBA allows. LaFleur has publicly stated that his intent is to reduce injuries, which has clearly been prioritized over longer practices and longer padded practices.
I suspect that reducing injuries is more important than good tackling in today's NFL. Some of these guys who are injured came into camp already injured: Fadol Brown (not much talk about him not being able to make the roster from the tub despite Keke coming on), Roberts, Campbell, and Jackson. The scrimmage arguably led to the injuries to Sternberger and Trevor Davis.
I don't know the answer or the correct balance. IDK how other teams conduct practices, how long they are, how long they are when the team is wearing pads. I know some of the cliches: leadership, example, you get what you emphasize, etc. [I also don't know why you got three downvotes!]
arthurl
August 17, 2019 at 08:12 am
Too much over reaction if you ask me. It makes little sense to get all up in arms at this point. What you are seeing now from most teams is not what will happen once the season begins. It will be a different level of intensity and the starters going at it. They got some young talent I am interested in watching; bonus has been there appears two undrafted rookies (Shepherd and Bolton) that may be able to help this team
murf7777
August 17, 2019 at 08:53 am
Over reaction? Probably, its just a couple of scrimmages. But, to say "a different level of intensity" doesn't make sense to me. Most of the players during these games are fighting for their jobs, you would think their intensity level would be very high. I was also hoping to see better fundamentals from our players in year 2 of the Pettine D as well. I'm hope I'm over reacting. My money is on 10 wins, and we didn't get to the playoffs for two years, so that is why I'm probably over anxious about our team:) Ok, I'll cool down!
egbertsouse
August 17, 2019 at 08:16 am
I get really tired of hearing how they tackle poorly because the CBA won’t allow tackling practice. The Ravens can tackle, the Patriots can tackle, the Vikings can tackle. And guess what? They all live under the same CBA. If they are all cheating, then let’s start cheating too.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:38 am
It’s not just us. It’s the majority of younger players. Perhaps older players that survive in the league figure it out, but maybe they also survive in part because they have. We have a lot of young players, and for the most part they are the ones we have this issue with.
Guam
August 17, 2019 at 04:09 pm
The Packer defense is very young. On the D-line, only Lowery is in his second contract (barely) and all of the other D-linemen are on their rookie contracts (Clark, Adams, Lancaster, Keke, Brown, Looney). At linebacker, only our two recent FA signees are on their second contracts. All others (Fackrell, Gilbert, Gary, Martinez, Burks, Summers, Bolton, Crawford, etc.) are on their rookie contracts. In the secondary, only Tramon Williams and Adrian Amos are past their rookie deals. All others (Alexander, King, Jackson, Brown, Savage, Green, Campbell, etc.) are on their rookie contracts. We have five players not on their rookie deals on our defense and four of them are on the first year of their second contracts. This defense is very young and needs time to develop including their tackling techniques.
I haven't looked up the experience level of the Vikings, Bears, Patriots or Ravens, but I suspect they will have more veterans which would imply better technique levels including tackling.
jannesbjornson
August 17, 2019 at 06:01 pm
Clyde Stubblefield and Bryant Young were rookie 1st round picks that helped push the 49rs into the SB.
jannesbjornson
August 17, 2019 at 06:03 pm
Dana Stubblefield. Sorry the mind was drifting to Clyde and Madison.
Johnblood27
August 18, 2019 at 10:44 am
with all the first contracts why are right up against the cap?
Only Rodgers?
I dont think so.
Have we vastly overpaid on the second contracts we have issued?
How will we ever keep any of the players that develop AND the current guys getting paid IF success begins to come for us?
I would not want to be a GM in the current NFL.
Ron Wolf was right.
PackfanNY
August 17, 2019 at 08:21 am
The Packers have hired a new coach, installed a new offense and are trying to integrate multiple new pieces on to the defense. Have I missed anything? Given that we are two whole games into pre season everyone in the famous words of Aaron Rodgers might just want to RELAX. It takes time.
Too many people are drawing final conclusions and we are in the middle of EXHIBITION season. This is not Week 6. Now is exactly the time to figure this all out. So before you sound silly step back from the keyboard and give it time. Rome was not built in a day and neither will the 2019 Packers.
Leap
August 17, 2019 at 08:25 am
Alexander is one of the worst players on the field right now whether in practice or games. He can’t tackle or cover, look at his missed tackles in the Ravens game especially the touchdown run, and most of the touchdowns you see in camp are against him. The media hyped him last year not his game he was so so but far from great. So to say Alexander should be a leader no thank you. Amos and Za’Darrius are the new leaders. And the interior D line cannot tackle either, just look at the yards per play up the middle last year and so far this preseason, I can’t say anyone on the line can be a leader either. All our defenders are fast and run past the play, OLD SCOOL is dead on when he says we need to draft tacklers. It is a good start with Za’darrius, Preston and Amos, but we are 8 players short of that, which means 2 drafts and free agency’s away. Packers are in a rebuild, sad to say.
real some guy
August 17, 2019 at 10:26 am
yeah only 3 guys can tackle...
Biggar
August 17, 2019 at 08:38 am
How lucky is mm now. Doesn't have to deal with Murphy's plan and the new ha ha system
JonathanSpader
August 17, 2019 at 10:48 am
HaHa is a Bear now.
jeremyjjbrown
August 17, 2019 at 08:50 am
"Newcomers Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith" are actually the ones I would look to to provide that leadership. Bad tackling would never be tolerated on the Bears or Ravens defenses. Z needs to help install the same expectations at 1265.
LambeauPlain
August 17, 2019 at 08:51 am
MM was notorious for his patty cake practices.
I am sensing ML has this same inclination....practicing to avoid injuries. Yet the current injury list has close to 15% of the team on it!
The Packers under MM and Capers were labeled as being soft.
I felt Pettine’s tough guy, growly demeanor would translate to tough, disciplined, never quit defense. I hope it shows up. The tackling remains very poor. How many first downs and third and short on Thursday were the result of poor tackling?
ML preaches “high energy” but that is more than running out the huddle and lining up. The blocking is not very intense or high effort. There are a few exceptions....Jenkins and Patrick play to the whistle. But too often you see guys standing and watching the play after the initial block.
I truly believe the Ravens won because of their intense blocking and tackling and the Packers lack of it.
The Texans out played them in the trenches too....but thanks to 4 turnovers and the ST TD that game wouldn’t have been close either.
Leatherhead
August 17, 2019 at 09:08 am
Were those the patty cake practices that got us into the playoffs 8 years in a row?
LambeauPlain
August 17, 2019 at 09:47 am
In spite of them....thanks to #12.
But it is good to read ML is very focused on the poor tackling and plans to emphasize it more going forward.
dobber
August 17, 2019 at 11:58 am
So we're shifting from "pad level" to "better tackling fundamentals"?
Either way, they're going to work on it in practice and get it fixed...
jannesbjornson
August 17, 2019 at 06:09 pm
Switching to new Players.
ILPackerBacker
August 17, 2019 at 08:53 am
This
"Jennerjohn missed the point with his article "
a smart guy might have RESEARCHED the snap count. Might have observed that the positions missing tackles, the players missing tackles are:
1. players with no realistic expectations of making the team
2. players getting initial game exposure
3. a really GREAT surprise development of a low round draft choice who is delivering tackles at a rate every packer fan should be pleased with; and in addition getting into position (scheme wise, position wise and athletically) to the point he would have more tackles than anyone on the team and he is not a disaster on coverage
just a sad effort
albert999
August 17, 2019 at 09:02 am
Well said
vj_ostrowski
August 17, 2019 at 09:12 am
This column is like every angry boomer Packer fan distilled into one webpage.
dobber
August 17, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Looking below, we see data on PFF's assessment of the Packers and their tackling in 2018. Worse than I'd expected, but we complained about tackling a lot last year...and the last several.
As for preseason, I think you hit on a lot of key issues as to why it's exacerbated...players out of position, not necessarily playing well together, not playing under control/overrunning plays/missing on their fundamentals. Preseason tends to encourage these bottom-of-the-roster types to try to flash, and it doesn't necessarily lead to good team play.
In the end, the blame/credit for the unit's play, including tackling, will ultimately fall on the DC--and the HC through him.
Guam
August 17, 2019 at 04:19 pm
ILPB: See my last sentence: "Welcome to a very young defense...." which I think is the point you were making with your bullets 1 through 3. I didn't need to research the snap counts. I knew the guys making the poor tackles were young and said so.
The issue is not about leadership, it is about poor technique from young players.
murf7777
August 17, 2019 at 09:01 am
This is from PFF on grading tackling last year....
"Pro Football Focus recently released tackling grades for each NFC North team in 2018 and the Packers were ranked last in the division with a grade of 59.3. Here's a look at the tackling grade for all the NFC North teams.
1. Minnesota Vikings (tied 1st overall) - 91.8
2. Detroit Lions (5th overall) - 88.1
3. Chicago Bears (11th overall) - 81.8
4. Green Bay Packers (22nd overall) - 59.3"
Hopefully we will see improvement in our 3rd pre-season game when most of our starters will be in for a quarter or two!
lebowski
August 17, 2019 at 10:13 am
This just depresses the hell out of me.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:40 am
Our tackling declined as injuries depleted it. That is part of last year. Not all, but part.
Unglued
August 17, 2019 at 09:20 am
It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the missed tackles. On one hand I see 43 missed tackles and think what more breakdown do you need! On the other hand, when watching the game on Thursday, when first team defense was out there, I wasn't thinking to myself, wow we can't tackle. The two most egregious missed tackles, to me at the time on the first series were by Zdarious not getting lamar down for sack, and Savage's missed tackle on the TE/FB in the flat. Thinking of our projected starting defense, who are the players that are "bad tacklers"? Savage probably will have growing pains, unknown. Bolton looked great to me, but unknown. Jaire maybe given size. Tramon may be a liability in that department. Tony B, not sure. I'm not ready to jump off bridge yet on this. What percentage of our missed tackles have come in second half? A little more understandable, not acceptable maybe, but understandable if bottom half of roster is mainly at fault.
Ty Summers clearly has had a tough time getting players down. The good, he is there, can't miss a tackle if you are not around the ball. To write him off after two preseason games would be unfair, imo, he probably is simply not ready, but shows signs of someone worth working with.
Joe Webb and Lamar J are QBs that you ideally game plan for, in terms of how you rush them. it would be interesting to see how many missed tackles were on those guys. We had two on Lamar on one play, his called back touchdown.
PatrickGB
August 17, 2019 at 11:36 am
Mobile QBs has been the Achilles Heel if this defense for quite some time. But I also think that they present problems to other teams as well. The game is evolving to that end. We see it in college and we will see more of it in the pros. I agree with the coaches who stress putting the tackler in the right position and increasing the intensity are key to fixing it. But that also means the the defensive player needs to have some quicks as well. Yelling at players who miss is not leadership and doesn’t help.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:42 am
Yes, but in preseason they are not going to scheme for a mobile QB. They just play as basically as possible. Repetition and assignment not adaptation and adjustment are part of evaluation.
real some guy
August 17, 2019 at 10:00 am
It was a PRE-SEASON game.
With a bunch of guys who will never play in the regular season
And a bunch of vets who know that you don't win playoff games by tackling well in August. You win by surviving August.
But let's analyze this to death....
PackfanNY
August 17, 2019 at 10:14 am
Funny but no one seemed to notice that the Bears were thumped by the Giants last night 32-13. I guess they don’t have a great back-up QB either and they can’t tackle either. Oh my God, I just realized they are 0-2 in the Pre Season! How will they ever recover? I’m sure Matt Nagy is folding up the tent for 2020 season. Not.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:42 am
But the Giants are a great team!
PackfanNY
August 17, 2019 at 12:13 pm
Giants gonna go undefeated because their 2-0 in the pre season!
Rudedawg67
August 17, 2019 at 10:30 am
Well, I haven’t had a chance to see the game yet so forgive me. Tackling is fundamental. You are taught in high school how to do that. So some guys just need to get their heads screwed back on straight. The good news is guys are in the right position to make the tackle. Half the battle is already won. Couldn’t say that with a Don Capers defense the last 5 or 6 years.
Coldworld
August 17, 2019 at 11:46 am
You can teach technique, you can learn better angles, you can’t teach the ability to get to the man. You can teach how to hit safely, you can also teach how to take down, which in my experience is closely related from a Safety perspective and is where more struggle. LaFleur says he won’t go that far. Not sure how they learn then except trial and error, which means misses and possible injury risk?
dobber
August 17, 2019 at 12:09 pm
A lot of good tackling is discipline and being where you're supposed to be. If you're in position and not racing to get to your--or someone else's--spot, you've got a much better chance of making the play.
ThxJackVainisi
August 17, 2019 at 10:30 am
As others have said, I’m looking at the newcomers for leadership on defense, one in particular: Za’darius Smith. I expect his level of play to be on the level of Clark but he’s older and more experienced. As the season continues, I expect teams will be scheming for both of them. You have to perform consistently to be a leader and I expect the play and maturity of Za’darius to put him in that postion.
There is a 2014 tackling training video by the Seahawks you can find on youtube. It's been updated several times. The video uses game tape as well as rugby tackling and has a couple of clips of players practicing tackling without pads or helmets (like rugby players). I doubt the CBA bans the type of drill shown since it’s not full speed. I’ve mentioned this several times on forums over the years since seeing this video. As much as it pains me to complement the Seahawks, it’s beyond me why the Packers wouldn’t use the techniques shown in this, and updated videos.
Unglued
August 17, 2019 at 12:33 pm
Wasn't Pettin in Seattle prior to coming to GB, in some non-official role, but there around the defense as a learning exercise for him? Or am I making this up?
dobber
August 17, 2019 at 09:38 pm
You are correct: he was a consultant for the Seahawks prior to coming to GB.
cheesehead1
August 17, 2019 at 10:31 am
I read an article in The Athletic and it mentions that Rashan Gary does not have one single stat thru two games. That is troubling to say the least. Let’s hope there’s a big improvement from everyone in Winnipeg.
Johnblood27
August 17, 2019 at 11:49 am
Why criticize the poor people of Winnipeg?
Don't you think they face enough challenges?
Unglued
August 17, 2019 at 12:29 pm
So are you saying Gary has no missed tackles? Sounds like just what we need : )
Lphill
August 17, 2019 at 12:41 pm
I think Gary will be eased into action slowly , the Smiths are the Starters , Gary will probably see most action on 3 rd and long to help him develop and learn his trade , I have no problem with that . We have a solid interior D line as well improved safety play , so we won’t be depending on Gary to carry or be the defense , let the kid develop and learn and I think it will be worth the wait.
Since'61
August 17, 2019 at 01:53 pm
I think that we are placing far too much emphasis on one less than meaningless preseason game.
If we stop to look at the Packers defense we should see that for the first time in several years we have solid players who can be leaders at their respective position groups.
Leadership evolves and is earned. In football leaders evolve and earn respect by making plays on the field at key points in a game. They understand situational football and they step up to make a play, e.g., “it is time.”
The Packers defense has Clark on the DL, the Smiths at OLB, Martinez at ILB, Alexander and Williams at CB and Amos at Safety. That is seven players who can be leaders for this defense. Six of them are entering the prime of their careers.
Think about it, are we really expecting that these players won’t be able to make tackles when the real games begin? Besides these players whoever plays alongside Martinez will be a serviceable player at least, if not better.
Our other DLs are solid. When King returns our DB group becomes even stronger.
Don’t overreact to a bunch of 3rd and 4th stringers running around like a 3 ring circus. Half the players in camp won’t be in the league in 3 weeks.
The Bears are 0-2 in the preseason does that mean their season is over. Relax and remember that if we stay healthy we should be OK. Thanks, Since ‘61
LayingTheLawe
August 17, 2019 at 03:25 pm
When the Packers won a Super Bowl it was because the defense was a top 10 ranked unit. This has not been the case since 2009 and 2010. In the last couple seasons they have been bottom third and then look what happened. So of course we need to be concerned with defensive play.
LayingTheLawe
August 17, 2019 at 03:28 pm
Did I hit a button why did that post already? lol
But I don't think Alexander is the one to be calling players out and in fact think it needs to be Za'darius who's telling Jaire to stick his head in there and make the damn tackle.
Tundraboy
August 17, 2019 at 06:47 pm
I don't even know what to say anymore about the tackling. I don't know if it's that everybody tries to arm tackle these days and they're afraid of hitting somebody at the knees ,and the few times they go for the legs or feet, come up with only air. Just can't expect to stop someone trying to grab them around the waist when they have a head of steam and most likely outweigh you.
Also makes me wonder if it's just growing pains and that's it a result of discoordination, lack of team effort, or too many players learning new roles and working with new teammates.
Either way they need to work in tandem and everyone has got to swarm to the ball. I see a lot of relying on one guy to make an open-field tackle.
Trying to remember it's early, but this is very concerning. Gives me flashbacks to the last few years, just when I was putting that all behind me.
JHitTheB
August 18, 2019 at 01:00 am
One thing that jumps out to me is the number of solo tackles missed. Good defenses gang tackle. Good defenses swarm the ball.
Also - Detroit was really rated higher than Chicago in tackling last year? Never would have guessed that.
MarkLee22
August 19, 2019 at 09:58 pm
Personally, I don't see the lack of a "leader" being a problem. Granted, a Reggie White would be nice to have. But we did have Mike Daniels and we still didn't tackle well last year. The coaches should be the leaders. If a guy misses a tackle he should get an earful from the coach as to what the coaches want to see. If he wants to play, he better play the right way. Or they find somebody that will.