The Lass Word: Rasul Douglas Breakout Was No Fluke
Defensive back had established credentials before joining Pack.
By KenLass
It is unlikely that Packer fans had ever heard of Rasul Douglas prior to October 6 of last year. That’s when Green Bay signed the cornerback off the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals. The Packers were in desperate need of help at the position after both starters, Jaire Alexander and Kevin King, went down with injuries. And, at the time, it seemed to be a bit of a desperate signing.
After all, Douglas was the definition of a journeyman player. He had been shipped on and off of four different NFL teams just in 2021 alone before coming to Green Bay. He was not expected to play much. More of an emergency stop gap. In week six, the coaching staff started Isaac Yiadom at corner against the Bears. It was clear early on that Yiadom wasn’t ready. With little to lose, the coaches inserted Douglas in his place.
The rest is improbable history. Douglas went on to play so well that he was named a Pro Bowl alternate at season’s end. He led the team with five interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns. Another dramatically saved a victory at Arizona. He was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week after a dominating performance against the Rams. He was so good, the Packers used much of the money they saved by trading Davante Adams to re-sign Douglas to a three year, $21 million contract.
How did this happen? Who is this guy? Did he come out of nowhere or what?
Actually, Rasul Douglas is not the obscure, rags-to-riches player you might think he is. He grew up in the gritty town of East Orange, New Jersey. He attended East Orange Campus High School, whose claim to fame, before the emergence of Douglas, was that it was the alma mater of pop singers Janis Ian and Dionne Warwick. As of last year, the enrollment there was 90 percent African American, and 8 percent Hispanic. Unable to secure a college football scholarship from a major school, Douglas went to Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, where he immediately began turning heads by amassing 83 tackles and five picks.
That put him on the radar for a gaggle of big time football schools. He wound up transferring to West Virginia. As a senior he led the nation in interceptions with eight, piling up 70 tackles and a sack, and was first team all Big 12. Going into the 2017 draft, most scouts pegged him as a day two pick. His only negative was speed, logging just a 4.6 at the combine.
Rasul was no overlooked diamond in the rough. He was taken in the third round by the Eagles, meaning he was expected to be an eventual starter, if not a star. He wound up playing in fourteen games, with five starts, in his rookie season for an Eagles team that won the Super Bowl that year. He would play in every game the next two seasons, starting thirteen of them, but in September of 2020 he was waived in the Eagles final round of roster cuts.
His unemployment lasted one day. The Carolina Panthers claimed him immediately. He went on to start eleven games in 2020, with nine passes defensed and 62 tackles. The Panthers decided to go in another direction after the season, which started a frustrating ride through the 2021 offseason that included stops with the Raiders, Texans and finally the Cardinals. It seemed everyone wanted him, but no one would give him a chance to play. That is, until Brian Gutekunst came calling in October.
So you see, Douglas’ stunning performance for the Pack last fall should not come as such an unexpected shock. He was a five year veteran player who had started 29 NFL games and played in 60 of them. And he has something only three other current Packers possess: a Super Bowl ring. (The others are Aaron Rodgers, Mason Crosby and Sammy Watkins)
Asked if he can believe his success last season, the soft spoken Jersey kid simply said “I can. I work hard. Eventually it pays off.”
To the tune of a cool $7 million per year. The most encouraging news for fans of the Green and Gold is that there is every reason to believe Douglas’ big season was not a fluke. He is a proven talent. He was good enough to start five games as a rookie for a Super Bowl team. Every time he has been given a chance to play, he has done well. There’s no tangible reason, short of an injury, that his play should drop off. Combined in the secondary with all pro Jaire Alexander, and rising star Eric Stokes, I like Rasul’s chances of having another probable improbable season.
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Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
Comments (57)
NickPerry
June 17, 2022 at 06:45 am
I remember when he was drafted by the Eagles. I liked him coming out and knew the name from watching so much college ball. I remember him with the Eagles so I immediately liked the signing by the Packers last season. Kudos to the Packers Defensive coaching staff for yanking Yiadom as quickly as they did and inserting Douglas.
NOW the Packers have what is arguably the best starting 3 CB's in the NFL. Personally I can't think of a better 3, but I'll be right here if someone can come up with a group better. Throw in Amos, and hopefully Savage playing like we've seen in the past, people will start coming up with corny little nicknames for the secondary, or the whole defense.
Letting Adams walk was the right thing to do. Signing Douglas and Campbell were direct results of that, as was the cap space the Packers now have IN June. The Packers TRIED with Adams and came up short. It was about time for a different approach. Now Gute has the nastiest defense the Packers have had since mabe 1996 and for sure since 2010. Like 2010 this defense has 3 CB's, and a solid safety. I know there's no Woodson, there never will be, but this LB Group is better and so is the D-Line...AND it's DEEP!
murf7777
June 17, 2022 at 07:42 am
I tend to agree with you about the best D since 2010, but I think for that to happen we need Wyatt and Walker to step up like BJ Raji and Clay did. That’s a big ask. We will also need Reed to be a big FA acquisition like Douglas and Campbell was last year. Don’t have to get to the pro-bowl, but a solid contributor with good play consistency. Can Wyatt, Reed or Lowry, Clark = Jenkins, Pickett and Raji? The potential is there and fingers crossed they end up as good or better than 2010.
Oppy
June 17, 2022 at 07:56 am
I'm glad you mentioned Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett. Clark, Jenkins, and Pickett are the best Packers defensive linemen of the last 15 years. BJ Raji was never as good a player as Packers fans like to imagine he was. He was good, not great, and sub par when playing NT.
wildbill
June 17, 2022 at 11:12 am
I always felt the downfall of that D was letting Jenkins go
dblbogey
June 17, 2022 at 04:25 pm
Yea, Ted messed up on that one. He was never able to replace him.
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
June 17, 2022 at 09:04 pm
Nick Collins' career ending in his prime was the biggest loss for that defense without question.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 05:22 pm
Raji was very good in 2010. After that he got too heavy and was ineffective in the passing game. But I think his 2010 season rivals Clark's better years.
That's one reason I have high hopes for Slaton this year. I saw a tweet that showed him doing a drill in practice the other day and he looks closer to 310 lbs than 330. Considering he finished his last year at Florida around 360 lbs it tells me he's taking his job seriously. He also probably regained some strength he lost last year trimming down so fast.
Oppy
June 17, 2022 at 06:10 pm
He did have a good year in 2010, but overall, Raji had poor anchor, especially considering he was a "big fella".
For what it's worth, there's not really such a thing as getting too big for nose tackle. Raji just didn't play to his weight, he didn't stand up to the double well and he didn't two gap very well either. Probably why the Packers started lining him up out wide, where I would agree he was probably too heavy to do himself any favors.
.
Coldworld
June 17, 2022 at 06:58 pm
I think Raji lost the desire to play football, coupled with him not being used ideally after 2010. I never thought he played to the level that he was capable after that.
Oppy
June 18, 2022 at 09:49 am
Raji was probably best suited as a DT playing 3 technique in a true 4-3 front. Give him one lane responsibility and use his unusual quickness/size tandem to disrupt. In GB he was often being tasked with two gap duties or holding the point to allow others to make the play and Raji wasn't functionally strong enough to do that effectively down after down. I never questioned his commitment to playing football on the field at 100% effort; he just left the game because he prioritized his family over football. I think there's a difference there.
LLCHESTY
June 18, 2022 at 09:08 pm
I don't know if it was desire, but I definitely think he got heavier after 2010. He had 6.5 sacks in 2010 and 3.5 total in the 4 years after that.
LLCHESTY
June 18, 2022 at 09:06 pm
"there's not really such a thing as getting too big for nose tackle."
For run stuffing sure but if you want the NT to not be a liability vs the pass there's definitely a "too big" limit.
Look at Slaton's physique here compared to Raji's. Raji was listed as being "only" 4 lbs heavier. Yeah right. He might have weighed 334 at the combine but he didn't stay there long.
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1536762690680639488?t=w-ylapmteGmUrr6...
Oppy
June 19, 2022 at 09:52 am
A nose tackle in a 3-4 defense doesn't become a liability in pass game because he's (too) large. It's not a NT's job to chase down plays using his movement skills.
The role of a nose tackle in the 3-4 defense is to absolutely command two offensive linemen to block him on every down. When an offensive guard must help the center block the NT, that leaves the offensive tackle on one side of the formation to make a choice- do I block the defensive end, or do I block the OLB? Most offensive lines operate on an inside-out principle, so the tackle must account for the defensive end, which leaves the OLB a free lane to the QB that either a TE must attempt to chip (advantage: OLB) or a RB must pick up (Advantage: OLB). If the tackle blocks the OLB, he's just left the DE with a direct, shorter-distance path to the QB, and the only real hope for a block is going to be if a RB is kept in the backfield- again, advantage to the DE.
The entire scheme is built around getting your large, strong, athletic OLB clear looks to the ball carrier, whether that ball carrier is a RB or the QB. That's predicated with getting the OLB on one side of the formation or the other a favorable match up or even a free line. The first step in getting those matchups is having a Nose Tackle that the offense can not hold at the LOS without using 2 offensive linemen. Being a bigger man helps that cause.
Raji wasn't strong enough to hold the point of attack vs. a double team. He got put on skates regularly, sometimes even vs. single matchups. It's why the Packers started playing him off the point on out on the fringes. He's plenty quick, he wasn't functionally strong enough for NT. Unfortunately, playing away from the nose means you're further away from the action. Raji may have become too large for playing out at the 3 and 5 tech, but he certainly wasn't too big to play NT- just not strong or skilled enough.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 05:36 pm
Don't forget Howard "I get in shape by mowing my lawn" Green! I think they said that was the largest 3 man line of all time back then. Easily a 1000+lbs. When I watched a repeat of that SB a couple of years ago I was kind of surprised to watch the rotation during that game, they used Jenkins almost like a DPR IDL. The NFL is pretty cyclical but I think it will be a long time before we see a 3 man line that big again.
mnbadger
June 17, 2022 at 12:13 pm
"Kudos to the Packers Defensive coaching staff for yanking Yiadom as quickly as they did . . ."
It's ironic that we celebrate yanking Yiadom at the same time as asking the question why did Rasul Douglas keep getting let go/exposed to the practice squad by other teams?
The lack of being in control of your own destiny would be debilitating to me if I were an NFL player. They really need to kick a door down if it's cracked open for them, just as Rasul D did last year. Thank you for a great article Ken. GPG!
dblbogey
June 17, 2022 at 04:29 pm
The coaches see these guys every day. Starting Yiadom was a coaching mistake, as was rearranging the OL in the playoff loss last year, instead of just plugging in Yosh Nijman.
dblbogey
June 17, 2022 at 04:22 pm
Corny nicknames like Gang Green?
egbertsouse
June 17, 2022 at 07:02 am
We’ll see how good he is now that teams have tape on him. I bet we see a lot of double moves based on his tendency to jump routes. I hope he develops and he’s not a one-hit wonder.
PewAuKeeFan
June 17, 2022 at 07:10 am
Didn't you read the article!!!
Last year he was a Pro Bowl alternate.
Before that, he already got a ring.
That's not the definition of a one-hit wonder.
Guam
June 18, 2022 at 06:58 am
Had exactly the same reaction PF. How could you read the article and make a comment like egbertsouse did?
Coldworld
June 17, 2022 at 01:00 pm
Douglas was not the player seen with the Eagles thus I’d say he surprised many opponents even once he was on their radar.
MarkinMadison
June 17, 2022 at 07:40 am
I bet most teams already had a tape file on him in their pro player scouting section.
dobber
June 17, 2022 at 09:40 am
Tape is not a problem. Everyone knows what he is in terms of speed, and that's why he was getting short-ended at other stops: opponents were finding ways to get him isolated on faster WR downfield and he was getting exploited.
He doesn't so much jump routes as he attacks the ball at the catch point. Go watch the Arizona game, the Cleveland game, the Rams game--those are great examples of him playing the ball and playing it well. He's done a really nice job of playing physical with WR that way rather than overselling and getting beat. He gave up a few contact penalties, but WR know he's coming and is going to make it hard on them to secure the ball.
That said, we need to temper our enthusiasm. He had about 3 months of really good football with the Packers. The question is: was that lightning in a bottle--right time, right situation, right coaches? ...or was it the situation where a player realizes he's on his way out of the league unless he puts it all together right now?
Could have been the former, but I think we're all optimistic for the latter. As a 3rd CB, he's a really nice player to have.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 05:40 pm
I think slot defender is his best spot with his size, solid tackling and speed limitations. Plus his film study can really come in handy late if he wants to move to S and prolong his career a couple years.
dblbogey
June 17, 2022 at 04:32 pm
I agree. I've seen a lot of one hit wonders over the years. I think he's the real deal, but I'm going to wait a while before I induct him into the Packers HOF.
murf7777
June 17, 2022 at 07:30 am
What a great story of a man who worked hard, believed in himself, kept his nose clean and was determined never to give up on his dreams. Love these type of guys!
Coldworld
June 17, 2022 at 07:30 am
He did some good things with the Eagles but had a tendency to get burned deep and a reputation as a poor tackler. I have to say that I do find the premise here to be the epitome of after the event wisdom.
Douglas is a guy who has clearly addressed his weakness in tackling and has somehow managed to gain on field awareness enough to compensate for his long speed limitations and to play up his short area skills that he did flash with the Eagles.
Gute’s pro scouts presumably saw something of that while his other teams did not. Credit to them, to the player, who obviously worked hard to understand and improve and perhaps to Barry and co for how they used him. Yes, it was and remains a surprise, just look at reactions from his former teams.
MarkinMadison
June 17, 2022 at 07:43 am
I agree Cold. Going from, "No one has room for me on their 53" to "Look at me I'm a Pro Bowl Alternate" is still a pretty big leap.
mrtundra
June 17, 2022 at 07:49 am
I just watched a rebroadcast of the December 9, 2018 game between Phillie and Dallas on the NFL Network. Rasul Douglas was playing CB, for the Eagles, and wore #32, for them. In the short time I watched, Douglas had an INT and made several key tackles. The announcers praised him saying he was the player of the half. We got a deal with Rasul Douglas. He is definitely Packer People! How about that, Big B?!!! GO PACK, GO!!!
dobber
June 17, 2022 at 09:50 am
I think the Barry comment and the usage piece are right on. Bottom line is: King had struggled early, Alexander just went on the shelf, and the Packers were looking at playing with only one true outside CB (Stokes). Then King--not unexpectedly--got hurt and Douglas was in. I see it more as a matter of the Packers needing a CB and seeing a guy with significant starting experience sitting on AZ's PS. They took a flier and it paid off.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 05:57 pm
Douglas gave Gray a lot of credit for showing him how to breakdown film. He said before that he was just watching it but didn't have a good understanding of how to use it to help with his preparation. The fact he was on his 4th team of the year probably helped to keep in the building for some late nights.
I really hope they think about putting him in the slot, or "Star" as Barry likes to call it, and letting him practice there 75% of the time in training camp. I know they've said they're going to be more open to letting Alexander follow the #1 WR around the field so he'll be in the slot sometimes too, along with Savage, but that seems like the best place for Douglas'abilities.
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
June 17, 2022 at 09:12 pm
It also helps immensely when hes playing behind an excellent pass rush. He kinda reminds of Nathan Vasher who was a 4th or 5th round pick for the Bears during the Lovie Smith Cover 2 era. That Bears team had a great pass rush and their cornerbacks exploited that by sitting on and jumping underneath routes which led to Vasher having 16 ints combined his first 3 years. As the pass rush slowed down, so did Vasher and he wasnt heard from much after that. When good but limited players like Vasher and Douglas ball out seemingly out of nowhere, theres usually a great pass rush to thank for it.
Johnblood27
June 17, 2022 at 08:30 am
Who wrote this article? Ken Lass or Horatio Alger?
Go 'Sul, Go!
GPG!
PackEyedOptimist
June 17, 2022 at 08:54 am
Like NickPerry, I was a big fan of Rasul during his senior year. I regularly picked him in my mock drafts. Then, I think it was the Eagles Super Bowl year, the Packers played against him, and I remember him making several plays against us. So when he was picked up last year (I couldn't believe he was available!), I was excited to finally get to see him in the Green and Gold.
All that said, I certainly didn't expect him to have the incredible year he had! The question now is, where does he fit in with Alexander and Stokes? I'm eager to see how they use those three together. They are a true match-up set of CBs with the potential to be used differently versus different receivers and offenses. I can imagine them "switching it up" on plays, just to keep the offense uncertain.
dobber
June 17, 2022 at 09:43 am
A lot of teams (including the Packers) like to play TEs out of the slot. He's a Packer-friendly matchup for a lot of those guys.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 06:41 pm
They definitely need to do something different against TEs, I read the other day they were 28th vs TEs in DVOA last year. They were really good against #1 and #2 WRs and really bad against #3s, TEs and RBs. Pretty bad vs the run too. I was kind of surprised because Campbell only gave up a 74 passer rating when he was targeted so teams must have done a really good job of targeting whoever he WASN'T covering!
I don't expect Walker to come in and cover the Kelce and Kittle types in the NFL as a room but if can cover the average guys it'll make the need to put a 6th DB on the field more of a choice than a necessity. Should help vs the run too.
PatrickGB
June 17, 2022 at 09:11 am
I did not see this coming. Also. my impression was that he was a tad grabbby like Jackson was when he was here. I looked at his 40 and thought that he might be too slow. Well, he IS a tad grabby, he IS a tad slow, but I don’t care ! He is a football player. His story is a good read.
ricky
June 17, 2022 at 09:36 am
In Douglas and Campbell, the Packers took two took a chance on two JAG's, and have gotten much better preformances out of them than expected. So far, so good. The question being, will they continue to play at a high level, or was this just a matter of someone having a very good year, before returning to mediocrity? Although the off-season should always be the time of hope and belief, sometimes it's necessary to ask if these guys just needed the right system/coaching? Are they late bloomers? Or was this just a matter of "lightning in a bottle"? We'll see, and I hope both of these guys are major contributors.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
June 17, 2022 at 09:56 am
Okay, so Rasul isn't the fastest player on the field. He obviously has worked on negating WR release from scrimmage as well as using other techniques to compensate for lack of long speed. Rasul appears to have a talent that is elusive and you either have it, or you don't and that is ANTICIPATION. Anticipation is more important for an athlete than speed. I also have a feeling Rasul has short range quickness.
The fact the Packers have 3 starting players already in their defensive backfield that are 4.3 speed guys allow the team to use Rasul to his strength, which is using his anticipation. Woodson had all the intangibles but arguably his best talent was his anticipation skills and Rasul appears to have some of the same.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 06:51 pm
He actually had a slower 3 cone than Quay Walker. His highest score in the RAS chart was the bench press but his 10 yard split score was much better than his 40 yard score which points to decent sudden burst.
PhantomII
June 17, 2022 at 10:17 am
My initial reaction to Douglas was finally we have an instinctive CB who has good ball skills, is a sure tackler, can cover and makes interceptions and takes it to the house. Everything you would want minus sub 4.4-40 speed. I liked Rasuls interview where he stated our DB coach showed him how to truly read film on other teams and understand how to use it for his benefit on defense. After all that time with the Eagles their DB coaches didn't give him the fundamental building blocks for success in the NFL. Kudos to GB DB coaching staff for taking this kids natural skills and abilities and getting the most out of him.....I think he get's better while using the film against other teams. GPG....GO RASUL..
Jaqu’eau
June 17, 2022 at 12:46 pm
I agree with your point on his commitment to film study is a major factor in his performance last year. This skill, along with his other traits, will likely bring him success and prevent him from being considered a one hit wonder, even if that’s inaccurate.
Another point is that he is not on an island. With the talent in the rest of the secondary, solid LB group, and improved pass rush across the entire line, he will be in an advantageous position with his anticipation skills, as qbs will be trying to get the ball out quickly under pressure.
PhantomII
June 17, 2022 at 05:56 pm
True that Jaq. I think he would flourish as a FS as neither of our (S) are a good match as a (FS). Rasul's anticipation and ball skills could possibly best utilized in this area with the high pressure rate we are expecting from our rush. Either way I'm sure our Secondary Coach will put him in position to make a difference.
Leatherhead
June 17, 2022 at 10:48 am
I liked this story. I like stories about people who persevere through adversity and get a pot of gold at the end. This guy is in his mid 20s, has a Super Bowl ring, and is set for life financially. That's called winning.
I also like the story because it once again hilights how much 'speed' is overvalued. It takes 0,2 seconds to blink, so that's the difference between a 4.4 and a 4.6 over 40 yards, in shorts. Yet, the knock on Douglas has been his lack of elite top end speed. So what? We need about 9 or 10 healthy DBs dressed out for games and he's a solid piece. He's experienced and plays the ball pretty well and I don't think last year was a big fluke. He'll help, for sure.
LLCHESTY
June 17, 2022 at 07:14 pm
IIRC they say a tenth of second equals about 3 yards in the 40 so I wouldn't say speed is UNimportant for a CB. I doubt the Packers would either judging by the last two 1st round picks they've used on the position. I think agility is just as important for CBs too but having the speed to makeup for small mistakes is huge.
PatrickGB
June 18, 2022 at 07:21 am
Where did you get the metric that a tenth of a second is three yards? It’s a helpful metric yet how is it determined? For example, when a fast WR stops for a pass does that take away that three yard advance? And does that advantage come in to play on back shoulder throws?
Leatherhead
June 20, 2022 at 08:48 am
So if the CB plays a few yards off the receiver? 0.2 seconds to blink. That would be six yards . So you line up 5 yards off .
Speed is useful, but other qualities are more useful, imo.
Swisch
June 17, 2022 at 11:00 am
I appreciate this good story well told.
A great challenge of life is perseverance in prayerfulness and persistence.
Keep on keeping on, and look for open doors as opportunities to step into.
Go get 'em Rasul!!!
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
June 17, 2022 at 09:15 pm
Swisch, whoever downvoted your comment is a clown. Must have offended somebody with the word "prayerfulness"
splitpea1
June 17, 2022 at 11:20 am
It's nice to see a player attribute much of his success to coaching-- in this case DB coach Jerry Gray.
I remember a lot of fans hoping we could land Stephon Gilmore at the time, but as it turned out we got just the player we needed. And Douglas's new contract gives us more value than Gilmore's current one.
Lphill
June 17, 2022 at 11:27 am
I like Douglas , I think the Packers if all goes well can have one of the best if not the best Defense's this season and we owe it all to not paying D Adams, Brian Urlacher said on the Pat McAfee show this week that it doesn't matter who Rodgers is throwing to he makes any receiver better.
Johnblood27
June 17, 2022 at 06:37 pm
Of course Urlacher would say that, especially when AR was throwing the ball to Urlacher.
Thank goodness for shoestring tackles!!!
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
June 17, 2022 at 09:16 pm
Also thank goodness for fat guy pick 6's!
jont
June 17, 2022 at 02:02 pm
I forget which game it was but I remember the play very clearly. Douglas was blocking a gunner on a punt. Our returner fumbled and the bad guys recovered, but there was a penalty on a gunner for going OB on his own. Replay showed Douglas blocking but quickly pulling his hands up high to show the official he wasn't pushing the guy, and the flag came out.
I thought "there's a player who pays attention in meetings and concentrates on his assignment."
Now he's got the big contract and says things like "I work hard. Eventually it pays off.” If he keeps this attitude he'll do just fine at CB.
Straya
June 17, 2022 at 04:19 pm
"And he has something only three other current Packers possess: a Super Bowl ring. (The others are Aaron Rodgers, Mason Crosby and Sammy Watkins)."
Didn't Danny Etling win a Super Bowl with the Pats?
Packers0808
June 17, 2022 at 08:29 pm
Yes Etling does have a ring.
Packers0808
June 17, 2022 at 08:27 pm
Rasul, smart, studious, good attitude and thinks and reacts quickly in mind and feet!