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Jarrett Bush

1) Introduction: Like any other player on the Green Bay Packers’ secondary, 2011 was not exactly a banner year for Jarrett Bush.  Still, he recorded a career high in interceptions (two, but hey it’s still a career high!) and recorded his first NFL sack finishing with one and a half on the season.  Known as a special teams ace, Bush once again was a big contributor on an improved special teams unit.

2) Profile:

Jarrett Bush
Height: 6’0”
Weight:  200
AGE: 27

Career Stats:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Bush made a big interception of Ben Roethlisberger in Super Bowl XLV and played decent ball with Charles Woodson suffering a broken collarbone.  Bush’s expectations for 2011 therefore were to keep improving and be ready to play should Woodson suffer an injury.

 4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  As it turned out, Bush started two games during the 2011 season.  A big highlight for him came during the regular season finale against the Lions with Woodson and many of the other defensive starters resting up for the divisional playoffs.   The Lions were driving deep in Packers territory when Bush intercepted Matthew Stafford and helped the Packers eek out a 45-41 win over their divisional rivals.  Read more... (442 words + 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

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Pat Lee

1) Introduction: Excuse me for sounding like Jon Gruden, but here’s a guy that really needs no introduction.   Pat Lee has emerged as a convenient scapegoat for Packer fans ever since his embarrassing performance against the Detroit Lions.  Throw in multiple mishaps the past couple seasons, and this is likely the final time AllGreenBayPackers.com will be evaluating Lee.

2) Profile:

Pat Lee
Height: 6’0”
Weight:  196
AGE: 27

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Lee was expected to be nothing more than a contributor on special teams.  While he’s no Jarrett Bush,  Lee was expected to step it up on a special teams unit that notoriously stuggled throughout 2010 (Dan Connolly anyone?)

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights:  Highlights? Well, he recovered a fumble  against the Chiefs in the preseason.  That about covers it.

Now there are plenty of low-lights. Let’s start with the game in Detroit on Thanksgiving.  Before the famous Ndamukong Suh stomp, Lee was ejected after a punt return when he supposedly took a swing at Aaron Berry of the Lions.  It was a classic case of the second person getting caught, but it still stung to see a Packer player.  Read more... (411 words + 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

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B.J. Raji

1) Introduction: This was supposed to the season where Raji established himself as a top defensive lineman. He never made that leap, and it killed the Packers down the stretch.

2) Profile:

Busari Raji Jr.

Position: NT
Height: 6-2
Weight: 337 lbs.
AGE: 25

Career Stats:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Stud. After totaling 39 tackles, 6.5 sacks and dancing his way to the Super Bowl in 2010, Raji appeared to be on the verge of greatness. Unfortunately, he only managed to achieve halfway decentness. Raji’s numbers dropped to 22 tackles and three sacks in 2011 and he never was the consistent game-changing force that the Packers so desperately needed up front.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: With four tackles and a sack against Carolina in week two, Raji got off to a hot start.   He followed that performance by getting shut out next week at Chicago, which was the story of Raji’s season. Just when you thought he was about to get going and show us a new dance move or two, Raji disappeared.  Read more... (364 words + 1 image, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

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Jarius Wynn

1) Introduction: For a couple games early in the season, it looked like Jarius Wynn had a shot at becoming the next no-name player to become a name player on the Packers roster. Unfortunately, Wynn fizzled out and got stuck in no-name playerville, a city populated by several Packers defensive linemen.

2) Profile:

Jarius Jessereel Wynn

Position: DE
Height: 6-3
Weight: 285 lbs.
AGE: 22

Career Stats:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Pass rusher. Nobody expected Wynn to morph into Reggie White, but as a smallish DE, the Packers needed him to use his quickness to get after the QB. He got after it for a while, but couldn’t sustain his early-season success.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Wynn had two sacks against the Bears in week three and three sacks through the first three games. Some of us were saying, “Cullen Jenkins who?” Unfortunately, Wynn never recorded another sack and the rest of the season was mostly a low-light.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: He helped out a lot the first month of the season. But once the QB pressures dried up, he was a liability against the run.  Read more... (260 words + 1 image, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

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C.J. Wilson

1) Introduction: Wilson is another Packers defensive lineman that was just another guy in 2011. It’s tough to distinguish Wilson from Jarius Wynn, Howard Green and Mike Neal because nobody in the grou did much of anything to stand out.

2) Profile:

Clifford James Wilson

Position: DE
Height: 6-3
Weight: 290 lbs.
AGE: 24

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Capable backup. Wilson was expected to fill in if a starter got injured and give regulars like B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett a breather when needed. Wilson ended up getting some starts later in the season when Wynn’s production fell off.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Like the rest of the Packers D-linemen, Wilson could not pressure the quarterback. According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wilson averaged one pressure every 113.4 snaps. Yikes. I can’t think of many individual plays that stand out as highlights for Wilson, but if he moved into a starting role, he must have been doing something right.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Every team needs role players and Wilson was definitely a role player this season. Unfortunately, the D-Line had plenty of role players and needed someone to step up. Wilson has the athleticism to be more than a role player, but we’ll see if he ever elevates above the status of a role player.  Read more... (311 words + 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

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Howard Green

1) Introduction: One of the many memorable plays from Super Bowl XLV was Howard Green’s bull rush that forced a Ben Roethlisberger interception and resulted in a pick-six for Nick Collins. Green filled the space-eater role for the Packers in 2010, but never returned to form in 2011. Don’t expect him to return in 2012.

2) Profile:

Howard Green Jr.

Position: NT
Height: 6-2
Weight: 340 lbs.
AGE: 33

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Immovable object. Nobody has ever mistaken Green for a quick and nimble pass rusher. The Packers claimed him off waivers from the Jets midway through last season to occupy space and stuff the run. They wanted him to do the same this season, but like most of his teammates on the D-line, Green didn’t make many plays and was just sort of there.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Move along folks, no highlights to see here. Green played in all 16 regular season games and managed just 11 tackles. Lowlights include a terrible game against the Bears on Christmas and never adequately filling in when Ryan Pickett was hurt.  Read more... (308 words + 1 image, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

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Mike Neal

1) Introduction: With Cullen Jenkins wearing an Eagles uniform, the Packers turned to Mike Neal to replace Jenkins’ pass rush and grasp of the 3-4 defense. It didn’t work out. Letting Jenkins go and relying so heavily on Neal turned out to be a rare miscalculation by Packers GM Ted Thompson, one that played a huge role in the Packers early exit from the postseason.

2) Profile:

Michael Jamel Neal

Position: DE
Height: 6-3
Weight: 294 lbs.
AGE: 24

Career Stats

3) Expectations coming into the season: Up and coming. Neal was supposed to be the next man up and fill the void left by Jenkins. After starting strong, Neal’s 2010 season was cut short due to injuries. Injuries got the best of Neal again in 2011, and the chiseled DE never came close to replacing Jenkins’ production.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Neal’s only highlight was finally making it onto the field. From there, everything else was a low-light. Neal manged just two tackles in seven games.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: The NFL allows teams to put 11 players on the field. When Neal played, it ensured that the Packers took full advantage of this rule. They probably could have put Neal on the bench and only played with 10, but that would have looked silly on TV.  Read more... (348 words + 1 image, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)

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