January
Packers BJ Raji: 2012 Player Evaluation and Report Card
1) Introduction: The freezer broke onto the scene in during the Packers post-season run to the Super Bowl in 2010 and at that point it looked as if the Packers had another star in the making. 2011 however was a significant down year for Raji, who was hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season. Fans were hoping to see the re-emergence of the Freezer in 2012.
2) Profile:
Busari J. Raji Jr.
- Age: 26
- Born: 07/11/1986, in Washington Township, NJ
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 337
- College: Boston College
- Rookie Year: 2009
- NFL Experience: 4 years
3) Expectations coming into the season: Many fans wrote off the 2011 season for Raji due to his injuries and were hoping that he would regain his old form and provide pressure and collapse the pocket from the nose tackle position
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Raji’s best game of 2012 was against the Titans in week 16, where he posted 3 quarterback hurries, a blocked pass, a tackle and an offensive negative play. However, Raji never managed to figure out how to beat the San Francisco 49ers offensive line, which would come back to haunt the.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Raji spent more time as a defensive end than a nose tackle and ironically played better as a defense end than as a nose tackle. As a defensive end, Raji often had great success against the run with marginal success at rushing the passer.
