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By now you’ve probably all heard that the Packers plan to have Charles Woodson line up at safety this season.

To try and figure out exactly what that means for Woodson, the defense and the Packers, I asked myself five questions. I even tried to answer a few of them. Unfortunately, we won’t know if any of those answers are correct until the season is underway.

Q: How often will Woodson line up as a safety?

A: So far it looks like it will mainly be in the Packers’ base 3-4 formation, which they played about 25 percent of the time last season. I think the days of Woodson lining up one-on-one on the outside against a WR are over, but it is something we’ll have to watch as camp progresses. The development of M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian will probably factor in as well. If they don’t step up, I suppose we could see Woodson at safety in some sub-packages as well.

Q: Does Woodson have the mindset to play safety?

A: He takes a lot of risks. If Woodson sees a window to make an interception, even if it’s a tiny window that’s closing quickly, he’s going for it. That mindset has worked for Woodson the Cornerback…most of the time. It’s fine to let a corner with Woodson’s talent and instincts take risks because there’s usually a safety behind him in case the decision backfires. But now Woodson is the safety. If one of his risks backfires, the only thing behind him is a clear path to the end zone.  Read more... (550 words + 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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Defensive Backs Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, Charlie Peprah

Packers Defensive Backs: We’re back with the third of this series where we examine each Packers position group as it currently exists. Today we finish the defensive side of the ball by examining the Packers’ secondary. As before, this article will examine three main points from the Packers’ perspective: where we are, where we want to go and what we need to do to get there.

Previous installments can be found here:

Packers Defensive Line:

Packers Linebackers:

Where are we now:

Here are the current suspects:

Charles Woodson (1st round)
Tramon Williams (undrafted)
Sam Shields (undrafted)
Jarrett Bush (undrafted)
Davon House (4th  round)
Brandian Ross (undrafted)

Nick Collins (2nd round)
Morgan Burnett (3rd round)
Charlie Peprah (5th round)
M.D. Jennings (undrafted)
Anthony Levine (undrafted)

While this position group has six undrafted players, only three are regulars and overall there is better representation near the top of the draft than in the defensive line and linebacker groups. That’s especially true if you count Pat Lee, a second round choice the Packers recently allowed to leave via free agency.

The Packers’ secondary had a tough time in 2011. As a group, they gave up 71 plays of 20 yards or more, and a lot of those were significantly more than 20 yards. The Giants alone had four plays over 40 yards in two games against the Packers. Yes, it was not pleasant.  Read more... (2303 words + 3 images, estimated 9:13 mins reading time)

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