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Packers DT Ryan Pickett getting after it.

If you’re an NFL fan who subscribes to Game Rewind and likes to re-watch games in order to see what happens away from the ball, Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett is your type of player.

The 330-pound 33 year old doesn’t make many plays that garner immediate attention on the game broadcast. To appreciate what Pickett does, you have to watch the film. That’s when you’ll nod your head at the veteran’s quickness off the ball. You’ll pump your fist when he shoves two blockers backward and frees up a linebacker to make a tackle. You’ll notice that Pickett is often the reason why a mess of players pile up at the line and the ballcarrier fails to pick up a short-yardage first down.

After 12 seasons, Pickett should be slowing down. Instead, he looks as strong and nimble as ever. It’s not a rarity to see space-eating defensive linemen play effectively as they creep into their mid-30s and beyond — Casey Hampton, Ted Washington and Pat Williams come to mind as older, run-stuffing linemen who excelled as they aged.

I planned to do an in-depth study of stats and numbers to tell you just how great Pickett has been the last few years, but I said the hell with it. Pickett’s worth goes beyond *numbers.* Let’s watch some film instead.

Here’s Pickett wrecking the Houston Texans offensive line:

   Read more... (462 words + 1 image, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

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Next up in the AllGreenBayPackers.com’s positional group analysis is the defensive line, who while showed some improvement from their disastrous 2011 season was still probably the reason behind their playoff collapse this year.

Where Are We Now

Here are the current suspects;

• BJ Raji (1st round, 2009)
• Ryan Pickett (1st round, 2001)
• Mike Neal (2nd round, 2010)
• CJ Wilson (7th round, 2010)
• Jerel Worthy (2nd round, 2012)
• Mike Daniels (4th round, 2012)
• Philip Merling (2nd round, 2008, cut week 4)

So that’s where we are.  Thompson has made quite an effort to shore up his defensive line, with three 1st or 2nd rounders in the last four years.  However, despite Thompson’s focus on the defensive line, not much good has happened.  BJ Raji hasn’t been as dominant a force as he was in the 2010 Superbowl season, Mike Neal is essentially starting his sophomore campaign with all the injuries he suffered and rookie Jerel Worthy looked like a raw rookie before suffering an ACL injury.  Read more... (1446 words + 1 image, estimated 5:47 mins reading time)

• Raji: Raji spent considerably more time as a defensive end this year than as a nose tackle (536 snaps at DE vs. 123 at NT) and overall as I’ve written in my previous articles this is probably the best move for the Packers as defensive ends are much more important to a 3-4 defense than nose tackles.  While Raji definitely had a better season than his lackluster 2011 campaign, it still pales in comparison to his 2010 season where he earned the nickname “the freezer”.  One distinct possibility is that Raji is starting to wear down due to all the snaps that he’s had to take since there were no other viable DL around, but the addition of Worthy, Neal and Daniels will hopefully allow the Packers to have a decent DL rotation.

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Packers D-lineman Ryan Pickett

Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett reminds me of two actors in two memorable movies: Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino and Paul Sorvino in Goodfellas.

In Gran Turino, Eastwood plays a retired Detroit auto worker who is trying to cope with his neighborhood changing (i.e. getting younger and more diverse). He also yells at people to get off his lawn and behaves like that crumudgingly (and racist) old white guy many of us probably know in real life.

Sorvino plays a mob boss in Goodfellas who quietly lurks in the shadows and oversees a large-scale crime ring. Sorvino doesn’t have a leading role in the film, but when he’s on screen, there’s little doubt that his character is in charge and that the other characters respect him.

Now don’t take those comparisons too literally. I don’t know Pickett personally and I’m not saying  he’s a racist or a Mafia Don. But when I watch Eastwood’s and Sorvino’s characters, I can’t help but imagine that Pickett has certain traits of both.

Pickett is the elder statesman on the Packers defensive front. Like Eastwood getting annoyed about having to adapt to younger people who might be a little different than him, I can see the older Pickett getting annoyed by Clay Matthews and his long hair or B.J. Raji and his dancing.  Read more... (718 words + 1 image, estimated 2:52 mins reading time)

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Packers D-lineman Mike Daniels

Remember my post yesterday about three players raising eyebrows at Packers training camp?

Well, those players might already be yesterday’s news. The new eyebrow-raiser at camp is Mike Daniels.

Mike Daniels
Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazette says Daniels has gotten plenty of snaps, especially in Dom Capers’ dime package. Like they do in the secondary, the Packers have a bunch of bodies on the defensive line and are hoping that somebody, anybody, steps up and makes the entire position group better. I suppose Daniels could be that guy. Like fellow rookie D-lineman Jerel Worthy, Daniels created chaos in college. And that’s what the Packers need up front. No more tying up blockers and calling it a day.

Wait a minute….Never Mind
Looks like Daniels might already be yesterday’s news, too.  He dropped out of practice Tuesday with an injury.

I wrote my original eyebrow raising post on Monday evening. It was posted Tuesday afternoon and it already felt like old news. I began writing this current post over lunch on Tuesday and by time I got home from work to finish it, it also already felt like old news.

I didn’t even finish writing the post yet and it felt like old news!

What’s this world coming to when a blogger can’t even keep up with the news cycle?  Read more... (429 words + 1 image, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

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Former Packers great Gilbert Brown created plenty of havoc in his day.

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel caught up with former Packers defensive lineman Gilbert Brown on Tuesday. After Brown talked about his football camp and what it’s like coaching the Green Bay Chill, he shared some thoughts on B.J. Raji and the Packers defense.

Here’s Brown’s best quote on Raji:

“B.J. has all the tools to be great. I think he has the drive, he has whatever he needs. But he has to turn it up a notch I would say. Because if he gets out there, creates havoc and makes noise, it’s contagious. Everybody wants to be like that. B.J. has it. He’s the monster in the middle. He has to set the tone for the team.”

Create havoc. I love that phrase. That should be the No. 1 goal for Raji and all Packers defensive linemen.

I’ve gotten into some spirited discussions in the comments section of this blog about what the role of the Packers defensive line is in a 3-4. I say that there is no rule against a 3-4 lineman dominating opposing blockers, maybe even making a play every now and then. Others say it’s unfair to expect a 3-4 lineman to get the glory or pile up stats. A 3-4 lineman’s role is to tie up blockers.

When I hear the phrase “tie up blockers,” I shudder. I think of battling the offensive lineman to a draw. Draws are worthless. You need to win your battle with whomever is trying to block you. Period.  Read more... (621 words + 1 image, estimated 2:29 mins reading time)

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Jerel Worthy and the many position battles on the defensive line will be worth watching in training camp.

I’m reading Michael Holley’s War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team. It’s a great read so far and I regret not getting around to reading it until now (it was released in November). The book tells the story of how the Patriots dynasty came to be with excellent insight into modern-day NFL scouting, team building and football operations.

The Patriots evaluate college players by comparing them to a player that is already on their roster. This requires scouts to know the pro roster as well as they know the college kids they’re scouting, and ensures that scouts are looking for more than just how big, strong and fast a guy is. Factors like how a player fits into the Patriots’ overall scheme and specialized skill sets also are taken into consideration.

This strategy has proven effective for the Patriots over the years and also makes an excellent topic for a blog post. How do the Packers draftees compare to their counterparts currently on the roster? Of course, we don’t know as much about the draftees as an NFL scout might, but we can at least give this exercise a try.  Read more... (1163 words + 1 image, estimated 4:39 mins reading time)

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Is Anthony Hargrove Coming to the Packers?

“Can’t wait for my first Lambeau Leap on game day.”

“Played with Pickett when he was a Ram. Going to be great playing with him again.”

“Not yet but we screaming green and yellow green and yellow.  go Packers go.”

“Loving the packer nation for all the love already…go packers go…goodnite”

Free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove has been tweeting out hints today about where he thinks he’s going to be playing. Nothing has been announced, and my guess would be that contract details need to be finalized, but it sure sounds like Ted Thompson is about to land his third free agent of 2012.

This all assumes that it is, in fact, really Anthony Hargrove. Judging from his other tweets it has the feel of authenticity and Liz Mathews of ESPN Seattle gave his twitter account out for anyone who wants to follow.

Hargrove has always played as a 4-3DE, and is listed as 6’3″ and 272 pounds. While that would be way too light for a 3-4DE, Hargrove was close to 300 pounds when he played for the Saints. He would surely have to gain weight again if the Packers want him to play at 3-4DE, but what if they have plans to move him to OLB? After all, they have considered the possibility of moving Mike Neal there, and have also been pursuing Giants DE Dave Tollefson, who is only 260 lbs.  Read more... (326 words + 3 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

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