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7thFloorRA

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"It seems some of the veterans on defense are a little too satisfied"

That absolutely showed all year long but people seemed to shy away from saying it.
 

Jordyruns

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Too many of the veterans on the Packers are apparently a little too satisfied. Watching Green Bay wave goodbye to Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, A.J. Hawk and even Charles Woodson could be a well-deserved reminder of the competitive nature of the business and the team's attitude toward players who don't perform.

During the middle of the season I was very skeptical of Woodson's ability in relation to his age, and while I do feel he will need to restructure his contract in order to stay on the team, thinking that releasing him to bring in younger hungrier players like the article says is a mistake. No one can replace what he does on the field, both leadership wise and role wise. He is not afraid of contact and rallies the guys around him a role this defense seems to be lacking for the most part.

Besides that great article, agreed with just about every point.
 

Chicocheese

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Woodson we keep no matter what. It is the D-line that needs major help. I really like Casey Hayward, but Tramon Williams has been making stupid plays and not tackleing. Maybe we can replace him?
 

longtimefan

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I still would be okay with Dom not coming back as the last half of the season (or at least 4 games) he couldnt get his guys to stop the run, and 3rd downs were horrible and it does seem to be a common issue....

However---I have pointed out a few times I can't totally blame him when he doesnt have all the starters in there

Two players that this article mentions may have been just enough to stop the Niners


First and foremost, it's important to remember what they have coming back next year. Desmond Bishop was arguably the best player on this defense in 2011 with 115 tackles and 5 sacks, good for second on the team. Bishop missed the entire 2012 season and with him went the inside pass rush along with the toughness to stop power running teams like Minnesota and San Francisco.


The loss of Nick Perry for the season cannot be understated either. Although just a rookie, Perry had shown considerable promise in his transition from defensive end to outside linebacker.


In just 118 snaps against the pass, Perry had 2 sacks and 10 hurries. Erik Walden, Perry's replacement, had only 3 sacks in 459 pass plays. Perry's numbers stretched across a 16 game season - assuming he had the same number of pass-rush snaps as Walden - would have been nearly 8 sacks and 39 pressures.

Perry's strength and speed combination also could have made a huge difference in defending quarterbacks like Kaepernick because even a misstep inside on a dive fake wouldn't preclude Perry from being able to reroute and make a play on the outside with his explosiveness and speed.

I have tried to point out it would be like the offense with out Cobb, and Jordy (or top 2 players where ever you deem ) and expect the same results...Then say fire MM because the offense can't score.
 

Wood Chipper

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I think the reason the Patriots are back year after year is that there are always fresh faces on that team.
 

SpartaChris

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"It seems some of the veterans on defense are a little too satisfied"

That absolutely showed all year long but people seemed to shy away from saying it.

Yup. This team simply wasn't hungry enough. Rodgers commented in his post game presser that they didn't play with near the desperation this season that they did in 2010, and as a result we lost in the divisional round of the playoffs two years in a row. Seems following up a Super Bowl championship with a 15-1 campaign has allowed complacency to set in with this team.

One of the reasons why I admire the Patriots so much is because they view every year as independent of the other. Every single year they set out to achieve one goal, and that's to win the Super Bowl. 5 Super Bowl appearances and 3 wins later, they're again in position to earn another berth, and possibly a 4th title.

Greatness isn't handed to you, and it's not something you just luck into. Greatness has to be sought and seized and taken. This team these past two years is stuck in a rut weak minds and complacency. They could use a little mental toughness. Hopefully some new, fresh blood brings that burning desire to succeed.
 

Einstein McFly

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I was never impressed with Perry's pass rushing skills, but he sure could set the edge. I think his development looks a lot more promising than Worthy's. He really was just a guy out there all year. I can think of maybe one play where he really showed something. And it will be interesting to see what Terrell Manning can become.

It's hard to say since they just spent two high picks on dlinemen this year, and I suspect they'll take the best player available (who isn't an OLB, corner, QB, RB, RT, guard or WR), but it'd be nice if the best player available was a legit big/tall/strong 3-4 end who can play the run and get his hands up in the passing game and not get tossed the way Neal did against the 9ers or stoned after one more the way Worthy did all year.
 

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