Biggest offseason needs

[Wood Chipper]

Defensive line

"Green Bay's defense isn't quite as bad as raw yardage would have you believe (the Packers checked in at 24th by DVOA), but that is damning with faint praise. The steep decline in play from the hybrid 3-4/4-3 line affected the linebacking corps by not soaking up blocks; Clay Matthews saw his sack total fall from 13.5 in 2010 to 6 in 2011. Because the pass rush wasn't getting to the passer, quarterbacks made fewer mistakes, and the team's interception total dropped from 31 to 24.

In fact, the Packers were near the bottom of the league in sacks despite the fact that Green Bay's high-octane offense caused its defense to face more passes than any other team in the league. The Packers' defense was last in ASR, 1.9 percent below the league average.

The rushing defense didn't have the same precipitous fall from grace as the passing defense but nonetheless fell from relatively average to near the bottom of the league in every single category aside from open-field yards, where the aging but still talented secondary, led by Charles Woodson, was able to bail out the rest of the defense. In fact, of Green Bay's top five tacklers, four (Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah, Woodson and Tramon Williams) were defensive backs. That is always a bad sign.

Assigning blame among a line is never easy, but the team is secure with Pro Bowler B.J. Raji, who regularly draws double-teams on running and passing downs. End/three-technique tackle Ryan Pickett also played well when he was actually on the field, which was infrequently. The rest of the assembled squad was extremely unimpressive, particularly second-year end C.J. Wilson, who fits the physical profile of an end/linebacker hybrid but, in two years attempting to replace Aaron Kampman, has displayed none of his talent.

Another youngster, Jarius Wynn, had similar struggles and was a complete liability in the running game, contributing greatly to the league-worst ALY on runs to the offensive left end. The good news for cheeseheads is that Green Bay's defensive scheme is possibly the most flexible in the league, so, when the draft comes around -- and general manager Ted Thompson is a strong believer in building through the draft rather than free agency -- the front office should be able to find a few orphaned players other teams cannot find roles for." -ESPN (Mike Kurtz)

 

[TJV]

"Because the pass rush wasn't getting to the passer, quarterbacks made fewer mistakes, and the team's interception total dropped from 31 to 24."

Opps. 2011 INTs: 31, 2010 INTs: 24. So, 'because the pass rush wasn't getting to the passer, quarterbacks made fewer mistakes, and the team's interception total jumped from 24 to 31.' Doesn't have the same ring, does it?

"… where the aging but still talented secondary, led by Charles Woodson, was able to bail out the rest of the defense. In fact, of Green Bay's top five tacklers, four (Morgan Burnett, Charlie Peprah, Woodson and Tramon Williams) were defensive backs."

The "aging … secondary", huh? No, only Woodson at 35 is aging. Burnett is 23, Peprah is 28 and Williams is 28. And someone writing about the Packers defensive backfield should probably mention Shields, who is 24.

And under the heading DL, no mention of the disappointing Mike Neal's contribution to their problems? And 7th rounder CJ Wilson was supposed to replace Kampman? C'mon Kurtz, you're getting paid to know stuff, aren't ya?

 

[JBlood]

The defense has huge problems. Nobody tackled well. Nobody can cover forever, which is a problem with no effective pass rush. The d backs actually did o.k. against the no. 1 receivers, the other wideouts and running backs. We were killed by tight ends (according to Football Outsiders). The front 7 have to improve the pressure on the QB--particularly the 3 down linemen and the linebackers other than Matthews. I thought Matthews was terrific in spite of being double- and triple-teamed all year. Hawk should have his contract restructured and either hit people or sit down. Right now D.J. Smith and Francois both look to be better in the middle. All So'oto does is make plays, and he's supposedly out of position most of the time, but I think they'll turn him into a starter. Don't know if the young players were basking in the glow of the wins or what the problem was, but they'd better improve or they'll be gone and replaced with this year's new additions.