FA DT Options

[Vrill]

Red Bryant is available. Also, the Saints just released Broderick Bunkley.

 

[captainWIMM]

Red Bryant is available. Also, the Saints just released Broderick Bunkley.

Both players would most likely improve the run defense but I wonder about the reasons why no team has signed Bryant since the Jaguars cut him in March. Bunkley was released because he failed a physical which indicates he hasn´t fully recovered from a torn quad her suffered last season.

 

[vince]

I think Daniels, Raji, Boyd and Pennel can anchor against the run. Hopefully none of the get hurt early because that's probably where the rotation stops until Guion returns week 4. It'll be interesting to see what Hooks does with pads on.

If someone gets hurt I'm sure there's another Howard Green out there that Ted has on speed dial.

 

[captainWIMM]

I think Daniels, Raji, Boyd and Pennel can anchor against the run. Hopefully none of the get hurt early because that's probably where the rotation stops until Guion returns week 4. It'll be interesting to see what Hooks does with pads on.

If someone gets hurt I'm sure there's another Howard Green out there that Ted has on speed dial.

Unfortunalely Pennel is solely capable of playing at the nose which either means Raji has to move to defensive end while paired with Pennel or they won´t be on the field together.

 

[adambr2]

I should know this, but do Jones and Guion count toward the 53 man roster limit during their suspensions? I believe not, but I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Carl]

I should know this, but do Jones and Guion count toward the 53 man roster limit during their suspensions? I believe not, but I'm not entirely sure.

Nope. Do not count towards the roster.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Both players would most likely improve the run defense but I wonder about the reasons why no team has signed Bryant since the Jaguars cut him in March. Bunkley was released because he failed a physical which indicates he hasn´t fully recovered from a torn quad her suffered last season.

There's nothing wrong with Bryant, physically or character-wise, that I can tell. JAX cut him to pick up $4.5 mil in cap at the same time they signed Odrick in FA to take his place at twice the money. JAX defense improved from 4.2 yds. per carry to 4.1 with Bryant, for whatever that's worth.

It could simply be a case of a 31 year old, 2-down player (more like 1.5 downs, or 1.0 downs in the Packers heavy nickel and dime defense) asking for more money than anybody's willing to pay. Perhaps it's a case of Bryant chowing down at the Golden Corral all off season.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Unfortunalely Pennel is solely capable of playing at the nose which either means Raji has to move to defensive end while paired with Pennel or they won´t be on the field together.

I'm more concerned about the nickel/dime DT situation that accounts for 70% of the snaps. Daniels can't take every snap. Jones is out for a game and hasn't been very effective to begin with. The second best nickel/dime pass rusher in the D-Line after Daniels is probably Neal, despite his size. The advantage of having a guy like Bryant would be to take some base snaps off of Daniels' plate so he could play more nickel and dime while keeping Peppers out of the D-Line, which is probably a necessity anyway with Neal on PUP.

 

[captainWIMM]

I'm more concerned about the nickel/dime DT situation that accounts for 70% of the snaps. Daniels can't take every snap. Jones is out for a game and hasn't been very effective to begin with. The second best nickel/dime pass rusher in the D-Line after Daniels is probably Neal, despite his size. The advantage of having a guy like Bryant would be to take some base snaps off of Daniels' plate so he could play more nickel and dime while keeping Peppers out of the D-Line, which is probably a necessity anyway with Neal on PUP.

Jones has actually been quite effective rushing the passer. I think once Datone and Guion are back from their suspensions the defensive line should be able to get pressure on the QB in subpackages.

I'm concerned about their performance especially in the first game though with two of the top five linemen on the depth chart suspended.

BTW Neal can be activated as soon as he's cleared to practice.

 

[Carl]

Jones has actually been quite effective rushing the passer. I think once Datone and Guion are back from their suspensions the defensive line should be able to get pressure on the QB in subpackages.

I'm concerned about their performance especially in the first game though with two of the top five linemen on the depth chart suspended.

BTW Neal can be activated as soon as he's cleared to practice.

The rest of the team should be able to make up for the line vs the Bears, although the line is a concern going into that game.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

The rest of the team should be able to make up for the line vs the Bears, although the line is a concern going into that game.

Forte is REALLY good at running back and the Packer dline isn't going to scare running games even when fully manned. Remove Guion (who played the run better at NT last season than Raji ever has) from the equation and it could get a little hairy early in the game. Packers offense should force the Bears to abandon the run game by the second half though....or maybe Cutler will force the Bears to abandon the run game after throwing multiple picks in the first half?

 

[captainWIMM]

Forte is REALLY good at running back and the Packer dline isn't going to scare running games even when fully manned. Remove Guion (who played the run better at NT last season than Raji ever has) from the equation and it could get a little hairy early in the game. Packers offense should force the Bears to abandon the run game by the second half though....or maybe Cutler will force the Bears to abandon the run game after throwing multiple picks in the first half?

I´m concerned about the Bears running game as well in week 1, but the Packers beat them by three TDs when they rushed for 235 yards last season and should be able to overcome Chicago´s rushing attack once again.

 

[Vrill]

Its the Bears.....We have owned the Bears for a while now.

 

[SoonerPack]

This whole run D thing is overblown if you ask me. Yes the Pack ended the season 23rd or something like that but once Clay moved to ILB the run D improved in a major way. I would like to see what their ranking was from the time CMIII moved inside to seasons end. I would venture to guess it was somewhere around 15 or so. We had a 4 game stretch after the move where we didn't allow over 90 yards nor a single rush for more than 13 yards. When you throw in Raji and a more seasoned Pennel I can't help but think we will improve in this area. For the most part they did a nice job against Lynch in the NFCC game until the later stages. Now I know those later stages still count but you can't overlook the entire picture. I am not saying we will be a top 10 run D unit but I do believe once we have all hands on deck teams won't gash us as was the case early in '14. Am I along in this thinking?

G P G!!

 

[Joe Nor Cal Packer]

This question is only slightly related to the DT thread. Does anyone know how often GB plays a true 3-4? I'm not a statistician so would appreciate anyone's help with this. It just seems to me they run a lot of 4 man fronts. If that's true, and I suppose it depends on their opponent, DT and DE quality factor in more. Thanks in advance.

 

[TJV]

I am not saying we will be a top 10 run D unit but I do believe once we have all hands on deck teams won't gash us as was the case early in '14.

I think that's a fair assessment. captainWIMM will (or at least has) mention that the rushing Os the Packers played in the second half of the season weren't as good as those in the first half. Even so, moving Clay inside certainly helped the run D and he should be more acclimated to playing inside this season because he didn't get a lot of practice snaps there before the switch last season.

BTW, anyone thinking the Packers run a lot of 4 man fronts either isn't watching closely or doesn't understand the 2-4-5.

 

[captainWIMM]

This whole run D thing is overblown if you ask me. Yes the Pack ended the season 23rd or something like that but once Clay moved to ILB the run D improved in a major way. I would like to see what their ranking was from the time CMIII moved inside to seasons end. I would venture to guess it was somewhere around 15 or so. We had a 4 game stretch after the move where we didn't allow over 90 yards nor a single rush for more than 13 yards. When you throw in Raji and a more seasoned Pennel I can't help but think we will improve in this area. For the most part they did a nice job against Lynch in the NFCC game until the later stages. Now I know those later stages still count but you can't overlook the entire picture. I am not saying we will be a top 10 run D unit but I do believe once we have all hands on deck teams won't gash us as was the case early in '14. Am I along in this thinking?

G P G!!

The Packers run defense ranked 6th in total yards and 7th in yards per attempt over the last eight games in 2014. As TJV already mentioned I have to point out the team faced five rushing attacks ranked 24th or worse during that period though.

This question is only slightly related to the DT thread. Does anyone know how often GB plays a true 3-4? I'm not a statistician so would appreciate anyone's help with this. It just seems to me they run a lot of 4 man fronts. If that's true, and I suppose it depends on their opponent, DT and DE quality factor in more. Thanks in advance.

The Packers lined up in their base defense on only 24.7% of the snaps last season, well below the league average of 38.3%.

captainWIMM will (or at least has) mention that the rushing Os the Packers played in the second half of the season weren't as good as those in the first half.

Well, it's kind of spooky that you already know what I'm going to post before I do it.

 

[SoonerPack]

The Packers run defense ranked 6th in total yards and 7th in yards per attempt over the last eight games in 2014. As TJV already mentioned I have to point out the team faced five rushing attacks ranked 24th or worse during that period though.

The fact they played some bottom of the barrel running attacks certainly skews the numbers. With that said what I watched with my own eyes just looked like a better, more prepared rush D for those final games. The gap fits were better and there seemed to be more aggression and I think that can be attributed to both CMIII and the nasty one, SamBar. Again, I am not proclaiming this unit as the next Steel Curtain or anything but I do believe the run D will be much improved this year. I know you (WIMM) are still sketchy (understandably) on BJ playing at a high level and much of my hope is based upon him doing just that. When he is engaged and motivated he is a space eater deluxe. I think he is one of the major pieces that must perform and perform well if this team is to fulfill it's destiny. Look, I am without a doubt a Packer honk. I don't have a 2nd or 3rd team. I have ONE! With that being said I do try and stay realistic with my expectations but have this special feeling about this years team. Obviously injuries and some other variables come into play but I believe with my heart that if we can stay reasonably healthy The Lombardi will be able to call Green Bay, Wisconsin home yet again! G P G!!

 

[captainWIMM]

The fact they played some bottom of the barrel running attacks certainly skews the numbers. With that said what I watched with my own eyes just looked like a better, more prepared rush D for those final games. The gap fits were better and there seemed to be more aggression and I think that can be attributed to both CMIII and the nasty one, SamBar. Again, I am not proclaiming this unit as the next Steel Curtain or anything but I do believe the run D will be much improved this year. I know you (WIMM) are still sketchy (understandably) on BJ playing at a high level and much of my hope is based upon him doing just that. When he is engaged and motivated he is a space eater deluxe. I think he is one of the major pieces that must perform and perform well if this team is to fulfill it's destiny. Look, I am without a doubt a Packer honk. I don't have a 2nd or 3rd team. I have ONE! With that being said I do try and stay realistic with my expectations but have this special feeling about this years team. Obviously injuries and some other variables come into play but I believe with my heart that if we can stay reasonably healthy The Lombardi will be able to call Green Bay, Wisconsin home yet again! G P G!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm optimistic about the 2015 Packers team as well and I think they're one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl.

I expect the run defense to be improved from the first half of last season but don't see them being ranked in the top 10 in 2015. Raji is an important piece if the puzzle on defense and he has all the talent needed to be an impact player but as I've mentioned several times I have a hard time trusting him to show the effort necessary to dominate.

 

[brandon2348]

Don't get me wrong, I'm optimistic about the 2015 Packers team as well and I think they're one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl.

I expect the run defense to be improved from the first half of last season but don't see them being ranked in the top 10 in 2015. Raji is an important piece if the puzzle on defense and he has all the talent needed to be an impact player but as I've mentioned several times I have a hard time trusting him to show the effort necessary to dominate.

There not just one of the favorites. They are the Vegas favorite to win the Super Bowl last time I checked. The Seahawks are close behind them but unless you like the "Jimmie Graham Kool-Aid" I think we got better then them during the off-season when considering what they lost along with some of there injury concerns. As Mr. Rodgers pointed out we get em at home. I compare this to getting over the Cowboys hump and finally getting them at Lambeau in the late 90's. 1997 to be exact.

I am with you and others on Raji and I personally believe he will do what we need him to do at Nose. I know for some its "you gotta see it to believe it" but I feel pretty optimistic.

 

[captainWIMM]

The Seahawks are close behind them but unless you like the "Jimmie Graham Kool-Aid" I think we got better then them during the off-season when considering what they lost along with some of there injury concerns. As Mr. Rodgers pointed out we get em at home. I compare this to getting over the Cowboys hump and finally getting them at Lambeau in the late 90's. 1997 to be exact.

I don't want to get into an in-depth discussion about the Seahawks with you again this offseason but they will most likely be the toughest opponent in the NFC for the Packers once again. They have lost only two important players from last season in Max Unger and Byron Maxwell. While they haven't replaced Unger adequately you have to realize that they got by with a terrible offensive line last season with Unger only playing a total of 562 snaps including playoffs. Cary Williams or Jeremy Lane will do a decent job taking over for Maxwell. The trade for Jimmie Graham unfortunately adds a different dimension to their offense.

They seem to have some major issues entering the season though with Chancellor holding out, Wagner being unhappy about his contract situation and Thomas not ready to go.

It would be awesome if playing them in week 2 would produce a similar result like that 1997 game vs. the Cowboys.

 

[brandon2348]

I don't want to get into an in-depth discussion about the Seahawks with you again this offseason but they will most likely be the toughest opponent in the NFC for the Packers once again. They have lost only two important players from last season in Max Unger and Byron Maxwell. While they haven't replaced Unger adequately you have to realize that they got by with a terrible offensive line last season with Unger only playing a total of 562 snaps including playoffs. Cary Williams or Jeremy Lane will do a decent job taking over for Maxwell. The trade for Jimmie Graham unfortunately adds a different dimension to their offense.

They seem to have some major issues entering the season though with Chancellor holding out, Wagner being unhappy about his contract situation and Thomas not ready to go.

It would be awesome if playing them in week 2 would produce a similar result like that 1997 game vs. the Cowboys.

Points taken. Just wanted to add they also lost Carpenter who was a pretty good blocker in the run game. IMO i see a drop off from Maxwell to Williams

Lastly, Jeremy Lane is a bigger long shot to start season then Thomas. He will almost certainly start season on PUP list. They don't have anyone else IMO who can manage Cobb in slot on current roster. When Lane went down in the Super Bowl Hawks had no answer for Brady to Edelman.

Getting them at Lambeau is huge and this game is only 7 weeks away. Can't wait.

 

[jetfixer]

How good is McDanial that the Seahawks just cut?

 

[brandon2348]

How good is McDanial that the Seahawks just cut?

Pete Carroll called it a "significant loss" and said the loss of him "sucks." He was gotten rid of not due to play but it was a salary cap decision.

IMO he is a little "long in the tooth" but still very serviceable as a run defender in the right situation. He was a cog in the wheel of the Seattle's D-Line rotation which is becoming less and less formidable when you consider the injury Mebane is coming off of and whether or not he will be able to play to the same ability. This Seattle D-Line is nowhere near what it was a couple years ago. There definitely gonna need some guys to step up.

Most of us should know about significant hamstring injuries dating back to Desmond Bishop. Mebane says he is healthy but I wont believe it until I see it with such a significant injury to a big man.

I would be very happy if TT brought McDanial in. He would come at the right price and would add to our depth and rotation.

 

[captainWIMM]

How good is McDanial that the Seahawks just cut?

McDaniel´s play dropped off significantly in 2014. During his career he has mostly been a good run defender but at 6-7 and only 305 pounds I don´t know if he´s a fit playing defensive end in a 3-4 base defense.