Making sense of our picks

[rodell330]

Actually, they've been in eight Super Bowls, 4-4 record.

I meant in the. BB and Brady era sir....I knew that tho.

 

[tynimiller]

I'm disappointed as well with the Packers not getting one of the top ILBs. But overall I think Thompson drafted mostly guys with a ton of upside.

I'll admit while I enjoy having been right I wish I hadn't been....I suspected TT wasn't gonna force a pick on one he didn't feel worth it and we'd get Jake or Hayes in later rounds....one time I wish I wasn't right. Could Jake shock us all...yes....but I suspect he's a better bandaid than Hawk but only because he can move slightly better in coverage.

 

[rodell330]

I meant in the. BB and Brady era sir....

I'll admit while I enjoy having been right I wish I hadn't been....I suspected TT wasn't gonna force a pick on one he didn't feel worth it and we'd get Jake or Hayes in later rounds....one time I wish I wasn't right. Could Jake shock us all...yes....but I suspect he's a better bandaid than Hawk but only because he can move slightly better in coverage.

A couple million dollars cheaper to...hawk was a liability and so was Brad jones but it took the organization way to long to replace both. I don't think sticking Matthews in the middle isn't going to fix the problem because then ppl are going to be crying about the lack of a pass rush.

 

[Mondio]

we didn't really have a poor pass rush last year did we? I thought we were more effective by a lot than in years past. and having combinations of Perry, Neal, Matthews, Peppers on the field and 2 of those guys coming from inside or out or any combination of the 2 on passing downs is a good thing I think.

 

[Shawnsta3]

A couple million dollars cheaper to...hawk was a liability and so was Brad jones but it took the organization way to long to replace both. I don't think sticking Matthews in the middle isn't going to fix the problem because then ppl are going to be crying about the lack of a pass rush.

If Julius Peppers plays like he did last year you can still consider him an elite pass rusher and playmaker and I think Neal and Perry can provide adequate pass rush as well. This is without mentioning inside linebacker blitzes with Clay and when he plays on the outside in non dime packages. While I regret to say they didn't really improve in that department over the offseason they should still be far from weak in that department.

 

[thisisnate]

Anyone else feel like our defense just never gets to establish any sort of identity? I feel like every time we lose a piece, we replace it with another that just doesn't quite fit and are left learning to play a style that's just different enough to require an adjustment period.

 

[Carl]

Yea people will just run the ball down our throats and control the clock and that "QB" will be on the sideline..and those DBS won't have to worry about the pass because teams won't have to haha. I watched the defending SB champs draft and they drafted for NEED. Guess that's why they've been to 6 SBS.

The run defense wasn't even bad the last half of the season.

The season is still months away. We cannot say for sure the run defense will be bad this far away from the season.

 

[Carl]

we didn't really have a poor pass rush last year did we? I thought we were more effective by a lot than in years past. and having combinations of Perry, Neal, Matthews, Peppers on the field and 2 of those guys coming from inside or out or any combination of the 2 on passing downs is a good thing I think.

The pass rush was solid.

 

[rodell330]

The run defense wasn't even bad the last half of the season.

The season is still months away. We cannot say for sure the run defense will be bad this far away from the season.

Not bad the last half of the season? Yea Murray and Lynch both just lit us up in the playoffs...but I guess that doesn't count as being "the last half of the season."

 

[Carl]

Not bad the last half of the season? Yea Murray and Lynch both just lit us up in the playoffs...but I guess that doesn't count as being "the last half of the season."

You know the second half of the season is more than two games right? I could look at the Seattle game and therefore call Rodgers a bad QB.

Besides, overall the defense vs Dallas was good. Murray did not kill us and we have up 21, much less than their average.

Agaisnt Seattle, Lynch had only one run that really hurt us, his TD run. The pass defense was much more an issue late than run defense. I don't care what the stats were the rest of the game since Seattle didn't score a point. Does it really matter if a running back is doing well vs us when points aren't scored?

 

[MrE]

I think the defense as a whole looked better than it should because the offense was really really good last year, especially early in games. Their were clear holes on the roster at DT, ILB, and at times at corner. Teams could exploit the middle of the field if given the opportunity, but they rarely got that opportunity.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Not sure about others but my main concern with playing Matthews inside for the entire season is that I doubt he holds up.

I wouldn't call it a doubt so much as a risk. Teams have had time to study the tape of Matthews at the position; expect adjustments and counter measures.

Anyone else feel like our defense just never gets to establish any sort of identity? I feel like every time we lose a piece, we replace it with another that just doesn't quite fit and are left learning to play a style that's just different enough to require an adjustment period.

Yup. It lacks "edge" as one writer put it, and a 3-down ILB would have added some needed glue that doesn't take Matthews off the edge. In the end, all that was done was replacing (maybe) the cover corners lost to free agency and adding an ILB in the mold of the ones already on the roster. Do these moves signal an improved defense?

The closest we get to some additional edge is Rollins adding a physical component to the cornerback position, and that's only if he manages to win the job. The "anybody is better than Hawk" argument is hardly a certainty.

 

[yooperpackfan]

I wouldn't call it a doubt so much as a risk. Teams have had time to study the tape of Matthews at the position; expect adjustments and counter measures.

Yup. It lacks "edge" as one writer put it, and a 3-down ILB would have added some needed glue that doesn't take Matthews off the edge. In the end, all that was done was replacing (maybe) the cover corners lost to free agency and adding an ILB in the mold of the ones already on the roster. Do these moves signal an improved defense?

The closest we get to some additional edge is Rollins adding a physical component to the cornerback position, and that's only if he manages to win the job. The "anybody is better than Hawk" argument is hardly a certainty.

Not only is that "anybody is better than Hawk" stuff an uncertainty, it's pure crap.
We are in trouble at ILB. Make no mistake, Mathews is an OLB and not the answer at ILB for a full season or beyond.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/insidersblog/2015/05/02/packers-draft-picks/26782417/

How the Packers' draft picks fit in with who's already here.

 

[PikeBadger]

Not only is that "anybody is better than Hawk" stuff an uncertainty, it's pure crap.
We are in trouble at ILB. Make no mistake, Mathews is an OLB and not the answer at ILB for a full season or beyond.

It's May 3rd. If our ILB play looks like crap by Oct 3rd, maybe I'll start worrying.
It appears to me that Thompson got good players for very good value where he was picking. A lot of areas were addressed. I remain totally unconcerned.

 

[TeamTundra]

Yea people will just run the ball down our throats and control the clock and that "QB" will be on the sideline..and those DBS won't have to worry about the pass because teams won't have to haha. I watched the defending SB champs draft and they drafted for NEED. Guess that's why they've been to 6 SBS.

The Patriots drafted for need? They lost their two starting CBs and didn't address that position until
Late in the draft. We torched them for 368 passing yards last year and that was WITH Revis and
Browner in their secondary.

While you are at it, go and check out the Seahawks forum and see how they are handling losing
Two starting offensive linemen - Unger and Carpenter - and not replacing them with free agents
And not addressing that need until the middle rounds with projects. After that head over to
The Cowboys forum and see how they are handling not drafting a RB and pinning their hopes
On Darren McFadden's health.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The run defense wasn't even bad the last half of the season.

You know the second half of the season is more than two games right?

Besides, overall the defense vs Dallas was good. Murray did not kill us and we have up 21, much less than their average.

Agaisnt Seattle, Lynch had only one run that really hurt us, his TD run. The pass defense was much more an issue late than run defense. I don't care what the stats were the rest of the game since Seattle didn't score a point. Does it really matter if a running back is doing well vs us when points aren't scored?

The Packers only faced a single top 10 rushing team in the second half of the 2014 regular season with the Eagles and they were down by more than 20 points early. On the other hand the Packers faced five rushing offenses ranked 24th or worse over the last eight games, maybe that´s the primary reason why the run defense improved.

The defense allowed an average of 169.5 rushing yards in two playoff games which would have ranked last in the league by a landslide.

It's May 3rd. If our ILB play looks like crap by Oct 3rd, maybe I'll start worrying. It appears to me that Thompson got good players for very good value where he was picking. A lot of areas were addressed. I remain totally unconcerned.

Thompson got some players with a lot of upside in this year´s draft but not addressing the WLB position at all is inexplicable. You´re ignoring the facts if you´re not worried about inside linebacker going into this season.

 

[JBlood]

According to Football Outsiders the Packers' defense ranked 16th overall last year. 18th in "weighted defense", which better reflects their play at the end of the season. Our rush defense ranked 24th. It appears to me that the Packers are depending on basically the same group to outperform those numbers. It could happen, but TT has certainly put himself in a position to be second-guessed if they don't.

 

[RepStar15]

I am most excited for the FB Ripkowski. Kuhn is nearing the end of his career. One thing that sets aside the Packers offense from most teams is the use of the fullback. It brings ANOTHER option to the packers already dynamic offense. This kid plays bigger than life and I could see him having a hell of a career in GB.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I am most excited for the FB Ripkowski. Kuhn is nearing the end of his career. One thing that sets aside the Packers offense from most teams is the use of the fullback. It brings ANOTHER option to the packers already dynamic offense. This kid plays bigger than life and I could see him having a hell of a career in GB.

The Packers used a fullback on 10% of the snaps last season before Rodgers hurt his calf. There are some other draft picks being way more important to the team´s success in 2015 than Ripkowski.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

According to Football Outsiders the Packers' defense ranked 16th overall last year. 18th in "weighted defense", which better reflects their play at the end of the season. Our rush defense ranked 24th. It appears to me that the Packers are depending on basically the same group to outperform those numbers. It could happen, but TT has certainly put himself in a position to be second-guessed if they don't.

Technically the Packers appear to be counting on BJ Raji to be the improvement in the run defense since the run defense is the same as last year minus a few ILBs. I don't think I need to go into the history of how trusting Raji has worked out in the past.

 

[Half Empty]

It's May 3rd. If our ILB play looks like crap by Oct 3rd, maybe I'll start worrying.
It appears to me that Thompson got good players for very good value where he was picking. A lot of areas were addressed. I remain totally unconcerned.

Have a good spring and summer. We'll look forward to hearing from you again in the fall.

 

[RepStar15]

The Packers used a fullback on 10% of the snaps last season before Rodgers hurt his calf. There are some other draft picks being way more important to the team´s success in 2015 than Ripkowski.

I think you are underrating the position greatly, especially in Mike McCarthey's system. Since MM became coach, John Kuhn has touched the ball in at least half of all regular season games. May not sound like much, but that is not a fullback's main concern. They block. If they are versatile, you can use them like Kuhn and pound in on 3rd and short. I believe Ripkowski possesses John Kuhn's ability and more. His ability to block against physical linebacker's is impressive, and the effort it takes for these linebacker's to get him to the ground is significant. He may not be selling seats in Green Bay, but a few years down the line we will be happy when its 3rd and 1 on the Seattle 1 yard line during the NFC Championship game and he gets in the end zone and we don't have to settle for 3 point.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I think you are underrating the position greatly, especially in Mike McCarthey's system. Since MM became coach, John Kuhn has touched the ball in at least half of all regular season games. May not sound like much, but that is not a fullback's main concern. They block. If they are versatile, you can use them like Kuhn and pound in on 3rd and short. I believe Ripkowski possesses John Kuhn's ability and more. His ability to block against physical linebacker's is impressive, and the effort it takes for these linebacker's to get him to the ground is significant. He may not be selling seats in Green Bay, but a few years down the line we will be happy when its 3rd and 1 on the Seattle 1 yard line during the NFC Championship game and he gets in the end zone and we don't have to settle for 3 point.

McCarthy has reduced Kuhn's snap count significantly over the last few season to a point where he only played 10% of the snaps last season. In addition McCarthy has gone from having three fullbacks on the roster to only one since 2011. Even MM doesn't use a FB a lot anymore and while Ripkowski seems to be a talented guy I wonder why Thompson spent a draft pick on him.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

Most of us here are not draft experts, we're just people who read what other draft experts write and form an opinion based on that. Areal draft expert watches hours of film, interviews players and coaches, and spends months and months doing this all over again and again. Most of us have jobs and lives that would preclude us from being anything close to a draft expert.

So, I'll wait and see what develops, and hope for the best. Ted isn't perfect by any stretch, but his track record is better than a lot of others.

Last year we got a lot of mileage out of a fifth-round rookie, maybe we'll get one of those guys again.