Middle of the D

[Deleted member 6794]

I like what Ha Ha did last year. he showed growth throughout the season and played well. I think he's going to be back there for a long time, but I don't see Nick Collins back there. Maybe he'll get close, but Collins was a special player that was just starting to get the game down and his natural ability coupled with the knowledge he gained had him poised to be one of the best. Extremely athletic and strong. He could cover so much ground and be back in passing lane and help in the run game without having to play the run. He was that fast and could just crush people.

I don´t expect Clinton-Dix to turn into the second coming of Collins either but you have to realize it took Nick some years as well to play at a dominant level.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

A cover LB who can get sideline to sideline is what we have been missing for years. When we had Nick Collins we could get by without one because of his ability to play single high safety like Ed Reed. But since we lack a safety with that kind of ability we need an LB who can cover the middle of the field and complement SamBar's physical style of play.

The Packers have been missing a decent NT for years. A sideline-to-sideline linebacker would be nice, but the 3-4 requires a good NT to be a dominant defense. That sideline-to-sideline linebacker won't be running to the sideline when the other team is pounding the ball up the middle of the defense and a guard/center is wiping the linebacker out on every play.

 

[Mondio]

I don´t expect Clinton-Dix to turn into the second coming of Collins either but you have to realize it took Nick some years as well to play at a dominant level.

yeah it did, you could see the talent early on, but the knowledge of the game wasn't there yet. I think it was year 4 we really started to see how good he was going to be.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The Packers have been missing a decent NT for years. A sideline-to-sideline linebacker would be nice, but the 3-4 requires a good NT to be a dominant defense. That sideline-to-sideline linebacker won't be running to the sideline when the other team is pounding the ball up the middle of the defense and a guard/center is wiping the linebacker out on every play.

There´s no denying the Packers need an upgrade at NT over last season. It´s possible though that the front office and coaches expect Raji to be capable of providing it in 2015.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

There´s no denying the Packers need an upgrade at NT over last season. It´s possible though that the front office and coaches expect Raji to be capable of providing it in 2015.

They may be hoping but if they're counting on it I'd be surprised. He's provided no evidence in the last four years that he gas what it takes to be even an average NT. He was even terrible in a contract year for goodness sake!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

They may be hoping but if they're counting on it I'd be surprised. He's provided no evidence in the last four years that he gas what it takes to be even an average NT. He was even terrible in a contract year for goodness sake!

I don't share the optimism for Raji until proven wrong by his play, just wanted to point out that it's possible the team feels different about it.

In addition the first round pick probably offers the only chance to significantly upgrade the position which I'm not convinced should be spend on a NT.

 

[easyk83]

Its possible that the staff is counting on some found money in the likes of Khyri Thornton, Jared Abbrederis and BJ Raji.