Packers sign Mo Wilkerson

[HardRightEdge]

All defensive linemen are rotational, some more than others. But make no mistake about it Wilkerson is a starter on this and any team and he's just as good as Mike Daniels or Kenny Clark.

None of them are edge players.

 

[Dantés]

He won't be playing there. Or if he does, he won't be any good at it. Move past it.

If he bounces back, he will likely be playing a lot of places, mostly 5, 3, and 1.

Here’s an idea— maybe you shouldn’t condescendingly dismiss opinions off the cuff without getting your facts straight.

 

[HardRightEdge]

If he bounces back, he will likely be playing a lot of places, mostly 5, 3, and 1.

Here’s an idea— maybe you shouldn’t condescendingly dismiss opinions off the cuff without getting your facts straight.

5 is not the edge.

 

[Dantés]

5 is not the edge.

You’re good at this!

 

[GleefulGary]

1) Wilkerson took a lower number to play here, so it's not quite fair to tout how low number (which you complained about) as proof that he wasn't wanted across the league.

2) Wilkerson got cut because of effort + $$$ issues, not talent. He's a very talented player. If the effort is there, then we're gonna be in good shape. If it's not, he's still at worst a decent player.

3) This started out by you saying that Wilkerson didn't play on the edge, and now you've morphed it into saying he can't do it well. Obviously you wouldn't know since you didn't even know he played there. Nobody here is saying we want him playing there, just that he has done it in his past. I mean, Julius Peppers plays at 285-300 during the season at 38 years old and he plays the edge. It's not outlandish that Wilkerson can spot play there situationally...and clearly our DC agrees. I'll trust him over you on that take for obvious reasons.


@HardRightEdge

 

[OldSchool101]

I just read an article about Wilkerson and it occurred to me I was actually at the game where he hit Bak in the head and was ejected. Our group was near the Visitors tunnel in the Home Opener and when Mo strolled by after being ejected we all waved and booed him out of the Stadium. He waved back which I thought was hilarious!
Davante Adams was just a rookie and had a mini coming out party with several key hard fought first downs
We were getting humiliated by Jets early and that season (the first 6 quarters) looked dismal until we came alive around halftime and sent Jordy on a GO route with a double TE set from our side of the field.
Jordy flat out burned their CB and scored a long TD and we never looked back. Great game but never realized until tonight that was Mo Wilkerson getting ejected at Lambeau!
Love the irony of him now playing for us just a few years later. This guy is a fighter alright!!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Evidently the Jets, and nobody else in the league, agrees that Wilkerson is an edge rusher. Otherwise, we would not have signed him for $4.7 mil.

I haven't seen any poster suggesting to primarily use Wilkerson rushing from the edge. He has been productive doing it occasionally in the past though.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I haven't seen any poster suggesting to primarily use Wilkerson rushing from the edge. He has been productive doing it occasionally in the past though.

Upteen posts back I said I would expect he might be used outside the tackles on occasion: 3rd. and 2, strong side, a tweener down, more for run defense as the league is predominantly quick throw passing in those situations. Throw in 1 to go or goal line with a big body front.

 

[HardRightEdge]

It might be worth mentioning, but probably not it would appear, that Pettine left the Jets after 2012. Wilkerson's double digit sack seasons in 2013 and 2015 were in Dennis Thurman and Kacey Rodgers defenses, respectively. Kacey Rodgers also happened to be the Jet's D cooridinator the last 2 seasons. Rodgers being the most successful "Mo whisperer" in his 2015 Pro Bowl season couldn't keep him particularly productive the last two seasons.

 

[Dantés]

A one year, incentive laden contract is what I'm looking towards to be the "Mo Whisperer."

 

[HardRightEdge]

I made a passing reference to Raji recently and it reminded me of how Capers burned him out with high snap counts. It got me thinking about checking Wilkerson's snap counts. The following are his defensive snap count percentages from https://www.footballoutsiders.com/index.php?q=stats/snapcounts if anybody wants to see for themselves. They go back only to 2012 and I cannot locate another source for 2011:

2011: ?
2012: 85.3% - 16 games
2013: 94.5% - 16 games
2014: 79.5% - 13 games
2015: 89.3% - 16 games
2016: 81.5% - 15 games
2017: 62.4% - 13 games

Clearly his production declined after signing the big contract after 2015. However "motivation" is only half of that story. The guy is worn down. As the Packers cut Raji's work load back to 60+ percent range without much affect, it appears the Jets tried the same to some degree in 2017 with similar affect.

These number are akin to a RB with 2,500 touches.

This is not a reclamation project. This is more like the scene from "Moneyball" where Beane had the heart-to-heart talk with Justice.

"I want to milk the last ounce of [football] out of you; you want to stay in the show. I'm not paying for the player you used to be. I'm paying you for the player you are now."

That about sums it up. Except the Yankees are not paying half of Wilkerson's salary.

 

[Dantés]

Wilkerson declined after he broke his leg at the end of 2016 and checked out mentally. This is why I continue to say that he’ll pay off if he’s healthy and motivated.

This is a bizarre crusade to prove that a low risk, high reward signing was a bad idea .

 

[HardRightEdge]

Wilkerson declined after he broke his leg at the end of 2016 and checked out mentally. This is why I continue to say that he’ll pay off if he’s healthy and motivated.

This is a bizarre crusade to prove that a low risk, high reward signing was a bad idea .

$5 mil is halfway to a player who might make a medningful difference. That's not bizarre. The decline started before he broke his leg. You might want to consider whether he checked out mentally because of the years of getting the crap beat out of him on excessive snap counts. Once the money is in the pocket, climbing that mental hill on Sunday just makes it tougher. Then getting injured makes it tougher yet.

A crusade? How about exploring in more depth one of only three significant moves to date instead of the run of the mill pablum being dished on this player? Did any beat writer bother to look at these snap counts and what that might mean? I don't think so.

 

[Dantés]

$5 mil is halfway to a player who might make a medningful difference. That's not bizarre. The decline started before he broke his leg. You might want to consider whether he checked out mentally because of the years of getting the crap beat out of him on excessive snap counts. Once the money is in the pocket, climbing that mental hill on Sunday just makes it tougher. Then getting injured makes it tougher yet.

A crusade? How about exploring in more depth one of only three significant moves to date instead of the run of the mill pablum being dished on this player? Did any beat writer bother to look at these snap counts and what that might mean? I don't think so.

That 5M has not prevented them from signing anyone. It’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

So basically we should ignore what all the people say who have covered him because you looked up his snap counts?

Thank goodness we have you here to tell us what the beat writers refuse to share!

 

[GleefulGary]

If only you put this much effort into researching whether he ever played on the edge...

 

[Dantés]

If only you put this much effort into researching whether he ever played on the edge...

But then who would pretend to be a capologist? Who would warn the rest of the fans about how everything the team does is dooming them to financial ruin forevermore? We need someone manning this position, JJ. It’s a fan forum requirement.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Don't get me wrong, I love the Wilkerson signing, but I think it is fair to say that we don't know exactly what we are getting and won't know until well into the season. I hope it doesn't turn out the same, but it reminds me a bit of the Mo Bennett signing. Although we all knew Bennett was carrying baggage, we were just thankful to get the guy in Green Bay and assumed that being in Green Bay was all he needed to have a great year. This could end up just being another pay day for Wilkerson as he decides to pad his retirement account or we could see one of the best bargains in Free Agency in a long time.

 

[thequick12]

I just read an article about Wilkerson and it occurred to me I was actually at the game where he hit Bak in the head and was ejected. Our group was near the Visitors tunnel in the Home Opener and when Mo strolled by after being ejected we all waved and booed him out of the Stadium. He waved back which I thought was hilarious!
Davante Adams was just a rookie and had a mini coming out party with several key hard fought first downs
We were getting humiliated by Jets early and that season (the first 6 quarters) looked dismal until we came alive around halftime and sent Jordy on a GO route with a double TE set from our side of the field.
Jordy flat out burned their CB and scored a long TD and we never looked back. Great game but never realized until tonight that was Mo Wilkerson getting ejected at Lambeau!
Love the irony of him now playing for us just a few years later. This guy is a fighter alright!!

I was there too couldn't see what happened with Wilkerson but I do remember him walking off. And that touchdown to Jordy was classic you could see it all the way

 

[HardRightEdge]

If only you put this much effort into researching whether he ever played on the edge...

He can't play the edge. Why spend time irrelevancies?

 

[GleefulGary]

He can't play the edge. Why spend time irrelevancies?

You actually initially said Wilkerson couldn't play Edge or outside the tackle. There was nothing about quality play in your statement. Not that you would know about the quality of play since you clearly did no research before posting your insane drivel about how Wilkerson's 2.8% of our cap is going to ruin our team.

 

[HardRightEdge]

You actually initially said Wilkerson couldn't play Edge or outside the tackle. There was nothing about quality play in your statement. Not that you would know about the quality of play since you clearly did no research before posting your insane drivel about how Wilkerson's 2.8% of our cap is going to ruin our team.

Tsk, tsk.

 

[PackerDNA]

Great article on Mo at www.cbssports.com. He's been working out very hard and sounds extremely motivated. Thrilled to be with the Packers.

 

[GreenBaySlacker]

He is going to dominate if he can stay healthy...
Clark and Daniels will look better too this year I bet...

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

He is going to dominate if he can stay healthy...
Clark and Daniels will look better too this year I bet...

I'm excited about our Dline, if they can stay healthy, with Lowery and Adams rotating in, they could be a force. Those 5 guys could help open up some lanes to get a much better pass rush. I think the Packers will go Edge or CB with their first pick, but if Roquan Smith is there, I think he would start immediately and he and Martinez, behind that DL, would make everyone look better.

 

[Snoops]

I'm excited about our Dline, if they can stay healthy, with Lowery and Adams rotating in, they could be a force. Those 5 guys could help open up some lanes to get a much better pass rush. I think the Packers will go Edge or CB with their first pick, but if Roquan Smith is there, I think he would start immediately and he and Martinez, behind that DL, would make everyone look better.

I was thinkin the same thing if Smith is there u take him I guess depends if ward James is there also tho honestly I have no idea who they gonna pick