Poppinga to Start Again

[pyledriver80]

How long does it take to realize a change is needed? Poppinga is a liablility on a Defense that is already struggling bad enough.

This is troubling to me. Why can we not make the changes that need to be made. Is it just youth in the coaching staff or just poor decision making?

 

[tromadz]

Looks like this will be a chance for Poppinga to get strike three before he's out . Hopefully he just steps up his pass defense and a change won't need to be made, cuz he's solid, except pass D.

But if he struggles again...there should be no reason for him to be in there at all.

 

[porky88]

Poppinga is starting because he plays the run better than Ben Taylor. It's similar to Manuel to Roman. Manuel helps the Pack out on the run more but struggles a lot against the Pass.

Taylor doesn't play the run as good as Poppinga but is so much better against the pass. If the coaching staff was smart and not stubborn they'd design packages where Poppinga would be in on running downs only and Taylor in on passing downs. I'd like to see a lot more of Taylor on 3rd downs and 2nd and long situations and keep Poppinga in on 2nd and short plays.

 

[tromadz]

If the coaching staff was smart and not stubborn they'd design packages where Poppinga would be in on running downs only and Taylor in on passing downs.

Thats what they did with Manuel\Culver a couple times on passing downs. They put Culver in, which I completely went nuts about. I hope you're right (or someone just improves the other aspect and can play mostly all the time).

 

[pyledriver80]

Poppinga is starting because he plays the run better than Ben Taylor. It's similar to Manuel to Roman. Manuel helps the Pack out on the run more but struggles a lot against the Pass.

Taylor doesn't play the run as good as Poppinga but is so much better against the pass. If the coaching staff was smart and not stubborn they'd design packages where Poppinga would be in on running downs only and Taylor in on passing downs. I'd like to see a lot more of Taylor on 3rd downs and 2nd and long situations and keep Poppinga in on 2nd and short plays.

I live in Ohio and am familiar with Taylor. He had over 100 tackles with the Browns. He actually played the run really well with Cleveland.

 

[porky88]

Poppinga is starting because he plays the run better than Ben Taylor. It's similar to Manuel to Roman. Manuel helps the Pack out on the run more but struggles a lot against the Pass.

Taylor doesn't play the run as good as Poppinga but is so much better against the pass. If the coaching staff was smart and not stubborn they'd design packages where Poppinga would be in on running downs only and Taylor in on passing downs. I'd like to see a lot more of Taylor on 3rd downs and 2nd and long situations and keep Poppinga in on 2nd and short plays.

I live in Ohio and am familiar with Taylor. He had over 100 tackles with the Browns. He actually played the run really well with Cleveland.

He also played inside LB in Cleveland and didn't have to shed as many blocks to get to the ball carrier. Poppinga does that better but he is just awful against the pass.

I agree that Taylor should start as Poppinga is not ready. He didn't practice much. Coming off an injury and he's a young raw player. I think he has a solid future ahead of him but right Taylor is just the better player.

 

[Zero2Cool]

He was one of two middle linebackers with the Browns. They run a 3 - 4 I believe. He was saying he wanted to come to GB because we ran a 4 -3 which gave him more oppurtunities.

 

[warhawk]

I would have to believe that Taylor is probably not that great in coverage or he would certainly be used in obvious passing downs. My GUESS, and it's only a guess, is that he hasn't shown that much more than Poppy in coverage or he would be in there more.

There is no doubt he is better against the run. He's very good there. I did see him in better position more often than last week. He lined up wrong against Horn on the long pass but the deep help didn't get there either so that wasn't entirely his fault.

One thought I had was moving Taylor back inside on passing downs where he is used to playing from in the 3-4 and using Barnett's speed on the T.E.'s on those plays.

 

[kewlbeans]

I though Poppinga played ok in pass situations against the Saints. Him being lined up man to man on Joe Horn falls completely on the DC. No way you can expect any linebacker to cover Horn.

 

[Lare]

I say we give Poppinga a couple of more years to improve. If he doesn't do better by then we should consider replacing him. :-?

 

[Chamuko]

Poppy has some picks of MM and TT collecting flowers, hands grabbed, totally naked....

That is why the job is his for the season !!!

 

[Greg C.]

For all the Packers' talent at linebacker, it's funny that they don't seem to have anyone who can play the strong side. They make covering a tight end sound like rocket science. Poppinga looked ready in that last preseason game, but obviously he wasn't. But I think the coaching staff would like him to work through this instead of giving him the quick hook. Hopefully this approach will pay off in the long run. He does seem to have the potential to be a very good player.

 

[Lare]

Poppinga looked ready in that last preseason game, but obviously he wasn't. But I think the coaching staff would like him to work through this instead of giving him the quick hook. Hopefully this approach will pay off in the long run.

Well if nothing else, it should help us get a better draft position next year. :-?

 

[warhawk]

I though Poppinga played ok in pass situations against the Saints. Him being lined up man to man on Joe Horn falls completely on the DC. No way you can expect any linebacker to cover Horn.

He wasn't supposed to cover him all the way on that play. He had coverage off the line and then he was to be picked up by the back. The mistake he made was not lining up propery which allowed Horn to run his route and make the catch before the back got there.

(I read about this in an article about the big plays that hurt the Pack in that game and what happened that allowed them). I too thought it was crazy to have him on Horn but that wasn't the whole deal on that play.

He played a better game overall than last week. I will say that the TE for the Bears had another big week. He and Muhammad have been the studs in this recent offensive explosion by the Bears.