Cory's Corner: Don't Underestimate This Defense

There are athletes all over the field as this unit has the look and feel of a brand new sports car. 

It appears that the defense has evened the score at Packers training camp. 

The offense got out to an early lead but when the pads came on, the defense showed that they were not going to be pushed around.

“We’re fast, physical,” said defensive lineman Jarran Reed, who is entering his seventh pro season. “We’re close. Everybody is congratulating each other when we make plays. It’s fun being on this defense. I really like it.”

The one word that stood out to me was fun. You don’t see too many pro players describe training camp as fun. There are plenty of veterans that opt to miss training camp simply because they don’t want to practice in the sweltering August sun.

But this unit is different. We all saw it when De’Vondre Campbell earned a first team All-Pro selection in his first season as a Packer. That one move cascaded through the entire unit and now the defense is even better with athletes like Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt joining the group and with Eric Stokes building on the confidence he earned while being the anchor of the secondary with Jaire Alexander out with a shoulder injury last year. 

“The biggest thing I would say is that our speed really stands out across the ball on defense,” said Packers defensive lineman Dean Lowry. “Whether it’s your D-line, linebackers or secondary. Right now our pursuit to the football has been really top notch and that’s been something that (Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry) has been stressing every single day because we have the ability to get there and make some plays and create havoc.”

And that speed is something that will give Barry a devilish grin. He knows that he can take chances with a blitz or a coverage and he has enough speed on the back side to compensate for it. 

The Packers were successful with one dynamic playmaker at inside linebacker last year. What happens to opposing teams when Walker’s speed and disruption is added to the already tough to handle mix? 

You’re going to get opposing offensive coordinators continually frustrated by third down stops. That will lead to more chances and ultimately more turnover opportunities for a ball-hungry unit. 

Saying that this defense will be just good won’t do it justice. For the first time in a long time, we will see Kenny Clark go up against single coverage and he will win that matchup just about every time. We will see Rashan Gary make a serious challenge for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. We will see Jaire Alexander take away a portion of the football field as Stokes and Rasul Douglas win their one-on-one battles. 

For the last several years, what has been the biggest knock on the Packers defense? It has been the lack of athletic playmakers on defense to handle the glut of versatile offensive skill players that litter today’s NFL. General manager Brian Gutekunst has changed that and turned this defense into a sleek and shiny Corvette that won’t be afraid to light up the tires after a turnover or sack. 

Opposing teams will expect a good defense. But that will be a vast understatement. 

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn

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Comments (62)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Bure9620's picture

August 06, 2022 at 06:28 am

We had a top 5 D in 2010, Favre had the 2nd ranked defense at some point. Maybe the best unit in my lifetime.

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Since'61's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:33 am

Actually in the 1996 sb season Favre had the #1 ranked defense. He also had the #1 offense in '96.
Thanks, Since '61

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Johnblood27's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:21 pm

Yo Since, that may very well have been before Bure's lifetime...

LOL!

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Since'61's picture

August 06, 2022 at 02:43 pm

Good point! However it's easily researched. Thanks, Since '61

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Bure9620's picture

August 07, 2022 at 10:50 am

Haha, born in '83. So I existed, but at 12 and 13 I was not capable of breaking down strengths and weaknesses 9f an NFL defense, no.

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Bure9620's picture

August 07, 2022 at 10:50 am

Haha, born in '83. So I existed, but at 12 and 13 I was not capable of breaking down strengths and weaknesses of an NFL defense, no.

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ricky's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:24 am

This is an extremely rosy, upbeat and optimistic article. Now, let's see if it holds up when the games are real. It would be a great change to see the defense actually make stops on third down, instead of being stalwart for the first two, only to allow the opponent to convert on third on a regular basis. It would also be nice if the defense became strong tacklers, putting a player on the ground, rather than allowing extra yards due to poor effort. This defense has all the ingredients. But to write about what they're going to do is speculation. I'm hopeful, but wary. Show me what you've done, don't tell me what you're going to do.

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Steve George's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:49 am

The good part is that this defense was 9th in total yards last year, and they have added Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Jarran Reed, and got a healthy Jaire Alexander back.

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DTowleJr's picture

August 06, 2022 at 10:09 am

Truth.

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Johnblood27's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:24 pm

But...

They also lost Chandon Sullivan, Tyler Lancaster, Henry Black, Kingsley Kiki, Oren Burks...

oh well... you're right!

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 06, 2022 at 03:39 pm

They were closer to middle of the league when it comes to DVOA and not good vs the run. Also 5th vs WRs in the passing game but 20th vs RBs and 28th vs TEs. That's good and bad, you're not letting the players that can hurt you the most hurt but you are allowing too many 1st downs.

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DTowleJr's picture

August 06, 2022 at 10:08 am

It's a rosy article because it's that time of the year, so why would you expect anything less? Every team has these rosy expectations... except in the case of the Packers, that optimism was clearly showcased during last night's Family Night practice. The Defense was destructive, these players we all heard about made huge plays. Wyatt was a beast, as advertised. And the Red Zone defense was superior, stopping 6 of 7 possessions.

I prefer looking optimistically at what is going on right now, because gawd knows there are enough naysayers throughout the season.

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Rarescope's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:38 pm

"gawd knows there are enough naysayers throughout the season."

Apparently you haven't been reading many comments during the offseason - their poisonous negativity is on full display here 365 24/7 :D

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 06, 2022 at 03:43 pm

I think this is one of the more positive Packer sites. There's certainly a "sky is falling" type or two on here but that's to be expected.

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PhantomII's picture

August 06, 2022 at 10:54 am

The offense ALSO needs to stop getting a ton of 3 n outs which tend to tire a defense out...Like in the playoffs. It's a TEAM fail...Not to mention...But I will our HOF QB running the clock to zero and completely resting the other teams defense on every snap...Probably his biggest bonehead theme.

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Since'61's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:42 am

Rodgers runs the clock down because he is reading the defense and he is looking for the best matchups that his receivers are likely to win. The fact that he is a first ballot HOF player and that he has won the last 2 consecutive league MVPs plus 4 overall plus his record as a starting QB should indicate to you that our HOF Qb has a pretty good idea what he is doing. Not to mention that as Rodgers moves the team down the field and running the clock down he is resting his own defense while keeping the opponents defense on the field.

When those facts are positioned against the last 2 sentences in your post in just proves that what you don't know about Rodgers or playing QB is the NFL is a lot.

Focus on the execution, Rodgers career QB rating, W/L record and TD/Int. ratio are what matter, not whether he runs the clock down to get the possible result from the upcoming play. Thanks, Since '61

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Coldworld's picture

August 06, 2022 at 12:33 pm

That may not be as viable this year when formation changes seem likely to be a much bigger factor. That was a tactic with a settled core of skill players and increasingly minimal between snap personnel changes. It also was questionably effective against certain good Ds.

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PhantomII's picture

August 06, 2022 at 12:55 pm

LOL. Winding the clock down to zero to throw it to DA AGAIN AND AGAIN. It also totally slows down the offenses tempo which GB is the most up and down inconsistent mess. It allows the defense to get a jump as the offense has to hike the ball. Furthermore NOBODY WINS MVP by themselves it's a complete team effort glorified to a single person. ML offense is completely negated by AR actions pre-snap. ML offense is made for movement in the backfield and AR cannot/ will not do it his coaches way. Same way same result. We kick the snot out of lesser teams and fold with solid competition. AR is one of the best regular season QB's ever. Post season with real competition...NOT. Sits on the bench and sulks instead of firing up the offense or defense. See TB12 Champion for how to lead. I have higher hopes for this team solely from the defensive and ST pending improvements alone.
Can the 50 million dollar man get it done...If the defense can return a few for pick sixes in the playoffs and ST improve Yes.

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Rarescope's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:43 pm

"AR cannot/ will not do it his coaches way."

This is a recurring theme I see here. I'm not saying it's not true, but gosh darn it I'd love to see some actual evidence. Seems like MLF and AR are pretty buddy buddy and I have a hard time jiving that with comments like this... \/''\/

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jont's picture

August 06, 2022 at 06:50 pm

"This is a recurring theme I see here. I'm not saying it's not true, but gosh darn it I'd love to see some actual evidence."

Amen, brother.

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Johnblood27's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:29 pm

I will concede that AR's reading of the defense is one of his greatest skills,...

However...

Mixing things up with a quick snap every now and then wouldn't be a bad thing, especially on run plays where the OL is in stance and twitched up and could benefit from a quick snap count and a nice jump on the defense.

There are times when a long count can be advantageous and times when it creates second and third and long to allow AR his "must pass" situations and subsequent heroics... just sayin'...

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PhantomII's picture

August 06, 2022 at 02:06 pm

I believe it's done for consistency wether running or passing AR does the same thing...for good or bad. I agree switching it up tempo or even a quick handoff occasionally would at least be something. ML had a lot of backfield movement but AR did not like it and impacted his comfort zone in deciding weaknesses in the defense. Others just mosey up to the line and press their will onto the other team. I believe AR is just comfortable in his process and nobody has ever decided to prod him out of it. I think ML tried year 2 and that was it. Love will be the benefactor of it instead as he is still moldable and not set in his ways. It's called placating the Diva.

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jannes bjornson's picture

August 06, 2022 at 05:06 pm

They score more proficiently in hurry-up mode. Score points fast and then grind on the opponent. Make sure you get7s not FGs. The Defense will help with field position this year. More stunting heavy fronts, less picket line stasis.

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LeotisHarris's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:47 pm

It is rosy, upbeat and optimistic, but certainly not out of touch with reality. For that kind of take, we need only look to the bio of Las Vegas Raiders Assistant Special Teams Coach Maurice Drayton:

https://www.raiders.com/team/coaches-roster/maurice-drayton

Did our eyes deceive us? How in the world did the Packers allow such a gifted coach to escape?

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PhantomII's picture

August 06, 2022 at 02:15 pm

I think he was way over his head and his hands were tied in providing good starters available to him by ML. I also believe Gute did not prioritize draft picks in certain places for ST purposes from which draftees had excelled at in college enough. We all know Murphy did not want to put down coin for a known top ST coach. However that was another shot at a Super Bowl down the tubes. Sometimes it truly and sadly has to hit the fan so bad even upper management get the picture novice fans knew years ago.

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PatrickGB's picture

August 06, 2022 at 03:42 pm

A local guy from my area. A real nice fellow. He talked a good game and is a decent assistant. Yet not a good enough coach for the NFL.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 07, 2022 at 02:24 am

The author of Drayton's bio is worth his/her/its/cake's weight in gold to politicians, celebrities, public relations firms, corporations, and any entity trying to spin something bad into sounding great.

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HawkPacker's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:33 am

I can't wait for the season to start. I watched a portion of Family Night last night on TV. It was interesting but somewhat boring to me. Even preseason games will be fun to watch. This defense should be outstanding but I am trying to temper my enthusiasm.

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BradHTX's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:55 am

Nobody is underestimating the POTENTIAL of this defense.

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dobber's picture

August 06, 2022 at 10:06 am

I agree. I don't worry about us UNDERestimating this defense.

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Rarescope's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:44 pm

So... you're saying you think they'll be alright this year dobber?

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 06, 2022 at 04:05 pm

It's getting harder to temper expectations that's for sure. Before camp started I would've said I'd be happy with a top 5 defense. That would mean they probably didn't have a terrible game against a questionable opponent like the Saints, Ravens and Browns(rushing) last year. But when you start looking at all the pieces top 3 doesn't seem out of the realm. Not much separated the top 5 teams last year except #1Buffalo. They gave up 33 yards less on average than #2 Carolina and 37 yards less than the 49ers. The DVOA numbers are harder to find but Buffalo was clearly the best defense in the league last year.

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stockholder's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:57 am

Safety is still a problem. Savage is turning into King. How he responds, will speak volumes for this Defense.

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Coldworld's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:11 am

Savage has been pretty good in camp by all accounts that I’ve seen.

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Johnblood27's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:34 pm

Savages hamstring is Kings shoulder...

Savage needs to bring it this season. His development into a real playmaker would push this defensive backfield over the top.

QB's are loathe to test Jaire.
Stokes can hold his own against even no. 1's
Douglas has turned into a ball-hawking 'junior' Woodson
Amos is a steady as they come
2 athletic freaks at ILB limit the underneath options

This leaves the stage open for Savage to become the impact player he has the potential to be.

I sure hope he has been watching Nick Collins and Darren Sharper (on the field) film in the off-season!

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Rarescope's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:46 pm

I hope he does well too blood. My only concern is that a defense is only as good as their worst player. QB b like Jaire, Stokes, Douglas, nope nope and nope. Whoever is left is going to get tested frequently.

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wildbill's picture

August 06, 2022 at 04:58 pm

I used to cringe every time Bush came into a game knowing that’s now where the ball is headed. He struggled mightily throughout his career. But then steps up in the Super Bowl with a huge interception. I agree your only as strong as your weakest link but, these being professional football players, they all should be capable of making plays occasionally. Let’s hope our weak links are on the bench and not forced into action due to injury as Bush was.

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jannes bjornson's picture

August 06, 2022 at 05:11 pm

Barry will blitz him from the slot if QBs are so tuned into his location.

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Johnblood27's picture

August 08, 2022 at 11:17 am

the weakest link is no longer Chandon Sullivan... thats an improvement!

now Sullivan is our guy to pick on since he wears purple!!!

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mrtundra's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:01 am

I like what I have seen and read about our Defense, so far. Calling them great, or top notch, will come after we give the vikings another drubbing in week one. Putting that group of thugs in their place, is all I am dreaming of, right now. Especially so when they post the Barr cheap shot on Rodgers, as a thank you card, to Anthony Barr's leaving the team to go to the Cowboys. A more pathetic organization and team, you will never find! I pray our Defense stifles Cousins, Cook and their receivers, in every game we play them. GO PACK, GO!!!

7 points
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HawkPacker's picture

August 06, 2022 at 09:25 am

' I pray our Defense stifles Cousins, Cook and their receivers, in every game we play them.'

Well, we certainly have the defense to do that. We just need to make sure we perform and make the necessary in game adjustments, which in my mind is MLF's greatest weakness.

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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:01 am

My seats at Family Night were not nearly as good as last years but I was able to notice a few things:

Quay can cover a lot of territory quickly. Gary is just freaky scary!

The Packers got a steal in Romeo. Guy is legitimate and has what appears to be star potential. Don't sleep on Samouri Toure. Liked what I saw! Watched Jordan Love a lot and Packer fans while real bullets weren't flying (pressure) I was impressed. Looks the part and hope he is able to continue showing improvement throughout the season.

By the way David Bachtiari sure enjoying that big fat contract driving to the stadium in his Lamborghini. Whether he can play or not he looks good!

5 points
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mrtundra's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:06 am

I agree on Samari Toure! He had three TDs in last nights' practice. From what I've heard he made spectacular catches on at least two of those TDs. I'm really excited for the regular season to begin! Jordan Love is also a lot better than many give him credit for. Wasn't that a Lambeau-ghini that Bakh drove to the stadium??? GO PACK, GO!!!

5 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:41 am

MrT,
LOL!

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NickPerry's picture

August 06, 2022 at 09:43 am

Hey Knock...Thanks for your take. Always good to hear from someone who's there watching it live. Hey buddy, don't worry about DB and his Lambo...I think he'll be out there this year sooner than later leading that O-Line.

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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:07 pm

LOL Nick!

Hoping you are right about DB. I'd think until he gets back out there maybe he should drive something a little more modest...like a moped, or a VW. 😀

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Guam's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:27 am

Watched the Family Night scrimmage on TV and needed a program to keep track of all of the O-line shuffles. None of the O-lines looked particularly good in run blocking - the Packer defense is stout and fast, both inside and outside. The running game was largely stifled by the Packer D. Due to the nature of the scrimmage, there wasn't much pressure on the QBs, but the passing attack didn't look very consistent. Love hit some bombs over the top, but neither Rodgers nor Love could consistently move the ball through the air.

Watkins looked okay, Doubs looked good, Lazard was okay and every other WR was hit and miss. Toure got a TD when the reserve safety completely misread the pattern and hung his CB out when the CB thought he had help deep. Toure was five yards or more past both defenders when he caught the pass from Love. To Love's credit, he saw the misread by the safety and threw an easy and very catchable ball to Toure. Toure had other good catches and a couple of drops on passes he should have caught.

Cory is right, this defense is fast and impressive. Will need to see more in actual games, but I think this may be the best defense the Packers have had since the Woodson bunch.

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Coldworld's picture

August 06, 2022 at 10:41 am

Not sure I agree with your takes on Toure at all. Two of those catches were against very tight coverage and extremely difficult and acrobatic while requiring not only considerable body control but ball awareness. The long one ended up being easy because he toasted the defender on his release and his speed got him free behind. Nice ball tracking.

I did not notice the referenced routine drops on passes he could have caught. He didn’t get that many reps and I was following him closely so I would have expected to. That said, TV coverage was irritatingly broken up.

I am now seeing a lot of places have him as the star of the game/standout or similar. As I wrote elsewhere after the practice, he clearly was for me. Certainly, LaFleur mentioned him as standing out in the night, so we likely see much more of him From now on to continue evaluating.

Happily, Wyatt got the most plaudits I’ve seen as the defensive player who helped himself most. I agree. Tom looked overmatched physically and Newman is not a T in my book. Caleb Jones looks better than billed though. At this point I’d try him. Nijman and Runyon looked good in tandem.

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stockholder's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:51 am

I agree with you on Toure. I Hope they can keep him.

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jannes bjornson's picture

August 06, 2022 at 01:45 pm

All three rookie WRs will see the field over the course of this season. A. Rodgers may be the guy sent out of the room.

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Grandfathered's picture

August 06, 2022 at 07:47 pm

I doubt that Amari Rogers is released. If not for our QB, I think Cobb would be more likely to be released. Toure is more likely to slip to the PS.

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Guam's picture

August 06, 2022 at 02:02 pm

On the long pass, it looked to me like the defender pulled up when Toure made a move to the middle (i.e. like he expected deep help over the middle). Maybe Toure just blew by him - likely will never know for sure. Certainly the safety completely misplayed the pattern and left Toure wide open. I agreed with you that he had other nice catches, but he also dropped at least one if not two other passes. Certainly has potential, but just not sold on him yet.

CVL did better than I expected playing both LT and LG, although better at LG. Agreed that Newman is not a tackle. I also thought Nijman played the best of the O-line bunch although Myers was a close second. Like the Nijman - Runyon - Myers combo. The right side of the O-line is up for grabs.

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Coldworld's picture

August 06, 2022 at 04:03 pm

I am not sold on any player till it’s done in meaningful games. I am very excited about the potential shown by Doubs. I like the chances that Lazard can step up more now than when camp opened, but I’m certain of neither.

I am pretty excited by Toure’s upside. To be fair, I liked him coming into the draft as a later round guy I thought undervalued. But I was thinking maybe 5th and (Doubs late second). As LaFleur said, he’s got some real attributes but he has to stack up wins. If he does I think he’s a long time Packer with his ability. We have already had it confirmed that he will now get more opportunities.

I thought the same of Adams when most did not, but I also thought J’Mon Moore would turn it round after a few excellent, difficult catches in practice after most gave up. Si I’m certainly no savant.

So much of it is what Is going on inside craniums. What I will say is that to succeed meaningfully one needs real physical talent as raw material. Adams had unique feet and short area skills (routes really came later despite the myth), Jennings had hands and gears that let him slide by. Nelson size and deceptive speed to which he added great field awareness, etc. So I look at what their raw materials are.

Doubs and Toure have speed, agility, an ability to know where the ball is, field awareness to know where the sidelines are and the hands to make extremely difficult catches. Doubs may have more and appears more ready (frankly he seems extraordinarily so), but Toure has significant potential too and is starting to make highlight plays. I find that exciting.

These guys have high upsides, as well Watson. 3 in one draft would be freakishly fortunate. I think all 3 can contribute this year if needed, I think all 3 will be better in future. I think all 3 should make the roster and Toure will do too much to pass waivers. Fingers crossed.

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 06, 2022 at 06:26 pm

It's obviously hindsight but keeping those 2nd rounders and coming away with Pierce and Bonitto or Jelani Woods is starting look pretty good with the way Doubs and Toure look right now. It would be wild if all three WRs became fixtures on the Packers down the road.

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Guam's picture

August 06, 2022 at 09:12 pm

Assuming Watkins, Lazard, Watson, Doubs and Cobb make the 53, if Toure also makes it, what does that mean for Amari Rodgers? Watson may start the season on PUP, which would make temporary room for Toure and Rodgers, but that will change at some point in the season when he comes off PUP.

I want the best six WRs on the 53, but will GB give up on a third round draft choice after one season to make room for Toure? They gave up on Moore, a fourth rounder, after one year. I just don't know - there is lots of preseason left, but a Toure vs Rodgers scenario is very possible.

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 06, 2022 at 04:10 pm

I thought the TD Toure caught from Etling was more impressive than the long one from Love. He showed good speed to get behind the DBs on the Love throw but I thought he showed great hands and excellent hand eye coordination to catch that Etling pass with a guy all over him.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 07, 2022 at 02:55 am

As I wrote in a comment on the 8/4 roundup, I was less positive about the offensive line after attending that practice. I think as a group of 10 or 12, it is a good group. Quite a few of these guys will have longish NFL careers. I liked Caleb Jones, but he almost certainly won't help this year.

I just didn't like the top five very much. That is, the top 2 or three look like NFL starters. Runyan looks at least above average if not a high quality starter, and maybe Myers and/or Nijman can be average to above average. After that, I didn't see anyone who I thought could be penciled in as a likely high quality starter in 2022. Made me think the line needed Bakh and Jenkins back to be a good line.

I had trouble explaining it, but based on one practice I didn't think Toure had a real weakness. Smooth and does pretty much everything well. Just need to see if he can elevate parts of his game into the outstanding territory. I thought Doubs did have some outstanding physical characteristics. Nice get off from the line, able to win at the line, able to make sharp cuts without gearing down and more than enough speed to get deep with an ability to track and make the contested catch. A lot of those qualities looked like above average abilities. Pretty happy with both, though Toure might need reps and time because he is painfully thin. Doubs looks pretty ready.

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NickPerry's picture

August 06, 2022 at 09:40 am

Quay Walker is one of the most athletic LBs to come along in years AND he's one of those tacklers who when he hits you, he wraps up and you aren't going anywhere. Wyatt was one of the most athletic big men ever tested at the combine.

When you add that to a defense that was already pretty damn good, throw in a Jarran Reed, a healthy Jarie Alexander, a DPOY candidate in Rashan Gary, AND a 2nd-year jump (hopefully) from Eric Stokes, and you have the makings of a top 5 Championship Defense. A defense capable of carrying a team at times.

YES... It's on paper but this Defense is tough on EVERY level. I give a damn if it's on paper, these guys are all young, under 30, and I think they KNOW how great they can be. Sure, some edge rusher depth or a 3rd safety would be great, but I'm not sure if there's a defense I'd rather have in the NFL than the Packers...

Oh, and that picture of Kenny Clark above? The one where he seems really happy about destroying some RB in the backfield or knocking the living shit out of a Kurt Cousins... Get USED to it cuz it's going to be happening a lot!

6 points
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splitpea1's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:10 am

Speaking of third down stops (or lack thereof), that's really been one of the bigger knocks on our defense for many years. Last season we were statistically in the bottom third in this category. So for our defense to evolve into an elite unit, this will have to be improved upon significantly. I hope Barry will be stressing it.

1 points
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Since'61's picture

August 06, 2022 at 11:44 am

If our defense remains healthy they should wreak havoc on our opponents' offenses. It's still very early but they are off to a good start. Thanks, Since '61

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PatrickGB's picture

August 06, 2022 at 03:47 pm

I am still cringing over the play of our offensive linemen. I hope it’s because the defense is really good.

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Grandfathered's picture

August 06, 2022 at 08:05 pm

The left side of the offense line had some good blocking down on a few run plays with Dillon cutting behind them. The play where they used Lazard as a lead blocker in the goal line had the right side of the OL open a pretty good hole. Other than a couple things the D looked good. Myers got backed up into the pocket on pass protection twice, I think. It looked tough to run outside and find the corner against the Packer Defense. Preston Smith and Garvin certainly held their edges. I think Stokes and Alexander both took one on the chin, but overall thye D looked faster.

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