Packers' Vince Biegel 'shooting for the stars' as he aims for healthy second season

-- A plethora of young players contributing in their first year would be a blessing for the Green Bay Packers in 2018. However, their success will likely only go as far as the jumps of the second-year players on their roster can take them.
 
Whether it's Kevin King, Vince Biegel, Josh Jones or Montravius Adams -- each player underwhelmed in their own respects last season.
 
In Biegel's case, his development was just stunted. In other words, he was set up to fail from the get-go.
 
After being drafted to Green Bay at No. 108 overall, Biegel fractured a bone in his foot after the introductory rookie minicamp practices. It was an aggravated injury that stemmed from his senior year at Wisconsin.
 
Biegel opened the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list and missed the first seven games of the season before being elevated to the 53-man roster in early November.
 
"The reps have been extremely important for me," Biegel told Packers.com during this year's minicamp. "Not participating in the OTAs last year and not being able to get those reps under my belt was kind of a disadvantage for me. I was kind of playing catch up this year."
 
Biegel missed all of 2017's OTAs, minicamp and training camp practices, setting his development from a physical standpoint back weeks -- potentially months. That's why a clean, healthy slate is so crucial. Especially when the Packers' situation at outside linebacker is far from stellar.
 
Between Clay Matthews having "minor" knee surgery as well as surgery on his broken nose sustained in the team's charity softball event earlier this month, and Nick Perry sporadically missing practices this spring due to a foot injury and having hand surgery in back-to-back years, there's little reason for optimism.
 
Biegel would be a rotational piece behind the two initial starters. With 122 defensive snaps in 2017 to his credit, there's little chance he's pushing anyone out of a starting spot.
 
"To be able to have a full, healthy body and being able to attack this offseason, that kind of started at the end of the season. Being able to go out to California and train with all the guys in this locker room and come back with the right mindset was awesome for me and I think it's going to pay off this season."
 
Along with Reggie Gilbert, Kyler Fackrell and No. 248 overall pick, Kendall Donnerson, the Packers have somewhat of a mess to sort out on the edges of new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's front seven. A mess that could plague them in 2018.
 
If the Packers' pass rush continues to underperform, all signs will point back to Brian Gutekunst's first draft as the team's new general manager and his avoidance of drafting a pass rusher until the seventh round.
 
A large part in that, though, could be Pettine himself. During his stints in New York and Cleveland, he demonstrated the ability to formulate pressure on the opposing quarterback via his schemes, and he did so behind a monstrous defensive line.
 
The Packers have those pieces in place with Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels and Muhammad Wilkerson. There also may be a lot of stock put in Biegel, whose progression into his second season will surely be well-documented.

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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (49)

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Lphill's picture

June 28, 2018 at 05:31 am

What troubles me is the part where it said Nick Perry missed some practices
Because of a foot injury, so I hope for the best for Beigel.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:37 am

utterly predictable

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NickPerry's picture

June 28, 2018 at 06:32 am

Edited..
The thing about Biegel is you've NEVER read he didn't give 100% on any play 100% of the time. He did well in the Spandex Olympics with comparisons to Matthews combine scores. But what I like about Biegel is his effort. I think Gutekunst likes what he has in Biegel and that was one of the bigger reasons OLB was avoided in this past draft. Time will tell but I think it was a smart move, especially with the weak class it was in 2018 for OLB.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:50 am

That and while Capers D was over reliant on outside pass rush, Pettine favors inside pass rush because it's harder to scheme against. So in Pettine's world OLBs have much less value than DL.

Anyways, Pettine got 6 sacks out of Aaron Maybin, so I am pretty sure the current cohort of OLBs is good enough for him.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:24 am

As long as the current Packer DL can play as well as the Jets' DL did in support of Maybin, I'm right there with ya!

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:27 am

I hope you're correct, Jeremy. There is some research downgrading the value of inside pass rushers. I like Pettine and his track record does give reason for some optimism, but I am wondering how much interior pressure can be applied in a 2-4-5.

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TKWorldWide's picture

June 28, 2018 at 11:44 am

I’m also curious what Pettine’s nickel alignment will be. How much 2-4-5? How much 3-3-5?
But going back to one of MP’s earlier statements: “HOW we play is as important as WHAT we play”!

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:50 pm

NP,
I value your opinion and enthusiasm but does anyone think this guy can play at the NFL level?! The reason I ask is because we took VB before Watt, who was ALL WORLD as a rook for PIT. I’m just not sure what we have? AJ Hawk gave constant effort. Yes I believe he is the Packer’s leading all time tackler......yet most here were not big fans. Isn’t VB hysteria a bit of an unknown right now. It feels like some of the other LB busts that GB has screwed up but I’m probably just being overly pessimistic. Every one had a woody over Fackrell as well and the guy certainly hasn’t impressed me all that much. I truly am rooting for VB, I just want to see what we have after a bit more runway.;)

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NickPerry's picture

June 29, 2018 at 04:42 am

I for one couldn't believe TT traded out with Watt sitting there but I can't keep crying over spilled milk (not implying you are, just don't want to think about it anymore). This is definitely one of those deals we'll have to wait and see where Watt, King, and Biegel are after 3 seasons of play.

What I posted above are all true facts, at least I thought so because he DID score like Matthews at the combine and Biegel will give you 100% effort 100% of the time.

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RCPackerFan's picture

June 28, 2018 at 06:15 am

Even though Biegel lost a lot of his rookie year due to injury early, the playing time he got at the end of the year will prove to be extremely valuable.

I remember him making some plays during the season to really get my hopes up. I also remember seeing McCarren doing one of his video's of him and the things he did do.

From everything that I have heard Biegel had a really good offseason. Obviously we won't know how good until the pads come on but thats a good sign.

A lot of fans want to make the comparison with Biegel to Watt. Well now its time for Biegel to start showing what he can do.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:05 am

He doesn't have the athletic profile of Watt. His draft stock was dinged a bit by the injury history (and rightly so it turns out), but he was drafted because he was uber-productive in college. He's a Tauscher-esque pick. That doesn't mean he can't produce at a high level or be a home-run, just that he is not going to be the guy that ever physically scares opposing teams.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:41 am

More of an effort, try-hard guy than a dominant player. Jack of all trades, master of none. I think a good guy to have in the locker room and someone who will be a leader in that regard.

OMG--He's AJ Hawk!

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Demon's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:23 am

Aj Hawk was a jack of all trades? When? If Hawk would have been a 5th or 6th round pick most everyone would say he was a great pick.

The 5th overall pick of the draft is supposed to do more than get everyone lined up correctly.

It's no coincidence he was never injured. He didnt do anything to get injured.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:52 am

"He didnt do anything to get injured."

That is just nonsense. AJ Hawk is 2nd on the Packers all time tackle list after LeRoy Butler.

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:56 pm

I thought he was first?!:/

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:19 am

I refer back to the PFW and other scouting reports at the time of his draft that said that he, coming out of college, was about as safe a pick as there was, but that he lacked any one defining trait aside from playing hard. He wasn't a cover guy...he wasn't a blitzer or pass rusher...but he could do those things to some degree. He was a smart, high character guy.

I'm not going to beat the rented mule that is AJ Hawk, his draft status, or anything else. I'm just saying that those particular attributes that I indicated before sound a lot like AJ Hawk.

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:55 pm

He is the Packer’s all time leading tackler. Lol. I think that requires doing “something” ;)

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:54 pm

Lol. Great minds think alike Dobber. He also may be Fackrell.... who many were excited about. Not me of course. lol ;)

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Bearmeat's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:00 am

The problem with the OLB position has been Ted. With the exception of CM3 in 09, he basically screwed the pooch on it for his entire tenure as GM. The cupboard was bare for Gute, and short of a game-changing trade that would have been prohibitively expensive, there's not much that he could have done to make the OLB position a strength this year.

But don't let RC and his Sprinkle Pony Beliefs (TM) fool you :P The starters are always hurt and the backups are the definition of unproven. It's a very scary position.

Let's hope that the pass rush comes interior pressure....

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:54 am

"The problem with the OLB position has been Ted."

Yep, Ted basically ignored what the Coaches where trying to do. OLB and safety are critical to the Blitzburg scheme. Ted didn't care and drafted in his "good football player" silo.

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Johnblood27's picture

June 28, 2018 at 12:44 pm

If the Packers' pass rush continues to underperform, all signs will point back to Brian Gutekunst's first draft as the team's new general manager and his avoidance of drafting a pass rusher until the seventh round.

There were way too many holes for Gute to fix in one year, let alone one draft, especially a perceived weak OLB draft class.

Lay off the blame game at least until one seasons worth of games has been played.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 28, 2018 at 01:46 pm

Blame? Who? Gute? After 3 days of a draft that didn't have more than 1 premier pass rusher? No Way. I'm going to give him a chance.

I blame Ted for the state of the pass rush. The fix we're in is absolutely his fault and there is absolutely a long tenure of his moves to prove it.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:41 pm

The "all signs will point to Gute" is in the article, not your comment, Bearmeat. Many of us are giving Gute a pass for OLB. I certainly didn't want Davenport or Landry at #14 - time will tell if that was correct.

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NickPerry's picture

June 29, 2018 at 06:34 am

I'm curious what Gutekunst would have done had Harold Landry still been sitting there at 45. The Titans traded up to go get Landry at 42, probably thinking the Packers or someone else might do the same thing.

IMO Jackson was such a great pick/steal at 45 if both Jackson and Landry had been available who Gute would have chose then? IMO it still would have been hard to pass on Jackson.

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RCPackerFan's picture

June 29, 2018 at 07:31 am

That honestly would have been really neat to see.

I do agree, that I think he would have still went with Jackson.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:14 am

Hey Zach, nice first sentence!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AQ_eKVIqKE

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:55 am

Winner!

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Johnblood27's picture

June 28, 2018 at 12:46 pm

In response to the "aforementioned" word plethora...

I believe there is a plethora of other terms which can be substituted for "aforementioned" and that I would like to know if the person using the word "aforementioned" even knows what the word "aforementioned" actually means.

peace...
out...
drops the mic...

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DrMixerGED's picture

June 29, 2018 at 07:16 am

Regarding the use of ten dollar words...

I didn't write this, but the guy who did absolutely crushed it.

I must say I concur with the commentators who bemoan the debasing of civil discourse by villianizing those who possess and choose to utilize a more extensive lexicon for the enlightenment, or more precisely the erudition of our fellow citizens. Perhaps the pursuit of a more extensive vocabulary for the denizens of this great nation is a Sisyphean undertaking at best. Yet, still I prefer to ruminate on the potential collective intellectual force of a civil society empowered by complex language and fueled by a desire to expand the frontiers of our cognition through the expansion of our lexical proficiency. Perhaps my aspirations are misguided and thoroughly, utterly unattainable. If so, how disheartening!

Translation:
I agree with doz guys who tink using big words is a good idea.

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TKWorldWide's picture

June 29, 2018 at 05:09 pm

I think that might have been Stephen A. Smith.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:48 am

Biegel is ideal for a hybrid, 4-3/3-4 system. Quick, physical when healthy, plays well in space or shooting gaps--just ideal.

We'll see if he really comes back 100% from his surgeries. He's young, so fingers crossed.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:11 am

I think you hit the nail on the head with the first sentence: he needs to be schemed properly to be at his best, and a flexible scheme (as opposed to trying to drop him into a stereotypical 3-4 edge or make him a run-stuffing ILB) will make the best use of what he does and net the biggest return. I think he could be a very good inside pass-rusher.

The more the Packers get out of the three-headed "Biegrellbert" backup edge monster, the more they will get out of CMIII this season.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:38 am

I agree, though I'm not sure we keep Fackrell. We might, but we might also opt to keep Donnerson as a classic gunner on special teams who can develop his OLB skills.

But then, maybe Fackrell puts it together this year. Hard to say.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:08 am

I honestly think that Fackrell is best suited to be a weak-side LB in a 4-3, and even then, he's likely not athletic enough to play that role in today's NFL.

If Pettine can scheme him into a productive NFL player, he's truly a genius.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:58 am

He started to look competent at the end of last season. That said I don't see him as a high ceiling player.

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 11:01 pm

He’s similar to Fackrell to me. How is he that different. Fackrell was great in college too. I think VB is getting a lot of hometown love that other players may not, and that VB has not yet earned at the NFL level. Let’s see how it plays out

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Handsback's picture

June 28, 2018 at 07:59 am

I watched some old games of the Packers back in '14. The game against NE they had Lattimore, Peppers, Matthews, Perry, Barrington, Hawk as LBs. The guy who had a really good game that day was Peppers. He blocked two maybe three of Brady's passes during that game. The man who created the pressure on Brady was.....Daniels!
My point is the OLBs need to provide some pass rush, but if they can cover and or knock some passes down, then they are doing their jobs. This year let Pettine's system work and hope that the players do their jobs (I know a BB saying, but true) and the team will find itself forcing a lot of 3 and outs. Sacks are great, 3 and out leads to more opportunities for Rodgers to do his work.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:17 am

That whole defensive front 7 needs balance to be at its best. I think that's where it's greatest potential is. CMIII and Perry do have a track record of getting to QBs when they're healthy. They've got DL who do, also. It's going to make it much harder for opposing offenses to align their protections if any one of 5-6 guys can get to your QB on any given play. More 1-on-1's means more pressure.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:43 am

I wonder if this D-Line could really open things up for CMIII and Perry. CMIII relies on stunts and savvy much more than beating OT's these days, so a D-Line creating openngs could be pure gold.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:19 am

It seems that CMIII only has one pass rush move with OTs, anymore, and that's to try to beat them off the snap with speed and bend the edge. When he's healthy, CMIII is still a freakish athlete who can play in space...at least more than Perry can. He's a "see ball, get ball" kind of player. I belong to the camp that believes that CMIIIs best chance to 1) not get overly beat up (meaning: play 15 or 16 games), and 2) make the most impact, comes from moving him around and letting him rush from the inside from time to time. At this point, I think their best hope of doing that lies in someone taking those edge snaps like Gilbert, who is a little bit more of an edge-setter who can get after the passer than either Biegel or Fackrell.

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porupack's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:59 am

Exactly Dobber, that is best pre pre-season post I've read. Balance and integral parts are more important than a splash/big-name draftee or FA signing.
Just to add to your point on balance; that taller and faster coverage can generate a half second delay in getting the ball released by opposing QB. How many times did Perry and Matthews get to the QB a half second late?

So add it up; badass Dline this year, plus faster underneath LB (Martinez) and improved athleticism and vet experience in DB. At OLB, there is moderately strong enough starter talent, but an emerging set of moderately strong pass rushers that can adequately rotate in and I think the D will increase the past pathetic record on 3rd-and-outs.

I hope GB dedicates its top draft pick to passrusher next year though.

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dobber's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:11 am

(In best Hulk Hogan voice)

Amen, brother!

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porupack's picture

June 28, 2018 at 08:44 am

Zach, good post....giving reason for optimism for those 4 draftees who can be expected to make a jump and impact this year much healthier, and also having the first year knowledge and training. I agree, they are critical for a rebound season. As a longtime critic of Capers, I punched the air when you mentioned Pettine as the likely key. I admit I don't know much about Pettine, so I hope CHTV could do some writeups on Pettine, and maybe feature examples of his signature schemes.

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Since'61's picture

June 28, 2018 at 09:23 am

I'm off to the deli and I'll take my Biegel with a schmear. Thanks, Since '61

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Lare's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:29 am

Offensive linemen play the whole game. Unless you have All Pro pass rushers, one way to beat an offensive line is to continuously throw fresh defensive players at them.

Rested legs beat tired legs every time. If Biegel and Gilbert can spell Matthews and Perry frequently, it makes them all that much more effective.

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Colin_C's picture

June 28, 2018 at 10:54 am

I'm really looking forward to see what Biegel can do this year, but my money's on Gilbert having the better season overall. In fact, I predict that he'll to be starting by the end of the year (most likely because CM3 or Perry is injured). I think he's gonna surprise a lot of people.

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croatpackfan's picture

June 28, 2018 at 12:14 pm

Zachary, who is Chris Odom? Can you tell us little more about that man?

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holmesmd's picture

June 28, 2018 at 11:06 pm

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Tundraboy's picture

June 29, 2018 at 08:56 am

Is M. Adams as well.? Haven't seen much talked about him and maybe that's a good thing.

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