Splendid_Splinter

I missed this comment earlier, but I have two questions. 1. What, in your mind, make the 3-4 defense a "gimmicky" scheme? 2. Do you feel that the Tampa 2 defense is also a "gimmicky" scheme? If you don't consider it a gimmick, please explain why.

The Packers offense has had yet another dominating performance. At halftime they are beating the Cardinals 38-10.

B.J. Raji is a beast! In all seriousness though I am so happy that the Packers drafted him. So far he has displayed the strength to play NT, the speed to play UT, and even the ability to drop into coverage from time to time. That versatility will be invaluable for the Packers' new defense.

I am enjoying Green Bay's defense so much more compared to last season's. While it is only the preseason, so far the team has caused 6 turnovers (4 last, 2 tonight) and 5 sacks (3 last week, 2 tonight). The confusion that the defense is causing is refreshing to say the least. I was skeptical that Dom Capers would be able to implement the 3-4, but he has done a great job thus far.

What makes the situation worse for the Broncos is, if they do receive the first pick in the 2010 Draft, it will be going to Seattle in exchange for a second round pick. They will have the Bears first rounder, but there is a huge drop in talent between top 5 QBs and late first round QBs.

IT'S IN THE SAME [expletive] ARTICLE What does it matter if Dempster "gave him something to take issue with?" Braun said that he never intends to disrespect other players. That includes when he feels other players disrespect him. Otherwise, he is not true to his word.

Any of you guys who follow that Yankee conference know anything about Jenkins? Malcolm Jenkins Scouting Report The link should have all the information you need. I've read his scouting reports before. I just want to know the opinion of people who watched him for years. In that case, after following the Big Ten for most of his career, I am glad that the Packers did not draft him with the ninth pick in the draft. He is too slow to be anything more than a slightly above average cornerback, and he is not strong enough to be an elite safety. He is the perfect 'tweener defensive back. The silver lining for Saints fans is that as long as Gregg Williams is defensive coordinator the team will run a system that plays to Jenkins' strengths. Other than that, the Saints probably should have traded down and drafted Vontae Davis.

Any of you guys who follow that Yankee conference know anything about Jenkins? Malcolm Jenkins Scouting Report The link should have all the information you need.

The Bears offense should improve a bit simply with the presence of Jay Cutler rather than Kyle Orton at quarterback. As I mentioned in my one earlier post Al Harris will probably continue to decline, but the zone defense should help slow just how much this affects the overall defense. Even if he does fall off a cliff there is always Tramon Williams to step in for him. From everything I've seen Dom Capers is still planning to use press coverage, maybe not as often, so I don't think the defensive backs' physicality will change all that much. This is the part that I really disagree with you about. First I expect that the Packers will be a little more on their heals now that the Bears may actually have a passing game that could become a threat. With that said I think the move to the 3-4 should negate most of that. The Packers' front seven has bulked up from last season, and their first string defensive line looks to be better against the run this season. Even last season the Bears' running game didn't do that well against what was an absolutely mediocre Packers' run defense rushing for only 157 yards on 46 carries, an average of 3.41 YPC. Also last season Greg Olsen only totaled 94 yards on 9 catches, and even Matt Forte only had 68 yards on 8 catches. That is hardly hitting them at will considering how great of targets both of them are supposed to be. Again Cutler should help to improve their numbers, but I also think that the Packers will be better suited to stop them. Last year the man coverage the Packers ran put the defense into situations that played into both of their strengths. Asking a mediocre Brady Poppinga or a gimpy A.J. Hawk to cover either of them did the Packers' defense absolutely no favors. Now with zone coverage they should still be able to get their yards, but the Packers can create coverage schemes so that their LBs aren't nearly as mismatched as they were last season. I have to agree with you about these statements. While I don't think they will be as bad as you do, the win amount I'm expecting is somewhere between 7 and 11. The nice thing about the schedule is the first eight games aren't against many great teams, the only exceptions being the Bears to start the season and the Vikings twice. This will give the defense a chance to gel against weaker competition. They can also have a little more leeway with the amount of mistakes they can get away with since they won't be playing that many upper echelon teams. At the end of the season they won't be that fortunate. I am hoping by that time the mental mistakes are minimal and they become more comfortable with the defense overall.

There are quite a few reasons why Packers fans are rightfully expecting improvements in the defense in comparison to the defense last season. First of all getting rid of Bob Sanders will be an improvement. The 4-3 man coverage scheme he ran was about as bland as a defensive coordinator could make a defense. On another football forum I normally visit a few fans that broke down plays of every Giants game were almost able to correctly guess what the Packers' defense was going to run on every down in the 2008 NFC Championship Game. That was two seasons ago but very little actually changed with the scheme. If a couple of fans that are no more than high school coaches can do that, then imagine how obvious it would be to a seasoned offensive coordinator in the NFL? This is where the hiring of Dom Capers comes in. While he has a poor record as a head coach he has an excellent track record as a defensive coordinator. In this respect he is very similar to Dick LeBeau. Wherever Capers has been as a defensive coordinator he, for the most part, has had no problem creating a defensive scheme around the players on the roster. Capers is planning to slowly integrate more 3-4 formations into the base defense, while still maintaining 4-3 looks in nickel and dime packages. Whenever he has spoken to media in Green Bay he has made it perfectly clear that he plans on creating a defense that suits the strengths of his players, rather than the other way around. This is the trap that most teams normally fall into when switching defenses. The fact that Green Bay now has a creative defensive coordinator willing to experiment with an array of schemes is better than what was there before. The personnel in Green Bay over the past few years has become more suited for playing in a 3-4, so come this offseason the team didn't need to find that many new players. Starting on the defensive line the Packers have done a good job filling the nose tackle position, easily the most important in the 3-4. While Ryan Pickett's skills are definitely on the decline, he is a still an above average run stuffer. The Packers also drafted B.J. Raji in order to be nose tackle over the long term. Their job will be to control both A gaps, absolutely crucial for a 3-4 to work properly. Both are suited to for this role, Raji especially. For at least this season Raji will be playing left defensive end and backup nose tackle to ensure Pickett doesn't tire too quickly. Defensive end is a little more questionable. Right now Justin Harrell is slotted at right end, but given his injury history he is a huge question mark. If he can stay healthy he offers the size and playing style that teams look for in a 3-4 DE. So far at OTAs and minicamps Harrell has been one of top performers, and looks prepared to have what would be a breakout season for him. I have already mentioned that Raji will be the other end, even though it is not his natural position; this is one thing that does worry me about the defensive line. Cullen Jenkins is a question mark given that he is recovering from multiple injuries. Even Johnny Jolly is a question mark given his legal status, but it looks like that won't be too much of a factor this season. A potential dark horse at defensive end is Alfred Malone, who looks to offer some depth on a thin defensive line. Probably the deepest position on the defense is outside linebacker. Aaron Kampman will be making the transition from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB. While he has shown disapproval so far about the move, he is still going to go about his business with very little complaining. So far he has been shaky in coverage, but he showed steady improvement as time went on. I am not too concerned about this since he won't be asked to drop into coverage that often. On the other side it looks to be a battle between rookie Clay Mathews and Jeremy Thompson. So far in camp Thompson has looked better than Matthews. He was a player that was too small to play in the 4-3, but given his size and athleticism he is an ideal 3-4 OLB. With Matthews it will be a faster transition than most 3-4 OLBs since he is not making the transition from defensive end. The thing that makes me hopeful with him is at the NFL Combine he put up 10 yard splits that would be good for defensive backs. If he can translate that burst onto the field it will be a major boost to his pass rushing skills. Deeper on the depth chart there is Brady Poppinga, who has experience as a 3-4 OLB from his college days at BYU. The transition should help him as well since he will no longer be put in coverage situations that exploited his weaknesses as often. A draft pick that has me intrigued is Brad Jones, a DE/OLB from Colorado, though I don't expect him to contribute much this season. One move on the coaching staff that I think will make a huge difference is hiring Kevin Greene as OLB coach. Last year he worked with some of the Steelers LBs, and all of them credited his coaching in improving their play on the field. Much like the DEs, the ILB situation concerns me. When it comes to Nick Barnett I don't think he will be in Green Bay much longer. The biggest question with him is how he will recover from a torn ACL. Given that his style of play relied very much on speed I don't like the chances that he will be anywhere close to the player he was prior to his injury. Also the fact that he is not good at engaging interior lineman does not bode well for him in the 3-4. The only saving grace is the one-gap 3-4 needs it ILBs to be more fluid, and this does suit him. In 2007 when the Packers had a good defense Barnett had his best season because he could get to the ball carrier quickly with very little in his way. If the defensive line does its job, then the chances of Barnett succeeding in the scheme should increase. The situation with A.J. Hawk is similar. Last year he replaced Barnett at MLB, but had a down season while playing with groin and chest injuries that lingered for most of the season. If both come back healthy, which is a huge question in itself, they may make a good pair of ILBs. I do like Brandon Chillar and Desmond Bishop as depth, though. With Chillar, he is strong in pass coverage and blitzing, both crucial qualities for an ILB. Bishop already has experience playing in a similar defense at Cal, and his run stopping ability will be more of an advantage now than it was in the 4-3. The secondary has me the least concerned. Charles Woodson did well in man coverage and he did well when he played in zone coverage in Oakland. This will be a huge transition for Al Harris, but one I think that will benefit him the most. So far in camp he has caught on quickly. Last year Tramon Williams played well in replacement of Al Harris. I expect his development at CB to continue, eventually replacing either Harris or Woodson. Until then he is an excellent nickel back. Nick Collins had a great season last year, but this year I am expecting his play to decline. He didn't do much at all in OTAs and minicamps, and given that he will be the quarterback of the defense, he should have been the last person to do that. If he lags in understanding the complexities of the new scheme it will cost the whole defense in the end. The scheme looks to help Atari Bigby, who now instead of being stuck playing poorly in coverage, should be better utilized as an in-the-box SS. The only depth at safety is Aaron Rouse and Anthony Smith, both nothing more than backups. With all that said that is why I have high expectations for the defense this season. I have no doubts that there will be bumps in the road the first few games of the season, but by season's end I expect the defense to improve into a cohesive unit. At the very least it can't be worse than the defense that showed up last season. Even the offense looks to be improved from last season. I expect Aaron Rodgers to make minor improvements now that he has a full season under his belt, as well as becoming more of a leader in the clubhouse. Ryan Grant is returning healthy without the contract issues he had last off-season. James Jones is fully recovered from his injuries, ready to build on his rookie season. Most of the dead weight on the offensive line has been cut, and the younger players look to be stepping up. Looks like I can be as big a homer as some posters in this thread.

I think a lot of the success for rookie wide receivers depends on the quality of the other receivers in the corps. For Royal he stepped onto a team where they already had three quality targets in Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and even an aging Brandon Stokely that was still putting up decent numbers. Not to mention that he had Jay Cutler as a quarterback. Due to all of that and the fact there wasn't much pressure on him to put up gaudy numbers, he was able to become a legitimate threat. As a Packers fan one example of a rookie receiver who put up good numbers was James Jones, who had 676 yards on 47 receptions. Granted it's not as good as Royal's, but Jones averaged almost 4 yards more per catch than Royal. Again he stepped into a situation where he had Brett Favre as quarterback, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings as wide receivers, and even to a point Donald Lee as tight end. Probably the best example is Marques Colston. The situation in New Orleans was one that allowed him to sneak by under the radar because of the other players that were on offense. There have been a few other receivers drafted in the last three years that have put great numbers, almost all of them being on teams that already have the pieces of a great offense. As for the Bears' young receivers I would not be expecting too much out of them this season, but then I also wouldn't be surprised if one of the three does put good numbers. Going down the list the Bears have a great quarterback in Jay Cutler, and receiving threats in Greg Olsen, Devin Hester, and Matt Forte. While they do have the receiving threats I just mentioned they are lacking a true No. 1 receiver, but I assume that Hester will continue to improve to fit into that role. Going into the season the wide receivers situation doesn't look good because of how inexperienced everyone is, but it looks to be a corps that in a few years could rank in top half of the league if everyone reaches their potential.

It was only a matter of time before he finally did sign with the Vikings. I still don't see how his signing is beneficial to the Vikings at all. In the short term I have doubts if Favre will be much better than either of the other three quarterbacks on the Vikings' roster. Also given Favre's performance the last few years I would be concerned that he will choke yet again, whether it's at the end of the season or in the playoffs potentially. Long term this does nothing but create more confusion for the Vikings' quarterback situation. Not only does this take away valuable time from Tavaris Jackson, but then there will be the circus that will occur next offseason when Favre won't be able to make a decision about retirement. For better news, Greg Jennings has a new contract.

It was like vintage 2005. Damn you, Furcal. Furcal is definitely forever on my [expletive] list. Didn't sign with us that offseason then ruined DLee's life. What a dick. See also: Marcus Giles While you're at it add Brad Hawpe to the list. In 2005 Prior looked to be completely recovered from the past two years of injuries, but the line drive off his elbow seemed to be the final straw that finally did him in.

I got all 122 with about five minutes to spare. Only the NBA and NHL really slowed me down. I love doing the country puzzle. It took me some time to learn all of the countries, but now I have no problem naming at least 180 countries every time. The only thing that trips me up now is western Africa and random countries that I can't see if I've named.

I have a really hard time believing that would be his reasoning. After the the circus last season, what is so hard to believe about Brett Favre harboring such feelings of resentment toward the Packers? From beat reporters that follow the Packers the word is Favre has despised Ted Thompson ever since Aaron Rodgers was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. All of this animosity became quite clear after Favre unretired, even though the Packers moved on with Rodgers. Since things didn't go exactly to plan last season it appears that he wants another chance, this time with rumors swirling that he is talking to Minnesota. Favre is a god for some people in Wisconsin, and he would tarnish his legacy permanently if he chose to sign with Minnesota. Why would any rational person choose to do something like that? The truth is they wouldn't. Favre's feelings of bitterness are so strong that he's willing to throw away everything just to have another chance to prove to the world that Ted Thompson made a mistake with choosing Aaron Rodgers to be Green Bay's quarterback of the future. Just like Flames said, Favre's reasoning should not be surprising.

I would have preferred Mitch King and Mike Mickens with the two sixth rounds picks, but the two actual picks don't sound bad at all. This probably has been Thompson's best draft as of today. He has solidified the defensive front seven and added much needed depth to the offensive line. Not bad at all.

QB from Rutgers. Thanks but I realize this. I was hoping for some more info from those who follow these things Scouting Report for Mike Teel from nfldraftscout.com: Positives: Good size for the position, tall enough to survey the field. Quick setup and delivery. Adequate arm strength, throws with some zip on short and intermediate passes over the middle. Gets good air on deep balls, stands tall and delivers. Drops to sidearm when needed, has touch on shorter throws so receivers can run after the catch. Anticipates wells, throws where his receiver will be. Experienced taking snaps from center or via shotgun. Good intangibles, a team leader. Played through a broken right (throwing) hand in 2007. Negatives: Lacks the mobility to consistently make plays outside the pocket. Throws too many interceptions because he takes chances and tends to stare down and stick to his primary receiver. Gets the ball in the vicinity of his receiver but is not deadly accurate. Deep throws and fades will float inside instead of reaching the outside shoulder. Puts everything into his deep outs, lowering his release point by dipping his left shoulder. Must learn to deal with pressure in a tighter in a tighter NFL pocket.

Mike Sherman did this a few years ago to draft B.J. Sander. At least for the Saints it is at the end of the fifth round instead of trading up in the third round.

Do you really think that Everette Brown would not have been a good fit on the Bears' defense? His strength as a pass rusher and weakness as a run stopper are exactly what a team running a Tampa-2 looks for. Unless Lovie Smith has started to move away from a Tampa-2 Brown would have been a terrific value pick for the Bears in the middle of the second round. I don't think he is enough of a force. He'll excel in a good system, but I don't think he's the player for the Bears team. And I say that as a Bears and FSU homer. If Brown isn't enough of a force to do well in a Tampa-2, then I don't know how he will ever succeed in the NFL; the scheme is tailor made for him. If that's the case then it looks like he is another name that can be added to the list of crappy Florida St. defensive ends. I am curious now. What has changed your mind about Brown's potential in the NFL? When we last discussed his future you were his strongest defender, and now it seems you are even questioning him now.

Do you really think that Everette Brown would not have been a good fit on the Bears' defense? His strength as a pass rusher and weakness as a run stopper are exactly what a team running a Tampa-2 looks for. Unless Lovie Smith has started to move away from a Tampa-2 Brown would have been a terrific value pick for the Bears in the middle of the second round.

I think it's fair to say that has to be the biggest reach in the draft thus far. When you draft someone early in the second and most draft sites have no analysis on him, then that can't be a good thing. Then again it's the Raiders we're talking about.

The Giants just continue to bolster to their pass rush. It will be interesting to watch and see how their defensive coaches allot playing time with the depth of the front seven.

Gilbert's more of a 3-4 end or 4-3 DT. With no WR worthy of taking, I'd probably trade down anyway. Ah, didn't know that. Do they not like Johnson or is he just not worthy of 49? Johnson isn't really worth the 49th pick. He puts up great measurables but is extremely inconsistent with the effort he shows when actually playing. He's much more of a workout warrior than football player.

Brown can rush the passer but he can't be depended at all to play the run even remotely well. I would guess the stigma of being a Florida St. DE has also made teams hesitant to pick him early.

Looks like you got your wish. The Packers have just traded with New England.