Thanks GD. Good stuff.
michiganjoe posted:CB Quinten Rollllins has owned Randall Cobb today. Hasnt given him an inch all day. Just picked off Rodgers in EZ on another throw to Cobb.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) July 29, 2017
Not quite sure what to make of that.
Jahri Evans taking fan questions on Twitter after practice today. He gets this:
David Bakhtiari@Dbak69: Who is your favorite lineman for the Packers?
Evans, "Going to have to say our RT Bryan Bulaga.
O-Lineman are wired differently.
Yeah the QBs were all making good throws, but ended up scrambling a lot waiting for someone to get open. Rodgers was being Rodgers, he had more bad throws over the last 3 days than I've seen him in past camps, but overall his throws are his usual.
GD, not to take away from Rollins but how is Cobb looking?
Seasons over. Adam Thielen said so.
Nobody coaches like Dom in July...NOBODY!
Henry posted:GD, not to take away from Rollins but how is Cobb looking?
Like Cobb honestly. He's made some nice catches, looks fast and quick. I think the INTs Rodgers had yesterday to HaHa were passes intended for Cobb.
Nobody coaches like Dom in July...NOBODY!
Nobody coaches like Dom in January either. 
First things first. Let's see how Dom coaches in August.
This is probably a good poll question, but which of the following are Packer fans more likely to do in August:
a) Panic when the defense sucks in the pre-season games, or
b) Claim that Dom is just running a vanilla defense so as not to give away any tendencies (only to start panicking in September when the defense continues to suck)
Ha. Good one, Fed. I think most of us would choose B
I think we were always hoping that there was a good explanation for sucking in the pre-season. Then, as the season went on, we knew we were duped and the defense really was that bad. So, if they suck on Defense in pre-season, I again will believe that Dom just doesn't want to show much in the exhibition season and is waiting for the "real" season to start.
Dom's Defensive Unit version of Groundhog's Day.
FEDYA - I think the answer to that is both. First the panic, then the rationalization - all before the next preseason game when the cycle repeats.
GD, still unimpressed with Josh Jones? Some of the beat writers at practice were singing his praises.
All the praise I've seen of Jones so far has referred to his run support plays. Haven't heard much about him in coverage yet.
Just to be clear I haven't been unimpressed with him overall, I just didn't think he moved as well as the other Safeties in drills. He's also dropped more passes in individual drills than any of the other Safeties. In team D and 11 on 11 he seems okay, he's been covering RBs and TEs. I haven't seen him stand out or suck. He is quick to the ball in run support and definitely had a few good pops in the first padded practice (yesterday). It's only been one padded practice so it's too soon to judge him IMO.
GD, I think you made a very valid point! Fans love big-fast powerful hitters but the same power and torque that make them great in the run game tend to make them exposable, by shifty smaller players- Just look at Seattle. They prefer tall long players and play almost all zone to keep them from getting exposed. The exception in their secondary, Earl Thomas (Nick Collins II) has been critical in protecting them from getting exposed! Just view the Seahawks after his Dec departure!
The hope for Jones was/is that he has elite speed to help deep if he's on the field when that happens. I haven't studied Earl Thomas's game to know his coverage skill - all I know is he has elite speed and he's a hitter. Considering his overall success I'm guessing he's got decent coverage skills as well. But if we're comparing young guys to him, I think Brice has shown more similarities...so far.
Dix has pretty good range for a safety but he will never be Earl Thomas nor will Jones.
Thomas is probably the best coverage safety I've seen since our guy Nick Collins or Ed Reed in his heyday but those guys were all 5'11" 200-205 lb players. Jones is probably 6'3" 215 and not nearly the athlete but honestly he doesn't need to be in order to be effective.
I see Dom running more schemes to get Burnett and Jones playing more hybrid S/LB roles. Dix can sit back and patrol the middle.
It takes 3-4 years for DB's to fully develop. Run support will be far more important in year 1 than coverage skills for Josh Jones.
The guess here is they'll use Jones more as a hybrid LB'er / Safety.
Coverage is what Rollins, Randall, Burnett, Ha-Ha & House is for.
Earl Thomas has a pretty well rounded game, he covers like a CB. So far Brice has shown he's a big hitter, not much else. I'm hopeful he develops further because that ultra aggressive attitude is hard to teach. Having a huge physical specimen like Josh Jones or Kam Chancellor is fantastic, but they have to have something between the ears. Beyond his physical skill Chancellor is a really smart and heady player. Jones has only had 3 practices and 1 in pads, so it's too soon to judge anything. If I had to predict though I'm betting is future will be at LB in a Thomas Davis type WLB role.
Some of the beat writers have commented that with Brice & Jones, we have 2 guys who appear to love to hit, something we have not had a lot of in the Defensive backfield. Yes, fans may love big, powerful hitters, but WR's hate them, and that can mean a lot to a defense.
Pack88 posted:GD, I think you made a very valid point! Fans love big-fast powerful hitters but the same power and torque that make them great in the run game tend to make them exposable, by shifty smaller players- Just look at Seattle. They prefer tall long players and play almost all zone to keep them from getting exposed. The exception in their secondary, Earl Thomas (Nick Collins II) has been critical in protecting them from getting exposed! Just view the Seahawks after his Dec departure!
This is what concerns me. It's another hybrid player approach for a guy who might not fit press man coverage. Jones to me is LB first and foremost.
Honestly, it's a good pick but Dom better cement him into a position. If you're going to use guys fluidly between S and LB, use Burnett.
FLPACKER posted:Some of the beat writers have commented that with Brice & Jones, we have 2 guys who appear to love to hit, something we have not had a lot of in the Defensive backfield. Yes, fans may love big, powerful hitters, but WR's hate them, and that can mean a lot to a defense.
WRs love guys who go for big hits and miss tackles.
Jones college bio seems to indicate he may have a run and go whiff mentality.
Herschel posted:FLPACKER posted:Some of the beat writers have commented that with Brice & Jones, we have 2 guys who appear to love to hit, something we have not had a lot of in the Defensive backfield. Yes, fans may love big, powerful hitters, but WR's hate them, and that can mean a lot to a defense.
WRs love guys who go for big hits and miss tackles.
I'll take a guy who misses a tackle here & there, but can really lay the wood. Sets a tone for the defense & can bring some emotion to the group, which can elevate defensive play....at least that has been my experience.
If Jones misses tackles, he'll fit right in with Dom's defense.
We're on our way.....
I don't think there's anything wrong with using a hybrid S/LB, when you have the right guy it's a very valuable position. Jones doesn't need to be forced in to one position or another, hopefully he's smart enough to understand his role and can execute it. Deone Buchanan and Kam Chancellor aren't successful because of their physical skill, theyre successful because they know how to use it and play their positions. We've seen a lot big, physical Safeties come from college the last few years and few have worked out. Everyone wants a Sean Taylor.
Grave Digger posted:Earl Thomas has a pretty well rounded game, he covers like a CB. So far Brice has shown he's a big hitter, not much else.
Not entirely true. Brice is raw but he showed some coverage ability late last year too. Fennel had some cut ups a while back. Definitely a guy I'm watching in his 2nd year. Like you said in other posts, it can take 2-3yrs for DB to mature.
Obviously there's some cynicism here but outside of the D-line I just don't know what to make of this defense. I'm excited to watch Kenny Clark. Everything else is a wait and see proposition.
I'm honestly excited about the secondary. Between the development of the LB/S position and the new blood, there is a lot of change going on back there with a couple really solid pieces already in place. With health it could really turn into something big.
Lay the wood safeties are dinosaurs in the current NFL.
You have to be able to cover guys and that's why guys like Earl Thomas or Nick Collins or to a lesser extent Clinton-Dix are so important.
Thomas is the LT of safeties in the modern era. Chancellor gets a lot of pub but without Earl Thomas that secondary is pretty ordinary.
We had that guy in Collins. Just like Sterling Sharpe career cut short NFLFU
Safeties who run 4.4 forties & love to hit never go out of style.
Henry posted:Obviously there's some cynicism here but outside of the D-line I just don't know what to make of this defense. I'm excited to watch Kenny Clark. Everything else is a wait and see proposition.
This defense will live or die by the CBs in my opinion. The front 7 can stop the run and the Safeties are reliable IMO. The CBs have to be able to hold their own in Man and understand the gaps in Zone. If they don't then it doesn't matter who the DC is, we're screwed.
FLPACKER posted:Safeties who run 4.4 forties & love to hit never go out of style.
Unless you're too stiff like Richardson was. Those were his measurables too. Injuries may have robbed him of his full chance but even before the neck he seemed limited.
Davon House, Kevin King and Quinten Rollins are the top-three corners for the third straight practice. https://t.co/uSHnvGsPTY
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 31, 2017
Sounds like Monty has put the ball on the ground a bit too much. Has anyone observed that?
Never thought of Monty has someone with ball security issues, so I'm not concerned yet. It's early. If anything, I'm excited about the manner in which he prepared for the season. No. 88 looks jacked.
heyward posted:Barring injury, there's NO way the Packers will move on from Jordy while he's still under contract.
That's true, but 2018 is the last year on Jordy's contract.
Grave Digger posted:Deone Buchanan and Kam Chancellor aren't successful because of their physical skill, theyre successful because they know how to use it and play their positions.
Agreed ...and they play on defenses that are generally assignment sure....stout active fronts, speedy playmaking LB's, and secondaries that can cover. Doesn't matter if you have a talented Swiss Army knife if your defense is prone to mental breakdowns, has position groups that have talent limitations or has sustained massive injuries, something that always seems to occur with Doms defense.
That said, I'm hopeful that the defense is going to be much improved this season. Secondary should be light years better.
michiganjoe posted:Davon House, Kevin King and Quinten Rollins are the top-three corners for the third straight practice. https://t.co/uSHnvGsPTY
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 31, 2017
I know they're rotating guys/combinations but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is the way things shake out for the regular season, especially if they keep running the same defense they've been running with Thomas/Burnett as the "linebackers" and Randall ends up in the safety spot opposite Clinton-Dix. Of course Jones could take the Burnett "linebacker" spot with Morgan in the back end as well.
I like Gunter, but his speed limitations will probably keep him out of the regular starting lineup.
Seems to be quite a bit of speculation along those lines and I agree.
Best play of Packers' camp, Day 4: Rookie safety Josh Jones picked off his first pass of camp when he jumped a route in the flat by running back Devante Mays. Jones timed it perfectly to snag the Brett Hundley pass. It was a continuation of the kind of ball-hawking plays Jones showed during the non-padded practices of the spring. Jones, who has split his time between safety and linebacker, continues to show he's deserving of playing time. He also had another pass breakup and several QB pressure that may have led to sacks.
