Interesting run defense observation

I admit I was wrong about Raji.....he seemed to be mailing it in a couple of yrs ago, then the bicep injury....I thought he was done.  He is playing very well, motivated and healthy, he IMO is a big reason the D is doing so well.

Raji, Daniels, and Pennell have been excellent. Hope Guion adds another dimension to the rotation.

 

I like Barrington's fire, but it has been a revelation watching how the speed at inside linebacker (since he went out in Chicago) with Nate Palmer and Joe Thomas alongside Clay has made such a huge difference in both the run and pass defense.

 

I did not fully comprehend just how bad Brad Jones and AJ Hawk were.

I was pretty critical of the defense against Chicago, despite the constant rebuttal in these forums of “we won, what else do you want?”.   Fact is, the tackling against Chicago was as bad as I’ve ever seen.  Players were in position to get Forte down, they just blew it.  As frustrating as that was to watch, the silver lining from that game was that tackling when in position is easily correctible (as opposed not being in position, which is a bigger problem).  I bet they got chewed out pretty good that week and they’ve responded with great tackling against 3 very very good RBs since week 1.  

I am still waiting for the Raji jersey  ordered over the innernet from the Chineeze.

I'd like to point out that I was always right about Raji

But you comprehend now, don't you....

I was rong about the chineeze but right about Raji and according to Luke I may be right about Hawk.  Final confirmation on Raji TBD by Diggr of course.

All I know is I really like a healthy and motivated BJ.

 

 

While I have a serious dislike for AJ Hawk. I'm glad he's going to finish things up closer to home. He's had a chance to see a little playing time in Cincy. 11 total tackles in spot duty. Good guy. Good pro. Whatever. 

 

That's more than I can say for Brad Jones. 2 tackles after 4 games on a **** team with a **** defense and he's never going to see any playing time unless a bunch of guys in front of him blow up a lot of ACL's and MCL's. 

 

You could get by if Hawk or Jones were lining up next to Clay or Bishop back in the day. 

 

But you line those two up next to each other and they instantly became Simon's binary bomb in Die Hard with a Vengeance. Once they mixed all hell is breaking loose.   

 

Very happy they are both playing somewhere else this year. 

Hawk always had good numbers on the tackles, but the last three years he was diving in on piles, diving at the feet of Marshawn Lynch and other similar old football player tactics to look like he was doing his job when he wasn't.

 

Palmer is already a step up.

Good points made here (per Packersnotes):

 

This year’s defense has a long way to go and a lot more to prove to be compared to the 2010 unit, but there are some definite similarities. Nose tackle B.J. Raji is playing the role of, well, B.J. Raji, linebacker Nate Palmer is playing the role of Desmond Bishop and corner Damarious Randall is playing the role of Sam Shields, who by the way, is playing the role of Tramon Williams. Heck, all that’s needed is for general manager Ted Thompson to claim an overweight defensive lineman off waivers in the next few weeks.

 

Raji is making plays all over the field. Sure he’s benefitting from the move to his natural position, but that doesn’t explain his newfound hustle. Maybe having to deal with coach Mike McCarthy every day does. Palmer is getting better by the week, and should be a major upgrade from Sam Barrington by Halloween. Randall will make some mistakes, but it’s hard to imagine any rookie performing better at a position that’s often unforgiving to  first-year players.

 

While I have to give the much-maligned Capers his due, it’s hard not to think McCarthy’s controversial offseason decision to give up calling offensive plays and spend more time with the defense isn’t a big reason for the fast start. The group looks more focused and more energized. It also looks like a group that’s being held accountable on a daily basis – something that either wasn’t done or wasn’t done nearly enough in the past three or four years.

And a boot up his butt.

 

 

Don't care if it's the Boot or the ConDom, like the aggressiveness. Lots of long-levered guys going Ham on the field.

 

McCarthy gave Capers a shout-out during the post-game presser about the aggressive play calling late in the game. Finishing. It's what McCarthy commented about after the Monday night game.

 

 

I've always liked Raji.  He was "the guy" in one of the greatest plays in the biggest game in my life, IMO.  It's great that he is coming back into form.  I would imagine the motivation comes from having to sit out last year, and also realizing that he probably has one big pay day left.  I also think that it might be tough to sign him after this year.  

As well as Raji played in 2010, he looks every bit as good now as he was then and maybe even a half-notch better.  Maybe that's just perception, but I think he's even more active out there than he had been. 

 

To be fair, the Pack has faced 4 pretty shaky offensive lines this year which may be why he looks like he's playing the best he's ever played.  But so far Raji has just really looked good, he's been a major factor in the strong defensive effort the Pack has had in 3 of 4 games. 

It also appears that Raji is at times being allowed to play to his strength, which has always been quickness, and penetrate, rather than just "eat up blockers".

I honestly think the increased motivation in Raji was brought on last year by the Julius Peppers signing. Raji must have been dying to get on the field this year after having to take all of last season off due to the bicep.

 

He looked awesome in camp last year, and he did this year too. Good to see that fire in his play again. That's contagious.

I don't think it's as much motivation as it was Raji finally getting to play nose tackle.  He had all the motivation he needed in 2013, playing for a new contract but he fell flat.  He had no outside motivation in 2010 and he was incredible.  

 

Not sure where the "Raji is lazy" narrative came from.  Other than a lack of production from 2011 to 2013 (which is easily explained via his position change), I just don't remember any reports saying Raji was lazy.  Not even trying to start an argument, I just really don't get where this narrative come from.  

Raji won me over last season when despite being on IR (and getting paid his season's salary of $4 million just for a week or two of training camp) he stayed with the team all season and kept in the ear of Guion, Pennel, Boyd and the D in general. A presence at every game and many practices.

 

He could've just gone and porked out but no. Kept it up with a great offseason and rehab. I think he took it on himself after Ryan Pickett left to be the leader of the big boys.

 

He's destroying the line, which is what he's supposed to do.  Two of these teams were/are considered playoff contenders. 

       
       


Big difference having Julius Peppers lining up alongside you vs. CJ Wilson or Jarius Wynn.

Raji is just getting coached now #confirmingmyownnarative

I agree Peppers is a stud and has been a positive influence on the lockerroom, but are you saying Raji turned around his career because of Peppers on-field presence, coupled with Pepper's off-field leadership?  Not saying Pepper's had no impact on him but I haven't read anything suggesting this.  

 

Why is it so hard to believe that Raji was playing the wrong position from 2011 to 2013 and once he got in the right position, he excelled?  It's kind of a slap in the face to Raji to say it's all Julius Pepper's.  

Why is it so hard to believe that Raji is having success because he re-dedicated himself.  I recall seeing him get worked often enough even at his ideal position of NT...against the 49ers in the playoffs for example. He played a fair amount of nose and was on skates. He looked sluggish. He is now in better condition, has literally reshaped his body, and appears more driven to take advantage of his opportunity to play in the NFL for a while longer. Had to be hard to get shoved around and then not get any interest in FA. 

 

He is definitely surrounded by better talent than when he played next to a washing up Ryan Pickett and guys like CJ Wilson, but he is making it happen in one-on-one battles too which shows he's improved Individually. He's quicker, moves better, and plays with better stamina. Exciting to see him along with guys like Daniels, Guion, an improving Datone, better linebackers, and a now deep secondary. This defense is way better, Ted got rid of a lot of the junk finally. 

 

So many reasons why the run defense is improved. Raji is only part of it. 

Another angle may be that this is the first year I can recall where all  of our 1st/high-round draft picks are playing together. In the last 3 years or so, somebody was always injured, be it Perry, Neal, Raji, and/or Datone. Often, it was even 2 or more of these players.

But yesterday was particularly telling, when each and every one of these guys were making plays, whether it was rushing the passer or defending the run. 

 

 

This. Using him at DE was stupid. No matter where he plays next year, he'll be an NT.

DE wasn't the best use of his talent, but they seemed to have several NT's and no real DE at that point...the best DE was CJ Wilson and an aging Ryan Pickett. Moving Raji to DE was done out of necessity IMO...much in the same way that AJ Hawk and Brad Jones had to start at ILB. Not great fits, but there probably weren't better options on the roster.

No. I know the position change back to NT helped. No question. But, so did Ted's signing of an All-Pro player like Peppers. That had to give him some extra motivation, and I believe it did. This team is on a mission for rings, trophies. Plural.

 

We all know the history of Ted Thompson and his FA signings. FA signings like Peppers don't just happen under Ted's watch as a norm. I have to think this was as significant for the players as it was for the fans. Raji looked so damn good last year in TC. That was a real shame he couldn't go. I give Raji all the credit for turning his play around 180°. Just think the Peppers signing brings added motivation to play all out. They have to see this is right there for the taking. Raji had rededicated himself to improving his play last year, and it showed prior to the injury. Imagine a guy like that, seeing the possibilities, and having to sit. This year, you can see he's laying it all out there. He must be loving this.

 

There are a lot of parts to turning this defense around. Raji playing at top form is going to be a big part of our success this season. Same with Peppers, and all the other players. We have some big talent, and some solid looking role players.

 

There seems to be a heightened level of play from nearly every position this year on D. I would really love to know how much McCarthy is guiding this, and his impact on each of these defenders in GB.

 

On another note, I was listening to LeRoy Butler yesterday. He said the thing that impressed him most were the substitution calls. Said he wanted "to know who was making them, because they have been flawless." Particularly noted the Neal, Perry, Elliott, Peppers and Thomas subs in that regard.

I could believe that having a proven player on the outside gives the other guys more confidence that all the jobs will get done vs. not trusting and trying to do it all themselves. Trusting that the jobs will get done allows you to focus on your job only. Peppers isn't a rah rah type motivator, he leads by example, so I'm sure some guys are getting a lot out of his presence. Raji seems like a guy who works hard regardless of who is around him though. Peppers' presence may be allowing him to focus more on his position, but I think the performance we have seen is all Raji.

Gurley 30 carries @ 159 yards.  They stuffed him early and then he began not being touched until 4 years upfield.  So this had me thinking, is Gurley that special of a player where he is just going to get his yards?  When AP went for 2000 + yards a few years ago, it wasn't because he went against 16 bad run defenses.

 

When Raji went out, it seemed to shift a bit, but no question, Gurley is the real deal and given 20-25 carries, he simply is going to get his.  They allowed 266 yards until that fluke 70 yard pass with under 1 min to plan, it was a good pass, but overall should not have happened.   Still pretty happy with the D and the main reason this team in 5-0.

Pretty quiet 159 from Gurley. Skewed by the one run and never got the impression he was anywhere close to taking over the game. A case where the stats are a bit misleading and you really needed to watch the game.

Haven't re-watched the game yet, but it looked like the safeties played back more in the 4th quarter, allowing STL to run the ball better but also eat clock. 

 

 

       
       
It didn't help our defense gave him about a quarter of those yards

i think yesterdays game is proof where you need to look at the total yardage gained.

 

foles had what 50 yards passing late in the 3rd quarter? so the packers gave up what 200 yards total to the rams? 

One wonders if A-Rod's jaw jacking at MM over the years is the real das boot...and thus the real motivator behind the play calling change, and also turning MM loose as the study hall Nazi.