To all the Haters....
Ode to AJ.
Best game of his career yesterday.
Time for his own positive to AJ thread.
Accountability and availability met productivity yesterday
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Hell it only took 7 seasons to get what, sacks 2, 3, & 4 for his career? That's one long-ass lurning curve, must be a by-product of his excellent THE Ohio State edjumikation.
EDIT: He positively looks good with short hair.
Hawk has had several great games. His ability to play hurt, his overall tackle numbers, his non-stop motor are very good. But...in seven years, you'd think you'd have several great games.
To state the obvious, you have that hype out of school and get drafted 5 overall, anything but greatness is going to be a let down.
In comparison, Lattimore's first start was outstanding. If Hawk's first start was like that, I think everybody would have thought, he's as great as his billing.
Quite a contrast-#5 overall versus undrafted free agent.
Expectation is so important in perception and why I enjoy keeping the bar so low in my own sad pathetic little life.
Agreed Johnson.
But, gonna give Hawk props ... he had a great game when they really needed it.
Way to go AJ ... Keep bringing it.
IMO, Matthews inspires Hawk to step up his game.
he had a great game when they really needed it.
1/115 games = .0087% (I rounded up, as a #5 pick he deserves it). It is better than .0086% though!
Was it just me or was Hawk blitzing from his normal depth yesterday rather than coming up close to the line and just running in to the guard? The slight delay seemed to be a godsend as there were actual blitzing lanes and he wasn't being accounted for by linemen who suddenly had to play pickup rather than being part of the assignment scheme.
Compared to the careers of some of our other recent first round draft picks, Hawk has been very good. Just because he was drafted high in the first round doesn't mean he should make the Pro Bowl every year. He has been a rock.
It's no Hawks fault that he was drafted in the first round. Maybe if he was drafted inthe third he would of been a good value.
I have always liked AJ Hawk and cannot understand why there have been so many harsh criticisms of him in the past.
This season he has played very well and perhaps his best yet. Yesterday's game was a fantastic game for him leading the Packers defense.
Maybe it was the haircut?
Pro Football Focus had Hawk rated only +0.9, which is considered average. They actually rated Lattimore significantly higher than Hawk at +2.5. Other defenders rated better: Jolly at +2.1, Hyde at +2.7, Burnett at +2.6, Perry at +3.1 (led the team). Could be more, as these were the only ones I saw in the article below.
Yes, PFF isn't the be all, end all rating. But I think they do a good job of cutting through the BS and accurately rating a players performance (better than any other site or show I've seen). Oh, and PFF doesn't look at draft position in their evaluation.
Yes, not question, Hawk should be NFC Defensive Player of the Week with his best game of his career. I have seen snippets of this happening in the past 2 years and it was all released on one game. Lets keep this level going for the rest of the season, we need him
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/227600721.html
In search of a playmaker, Dom Capers turned to a familiar face Sunday.
A.J. Hawk.
As teammates and coaches explained in detail during training camp, Hawk has always been an important, underappreciated piece of the puzzle on defense. Making the calls, staying in position, he has started 112 games since 2006. As his position coached noted, he just hasn't been let loose often. On Sunday, he was. Capers sent Hawk on timely blitzes throughout Green Bay's 19-17 win over Baltimore.
And Hawk responded with a career day --- 10 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for loss, one game-long presence. On Sunday, Hawk matched his sack total for the entire 2012 season.
The key to his success, to being more of a playmaker this season? Hawk points to the birth of his second child last January.
Hawk is a victim of being the 5th overall pick in the draft. While it's not his fault, it still doesn't change the fact that he was the 5th overall pick. And the Packers haven't had many Top 10 picks in the past couple of decades. So the expectations were tremendous.
Hawk has been a solid player, and often gets some unfair criticism. But I think Packer fans, rightfully so, wee expecting a perennial ProBowl-type player. And hawk has been just solid and steady at best.
Originally Posted by Shoeless Joe:
he had a great game when they really needed it.
1/115 games = .0087% (I rounded up, as a #5 pick he deserves it). It is better than .0086% though!
Yeah, lets bitch about the plays he HASN'T made, instead of the plays he has. Ridiculous.
Fat, dumb and stupid is no way to go through life.
Sorry, Dom, D playmakers also cause turnovers. Hell froze over already waiting for Hawk's.
It's always been about draft position and the accompanying expectations with him. Aaron Curry was drafted at #4 overall in '09 and he's retired so things could have been worse than getting a solid and reliable player.
Originally Posted by PackerRuss:
Originally Posted by Shoeless Joe:
he had a great game when they really needed it.
1/115 games = .0087% (I rounded up, as a #5 pick he deserves it). It is better than .0086% though!
Yeah, lets bitch about the plays he HASN'T made, instead of the plays he has. Ridiculous.
Fat, dumb and stupid is no way to go through life.
It was a joke, but since I didn't start my post with "Knock Knock" or "You just might be a redneck if...", I now understand why you didn't get it.
3 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss are unheard of for AJ. I could give two ****s where he was drafted, he has not produced. He has taken up more cap space than his production for his time in Green Bay, that bothers me more than where he was drafted. He has been available, so he's got that going for him. He's also been an average to below average middle linebacker given every opportunity to be productive. Like him or not, 5th pick or not, the guy has not made impacts in games (until yesterday).
Now yesterday, the guy produced. I can only think of a couple plays where he got turned around (one pass play he totally gave up on, ended up being a big gainer. Also let a guy run past him once when he was dancing with a defender and not shedding the block). If AJ can keep tackling the front of guys that would be great, but history tells me last week was an outlier, not a template for things to come. Hope I am wrong.
These are the same Packer fans who are just "ready to see Raji go."
Currently, I think we have the best DL in the NFLFU.
And the rest of the D is feasting on what our DL is doing.
Raji was playing half the time in their backfield. Watch replays of that GL stand.
Best thing to happen to BJ and Pickett was the return of Jolly. And Daniels and Jones haven't been pikers either. After the first game I called out the posters who were calling us soft.
He looks quicker and he played "pissed off" yesterday. I think this has been his best year by far. Might have to do with the guys up front keeping lineman off of him.
All this talk about where he was drafted doesn't matter. Why he catches heat is because he has simply been below avg at best throughout his career and is over paid for his contributions. Kudos to him for being healthy the majority of the time, but people want more than that out of a starter.
That said, amazing game from him yesterday.. Not just the sacks, he was delivering big hits all over the field yesterday.
The "people" that employ him seem to like him.
Bush in the D backfield comes to mind.
So does keeping Ross in his last game after his frequent boners.
If Bischop and Jones hadn't been injured, Hawk would be riding the pine.
Grab and drag doesn't cause turnovers.
Originally Posted by LarseeBear:
If Bischop and Jones hadn't been injured, Hawk would be riding the pine.
Link?
Personal opinion after watching their production.
Originally Posted by Shoeless Joe:
EDIT: He positively looks good with short hair.
Originally Posted by GBFanForLife:
The "people" that employ him seem to like him.
Is this your evaluation of Hawk as a player? As long as they are under contract, everything is fine?
Originally Posted by LarseeBear:
If Bischop and Jones hadn't been injured, Hawk would be riding the pine.
That's a damn big IF. And likely not true.
I don't think that statement is too far fetched.
Hawk rarely outplayed Bishop or Jones. Why wouldn't you put the two better players on the field together?
I know it's a big if. And they did get injured. And Hawk was once cut the day before his $10 million salary would have been guaranteed, then signed for far less. Packer People but he read the tea leaves and so did his employers.
As they keep telling us Hawk is the "coach on the field" guy who gets all the D calls and alignments right. Bishop and Jones must have lacked in that area.
Available and Accountable.
Hawk has been consistent. Hawk has been #1 or close to the top in tackles for the team since they drafted him. I don't care if some of them are down field or from behind... he's tackling guys with the ball. Lots of bitching about poor tackling (warranted) by this team over the past few seasons and yet AJ keeps tackling the guy with the ball.
Does his play = his contract? I say yes. He's on the field for nearly every defensive play so his price per play might be considered a bargain. Jones (and Matthews) on the other hand have been awarded new fairly pricey (for Jones) deals and now they are missing time. And we can almost count on them missing time each year based on their history so far.
I'm sure there will those who will come back with no impact plays or whatever, but sometimes having a guy who is always there means just as much as the guy who plays less. The coaches know what they have, don't have to adjust their plans week to week at that position.
Once you make it to college it does not matter where you went to high school. Once you make it to the NFL it does not matter where you went to college. Once you've started 112 of 115 games played it does not matter where you were drafted.
I'll agree that his accountability and availability and ability to make the defensive calls is what makes him a valuable member of this team. So is his leadership and the example he sets for young players. But if he is to be graded solely on his play on the field, he's average at best.
Here's another PFF link supporting my opinion on Hawk. They've never rated him positively over an entire year. Never. It's not just his draft position; he's not that great of a player. I think he has a place on this team based on his intangibles but let's not kid ourselves: he is nothing special.
I don't think I've ever complained where he was drafted. And in my +s and -s post for that particular game, I said Hawk was a plus.
Perhaps a player has more durability and creates minuscule turnovers grabbing and dragging rather than hard collisions.
hawk is a solid part of this defense and makes the guys around him better. he's durable, dependable, intelligent (like an assistant coach on the field) and has the respect of his fellow players, coaches and staff. there's more to the game than fancy stats but most fans don't understand that. or that where he was drafted doesn't matter. fans have far too many exaggerated expectations for top 5 picks, and far too little knowledge of the overall game.
