The Men Who Protect the Man

Holy long read. But thanks for posting. Excellent stuff.

Early the next morning, coach James Campen walked to the front of the room and, without a word, started writing the numbers of his starting line. Moving from left to right, “69” was first on the board.

 

Coming into the league, Bakhtiari had had a crude but optimistic plan for his career. He’d spend a season or two at right tackle, easing into the league before flipping to the left side a couple of years in. That plan had just accelerated. Two weeks into his first training camp, he was the left tackle for the Green Bay Packers.

 

At the Packers’ offensive walkthrough that afternoon, Rodgers congratulated Bakhtiari in front of the group, loud enough for everyone to hear. As he leaned in for a hug, he whispered in the rookie’s ear: You better not get me killed.

agree, great article.

When the Packers are in shotgun formations and Linsley’s head is stuck between his legs, Sitton and Lang are responsible for all the line’s calls, and their familiarity with every moving part of the offense creates a constant dialogue with Rodgers. The offense is able to avoid bad plays because they have three players searching for the right one. “Especially at home, they can just tell me if they like the play or not, and we can move forward,” Rodgers says. “They can tell me what blocking scheme in the heat of the moment, whether it’s in the huddle, or on the line of scrimmage, what scheme they would like to use at that point. It makes my job a lot easier.”

By keeping the same five linemen almost the entire season, the Packers have been able to build their vocabulary into an entire language. “We’ve got so many dummy calls,” Sitton says. “Half the **** we say doesn’t mean a thing. It’s pretty cool when you can evolve within the season, learning a whole new thing.” In past seasons, the line has been a band forced to replace its drummer or bassist every week. The entire offense goes from writing songs to relearning chords. This year, they can riff, take chances. They can be a 1,500-pound Radiohead.

Cobb, Tramon Williams, Davon House, Mike Daniels, Bryan Bulaga...

Really don't envy Ted one bit. It'll be a hell of a decision of which of those UFA's do you keep and then at what price.

Bulaga might be the hardest. If you were guaranteed this kind of health/production in his next contract, of course it would be a no brainer. But he's missed a lot of games since being drafted including blowing his ACL.

Can Barclay adequately replace him if TT let's him walk?

One thing we know. Ted rarely if ever overpays and he don't do no bidding wars...

Not even in the same league as the Cowboys HOF OL.

That's what I'm hearing anyway.

I am hope all the talk of the GREAT Cowboys OL motivates the Packers OL. A no sack game will be a key if AR can't move around like he normally does.  

Love articles like this, keeping it, and thanks for posting.   Cobb, Tramon Williams, Davon House, Mike Daniels, Bryan Bulaga......Yikes, who do you keep??   

Right now I'm just glad Grantland isn't a magazine with a front cover. Lovin' themselves some Pack this week.

From the linked article

After a string of compliments are thrown Bakhtiari’s way, Sitton, by lineman obligation, mutes his love with a zing. “Just another classic fourth-round steal from Ted,” he says, lathered in sarcasm. Everyone laughs.

Sitton was a fourth-round pick. So was Lang. Linsley went one round later, after 30 other linemen. No one can quite figure out why. “It’s not like we’re all the same guy,” Sitton says.

Ted Thompson has the same aw-shucks response. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t presume that we think that we have some secret thing that we look at that puts us ahead of other people,” he says. “In our case, I think the fact that we were able to get some good players in the middle rounds was good coaching, but probably a lot of luck.”

Remember when the small- brains were ripping on TT for his alleged "ego"

Bakhtiari on Josh Sitton. 

“He is brilliant, but he looks like a dumbass.”

Lineman are the best. 

Great article, thanks for posting.  I'm so sick of reading opinion articles from "experts".  I would much rather read articles like this, that give a view into who these players are.  

Although, WTF Sitton?  Really kicking my alma mater when we're down.....

Lang guesses that with the exception of Linsley, each came from a college football also-ran. Sitton went to Central Florida. Lang went to Eastern Michigan. Bakhtiari played at Colorado. “And even though it’s the Pac-12 … ” Lang says.

 

Sitton finishes the thought. “It’s a ****ty football program.” The laughs come even harder this time.

Great piece. Hopefully they'll also be sick of hearing about how great the Cowboys' offensive line is and will make a statement Sunday.

Some great stories out these past few days about the Packers. I approve

Definitely get the human side of these players on the O-Line. Very cool to see & read about them all growing up.

Good read and thanks for posting it and it shows what the meaning of team is all about.

“We’ve got so many dummy calls,” Sitton says. “Half the **** we say doesn’t mean a thing.

Anyone know what "3-19!" means?

Wow, what a read. Thanks much for posting.

Great read!

My favorite bit is Rodgers calling them ruthless in their humor and saying that's the right way.

It's called finishing your block.

It sounds as if these guys are self-policing each other.  How much of an effect does Campmen (sp) have? 

These guys are great.  Sometimes I'm amazed the Packers ever lose a game. 

Absolutely Dr. Bob. Just shows how damn hard it is to win it all.

Packer peoples.

Check down for a running play...3 yards and a cloud of "dust".

Genesis 3:19

In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.

I just thought it was the Packer version of "Omaha".  And we all know what Manning said about that - nothing!

Fantastic read - thanks!

Same as Blue 58, only 3-19 is said by a better QB. 

Give Big Eyes Rodgers 8 linemen.

It only looks like we have more than eleven on the field.

On the McCarren Packers live show, during an earn your autograph thing, the packer player was hiking the ball and said "green 19".   I remember wondering if that's what Rodgers is always saying?

So he used blue 58 yesterday.  Have we heard that before?  Tip to Bert?  I'm a dumbass?

yes

OL keeps leading the way. Great team chemistry evinced once again.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/th...obsession-1421346102

The weekly schedule of an NFL player is jam-packed and controlled to the millisecond. There are appointments that cannot be missed. There’s practice, film study and time in the cold tub. In the case of the Green Bay Packers, there’s also board-game night.

There may not be a more unusual bonding tradition in the NFL than the gang of Packers who get together regularly to play a board game called “Settlers of Catan.” For the past two months, it’s been the talk of the locker room. The number of players that have devoted a long night to the game is in the double-digits and—including most of the team’s starting offensive line, among others. And don’t let the words “board game” fool you, this is not Candyland. 

Any player in the locker room will readily admit that it’s a nerdy endeavor. The game’s object is to build settlements on the board using “resource” cards. Think of it as a fantasy version of Monopoly. “At first we’re like, ‘What the hell is this? Brick? Wool? What kind of game is this?’” said starting center Corey Linsley. But that quickly faded. “We are completely addicted to it, we play it whenever we can,” said tight end Justin Perillo. 

‘‘We’re always looking for something to do, it’s cold. No one wants to go outside, better find something.’’

<small>—Packers quarterback Matt Flynn</small>

On any day in Green Bay’s locker room, you can find starting tackle David Bakhtiari, who introduced the game to the team, rounding up players for a Catan get-together that night—and there’s no shortage of willing participants. But players may not know what they are in for...

10th Youngest O-Line

Bak is younger than Linsley? How long exactly was our center in colladge?

Hard to argue that Sitton (4th round), Lang (4th), Bakh (4th), and Linsley (5th) aren't among Ted's best value picks. If only they'd had better coaching.

Grantland has started to ramp up its NFL analysis as preseason beckons. Nice OL article by Robert Mays, including his ranking of Josh Sitton as the league's 4th best OL last season.

http://grantland.com/the-trian...n-peters-joe-staley/

4. Josh Sitton (LG, Packers)

 

Sitton is never in a hurry — anymore, at least. He told me a story once about how early in his career he would get so wound up and nervous before games that Matt Flynn would come over and offer up his headphones: any way he could get the guard — a fourth-rounder who managed to get significant playing time as a rookie — to calm down.

 

 

Those days are long gone. To watch Sitton is to watch a player in total control. With how quickly the action develops on the interior of the line, a lot of guards are anxious to immediately set in pass protection and avoid ending up in the quarterback’s lap. Sitton’s game, though, is defined by patience, and it’s what makes him the best pass-blocking guard in the league. Before he dives into the fray, he’s strong enough to wait just a bit — as he does while Nick Fairley spins his way to nowhere. It takes years to develop that sort of assuredness, and even then, most guys don’t have the temperament to implement it into their play.