M
Mark Eckel
Guest
By BOB McGINN
This is the seventh of a nine-part series in which the 67 players on the Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster and reserve/injured list at the end of the season are graded. Playing-time percentages are for offense and defense only.
LINEBACKERS (11)
VINCE BIEGEL (11.6%): Career got off to a rotten start in mid-May when he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot and underwent surgery. Returned to play in the final nine games as the fifth outside linebacker when the others were healthy. Biegel was the 13th OLB selected; the 14th, Auburn’s Carl Lawson, had 8 ½ sacks in 41.9% playing time for the Bengals. Biegel missed valuable practice time but had the advantage of playing the same position in a similar 3-4 defense at Wisconsin. Biegel did some good things on special teams but had just one pressure in 122 snaps. He plays extremely low and tries to dip under tackles, but with marginal quickness was just steered or shoved down or away from the passer. Probably the best looks for Biegel came in short-yardage/goal-line when he sat square and took on blocks or lunged into gaps. He’s gung-ho. He made plays in the Big Ten. The question is, does he have the quickness, change of direction and speed to make them in the NFL? Grade: D.
AHMAD BROOKS (32.8%): In terms of sheer violence, Brooks was almost a breed apart on the roster. Ask some tight ends, even tackles. He’s physical as all get-out. All those seasons (12) playing that hard, however, can wear a man out. In Brooks’ case it’s a chronic back issue that sidelined him for three games at mid-season. He’ll be 34 in March so there’s no reason for the Packers to try with him again. Brooks played 79.8% of the 49ers’ snaps in 2016 as a 16-game starter. With depth in short supply the Packers’ decision to pay the veteran campaigner $3.5 million for one year made sense. Brooks had his moments, too, with 14 ½ pressures, 3 ½ tackles for loss and not a single 20-plus play or TD pass allowed. He also tied for the team lead in penalties with four. He batted down just two passes but that still was one more than anyone else. Grade: C-minus.
KYLER FACKRELL (42.4%): At least he played every game. Fackrell was the only one of the top four OLBs who could say that. Otherwise, it was another pedestrian season for this third-round draft choice. He’s smart, athletic, fast and fairly quick. He was active enough to post 12 ½ pressures, six more than as a rookie, and average one tackle every 13.2 snaps, far better than Brooks’ one every 19.2, for example. Nevertheless, Fackrell remains a disappointment because he isn’t physical enough. Despite playing more snaps (354) than anyone on the team on special teams he made a measly three tackles. He lacks innate body strength, doesn’t play with leverage and gets pushed around too much. He has no power rush. He wins rushing the passer more with his hands than his feet. Grade: D-plus.
REGGIE GILBERT (8.1%): In effect, the Packers regarded Chris Odom as a better player than Gilbert until Dec. 22 when at long last they activated him from the practice squad. Based on his 86 snaps in the last two games, Gilbert probably should have been playing ahead of Fackrell and Biegel, too. In two games Gilbert exerted considerable heat on the passer, finishing with six pressures. Gilbert lacks speed (4.88) but he’s bigger (6-3, 261) than Fackrell or Biegel and plays as hard if not harder. He might not be the answer, either, but the Packers should have started finding out before the last two games of his second season. Grade: D-plus.
BLAKE MARTINEZ (93%): He played much better than as a rookie, passing up Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas during training camp and never looking back as the every-down linebacker. He played almost every snap for a defense that was beset by injury and was grasping for every element of consistency that it could. Martinez stood tall and was accountable on a poor defense. You look at Martinez’ tackling production (team-high 158, team-high nine for loss) and you think he had an outstanding season. But those tackles must be measured against his glaring deficiencies in coverage. Time and again Martinez bit on play-action fakes, took imprecise zone drops, blew assignments or wasn’t athletic enough in man coverage. He became a safe haven for opponents looking for an easy completion. As much as Martinez improved against the run he basically stayed the same against the pass. He led LBs in 20-plus plays allowed with 3 ½ and in TD passes with 3 ½. He led the team in missed tackles with 22 (he had seven in 2016), which was the Packers’ highest total since LB Nate Wayne missed 24 in 2000. Martinez is tough, competitive and durable. For now, at least, he’s also too one-dimensional. Grade: B-minus.
CLAY MATTHEWS (62.4%): Injuries continue to pile up, limiting Matthews’ contributions. From 2009-’11, his playing time always was right around 85%. Since then, it was 69.3% in 2012, 50.2% in ’13, 82.2% in ’14, 96.9% in ’15, 51.4% in ’16 and 62.4% in ’17. He’s still a solid player but his number of big plays has declined almost every year. He posted a career-low two turnover-producing plays (interceptions, fumbles forced, fumbles recovered) this season, after having three each year from 2012-’16, six in ’11, five in ’10 and six in ’09. Nine seasons of challenging 315-pound tackles with his 255 ppounds have taken their toll. He’s still quick, agile and flexible, but just not to the level he once was. From 2009-’12 Matthews led the team in pressures with anywhere from 45 ½ to 55. This season was just the second time in the last five years he finished No. 1 in pressures, but his total was just 30. He was double-teamed on 28.5% of his individual rushes, an increase from 22.6% in 2016, 24% in ’15 and 23% in ’14 but down from 36.2% in ’13, 37.8% in ’11 and 35.2% in ’10. Matthews batted down one pass, a far cry from his career-best six in 2014. He’ll always take chances, which sometimes pays off and sometimes doesn’t. Grade: B-minus.
CHRIS ODOM (5.6%): The Packers claimed Odom off waivers from Atlanta at the last cut, a move that seemed strange at the time and even more strange now. The rookie free agent played DE in the Falcons’ 4-3 all spring and summer, registering two sacks and one QB hit in 161 exhibition snaps. In Green Bay, Odom began the conversion to 3-4 OLB and, in limited playing time, never looked comfortable standing up. The Packers apparently didn’t like what they saw, either, as his snap count dipped from 49 in the first eight games to 10 in the last eight games. Odom has average-to-below arm length (32 5/8) and tiny hands (8 ¼). He had merely one pressure but showed good hustle and participated in nine tackles. Grade: D-minus.
NICK PERRY (51.6%): Has any player in club history ever suffered more hand and wrist injuries? Perry underwent another hand surgery in September, meaning he has now lost games in four of his six seasons to hand/wrist injuries. He sat out four more games this season, increasing his missed-game total to 26. He has never played all 16 games. Fortunately for Perry, he was able to post a career-best totals of 11 sacks and 57.1% playing time in 2016. That, in turn, led to a five-year extension in March worth $18.5 million guaranteed. He wasn’t bad in 2017, leading OLBs in tackles per snap (one every 12.4) and finishing second on the team in pressures with 26 ½ (he had 36 last year). His tackle-for-loss total of one was way off last year’s 5 ½. Perry is a power player who two or three times almost every game mounts a strong rush. He’s OK. He just can’t stay on the field and, at his age (28 in April), probably won’t ever be able to do so. Grade: C-plus.
JAKE RYAN (48%): Has just three turnover-producing plays in 1,525 snaps from scrimmage. Overachieving tough guy with a quick trigger to the ball. Had 69 fewer tackles than Blake Martinez but actually made more tackles per snap (one every 5.7; Martinez made one every 6.2). Ryan is a two-down run player who is more effective moving forward than laterally. He’s a step slow. Missed nine tackles, three more than last season. Liability in coverage. Bites too much on play-action, lacks precision and depth in zone drops and can get exposed one-on-one. Often injured, has yet to play a 16-game season. Grade: C.
DAVID TALLEY (0.0%): Rookie free agent from Grand Valley State signed April 8 after mini-camp cattle call. Played in all four exhibition games (56 snaps) before landing on injured reserve. No reason to bring him back. Grade: Incomplete.
JOE THOMAS (10.1%): Missed 4 ½ games with a high-ankle sprain. Upon return near mid-season he had lost his job as dime LB to the safeties. With Ryan nursing a knee injury Thomas played 59 of his 107 snaps against Carolina. He made several solid tackles against the run but didn’t come through in coverage. He’ll deliver a blow for his size. His ordinary speed (4.71), however, can’t quite compensate for his lack of size. Grade: D.
The post Final Grades: Linebackers appeared first on Bob McGinn Football.
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This is the seventh of a nine-part series in which the 67 players on the Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster and reserve/injured list at the end of the season are graded. Playing-time percentages are for offense and defense only.
LINEBACKERS (11)
VINCE BIEGEL (11.6%): Career got off to a rotten start in mid-May when he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot and underwent surgery. Returned to play in the final nine games as the fifth outside linebacker when the others were healthy. Biegel was the 13th OLB selected; the 14th, Auburn’s Carl Lawson, had 8 ½ sacks in 41.9% playing time for the Bengals. Biegel missed valuable practice time but had the advantage of playing the same position in a similar 3-4 defense at Wisconsin. Biegel did some good things on special teams but had just one pressure in 122 snaps. He plays extremely low and tries to dip under tackles, but with marginal quickness was just steered or shoved down or away from the passer. Probably the best looks for Biegel came in short-yardage/goal-line when he sat square and took on blocks or lunged into gaps. He’s gung-ho. He made plays in the Big Ten. The question is, does he have the quickness, change of direction and speed to make them in the NFL? Grade: D.
AHMAD BROOKS (32.8%): In terms of sheer violence, Brooks was almost a breed apart on the roster. Ask some tight ends, even tackles. He’s physical as all get-out. All those seasons (12) playing that hard, however, can wear a man out. In Brooks’ case it’s a chronic back issue that sidelined him for three games at mid-season. He’ll be 34 in March so there’s no reason for the Packers to try with him again. Brooks played 79.8% of the 49ers’ snaps in 2016 as a 16-game starter. With depth in short supply the Packers’ decision to pay the veteran campaigner $3.5 million for one year made sense. Brooks had his moments, too, with 14 ½ pressures, 3 ½ tackles for loss and not a single 20-plus play or TD pass allowed. He also tied for the team lead in penalties with four. He batted down just two passes but that still was one more than anyone else. Grade: C-minus.
KYLER FACKRELL (42.4%): At least he played every game. Fackrell was the only one of the top four OLBs who could say that. Otherwise, it was another pedestrian season for this third-round draft choice. He’s smart, athletic, fast and fairly quick. He was active enough to post 12 ½ pressures, six more than as a rookie, and average one tackle every 13.2 snaps, far better than Brooks’ one every 19.2, for example. Nevertheless, Fackrell remains a disappointment because he isn’t physical enough. Despite playing more snaps (354) than anyone on the team on special teams he made a measly three tackles. He lacks innate body strength, doesn’t play with leverage and gets pushed around too much. He has no power rush. He wins rushing the passer more with his hands than his feet. Grade: D-plus.
REGGIE GILBERT (8.1%): In effect, the Packers regarded Chris Odom as a better player than Gilbert until Dec. 22 when at long last they activated him from the practice squad. Based on his 86 snaps in the last two games, Gilbert probably should have been playing ahead of Fackrell and Biegel, too. In two games Gilbert exerted considerable heat on the passer, finishing with six pressures. Gilbert lacks speed (4.88) but he’s bigger (6-3, 261) than Fackrell or Biegel and plays as hard if not harder. He might not be the answer, either, but the Packers should have started finding out before the last two games of his second season. Grade: D-plus.
BLAKE MARTINEZ (93%): He played much better than as a rookie, passing up Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas during training camp and never looking back as the every-down linebacker. He played almost every snap for a defense that was beset by injury and was grasping for every element of consistency that it could. Martinez stood tall and was accountable on a poor defense. You look at Martinez’ tackling production (team-high 158, team-high nine for loss) and you think he had an outstanding season. But those tackles must be measured against his glaring deficiencies in coverage. Time and again Martinez bit on play-action fakes, took imprecise zone drops, blew assignments or wasn’t athletic enough in man coverage. He became a safe haven for opponents looking for an easy completion. As much as Martinez improved against the run he basically stayed the same against the pass. He led LBs in 20-plus plays allowed with 3 ½ and in TD passes with 3 ½. He led the team in missed tackles with 22 (he had seven in 2016), which was the Packers’ highest total since LB Nate Wayne missed 24 in 2000. Martinez is tough, competitive and durable. For now, at least, he’s also too one-dimensional. Grade: B-minus.
CLAY MATTHEWS (62.4%): Injuries continue to pile up, limiting Matthews’ contributions. From 2009-’11, his playing time always was right around 85%. Since then, it was 69.3% in 2012, 50.2% in ’13, 82.2% in ’14, 96.9% in ’15, 51.4% in ’16 and 62.4% in ’17. He’s still a solid player but his number of big plays has declined almost every year. He posted a career-low two turnover-producing plays (interceptions, fumbles forced, fumbles recovered) this season, after having three each year from 2012-’16, six in ’11, five in ’10 and six in ’09. Nine seasons of challenging 315-pound tackles with his 255 ppounds have taken their toll. He’s still quick, agile and flexible, but just not to the level he once was. From 2009-’12 Matthews led the team in pressures with anywhere from 45 ½ to 55. This season was just the second time in the last five years he finished No. 1 in pressures, but his total was just 30. He was double-teamed on 28.5% of his individual rushes, an increase from 22.6% in 2016, 24% in ’15 and 23% in ’14 but down from 36.2% in ’13, 37.8% in ’11 and 35.2% in ’10. Matthews batted down one pass, a far cry from his career-best six in 2014. He’ll always take chances, which sometimes pays off and sometimes doesn’t. Grade: B-minus.
CHRIS ODOM (5.6%): The Packers claimed Odom off waivers from Atlanta at the last cut, a move that seemed strange at the time and even more strange now. The rookie free agent played DE in the Falcons’ 4-3 all spring and summer, registering two sacks and one QB hit in 161 exhibition snaps. In Green Bay, Odom began the conversion to 3-4 OLB and, in limited playing time, never looked comfortable standing up. The Packers apparently didn’t like what they saw, either, as his snap count dipped from 49 in the first eight games to 10 in the last eight games. Odom has average-to-below arm length (32 5/8) and tiny hands (8 ¼). He had merely one pressure but showed good hustle and participated in nine tackles. Grade: D-minus.
NICK PERRY (51.6%): Has any player in club history ever suffered more hand and wrist injuries? Perry underwent another hand surgery in September, meaning he has now lost games in four of his six seasons to hand/wrist injuries. He sat out four more games this season, increasing his missed-game total to 26. He has never played all 16 games. Fortunately for Perry, he was able to post a career-best totals of 11 sacks and 57.1% playing time in 2016. That, in turn, led to a five-year extension in March worth $18.5 million guaranteed. He wasn’t bad in 2017, leading OLBs in tackles per snap (one every 12.4) and finishing second on the team in pressures with 26 ½ (he had 36 last year). His tackle-for-loss total of one was way off last year’s 5 ½. Perry is a power player who two or three times almost every game mounts a strong rush. He’s OK. He just can’t stay on the field and, at his age (28 in April), probably won’t ever be able to do so. Grade: C-plus.
JAKE RYAN (48%): Has just three turnover-producing plays in 1,525 snaps from scrimmage. Overachieving tough guy with a quick trigger to the ball. Had 69 fewer tackles than Blake Martinez but actually made more tackles per snap (one every 5.7; Martinez made one every 6.2). Ryan is a two-down run player who is more effective moving forward than laterally. He’s a step slow. Missed nine tackles, three more than last season. Liability in coverage. Bites too much on play-action, lacks precision and depth in zone drops and can get exposed one-on-one. Often injured, has yet to play a 16-game season. Grade: C.
DAVID TALLEY (0.0%): Rookie free agent from Grand Valley State signed April 8 after mini-camp cattle call. Played in all four exhibition games (56 snaps) before landing on injured reserve. No reason to bring him back. Grade: Incomplete.
JOE THOMAS (10.1%): Missed 4 ½ games with a high-ankle sprain. Upon return near mid-season he had lost his job as dime LB to the safeties. With Ryan nursing a knee injury Thomas played 59 of his 107 snaps against Carolina. He made several solid tackles against the run but didn’t come through in coverage. He’ll deliver a blow for his size. His ordinary speed (4.71), however, can’t quite compensate for his lack of size. Grade: D.
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