NFL Business - THE SALARY CAP!

What makes the NFL so successful?  Many things!

Football!

Players!

Tradition!!

Playing once a week - BUILDS anticipation!!!

Only 16 games - EVERY game is important!

And, ……………………

The business of football - the NFL!

Lately, the NFL has taken a lot of hits, most by players & their of the field stupidity!  And how the NFL has handled it!  In this politically correct world, players union, and owners the juggling is very difficult!  But one great thing, I think is the "Salary Cap"

The "Salary Cap" seems to keep the talent on an equal playing field.  But, the general manager & coach are the artists that create the masterpiece!  The Patriots & Packers have the longest playoff run - 6 years in a row!  Other organizations are also building on success lately - Seahawks, Ravens, 49ers, , Steelers have had success.  The Packers combination of Ted Thompson & Mike McCarthy have had success with a draft, develop, & sprinkle in a few free agents.

The latest team caps are below:

(Click to enlarge)

So, as the list shows, the Pack is in good shape!  Some where around $33,000,000.  So, to make it simple I saw sign:

Randall Cobb - 9,000,000

Brain Bulaga - 8,000,000

Devon House - 2,000,000

Scott Tolzein - 1,500,000

BJ Raji - 2, 500,000

If possible add,

John Kuhn - 1,000,000

Letroy Guion - 2,000,000

Don Barclay - 1,000,000

That leaves about 6,000,000.  Plus, may be able to restructure the following players:

Top 3 players

Aaron - 18, 250,000

Clay - 12,700,000

Julius - 12,000,000

With a little magic, maybe we can re-work, spread out, offer incentives, what ever - 4-5 million!!

Let the fun begin!!

AJ Hawk Released - One of Packer's BEST!

The names of Packers in the past are legendary,

Donald Driver, Brett Favre, Reggie White, Jim Taylor, Fuzzy Thurston, Dave Robinson, Willie Wood, Jerry Kramer, Jim Ringo, Ray Nitschke, James Lofton, Henry Jordan, & many more!!  And of course, Vince Lombardi!  Now add to that list - AJ Hawk!

Ted Thompson quote:

“A.J. is a consummate Packer and we are grateful for all that he has given and how he represented the organization over the past nine seasons,” Thompson said. “He was a durable and consistent contributor to our success, but more importantly, he is a great person and teammate. The Packers are grateful for all that he has done on the field and in the community. We wish A.J., his wife Laura, and the rest of their family all the best.”

Let's look at his career!

Number 1 in Packer History in tackles - 1,118!!

Selected in first round of 2006 NFL Draft - #5 Overall!!

Recorded over 100 tackles in 7 of 9 seasons!

Packers made playoffs 7 of 9 times in his career!

Super Bowl XLV!

AJ's Super Bowl interview:

My favorite STAT!!!  - 9 years - played in 142 of 144 games!!  WOW!  Durable & Tough!!!

My favorite recent AJ Hawk Video???

AJ was not flashy.  He made the pro bowl one time.  He was drafted VERY high and some people held that against him!  But, what AJ brought to the Packers is what many great Americans bring every day!  A fire fighter that retires after coming to work every day.  A teacher that retires after many years of quietly working after school with students.  A high school coach that spends countless hours working with young athletes.  A steelworker that goes to work everyday in a steaming hot plant.

There are many people that help make this country great!  And today, very few athletes play an entire career in the same city.  AJ Hawk is a Green Bay Packer.  And AJ Hawk will be missed!

Thank You………..  AJ Hawk!

2015 NFL Combine - Day Three

Day 3, NFL Combine - WOW!!!

I loved what I saw today!!  Defensive Line & Linebackers!  WOW!!!

I would be happy with all DL & LB in my draft!   As a Packer fan, we NEED this positions!  Our defense & special teams would benefit!!!  So, who looked good?

At linebacker, inside as I have mentioned before is BIG.  Love these three:

Benardrick McKinney, Miss St

Denzel Perryman, Miami

Eric Kendricks, UCLA

Lets compare details:

McKinney

Height - 6'4

Weight  - 246 lbs.

40 yard time - 4.66

Bench Press (225 lbs) - 16

Vertical Jump - 40.5

Broad Jump - 121

3 Cone Drill - 7.21

20 yard shuttle - 4.27

60 yard shuttle - x

Perryman

Height - 5'11'

Weight  - 236 LBS.

40 yard time - 4.78

Bench Press (225 lbs) - 27

Vertical Jump - 32

Broad Jump - 113

3 Cone Drill - x

20 yard shuttle - x

60 yard shuttle - x

Kendricks

Height - 6'0"

Weight  - 232 lbs.

40 yard time - 4.61

Bench Press (225 lbs) - 19

Vertical Jump - 38

Broad Jump - 124

3 Cone Drill - x

20 yard shuttle - x

60 yard shuttle - x

My vote - 1 Kendricks, 2 Perryman, & 3 McKinney

2015 NFL Combine - Day Two

Quarterbacks, Running Backs & Wide Receivers!

Busy day!  My first "GUT" reaction?

QB's - Not interested

WR's - Very interested, but no head cases!

RB's - some good ones, but only rounds 3 & 4.

The Packers are in good shape - Great QB, have running backs, & have wide receivers! (Sign Cobb)

Best draft board would look like this:

Round 1 & 2 - Inside Linebacker & defensive line, mostly tackles!

Round 3 & 4 - best talent, lean to CB, TE, or OL.

Back to today - Quarterbacks
Back ups at best!  All cannot start next year.  As far as who I would risk a pick - Marcus Mariota, from
Oregon.  Why?  Seems humble & trainable.  FAST!  Arm is good enough, but not great.  As far as two
that intrigue me - Cody Fajardo, Nevada & Bryce Petty, Baylor.  Petty has nice size - 6'3" & 230 lbs
and size 10" hands!  Looks like a solid back up to train for a couple years. Fajardo, again athletic, good speed!  Average size at 6'1" & 223 lbs.  Scouts say he has good pocket awareness & in the NFL that is critical!

Wide Receivers - a lot of good looking athletes!  Packers need to look at round 3-4 type, so
so forget about the top ones!  Two that caught my eye, one is Devon Funchess from Michigan.
Nice size at 6'4" & 232 lbs.  Ran a 4.70 40 harder, so average speed.  But, I think he could
be turned into a tight end!  And the second would be, Tre McBride from William & Mary!
Good speed in 40 - 4.41 & size 6'0" & 210 lbs is good size.  Scoust say good ball skills &
leaping ability!

Running Backs - maybe one?  We have Lacy & Starks.  Harris is a free agent!  I still
think the Pack needs a break away, 3rd down type, a change of pace!  My under dog pick -
Javorius Allen, USC - 6'0" - 221 lbs.  Scouting report says "lateral quickness, and can bounce outside and create!

As far as these positions. no real need, but again in rounds after 4, if we think we have a good one
take him!

2015 NFL Combine - Day One

OK, retirement allows old, retired, high school football coaches can watch the NFL prospects & make decisions from home?

1 - Weak year for Tight Ends!  Had a chance to watch the tight ends drills.  40 yard dash times, not that good.  Some projects, 27 year old rookie from U Mass.  A good beard, .  Everyone like the kid from Minnesota, Maxx Williams.   O'Leary, Florida State, the Mackey Award Winner!  And my favorite name, Jesse James from Penn State!

Did not see a lot of great hands, or natural pass catchers.  So, the tight ends I saw were late picks - round 4 and later!

Packers need to look at the free agent list this year!

2 - Offensive linemen? No surprise, no speed demons, one guy under 5 seconds, Ali Marpet, from Hobart & William Smith?  Yes, a new college for me!!  I know one thing, cardio is not a strong point!! Some of the big boys were sucking wind!!!  Realing difficult to watch linemen and decide if they can block, but some of the technique was shaky!

3 - The other issue is Jameis Winston - shoulder issue?  Does not seem serious, but another red flag.  The QB class to me is another weak position!  He is ready to step to the podium for his press conference!  Comments……………………

Well, after news conference, I would not draft draft Jameis, sorry!  And lucky for us, Packer Fans,

We

Have

Aaron!!!!!!

Next Packer Need - Defensive Line

According to me, this humble fan, the Packer first need is inside linebacker.  Next on my draft wish list is that defensive line!  We have been talking about the Packer defensive line for the last few years, and I still think it is a need!

In a 3-4 defense, we only label 3 defensive linemen.  And, the Packers have that "Elephant" position, that is really a DE & OLB.  So, players like Julius Peppers, Mike Neal, and to some extent Clay Matthews are playing on the line of scrimmage and blitz the QB!

Also, we have gone from BIG guys last year, to more athletic guys this year.  But, you still need a few BIG boys.  This year, the free agent signing of Letroy Guion was big, especially when Raji went down for the year.  Of course, now Guion has legal issues & we do not know if Raji is back.  So, my focus will be on BIG defensive linemen!

At the combine, the following were listed as DT:
Armstead, Arik
Bennett, Michael
Blackson, Angelo
Brown, Malcom
Cooper, Xavier
Covington, Christian
Davis, Carl
Davison, Tyeler
Edwards, Mario
Goldman, Eddie
Jarrett, Grady (Listed as NT)
Lott, Derrick
Mbu, Joey
McCarthy, Ellis
Nunez-Rochers, Rakeem
Orr, Leon
Parry, Davis  NT
Phillips, Jordan  NT
Philon, Darius
Richardson, Bobby
Shelton, Danny  NT
Simon, Deon  NT
Surratt, JT
Trinca-Pasat, Louis
Walton, Leterrius
Wright, Gabe

There is a list of the DT & NT.  I'm going to focus on some of the REALLY bigs!

Ellis McCarthy - UCLA -  6'5" - 325 lbs
Was on the good & bad comment list.  Big boy, rarely handled by one blocker.  But, at time lacked
passion & weight issues(has been at 350)  BUT, did not start any games at UCLA!  Low rounds at best!

Joey Mbu - Houston - 6'3" - 310 lbs.
Coaches at Houston loved him and loved his leadership!  Good movement & great hands!  Needs more power!  Word is will outwork many of the DT's!

Eddie Goldman - Florida St - 6'4" - 314 lbs.
Good power & strong upper body! He is questionable as a pass rusher.

Tyeler Davison - Fresno St. - 6'2" - 309 lbs.
Loves hand to hand combat (was a high school wrestler!), and a high character player!  Has, "quick win" capability!  Says, he could only play on 4 more front - Too bad for Pack!

Carl Davis - Iowa - 6'5" - 315 lbs.
Powerful & holds on against double teams! Good football IQ!  Shows some weakness as a pass rusher!

This is one position that a players tenacity is a key & you could get a good one in the later rounds!  For some reason I like Mbu from Houson & Davis from Iowa in rounds 4 & 5!

My Third Inside Linebacker Pick - Mike Hull, Penn State

I must admit, this pick is a little "home cooking"!  Mike Hull, Penn State, Inside Linebacker!

As a Pennsylvania boy, John Kuhn has always been my favorite!  So why Mike Hull?

Unless you have living in a cocoon, the trials & tribulations of Penn State football has been talked about for the last few years!  Well, Mike Hull has had an amazing ride!  Leadership, not only on the field, but off the field!  His family has played at Penn State! While coaches have come & gone, players have jumped ship to other colleges, the dedication & focus NEVER left Mike Hull!!!  So, on that alone, I would draft him!!!

 Mike Hull, ILB/OLB, Penn State
Height: 6-0. Weight: 231.
Projected 40 Time: 4.69.
Projected Round (2015): 3-5. 

So, 107 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, AND son of Tom & Donna Hull, father played for the 49er's & yes, THE GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!!

His latest interview from You Tube - Mike Hull Interview.

Another Inside Linebacker Prospect - Eric Kendricks

Eric Kendricks, UCLA - 6'0" & 230 lbs.

149 tackles this year, 11.5 for loses 4 sacks, 3 interceptions & one forced fumble.

Biggest thing in my book - I love how his brother plays for the Eagles, hope he has the same motor!

Like what his mother says:
The mother of Mychal and Eric Kendricks has old photos of the brothers playing sports back when they were kids, and says their mannerisms — like how they’d squat down while waiting to go in a game, their hands placed just like so — are identical. During the one year they played football together in high school, she had a difficult time telling them apart on the field  given that they played the same position (middle linebacker) and had similar builds and playing styles.


And, his college coach:
"He wants to know all the nooks and crannies,” said their father, Marvin, a former standout running back who starred at UCLA and spent a training camp with the Eagles early on in the Dick Vermeil era. “If you check with the coaches at UCLA, Eric did so much film work, they had to run him outta there. The thing is, it showed up on the field because a lot of times Eric knew what the quarterback was going to call before he even called it."


That is a good start!
And according the GangGreen website:
With Eric Kendricks, we would be getting a very sound LBer. A player that will be a sure tackler for us in any scheme, and wouldn't be a liability in coverage. It's hard not to like this guy. He may not be amazing at any one thing, but he does everything, and does it well. Without the "wow" factor, his stock has a limit. If he blows the roof off of the combine, he might still only be a late 1st rounder. As of now,  Kendricks is looking like a 2nd, or 3rd round pick. If we don't resign David Harris, I want his replacement to be able to match his production, and then some. Pass rushing aside, Eric can do this. We have a severe deficiency when it comes to agile LBers that can thrive in a 4-3 defense as well as 3-4. Whoever our new coach is, he will be able to find a position where Kendricks can succeed.

So, Football in his blood, a good Mom, a hard worker, and a brother already in the NFL.
I like him - worth Round 1 & definitely Round 2!

Looking At 2015 NFL Draft - Denzel Perryman

One of the Packers obvious needs is inside linebacker!  First, another SHOUT to AJ Hawk!  AJ was a face of our defense the past 5-6 years!!  He had great leadership & played ALL the time!!!  The best scenario would be, Hawk to re-do his salary & stick around for the young guys!
So, with that in mind, what about Denzel Perryman?
Take a look at CheesheadTV Article on Denzel Perryman!What do we like?
Denzel Perryman - 6'0" & 240 lbs.
First Team All ACC
Third Team All-American
This year - 110 tackles - 9.5 for loss - two sacks - three forced fumbles - one interception
Some Comments:
   Strong in run defense & can cover in pass defense
   Reads his keys well & tackles in the box
 
"Perryman, I think is a first-round inside linebacker if he runs well at the combine," NFL Media's Mike Mayock said.   

An AFC director of scouting told NFL.com earlier this week that Perryman is a "thumper" and a "badass." RotoWorld   

Perryman has the range, instincts, & absolutely the stopping power you just love in a MLB. Jim Cogar 

Darren Page of DetroitLionsDraft.com studied Perryman's performance against Florida and came away impressed, noting he saw "a wide array of skills that translate to the NFL."

Interesting Article: Clements Takes Over Play-Calling Duties

Change is in the cold air around Green Bay!!!

Read the article - have a read: Clements Takes Over Play-Calling Duties

Let's break it down!!!

First,
Offensively, Tom Clements has been promoted to associate head coach/offense. Edgar Bennett has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Van Pelt handling quarterbacks and receivers. It's a treat to have Mike Solari here, he'll be our assistant offensive line coach. I'm excited about what Jason Simmons brings to the table. Jerry Montgomery will primarily be working hand-in-hand with Dom Capers. I think you know me well enough. Big changes aren't something I do in hast. This is something I feel is my responsibility each and every year. These changes I'm excited about. Enjoyed my time the last two days being with defensive staff meetings. I will split my time equally with offense, defense and special teams. With my past responsibilities, I didn't do that.

What does all this mean?  I think two things!

1 - Mike McCarthy is bringing in new blood.  Adding more coaches to the staff!  New ideas, more ideas, and different coaching styles.  Time will tell!
2 - Mike McCarthy will have his hands (and feet) in the offense, the defense & special teams.  McCarthy has mainly focused on the offense, this is a BIG change!  I'm really glad he will be in the special teams meetings!!

What about play-calling?

On play-calling:

Tom Clements will be the play-caller. Really the biggest change for me personally, I felt the play-calling was something I could still do but the commitment you have to make Monday through Saturday. Tom taking responsibility on offense that I had in the past. Alex has a unique opportunity of working with quarterbacks and receivers. I don't think changes will be too big for players. We think these adjustments will continue to help us grow.

Now, this one I will be excited to watch!!  My only issue the past couple years is to keep attacking in the second half and I would use the Pass to set up the run!  We have Aaron Rogers for 7-10 more good years, let it fly baby!!

And why will McCarthy split his time?

On why it's important to split time:

I think I have a lot more to offer. I enjoyed the last two days going through cut ups with offense. There's a vision you get each and every year. Now I'll be more directly involved with implementation with defense. Special teams needs to improve. It's an area of concern in the past. We have to continue to develop our young players and get more out of our veterans. The standard of play on special teams, our consistency of veteran players wasn't what it needed to be. That will be a focus of mine.

Makes sense for a head coach!  That's what I would do!  Just as a good boss, a boss should know what everyone is doing!  As a retired educator I always thought most of my leaders were hiding some place!

And what does McCarthy think about giving up calling plays?

On giving up play-calling:

I'm going to miss it. I know that. But the way we're structured. The way our quarterbacks are in their development. The way we call the game is a lot different than three years ago. I feel good about where Aaron is, but also our veteran offensive linemen and receivers. We can make adjustments on the sideline. I feel good about mechanics. I think it'll make us all better. We haven't got into the game-day responsibilities, but as we get through spring and summer there will probably be another adjustment made.

Now, I'm sure Mike will have suggestions!  And with Aaron Rogers, I think Aaron could call all his own plays!  And, it would be interesting to see how many he changes!

One thing for sure is the Packers can win division titles & make the playoffs!  But, since the super bowl win, not so much!

2015 NFL Draft & NFL Combine

OK, football fans!  It is that time to do your homework!  Here is the coming schedule:

Feb. 16: First day for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.

Feb. 17-23: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

March 10: 2015 league year and free agency period begin at 4 p.m. ET. All clubs must be under the 2015 salary cap before 4 p.m. ET.

March 22-25: Annual meeting, Phoenix

April 24: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets

April 29: Deadline for prior club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.

April 30-May 2: NFL draft, Chicago

May 8-11: First weekend after draft: Clubs may elect to hold their three-day post-draft rookie mini-camp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 15-18: Second weekend after draft: Clubs may elect to hold their three-day post-draft rookie mini-camp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 18-20: NFL spring league meeting, San Francisco

June 21-27: Rookie Symposium, Aurora, Ohio.


Now, let the fun begin!  Of course, my first focus is the NFL Combine.  My goal, find 5 players per position!  I will try to look at the obvious players, but also try to find the "Diamond in the Rough!"

Here are the numbers for the combine as of today:
1 - Quarterbacks - Total 15
2 - Running Backs - 3 Fullbacks & 33 Running backs - Total 36
3 - Wide Receivers - Total 43
4 - Tight Ends - Total 20
5 - Offensive Line - 4 Centers, 14 Guards & 29 Tackles - Total 52
6 - Defensive Line - 23 Defensive Ends, 21 Defensive Tackles, & 5 Nose Tackles - Total 49
7 - Linebackers - 27 Outside Linebackers & 14 Inside Linebackers - Total 41
8 - Defensive Backs -32 Cornerbacks & 14 Free Safeties, & 8 Strong Safeties - Total 64
9 - Special Teams - 1 Long Snapper, 5 Kickers, & 7 Punters - Total 13

First, I will list the positions by Need, according to me!!!  I will list 7, the number of draft picks, although we should get more because of supplemental picks!

1 - Linebackers -  specifically Inside Linebacker!
2 - Defensive Line - Defensive Tackle or Nose Guard
3 - Tight Ends
4 - Defensive Line - Defensive End
5 - Defensive Backs - Cornerbacks
6 - Offensive Line - Tackles
7 - The BEST player left!

OK, let the breakdown begin!!

CBS Sports

NFL Website

Packer Special Teams - 2015

Three Main Guys:

Kicker - Mason Crosby - Year 8

Punter - Tim Masthay - Year 5

Long Snapper - Brett Goode - Year 7

Our Kicker had a nice year - 27 for 33,
50 yards or more - 4 of 7
40-49 yards - 5 of 7
30-39 yards - 11 of 12
20-29 yards - 7 of 7
No attempts under 20

I would bring someone in for competition.  That seems to keep kickers focused!

Our Punter - Tim Masthay - 49 punts - 14 inside the 20, & 2 blocked!  Not his fault!
The Pack already brought in some competition - Cody Mandell.
Let the competition begin!!!

Lon Snapper - Brett Goode.  If you read my block, I DO NOT LIKE long snappers!  It just
seems like a waste of a roster spot & any lineman should be able to do it!  But, Goode
did a good job this year & I do not remember any bad snaps!

Found a sight dedicated to Long Snappers!

Letroy Guion - Uh Oh! NFL players Love The Off Season!

Packers roster decisions may have been started earlier than expected!

Letroy Guion had nearly $200,000 in cash on him, plus weed, gun

Wow!  Love some of the details!

Yeah, this overnight arrest of Packers defensive tackleLetroy Guion keeps looking worse and worse.

The report from the Starke (Fla.) Police Department is out, and it appears that Guion had more than just a little weed and a handgun on him last night.

Via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette,police found 357 grams of marijuana (.787 pounds, or as some of my old college roommates tell me, a lot), a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and $190,028.81 in cash.

He’d have probably been all right, but the pile of change at the lower right of the picture totalling 81 cents is going to push this one right over the top.

Guion was pulled over at 11:03 p.m. last night for failing to maintain a single lane, which is probably harder with all that weed and money rattling around in the floorboards.

Now, we need to wait & see, BUT, it does not look good!  I would give BJ Raji a quick call!

Packer Defensive Line - Defensive Tackles 2015

As I mentioned in yesterdays blog, the Packers defensive tackles & ends is a blurred "line"!  One thing all good defensive lines need are run stoppers!  And usually, these players are just BIGGER!  The magic on good defenses is your line cannot be moved, but your line needs some speed!

Packer Defensive Tackles:
Josh Boyd
Mike Daniels
Bruce Gaston
Letroy Guion
Mike Pennel
BJ Raji
Luther Robinson
Khyri Thorton

So, as mentioned, 3 of these players Mike Daniels, Josh Boyd, & Bruce Gaston were also considered defensive ends and discussed.  The Packer defensive theme is versatility! The same goes for our linemen!  For years I complained that our d-line was too fat!  Now we have gone the other way!  Here our our height and weights:

Josh Boyd - 6'3" - 310
Mike Daniels - 6'0" - 305
Bruce Gaston - 6'2" - 310
Letroy Guion - 6'4" - 315
Mike Pennel - 6'4" - 332
BJ Raji - 6'2" - 337
Luther Robinson - 6'3" - 301
Khyri Thorton - 6'3" - 304

By todays standards, not a lot of beef!
According to the NFL website:

A 3-4 nose tackle is asked to command double teams and prevent guards and centers from getting to second-tier blocking at the linebacker level. A 4-3 nose tackle is required to penetrate the inside "A" gap and often loop around and be responsible for containing the "C" gap. Then there are 3-4 defensive ends who really aren't ends, but instead work down into the "B" gap to defending power running plays. Then there is the hard-to-find, 4-3 three-technique tackle who is asked to penetrate and be disruptive.

Do we have that person?  Close.

Letroy Guion - After a slow start, Guion came on strong.  For the price & ability, Letroy was a pleasant surprise!  Also, he fit in well with the team and brought a great attitude to blend in with Mike Daniels leadership!  At the right price, we should resign him!

BJ Raji - Wow!  A tough decision!  The BJ we had the first 2-3 years YES!  The BJ the last few years - NO!  I would only bring him back at the right price!

Khyri Thorton - a rookie who missed the entire year!  We need another look!  Let's see what he has next pre-season!

Luther Robinson & Mike Pennel - not much to go on, mostly practice squad guys, so we need another look!!

This is a need!  Free Agent or draft.  We need a run stopper & someone to protect our linebackers!

Packer Defensive Line - Defensive Ends for 2015

Running a 3-4 defense kind of blurs the vision of what a defensive end looks like!  Basically, every defense must account for "gaps" on the offense line!

Checkout the article:

Football 101: Defensive line gap techniques

Now a picture:

So, no matter if you run a 3-4 or 4-3 defense, you MUST account for each gap!!  A-B-C!!

As the year went on, the Packer Defense started to stop the run & improve against the pass!

The Packer defensive ends:

Datone Jones
Mike Daniels
Josh Boyd
Bruce Gaston

It looks pretty thin!!!  And it is!  But, remember, in our Packer 3-5 Peppers, Matthews, Neal, Perry as outside linebackers take on some of the responsibilities of defensive ends.  That list makes it look better!

Mike Daniels - (a starter), if one player decided at the beginning of the year to try to make the Packer Defense meaner, tougher, nastier, and have an "attitude" it was Daniels!  THANK GOODNESS!  Any great defense has a little intimidation factor!  To me, that has been missing!  Play hard, play on the edge, hit with an attitude!!!  Thank you Mike Daniels.  And overall Daniels backed it up!  He was not all-pro caliber, but was a playmaker inside!
41 tackles - 29 solo - 5.5 sacks

Datone Jones - (a starter), another #1 draft choice that made some strides & stayed fairly healthy!!!  Along with Daniels, Datone brought more of an attitude to the line of scrimmage!  Hope Jones can continue to improve!  Needs to add to the sack total!
22 tackles - 17 solo - 1.5 sacks

Josh Boyd - our first man in in the rotation, Boyd played a lot of football!  Was a good replacement, but not spectacular!!  the "0" sacks shoes that!  May be in trouble sticking next year if draft choices & free agents come on!
19 tacles - 9 solo - 0 sacks

Bruce Gaston - mostly a practice squad member, Gaston did not get much playing time.  Will have troubles sticking next year!

So, we need help!  Free Agent or Draft!

Mike Daniels - hitting Brady!!!  :)  :)

Packers 2015 Outside Linebackers

Clay Matthews, inside or outside linebacker?  The word is, on Matthews exit interview, he will play both next year.  I think that is good, for three reasons.

1 - Clay is our most athletic line backer, let him cause issues all over the field from the middle!!

2 - Rushing the passer is flashy, exciting, but Clay also gets beat up by 300 pound lineman!  Let him cover tight ends, tackle running backs running from side to side!

3 - Other teams MUST account for Clay!  When preparing for the Pack - Where is Clay?  Make other teams worry about that!!!

Other Outside Libebackers:

Julius Peppers
Mike Neal
Jayronne Elliot
Nick Perry
Carl Bradford
Adrian Hubbard
Andy Mulumba

First Clay Matthews.  Clay still flies around the field.  He still creates match up problems for opposing offenses.  But, it seems that impact plays are down.  The big sack & fumble.  The interception for a TD.  Hopefully, there are more big plays left in the tank as he begins year 7.  I really like what Capers is doing using Clay as a "Wild Card".  With a positive attitude going into 2015, with Capers dreaming of new ways to use Clay, I expect a BIG year for Matthews!!!

Julius Peppers - Nice pick up!  First, I really believe in the "draft & develop" Packer theme, BUT every year, one or two free agents are still a great idea!  Peppers is proof of that!  Entering year 14, does Peppers still have enough to help?  My answer - YES!  First, the young players seem to respect Julius & just by his interviews this year, fans should also!!  He is humble & focused.  And I still think he wants that Super Bowl ring & deserves one!!  Second, he seemed to play better when his snaps were monitored, for Peppers, less is better!  Rotating Neal & Perry seemed to allow Julius to provide quality plays!  Nice season Julius Peppers & great leadership!

Mike Neal & Nick Perry - it seems from this humble fan, Perry & Neal had a good season & made some strides.  That is good news for Packer fans!  Especially Perry, a former #1 pick!  Neal will enter year 6 & Perry year 4!  This defense should benefit from their maturity!!!  I expect a good season from Neal & Perry in 2015!

Jayrone Elliot - A definite surprise in 2014!  Signed as a rookie un-drafted player, Elliot had a great pre-season & helped on special teams, while making the 53 man roster!  Could he develop even more in 2015 & become more of a surprise?  We hope so!  Could be a sleeper that makes a difference!!

Andy Mulumba - one of those pleasant surprises a few years back!  Has provided special team help and also, was on the field to back up the starters!  But, 2015 it may be a difficult year for Mulumba.  Competition may bring out more ability!

Carl Bradford & Adrian Hubbard - Here you go, draft & develop!  These linebackers should have a chance to be that player!  Both players have a chance, the size of Hubbard is interesting - 6'7" & 257 lbs!  Hope is, at least one of these players will take that BIG step in 2015!!

There they are, I think a Packer strength!  The need is improvement!  The hope is, some of the young players will make that next step.  I think, there is no real need to use a high draft pick or free agent money, unless it is a "no brainer!"