There were two different, but related, articles about the Green Bay Packers defensive backfield.
First, the Press-Gazette spoke with GM Ted Thompson about Nick Collins and he said he won't specifically target a safety in the draft. The Packers won't meet again with Collins until after the draft, and even then, they may not know when (or if) he'll ever play again. Thompson never talks much about his draft plans, but the team's immediate needs have to play some part in the decision process (despite his denial). They do have to manage the roster and make sure they have quality players at every position.
Second, the Packers are "looking at a lot of DBs." These guys look like potential undrafted free-agents, but they'll probably need a couple of those guys too. I wouldn't expect much from it, although that's how they acquired CB Tramon Williams.
Bottom line: they can't start Charlie Peprah next season at safety. After a solid 2010 season, he fell to earth last season with poor coverage and poor tackling. If Collins is out, then the list of candidates to even compete with Peprah is short. I'd rather they had a young veteran to challenge Peprah, but they need a more talented option than either M.D. Jennings or Davon House. They'll have to find that player in this draft. The safety class isn't great, and I'm no fan of moving Charles Woodson to safety, though there are a lot of talented prospects at corner. They should use a high draft choice to find a better option at safety.
3 comments:
Hey Brandon ~ Good to see someone is posting Packer Stories... : )
I've thought about this a great deal, and there have been a lot of Great CB's extend their careers by moving to Safety... It's obvious to me that Charles Woodson has lost a step. He had way too many penalties last year, and if he can make the transition to Safety and be a force, then I say... Give it a shot! Only 6 more days, and I can't wait!
Go Pack Go!
But if he's lost a step, he might better left in the slot to cover the tight end or No. 3 WR (plus, he's a threat to blitz) instead of playing in deep coverage as a safety. Plus, I don't think he'll cut back on the penalties either way. His style is to take chances.
That is also very true... He can Safety Blitz though too!
I don't know what the answer will be, but, I know Ronnie Lot and Rod Woodson both had to end their careers as Safeties... I'll go with whatever MM/Capers thinks, but, if we drafted a talented CB, I'm sure they'll figure out how to play them all... : )
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