Packers release LB A.J. Hawk

The Packers have released veteran LB A.J. Hawk, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

Hawk, the team's first-round pick in the 2006 draft, had been with Green Bay for a good nine seasons, making the Pro Bowl once in 2010.

He also won a Super Bowl with the Packers that year, the highlight of a career the record books will too remember. Throughout his tenure in Green and Gold, Hawk collected 1,118 tackles -- the most in Packers history.

Hopefully he'll find a new job soon. It was kinda fun watching him flip off the camera all those years ago.

The Packers New Starting Inside LB: Sam Barrington

The Packers surprisingly gave inside LB Sam Barrington his first NFL start last Sunday against the Panthers. I still think LB Jamari Lattimore is better in pass coverage, though that's not saying much. If LB Brad Jones could recover his 2012 form, he'd be their best coverage LB, but that season seems a long ways away. He's been given extensive playing time in two games (at Seattle, at Miami) and he was terrible in both because of penalties and missed tackles.

ILB	Snaps	Sack	Pass Defense	INT	Tackles
Hawk	484	0.5	2	0	52
Lattimore	261	0	1	1	34
Jones	113	0	1	0	6
Barrington	50	0	0	0	6

LB A.J. Hawk is slightly behind Jones for the worst grade at inside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus, this season, though Jones recorded a similarly awful grade in only one-quarter of the number of snaps. Their rankings for Lattimore and Barrington are about the same; both are average players. They aren't making big plays but they aren't getting burned either. I'm not sure how many missed tackles Jones has this season, as a team the Packers are about league average in allowing yards after the catch, but he does lead the team with four penalties this season.

The coaches basically split time for Lattimore and Barrington against Carolina, and that doesn't seem like a bad idea until one of them emerges (or one stumbles). The coaches have a love of A.J. Hawk that makes any reduction in his playing time seem impossible. Jones has clearly made the case that he doesn't belong in the discussion.

One side note; the Packers aren't blitzing any of the inside linebackers much. After recording five sacks last season, Hawk only has a half-sack through seven games. That isn't a problem; it means they're getting enough pressure from their front four that they can drop their inside backers into coverage. I don't have the exact stats on blitz percentages, but it seems like they're blitzing less this season.

Hawk in Favor of NFL Testing For HGH

Packers LB A.J. Hawk is in favor of the NFL's new policy of testing for HGH.

Hawk said so in an article published yesterday by ESPN Wisconsin.

"If you're not going to test for it, guys are going to do it," Hawk told Rob Demovsky. "I don't know what that number or percentage would be of guys in the league, I have no idea. But it's good. Anytime you can keep everything fair, it's good for us." 

No doubt about that, as it's a pretty safe bet that cheating is frowned upon by the league's fans and coaches. 

Position Review: Inside Linebacker

This looked like a position to watch this preseason, but instead the Green Bay Packers have already made up their mind and recently released Desmond Bishop. With the starters now in place, it's just a matter of figuring out who's going to fill out the backup positions.

Previously:
Position Reviews-Offense
Position Review-Defensive Line

There are four rookie linebackers currently on the roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of them move inside, and the Packers have been known to move those guys back and forth from the outside. But at this point, I don't know what the coaches exactly have in mind. I'm going to exclude the rookies at this point.

A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. The two unquestioned starters. While Hawk has never been my favorite player, the coaches spoke highly of him this offseason and he certainly knows the defense. There is an advantage to having a player who rarely misses a game. Jones had a breakout season as an emergency starter and graded out very well by Pro Football Focus. Not a lot of flash, but they're both solid.

Terrell Manning. I was surprised at how limited he looked last preseason, but it was apparently due to the fact that he was really sick. If the Packers had been concerned about their depth, they probably wouldn't have released both Bishop and D.J. Smith. I think Manning's the reason why they let both of them go. He'll be someone to watch this preseason.

Robert Francois. He started some games in 2011, but he was relegated to the special teams last season. He probably won't be given the first chance to start if either Hawk or Jones is injured, but he doesn't seem to be going anywhere either.

Jamari Lattimore. The former undrafted free agent has played inside and outside in his first two seasons, but it looks like his future lies on the inside. I expect he's just a special teams player, but Jones and Bishop hid deep on the depth chart for three seasons before they got their chance to start. He's only 24 years old and maybe his opportunity just hasn't happened yet.

Overall, there's not a lot of intrigue while the backup positions are sorted out, but there's been a lot of changes now that one starter is gone (Bishop) and his likely successor (Smith) has been released too.

The Surprising Free Agent Pursuit of Desmond Bishop

Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. LB Desmond Bishop is a starting linebacker who only lost his job because of a hamstring injury that happened a year ago. But after watching him closely over the past several seasons, I don't see a player that multiple teams should be fighting for.

Giants, Jaguars join Vikings, Chiefs in Desmond Bishop chase http://t.co/BRQrRq68K0
— NFL: AroundTheLeague (@NFL_ATL) June 21, 2013

Bishop had an exceptional 2010 season, and recorded five sacks in 2011, but now he's coming off a lost year. The only advantage he has over someone like free agent LB Nick Barnett, who Pro Football Focus said had "two decent years in Buffalo", is that Bishop is under age 30. It would seem that Barnett's relative health (he hasn't missed a game since 2010) would offset that Bishop's three years younger, but that doesn't appear to be the case since at least three teams are in hot pursuit for Bishop while Barnett has been unemployed since February.

Just in case anyone was worried that the Packers might have made a mistake in releasing Bishop, Pro Football Focus called LB Brad Jones a "Secret Superstar" while also noting that LB A.J. Hawk had his best pro season in 2012. GM Ted Thompson wasn't going to pay three inside linebackers like they were starters, so someone had to go and Bishop hasn't been outstanding since 2010.

It's Official: Packers Release Desmond Bishop

I've thought this was an obvious move ever since the Green Bay Packers re-signed ILB Brad Jones, so it doesn't come as a big surprise.

The release of LB Desmond Bishop is official: http://t.co/0gu2iKnWQz
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 17, 2013

Previous: Packers May Soon Release Desmond Bishop.

Though one unfortunate consequence is that Bishop may soon visit the Vikings, who lost starting ILB Jasper Brinkley to the Cardinals in free agency. It sucks when anything done by the Packers potentially helps the Vikings.

Bishop had a surprising career with the Packers. I wasn't expecting much from him as a 6th round pick in 2007, but he made the team as a special teams player. He showed promise early on as a run stuffing inside linebacker, but it took him a couple years to figure how to cover receivers. After injuries to Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar in 2010, he finally got his chance to start and had a great 2010 season.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as good in 2011, and then he was out for all of 2012. He'll be 29 years old at the start of next season. While he's likely to play for another team, the combination of leg injuries, age, and high price led to his release. Because of the coaches undying love for A.J. Hawk, and a surprisingly strong 2012 season from Brad Jones, the Packers are probably in better shape with them next season. Also, the Packers appear to be expecting more from second year LB Terrell Manning as a reserve. While the release of Bishop, and the previous release of LB D.J. Smith, is stretching their depth at linebacker, they appear to be comfortable with the healthy players still on the roster. With Bishop's likely demotion, his release should have little impact on them next season.

Packers May Soon Release Desmond Bishop

I've been expecting the Green Bay Packers to release LB Desmond Bishop ever since they re-signed LB Brad Jones because his new contract pays him like a starter ($11.75 million over three years). While LB A.J. Hawk took a multi-million dollar pay cut, he's still paid like a starter ($10.6 million over three years) and the decision to re-negotiate instead of releasing looks like a clear sign that they still believe in him. 

Since the Packers only need two starting inside linebacker, paying Bishop like a starter doesn't make much sense. Especially for the Packers, who aren't known for ever keeping high priced veterans in reserve roles. Now the rumors have heated up again:

According to #NFL source, barring a contract restructure or trade, #Packers will be parting ways with ILB Desmond Bishop (@desbishop55).
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) June 12, 2013

I can't see any team offering anything in trade for a veteran coming off a lost season (hamstring injury) who's scheduled to make over $3 million. A contract restructuring seems unlikely too. Bishop wants a chance to start, his goal is to be defensive player of the year, and he can't do that from the bench. As mentioned earlier, the Packers aren't known for keeping veterans as bench and/or special teams players. Plus, they still have depth at inside linebacker, even if Bishop is gone.

Another problem is that the last time Bishop was healthy, he was bad against the run, which is exactly what you don't want from an inside linebacker. While he did record five sacks in 2011, usually after a delayed inside blitz, Jones had two sacks last season and Hawk increased his sack total from one and one-half in 2011 to three in 2012. They seem capable of making up what Bishop added as a pass rusher.

My only question is why now? Everything I wrote above about Bishop has been true for a while. This is the final week of OTAs (organized team activities) and he sat out at least one open practice due to his hamstring. That was precautionary and probably not a big deal, but the Packers apparently didn't see enough progress from him in some regard. Parting ways with him seemed inevitable to me for a while, but maybe the Packers have only recently come to the same conclusion.

Surprisingly, The Packers Re-Sign Brad Jones For A Lot Of Money

Because of season ending injuries to ILB Desmond Bishop and ILB D.J. Smith, the Green Bay Packers were forced to go to their third option, and they gave fourth year LB Brad Jones ten starts (plus two playoff games) at inside linebacker. He was rarely on the highlight reel, but he did a solid job and I expected some linebacker needy team would overpay him to start next season. I wasn't expecting that team would be the Packers.

You're kidding, right? RT @robdemovsky: Brad Jones signs for 3 years, $11.75M pck.rs/11s9t6k
— Tom Oates (@TomOatesWSJ) March 22, 2013

The deal also included a $3 million signing bonus, which is more than I would have ever expected him to receive. While I've started out kicking the Packers for overspending on a former backup, this kind of reminds me of two years ago when the Packers surprisingly re-signed WR James Jones. He too was given a chance to test the market and he didn't find any better offers. His contract, and production, over the past couple seasons has worked out very well for everyone involved. A $3 million signing bonus is a lot, but it's less than the $8 million bonus LB A.J. Hawk received two years ago.

Jones's stats weren't too impressive in 2012 (77 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble), but the guys over at Pro Football Focus have been saying good things about him all year. When they ranked the free agent linebackers before the start of free agency, he was ranked as their third best linebacker available. The only linebacker with a higher grade last season was Philip Wheeler, who received a surprising 5 year, $26 million contract from the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus gave Jones high marks against the run and in coverage, and an inside linebacker who can do both well is a valuable player.

Still, there are a lot of concerns here. Jones began the 2012 season behind three other players at inside linebacker, and he wasn't even being considered at outside linebacker anymore. Last season might have been his ceiling, a career best in a contract year, and it might have been better to find an impact player in the draft. Also, GM Ted Thompson has a bad habit of giving long-term contracts to linebackers who haven't been worth it (Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar, A.J. Hawk).

Jones's play on the field last year earned him the chance to start, but I rather it have been another team. Still, you can't guarantee they'll find an immediate starter in the draft, and I wasn't really eager to see Bishop return as the starter next season, his performance dropped off in 2011 even before his injury, so they probably made the right decision by choosing Jones over Bishop. Hawk's recently restructured deal probably keeps him secure and I don't expect the Packers will pay both Jones and Bishop like starters. It's a lateral move for a defense that needed to get better, but since Jones wasn't directly part of the problem on defense, maybe he can become part of something better next season.

Grading The Linebackers At The Combine

Not only do the Green Bay Packers need to upgrade their talent at linebacker, but there are some high priced players who might be released because they're overpaid.

I've grown to accept what LB A.J. Hawk can do for the defense (an average linebacker against the run and pass) but he's wildly overpaid at $7.05 million in 2013. He might agree to a pay-cut, but he might want to test the market instead. The agent for LB Desmond Bishop is optimistic about his recovery, but we won't know until training camp opens, and he had a down year in 2011. So watching the NFL combine to see how the linebackers performed was one of the big events leading up to the draft.

Manti Te'o to Comment on Slow 40 Time as Soon as He Catches His Breath - is.gd/JQZN7A
— SportsPickle (@sportspickle) February 26, 2013

I'm not a hater, but I'm not a fan either. The problem is that he reminds me of Hawk; a big-time college player who's likely to disappoint as a pro. None of the Notre Dame mystique or side-show antics of a fake girlfriend really bother me. But really there is no comparison because Hawk ran a fast 4.59 40 time at the combine in 2006 which cemented his spot at the top of the draft. Meanwhile, Te'o fell out of the first round (and who knows how far) with his 4.82 40 time. There's still a chance Te'o will become a great pro, but it seems a lot less likely.

Meanwhile, Rob Rang took a look at the three linebackers who helped themselves at the combine.

Iowa State ILB A.J. Klein. Replace one A.J. with another? Maybe. He was previously projected as a 5th round pick, but now he's combined his college production with a solid 4.66 40 time. At 6-1, 250, he's can play inside in a 3-4 scheme and he's shown his instincts in pass coverage by returning 4 INTs for touchdowns in college (an NCAA record). If you want the Packers to select another inside linebacker with a mid-round pick, here's the guy for you. Give him a year to get used to the speed of the NFL and he might be a straight-up replacement for Hawk at a fraction of the price.

Connecticut LB Sio Moore. He was already highly regarded and a likely 2nd round pick, but now he's proven his speed (4.65 40 time). He's got the size (6-1, 241) to play linebacker in the 3-4 and he's known as a playmaker in college (43 tackles for a loss over the last three years). He might be a great prospect to play inside and provide an inside blitz against the run and pass.

Missouri LB Zaviar Gooden. While the Packers don't avoid athletes, they do seem to avoid great athletes who don't have a position to play. He might find a NFL team that can harness his ability, but I doubt it'll be the Packers.

2013 Packers Salary Cap: Jennings, Woodson, Hawk and Finley

As Kevin Seifert notes in his recent ESPN article, "Salary cap figures are fluid this time of the year for accounting reasons" so it might be impossible to know the complete picture. While the Packers aren't in a dire salary cap position, unlike some teams, they do have to make some choices within a limited budget.

The first player to feel it's effects may have been WR Greg Jennings, who's seen the writing on the wall and put his Green Bay area home up for sale. While he isn't as critical to the offense as he was a couple years ago, he can still play and he should be a big contributor over the next couple seasons, if he can remain healthy. But he's missed a lot of games over the past couple seasons and he'll turn 30 next season, so his next contract will carry some risks. I can understand why the team would decide to part ways with him but his loss is not insignificant.

The always excellent John Clayton says the Packers have $7.1 million in salary cap space, but that might not be enough to accommodate upcoming extensions for QB Aaron Rodgers and LB Clay Matthews. So Kevin Seifert sees a couple of salary cap moves that may need to be made:

Defensive back Charles Woodson, linebacker A.J. Hawk and tight end Jermichael Finley are scheduled to count a combined $25.8 million against the Packers' 2013 salary cap. Releasing them before June 1 would save $20.5 million, but none of those Big Decisions are simple. 

It's not simple because all three of them can still play, though they might be overpaid and they might not be interested in taking a pay cut. Unfortunately none of them were major contributors in 2012 and they aren't helping improve the offensive line or the defensive front seven. Hawk may arguably be an addition by subtraction since he was part of the unit that struggled badly against the 49ers.

Some of the moves they make this offseason may come back to bite them, but GM Ted Thompson has never avoided difficult choices such choosing Rodgers over Favre. While Jennings is very unlikely to return, I could still see Woodson, Hawk and/or Finley back under the right contract. However, there is a real possibility that none of them return next season.

PFF On The Packers Over The Vikings

Pro Football Focus published it's weekly Re-Focused column on the Green Bay Packers. Some of it wasn't surprising (QB Christian Ponder had a bad day), and took note of three Packers:

TE Jermichael Finley. He had a good game on Sunday, but I couldn't exactly say why. While the praise from PFF isn't glowing, they pointed out a couple bits of good news. First, Finley's getting better as the season progresses. Second, he was somewhat of a go-to receiver, notably on their 11-minute drive in the fourth quarter. Third, he caught nearly all the passes (86%) thrown his way, which isn't something he's been good at this season.

RT Don Barclay. It was pointed out how Barclay struggled in pass protection, even with the additional help, and a missed run block was also noted. But his run blocking overall seemed strong and he made a solid block on RB James Starks' touchdown run. Still, the sooner RT T.J. Lang can return, the better.

LB A.J. Hawk. I was pretty unimpressed with Hawk versus the Giants, while I didn't think he stood out in a particularly bad way against the Vikings. Though, it's been a pretty mediocre season for him. However, in the end, I expect his 2012 season will be similar to last year, which was mediocre too. Unfortunately, that still makes him their best inside linebacker.

What The Defense Could Have Done Better Against The Saints

While I was watching the coaches film from the Packers win over Saints, I was focusing on the defense and what they could have done better. One thing that stood out was the positioning of S Jerron McMillian, who played like an inside linebacker for most of the game, without much success. This resulted in a lot of time on the bench for the starting inside linebackers. Sometimes, it even meant that LB A.J. Hawk was on the bench while LB D.J. Smith was on the field. And after a slow start to the season, Smith is looking a lot better in pass coverage.

To QB Drew Brees's credit, he did a good job of picking apart the middle and throwing away from the help defender. Since WR Marques Colston and TE Jimmy Graham are bigger than every Packer defensive back, and a threat to go downfield, the Packers rarely pressed in coverage and gave the Saints' receivers some space to catch short passes.

I looked back at the game film from the one time the Saints had struggled this season; during the fourth quarter of their overtime loss to the Chiefs. Could the Packers had done something that the Chiefs did against the Saints? The number one thing they could have done was rush the quarterback better, but that's easier said than done. The Chiefs did a better job of taking the middle of the field away in pass coverage; LB Derrick Johnson's size made it harder to throw in between the hash marks to Graham. Also, Brees just wasn't as accurate as he missed on a couple sideline throws, which might have been caused by the Chiefs' pass rush. The Saints also seemed more determined to go deep against the Chiefs than the Packers, which led to a few deep incompletions, but that might have been a matter of taking what the defense was giving you and Brees missed on some deep sideline throws. Scheme wise, there wasn't something different the Packers could have obviously done. It was really up to their defenders to make a play.

The good news for the Packers defense is that they should only get better. They do need either LB Nick Perry or DE Jerel Worthy to step up as a reliable pass rusher alongside LB Clay Matthews. Rookie McMillian and CB Casey Hayward played a lot against the Saints, with mixed success, but they should only get better with experience. Hopefully we see more of it next Sunday against the Colts.

The Football Outsiders 2012 Almanac: Looking At The Problems On Defense

July is a boring month for football, but it's also when the Football Outsiders Annual Almanac is released. It can be a tough read that makes me wonder if I've stumbled into a college textbook on statistics, but the team chapters are great, even if you're only skimming over the percentages. I'm not going to copy-and-paste the entire chapter on the Green Bay Packers, but overall it's going to reassure fans that they have a very good team.

I will bring up one group of players: the linebackers. Selecting Nick Perry in the 1st round has been a big first step towards improvement, but I've been worried about the return of A.J. Hawk at starting middle linebacker. However, according to Football Outsiders, he was better against the run and pass than any linebacker who wasn't named Clay Matthews last season.

Instead, the linebacker who came out with major egg on his face was Desmond Bishop, who graded out as poorly against the run (worst) and pass (bottom five) as any linebacker in the NFL. Bishop's never been great in pass coverage so it's not surprising to see he had some problems, and he'll much better in 2012 if the pass rush is improved. But I've always thought he was great against the run, so his terrible ranking was a surprise. However, plays like this one didn't help his stats.


Football Outsiders probably counted this play against him. Adrian Peterson ran right at the spot where Bishop should have been. Instead he was blocked out of the play, though he did manage to catch up 50 yards later to make the tackle. This is a really good example of his problems and why he needs more help from his teammates.

At the snap, Bishop's lined up behind B.J. Raji at NT, and Howard Green at DE. Green, who won't be back next season, was pushed outside by the left tackle while Raji did nothing against a double team. In fact, the center was able to come off Raji and move up into the second level to block Hawk too. Raji's poor effort was probably due to the fact that this was late in the game (the last play of the 3rd quarter) and it was the point last season when he was starting to look completely winded because he never left the field. With a wide open path on the left side, the full back ran untouched through the hole to knock Bishop off his spot and gave Peterson a lot of room to run. Charles Woodson and Morgan Burnett each missed an open field tackle that could have limited it to a 10 to 15 yard gain. To Bishop's credit, he disengaged quickly from the full back to get back into the play.

This, of course, wasn't the whole story. The Packers were among the league leaders by playing with five or more defensive backs on 70% of their plays, and they were one of the worst overall, as a team, allowing 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. As much as Bishop struggled against the run, the defense wasn't lined up to prevent the run, and overall did a poor job against it.

What should happen next season is that the Packers will have a better player (rookie 2nd round pick Jerel Worthy) at that defensive end spot, Raji won't be as worn down from playing so many reps, and they'll give Hawk or Bishop a much better chance at making a play. Now we have to wait a couple more months before that can become a reality.

The Packers 90-man Roster: Linebackers

The Green Bay Packers are bringing thirteen linebackers into training camp next month, so this has to be one of the biggest areas of competition on the roster based on size alone. Though they could keep as many as ten on the 53-man roster. Overall, this may be the best group of linebackers to play for the Packers since the early 1980s.

Player	Height	Weight	Age	Experience
Bishop, Desmond	6-2	238	27	6
Francois, Robert	6-2	255	27	3
Hawk, A.J.	6-1	247	28	7
Jones, Brad	6-3	242	26	4
Lattimore, Jamari	6-2	230	23	2
Manning, Terrell	6-2	237	22	Rookie
Matthews, Clay	6-3	255	26	4
Moses, Dezman	6-2	249	23	Rookie
Perry, Nick	6-3	265	22	Rookie
Smith, D.J.	5-11	239	23	2
So'oto, Vic	6-3	263	24	2
Walden, Erik	6-2	250	26	5
Zombo, Frank	6-3	254	25	3

Unless there's a big shake-up in training camp, it will be Bishop, Hawk, Matthews and Perry starting at linebacker. There should be no doubt about Bishop and Matthews, and while Hawk had a poor 2011 season, the coaches are publicly supporting him and I can't imagine they'd take away his starting job in training camp.

I don't believe the Packers would have drafted Perry in the 1st round if they didn't expect him to be good enough to start immediately. They might limit his snaps if he struggles in some situations, such as obvious rushing downs or on defensive calls when they need a linebacker to drop into pass coverage, but I expect he'll start one way or another.

While the Packers should keep six (or seven, if a linebacker is kept on the practice squad) of the remaining nine players listed, I have no idea who they might be. It all depends on whether they can stay healthy, and how they play this preseason.

Francois has been cut before, so he's not a lock. Jones has been in-and-out of favor for the past three seasons, he's been lining up inside this summer, and he'll need a strong camp to stay. Lattimore looked good last preseason, but he did little when he had a chance to play during the regular season. Smith might be the one sure thing among the backups, but a poor preseason could doom his chances too. So'oto followed an outstanding 2011 preseason with a MIA regular season due to injuries, and he did little when he was able to play. Walden received little interest in free agency, and despite his limitations as a pass rusher and in coverage, he's probably the best outside LB after Matthews and Perry. Zombo had a lost 2011 season due to multiple injuries, and he'll have to prove that he's healthy and productive. Overall, there's a lot of potential with the returning backups, but an awful lot of question marks too.

Finally, Manning and Moses are the other promising new additions. Manning looks like he could be a solid middle linebacker in coverage, and he could be a Brandon Chillar type of player. Moses has been the star of the OTAs, the undrafted player who's already earned some reps with the first team defense. It's very early in their careers, but so far so good.

Overall competition level: high. There are a lot of good players here, and at least one promising player or former starter is going to find himself released before the start of the regular season. The Packers needed to upgrade the position, and they've certainly done it.

The Packers Biggest Question Mark Entering Training Camp

A few questions about the Green Bay Packers were pondered on by Tyler Dunne. I'm not worried about anything on the offensive side of the ball. My biggest question is: Did the Packers make the right decision on Nick Perry?

Based on the first team reps at OTA, it looks like Perry is locked in as the starter at outside linebacker opposite Clay Matthews. Both Frank Zombo and Erik Walden are back, but there's been no mention of either player in a significant role during the open OTAs. Perry might be sliding a little bit under the radar because he's just one of three early round defensive draft picks (Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward being the others) and the out-of-nowhere performance by undrafted rookie Dezman Moses.

But Moses might still turn out to be nothing more than another Brad Jones. And Worthy was always going to get playing time as a rotational defensive tackle. Hayward might overtake Sam Shields on the depth chart in training camp, but the defense will only take a big step forward when Perry emerges.

Does Perry really want to play linebacker? While he didn't drop back into coverage much in college, all of the weaknesses mentioned by Dan Kadar sound like things that can be improved with coaching, but his speed off the snap cannot be taught.

Right now, I've got no answer to this question, and it won't be answered until he's playing in games next season. His ability to rush the passer, along with the additional depth on the defensive line and the return to health of CB Tramon Williams, could be the final piece needed to turn the defense back into a force. If he struggles, then they'd have to count on players like Williams, Charlie Peprah, and A.J. Hawk to bounce back from disappointing seasons, which might be too much wishful thinking.

Run Defense: Grading Desmond Bishop

Pro Football Focus grades out linebackers in run defense, and Green Bay Packers LB Desmond Bishop grades out as the best by tackles. Then they change the measurement by looking at Run Stop Percentage instead of tackles, and it turns out he's only one of the best. But there are some other factors that make this analysis complicated.

What isn't complicated is that there's no mention of A.J. Hawk. That's no surprise since he wasn't very good last year. I'd be stunned if the Packers replaced him next season, but he won't last much longer if he doesn't turn it around in 2012.

Back to Desmond Bishop. While he rarely came off the field, except for a couple games when he was hurt, he had the fewest run snaps of nearly every linebacker mentioned by Pro Football Focus. Teams didn't run the ball a lot against the Packers, so Bishop doesn't have as many stops. He wasn't often (maybe never) in a situation where his opponent was obviously trying to run out the clock last season.

Also, Bishop was asked to play run defense on a team that played in the nickel on about 75% of their snaps. Many times, there wasn't a defensive lineman in front of him to occupy the offensive linemen, and he certainly had to fight through many blocks to make plays.

He's a good inside linebacker and nothing here that really changes my thoughts on him. He grades out well statistically, even with a couple of factors working against him in their defensive scheme.