2018 Free Agency - Prospects for GB

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

22 minutes ago, Cheech said:

Well, 3 of the guys that you all said weren't better than Fackrell are now on 53 man rosters.  Means, Orchard, and Zettle are all gone.  Elliott and Simon are likely the only two that actually fit the defensive scheme.  

I think a move needs to be made today.  

@Donzo  This is what your boy brings to the EDGE.  Dom knew that Clay couldn't play 60+ snaps a game and be effective.  Pettine couldn't care less.  He's not going to put 51 out there because of garbage like this.

 

 

 

 

I don't think Fackrell is the answer at LB, but when you play this from the other side of the LOS and play it at normal speed I thought it actually helped out.  If Cohen had been able to get through the hole between Fackrell and Lowrey he would have been one on one with a fairly deep Brice as the only defender whereas Fackrell getting pushed inside pushes Cohen toward  Ha ha and Williams with Brice having time to come down and help.  

It certainly wasn't sytlish, and Fackrell seemed out of control of the situation, but he did push Cohen to where the help was.

I get it, Fackrell doesn't get off the block with the tight end, but I am not sure he makes the play on Cohen even if he does.  It was a great cutback by Cohen when Martinez fills the intended hole, and with his speed and quickness I think he would be a tough play for anyone on that side.

[AlexGreen#20]

6 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

Everyone is wrong on that play. Yikes that is terrible.

Just curious about your read on it. I've got five defenders for five gaps and HHCD getting picked off by a receiver. 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

8 minutes ago, AlexGreen#20 said:

Just curious about your read on it. I've got five defenders for five gaps and HHCD getting picked off by a receiver. 

It looks to me like Daniels stunts inside and essentially ends up where Kenny Clark is.  Martinez fills the spot that Daniels would normally have been in, and that takes Martinez away from filling the backside between Lowry and Fackrell.  Fackrell is essntially two gapping the tight end block between the inside gap with Lowrey and the edge.  It seems like it does the equivalent of taking one guy out of their gap.

Fackrell is not and never will be a two gapper.

Would be interesting to know if Daniels move was a call in that defense, or was he free lancing?  I am thinking it was a call as Martinez fills behind seemlessly,  and it blows up the zone blocking, but you never know.

[Cheech]

This is the whole point.  An edge player can't be completely taken out of the play by a TE.  He lacks the functional strength to stand the TE up, she'd the block and make the play.  Yeah, that's a tough play to make even if he sheds that block.  But he didn't even get off that block.  The lack of strength forces him to guess and dip inside way too often.  We need a 4th OLB who can play through the damn TE.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

12 minutes ago, Cheech said:

This is the whole point.  An edge player can't be completely taken out of the play by a TE.  He lacks the functional strength to stand the TE up, she'd the block and make the play.  Yeah, that's a tough play to make even if he sheds that block.  But he didn't even get off that block.  The lack of strength forces him to guess and dip inside way too often.  We need a 4th OLB who can play through the damn TE.

I get your point, but he really wasn't "totally taken out of the play". He did get him routed to the help.  I am not sure any OLB 2 gapping a tight end block is going to take down Cohen.  A defensive end-  sure.  But then you lose the play in space part of that part of the defense.  This is why I hate these GIFs that play at double speed because they make the play look worse than it is.

Perhaps a question should be asked about whether the call is appropriate when it expects that Fackrell can engage, shed and defend Cohen in two gaps?

I get it, Fackrell is not a great solution, but he is what he is and he is what we have for now.  Beating on him every week in the forum won't fix that.

 

 

[TheOnlyThing]

During week 1, out of 114 edge rushers, Clay Matthews was ranked No. 113 according to Pro Football Focus — just ahead of Kyler Fackrell (based on the 4 plays he was allowed on the field).

Unless and until another viable body is brought in at outside linebacker, Clay will continue to be overused, which will undoubtedly lead to further decline in his overall play.

[AlexGreen#20]

8 minutes ago, TheOnlyThing said:

During week 1, out of 114 edge rushers, Clay Matthews was ranked No. 113 according to Pro Football Focus — just ahead of Kyler Fackrell (based on the 4 plays he was allowed on the field).

Unless and until another viable body is brought in at outside linebacker, Clay will continue to be overused, which will undoubtedly lead to further decline in his overall play.

How is he overused?

[AlexGreen#20]

1 hour ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

It looks to me like Daniels stunts inside and essentially ends up where Kenny Clark is.  Martinez fills the spot that Daniels would normally have been in, and that takes Martinez away from filling the backside between Lowry and Fackrell.  Fackrell is essntially two gapping the tight end block between the inside gap with Lowrey and the edge.  It seems like it does the equivalent of taking one guy out of their gap.

Fackrell is not and never will be a two gapper.

Would be interesting to know if Daniels move was a call in that defense, or was he free lancing?  I am thinking it was a call as Martinez fills behind seemlessly,  and it blows up the zone blocking, but you never know.

I don't see anyway HHCD doesn't have some run responsibility on that. 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

1 minute ago, AlexGreen#20 said:

I don't see anyway HHCD doesn't have some run responsibility on that. 

I think you are right, but he is soaked up on a block as well.  I have to go back to the replay because I don't remember what the WR set was on that play and how his responsibility might be split.  He responds to the WR in motion pre-snap which might have indicated a responsibility there and delayed his response in run support.

I am waiting for the all 22 to come out tomorrow to get a better view on some of this stuff.

It will be interesting to break down defensive alignments and see if there is any better insight into assignments.

[TheOnlyThing]

1 minute ago, AlexGreen#20 said:

How is he overused?

Overused is obviously a subjective term. 

Clay Matthews, at age 32 and with his injury history, played 60 of the 70 (or 86%) defensive snaps Sunday night and by most accounts did not play very well.  

By comparison, the other staring outside linebacker Nick Perry played 59% of the snaps.

Based on the evidence above, my subjective opinion is that Clay was overused on Sunday.

(Of course, I certainly understand and sympathize with Pettine's reluctance to sit Clay and play Fackrell). 

So you think Clay can continue to play 86% of the defensive snaps and (a) play well and (b) not get inured?

 

[eyecatcher]

1 hour ago, Packerraymond said:

Everyone is wrong on that play. Yikes that is terrible.

Good point.  If Fackrell would have stayed outside the RB gets as many yards going through the gaping hole inside.  But yeah that was Fackrell's fault

[Cakeshoppe]

imo Lowry deserves more blame than Fackrell on that play.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

1 hour ago, eyecatcher said:

Good point.  If Fackrell would have stayed outside the RB gets as many yards going through the gaping hole inside.  But yeah that was Fackrell's fault

It looke to me that if the RB gets through the gap inside, he might have gone to the house.

[AlexGreen#20]

51 minutes ago, Cakeshoppe said:

imo Lowry deserves more blame than Fackrell on that play.

Everybody stayed in their gap. I'm not sure what to blame other than alignment. If you've got 5 defenders for 6 gaps, you're gonna have a bad time if he manages to see it and make that cut.

The other guys get paid too

[AlexGreen#20]

1 hour ago, TheOnlyThing said:

Overused is obviously a subjective term. 

Clay Matthews, at age 32 and with his injury history, played 60 of the 70 (or 86%) defensive snaps Sunday night and by most accounts did not play very well.  

By comparison, the other staring outside linebacker Nick Perry played 59% of the snaps.

Based on the evidence above, my subjective opinion is that Clay was overused on Sunday.

(Of course, I certainly understand and sympathize with Pettine's reluctance to sit Clay and play Fackrell). 

So you think Clay can continue to play 86% of the defensive snaps and (a) play well and (b) not get inured?

 

75% of snaps is about average for a starter, especially if you don't have a high end backup. Hard to be upset about 6 more snaps imo.

**** if Clay doesn't get whistled for that stupid penalty at the end he comes off the field right at 75%