NFL Draft Info - Green Bay Packers

2009 Green Bay Packers Report Card

by: Jessie Rayburn

The story of the 2009 Green Bay Packers is unique compared to other franchises in the National Football League.  The Packers offseason consisted of numerous changes.  Following a disappointing 2008 season in which Green Bay went 6-10 with the defense ranking 20^th overall and 26^th against the run, it was clear Head Coach Mike McCarthy wanted to head in a new direction.  McCarthy then fired 5 defensive coaches, keeping only Winston Moss.  Intrigued by the complex 3-4 scheme, he went on to hire defensive guru Dom Capers.  Capers promised insisted his defense would stop the run and would provide more complex blitz packages, unlike the defense of 2008.  To ensure the players would translate to the 3-4 well, Capers and McCarthy made sure the right coaches were hired for the job and went on to hire big names such as Kevin Greene as the Outside Linebackers Coach and Mike Trgovac as the Defensive Line Coach.  The big story of the switch was how successful would Pro Bowl LE Aaron Kampman be as a 3-4 OLB.

Green Bay shook up the league by completing its Preseason with a 4-0 record.  The defense looked stout, the offense was on fire, and the team looked unstoppable.  Football reporters from all over the country were predicting Green Bay to reach the Super Bowl.  The transition to the 3-4 defense appeared to be complete quicker than most fans expected and brought playoff fever to all Packer fans.  What many fans know though, is the Preseason has no effect on the Regular Season.

The first half of the 2009 Regular Season was a huge disappointment for Green Bay.  The offense could not get in sync, the offensive line was a train wreck, and the defense had countless injuries.  After being swept by former Packer legend Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings and losing to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2^nd half of the season looked doomed.  In the first 8 weeks, Green Bay had given 37 sacks, which was far higher than any other team.  Following the week 8 loss to Tampa, McCarthy was on the hot seat, the players were questioning Capers’ defensive scheme, and there was no momentum in the locker room.  If the Packers were to make a run for the playoffs, it would have to have an incredible 2^nd half of the season, starting with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

In Week 9 of the 2009 NFL Season, Green Bay had one of the biggest upsets of the season.  It had shutout the Cowboys up until the remaining minute and a half in perhaps its best defensive performance of the season.  Green Bay had recently re-signed veteran Right Tackle Mark Tauscher and Left Tackle Chad Clifton was finally healthy.  With the Offensive Line set, Green Bay could protect QB Aaron Rodgers and establish a decent running game.  This game set the tone for the rest of the season for Green Bay.  It finished the 2^nd half of the season with a 7-1 record, losing at Pittsburgh on the final play of the game.  Most importantly, the offensive line only gave up 13 sacks!

Offense

Quarterback--   A

It’s difficult to deny Aaron Rodgers an ‘A’ performance this season.  He single handily carried this team to the playoffs.  Every criticism against Rodgers’ ability to lead his team to a comeback was silenced.  Rodgers was voted into the Pro Bowl following an impressive season that included 4,434 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions.  His 4,400 yards passing was 25 yards shy of the team’s single season passing record for a season, which was set by Lynn Dickey.  It was a record not even the legend Brett Favre could break.  With that said, Rodgers does have an area to improve on, which keeps him from getting an ‘A+’ grade.  Aaron Rodgers’ biggest criticism this season was his inability to get rid of the ball quicker.  This was most noticeable in the first half of the season and did improve in the 2^nd half, but is still an area he needs to improve on.  To his defense in the first 8 weeks, 28 of the 37 sacks were in less than 3 seconds, which goes down on the Offensive Line.  With that in mind though, Rodgers’ does have the ability to shift the line’s protection and call for his hot route to avoid the sacks.

Running Back-- C

Ryan Grant rushed for a career high 1,253 yards in the 2009 NFL Season.  On paper, his numbers looked good reflecting on his 4.4 YPC average, but his impact on the game was not as big.  With the offense passing the ball over half the time, it is expected to be able to run the ball a lot easier.  Unfortunately, Grant was greatly inconsistent this season.  One example is his performance at Pittsburgh in week 15; Grant rushed for 37 yards, with one long run covering up most of those yards.  To his defense, the Offensive Line did not provide much help, but there were many instances where Grant would trip to the ground before he even hit the line of scrimmage.

Tight End--          B

Green Bay began the season with Donald Lee as its starter and Jermichael Finley as its backup.  Lee was the veteran and the better run blocker of the two, Finley is a big fast target that had a lot of potential.  Throughout the course of the season, Finley began to get more and more playing time for his ability to stretch the field and make big plays.  Towards the end of the season, his success as a pass receiving TE turned him into a WR itself.  Unfortunately, Lee’s critical mistakes’ in dropping passes in the endzone reduces the grade.  Finley’s performance keeps the grade at a ‘B.’

Wide Receivers--               B+

It’s hard to say which Wide Receiver stood out more than another.  Donald Driver was clearly the best WR of the group, but after him each WR brought a different intangible to the team’s potent offense.  Greg Jennings largely had a disappointing season, but really finished strong in making big plays.  One of the biggest reasons for his lack of presence was because Rodgers’ never had the time to throw it deep to him; another reason is because Jennings was drawing double coverage on most downs.  Jordy Nelson is the best run blocking WR of this group, has the ability to stretch the field, but isn’t a go to guy at this point in his career to get enough attention.  James Jones had a decent season and has had his share of critical catches.  Early in the season this group really struggled to consistently catch Rodgers’ passes, which is what keeps the grade from getting an ‘A.’

Offensive Line--  D-

The Green Bay Packers Offensive Line gave up a league high 50 sacks this season.  It also contributed a lot in making this team the most penalized team in the NFL.  The only reason it gets a passing grade is because of its improvement in the 2^nd half of the season in protecting Aaron Rodgers.

Defense

Defensive Line--  A-

This unit under the 4-3 was one of the worst defensive lines in the 2008 NFL season.  Following the switch to the 3-4, it became one of the best 3-4 defensive lines in the NFL.  The defensive line is one of the biggest reasons as to why Green Bay ranked #1 in the NFL against the run.  It held Adrian Peterson in check twice along with Steven Jackson.  The only running back to have a strong performance against this group was Cedric Benson of the Cincinatti Bengals in Week 2.  Cullen Jenkins had a great year in generating pressure on the QB and controlling his gap.  There is no question that he is a Top 3-4 defensive end.  Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly both had solid seasons as well in stopping the run and allowing the linebackers to blitz the QB.  BJ Raji was hampered with injuries in the first half of the season, but once he became healthy, he provided penetration in the backfield.

Linebackers--  B-

Clay Matthews is the sole reason this team even had a pass rush.  Without Matthews, this team would not generate a consistent pass rush.  AJ Hawk had a few big games along with some bad ones.  His inconsistency hurts the groups grade, but he has been improving after each week.  What really hurt this grade was the LOLB position.  Aaron Kampman took over this position in the first half of the season.  He seemed to consistently get within reach of the QB, but was always a second too late.  He showed no intensity and was a huge liability in coverage.  Once he went on IR, 7^th Round Draft pick Brad Jones filled the spot.  Although he exceeded expectations, he was nothing special when it came to generating a pass rush.  He did a nice job in shedding blocks and stopping the run, but lacked intensity when blitzing.

Cornerbacks--  B-

Charles Woodson had the best year of his career and was well deserved in getting the Defensive Player of the Year Award for his versatility and big playmaking abilities.  Unfortunately, after Woodson there was not much help.  Al Harris was average at best as a 3-4 CB.  His strength is playing physical at the line, but he is not fast and draws many penalties in coverage.  When he got injured, Tramon Williams filled the spot.  He too had issues with penalties and getting beat in coverage.  He had his good games and his bad games.  The biggest reason for the average grade is because there is zero depth after Tramon Williams.  Incumbent Jarrett Bush became the nickel back once Harris was injured and Bush performed so badly that the Packer fans began this common chant each time he was thrown to, “He went to Jarrett!”  It’s only because of Woodson’s performance that keeps this group mediocre.

Safeties--  B

Nick Collins had a solid season earning him a position in the Pro Bowl for the second straight season.  Atari Bigby was a hard hitting safety that was excellent in stopping the run, but struggled often in coverage.  Unfortunately, Bigby was injured for several weeks which hurt the defense.  After Bigby, there is no depth at this position.

Special Teams

Kicker--  D

Mason Crosby was very inconsistent this season.  When he was needed most to make a field goal, he missed it.  He has the ability to kick 60 yard field goals, but that doesn’t do the team any good if he can’t get the ball between the goal posts.  His kickoffs were also inconsistent as well, sometimes reaching the endzone, other times only to the 10 yard line.

Punter--  C

Jeremy Kapinos had a solid 43.8 yards per punt average.  His shortcomings came from his inability to pin the opponent inside the 20 yard line.

Coverage--  F

When Minnesota played Green Bay at Lambeau Field, the Vikings average starting position on the field was the 46 yard line.  That alone kept the defense in a bad situation and put the Vikings offense in an excellent position to score points.  The coverage unit costed Green Bay the game against Cincinatti, Minnesota twice, Tampa Bay, and almost allowed San Fransisco to come back.

Coaching

Head Coach--  B-

Mike McCarthy did an excellent job in keeping his team together and motivated for a run in the 2^nd half of the season.  His ability to keep this offense potent is what gives him a solid grade.  However, the Green Bay Packers in 2009 were the most disciplined team in the NFL.  McCarthy also had several questionable challenges that cost his team desperately needed timeouts early in the season.

Offensive Coordinator—A-

Joe Philbin was in charge of the 6^th ranked offense in the NFL.  The only criticism is how long it took him to adjust the play calling to more 3 step drops to reduce the number of sacks on Aaron Rodgers.

Defensive Coordinator--  A-

Dom Capers took this defense and single handily turned it around.  There were a few games where you could question his play calling, but his ability to revamp this defense was quite an accomplishment over one season.

Special Teams--  D

Shawn Slocum definitely got some heat in the first half of the season, but it seemed that he made adjustments for the 2^nd half.  He helped improve the coverage units as the season progressed, so that might be enough to help him keep his job.