Ha! Who called it? Me. Yeah, that's right. *ahem*

"TwinkieGorilla" wrote:

I think as a group, PH members put him Above Average but under Solid.

"zombieslayer" wrote:

No, Hawk won't be getting sacks like CM3 or picks like Collins or Woody

The Green Bay Packers have re-signed linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, announced the signing Thursday.

Hawk hasnt missed a game during his career, appearing in all 80 regular-season contests with 77 starts in Green Bay. In 2010, he paced the team with 134 tackles (97 solo), the fifth straight season that he either led the team or finished second in tackles. Hawk also tied for the lead among NFL linebackers with a career-high three interceptions.

For his career, Hawk has posted 626 tackles (444 solo), nine sacks, eight interceptions and 29 passes defensed. He was selected by the Packers with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

We are pleased to have reached an agreement with A.J., Thompson said. We appreciate his work and dedication and look forward to his contributions to our team in the future.

GBP wrote:

"CaliforniaCheez" wrote:

link to full story 
That was part of the plan, and they gave me the heads up before they went public with it, Hawk said in a phone interview on Thursday. I had no problem with it because I knew we were getting close to getting something done. The plan all along was to stay here.

pressgazette wrote:

A.J. Hawk Is The Forgotten Man

After Sundays Green Bay Packers victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, I incorrectly assumed Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk started the game before giving way to Brandon Chillar.

Afterwards, assuming he had been on the field and I had missed him, I questioned where Hawk was. He didnt record a single stat and it turns out, thats because Hawk didnt play a single down on defense.

Hawk is technically the starter at inside linebacker next to Nick Barnett, but he gives way to Chillar when the Packers run their nickel or dime defense. Against Philadelphia, thats all the Packers did.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers opened with the nickel package to combat a Philadelphia passing attack that features three potentially big-play receivers in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and tight end Brent Celek, as well as a running attack that features the speedy LeSean McCoy. The goal was to limit big plays by the Eagles offense and for the most part, the strategy worked.

The move could be a sign the Packers are finally phasing the mediocre Hawk out of their defense, but linebackers coach Winston Moss insisted Hawk was still in the teams plan against Philadelphia.

He was aware we were going into the game with a certain plan. He was still set to play. I made the decision once the game developed to stick with the guys that were in there. From how the way the game flowed and how way Nick Barnett and Chillar were playing, I decided to keep that same rhythm going.

Chillar played particularly well, finishing with seven tackles, which tied Clay Matthews for first on the team.

It will be interesting to see how the Packers use Hawk moving forward. He isnt going to be a factor in the defensive sub-packages because hes terrible in coverage, but he may see the field against a team like the Buffalo Bills, the Packers next opponent, because theyre a run-first team.

However, if Chillar keeps playing well, its going to be hard for Capers to take him off the field. That may relegate Hawk, the former No. 5 overall draft pick, to the bench for good.

My, how things have changed. Here's an article about Hawk after the season opener in September 2010:

http://www.totalpackers.com/2010/09/14/a-j-hawk-is-the-forgotten-man/