Haha yeah Mucky; We are definitely seeing a trend here. It is where there is the largest number of 2 year and up players that are expected to make the 2nd year jump or have been playing below expectations. We will probably see more on the offensive side of the ball next off-seasonn.

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Dunno. Hard to say. maybe because we have completely sucked on D....

Raji was no help these past two seasons. I'm really hoping he turns it up, and starts making a name for himself this season, in a good way!

I'm thinking our D is a highly motivated geoup this year, far more than last. Adding Peppers, Ha Ha, et al, with a returning Hayward, will make this a far more effective D overall. Raji has to be pretty stoked to be a part of this group, with a completely loaded for bear O on the other side of the ball. I think the Packers are going to blow people away this season. This is a very, very deep team.

I am extremely skeptical that Raji ever becomes more than "just a guy" on our defense. I think he lacks intelligence and self motivation. Hope he proves me wrong, but I have watched his interviews, and well, they speak volumes.

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yeah, but look at what he did at BC and his first two seasons in GB... Dom kind of fucked up how he was being used after that, and it showed. Hopefully, we see acreturn to his earlier play.

You are right. He has looked like complete dog shit for 3 years...

Raji just gets washed. I don't see a difference maker, including on the nose.

Heat on the QB Heat on the QB Heat on the QB Tell Dom the 70's are over

I was under the impression that "returning players" meant players returning from injuries.

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As a rookie, I don't think Raji did much (though it normally takes DTs a year to get adjusted to the NFL). So in my mind Raji has had one good year (his second).

I don't think it's just Dom, I think it's also Raji only wanting to play one gap, get up the field in attack mode type o football. Which in theory is fine... but in reality almost all schemes are going to ask a 320+ pound DTs to do more than just one gap and rush straight up the feild.

But Raji struggled in 2011 when the scheme was the same as 2010 when they won the Super Bowl, so it wasn't just he scheme change Dom made in 2012, to play more DL two gap defense which Raji hasn't seemed to enjoy. So getting back to one gap defense (which is what the Packers are rumored to be going more towards) could be very good for Raji and a number of others. Of course that being said, even in a one gap defense the NT can still be asked to play two gap, and Raji is the NT so ... yeah... we'll just have to wait and see how the new system works for the NT and how Raji plays it.

As for what Raji did as B.C., I don't think he can do it in a 3-4 at the NFL level (which is one of the reasons I wasn't excited about the 3-4 and him being picked combo at first). At BC they played both 4-3 and 3-4 ... but Raji wasn't the NT... Ron Brace was their NT. While Raji played the 4-3 UT (rush DT) or the one gap 3-4 DE rushing up the field. In college his over whleming burst/size let him play the rushing 3-4 DE very well... but in the NFL they have better, longer, stronger, more powerful OG/OT which could handle Raji with his lack of length. That's why I think Raji's best fit is in an agressive 4-3. Or a 3-4 system that allows the NT to attack and rush up field, but almost all 3-4s mainly have their NTs playtwo gap and run support.

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Those are great points beast. I'm thinking the loss of Jenkins and oddly enough, Howard Green after 2010 were significant losses that ourDL has yet to recover from. Mike Daniels came on in a big way last season, but no one else really did. Was there a truly top DL on our roster in 2012? 2011?

Raji is a role player, and he has been highly ineffective since the loss of Jenkins. Now, we've added Peppers, and we have Daniels entering his 3rd year, and Datone Jones and Josh Boyd entering their 2nd seasons, looking bigger and stronger. I do believe Raji's game will improve as a result.