Green Bay Packers look to rookies to uphold defense's No. 1 ranking
By Tom Pelissero tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com November 30, 2009
The NFLs No. 1-ranked defense has two rookie starters, a third in heavy rotation and two Pro Bowl-caliber veterans out for the season with injuries.
It also has star cornerback Charles Woodson playing perhaps the best football of his life and a core of other veterans who appear to be growing more and more comfortable in coordinator Dom Capers scheme.
But for the Green Bay Packers to live up to the ranking they gained over the weekend and rise to the challenges lying in the seasons final five weeks without cornerback Al Harris and outside linebacker Aaron Kampman the improvement must begin with the defenses youngest members.
It does, and those guys making sure that theyre accountable, Capers said after Thursdays win over Detroit. I think the veteran guys have been performing at a pretty good level.
Right outside linebacker Clay Matthews has started in the nickel defense since the season opener and in base since the Packers fourth game.
Fellow first-round draft pick B.J. Raji has increased his workload on the line in recent weeks since getting past a preseason ankle injury.
And seventh-round pick Brad Jones looks like the starter at left outside linebacker the rest of the way in place of Kampman, who along with Harris tore up a knee on Nov. 22 against San Francisco.
All three rookies did their parts in Thursdays win at Detroit, with Matthews recording a sack, Raji making multiple plays in the backfield and Jones at least holding his own, albeit without making a solo tackle.
At certain points in time, you had rookie-rookie-rookie inside, Capers said. And thats what has to happen. Those guys gain experience, you gain confidence, and then they have to earn the confidence of the guys around them.
The Packers also got serviceable performances by cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Jarrett Bush, whose roles increased in Harris absence, while allowing only 126 yards over the first three quarters against the Lions.
The question is, can they keep it up against better opponents?
After all, the performance that helped boost the Packers into the top spot in total yards allowed (281.3 per game) they moved up from No. 2 after Pittsburgh surrendered 395 yards on Sunday night came against a poor offense with its two best weapons playing through injuries.
It kind of gives you something to look at both from a positive standpoint and a negative standpoint, coach Mike McCarthy said when asked about the ranking on Monday.
We still need to keep focused on doing the little things, and that's the way we approach it. Being No. 1 in Week 12, 13, 14 really doesn't give you any merit. You want to be No. 1 at the end of the season. But I think our defense definitely is on the right pace to be the championship defense that we anticipate wed have here.
Ranked 20th at the end of last season and 18th following an Oct. 5 loss at Minnesota that had Woodson questioning Capers play-calling, the Packers now are No. 1 in total defense for the first time since three weeks into the 2001 season. They havent been on top this late in the season since 1996, when they also finished first and won the Super Bowl.
Theyve made huge strides against the run (fourth, 89.1 yards per game) since a Week 2 breakdown against Cincinnatis Cedric Benson. Theyre also seventh in pass defense (192.5) and have 27 takeaways, contributing a league-best plus-17 turnover ratio.
But the task grows tougher again beginning this week, as the Packers prepare for the same Baltimore offense that did so much damage against the Steelers on Sunday. The stretch run also includes two matchups with top-10 offenses Pittsburgh (ninth) on Dec. 20 and Arizona (10th) on Jan. 3 that no doubt will provide supreme tests for the rookies and other injury replacements.
Since the college season is all but over this time of year, the Packers are closely monitoring rookies workloads, which contributed to the decision to work in Brady Poppinga (18 snaps) and Jeremy Thompson (12) at outside linebacker against Detroit. Coaches were satisfied enough with the results that McCarthy indicated theyll continue to take some snaps off Jones (47) and perhaps Matthews (61) as well, much as Raji (26) gradually has worked into a more prominent role up front.
The rookies development is as crucial as anything to the defenses chances for staying on top or at least doing enough to help the Packers keep winning.
Theyre going to have to perform for us, Capers said. No question.