Zero2Cool
14 years ago

Cornerback Sam Shields' prospects exciting for Packers 

IRVING, Texas For the Green Bay Packers, Sam Shields is like found money.

The nickel cornerback has been the rarest of finds, an undrafted player who as a rookie has helped improve the Packers defense from 2009 and has all the makings of a playmaker in the not-too-distant future. All for the price of a $7,500 signing bonus plus some quick salesmanship in the immediate hours after last Aprils NFL draft.

That kind of windfall is almost incalculable for an NFL franchise, because teams will always make mistakes drafting players, including in the high rounds. Landing an undrafted rookie like Shields, who probably would be a first-round pick if that draft were held over today, can erase any number of personnel mistakes. That makes him like found money.

Clearly everybody made a mistake on him, General Manager Ted Thompson said of Shields going undrafted. Including us.

The Packers were far from the only team that tried to sign Shields he says about 20 teams showed interest but they took an especially deep and thorough look at him in the months leading up to the draft.

It started with John Gutekunst, their scout for the Southeast, identifying him as a good prospect during the 2009 college season. Then at the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game, which is played the weekend of the Super Bowl, Thompson, college scouting director John Dorsey and assistant college scouting director Shaun Herock took a close-up view of him in the week of practice.

Shields later turned heads at Miamis campus when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 and 4.30 seconds. That helped him earn a draft grade in the fourth or fifth round for many teams even though hed only moved to cornerback in the spring before his senior season in at the University of Miami and wasnt even a starter as the No. 3 cornerback for the Hurricanes. Then in March of last year he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana he never was charged which injured his draft stock but put the Packers in position to use their Miami connections to evaluate his character and then recruit him.

Two Packers scouts have ties to the football program because they attended school there. Alonzo Highsmith, an area college scout, had a distinguished career at Miami as a player, was a teammate of then-coach Randy Shannon, and has a son, A.J., whos a quarterback at the school. Also, one of their assistant directors of pro personnel, Eliot Wolf, went to college at Miami and worked in the athletic department while a student.

Those ties helped the Packers trust their evaluation of Shields character, which checked out fine. Then immediately after the draft, Highsmiths relationship with Shannon helped sell Shields and his agent that the Packers were his best option. On the evening the draft ended, Shields was on the telephone getting a persuasive pitch from a Chicago Bears scout when he got another call.

I was like, I might be in Chicago, Shields said. Then my agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called me and said, Packers.

Said Joe Whitt, the Packers cornerbacks coach, who had given Shields a first-round draft grade earlier that spring: They called me in there and said weve got Shields. I was happy.

Though the Packers liked Shields, their hopes for him coming into camp were modest. Hed been a standout gunner and jammer on the punt and punt-return teams, and they thought he might make the roster for those roles and then possibly develop into a decent or better cornerback down the road. Maybe, just maybe, hed contend for the nickel job as a rookie, but that seemed unlikely.

Shields then surprised everyone in training camp, and his ascension to the nickel role for the start of the regular season is well known to those who follow the team closely. He seemed to make an eye-catching play every other day in training camp, and in four weeks soared from near the bottom of the depth chart to the No. 3 cornerback job.

Just a natural football player, Thompson said. Ron (Wolf, the former Packers general manager) noticed that in training camp, too -- said he was just a natural at it.

Shields won the nickel job by outplaying Pat Lee, a second-round draft pick in 2008, and Brandon Underwood, a third-rounder in 2009, but even at that point cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt had misgivings about playing him in such a prominent role. Though the nickel back isnt officially a starter, hes close to being a full-time player because the Packers have played their nickel a little more than 70 percent of their defensive snaps this season.

Going into the regular season it seemed a given that Shields would have some rough times, perhaps many, as offenses targeted him as a rookie and kept going back when it worked. Shields appeared especially vulnerable, even if gifted, because hed only been a cornerback for one season his entire football career. Whitt wondered whether those rookie lumps would irreversibly damage the cornerbacks confidence. But Shields never took those lumps.

You look at some of those young corners who got beat early on (in their careers), and theyre never the same later on, Whitt said. I didnt want that to happen to him. And in that first game (at Philadelphia) we couldnt protect him that much. We tried to put him to the quarterbacks off hand, little details we do, but through the year he continually got better. Now I dont care where you put him, he can play.

Shields surprising play this year has been no small factor in the Packers defensive accomplishments this season, which includes a No. 2 finish in the NFL in fewest points allowed. His two interceptions in the NFC championship game at Chicago made him famous nationally, but his ability to hold up in coverage over the course of the season has been more important to defensive coordinator Dom Capers over the long haul. Hes improved as much anyone on the team and has the ability to cover up many of his mistakes with superior speed.

The Packers have one of the NFLs better cover men in cornerback Tramon Williams, but if Capers had to protect Shields on the other side in the nickel, hed lose flexibility in play calling and blitz packages. Because Capers trusts Shields in one-on-one coverage, he can maximize Charles Woodson in the slot, where hes as much a threat to blitz as to drop into coverage against a receiver, tight end or in a zone.

What matters for now is Shields performance in the Super Bowl on Sunday. His pure speed makes him a possible matchup with the Steelers top receiver, Mike Wallace, who ran the 40 in 4.28 seconds at the 2009 NFL scouting combine and is one of the leagues best deep threats, if Capers chooses to go that route.

But Shields long-term prospects have to excite the team also. Especially considering hes been playing cornerback for less than two years, theres reason to think he might one day be an elite player.

This offseason Im going to be very tough on him, because theres a lot of growth ahead of him, Whitt said. But hes rare, not only because of his ability but because of the man he is. He doesnt let things bother him, he can take hard coaching. The ceiling on this kid is unbelievable.

"Pete Dougherty" wrote:


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Tezzy
14 years ago
I entirely doubted this to come out of Sam Shields. Been a real pleasure to watch this guy just keep his nose to the grind.
On top of every beard grows a man.
"The Bears are shell-shocked... and it's breaking my heart."
nerdmann
14 years ago
Starks is gonna be a great find too. CJ Wilson has also come on. We got some great scouts and a great GM.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
Zero2Cool
14 years ago

Starks is gonna be a great find too. CJ Wilson has also come on. We got some great scouts and a great GM.

"nerdmann" wrote:

Still surprises me that we've got the same scouts now as we did with Mike Sherman.
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Pack93z
14 years ago

Starks is gonna be a great find too. CJ Wilson has also come on. We got some great scouts and a great GM.

"Zero2Cool" wrote:

Still surprises me that we've got the same scouts now as we did with Mike Sherman.

"nerdmann" wrote:



Amazing what a difference "listening" to your scouts can have on actually acquiring talent that fits verses the Al Davis method of looking at the measurable traits of a player and not their performance on the field and potential.

From things I have read, Sherman wasn't big on heeding the advice and evaluations of the scouts.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
14 years ago
Sam Shields was a godsend. He and Williams make me SO comfortable, and it allows Woodson to go nuts. God I love our D.
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DakotaT
14 years ago

Starks is gonna be a great find too. CJ Wilson has also come on. We got some great scouts and a great GM.

"Zero2Cool" wrote:

Still surprises me that we've got the same scouts now as we did with Mike Sherman.

"nerdmann" wrote:



Just had to go there didn't ya? God damn, I hate that SOB. Pissed away Brett Favre and Ahman Green's prime years. What the hell were Wolf and Bob Harlan smoking when he was given full control?

They should just put a big empty trophy case in the Packer hall of fame and above it, title "The Sherman Years".

The guy hasn't sniffed a pro coaching job in years.
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beast (12h) : It's a new rule, so it's not clear, but my understanding was that they could be IR'd at any time
Mucky Tundra (17h) : *had to be IRed at 53
Mucky Tundra (17h) : beast, I thought the designate return from IR players had to be IR at cutdowns to 53, not before
beast (18h) : It's a brand new rule, either last season or this season, prior, all pre-season IRs were done for the season
beast (18h) : But the Packers would have to use one for their return from IR spots on him, when they cut down to 53.
beast (18h) : I think the NFL recently changed the IR rules, so maybe the season might not be over for OL Glover.
Zero2Cool (19h) : Packers star Howton, first NFLPA prez, dies at 95 😔
dfosterf (22h) : Apparently it is too complicated for several to follow your simple instructions, but I digress
dfosterf (22h) : Zero- Did you see what I posted about Voice of Reason and his wife? She posted over at fleaflicker that they are both "In"
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : Well, not crazy, it makes sense. Crazy I didn't notice/find it earlier
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : it's crazy how one stored procedure to get data bogged everything down for speed here
dfosterf (7-Aug) : to herd cats or goldfish without a bowl. They reminded me of the annual assembly of our fantasy league
dfosterf (7-Aug) : out on a field trip, outfitting them with little yellow smocks. Most of the little folk were well behaved, but several were like trying
dfosterf (7-Aug) : Yesterday my wife and I spent the afternoon on the waterfront here in Alexandria, Va. A daycare company took about 15 three/four year olds
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dfosterf (7-Aug) : Wife of reason posted on the in/out thread on fleaflicker that both she and vor are in
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : This page was generated in 0.135 seconds.
Mucky Tundra (7-Aug) : Tbh, I can never tell the difference in speed unless it's completely shitting the bed
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : Sure does feel like site is more snappy
Zero2Cool (6-Aug) : I thought that was the Lions OL
Mucky Tundra (6-Aug) : Travis Glover placed on IR; seasons over for him
Zero2Cool (6-Aug) : found bad sql in database, maybe site faster now?
dfosterf (5-Aug) : I'm going to call that a good move.
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : Packers sign CB Corey Ballentine
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : I'm not sure how to kill the draft order just yet so it's not so confusing.
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : *to be able
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : and because it's not a dynasty league (which makes a lot more sense to be ability to trade picks)
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Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : Zero, I think I preferred my offer: your 1st for my 15th rounder
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : Keep in mind, we do a draft reorder once all members locked in
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Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : Hey i didn't know we could trade picks in fantasy
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Update: Rock has tried a cheese curd, promises it's not his last
Zero2Cool (3-Aug) : watch it!! lol
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : you're right, we never did leave, the site just went down :P
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Rock claims to have never eaten a cheese curd
Zero2Cool (3-Aug) : We did not leave.
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Family Night! WE ARE SO BACK!
Mucky Tundra (2-Aug) : To this day, I'm still miffed about his 4 TD game against Dallas on Thanksgiving going to waste
Martha Careful (2-Aug) : Congratulations Sterling Sharpe. He was terrific and I loved watching him play.
beast (2-Aug) : I believe it's technically against the CBA rules, but Jerry just calls it a simple unofficial chat... and somehow gets away with it.
beast (2-Aug) : Jerry Jones is infamous for ̶n̶e̶g̶o̶t̶i̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ chatting with players one on one... and going around the agent.
Mucky Tundra (1-Aug) : Oo just saw a blurb saying that Dallas negotiated directly with Parsons and not through his agent
Mucky Tundra (1-Aug) : I assumed that both guys will get paid, just a matter of when or how we get there
Zero2Cool (1-Aug) : McLaurin nor Micah going anywhere. They will get money
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