The email from an executive in personnel for an NFC team arrived March 8, five days after the Green Bay Packers signed A.J. Hawk to a five-year, $33.75 million contract, including $10.95 million guaranteed.
It read: "What are those guys thinking about giving that linebacker (Hawk) all that money?"
The new deal for Hawk came two months after general manager Ted Thompson gave Desmond Bishop $18 million over four years.
At the combine, coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that Bishop was the team's No. 1 player at inside linebacker.
Those two deals meant Nick Barnett's eight-year career was over in Green Bay. On Sunday, two days after being released from the final two years of the six-year, $34.98 million contract he signed in April 2007, Barnett signed with Buffalo.
The personnel man's question was legitimate. Inside linebacker might be the least important position in a 3-4 defense, and for most of Hawk's career he had been a pretty ordinary player.
After starting for five seasons, never missing a game and playing probably 85% of the snaps, Hawk made a ton of tackles (666, counting playoffs) but not an abundance of impact plays: Eight interceptions, two forced fumbles, four recovered fumbles, 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 32 passes defensed and no touchdowns.
Not only hasn't Hawk made the Pro Bowl, he was never named to the All-NFC North team selected by scouts for the Journal Sentinel.
"Marginal starter," a personnel director for another NFC team said late last season. "Not a take-on linebacker. He's never going to play to the level where he was drafted. He’s a linebacker that if you keep him clean and give him an alley to the football, he can be productive."
Over the years, most scouts preferred Barnett to Hawk. It was Barnett who ran the defense, made the harder hits and showed more range to the sideline.
That all changed, at least in the eyes of the Packers, in Week 4 last season when Barnett suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Besides being 2½ years older than Hawk, Barnett also had a balky right knee that had been reconstructed in 2008.
Even given Hawk's superior durability, it's doubtful if the Packers would have paid Hawk that kind of money (his average salary ranks eighth among inside/middle linebackers) unless McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers hadn't seen a different side of him in 2010.
Minus Barnett, the job of receiving the defensive call electronically from the coaches and then presenting it in the huddle fell to Hawk. The coaches say Hawk flourished like never before with the additional responsibility.
"I think he grew as a leader," McCarthy said a week before Hawk's new deal became final. "I think he commanded the defense very well. We were very consistent, very stable under him. His preparation is very consistent. He's the quarterback of the defense. I think A.J. belongs in Green Bay."
Barnett ran the huddle much the same way he played: emotionally.
"With A.J. calling the plays, it was a little bit more relaxed," said Bishop, adding that Hawk's style was no more effective than Barnett's intense approach.
"But when you're a young player like myself and you have somebody like A.J. commanding the defense with composure, it keeps you composed," nose tackle B.J. Raji said. "If they're driving on us, A.J. is the same way as if we're shutting them down. That allows you to just continue to play."
Once imprecise in coverage, Hawk tightened his drops. His pass rush remained marginal and he still got stuck on blocks too often, but the coaches seemed to trust his performance.
"In a meeting, Dom Capers was saying we'd rather have a guy run 4.6 every time than a guy who runs 4.4 sometimes," Bishop said. "With A.J., you get a wholesome, smart player. Tough. From play 1 to play 70."
Four games in, Bishop had one tackle for the season and 48 for nearly 31/2 seasons. With Barnett sidelined, Hawk moved to the strong inside and Bishop took over on the weak side. In the last 16 games, Bishop amassed 150 tackles, a team-high 9.4 per game.
"He's probably the most instinctive guy in the defensive front seven," McCarthy said. "You always saw it in spurts. Given the full opportunity to perform, I thought Desmond had a heck of a year."
The Packers waived Brandon Chillar after he suffered a serious hamstring injury a few weeks ago, and holdover Matt Wilhelm apparently won't be re-signed.
Unless undersized rookie D.J. Smith, versatile journeyman Rob Francois or physical rookie free agent Elijah Joseph come through, the Packers might have to sign a veteran or move Brad Jones inside.
Despite playing on a sore shin until mid-December, Clay Matthews improved in most areas and made all-pro. On a team loaded with defensive stars, Raji said Matthews was his pick as the greatest.
"He's a guy you can't block on most plays," said Raji. "Clay makes plays that aren't designed for him to make. It's just his ability takes over."
Matthews' work ethic helps him maximize his talent and rubs off on others. He's also a student of the game, a multi-faceted pass rusher and more than adequate against run and pass.
“My gosh, is he good,” an NFC scout said. “He’s got to have a competitive heart beyond most people’s.”
For two years the Packers have talked about drafting another outside linebacker high but settled on other positions. Thus, they'll enter another season with three less-than-household names competing on the right side: Frank Zombo, Erik Walden and Jones.
Last year, the starter switched seven times due to injury. Jones opened the first two games, followed by Zombo for two, Jones for three, Zombo for six, Walden for one, Francois for one, Walden for four and Zombo for one.
"Walden was (NFC) defensive player of the week in the one game (Chicago, Week 16)," McCarthy said. "I think Frank was probably the most consistent. If Brad can stay healthy, he's a good football player. I feel a lot better about this group than I did a year ago."
Zombo was the most rugged of the three at the point of attack and developed into more than just a bull rusher.
Walden meshed beautifully with position coach Kevin Greene, fit his athleticism into a structured defense and seemed to mature with Green Bay, his fourth team.
Compared by McCarthy to former Steeler-Seahawk Chad Brown, who also played at Colorado, Jones is an unorthodox pass rusher with natural leverage against the run.
Draft choice Ricky Elmore and free agents Vic So'oto and Jamari Lattimore all played down in college but have rush potential.
“When you’re coming off a year like we had, having good competition is encouraging to me,” Capers said. “Guys will be fighting every day to prove they’re the guy.”