wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
12 years ago
As I was watching the game I was really surprised to see Sam hit. I had to double check the number on his back a couple of times.

If Sam Shields walked by on the street, you might think he was a college student. He's so quiet, even his laugh is polite. If he has any swagger it's horribly unapparent.

Dressed in jeans, casual shoes and bundled against the cold in a simple brown jacket, he leaves Lambeau Field with his head down and hands punched into his pockets looking nothing like Green Bay's answer in the secondary.

And yet since his return Dec. 9 from an ankle injury, Shields has two interceptions in three games, his first sack in nearly two years and seven passes defensed, just a few stats to tell of his big hits, inseparable coverage and feisty nature in no man's land.

He came back from the injury a day after his 25th birthday and appears to be a more well-rounded player since he helped this team win the Super Bowl following the 2010 season, when he was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Miami.

Shields grabbed his latest interception last Sunday when he pounced on an underthrown ball by Titans quarterback Jake Locker. The third-year cornerback had studied all week and realized he needed to get his head around quickly against Tennessee whenever the Titans threw the deep ball.

"And that's what I did on that play," said Shields. "It was underthrown and I kind of did an awkward turnaround. I stuck my hand out."

The sack was basically a gift wrapped by Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who called No. 37 for a blitz.

"That's one of the calls I love - I love to go in there and get the quarterback," said Shields.

How interesting is that? Sacks require a certain nature in a defender, one that the Packers hoped to draw out of their speed demon from Sarasota, Fla. After all, the man only had one career sack before that - in the playoffs in 2010. One.

Rewind the calendar to 4 1/2 months ago, when it was noted that Shields wasn't having the best training camp. He might have been peeking in the backfield. It sure looked as if he was getting beat deep. When the coaches auditioned Jarrett Bush, Davon House and even rookie Casey Hayward, Shields' future looked questionable.

Three days ago, Shields shrugged it off as simple competition.

But veteran left cornerback Tramon Williams said Shields had another assignment, one that was under the radar but took precedence over everything else.

"The only thing that was ever questioned with Sam was his physicality," said Williams. "The kid has all the ability in the world. Obviously he's not the biggest corner, but when you have to put your head in there, that's what they want to see."

Williams, listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, said he sees it every year. Coaches want to experiment in camp. They put Shields through the ringer and demanded that he first put some pop in his tackle. The coverage stuff was important but he had to answer: Could he hit?

"And he showed that," said Williams. "He was focusing more on his physicality at that point and he's gotten that part of his game good."

Shields was playing well enough to start the 2012 season but against Houston Oct. 14, he suffered shin, knee and, more seriously, ankle injuries. He missed six games and seven weeks of work. He couldn't even walk at first because of the pain. He said the only way to return from that injury was to make sure he had his famous speed back.

Three weeks ago, it was. He shut down a reverse by the Detroit Lions, caught an interception and had a shot at two more. He says he feels no ill effects of the injury at all.

That's clear. He stuck to the hips of Tennessee wideout Kenny Britt like the cream cheese frosting of a Christmas carrot cake.

And two games ago at Chicago, when push came to shove, Shields shoved back. Guarding 6-3 WR Alshon Jeffery, who was targeted four times, Shields didn't allow a single completion.

"Sam did a great job on him," said Hayward. "I'm not sure he got open all that much."

But Shields also tapped into that physical training from camp as soon as he was shoved to the ground by Jeffery in the end zone of Soldier Field. Mr. Nice Guy looked mad as you-know-what. He played that way. Shields also got a few pass interference calls go his way - on the offense for once. But he said that wasn't just luck.

"While we watch film, we see guys on other teams get grabbed and pushed, and we're like, why don't they call that?" said Shields. "So we're always fighting for that call. Even during training camp when the officials come to practice, we ask why. Sometimes they don't see it. We study guys that push and grab. Most of the times it's the big receivers that push and grab."

Shields is the lightest player on the roster, 8 pounds under the next lightest, Randall Cobb and Hayward. He hasn't gained an ounce since his rookie season. He loves to train in the off-season by running. He's built for basketball, a point guard on a football field.

But he's making the most of what he has by adding physical tackling to his already legendary speed.



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Packfan87
12 years ago
Great story.

He really stepped up when it looked like he was done.
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DakotaT
12 years ago
Nobody should judge the secondary from the 2011 season cause they were all light in the ass with physicality. That's just a year to forget. I really am excited about the group of corners we have - but am a little disappointed in Burnett's development. But it probably is unfair to him that Packer fans know what a good safety should be: Collins, Butler, Willie Wood. Anybody adds Darlene Sharpier to the list gets a bitch slapping.
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El3ment12
12 years ago

Nobody should judge the secondary from the 2011 season cause they were all light in the ass with physicality. That's just a year to forget. I really am excited about the group of corners we have - but am a little disappointed in Burnett's development. But it probably is unfair to him that Packer fans know what a good safety should be: Collins, Butler, Willie Wood. Anybody adds Darlene Sharpier to the list gets a bitch slapping.

Originally Posted by: DakotaT 



Collins was the best safety we ever had.
wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
12 years ago

Collins was the best safety we ever had.

Originally Posted by: El3ment12 



I guess you never saw Willie Wood play. He was a man's man out there.
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DakotaT
12 years ago

I guess you never saw Willie Wood play. He was a man's man out there.

Originally Posted by: wpr 



That's back when they let you bring a tire iron out on the field. Hell in the 70's watching what corners could to receivers was battery and they should all be in prison.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member Topic Starter
12 years ago

That's back when they let you bring a tire iron out on the field. Hell in the 70's watching what corners could to receivers was battery and they should all be in prison.

Originally Posted by: DakotaT 



good thing Willie was a safety then. [grin1]

Don't forget they were plenty tough on RB too.
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wpr (30-May) : It's all good.
beast (30-May) : Yeah, and I enjoyed your comments and just attempted to add to it. Sorry if I did it incorrectly.
wpr (30-May) : Beast I never said Henderson was the salt of the earth. Nor even that he was correct. Just quoting the guy.
Zero2Cool (29-May) : What did you do??
Zero2Cool (29-May) : Whoa
beast (29-May) : OMG the website is now all white, even some white on white text
beast (29-May) : Henderson, who admits to taking cocaine during the Super Bowl against the Steelers, might dislike Bradshaw as he lost two Superbowls to him
wpr (28-May) : Hollywood Henderson said Bradshaw “is so dumb, he couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the C and an A.”
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : Cooper stock=BUY BUY BUY
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : Also notes he’s playing with more confidence.
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : @AndyHermanNFL MLF says there was a time last year where Cooper was at 220 pounds. Now he’s at 240 and still flying around.
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : And don't even get me started on Frank Caliendos "impersonations"
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : I got tired of them being circle jerks with them overlaughing at each others jokes.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : It used to be must watch TV for me. now it's "meh" maybe to hear injury update
Mucky Tundra (28-May) : I haven't watched the pregame shows in years and I don't feel like I've missed a thing
Zero2Cool (28-May) : Love says knee affected him all season, groin injury didn't help matters.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : I used to enjoy him on FOX Pregame. Now it's like a frat party of former Patriots.
Zero2Cool (28-May) : LaFleur on Watson: “Christian is doing outstanding. I would say he’s ahead of schedule.”
Martha Careful (28-May) : Bradshaw is a dumb ass cracker. I am so tired of his "aw shucks" diatribe. He should shrivel up and go away.
buckeyepackfan (28-May) : He wad all butt hurt because Aaron duped the media saying he was immunized.
buckeyepackfan (28-May) : Bradshaw needs to retire. He's been ripping on Rodgers ever since the covid crap. He was all hury
Zero2Cool (28-May) : Terry Bradshaw doesn't want Rodgers in Pittsburgh lol wow
Zero2Cool (27-May) : one day contract, which he also feels is pointless, but if Packers came to him, he would
packerfanoutwest (27-May) : Aaron Rodgers talks possibility of retiring with Packers, just another rumor
dfosterf (27-May) : Go watch 2001
Zero2Cool (26-May) : 1984
dfosterf (26-May) : That movie sent a chill through many. 1968.
dfosterf (26-May) : "Open the pod bay doors, HAL"
buckeyepackfan (25-May) : Haven't we all seen thus movie? It doesn't end well!! Lol
Zero2Cool (25-May) : lol Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline
dfosterf (25-May) : Claude Opus 4
dfosterf (25-May) : AI system resorts to blackmail when its developers threaten to take it offline
beast (22-May) : Colts Owner Jim Irsay has passed away
Zero2Cool (21-May) : Well, emailing should work now. After not working for almost a year. Oops.
Zero2Cool (21-May) : Brotherly Shove did not get enough votes.
Zero2Cool (20-May) : lol our email hasn't worked in months. 7 pages of unverified users
Zero2Cool (20-May) : MySpace Screaming Lord Byron ... Brett Favre.
Zero2Cool (19-May) : Packers have signed first-round pick Matthew Golden, leaving second-round tackle Anthony Belton as their only unsigned draft pick
beast (19-May) : Supposedly he has to take his image, and name off of it... but otherwise could keep selling wine if he wanted to.
Zero2Cool (19-May) : he giving up his win business?
beast (19-May) : Speaking of Woodson, sounds like he'll be a minority owner (0.1%) of the Browns
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : Zero, regarding Woodson, that'd why I find the timing with Williams peculiar
dfosterf (15-May) : Ryan Hall y'all does a great job of tracking thesr
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Fear not!! I planned to do 33mi bike ride tomorrow morning, so ... yeah
Zero2Cool (15-May) : We got some dark clouds and nasty winds right bout now.
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Madison they had hail 4pm.
dfosterf (15-May) : Sure looks like these tornadoes are headed towards Green Bay
Zero2Cool (15-May) : Woodson of Charles fame was reluctant and then loved it. that didn't really come out until post career
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : IE "We bought into the Bears and they let us down, we have no choice to seek alternatives"
Mucky Tundra (15-May) : Or that Williams and his family are preparing an exit ramp if they don't like how things are going in a few years
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