Loony Tune
Poppinga, Greene have formed working relationship
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Aug. 25, 2009
Brady Poppinga being coached by Kevin Greene looks like a match made in football heaven.
In the quasi-militaristic environment of a National Football League training camp, the outside linebacker and the outside linebackers coach stand out as free spirits. One official for the Green Bay Packers referred to them as just a couple of psychos, in the gentlest sense of the word.
"I don't know what the word 'psycho' means," Poppinga said Tuesday, expressive eyebrows cocked and eyes open a mile wide. "Does it mean not normal to other people in this world?"
Mike McCarthy got a laugh out of that.
"They've got a lot of the same personality," the coach said. "Two intense individuals."
Greene doesn't carry himself in the same volatile, swaggering fashion that he did as an NFL linebacker for 15 years. His wild side was more than just evident early in camp, but as the days have passed he has settled into a less combustible role.
Still, it doesn't take more than 15 minutes of a scrimmage period for fans in the stands to identify Greene as the most animated coach on the field.
The bond between Poppinga and Greene might have been cemented the night of Aug. 4, when the linebacker lost his composure and smashed running back Kregg Lumpkin to the Nitschke Field turf with the cheapest of shots.
When almost the entire offensive line charged over to settle accounts with Poppinga, guess who stood in their way?
That would be Greene, gesturing and screaming to back off. Even at 47, he has a menacing way about him, so even jumbo-sized men don't want to mess with the guy.
Immediately, Poppinga took to Greene as if he were a kindred spirit. Let's just say they didn't have a problem relating.
"Oh, I love him, man," said Poppinga. "It's really a cool situation. He's a great, great coach."
Retired as a player since 2000, Greene turned to being a husband and father of two children with much the same gusto he brought to football. He worked in real estate and spent five summers interning in various NFL camps.
When Dom Capers, his old coach, got the job in Green Bay as defensive coordinator, Greene was hell-bent for the outside linebackers job.
"I really like what Kevin brings to our staff and I like the way he coaches his players," said McCarthy. "You could see that in the interview. He's done a great job. Kevin has clicked with the whole group."
Obviously, the affinity between Greene and Poppinga was strong. A walk-on at Auburn, Greene didn't become a starter until his fourth season in the NFL. Hailing from Wyoming, Poppinga went on a Mormon mission for two years before playing at Brigham Young and becoming a fifth-round selection by Green Bay in 2005.
When camp began, Poppinga was second string behind Aaron Kampman on the left outside. When injuries sidelined Clay Matthews and Jeremy Thompson after a week, Poppinga replaced them as the starter on the right side in the 3-4 defense.
Poppinga responded by playing so well that McCarthy basically has awarded him the job.
"Look at his production," said McCarthy. "Brady Poppinga is a much better fit for what we do now than what we did before. Brady's an on-the-line linebacker. He's better on the line than playing in the bubble."
Poppinga wholeheartedly agrees. In fact, he seemed even more ebullient than usual Tuesday when the 3-4 was broached.
"This defense is easy to do because it's who I am," he said. "Naturally, it just flowed. It nurtures the attributes and skill that I bring to the game. Such as aggressiveness."
Thus far, the coaches say Poppinga has excelled at the point of attack.
"That's been his strength," McCarthy said. "Going down in there and taking two linemen on so the linebacker can scrape over the top. We're crashing those guys a lot. It's called 'bullets.' "
Greene, a shade over 6 feet 2 inches with a playing weight of 247 pounds, had good speed (4.7 seconds) coming out of Auburn. Nonetheless, many of his 160 sacks were the result of using muscle on muscle.
That style of rushing is what Greene demands of his charges.
"Rushing the passer is a power game," he said. "We don't need our defensive ends to run up the field and run around the quarterback. You need the antithesis of a finesse linebacker. We want our guys to get in their face, hit 'em square in the lips and collapse the pocket, then make a move and make the sack."
Poppinga did have 20 sacks at BYU, but in the NFL pass-rushing has been the weakest part of his game. In the one-on-one drills this summer he owns a 1-11 record.
Nevertheless, Greene isn't dissatisfied with Poppinga's pass rush because at least he is smashing into people and holding outside containment.
"I think Brady is getting better as a rusher, I really do," said McCarthy. "We're teaching pass rush differently. Everything we're teaching is off the bull. Breaking glass, all those coaching terms. And Brady is not a finesse linebacker."
Thompson is a more gifted athlete than Poppinga with a larger and more refined set of pass-rush moves. Some scouts rated Matthews as the No. 1 pass rusher in the 2009 draft.
Nevertheless, Thompson wasn't nearly as physical as Poppinga taking on blockers. Matthews appeared to be more than physical enough but as a rookie has a lot to learn before getting on the field.
In terms of zone drops, both McCarthy and Greene say Poppinga has been more than adequate in coverage.
"He's done a great job with his body," McCarthy said. "He's lean. This is the most I've ever seen him around the ball."
Greene played every down for most of his career. Poppinga might not be as fortunate.
It's possible Poppinga might play on run downs and then be replaced in the nickel by Thompson or Matthews.
"My vision was we had playmakers on defense," said McCarthy. "I want to use them all. I felt before we didnt utilize as many players as we are now."
Given the youth and athleticism at his position, Poppinga seemed a candidate to be replaced or traded. Not now, not with his head coach in his corner and his position coach understanding what makes him tick.