Top Strengths and Top Concerns Going Into Camp

Written by Mike Davidsen Wednesday, 28 July 2010 20:31

Why should the Packers be considered a contender for reaching the Super Bowl? At the same time, what could be preventing the squad from even reaching the playoffs? I outline the team’s three biggest strengths and three biggest concerns below. Left out of the top concerns were the special teams coverage units and the kick and punt return games. These are both concerns but not as much as what is listed below.

Top 3 Strengths

1.    Passing Offense

As has been the case since the early nineties, the Packers’ passing game is a major strength going into training camp. Aaron Rodgers managed to throw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns while dealing with a makeshift offensive line for the first half of last season. I expect this year’s offensive line to be as stable as it was in the second half of last season, which should allow for even more explosiveness through the air.

Rodgers’ supporting cast has only gotten stronger with receivers Jordy Nelson and James Jones generating some off-season hype from the coaching staff as well as Jermichael Finley, who is developing into one of the league’s best young tight ends. Combine these three rising stars with pro bowl receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and you have one dangerous receiving corps.

Perhaps the only thing missing from this scary aerial attack is a player that can present a legitimate screen pass threat coming out of the backfield. The Packers haven’t had this type of player since Ahman Green and could really use one to change the pace of the game. The team will certainly look for rookie sixth-rounder James Starks to fill this role.

2.    Starting Secondary

A starting secondary led by Charles Woodson and Nick Collins asserts itself as one of the best in the league and is a major reason for the Packers’ league-best turnover ratio last season. Interceptions are no rarity in Green Bay these days as the Packers’ starting defensive backs are surely one of their top strengths heading into camp. Dom Capers brought out the best in these starters last season by adding versatility (blitzing, etc) to their already outstanding play.

The only time the Packers have trouble capitalizing on this strength is when health becomes a factor. The team has seen Al Harris and Atari Bigby miss extended playing time over the past couple seasons and thus, weren’t fully utilizing this strength.

3.    Run Defense

Your first thought is that the Packers run defense may not be quite as dominant as it was last season without 330-pound Johnny Jolly playing defensive end. In reality, the starting defensive line hasn’t changed substantially as BJ Raji was rotating in for Johnny Jolly frequently last season. In addition, the Packers’ run-stuffers at linebacker, AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett, are both returning, making the 2009 league-best run defense another strength for the Packers.

Something to consider is the switch of BJ Raji and Ryan Pickett on the D-line, with Raji moving to nose tackle for the purpose of generating a better pass rush from inside. Though Pickett may have an edge over Raji at stopping the run from the inside, I don’t see the switch changing the defense’s ability to stop the run effectively this season.

Top 3 Concerns

1.    Kicking Game

The Packers’ place-kicking performance last season was about as bad as it’s been since Dave Rayner kicked for the team in 2006. Mason Crosby couldn’t even be counted on to make a 35-yarder – and yet, the Packers opted to not bring in any competition. Perhaps that’s because their decision to do so at punter hasn’t exactly changed the picture on that front. Chris Bryan and Tim Masthay will fight for the Packers’ starting punter job, which surely should be ranked near the bottom of the league.

The kicking game is a concern that I don’t expect to go away throughout the season. The Packers suffered in this aspect of the game last season and haven’t done much to improve in those areas.

2.    Big-Game Pass Defense

Even with a strong starting secondary, the Packers’ pass defense consistently came up short against good quarterbacks of tough opponents last season. Though there are certainly some internal changes that can be made, the Packers didn’t make any personnel changes to shore up this problem during the off-season. The concerns lie within a lack of experience and talent in the secondary depth and an inconsistent and far from dominant pass rush.

There’s definitely some promise that young players like Brad Jones, Cyril Obiozor, Brandon Underwood and Pat Lee can all latch on to Capers’ system and rise to the occasion against high-powered offenses this coming season. We’ll get an idea of which of those players will play a bigger role in the defense during training camp.

3.    Penalties

In my personal opinion, the Packers’ youth and inexperience is what contributed to the widespread penalties last season. One could argue that Mike McCarthy wasn’t disciplining his players well enough, but I think it was primarily because the team was so young. I don’t expect things to change dramatically going into this season and still consider the constant committing of penalties a concern.

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