Ahmad Brooks might be back. Not a salvation but worth a mention.

I don't know why we didn't take Ogbo from Oklahoma. He was a steal by the Rams pick 160.

I was b*tching for 80 picks for us to take him....reminded me of when Elvis Dumervile kept sliding. Sometimes they need to ignore the measurables & focus on the production.

Josh Sweat too, Eagles stole him.

I really think the Packers plan on getting more pressure than "Normal" from their D-Line players like Big Mo, Daniels, and Clark. I also think we'll see at least some, maybe a lot if successful with Perry lining up with his hand in the dirt. It's not like the Packers don't have anyone to get after the QB. I have much faith in Pettine being able to get plenty of pressure with who he has.

One thing I've read a lot about Pettine is his ability to "Scheme" sacks out of players who normally aren't considered guys who may get you many sacks. Guys like Biegel, Frackrell, or even Gilbert (fingers crossed) might be able t combine for 12 to 15 sacks which would be ideal.

The Packers may not be exactly where we were all hoping they be after the draft as far as the pass rush is concerned. But their also MUCH stronger at CB than I'd thought they'd ever be after the draft.

At this point are there any expectations for Fackrell? I have none.
I honestly expect more out of Gilbert then Fackrell.

Biegel will always have extra pressure because of TJ Watt.

We do need at least one of those players to step up and play at a high level. We need a good rotation at OLB.

The other thing to consider is we don't know exactly how Pettine is going to run the defense. Meaning we might see more use of the DL in passing situations. They brought in Wilkerson for a reason. He is a guy that can get after the QB. Perhaps we will see more 3 & 4 DL looks, then under Capers. Wilkerson, Clark and Daniels with Perry outside and Mathews roaming around the middle/outside would form a really nice pass rushing group.

What I like most about Pettine, is he changes his schemes to match the players it has. We need to stop thinking about how Capers ran the defense and starting consider what Pettine might do.

With the new and hopefully improved CB's, that should also help the pass rush. If they can force the QB to pause, that might give the rush the time it needs to create pressure.

Long road to recovery, the roster was never going to get fixed with one draft. There are still June 1st cuts so we can add depth. Reggie Gilbett and Chris Odom were not mentioned in depth one of them can make a jump potentially, I like Gilbert. Having invested nearly 12M in both Ckay and Perry they have their chips pushed in on these guys staying healthy. But let's take a glance at this schematically.

We all know by now that Capers ran a zone blitz scheme first, second, and third down. Early on he had success because QBs weren't smart enough at diagnosing the blitz and where it was coming from presnap. I feel like I've beaten this to a pulp but, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck, even guys like Kirk Cousins and Mariota, they picked apart that zone, found the holes they wanted 3-4 seconds out of a snap.

Running man coverage effectively would disguise blitzes making it harder for QBs to make presnap reads. It would force QBs to hold onto the ball longer and make better throws. This is a basic schematic and philosophy change I do think Pettine sees the scheme from last year and improving pass coverage can ultimately improve the pass rushers just as much as the pass rush can make the corners look good, Particularly in this situation.

We hope for Matthews and Perry to stay healthy. The key for the Pack will still boil down to rush pressure. If the pressure isn't there, as in the past, we're screwed this year. We still lack speed at linebackers covering tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. What changes? Pettine schemes and comfort level of players in their positions may help. We'll find out. Go Pack.

I've always doubted the BPA concept feeling that GM's really try to fill holes, at least after the first round. Gute addressed that when he said that while there were pass rushers available he had other players rated higher, and if they were equal he only then went with need. I really was encouraged by that. I've always felt you take the best player you can because you really can't be sure that your perceived need now is the one you'll have five weeks into the season. Our pass rush might miraculously be good and we passed on a great CB to take a bust of a pass rusher that doesn't see the field. Gute in my mind went for BPA. Now after the 1st round I was skeptical. How could Alexander be rated higher than James or Edmunds. I was shocked we let them get by us. But Gute I truly believe had Alexander in that same tier and only then went with need. I like the his approach and I think he did a great job.

I see our base defense as a 3-3-1-4, with the 1 being Josh Jones in a hybrid role. This affects the LB's.

Starters would be Matthews-Martinez-Perry, with primary backups being Biegel-Ryan-Burks.

The 7th spot should go to the best special teamer with highest upside from Donnerson, Fackrell, and Gilbert. Though it's too early with camps yet to begin, I would favor Donnerson for that role...by a wide margin.

As for the pass rush, our D-Line will be key, and a new Coordinator with some scant trace of intelligence might actually start blitzing Josh Jones a lot more.

I did not like the Packers going into the draft having to fill three major holes - CB, Edge, and WR. To expect rookies acquired through the draft to start and play effectively at those three positions is unrealistic. After we traded Randall, my hope was BG would find a quality veteran to play the perimeter opposite of King before the draft. Whether he acquired that player through FA or via trade it didn’t matter. That he settled for Tramon Williams was disappointing. And so our three major holes were still there on draft day.

For his first draft, I think BG did a good job. I think Alexander is talented and getting Josh Jackson in the 2nd round was the right pick. And walking away from the draft with an extra 1st round pick in 2019 is special.

However, that we had to take a CB with the 1st pick and not an edge rusher bothers me. We need a more effective pass rush to get past Atlanta in the playoffs. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones have killed us in the past, and this year the Falcons drafted Calvin Ridley. Not good...

For those who think Mike Pettine’s scheme is the answer, keep this in mind: Tramon Williams’ least productive years were in 2015 and 2016 when he played for Cleveland under Pettine. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillTr99.htm

It all reminds me of the old adage, “It’s players, not plays.”

With the drafting of Chubb, I wonder if the Broncos are looking to deal Shane Ray. He might be a very useful piece in a Pettine defense.

Pettine likes to send his DBs off the edge, at least he did with the NY Jets. The Packers have plenty of DBs now. I expect to see Josh Jones and other DBs blitzing the QB regularly. They will supplement whatever pass rush is generated from the DL and LBs.

Pettine's defense will play faster than Capers. His CBs will play as islands. After that everyone else gets after the passer. Plus we can still sign a FA pass rusher if one gets released between now and the end of TC.

As for Beigel and Fackrell it would be great if one or both can make a leap in performance this season but I'm going to manage my expectations until I see them on the field in Pettine's defense.
Thanks, Since '61

I think Fackrell might be the worst pick of the Ted era

Biegel gets a pass from last year, but must step up this season. Hope I’m wrong but it’s hard to imagine Perry and Mathews staying healthy, their track record confirms this.

The pressure in TC will be at an all time high. I think MM is under more pressure than anyone. This team will have to put a product on the field that will win a lot of games. Guys like Frackrell are expendable, they're a dime a dozen in today's NFL. Our DL will be the key and having enough bodies to rotate in and out of plays. They will eat up blocks and the LBers should benefit, we'll see who stands out. Burks and Donnerson will be fun to watch, I see them flying all around the field. If they make plays and turn some heads it'll get interesting real quick.

Just a thought, but is there an good edge rusher out there we could trade for? How about packaging up Ty Montgomery and someone else? I like Montgomery but he just can’t stay on the field.

Since people are talking Pettine and Capers, I'll just throw this out there.

One thing that strikes me about how fans are reacting to the Pettine hiring is this- all the things they're saying about why Pettine's defense is going to be superior to Capers...

Well.. they are all the EXACT same things people were saying about Capers' defense back when he first took the DC position.

Particularly the parts about "utilizing players to their strengths", "multiple fronts and Schemes" etc and so forth.

At the same time, some of these things- like scheming to create favorable match ups for available personnel- were the exact same things people were blasting Capers for doing in the last few years.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the change like anyone else. However, the reasoning most people are putting out there makes zero sense to me. I'm fairly confident that if you go back to old articles written about Capers' defense when he became the DC in GB, they read almost identical to the articles about Pettine's defense.. Including the comments about it from MM and the fan base.

Fackrell is likely a bust and brings nothing positively unique to the party that isn’t already in the room. He’s developmentally “old” and plays hesitant and without any nasty. Not really characteristics one would covet for an EDGE. I honestly think he’ll really need to have an incredible camp to even make the 53! Gilbert & Donnerson are significantly better athletes and I see no reason to waste a roster spot on KF. He seems like a really nice guy but I’m just not impressed with his career so far.

Biegel and Gilbert may be a pleasant surprise, but counting on Perry, Matthews and Fackrell to stay healthy and provide a good pass rush is wishful thinking at best. And as others have mentioned, Pettine may be much better than Capers but even he isn't going to bring anything to the defense that he hasn't in the past.

Disappointing that Gutekunst/Thompson didn't do much to improve two of the biggest needs on this team (pass rush and OL).

I personally am going to be a little more cautious yhan many of you about the new players , the new d.c. and guys like Biegel.

History shows us most rookies drafted beyond the first half of the 1st round do very little as rookies. In fact a large number of all rookies get injured their first year. Then you add in the normal 20 to 30 pct that are total busts , makes it hard to get too excited.

As for pettine, i wasone of them that was ecstatic that Capers was hired. The man was atrue defensive guru a mastermind if you will. So what happened? I dont think capers forgot how to game plan. Id guess he checked out the same time MM did. Right after winning the Super Bowl. Has McCarthy checked back in yet?

As for Biegel, i wish him the best! But i wont get too excited. Theresan old adage in football "injured players tend to stay injured" Anyone remember Eric Affholter? Chuck Webb? Shawn Patterson? Justin Harrell? CMiIII ? Nick Perry? You get my point.

In a sense 61 yes i do think MM checked out after the SB win. If a bunch of schlubs like us see the defense was a mess, why couldnt MM?

Remember, fans dont know anything. These people get paid huge sums of money to know better than we do.

Part of the job of the head coach is to evaluate his assistants. McCarthy failed miseraly in that aspect!

In a sense 61 yes i do think MM checked out after the SB win. If a bunch of schlubs like us see the defense was a mess, why couldnt MM?

Remember, fans dont know anything. These people get paid huge sums of money to know better than we do.

Part of the job of the head coach is to evaluate his assistants. McCarthy failed miseraly in that aspect!

The pressure is certainly on Biegel, but I am simply not convinced Fackrell is even the 5th best pass rusher on the team and frankly I feel he will likely get beat out by Gilbert and potentially even Donnerson in camp. Donnerson is extraordinarily raw, yet with that athleticism he could make a few splash plays in pre-season which would be enough, he could be a solid special teamer.
Biegel is sneaky athletic and actually has a decent array of pass rush moves, I think he will fine, he needs to show he can play the run too. Fackrell has been given opportunity after opporortunity and has shown he is not and NFL football player. Gilbert was this teams one bright spot the final 2 weeks of the season, consistently causing pressure, collapsing the pocket and creating havoc in the backfield.
As I have stated on here several times, Tackle is a bigger need right now than edge rusher, with a new scheme, better coverage, we have some guys that can get home.

I strongly suspect that Pettine has talked at length with his protege, Wisconsin DC Jimmy Leonard, regarding Vince Biegel. Jim knew exactly how to use him and so will Pettine.