The Packers hope the 3-4 will produce a better pass rush. Don't bet on it.

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The Packers offense is good enough to win. The D has been good but not good enough. The specific shortcoming was lack of a solid pass rush. The team is trying to convert to the 3-4 but still have 4-3 personnel. They may take a step back before getting enough 3-4 talent.

There isn’t much of a problem with the QB. The only area in which QB Aaron Rodgers has struggled in is 4th quarter comebacks. He also is not as productive inside the red zone as he is in the middle of the field. But that comes with experience. This is his second year as the starter and he should get better in that aspect of his game. He has all the physical skills to be a top QB. He just needs time to develop. Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm will battle for the 2nd QB spot.

HB Ryan Grant averaged less than 4 yards per carry. I am not a Grant fan. He tends to dance more than he should and seemed somewhat tentative after injuring a hamstring in the preseason. He is over valued in Fantasy drafts this year. The team plans to run more and we will see how that works out. FB Korey Hall is a good receiver and more than adequate lead blocker. Brandon Jackson backs up Grant and is just OK.

The receivers are outstanding. The starters are Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. In a somewhat short list of WR these two will have very good years for Fantasy Football. James Jones and Jordy Nelson are solid backup one of which will replace Driver when he retires or is traded to the Jets. Donald Lee. and Jermichael Finley are in a training camp battle for the starting TE spot. Both are a little above average receivers.

The line is back in tact. It has LT Chad Clifton, LG Daryn Colledge, C Jason Spitz, RG Josh Sitton and RT Allen Barbre. Clifton is getting old and his performance slipped last year no matter what you read elsewhere. RT Barbre is the weak link and is the most likely to be beaten out in training camp. The rest are OK and look better in pass protection because of Rodgers getting rid of the ball quickly. They deterioration of the running game is in part their fault. C Scott Wells and T/G T.J. Lang are the prime backups. The wild card is veteran free agent Mark Tauscher. He is recovering from knee surgery and may be signed if there is an injury or lack of production.

The D line starts rookie B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins at the ends and Ryan Pickett at NT. Jenkins missed most of the year with a chest injury and his condition is not clear yet. Pickett is new to the NT job and should be able to do a decent job. He is not going to collapse the pocket often. The team is betting that Raji has enough athleticism to handle the DE spot. The bench contains Es Johnny Jolly and Justin Harrell. Both have experience but Harrell is coming back from an injury again.

The real issue to the success or failure of the 3-4 will be the linebackers. The change to a 3-4 is a game of Chinese checkers. DE Aaron Kampman moves to OB. OB A.J. Hawk moves inside. Kampman was all pro at 4-3 DE. Whether he can or will be effective at OB is very much up in the air. He has been silent on the move. Hawk should thrive inside if he is allowed to use his instincts to blitz more. Nick Barnett starts inside but is coming off an injury and was inconsistent when healthy. He is still out due to surgery last season. Former DE Jeremy Thompson wasn’t very good at that so there is no reason to believe he will do any better at OB. Rookie Clay Matthews and former starter OB Brady Poppinga are the primary bench strength.

The DBs are solid and deep. Charles Woodson and Al Harris are as good as any in the league. They have excellent depth in CBs Will Blackmon, Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood. FS Nick Collins was all pro last year. The only semi-question in this group is SS Atari Bigby. He is recovering from surgery and did not participated in the OTA.

OVERALL: The Pack will be fine offensively. I think the change to the 3-4 will take a couple of seasons to improve the D. Look for them to battle the Bears for second in the division behind the Vikes.

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on and edits .

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3 thoughts on “The Packers hope the 3-4 will produce a better pass rush. Don't bet on it.”

  1. Nice little logo.
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  2. So much to consider when assessing a team’s chances of success isn’t there? I spend all day long trying to work out which soccer teams are going to be the ones to beat. It doesn’t get any easier!

    Really enjoy your article by the way. Once again you have provided a great insight into NFL Football for me.

    I will be back regularly.
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  3. I liked the logo and the G in it. Looks cools to symbolize my last name. 😉 coming to the point, It was nice to read some good info on NFL.

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