To put it mildly, the Green Bay Packers have seen a drop off in play since Nate Palmer replaced the injured Sam Barrington at inside linebacker.
Palmer has been, at times, average and, at other times, bad.
Palmer seems to be fully aware of that fact and he admitted this week that he pretty much has no idea what he’s doing half the time.
“Most of the time when I have a bad play it stems from my footwork,” Palmer said. “Or my keys. I’m still learning. Everything isn’t 20-20 vision for me right now. Some stuff is as muddy as swamp water, and I’m just trying to stay positive and stay fluid and stay confident.”
So how is that okay, you’re probably wondering?
Well, everyone is quick to point out that Palmer, like pretty much everyone else who plays inside linebacker for the Packers, is a converted outside linebacker. And what makes Palmer different?
He converted prior to the 2014 season and then missed that entire campaign with an injury, so the idea is he’s still learning the position.
Palmer doesn’t possess the athleticism that Clay Matthews does, either. Clay can make up for not knowing what to do just because he’s more athletic than most guys. Palmer cannot.
So he’s out there taking his lumps, learning on the fly and it looks like that’s just the way it’s going to have to be.
Barrington won’t be back until next season and rookie Jake Ryan has given no indication that he’s ready to play, despite possessing more physical tools than Palmer.
There will be defensive breakdowns because of it, but those should become fewer as the season progresses.