We wanted to. We were trying real hard. Alas, Sean Richardson is doing his best to make sure we don’t forget that he exists.
Richardson is one of the Green Bay Packers safeties and you know all about them. Dog shit. Richardson spent the majority of the 2013 season on the physically unable to perform list because of a neck injury. When he came back he got some playing time, but couldn’t supplant the truly awful M.D. Jennings in the starting lineup.
That probably has as much to do with Richardson as it has to do with the Packers stubbornness to, you know, try someone new in the starting lineup.
Either way, we weren’t expecting much of the guy this year. And apparently neither were the Packers. Early indications were that Richardson was not only behind Morgan Burnett, Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on the depth chart, but that he was also behind Chris Banjo, a guy who made the team as a tryout player last year.
Basically, it was an afterthought that Richardson would eventually be cut.
The way to remedy that? Why, make some damn plays!
Richardson has managed to do that, which has changed the conversation surrounding him. Or, maybe more accurately, started a conversation about him.
“I think Sean Richardson is having an excellent training camp,” coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. “He’s done a lot of good things. He had an interception today in the pursuit drill, the pursuit screens and finish drill there to start off practice. He did some real good things early in the week on special teams.”
Richardson is still going to have to battle to make the roster. It’s probably going to come down to him and Banjo for the fourth safety spot (assuming the Packers keep four safeties).
At the very least, he’s inserted himself back into the competition with his play during the first week of camp.
How hard is it to play safety? Don’t they simply divide the field in halves or quarters and pursue to the ball in run or pass? Iean, instincts and reading play tendencies is part of it. But it seems that having keen diagnosis speed is theake up of a good safety. Are guys may be physically gifted on Defense but they lack something upstairs.
And why can’t the defensive genius Dom Capers, who developed his system as a cornerbacks coach and has 40 years of coaching experience as a defensive back coach, teach these guys how to play it.
“Our”
If Richardson stays healthy he will make the team. Richardson proved late last year he can support the run as a big safety. This year all he needs to prove is he can cover as a big safety. He is doing just what he needs to do this camp.
Richardson is having a good camp. I don’t see him in danger of losing his roster spot. He is clearly the #4 safety right now, and there is no way the Packers don’t keep at least 4. The Packers kept 5 last season, 6 if you count Bush as a safety.
“Early indications were that Richardson was not only behind Morgan Burnett, Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on the depth chart, but that he was also behind Chris Banjo…”
Really? What indications? Pretty sure Richardson was starting to steal some playing time from the Quack about 4 games after he was activated from the PUP, you know after missing nearly a year of football activities. Furthermore, I;ve heard nothing but good things from the coaching staff, MM included, about this kid. I doubt he’ll be able to supplant any of the top 3 but I’d be stunned if he doesn’t make the team.
Sean Richardson was activated off the PUP last season before week 12 I believe. The first 2 weeks(week 12 and 13) he saw about 20 snaps all together but the following 2 weeks(week 14 and 15) he saw nearly 2/3rds of the snaps or 2x as many snaps as M.D Jennings those 2 weeks. Basically, this article just seems off. Richardson was able to come back after not playing in over a year- very rusty – and within two weeks saw a lot more snaps than M.D Jennings.
Not only did he get a lot of snaps on defense and performed well considering the situation but he was an absolute monster on ST’s. I personally don’t feel he was ever in danger of losing a roster spot on this team. His ST contributions alone were enough to get him a roster spot. The guy is one of the few safeties in the NFL with comparable size to Kam Chancellor, an absolute physical specimen that put up insane numbers at the combine and even shows both size and athleticism on the field.
He is basically just going into his 2nd season and is having a great TC. I won’t be surprised at all if this guy turns out to be a good NFL starter and even gets snaps on defense this year in certain packages. Any good Defensive Coordinator should be able to use this guys size and athleticism.