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.
At least he admits it. He didn’t look like he should have been on the field last Sunday.
I’ve said all along I don’t know why Palmer is on the field. He couldn’t get much PT at Illinois (for sure not enough to satisfy him) so he transferred to Illinois State, an FCS school, where he did get a lot of PT. Keep in mind Illinois is perennially a very weak big ten program, so it’s pretty damning he couldn’t get PT there.
Why don’t they put someone on the field who knows what he is doing then?
God forbid we draft an ILB in rounds 1 or 2.
Why don’t they DRAFT and START a true Middle Linebacker, someone who actually played the damn position in college and someone who isn’t a freaken 6-7 round pick, or a fucken converted DEs or OLB to play the part. Maybe just maybe, that would solve their MLB issue, which just happens to be the most important position in a 3-4 defense. But then again, Ted Thompson has to follow his draft and development ideas, Draft scrubs and train them, yes, Hawk, Brad Jones, Nate Palmer, Sam. #In Ted We Trust.
Palmer has a gap in his head.
I was thinking that ‘Assignment Sure’ A.J. Hawk would be laughing if he watched Palmer play. At least A.J. knew that he had to cover a gap, more often than not would fill that gap and occasionally make a tackle on a RB coming thru the gap (albeit while being dragged backwards).
PS. The photo used was in the Chicago game. The first game of the season. We had to go all the way back to get a shot of Palmer making (well attempting) a tackle?
That’s not a good sign.
Do you guys engage in a circle jerk while complaining about the Packers?
……which is why you are here ey ??
Could be better than being a complete jerk.
Palmer had a bad game against Denver, but that line is long.
Otherwise, he has played better than people are giving him credit for. He seems to be the whipping boy for the armchair GMs who think TT should have drafted an ILB in the first couple rounds.
Of course, IF we had done that, we wouldn’t have either Randall or Rollins on the team right now, and with Casey Hayward playing as bad as Palmer, or worse, right now, that would be a grim prospect.
And let’s keep in mind that Hayward is a starter while Palmer IS only a backup, who is playing like a backup.
And yes, the ILB position IS important, which is why the Packers have their best defensive player playing the effin position.
all we care about is:
did he play better than A.J. Hawk?
if so, then we still have a backup on this roster who plays ILB better than a starter last year.
Again, I could as well as many arm chair GMs run this shit show better than Ted Thompson. You have a HOF QB, if you’re not in the NFC Championship game every season, you need to GTFO.
what does it take to get in the HOF? win a single SB? are there any QB “one-ring wonders” who have not made it into the HOF? if so, then how can you assume we have a HOF QB?
Name any player who has won 2 MVPs and is not in the HOF, or won’t soon be. Don’t try. There aren’t any.
ok, i’ll take your word for it.
but wait a min., does a HC get weighted HOF votes for winning five straight div. ch.? does anyone know any HC who won five straight div. ch. who is not in the HOF?
if so, then wow, we may have a HOF QB being coached by a HOF coach! may as well order SB tickets for the next ten years right now!