The leader in the Packer clubhouse for best nickname is Jayrone Elliot who has garnered the monicker “Shakespeare” from teammates. They say it is because he makes so many plays.
That talent was most prominently displayed in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. In a game that was believed to be a likely prelude to an NFC Championship Game that neither team would end up making, Elliot closed out the Seahawks by turning them over twice in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, those big plays would be the only interception and forced fumble of the season for Elliot. Like many Packers before him, Elliot was slowed by injuries and then saw limited snaps for the remainder of the season.
With the Packers hoping to limit Julius Peppers’ snaps and the train having left the station without Mike Neal, the Packers would love for Elliot to live up to his nickname and return to his playmaking ways in 2016. With this being Peppers’ likely last season and Nick Perry being on a one year contract, the door is open for Elliot to earn himself a spot and a boatload of money.
Elliot’s work-list is simple. He needs to develop a pass rush move to accentuate the effectiveness of his speed-rush. He needs to improve against the run. And he needs more snaps. If he can combine those things, he can seize his opportunity and earn himself a spot across from Clay Matthews.
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Everyone wants to see the kid do good. Hopefully large leads lend him a bigger snap count, and vicariously more starter opportunities. He’s got the heart.