It happens every year. One player dominates during the Green Bay Packers’ OTAs and minicamps. That player is lauded for making the jump, raising his game, etc. Then, usually, that player ends up being a non-factor or a disappointment when the pads actually go on.
Two years ago, receiver Davante Adams was the guy. Last year, receiver Jeff Janis was the man.
Adams followed up his dominating offseason with a terrible 2015 season — 50 catches, 483 yards, one touchdown. Janis, who was supposed to compete for a starting spot, ended up barely getting on the field in 2016. He had 11 catches for 93 yards and one touchdown.
The offseason MVP isn’t limited to receivers either. One of the earliest examples I can remember of Mike McCarthy or someone else anointing an offseason MVP was defensive back Brandon Underwood.
Like the other guys I mentioned, his great offseason didn’t translate to in-season success. Underwood lasted just two years with the Packers, was never a starter and is more remembered for an incident with some prostitutes.
Well, maybe defensive tackle Kenny Clark will turn the tide this year. He and the Packers better hope so, because I’m predicting he’ll be the guy cursed with the offseason MVP label this year.
Clark, the Packers’ 2016 first-round pick, was fairly disappointing as a rookie. He played sparingly until late in the season and finished with 21 tackles and had no sacks.
One of the first players McCarthy talked about when OTAs opened this week was Clark. He noted how Clark has been hitting the weight room.
Clark could be a starter by default this season. Mike Daniels will obviously man one spot on the defensive line. Letroy Guion is suspended for the first four games of the season. That leaves Clark, the recently-acquired Ricky Jean Francois and another second-year guy, Dean Lowry in the primary battle for the remaining spots. Holdovers Christian Ringo and Brian Price, along with rookie Montravius Adams may also factor into the competition.
Since the Packers play so much nickel, that usually leaves them with just two defensive linemen, although there are technically three starters in the base defense.
Most people seem to think it’s a foregone conclusion that Clark will be next to Daniels.
We’ve seen the Packers throw a first-round pick on the defensive line into the starting lineup before. They did it with Datone Jones in his second year after a disappointing rookie season. That didn’t last, though. Jones continued to underperform and was eventually replaced.
We’re going to assume there will be a competition for playing time on the defensive line this summer. The Packers would obviously love if Clark seized the opportunity and made the jump.
That starts now. Hopefully, unlike so many other guys before him, Clark will get it going now and keep it going into the season.
Amusing.
First round pick as a D-lineman with no sacks. How long before we see him at OLB??