We know who the Green Bay Packers starters are at outside linebacker. Clay Matthews and Nick Perry.
We now know who their backups will be. Reggie Gilbert and Kyler Fackrell.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine raved about Gilbert on Wednesday.
“All you gotta do is watch the tape. Reggie’s done a good job,” Pettine said. “And he’s done a good job at practice too. It’s not just because he’s going against backups. He’s done a good job against our ones. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s coachable. He’s done a real nice job for us.”
It is assumed Gilbert is now the Packers No. 3 outside linebacker, which could actually be a large role. Both Perry and Matthews are injury-prone.
As for Fackrell, he didn’t get a rave review from Pettine, but he is yet to fall completely out of favor.
“Fackrell’s had his ups and downs. There was the glaring mistake he made in the game, I’m not going to beat him up for that,” Pettine said. “Overall, he’s been consistent. He grades out well on the practice sheet.”
Gilbert has been one of the sensations of training camp. He had 2.5 sacks last week and played great in week 1 of the preseason as well.
Fackrell, a former third-round pick, has been pretty much what he’s always been. Underwhelming.
Looking beyond those two guys, Pettine had nothing to say about former Wisconsin Badger and fourth-round pick Vince Biegel. That’s not a good sign for the second-year player.
Biegel lost much of 2017 because of a foot injury. He played sparingly when he returned. This year, he hasn’t shown much of anything.
At this point, it appears Biegel may be in a battle with Chris Odom for a roster spot. The Packers kept five outside linebackers to open the season last year.
But as always, forming the roster is a numbers game. The Packers seemingly have more depth on the defensive line and at cornerback than they did last year. So maybe they only keep four outside linebackers?
However that shakes out, it doesn’t appear the Packers are counting on Biegel for much.
Well, the “Ted’s choice” competition is still raging. Kevin King + Vince Biegel vs TJ Watt. It’s game on!
I’m just glad Ted is gone and we don’t need to worry about what he will F up next. King over Watt turned out to be a disaster….but Gilbert as an UDFA looks good.
TJ had 4.0 sacks and 11 tackles in his first game. Packers also passed on Mykes Jack and we all know he is now a Pro Bowler and anchor on the Jags defense. The Packers defensive line has already started the season not looking good at all. Zero sacks won’t get the job done and won’t help the new rookie cornerbacks. It’s obvious that Green Bay majorly sucks at choosing defensive talent. Kevin King pretty close to being a bust with one surgically repaired shoulder and the other one hurt. Biegel is gone to New Orleans. Last good defensive pick? Clay Matthews.
Just think, our OLB group could be Peppers, Clay, Perry and Watt. But it made to fucking much sense to Ted. Too obvious. Now we still got two injury prone starters, a rotation guy with potential and two guys who cant play the position at all. And we shun the Mack talk when that fucking guy plays every game and gives you 10-12 sacks a year. Again too fucking obvious fit for the Pack.
Don’t forget about Myles Jack. Ted chose Kenny Clark over him which was about the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen any GM ever do. Kenny has done nothing. 4.5 sacks in two years won’t get the job done and certainly isn’t first round stats. The defensive line had one sack against the Bears. Daniels beng the only good player on the line.
Trade anything and everything for Mack. You can save money by not resigning Cobb, Matthews, Bulaga next season and continue to focus on draft and development as per usual while having stars like Mack, Daniel’s, Clark and your young corners moving forward.
Damn, the Packer fans favorite fantasy – an overachieving small-town Wisconsin native white guy who attended UW and stars for the Packers – bites the dust.
This sucks.
If Biegel gets cut, essentially Packers admitting Biegel is no TJ Watt.
If Trev Davis who cant play receiver stays, Gute wasted 3 draft picks on receivers instead of only 1 or 2.
And …
yet we keep keeping Rollins
he is no good whererever he is put.
Geez.
Yup, lets cut another rookie or 2nd yr player who hasnt had a chance and keep veterans who time and time again make huge mistakes and are non-playmakers.
Why?
Lets keep a fullback a decade again who can never be a runningback like William Henderson or Jerome Bettis. Cut another Taysom Hill, or this year, Boyle or Kizer. Fools running that show.
Nope. They’ll keep Hundley who helped us practically lose out in Rodgers place, and we paid to see him help us get slaughtered 38-0 at Lambeau by the Ravens.
Why draft new people when you are not going to let them have a fair unbiased shpt at their career?
Mike McCarthy is a fool
we never gand off to.
Mediocre coaches’ McCarthy and Zook making bad choices.
so you are upset over roster decisions that have yet to be made based on the last gms decision making… a gm who is no longer in charge?
Lets analyze your comment-
“If Biegel gets cut, essentially Packers admitting Biegel is no TJ Watt.”
4th round pick vs a 1st. There is a reason Watt was taken in the first round… because he is better. Kevin King could also very well be the real deal so.. dont understand the gripe here.
“Lets keep a fullback a decade again who can never be a runningback like William Henderson or Jerome Bettis. Cut another Taysom Hill, or this year, Boyle or Kizer. Fools running that show.”
Kizer isnt going anywhere. Period. Despite Hundley doing well in the preseason Kizer clearly has a cannon compared to him and if hes competing with Hundley after playing under Hue jacksons train wreck… imagine how much he will improve with a team known for its quarterback play. Once again… there is a reason Kizer was a borderline first round pick and Hundley was a nobody in the draft. Watch the ball leave Kizer’s hand. I do agree we dont need some plodding fullback stealing offensive touches though.
“yet we keep keeping Rollins”
Odds are he is unlikely to make the roster unless Pettine feels he is a solid contributor in his defense. There is no way they are cutting Williams, King, Jackson, Alexander, Clinton Dix, Brice, or Josh Jones. The only way rollins keeps a roster spot is versatility between corner and safety + special teams play.
“Why draft new people when you are not going to let them have a fair unbiased shpt at their career”
Yet you show your bias by complaining about hundleys performance because you bought tickets to a game.
“Mike McCarthy is a fool” – who doesnt have the authority to decide his personnel. He may have input but not authority.
“Mediocre coaches’” Mccarthy is mediocre in some ways and good in others. His teams fight for him which shows the respect his players have for him at the end of the day. To keep a locker room for as long as he has is a testament to him being more than mediocre overall. I agree he has done some idiotic stuff… but most coaches have… and things usually appear idiotic in hindsight when they dont work… and appear like pure genius when they do. He is, however, a tad too predictable at times.
I’ve been a fan of this team, long before McGriddle came aboard. Besides Rodgers giving McGriddle a token compliment every few years. I cannot remember players giving compliments or singing the praises of McGriddle the past 12 seasons. Considering the fact that players haven’t talked up McCarthy tells me something.
McCarthy is part of the problem with this team. After years of non accountability, he fires Capers finally (along with Van Pelt)…when someone had to be blamed for not making the playoffs.
Bill Micheal’s said Friday on The Fan that McCarthy should be given credit for replacing Capers with Pettine. I was like, ummm, yea….something that should have been done years ago. Micheal’s thinks he’s a real authority. Truth be told he’s a blowhard who often has his facts wrong, but preaches as if his knowledge is beyond reproach.
Otherwise he has a good show, but the Packers can do no wrong in his homer eyes because he used to work for them, kind of like Ellerson.
Before Ted got fired, Micheals would go off on callers calling them a dumbass (literally) when people would call in and say they wanted Ted fired. Then Ted finally did get fired, of course then, he thought it was a good idea,lol…same exact thing with Capers…….like i said…blowhard.
Amen!
TJ Watt had four sacks his first game. Yes four sacks and 11 tackles. Just imagine if the Packers chose him. Just
imagine if the Packers had taken Myles Jack over Kenny Clark? Packers coaching staff blows. I’ve never seen such imcompetence. They simply do not know how to draft defensive talent and now that Ted is gone they don’t know how to draft offensive talent either. Gute did a horrible job in the draft and to make matters worse, he didn’t even grab us a decent linebacker. Derwin James was still available as was Mike Hughes. Packers linebacker coach Joe Whitt simply sucks.