Color me surprised. I’m being facetious of course. I surely have called former Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix a dummy before.
From lack of awareness to poor communication to lack of effort, Clinton-Dix was not only overrated, he thinks he’s better than he actually is. This proves the last point. From Pete Dougherty:
“He thought he was good enough that he didn’t have to study as much as a rookie (does),” a team source said of Clinton-Dix’s mindset the last two seasons. “He’s guessing (in pass coverage). He’s thinking that’s how you get paid.”
Obviously Clinton-Dix didn’t get paid by the Packers. He got shipped out of town.
But let’s look at each of those knocks I just put on Clinton-Dix.
Lack of Awareness
Remember this? How the hell could you forget?
You could have made that play. I could have made that play. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix couldn’t make that play.
He never really took responsibility for the fuck up either. That offseason, he would only say that he’s moved on.
Poor Communication
Here’s an anecdote we shared after Dom Capers was canned as the Packers defensive coordinator.
A 2016 Pro Bowler, Clinton-Dix was subpar in 2017 and that’s being kind. If you want to look for a guy who made consistent mental errors and blew assignments, there you go. Still, he played 98 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Telling was when Morgan Burnett was injured, the Packers gave the defensive headset to Clinton-Dix. He was so terrible and disorganized, they gave it to Martinez for the rest of the time Burnett was sidelined.
Clinton-Dix lasted a whole one game as the focal point of the defense — the guy who makes sure everyone else is in place. The guy who is essentially the on-field defensive coordinator. Because he was an unmitigated disaster.
Lack of Effort
This is probably my favorite.
Let’s go back to the end of the 2017 season. Packers vs. Lions. Clinton-Dix had already checked out.
Man, I don't even know what Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is doing anymore. #Packers pic.twitter.com/vgSJlCXBQ2
— Dusty Evil-E (@DustyEvely) January 1, 2018
That effort was so terrible, LeRoy Butler called Clinton-Dix out for it.
How about this year? This is one of my favorite Clinton-Dix moments. Oddly, also against the Lions.
Ha Ha is tired that Kenny Golladay stiff arm 😂 @haha_cd6 pic.twitter.com/VaD6KKXIFu
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 11, 2018
Despite all of this, Clinton-Dix felt pretty good about himself coming into the season. The Packers were supposedly looking at Florida State safety Derwin James in the draft. Clinton-Dix was having none of that, openly trying to shoo the Packers away from the first-round prospect.
Then Clinton-Dix got pouty when the Packers wouldn’t give him a contract extension. A contract extension only he thinks he deserved.
That was the beginning of the end.
The bottom line is this. Clinton-Dix isn’t nearly as good as he thinks he is. He’s mediocre at best. His faults are very, very obvious. As I said when he got traded, good riddance Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Go miss some tackles in Washington.
Hurts even more reading this when I think of the guy they had wearing that number before HHCD.
Amen!
Yea, i remember that well. I said at the time, what does that say about the defensive coaches having him calling the plays on defense. They weren’t aware he didn’t have that knowledge and couldn’t handle it before they gave that responsibility to him?
Completely overrated guy & I second-guess PFF & their criteria when they currently have him rated as the #2 safety in the NFL… I guess they didn’t see him catch the stiff arm from Golladay
Awesome highlight reel. That two point conversion in NFCC still haunts me- what was he doing, looking for John Candy in the stands? Derwin James could have been ours……..
Will need 2 safeties next offseason, probably one drafted and one FA.