Packers Daily Links: Wolf Expected to Receive Promotion
Packers assistant director of player personnel Eliot Wolf is reportedly expected to receive a promotion. That and more in today's Daily Links...
General manager Ted Thompson told Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that the Packers have "plans in place" in case some scouts leave the organization following the NFL Draft. "Eliot Wolf, who was promoted to assistant director of player personnel last season, is expected to receive another promotion — a move that may have been done unofficially — although it’s unknown whether he will take over the director of football operations title held by Reggie McKenzie, who left in January to become the Oakland Raiders general manager," writes Demovsky. "But both the 30-year-old Wolf and assistant director of pro personnel Tim Terry have taken over some of McKenzie’s duties. Terry, 37, also could be in line for a promotion." It is being speculated that Reggie McKenzie might hire away some Packers scouts to join him with the Oakland Raiders.
The possibility that the Packers' defense is undergoing a change in philosophy is brought up by Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. "Don’t look now, but as they prepare for Year 4 of Capers’ defense in Green Bay, they may just have evolved into something that isn’t entirely the 3-4 defense that’s so often talked about," writes Wilde. "While personnel changes are inevitable in the Packers' draft-and-develop approach, and Charles Woodson's possible move to safety has been the most talked-about adjustment this offseason, the changes figure to go beyond those." For those that are close followers of Cheesehead TV know I've talked about the Packers running some sort of hybrid 3-4/4-3 defense weeks ago. I'm not absolutely certain that's the exact direction they're going with the defense, but there would appear to be some schematic shift going on, even if it's just matching the defense to the skill sets of the players.
Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy were asked about the future of wide receiver Donald Driver this past weekend, and predictably, they were mum. "With an opportunity to put all questions to rest about Driver returning for his 14th season with the only team he has ever played for, coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson created plenty of reason to believe Driver may have caught his last pass for the Packers," writes Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin. All Thompson and McCarthy said is they wouldn't speculate about his future. I think the media may have looked too much into those statements during the NFL Draft. I've been saying this for months now: I think Driver will be back, albeit he'll have to agree to a restructured contract sometime before training camp. They'll wait to do that until after Dancing With The Stars.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Packer Plus publication looked back at selections of Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy, Casey Hayward, Mike Daniels and Jerron McMillian, Terrell Manning and Andrew Datko and B.J. Coleman.
Columns on the draft at Packer Plus are written by Tyler Dunne on Nick Perry and Wayne Larrivee on past Packers drafts.
A scouting report on Nick Perry and a feature on undrafted free agent Don Barclay are published at Packer Report.
Thoughts on Ted Thompson drafting players from non-BCS conferences are posted at JSOnline.
Quotes from Ted Thompson on Andrew Datko and B.J. Coleman are posted PackersNews.com.
A column by the Wisconsin State Journal's Tom Oates says the rest of the NFC is trying to keep pace with the Packers.
Video: The NBC affiliate in Green Bay mentions how former Packers quarterback Brett Favre must testify in New York Court in a sexual harassment lawsuit...
Brian Carriveau is a writer for Cheesehead TV. To contact Brian, email [email protected].
Comments (6)
May 02, 2012 at 08:42 am
Its my belief that Woodson, catagorically, doesn't want to be a Safety. Since his skills are most effective near the LOS, I'm thinking that, just like a hybrid 3-4/4-3, you will see them playing a 3-1 CB to Safety model; Burnett being the Safety, with Woodson, Williams and Shields(?) at CB. Of course, they'll be in nickel more often than base, so the nickel back will be the best defender of the rest of the Safety's and CB's; all unproven until camp. The best teams fit their schemes to match the player's strong points.
May 02, 2012 at 10:06 am
I had the exact same thought after the selection of Casey Hayward. The d backfield in nickel would be tramon, wood, shields, Hayward, and Burnett.
May 02, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Don't discount House as better than a rookie; or maybe both if Shields doesn't understand unemployment.
May 02, 2012 at 01:30 pm
The reason I think Hayward will play more than House and maybe even Shields is that his intelligence and recognition of route concepts are his strength. Hopefully this will mean less fingerpointing/shrugging/yelling by db's after big completions. Something we all saw much too much of last year.
May 02, 2012 at 10:18 am
Woodson isn't going to play safety except in an odd play now and then. I don't know why people keep projecting this switch as they have since about 2008. They like to move CW around and playing him in deep center field negates his effectiveness. Besides, his tackling ability has declined each year.
It will be Burnett, Peprah, McMillan and M.D. Jennings, with Bush as an emergency reserve.
Look for Woodson to play one more year (at least at $11 million per) in Green bay and then be supplanted by Hayward.
May 02, 2012 at 11:38 am
I agree this is Woodson's last year -- a shame he can't take a pay-cut to make up for his lost step, and as of last year, his missed tackles.
Woodson's just not a fit for either safety position. He doesn't have the speed at 35 (36 in October) to be the mid/deep field "eraser" and we've seen him grab a lot more, if beaten in coverage. And, I believe I read that he had 18 missed tackles last season -- almost double the number of the next culprit -- and may not be viable in run support. So whether it's the free/strong/hybrid safety position, I don't see Woodson going there.
He'll likely get a ticket do freelance as he's done in the past -- if the results are positive it will be described as "instinctual," if the results are negative he'll be described as "gambling."