Cory's Corner: Take Notice Of Rashan Gary
A breakout season might not be right, but Gary is certainly on par for a breakthrough season.
How has it not happened yet?
This will be Rashan Gary’s sixth season and he still has not been selected to a Pro Bowl. How can this be?
As a rookie, he was still trying to figure some things out. The 12th overall pick in 2019 looked lost, but rebounded with strong tackling and excellent coverage skills in his sophomore season.
Then 2021 happened. His third season was his most successful. He had 58 quarterback hurries with 12 sacks. He also played in 722 of 1,133 defensive snaps. He was easily the team’s best pass rusher and he was also excellent against the run and was a great tackler.
Yet, he wasn’t recognized for his efforts.
Gary, 26, is now the heartbeat of this defense. I will admit that I wasn’t fully on board when he was drafted, but his learning curve has been steep. He has gotten exponentially better each year and now offenses have to know where he is at all times.
Gary started out last season on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a torn right ACL that he injured in November 2022. But he worked his way back from that. He only played in 26.3 percent of the defensive snaps in the first three games last year but he tallied 3½ sacks.
“He’s coming in with the right mindset,” said Preston Smith. “This year, having a chance to be healthy through a whole offseason and to get ready for the season, I think it’s going to be big for him. I’m expecting a lot of big things from him.”
There’s no place that Gary would rather be. He was born to play football and now he is also adding to his mix. He isn’t just a stellar player, but he is also a leader that wants to continue to hone his craft. He isn’t content.
And that’s why the Packers awarded him with a four-year, $107.5 million extension in October. He probably wasn’t 100 percent at the time, but there are so many things that Gary does that go beyond a boxscore. He is teaching and coaching the young guys where to be, especially as the defense transitions to a new 4-3 scheme. He is also the positive guy that is hungry to make his mark. He remembers when he was drafted and all the criticism he took.
But he has turned all that negativity into fuel. He has transformed himself into a top shelf player that can get sideline-to-sideline. He can tattoo the quarterback and he can cover a receiver in space.
Gary has already had his breakout season, but it wasn’t noticed by the league. The 6-foot-5, 277-pound linebacker will force them to notice this year.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (27)
@Kumps76
July 02, 2024 at 06:31 am
Gary actually had 9.5 sacks in ‘21. He’s never broken that double digit barrier, which is why it feels like he’s never quite had that ‘breakthrough’ season in his first 5 years in the league.
mrtundra
July 02, 2024 at 08:23 am
Remember Kyler Fackrell? He had 10 sacks, one season and never was looked at, by anybody, as being a special player, having a breakthrough season. Everyone knew Fackrell's ceiling. Gary will get his due, at some point, but with the way the big media covers teams, it may take a while to get national recognition. In the meantime, we can enjoy his solid play along the DL, harassing QBs and RBs. We Packers' fans know what we have in Gary. The rest of the League is about to find out.
13TimeChamps
July 02, 2024 at 09:36 am
Fackrell wasn't a special player, by any stretch of the imagination. 6 of those 10 sacks came in 2 games, meaning he had 4 sacks over the remaining 14 games. He never came close to 10 sacks again, before or after that year. He was a one hit wonder, who is now out of the league after 6 years and 3 different teams.
Besides, the Pro Bowl is a joke. Remember Jeff Saturday getting a Pro Bowl nod the one year he played for the Packers? He played so poorly that year, he ended up getting benched.
Rashan Gary is one of the better OLB/EDGE players in the league. Any of the "pundits" who don't recognize that, aren't as football savvy as they may believe.
Besides, he got awarded where it really counts. His bank account!
LLCHESTY
July 02, 2024 at 02:01 pm
Fackrell had 10 sacks on very few pressures. Anybody that saw his pressure numbers knew it wasn't sustainable. The next year he had just six less pressures but had one sack and his 1st year with the Giants he had just three less and had four sacks, which is probably close to the norm.
MemphoMike
July 02, 2024 at 06:32 am
Check out Gary's X feed, he's busting his ass everyday in off season training. I expect him to BLOW UP this year in Hafley's D. So excited. As Lombardi used to say, "the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." Gary's certainly earning his success.....
T7Steve
July 02, 2024 at 07:24 am
I love that Lombardi quote. Can't believe I don't remember it. I would have used it at work many times by now. Think I'll start using it today.
TKWorldWide
July 02, 2024 at 08:55 am
Same here!
NickPerry
July 02, 2024 at 06:33 am
Personally I was ecstatic when the Packers finally went back to a 4-3 defense. I've always felt Gary would have been better off in a 4-3 defense and I thought the same about Van Ness when he was drafted last season. I think Kenny Clark can be a terror in this defense with his quickness, and Karl Brooks is about to make 31 other GMs look like MORONS for passing on him in 5 or 6 rounds of the 2023 draft.
NOW, it feels like the Packers may have finally found an ILB with Cooper and a Safety with Bullard (Yes, I'm projecting) AND a DC with Hafley, I'm just as excited to watch this defense as I am to watch the offense put up 30 and 40 burgers all year long on opposing defenses.
Get ready friends, these guys are ready to make some NOISE!!!
Guam
July 02, 2024 at 08:37 am
I like many of the Packer defenders, but I think I am going to like the new scheme even more. I am sooo tired of an all passive all the time defense that I can not wait to see a more aggressive and more unpredictable scheme.
Barry buried good players under a far too passive scheme. I hope Hafley can unleash them.
TKWorldWide
July 02, 2024 at 08:57 am
As someone who has looked like a moron on many occasions, I can tell you it’s no picnic.
stockholder
July 02, 2024 at 07:08 am
Gary belongs at DE.
So it doesn't surprise me about Zero pro Bowls.
The best teams in the NFL have the best DL.
The game is won in the trench.
Ignoring that explains No SB wins -" SINCE 2010 ".
The fastest way to the QB is the LOS.
They're going to rush him anyway.
Every QB knows he's coming.
Oppy
July 02, 2024 at 06:34 pm
Well, so far you've predicted the reason we're not winning a SB is:
1) Aaron Rodgers gone = No SB (technically, you stated no winning in GB w/o Rodgers)
2) If we fail to win the superbowl, it's because we let Aaron Jones go (that was just the other day)
3) General lack of commitment to building a defense (you never did respond to my follow up question about the Packers having invested heavily into D players in the first round over the last 30 years)
4) Specifically, the defensive line is the key to winning the Superbowl, and the exclusive reason why we haven't won a sb since 2010.
This is what I'd call an attempt at accuracy by volume. Throw enough shit at the wall, and hopefully something will stick.
T7Steve
July 02, 2024 at 07:22 am
"He can tattoo the quarterback and he can cover a receiver in space"
I hope to never see him or any other D-line /OLB in coverage on a WR again. If wishes were.......
Gary is the kind of worker that you want all the guys to be.
TKWorldWide
July 02, 2024 at 08:59 am
I never appreciated the “versatlity” of having Gary or Smith or LVN drop into coverage. Ok, MAYBE as a changeup at best.
Kinda like if GB had a trick play in which Jenkins throws a pass. Just because it’s unexpected doesn’t make it good.
Matt
July 02, 2024 at 04:13 pm
You've never had to. Preston Smith was all over receivers ;)
PatrickGB
July 02, 2024 at 08:18 am
I sense a big big year from Gary!
Leatherhead
July 02, 2024 at 09:17 am
When you rewatch the games from last year, Gary is always one of the guys collapsing the pocket. He didn't get double digit sacks, but he's the best pressure/hurry/hit guy we have on the roster. He gets his share of double teams.
I personally think that pass rush of Gary, Brooks, Clark and Van Ness is going to have a real good season.
T7Steve
July 02, 2024 at 09:30 am
Not to mention that Hafley likes to sneak a LB, safety, or corner blitz in now and again.
It's fun to think about! I do remember, however, that I was excited the last time we had a DC change because I thought anything would be better. HA!
Leatherhead
July 02, 2024 at 10:19 am
Steve, I've watched quite a few DC changes. So many I've lost count, frankly. I remember guys like Donatell and Slowik and Bates and Capers. I remember the guy before Berry.
I think defense in the NFL is pass defense, because that's where most of the yards and points come from. That's where most of your big plays on defense....sack, interception, etc.....come from. And pass defense starts with guys who can cover long enough for the pressure to reach home. You could put 4 HOFers on the Dline, but if you can't cover people the QB will just throw it before the rush gets close.
I think we'll have a good rush this year, and if we can put our healthy guys on the field, we might be able to cover for that extra 0.5 seconds that changes a pressure to a sack.
I don't like blitzing. I never liked the zone blitz, except when Raji got that Int against the Bears in the Chicago game in 2010. I like to rush with 4 and cover with 5, and have two Rottweilers
watching for people leaking of the pocket. A double deep safety, man coverage on the 3 WRs.
When you blitz, no matter how you spin it, you're sacrificing coverage to get pressure. It makes it MORE likely that you'll give up a big play. In fact, as the Tuesday Morning Quarterback repeatedly made clear, blitzing results in big plays for the offense more often than it results in a big play for the defense.
I think we should be able to get pressure with 4. We have the depth and talent to keep rolling fresh guys in there that can win their matchup. I'm really hoping we don't blitz more than an average team.
T7Steve
July 02, 2024 at 11:24 am
I feel the same way about blitzing as you. You do have to keep them honest and not just let the back or TEs do whatever they want without worrying about blocking. The D-line will have the chance to make All-Pros of LBs and Dbs.
mnbadger
July 02, 2024 at 12:25 pm
Great point, maybe we better temper expectations for a few months?
Screw it!
Super Bowl Baby!
GPG!
T7Steve
July 02, 2024 at 12:47 pm
I was thinking the same thing when I posted the pessimism. I thought, "Do I really want to go there?" No way to compare this guy with the former DC who'd failed on his previous stops.
Oppy
July 02, 2024 at 06:24 pm
Anyone who is unimpressed with the play of Rashan Gary is too busy reading post-game stat lines to be bothered with actually watching him play the game.
He's a beast.
Blackheart
July 02, 2024 at 01:03 pm
I stopped reading when it said Gary had 12 sacks in 2021. Lol Quit the cap! Gary has never had a double digit sacks year. He's averaging about 6.3 sacks a year since being drafted. Every year, since being drafted, there's an article or two in the preseason about this is the year Gary is going to "break out". He's a good player but let's not kid ourselves. No all pro, pro bowl, no dpoy consideration, no double digit sack year.
Oppy
July 02, 2024 at 06:28 pm
He had 11.5 in 2021 if you include his post-season.
Now, I'm not defending this, but I assume Cory looked at the entirety of 2021, saw Gary had 9.5 regular season sacks and 2 post-season sacks, and figured he'd impress everyone with his ability to round up.. but while it's just plain wrong, I don't think he was intentionally trying to lie to anyone.
LLCHESTY
July 02, 2024 at 02:14 pm
"he can cover a receiver in space."
Just a SLIGHT exaggeration there. There's a reason they had Preston drop into coverage, he's more agile. I think the lack of agility will keep Gary from ever being a steady 15 sacks a year guy but I think he can be a 10-12 sacks a year player of he can stay healthy. It's a minute difference but if a QB can evade a player 5 more times in a season than he can the top guys it's hard to put up top tier numbers consistently.
Since'61
July 02, 2024 at 07:53 pm
I've posted since Gary was drafted that he has all of the tools to become a force in the NFL and for the Packers defense. I think he has reached the cusp of becoming a game wrecker for the Packers. I think that Harley just needs to let him play and Gary will have a great season. I'm looking forward to watching him wreck opposing offenses this season. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61