Clay's frustration on OLB roster strength

[Dantés]

Capers is the reason that Casey should have won Defensive Rookie of the Year, injuries are what hurt him here. And, as for Hyde, I always see these comments but I never heard anyone saying the Packers should sit HaHa or Burnett while he was here, because that's what starting him would have meant. It's real easy to criticize in hindsight and also not worry about the actual reality of starting THREE safeties in a defense.

And, as for Hayward, that's ALL Thompson. Many (including myself) were very critical that TT let a corner as good as Hayward go for $5m per year.

Hayward, when healthy, was not anywhere close to the player in Green Bay that he’s been since he left. Not even close.

The Packers used about as much dime under Capers as anyone in the league. They used many three safety looks. Hyde was often more of a safety than a corner. He wasn’t near as good as he became as soon as he left.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Hayward, when healthy, was not anywhere close to the player in Green Bay that he’s been since he left. Not even close.

On several occasions, dating back to when Hayward was still a Packer, I observed that Hayward flashed in zone, jumping short routes, but was not so great in man D on the island. Not having watched San Diego play, I posed here the question whether San Diego ran a lot of zone, playing to what I perceived was Hayward's strength. I was assured (I cannot remember by whom) that San Diego runs primarily man D.

Nope. According to PFF, San Diego ran cover-3 on 55.6% of their passing snaps last season.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-the-la-chargers-are-primed-for-a-super-bowl-run

I would assume Hayward plays high with a LB or SS playing the short zone since that's the way cover-3 is typically run, but someone can correct me on that point. Of course that last time I asked for such clarification the information provided was incorrect.

Regardless, playing short or high zone, it should be obvious that it's a lot easier for a perimeter corner to rack up INT's, PDs and especially a low passer-rating-against when playing in a low-high zone scheme providing the pass rush doesn't give the QB all day (San Diego has a fine pass rush as indicated in the above link) than in single-high, man, blitz scheme if the blitz is not particularly effective.

I suspect if Hayward had been playing in the Capers defense the last couple of years there might be bellyaching over Hayward giving up deep balls with C-D (or often Burnett) in single-high as the only assistance with generally ineffective blitz packages.

 

[Dantés]

On several occasions, dating back to when Hayward was still a Packer, I observed that Hayward flashed in zone, jumping short routes, but was not so great in man D on the island. Not having watched San Diego play, I posed here the question whether San Diego ran a lot of zone, playing to what I perceived was Hayward's strength. I was assured (I cannot remember by whom) that San Diego runs primarily man D.

Nope. According to PFF, San Diego ran cover-3 on 55.6% of their passing snaps last season.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-the-la-chargers-are-primed-for-a-super-bowl-run

I would assume Hayward plays high with a LB or SS playing the short zone since that's the way cover-3 is typically run, but someone can correct me on that point. Of course that last time I asked for such clarification the information provided was incorrect.

Regardless, playing short or high zone, it should be obvious that it's a lot easier for a perimeter corner to rack up INT's, PDs and especially a low passer-rating-against when playing in a low-high zone scheme providing the pass rush doesn't give the QB all day (San Diego has a fine pass rush as indicated in the above link) than in single-high, man, blitz scheme if the blitz is not particularly effective.

I suspect if Hayward had been playing in the Capers defense the last couple of years there might be bellyaching over Hayward giving up deep balls with C-D (or often Burnett) in single-high as the only assistance with generally ineffective blitz packages.

I was the one who assured you that the Chargers played a lot of man coverage. And they did play more, under Pagano. Since that conversation, Gus Bradley has taken over and brought with him the cover-3 heavy system that has become so well known in Seattle. So the goal posts have moved, it would seem. But Hayward was just as good, if not better, in 2016 as he was in 2017.

Regardless, Hayward has been elite in both man and zone responsibilities, even if the man coverage has decreased under the new defensive coordinator. There is no excuse for Capers that he had such a player on his hands and relegated him to slot-only responsibilities and got merely decent play out of him.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Hayward, when healthy, was not anywhere close to the player in Green Bay that he’s been since he left. Not even close.

The Packers used about as much dime under Capers as anyone in the league. They used many three safety looks. Hyde was often more of a safety than a corner. He wasn’t near as good as he became as soon as he left.

Capers heavy dime is a more recent development, over 50% and a league-leading percentage according to PFF last season.

How you count dime vs. nickel gets blurred when considering the introduction of players like Burnett or Jones playing a hybrid role. Just because the roster says "safety" doesn't make their presence on the field constitutes a dime package.

We've gradually seen more 3 high safeties over the last few years, C-D/Burnett/Brice being the preferred combination last season when all were healthy, and then Jones when Brice was injured and Jones proving ieffective in the hybrid role. Even then, those packages were confined mostly to long yardage.

I do not agree that Hyde played more safety than slot corner in his time in Green Bay. He comported himself well at starting SS when Burnett missed a few games early in 2015, but his role was primarily slot corner.

For example, here are Capers comments from 2014 about his preference for single-high safety when C-D, Burnett and Hyde were all on board:

http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/...rnerbacks-coverage-b99418753z1-287430621.html

Capers migration to running more true 3-high dime, while still not an overwhelming percentage, could be marked from the Shields injury and the general weakness and inconsistencies in man defense on the perimeter.

 

[LambeauLombardi]

Quite frankly I'm getting sick and tired of the players going after the new GM. As far as I'm concerned he's done a good job and all you hear is the biggest voices on the team ***** about it. Give him a bleeping chance before you go off on him.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Quite frankly I'm getting sick and tired of the players going after the new GM. As far as I'm concerned he's done a good job and all you hear is the biggest voices on the team ***** about it. Give him a bleeping chance before you go off on him.

I can't tell you or any fan how to feel about AR's and now Clay's comments, but I don't really take either players comments as bashing Gute. They may be speaking their mind, more than one think they should, but with the media hounding you, I can see how it happens and then how their words get twisted into looking like criticism.

If you noticed Rodgers has said a few times "but I don't make those decisions".

 

[GBkrzygrl]

You know, it's funny. On another forum they were taking Rodger's comments and irritable and somewhat disgruntled.

Everyone has a different interpretation for what a player says. No wonder a lot of them hate the interviews.

 

[Dantés]

IIRC, only Patrick Peterson shadowed #1 receivers in man coverage more than Hayward in 2016.