Monday Musings: Defensive Talent

It was difficult to pay attention to the Super Bowl for a couple of reasons. The first were the two teams playing. Choosing between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is like choosing between a root canal and a colonoscopy. The other reason was that I kept finding myself thinking about the Packers. Here are just three of the many thoughts that ran through my head:

1) Todd Bowles has always been considered a good defensive coordinator, but he became a genius when Frostee Rucker, Sam Acho, Alex Okafor, Larry Foote, Kevin Minter and Tony Jefferson were replaced by Vita Vea, Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Lavonte David, Devin White, and Antoine Winfield Jr. The point is, while coaching is obviously important, nothing matters more than talent in the NFL. That means GM Brian Gutekunst needs to add better players on defense. Of the 11 players that started for Green Bay in the NFC championship game, only nose tackle Kenny Clark, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, and cornerback Jaire Alexander would definitely start for Tampa Bay, although you could at least make a case for safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. As for ends Tyler Lancaster and Dean Lowry, outside linebacker Preston Smith, inside linebacker Krys Barnes, and cornerbacks Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan, they would either be reserves, or in a few cases, not even part of the active roster. Look, I don’t particularly like the hiring of Joe Barry, but truth be told, nobody could take this current group of players and turn them into an elite defense. Not Jim Leonhard. Not even Bowles.

2) Considering that the sides hadn’t spoken about a new contract as of two weeks ago, it seems pretty clear the Packers have decided to move on from All-Pro center Corey Linsley. Well, maybe it’s time for Gutekunst to reconsider. I know all about the salary cap, but did you see what happened to the Chiefs’ O-line on Sunday night? Playing with two struggling tackles absolutely killed the defending champs. One of the reasons the Packers, also playing with a pair of struggling tackles, functioned at a much higher level against the same defense two weeks earlier was because their interior linemen held up much better. Linsley, along with guards Elgton Jenkins and Lucas Patrick, more often than not provided Aaron Rodgers with room to maneuver when heavy pressure came off both edges. And while I get that the offense did just fine without Linsley for three games in December, those games were played with David Bakhtiari at left tackle. Unfortunately, he probably won’t be around for at least the first half of next season due to a knee injury. That has to at least make Gutekunst think twice about letting Linsley walk, doesn’t it? Can a team with a quarterback in his late 30s really afford to play eight games without two All-Pro offensive linemen?

3) Coach Matt LaFleur made it clear on numerous occasions that he wasn’t happy with the effort shown by his defense, and that as much as anything is why he replaced Mike Pettine. The energetic Barry should help in this regard, but you know what would help even more? Getting rid of Preston Smith, who spent the better part of this past season chasing after running backs with about the same amount of urgency as a 15-year-old dog chases after a ball. I thought Smith’s departure was a fait accompli until Barry was hired. Because the two were together with the Washington Football Team, perhaps the new coordinator will want to keep around a familiar face. I hope that’s not the case – at any price. Elite defenses have all 11 players hustling from the snap to the whistle. That’s what I saw the past two games from the Buccaneers, and that’s exactly what I saw from Rashan Gary this past season. The Packers can give more snaps to an ascending young pass rusher, clear around $8 million of cap space, and rid the defense of a slacker all in one simple transaction. In an offseason that will be filled with many difficult decisions, this one should be a no-brainer.