4 Linebacker package this year?

I would be interested to see how well a 3-4 look pans out in the preseason. On paper, it looks great, but you can’t forget that these guys have played in a 4-3 their entire careers here in Green Bay, so the transition might be too much.

As for Aaron Rouse, he’s in a tough position. The guy has athleticism up the wazoo and is certainly a talented player. However, Atari Bigby really came on strong last year, as he found his niche as a hard-hitting safety. Nick Collins has steadily improved every season (though not as much as we’d hoped), so it’s not like he’s on the hot seat. It’s going to take an amazing training camp from Rouse, an underwhelming camp from either Collins or Bigby, and a few blown assignments during the season by one of the incumbents before Rouse gets his chance.

I’d like to see the 3-4 get used on occasion to change things up and keep the offense guessing but would not be in favor of changing to a 3-4 full time. What ever happened to Hodge from Iowa? I thought he had the chance to be pretty good and possibly move Barnett outside to take advantage of his speed. I’m also liking what I hear about Chillar. I like Poppinga (if for no other reason than he has a fun name to say…Poppinga!) but his pass coverage drives me crazy.

As for Rouse, I agree with what Mitchell_M says. Bigby and Collins are pretty set at safeties for now but its great to know that if either one of them slips up or gets hurt we have a replacement waiting in the wings. Rouse needs to find his way on the field somehow though cause he is too good to not get some playing time.

Boy its refreshing to talk about some Packer football without the QB position coming up!

I read that the Packers were using 4 linebackers back in April/May during the first mini-camps, but I kind of ignored it since it was just mini-camp. I’m waiting to see if they use it in the preseason. Still it’s all about generating a pass rush. They were getting to the QB early last season, but by the last few weeks, the pass rush was running on fumes. The turning point I remember was the game in Dallas at the end of November. Dallas scored on their first few possessions and their was no pass rush. Bob Sanders started dialing up the blitz, I recall A.J. Hawk coming a few times, and it slowed Dallas down. I’m not sure what they are planning to do with 4 linebackers, but don’t forget former 3rd round pick Abdul Hodge is still on the roster and might get a shot there too, if (big IF) healthy.

Although Aaron Rouse came out of college with a rep for having poor coverage skills, I thought he was the best safety in coverage last season. Bigby had 4 INTs in December, but he plays way off in coverage and at least one of the picks was a lucky bounce-type. Collins just didn’t make a lot of plays last season and might never be better than average. Both safeties play similar, back in coverage off the line of scrimmage, there is no classic strong safety creeping up and playing like an extra linebacker, so Rouse would be a candidate to replace either of them, but I think Collins has to watch his back.