Packers Game Changing Moves: The Departure of Aaron Kampman
by Brandon on May 14, 2010 1:24 AM CDT
in Green Bay Packers Analysis
Email
Print
Sponsored Post: This post is presented by Sprint. Bringing you the first wireless 4G network from a national carrier. Only on the Now Network.
From Football Outsiders:
Note that "good pass defense" may mean "good pass rush" rather than "good defensive backs."
From Mike McCarthy:
We do wish [Kampman] the best, but this is a part of our business...All of our free agents, yes. Feel good about where we are.
The biggest move the Green Bay Packers didn't make last March was re-signing DE Aaron Kampman. His absence may lead to a disappointing season for the secondary as they miss the pass rush he provided. On the other hand, McCarthy didn't express disappointment during his first press conference after Kampman's departure to Jacksonville. It's possible Kampman won't return to form because he just turned 30 and is recovering a torn ACL. Maybe McCarthy is right and the Packers are good without Kampman. But it's always hard to turn the page and let a former Pro Bowl player leave before his time is truly up. When is the best time to let an aging veteran go?
My next question is whether they really did miss the pass rush Kampman provided after he was lost for the season. Thanks to the information provided by Pro Football Focus we have some stats to ponder:
| Game Number | Pass Rush | Pass Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.1 | 2.3 |
| 2 | -1.0 | 2.0 |
| 3 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| 4 | -6.3 | -4.1 |
| 5 | -1.0 | 7.8 |
| 6 | -1.6 | 2.5 |
| 7 | -0.9 | -7.3 |
| 8 | -4.6 | 2.4 |
| 9 | 12.3 | 3.2 |
| 10 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| 11 | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| 12 | 0.3 | 8.4 |
| 13 | -5.6 | 10.9 |
| 14 | 6.4 | -8.5 |
| 15 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| 16 | 3.0 | 7.3 |
| WC | -2.2 | -12.9 |
| Average Before Injury | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| Average After Injury | 1.1 | 2.4 |
The first thing I notice is that the defense is very inconsistent. Their only bad games were the two games against the Vikings, the Steelers game, and the playoff game at the Cardinals. The second thing is that the average pass rush and pass coverage actually improved after Kampman was out for the season. It's not as simple as saying that the team was better off without him. The weather and the opponents played were at least as much of a factor. But it's notable that the defense actually played better without him. That's not a resounding case in support of re-signing Kampman.
Since the veteran purges in 2005 and 2006, GM Ted Thompson has typically kept the aging veterans he felt worth keeping. He wasn't shy at all in retaining LT Chad Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher. Now the plan is to go with 2nd year LB Brad Jones and see how he preforms in Kampman's shoes. It's always easier to go with the player you know, so the Packers have taken a risk in choosing the younger player over the successful veteran. While Jones was a solid player after Kampman's 2009 injury, his 2010 departure this could lead to a game changing offseason because they are left without a strong side pass rusher. However based on the analysis above it appears the Packers may just be fine without him.
51 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
not
that ted wasn’t shy of resigning cliffy and tausch, it’s a matter of having no choice——-he had too or rodgers would have went upstairs and told teddy to play qb behind that line without your 2 tackles.
Capers
Capers will set the tone initially, and the defense will come together to provide the pressure necessary. Jones time playing last year only helps and now we truly see his talent emerge. Let’s just hope all the components manage to stay healthy and playoffs here we come!
A lack of blitzes
My biggest disappointment in the games against Farve, Warner, and Roethlesburger was the lack of blitzing. We tended to send three and drop the rest. I know I’m just a bitter Packer fan, but I really wanted to see our D really try to get after Farve instead of just letting him sit back and throw. This scheme change is something I hope to see more than just hoping CB’s come back healthy or Jones taking a quantum leap.
the best QBs tend to be better vs the blitz because they read and react quicker than the average ones. That is why Capers and a lot of other DCs play more “coverage” vs the great ones. That being said, you cant give up blitzing entirely like we did last year vs those guys.
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on May 14, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions
The “trick” is to blitz judiciously against elite QBs and get there faster when you do blitz. Like the way the Giants did against Brady in their Super Bowl.
…although, y’know… like Han Solo said, “well, that’s the real trick, isn’t it?” In the end, only an elite pass rush can stop an elite QB. Because, like they say, a perfect throw beats perfect coverage every time. So, you’ve got to make sure that the guys who can make that perfect throw never get the chance.
Rothlisberger is the worst, since he can make the perfect throw with three guys hanging off him and there’s just nothing you can do. Most guys, though, like Manning and Brady (and Kurt Warner was like this too), you can disrupt their throw enough with pressure even if you don’t get the sacks. And if you get close enough early enough and often enough so that you really get a nice “Ridell” tatoo going on them, you can kinda’ get in their head and make it a long day for ’em.
by Curly Lambeau on May 14, 2010 2:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Worse Pass Rusher?
It’s always easier to go with the player you know, so the Packers have taken a risk in choosing the younger player over the successful veteran. While Jones was a solid player after Kampman’s 2009 injury, his 2010 departure this could lead to a game changing offseason because they are left without a strong side pass rusher. However based on the analysis above it appears the Packers may just be fine without him.
I don’t know how you can say in one breath that the Packers are “without a strong side pass rusher” and then come back in the very next sentence stating they “may be just fine without [Kampman].”
Here is Kampman’s stat breakdown for his nine game stint at LOLB last year:
30 solo tackles
12 assist tackles
3.5 sacks
1 Forced Fumble
Here is Jones’ stat breakdown for his eight game stint (incl. playoffs) at LOLB:
22 solo tackles
6 assist tackles
4 sacks
1 Pass Defensed
Not only do I believe that our defense still has a Pass Rusher on the strong side, I think that we may have upgraded. 2010 will tell, I guess.
Kampman was clearly not comfortable in the scheme and I don’t fool myself for a second that Thompson and McCarthy didn’t know that and chose, rather, to give him the benefit of the doubt and named him the undisputed starter at LOLB. This “benefit of the doubt” scenario may explain exactly why: a) he did not receive a contract extension prior to the 2009 season and b) why he was not traded for due compensation.
In my mind their reasoning was (and I am trying to paraphrase TT’s and MM’s collective vernacular):
“What you have in Aaron Kampman is a very good football player. He has shown the ability to rush the passer successfully for a number of years and has been a leader both on the field and in the locker room for our defense and team as a whole. He plays with very good effort and that is important to have if you want to be a very good team. Aaron has been a great teammate and member of the Green Bay Packers for a number of years and we are going to let him compete for the LOLB starting position. When you have competition from within, it makes the whole team better.” (How’d I do?)
Maybe this competition from within actually helped Brad Jones mature into the “very good football” player…
When I retire, I want to have Ted Thompson's job!
Upgrade at many things, but not pass rushing
Gotta disagree with you on the upgrade as a pass rusher. Kampmanmay not have gotten many sacks, he was in there with QB pressures. I’ll admit that this is a more subjective stat, but is possibly a more important stat.
The other monkey wrench is that Kampman was the main pass pass rusher and so the offense keyed to him when shifting protection. Jones on the other hand was not the main pass rusher in those games he played, CM3 was. I would argue as a result that difference Kampman’s performance shows a stronger pass rush than Jones, and so Jones wouldn’t be an upgrade in pass rushing.
I would say that Jones was a general upgrade though because he fit the position better than Kampman. For that reason, and the whole knee injury thing, is why Kampman was allowed to leave town.
by PackApologist on May 14, 2010 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
For that reason, and the whole knee injury thing, is why Kampman was allowed to leave town.
and the fact that AK wanted to play a traditional DE position again. Its no guarantee he would have came back even if we did offer a similar contract to Jax.
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on May 14, 2010 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Compensation for Kampman
This "benefit of the doubt" scenario may explain exactly why: a) he did not receive a contract extension prior to the 2009 season and b) why he was not traded for due compensation.
The one silver lining is that the Packers will receive some compensation for Kampman. They received a 2010 5th rd compensatory pick for losing Colin Cole before last season – and Colin COle. So, you would think Kampman should at least garner a 4th rd compensatory pick in the 2011 draft.
true Madden team warrior !!!!!!
Just 4 years ago I called him the best overall LDE in the NFC . He like those before him deserves to be inducted to GBHOF . Times change and heros fade in time but Kampman had that air of toughness about him that GB was always known for . Ted keeps letting these type of guys loose and the depth of this team will deminish . A balance of veterian leaders and young talent like in the WR core is lacking a little more on defense with out this player . The North opponent send out a shout of gratitude to Ted one more time for helping to solitify my Vikes run to Purple Perfection in 10’ . We love you Ted and it’s a fine time to to purge those aging CB’s and OT’s after this years amazing draft don’t cha thunk ??? Goth out ………..
Kamp
I take nothing from Kamp, he was/is great. Obviously the new scheme dictated his departure. It was best for him and GB to move on. I always enjoyed his tenacity and ability. I remain optimistic that the schemes set forth by Capers will enhance Jones’ talents and we can pressure from either side.
Yep
+1
It’s just hard to see Kampman go. But, in the end, it was the right move. Maybe he’ll sign back with us one day as a fill-in role-player like Ahman did. …although I wish Kampman more success in JAX than Green had in Hou.
by Curly Lambeau on May 14, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
That confirms
what many of us already thought…we DID improve after he left. While i’ll really miss Kampman as a person and player on the team, we will be in a better place without him and the salary he would have required. He’ll also be much happier elsewhere. It really was a win win in the end!
Completely Unrelated
Have any of you participated on Brew Crew Ball, the SB Nation blogsite for the Brewers? Its hosted by some guy named Kyle, who is a former political activist in Iowa. Heck, he still lives in Iowa. I find that the blog site is populated by, basically, a small group that has no interest whatsoever in having any kind of discussion; they all (the ten of them that participate) simply want to screw around and agree with each other. I tried to get a discussion going today on the topic that Manny Parra sucks. Nobody would discuss the issue, but instead they suggested that perhaps Mr. Parra had “killed my parents.” I suggested that the “uneducated dolts” deal with the substance of what I wrote, and the next think I know I am banned! Even better, when I e-mailed “Kyle” directly to protest, he posted my e-mail and offered to give my contact information to anybody who wants it!
I appreciate that I get peoples blood going (right Trevor? Strohman?), but to threaten to give out my name and address to anybody is simply out of line. He subsequently deleted that post, but only after I tracked him down and called him and explained that there will be legal problems if he in fact gave out my contact information (he claimed it was a joke, apparently such things are funny in Iowa). By the way, as most of you have figured out, I purposely try to get under peoples skin a bit, because it gets the conversation going. After all, what fun would sports be without the Yankees or Notre Dame — we have to have somebody to root against!
Has anybody else had similar experiences on the Brew Crew Ball site? I’d like to know.
I had a similar experience at Daily Norseman
Granted, I was a bit of an ass in how I went about it there, but they don’t really like any anti Viking sentiments on that blog and I got banned.
by Charlie Kelly on May 14, 2010 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Now I'm permanently banned
“Kyle” from Iowa has now permanently banned me from Brew Crew Ball, thereby dropping his number of readers to under 10.
If you'd really like to know
I banned him because looking up my cell phone number online to harass me for reprinting an email someone sent me is pretty creepy.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
I guess that is why most of us don’t use our real names for our online names!!
So is there truth that you were giving out HIS personal information though cause THAT is also quite creepy and pretty stupid as well. If it happened, I would say his actions weren’t creepy at all…but pretty justified. If that didn’t happen, then yes, its a little creepy.
No.
What I said was clearly a joke, about passing it along if someone needed a terrible lawyer.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Question for Brandon
Is this kind of conduct permitted on the SB Nation Sites? I apologize for getting off topic here, but I am very concerned that Kyle is going to try to cause me and my family physical harm.
Its a little creepy to me that you seem to suddenly cyber-stalking ktenreb on the SB Nation sites right now though. YOu never posted here before but suddenly here you are?
The joke is a little funny though! :-)
I'm trying to get away from the guy
Trevor, if I wind up dismembered in some Iowa cornfield with an “Iowa Common Cause” sticker over my mouth, I want you to have my Rolex.
Haha I was actually just thinking the same…
Think you may have crossed the line posting his e-mail online and then offering his personal information…Maybe you were doing it all in fun but to someone who you have probably never met before, it probably didn’t come off as very funny.
by packallday555 on May 14, 2010 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
But remember
We welcome different viewpoints. We’re not just a bunch of Homers at ACME Packing Co. threatening violence against those with whom we disagree!
Yeah right.
Down with all who think ktenreb would be a terrible lawyer!!!
(Kyle Lobner, I’m being sarcastic.)
When I retire, I want to have Ted Thompson's job!
Self Defense
“Kyle” offered to hand out my personal contact information to anybody who asked for it, thereby threatening my personal safety and that of my family. For that reason, I called him (his number is a simple Google search) to advise that he should not do as he offered to do. Of course, he subsequently removed his online threat, and now, I take it, will deny ever having done it.
I regret leaving ACME Packing Co. and shall not do so again.
Serves you right.
You leave, you get a welcome basket full of banhammers!
When I retire, I want to have Ted Thompson's job!
I am not a Brewers fan so I don’t go out there. I have spent some time in Twinkie Town (yeah I crossed the picket line with my baseball team…its a long story involving my youth and the 90s strike) and I have only had good experiences there. I really never see much bitching and moaning out there or lashing out at dissenting opinions. Twins fans are VERY different from Viking fans…not sure why though.
Thanks for confirming that you intentionally try to get under our skin though…I suspected that was the case! haha I think everyone does a LITTLE of that from time to time.
Like I said
It’s no fun if everybody agrees. If you want that, go to Brew Crew Ball.
My Thompson rants, however, are genuine.
I'm by far more of an NFL guy, but....
the Brewers are my favorite team and the Twins are my 2nd favorite team. My reason for the Twins come from when I was in college in South Dakota. I got exposed to a lot of their games and just like them. Plus they are not a big market team, and I would prefer to cheer for teams that have a steeper hill to climb if that makes sense. Big market teams have a significant advantage in the MLB, which is why it lacks competition. It wouldn’t be fun as a fan if my team had a boat load of cash and were always good. No challenges to ever face. As for the Brewers, I grew up in WI. No need to explain.
As long as the Cubs keep on not winning the World Series, I will have a slight interest in MLB. Seriously though, how can you not win the World Series when you have so much money and no salary cap? Not to mention it has been over 100 years!
I made a couple posts on Brew Crew Ball, but as most can tell, I prefer to be more actively engage at APC.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
I can’t keep up on the baseball boards. I don’t know all the sabremeterics BS that everyone spews around and I have no time or interest to pick it up. I enjoy the game (which is amazing after going almost 15 years without watching it after the strike) and I am going to enjoy it in my innocence without all that unneeded BS. I don’t need some crazy stats to show me a guy is in a hitting slump!
I'm a Cards fan
besides being a Vikes fan and DN contributor…
//looking around for the hurling of rotten vegetables and empty beer cans my direction//
…and I tend to agree. It didn’t get to the point of them threatening to give out my info, but there was no dissension allowed from the party line. After they signed former Cardinal Jeff Suppan, I made a post about them paying too much for what was essentially a replacement level player, Sup’s contract wasn’t team friendly, and there was a reason the Cards let him walk (I loved Suppan, but a 4/$40 mil deal was insane. But then they gave that contract to Kyle Lohse…WTF)
Anyways, it was like kicking an Internet beehive.
So I used to go by MilCardFan, but I was able to change my screen name. Because I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. Yeah.
Stats are stats, but 2009 was an anomaly
in that AK was tansitioning from a rush end in a 4-3 to an OLB in a 3-4, with a lot more pass coverage responsibilities, was he not? It just seemed that the Packers coaching staff did a better job of neutralizing Kampmann better than McKinnie or Loadholt ever could have done.
Was the defense better because the guy that replaced Kampmann was a more traditional 3-4 OLB, or were Kampmann’s abilities actually on the decline?
They’re legit questions, as a Vikes fan I always feared Kampmann, but I didn’t follow all the Packers games as closely as I do the Vikes.
So I used to go by MilCardFan, but I was able to change my screen name. Because I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. Yeah.
It’s a good question. I’d say early on in the year the coaching staff did a better job neutralizing Kampman then opposing OT’s did. We had him dropping into coverage quite a bit, and obviously that wasn’t easy for him.
Probably in week 6 or so, we started to rush him more and he started to look much better. Contrary to the “Kampman looked so lost out there” comments, he actually was doing a fine job. No, he wasn’t lighting the world on fire but he was on pace for 8-9 sacks and did lead the league in Qb pressures. Unfortunately, just as he had begun to start looking better, he tore his ACL.
by packallday555 on May 14, 2010 11:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Was the defense better because the guy that replaced Kampmann was a more traditional 3-4 OLB, or were Kampmann’s abilities actually on the decline?
I think part of it was definitely that Brad Jones is more of a traditional 3-4 OLB. I suppose Kampman could have been on the decline but obviously it was hard to tell. It’s not easy to going from rushing with your hand in the dirt to rushing standing up.
Back to Jones though. It was pretty obvious that he was much better in coverage, which you would hope considering he played OLB in coverage. I think it also allowed for us to be a bit more unpredictable (which is what makes the 3-4 defense so effective), as well as allowing Matthews to rush a bit more then he had been able to while Kampman was still playing.
Hope that helps answer those questions? I don’t really look into any of the stats our defense put up aside from the ones against the rush. Because while stats suggested that every aspect of our defense was top 10 in the league, it was just pretty obvious when playing good teams that we weren’t. I think without a doubt our defense was better from 08’ to 09’. The run defense also made a big, big leap from year to year. The pass defense struggled though, and I think a lot of us are hoping that the pass defense will improve.
by packallday555 on May 14, 2010 11:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, thanks for the info
You can’t argue with results. I mean, other than the two Vikes games, the Steelers game, and the playoff game, the transition to the 3-4 has to be considered a success. You guys throttled Dallas, and played very well. The OP mentioned the defense being inconsistent, and you’d all know that better than me, but 4 bad games out of 17 seems it was pretty consistent to the good side.
And pass defense struggles when the opposing QB has time to throw the ball…which makes it all the stranger that Kampmann would be asked to be more of a pass coverage guy than a pass rusher guy. In the game at the Metrodome, he looked like he was learning on the fly.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile way and you have their shoes.
Yeah, I mean it would appear we only had 4 bad defensive games out of 17 but when you look closer into things that isn’t the case. There were a lot of games where the defense would play lights out for a quarter or 2, and then really start to struggle. The games against the 49ers and Ravens come to mind when talking about this.
And pass defense struggles when the opposing QB has time to throw the ball…which makes it all the stranger that Kampmann would be asked to be more of a pass coverage guy than a pass rusher guy. In the game at the Metrodome, he looked like he was learning on the fly.
This is a little more tricky though. The reasons we switched to the 3-4 according to McCarthy, was too improve the run defense and to become more unpredictable. This is where Kampman probably became a bit of a problem. I think everyone knew he would be able to rush the passer, it’s the dropping back into coverage that was the problem. So, what do you do with him? Do you just rush him 70-80% of the time and let him do what he does best? This would obviously be best for him but it may hurt the rest of the defense as Kampman rushing the majority of the time makes us very predictable? Or do you drop Kampman back into coverage enough in order to keep the offense guessing? It may make the defense unpredictable but it still doesn’t/didn’t change the fact that Kampman wasn’t very good in coverage.
It seemed like early on, we took the second approach I mentioned. We tried to stay unpredictable, and against better teams it hurt us. A couple weeks before Kampman’s injury we seemed to take the first approach. Too me, it seemed like it was working better for us but obviously only watching a couple weeks of it isn’t a very good sampling size.
by packallday555 on May 15, 2010 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, sorry about that
I started a thread about bald political wannabes in Iowa, which really has nothing to do with football. Let’s get back to relevant topics.
Okay, one last one
This was told to me by a good friend of mine, a former Badger football player:
Q. Why do ducks fly upside down over Iowa?
A. Nothing worth sh*tting on.
I like to check out what all the other NFC North sites are doing
Something about keeping friends close, but enemies closer. :)
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile way and you have their shoes.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Acme Packing Company
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Chad Ochocinco gets robbed, mourns loss of Starbucks gold card
- Robert Griffin III will be first NFL player with Roman numerals on his jersey
- Alex Smith joins the burgeoning ‘stats are for losers’ movement
- Roger Goodell wants Wi-Fi in every stadium
- Plaxico Burress wants to workout for the Dolphins; Dolphins don’t want Plaxico Burress
