2008 Outlook: Can the Packers be better than last year?

Ryan Pickett is rock solid in the middle of our Defensive Line and is as consistent of a player we have on our Defense. He's super underrated and you rarely hear his name mentioned when people talk about our Defense. He's fantastic in Run Support and while Harrell and Jolly do indeed need to stay healthy, we really need Pickett to stay healthy because losing him would be a big blow to our Defense.

I really liked the addition of Jeremy Thompson during the Draft and I think he will one day become an every down Defensive End for us. Mike Montgomery seems to finally be healthy heading into Training Camp and I think he could really push Cullen Jenkins for the spot opposite Aaron Kampman and move Jenkins back inside.

Linebackers

Our Linebackers are very young, very talented and have the potential to be a dominant unit. Nick Barnett is one of the best MIKE LB's in the NFL and was snubbed of his 1st Pro Bowl berth last year, to tell you the truth; I thought he should have gotten some votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

AJ Hawk had a down season as far as making impact plays but he was, statistically, the most successful LB in coverage last year. I expect Sanders to blitz Hawk a lot more than the 2 previous years and I think he'll be on his way to Hawaii this season. Look for Hawk to have a standout 2008 season as it marks his 3rd year in the system and as he becomes more and more comfortable with the players around him.

We added Brandon Chillar this offseason as our only FA acquisition and he brings a different set of skills to the table than Poppinga does. Chillar is younger, at only 25 years old, he's more athletic, and he makes more impact plays than Brady does. Chillar's athletic ability allows makes him better in pass coverage, which is an area that Poppinga is not very good in. I expect Chillar to be named the starter just based on potential and I think he's going to be real solid for our Defense.

While Poppinga doesn't have elite physical tools, he plays the game with an enormous amount of passion and really sparks this Defense. Poppinga is great at blowing up opposing backs, allowing Hawk and Barnett to make plays. He is also very good in run support and even though he's not the starter, I expect him to be used in certain running situations. I'd love to see Poppinga used in the pass rush specialist role, a role he played in college at BYU. Our Linebacker's have tons of potential and I think one day they can be a dominant unit, especially with Hawk and Barnett.

Secondary

Our secondary was very good last season and the emergence of Chuck Cecil, excuse me, Atari Bigby was a pleasant surprise. Bigby had 2 different seasons last year, during the first half of the season he allowed a lot of big plays and made a lot of boneheaded mistakes. On the other hand, during the second half of the season he played like a Pro Bowler and started making plays, without giving them up. He really solidified the SS position for us last year and barring a setback, he should once again be the starter.

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