Bleacher Report - Articles by Adam Helmsing

Bursting Your Bubble: Aaron Kampman Is Not A Great Fit

Adam Helmsing — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:06:31 -0400

Let us start off with acknowledging that Aaron Kampman is a very good player. Notice I said good? Not great, not outstanding, not even the best player for the defense.

A solid producer for the Green Bay Packers for the past couple of year, but in my eyes, overrated in terms of ability.

Kampman can really be described in one word: hustle. He never quits on a play and refuses to believe that he can not get to the quarterback; his hustle truly makes him a good player.

And that is what any coach would want from his players, just look at those players who have the talent but don’t give their best (no names should really be required here; we all know who they are).

Remembering from my old football days, my coach told me, “Give the QB at least five seconds to get rid of the ball.” Kampman makes plays, yet a lot of them come after those five seconds or on his second chances.

Perhaps my biggest observation is that when he is not in on the play, he is not part of the play, meaning that he does not consistently get to the QB. Most of his plays I am willing to give a lot of the credit to the defensive backs.

Still, this is what makes him a good player—he plays his hardest. Some games he is there, others he is invisible. Yes, Kampman is a good hustle player, and he was able to get away with that in his old 4-3 system, but now he could possibly be exposed in the 3-4 system that leans heavily on athletic linebackers; his new position.

Some people believe that outside linebacker will benefit Kampman in terms of sack production. From his stand up position, he will not blitz on every down and he will be able to add creativity to his defensive moves instead of his traditional bull through you move.

But he is not made for the position.

Look at last years sack leader: DeMarcus Ware 6'4", 262 pounds, a prototypical outside linebacker made for the 3-4. His combine results—4.56 in 40-yard dash, and could bench press 430 pounds.

Big and FAST.

2008 second place sack leader was also an outside linebacker: Joey Porter 6'3", 255 pounds, a slightly SMALLER backer then Ware, but still effective nontheless. His 40 time was at 4.68, and he benched 225 27 times.

Both guys, athletic, fast, strong and exactly what you want for an OLB in a 3-4 defense.

Kampman happens to be close to Ware in terms of size at 6'4", 265 pounds, they are almost identical statistically. Yet, I’m sure we can all agree that Kampman is not built the same as Ware. Now, here is the kicker. Kampman’s 40 time...4.87, his max bench 420, big, but not fast.

Speed kills in the NFL.

These statistics are not the current player’s ability, but they are important still. Of course, he may have improved in all areas, but I know that it is easier to gain muscle then speed, and speed is what Kampman lacks.

Still, let's be honest: There is more to a good player then his test time and bench press, knowledge, quickness, etc. all factor in. But, Kampman is not as quick as either of the two named players, although his smarts and knowledge may be, perhaps, greater.

Once again I believe that Kampman can be a good player, but not a great one, the only difference from his last position is that he has no chance of developing into a great player from his new spot.

Green Bay Packers: 4-3 Defense or 3-4 Defense?

Adam Helmsing — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:59:30 -0500

What could 2009 bring to the Packers?

Well, the obvious changes include bringing in a new defensive coordinator, not to mention multiple assistant coaches, after the cleaning of house done recently by the packers.

By all rights, Bob Sanders has no reason to stay. He had the a young talented defense that he not only failed to coach to full potential, but he may have sent in motion changes that could bring significant growing pains. Mainly, I’m referring to the potential defensive scheme change that has been rumored.

Currently, the Pack run a traditional 4-3 defense, as of next year that defense could become a 3-4. Now, the question is: Do the Packers have the correct personal?

According to early rumors floating around the wire, Mike Nolan (former head coach of San Francisco) is a top runner to replace Bob Sanders. While Nolan is capable of running a 4-3 scheme defensively, the past has shown that he favors the 3-4, and that he is very capable of running such defense, evidenced by his stint with the Baltimore Ravens from 2002-2004.

But, you say, the Ravens had the personnel. The question is, do we?

Well...We have about half of the required positions.

One of the biggest things (literally) that a 3-4 defense needs is a massive two-gap nose tackle. We don’t have that. The best fit for this role would fall to Ryan Pickett (6’2” 330), who is by all rights a good player against the run, but better suited as a DT in a 4-3.

While Pickett is a strong and tough player that most coaches would envy to have, he doesn’t have the pure bulk and strength that is required. In order for a scheme transition to work, Green Bay must find a two-gap player who will constantly face doubles teams and yet still find a way to impact the game.

While the NT takes credit for most run-stopping effects, the defensive ends have just as big of responsibility. Not so much are they expected to create a pass rush as they are to keep linemen off of linebackers and play the run effectively.

While some people say that Aaron Kampman (6’4” 265) is not the normal fit for such a scheme, I disagree. Most DE in this system are required to be bigger and better suited to stop the run, but with Kampman's never-say-die attitude, I think he can provide a unique twist to the system.

He has always played well against the run and has proven that he is a tough son of a gun. On the other side of the line, we have a perfect fit in Cullen Jenkins (6’2” 305). Truly a perfect fit; he once played DT and is a good run defender.

Linebackers are truly the play makers of a 3-4 scheme. They are expected to be the athletic, free roaming, in-your-face players that they should be anyways. Well, the Packers have something along the lines of this.

On the outside we have a converted DE from his college days in Brady Poppinga (6’3”, 247). First off, he has pass rushing skills, just not great skills, he has improving coverage skills, but yet not great skills, and he has yet to show true explosiveness that is asked for by out side linebackers. Sorry Brady, but your not a good fit.

A.J. Hawk on the other hand has such untapped raw potential that its not even funny (because he has yet to show it). Hawk has both the size and speed to play in the 3-4 defenses. Standing at 6’1”, 248lbs, he has shown play making ability and average pass rush ability that can be worked with. Hawk is a good fit.

Moving to the inside, this is going to be a tough call. Nick Barnett does not quite have the size that is hoped for (6’2” 236) yet he is similar to Kampman, in the sense of size and skill.

Both guys are undersized for their respective positions yet they are fierce competitors who have high play maker ability. Barnett is an aggressive, explosive linebacker who is stronger then most give credit for (he benched more then Patrick Willis did in his testing).

My personal belief after watching him play for these past years is that he could be a unique player that adds dimensions to the defense, as he has for the past few years now.

Unfortunately we do not have a second middle linebacker; hopefully one will spring to mind. While the front seven undergo significant change, the defensive backs remain much the same.

By all rights the Packers can make this change, it will require hard work and dedication. Support will also be needed, Green Bay can pull off the switch, a few details must be attended to but it could be done.

It will take time and more then likely next season we will see a gradual change but the process will be slow, next year is likely to see both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses.

Breaking Down The Packers (Lack Of) Defense

Adam Helmsing — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:46:12 -0500

I have not written about the Green Bay Packers for awhile now, due to the fact there is nothing good to say about the Pack. I never enjoy attacking teams and pointing at their faults, I would prefer to point out the good with the bad, tell teams what they are doing well, and what they are failing at. With the Packers, I now have no choice but to attack them, especially their defense.

So let us, the loyal Packer fans, explore the reasons behind that pathetic defense.

Pass Defense

The lone bright spot on this team, some people have said this; I myself only see a dark spot that is slightly lighter then the rest. I look at this group with apprehension; they have proven that they are capable of making big plays, but they also proved that they are not as mighty as they think; New Orleans is a prime example of this.

The Packers coverage also knows how to pull a vanishing act as they have allowed four 100-yard receivers, this may not seem like a large number but they have also allowed multiple 70 and 80-yard receivers.

Linebackers, especially AJ Hawk are performing poorly in pass coverage, last year it was obvious that he was not specially gifted in pass coverage, but so far this year he has become a big reason for my heart ache.

Brady Poppinga has also struggled in pass coverage, due to his struggles last year Brandon Chiller was brought in, Chiller has played well, with the injury to Nick Barnett, Green Bays second best coverage linebacker, he is going to see much more playing time.

Aaron Kampman remains as the only player to consistently get pressure on the quarterback, the rest of the line has done little more to help out, and the Packers have sacked the quarterback a measly 18 times, with seven and half coming directly from Kampman.

When a quarterback has the ability to sit back and pick his targets out with no threat to get the ball out quickly, it allows him to find the soft spots in the defense, it also allows receivers more time to get open.

Rush Defense

Oh, where to start? How can a team that was so promising last year slip so far into lower levels of the NFL’s rush defense category (26)? When a slip in performance like this occurs, we have to ask, OK who did we lose? Well, no one really, this falls fully on lack of execution.

When throwing blame on lack of run defense, both the linebackers and defensive line deserve equal blame. One thing that is obviously amiss is that the defensive line plays on the wrong side of the ball, they do not penetrate and create pressure in the backfield, they also have no sense of responsibility in gap control. Honestly, even Kampman is at fault, rarely ever does he properly crash down the line to stop the cutback.

The linebackers for the Green and Gold were really thought to be the strength of this defense; none of them have performed to their potential. Personally I give a lot of the blame to the coaching for this. One thing that I have noticed is the lack attacking, what should be happening is the linebackers should make a step forward at the snap of the ball, the outside linebackers should then be attacking the outside while the middle linebacker flows to the ball.

Instead, what I have seen is all linebackers, at the snap of the ball, remain in place and all of them attempt to flow to the play, there is nothing wrong with this strategy, except that the Packers do not have a big defensive tackle to keep blockers off of them. If the linebackers were in more of an attacking mode it would keep blockers off the middle linebacker, thus allowing him to flow and make plays, with the loss of Barnett, Green Bay’s defense is in further trouble.

The bottom line is this; there is no attacking by the linebackers.

Barnett is a highly aggressive player, when he attacked, he made plays. Hawk, is a pure physical specimen, Poppinga is a high energy player who gives a 100 percent every play, Chiller is a great pass coverage linebacker but also is an underrated player against the run.

Poor defensive coaching has doomed the Packers; if players were used properly things would be different. When questions of responsibility and technique come into play, questions of the coach’s ability must be addressed.

Nick Barnett Is Lost for the Season

Adam Helmsing — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:55:31 -0500

Nick Barnett, the starting middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, will miss the rest of the season due to a torn knee ligament. Mike McCarthy announced the gut-wrenching news during his press conference on Monday.

The loss of Barnett comes at a very challenging time for the Packers, as they remain in a close race for first place in the NFC North, even with the loss to Minnesota. Barnett, who was always considered a key leader for Green Bay defense, will without a doubt be sorely missed.

Barnett was in the middle of a disappointing year, not only for himself, but for Green Bay’s defense. Because of this key loss, the run defense will suffer even more. The replacement for Barnett is not clear at this time. Desmond Bishop replaced the injured Barnett, but played poorly, giving up a touchdown to Chester Taylor on a short pass that turned into a 47-yard touchdown scamper.

Another short-term fix would consist of moving A.J. Hawk over to middle and inserting Brandon Chiller into a full-time starting role.

Best Wishes to Mr. Barnett on a speedy recovery, I look forward to seeing you next year, but please bring your "A" game next season.