Green Bay Packers Continue to Strengthen, Weaknesses Still Remain

Many things went right for the Green Bay Packers in 2008.

Despite their 6-10 record, they replaced their legendary quarterback, Brett Favre, with a 25-year-old Aaron Rodgers who threw for over 4,000 yards, including 28 touchdowns and a refreshingly low 13 interceptions.

Second year running back, Ryan Grant, proved he was not a fluke, accumulating over 1,200 rushing yards in his first full season as a starter.

To complete the trifecta, Greg Jennings continued his improvement and blossomed into a legitimate No. 1 target, receiving nearly 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns.

The play of the position players was great, but the play of the offensive line faltered throughout the season.

Rodgers was sacked 34 times, or 6 percent of the times he dropped back to pass.  Both numbers were below the NFL average.

Grant totaled impressive yardage, but gained a lackluster 3.9 yards per carry.  That number was down over an entire yard from his rookie year when he ran for 5.1 yards a pop.

Certainly the offensive line is not solely to blame.  After all, the wily Brett Favre was only sacked 15 times, or every 2.7 percent of the times he dropped back, in 2007 with basically the same front five.

However, the quarterback change alone does not explain the drastic increase in sacks, especially when you take Rodgers' respectable mobility into account.  Plus, pass protection was not the only thing to regress, Grant's run blocking seemed to as well.

The biggest reason for this deterioration can be explained on the outside.  Both of Green Bay's offensive tackles, Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, have passed the age of 30 and are each entering their ninth season in the NFL.

To combat the age issue, the Packers have drafted two offensive tackles within the first five rounds of the draft in each of the past two seasons. It is unlikely any of those additions will likely make an impact this year though.

On the inside, Green Bay has relied on a couple of guards who had limited-to-no experience at that position prior to being drafted in 2006. Daryn Colledge was strictly a left tackle at Boise State before arriving in Wisconsin, and Tony Moll was a tight end at Nevada before switching to offensive line and finding his way to Green Bay.

Naturally, those players have taken a little longer to develop. If the duo can completely grasp the position and fully utilize their talents, the inside of the offensive line will quickly become a positive.

The defensive line, and front seven in general, was also a major weakness for the Packers last season. The unit gave up an embarrassing 2,105 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry.

To start, Green Bay revamped their entire defensive coaching staff, complete with a scheme overhaul from the 4-3 to the 3-4.  Then, they added a pair of first round talents on draft day.

The first of those picks was the 340-pound B.J. Raji from Boston College. His size alone will be the anchor this run defense desperately needed. But size is not the only thing Raji has going for him.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson said, "He also has the quickness to go around them (offensive linemen). He's a very powerful player. It's unbelievably hard to find the combination of the skill set he brings. The good Lord just didn't make many people like this."

Raji parlayed his speed and quickness into 16 tackles for losses and eight sacks as a senior while anchoring one of the better defensive lines in college football.

Ted Thompson also traded up, something he never does, to No. 26 in the first round where he selected Southern California outside linebacker Clay Matthews.  At 6'3", 245 lbs, Matthews has the size required to be a linebacker in the 3-4 defense.

Clay has the versatility to do it all for the Packers. Just starting at a program like USC speaks volumes about a player's athleticism, and Matthews should be able to rush the passer, drop into coverage, and stuff the run.

On top of his physical ability, Matthews has an outstanding bloodline. His father, also a linebacker named Clay, played 19 seasons in the NFL, starting nearly 250 games and appearing in four Pro Bowls. His uncle, Bruce, was not outdone, logging 19 seasons with the Titans' organization, 14 of which ended with a trip to Hawaii.

While these additions will go a long way towards improving the run defense, it is unlikely they will do much for the pass rush. The Packers only logged 27 sacks last season, which ranked in the bottom 10 of the NFL.

The change to 3-4 on its own will hopefully work wonders when it comes to reaching the quarterback, but the scheme will not do it on its own. Just ask the Cleveland Browns about that, whose 3-4 defense recorded only 17 sacks last year, good for second to last in the NFL.

Most importantly, their sack master Aaron Kampman will need to smoothly transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. Without his ability to wreak havoc on the passer, the defense could be in for another long season.