Jersey Al's Packers Blog

In this installment of Film Study, I decided to focus on one player I get asked about quite a bit – B.J. Raji.  So I went back and watched all of his snaps in the Green Bay Packers – Indianapolis Colts preseason game and here are my observations:

From a personality standpoint,  Raji  hasn’t shown much of a mean streak, and that was my only real concern when the Packers first selected him. From observing Raji, and speaking to people here in NJ that knew him during his high school  years, he’s a “good boy.” Polite, kind, soft-spoken: the type of kid you’d want your daughter to marry.

Of course, that doesn’t translate well to the battlefield known as the NFL. Not to say they are mutually exclusive. There have been plenty of “good guys” who would rip your heart out on the field if needed. Bart Starr, the ultimate gentleman, has been described as such by many teammates. Raji hasn’t shown me that killer instinct, yet.  Read more... (905 words + 6 images, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)

The following are my observations on the Packers – Browns game after re-watching the game with the benefit of rewind and slow-motion:

Bryan Bulaga is an NFL starting lineman. Right now. Bulaga won his one-on-one battles while at guard and at tackle. He also looked noticeably better than Daryn Colledge. Bulaga was a little unsure of himself at guard on a few plays, which is to be expected. But once he found his mark an locked on to someone, they did not get away. I also saw Bulaga do something I haven’t seen from a Packers guard in some time. This was one of my pet peeves last season. In pass coverage, with Wells on the tackle and Clifton taking a blitzing linebacker, as Cleveland sent a defensive back on the edge outside of Clifton, Bulaga quickly slid over behind Clifton to meet the blitzing DB and stop his rush. Simple, effective, and something I just never saw as I would watch the game films last season. I don’t know if we credit Bulaga or the coaches for that, but either way, it’s a very good thing.  Read more... (1284 words + 6 images, estimated 5:08 mins reading time)

As the Packers prepare to face the Cleveland Browns in their first preseason game, the defense is ready to embark on their second year under Dom Capers. The key unit to watch out for, in my opinion will be the defensive line.

Last season, the injury-riddled secondary struggled as the Packers were unable to mount enough of a pass rush to help the inexperienced replacements out. A big part of the lack of pass rush can be attributed to the defensive line not getting a push up the middle or occupying blockers so the linebackers had blitzing lanes.

When Dom Capers was hired to be the Packers Defensive Coordinator we all heard the doom and gloom predictions of what would happen making the change to a 3-4 defense without having the players to fit the system

That proved to be a wasted worry, as the improvement in the defense was one of the best things to come out of the 2009 season.  Read more... (1333 words + 6 images, estimated 5:20 mins reading time)

While the Green Bay Packers are still in the early stages of training camp, I usually like to pay more attention to the second units. This seems especially true this year, as there aren’t many starting spots up for grabs (left guard and fullback, maybe).

So my interest then turns to who will be called upon to save the day in case of injury to a Packers starter. To that end, I fired up the Family Night scrimmage on the DVR and put the old slow motion remote to use. Time for a little dissection by DVR.

Some observations…  Read more... (823 words + 6 images, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

B.J. Raji stood outside the Boston College Sports Complex and unsuccessfully tried to hold back the tears. Just two days before the end of training camp in 2007, he had just been told he was academically ineligible to play football for the entire 2007 season.

It wasn’t because of his grades. An academic advisor had miscalculated his credits, and through no fault of his own, Raji was three credits short of the NCAA’s requirements. It would become a test of his character, and one that he would pass with an A+.

B.J. Raji, whose real name is Busari, grew up in Washington Township, NJ, the oldest of three children. His father had emigrated from Nigeria to the USA, where both parents are Pentecostal ministers.

He attended Westwood Regional High School in Bergen County NJ, where besides football, he played basketball for two years. He gave up basketball when he realized “I wasn’t going to get any taller, and I wasn’t going to be Allen Iverson.”  Read more... (893 words + 6 images, estimated 3:34 mins reading time)

Now that draft euphoria was worn off, let’s meet the Packers’ second first-round pick:

Clay Matthews III didn’t start as a 166-pound linebacker his Junior year in High School, even with his father as his coach. Nor did he start a college football game until the fourth game of his senior season. He played as a stand-up DE, not a linebacker, when he finally became a starter.

Clay Matthews III was not even rated by NFL scouting services coming into his senior season. He also started a “White Nation” Facebook group as a Junior in College as a joke.

Are you worried yet?

Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers traded a second-round and two third-round draft picks for the opportunity to select Clay Matthews. Giving up all of that for a player with only 10 starts in college and taking him in the first round? Does this not go against all logic?  Read more... (1074 words + 6 images, estimated 4:18 mins reading time)

Did anybody see this coming?

The Green Bay Packers, after seeing B.J. Raji fall into their laps (and turning their backs on Michael Crabtree), pulled a rare move up the draft board.

Ted Thompson traded the Packers’ second-round pick and both their third-round picks for New England’s first rounder (26th overall) and a fifth-round selection.

Sure, if one bases evaluation solely on value points, the Packers were taken, but Ted Thompson got the object of his desire at 26: USC Linebacker Clay Matthews.

Again, I ask, did anyone see this coming?

According to Thompson, for weeks the Packers have been exploring trade possibilities to move up and select Matthews. He thinks Matthews is the best of the three USC linebackers and the perfect fit for Green Bay’s new defensive scheme.

Matthews is fast, athletic, and smart and made tremendous improvements in his game last season. He has come from being a walk-on at USC to having a great year as a starting linebacker for the Trojans. He is considered to have the most upside of the USC linebackers.  Read more... (325 words + 5 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)