Packers analysis
Ha Ha who? Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage provide clear upgrade at safety.
Two series in a preseason game is an awfully small sample to make any big judgments.
But something that stood out in the Green Bay Packers' second preseason game Thursday night was the play of their new starting safeties, Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.
It's not that the two dominated or made any gameturning plays in the 22 snaps they were on the field together. Nobody's nominating either for an All-Pro team just yet.
Still, the early signs from their brief stint suggests that general manager Brian Gutekunst succeeded in upgrading from the two players who opened last season as his starting safeties, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Kentrell Brice.
We’ll start with Savage, the firstround pick whom Gutekunst traded up nine spots in the first round to select at No. 21.
Savage has had a quiet camp so far. He missed the first five practices while recovering from oral surgery, then was worked back in to 11-on-11 drills gradually. In the first preseason game, he played only nine snaps, while Amos and several other starters didn’t even suit up.
Against the Ravens, Savage more than doubled his snap count, and one play in particular stood out. It came early in the first quarter, when on a first down from the Packers’ 41 Baltimore looked to pick up a chunk play by running tight end Hayden Hurst on an out and go against Savage in one-on-one coverage.
With the ball in the air Savage made a veteran-like move by accelerating and squeezing Hayden to the sideline, and then cutting him off. The throw wasn’t bad, but Hayden basically had no chance at the catch because he couldn’t get to the ball. Savage didn’t get an official pass break up on the stat sheet, but he caused the incompletion.
That’s exactly the kind of play Brice struggled with. Brice had good size and speed, but he lacked that kind of cover skill and struggled playing the ball.
Another play that jumped out came the very next snap, and if you watched the game you might remember it for Savage missing the open-field tackle on tight end Nick Boyle. Savage did blow the tackle, which allowed Boyle to turn a possible two- or three-yard loss into a seven-yard gain. The rookie safety has to get Boyle to the ground there, and diving at the tight end’s ankles isn’t the way to do it.
But if you watched Savage the entire play, he reacted quickly to the pass and exploded into the flat. The missed tackle was bad, but as long as his tackling doesn’t become a recurring issue, that’s the kind of recognition and burst you look for in a safety.
As for Amos, he didn’t do anything that jumped off the screen, but if this game was any indication then he’s going to be a more consistent and reliable player than Clinton-Dix was in his last 11⁄2 seasons with the Packers.
Gutekunst traded Clinton-Dix to Washington in the middle of last season for a fourth-round pick – one of the picks that the GM used to trade up for Savage – because Clinton-Dix had become too much of a gambler in pursuit of the big play. For every big play he made, he gave up two.
Gutekunst paid a lot for Amos ($9 million average per year) in free agency to stabilize the position, and Amos did that in his 22-snap debut. When he lined up in the box he filled well in the run game (three tackles), such as on a first down early in the first quarter when he lined up about three yards off the line of scrimmage, shed a block and helped bring down Mark Ingram for a threeyard gain. In coverage Amos didn’t get caught out of position or give up anything deep.
Coordinator Mike Pettine’s starting defense wasn’t unimpressive in the two possessions it played Thursday. And if that game was a sign of what’s to come, it looks like his safeties won’t be the liability they were last year.
Jenkins on guard
Second-round pick Elgton Jenkins has a real chance to overtake Lane Taylor as the starting left guard, probably not by the opener but perhaps as the season goes on.
The Packers signaled they’re giving Jenkins a hard look by rotating the two — Taylor started against Baltimore but then Jenkins replaced him and played with the starters on the Packers’ second offensive series.
Jenkins had two holding penalties, which might have suggested he had a bad game. But one of the announced penalties might actually have been on someone else and regardless, Jenkins also showed why he’s in the running for the job. He’s the better run blocker of the two because he’s quicker getting out to the linebacker level of the defense. He doesn’t strike well with his hands on his initial blow as a run blocker, but when he gets going he has the power to move to people.
Jenkins also is a big-bodied (6feet-5, 311 pounds), stout guy in pass protection.
Extra points
❚ Undrafted rookie Darrius Shepherd has a real chance to push Trevor Davis off the Packers’ roster. Davis’ injury history is a real issue – he missed 19 games because of injuries in his first three seasons and has been out the last 11⁄2 weeks of training camp because of a neck stinger.
Shepherd, in the meantime, has been moving up the depth chart as a slot receiver and Thursday night flashed enough ability in the return game to suggest he could be a viable replacement for Davis there. His best return was a 36-yarder on a kickoff in the first quarter. He also showed the instincts to get upfield fast while picking up 15 yards on two punt returns.
❚ First-round pick Rashan Gary had another nondescript performance despite extensive playing time (34 defensive snaps). There’s no question he has a rare combination of size and explosiveness that have flashed occasionally in practice, but in 66 snaps in two preseason games he has yet to make the stat sheet with even one tackle.
His motor ran hot and cold Thursday. On one pass rush early in the third quarter he was pushed past quarterback Trace McSorely, but when McSorely bolted the pocket Gary had a shot at peeling back and chasing him down for a hurry or maybe even a sack. However, Gary just jogged, which allowed the quarterback to move around for several more seconds in search of an open receiver. McSorely eventually threw the ball away, but that’s beside the point.
❚ Robert Tonyan is starting to look like a real tight end, and not just a glorified receiver. Besides catching three passes for 17 yards, he blocked better than he has in the past. His best block came late in the second quarter when he was at the point of attack on a run by Tra Carson. Tonyan moved outside rusher Jaylon Ferguson, a third-round draft pick, back about six yards in opening the way for Carson’s nine-yard gain.