Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Gary shows flashes of immense potential
Green Bay — Rashan Gary might be forcing his way onto the field.
Halfway through his second NFL season, the No. 12 overall pick from the 2019 draft is starting to translate potential into solid play for the Green Bay Packers’ defense.
That was evident in the Packers’ drab 24-20 defeat of the one-win Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Packers were unimpressive in the win, but Gary’s play deserved some notice.
His pass-rush skills have grown since his rookie season and he has shown the kind of hustle that has to thrill defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Gary played well enough against the Jaguars that Pettine should feel comfortable with Gary taking more snaps off Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith without feeling like it’s hurting the Packers defense.
Going into this game Gary had played in 40.5 percent of the defensive snaps this season, whereas Za’Darius Smith was at 82 percent and Preston Smith 80.8 percent. The three are on the field together occasionally as part of a couple different defensive packages, including as rushers on obvious passing downs.
But it wouldn’t hurt to get the Smiths more rest. Especially Preston Smith, who with only 11⁄ sacks and five quarter
2 back hits in nine games hasn’t been anything like the player who had 12 sacks and 23 hits last year. He hasn’t looked as quick as in 2019 and also has been on the injury report (shoulder) for several weeks, though he hasn’t missed a game. Fewer snaps might keep him fresher for fourth quarters and take some of the pounding off his body to help get to full health.
Either way, Gary looks like he’s ready to play more.
Anyone who watched the PackersJaguars game Sunday probably noticed Gary on the game’s final series. He had a sack on a bull rush, followed by a bull rush that squeezed the quarterback to Preston Smith for a sack, followed by pursuit of quarterback Jake Luton that forced an errant desperation throw that had no chance on fourth down. But there were other moments as well.
On a third-and-9 early in the second quarter, for instance, Gary lined up at right end with his hand on the ground and beat left tackle Cam Robinson to the outside. The Packers, in fact, might want to consider letting Gary put his hand down more often. If you’ll remember, former defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who like Pettine ran a 3-4 scheme that called for outside rushers to stand up, allowed Julius Peppers to put his hand on the ground because that’s how Peppers was most comfortable rushing the passer. Gary looks more natural with his hand on the ground, too.
Anyway, on that play Gary didn’t bull rush, which was basically the entirety of his repertoire as a rookie. Instead, he first used a shoulder slap and then a rip move underneath Robinson’s outside shoulder. As Gary went around him, Robinson got just enough of the outside linebacker to prevent him from hitting Luton, but Gary still was close enough to hurry Luton’s throw and take a swipe at the quarterback’s throwing arm. Luton was way off target to receiver Chris Conley, and the incompletion got the Packers’ defense off the field. It wasn’t a sack or even a hit, but it was a solid rush that affected the quarterback.
A play late in the third quarter best illustrated the hustle that Gary has shown all season. On a second down, the Jaguars threw a receiver screen to Keelan Cole on the opposite side of the field from Gary. Cole made rookie safety Vernon Scott miss the tackle right after the catch, got a good block from receiver DJ Chark and had a convoy of offensive linemen ahead of him.
Gary, though, hustled from the backside and tackled Cole from behind. If he hadn’t made that play, there’s a good chance Cole would have scored a 55yard touchdown. Three plays later, the Jaguars punted.
Gary played 31 of the Packers’ 64 defensive snaps (48 percent) against the Jaguars. Both Smiths were just over 80 percent. Gary’s play Sunday suggests he should be comfortably over the 50 percent mark, too.
Returns are in
The bad conditions for Sunday’s game — 23-mph winds, 27-degree windchill — was a talent equalizer because it was hard for both teams to throw the ball and made the rookie Luton less of a liability.
That meant special teams had a better chance to impact the game, and they were a big reason the Jaguars took this game to the wire. Cole’s 91-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter was huge because it prevented the Packers from pulling away early and putting the ball in Luton’s hands.
The Packers’ punt-cover team had a collective mental breakdown on the play that gave the Jaguars a 10-7 lead and a huge emotional lift.
Henry Black, the gunner on the return side of the field, did a good job defeating his block and being the first man down the field. But after that, it was a disaster.
As Cole headed up field, five Packers players were bunched in the middle of the field. Oren Burks looked like he had outside contain, but five others — cornerback Ke’Varae Russell, linebacker Randy Ramsey, linebacker Kamal Martin, safety Raven Greene and long snapper Hunter Bradley — were almost in a vertical line.
Each of those players had a lane he was responsible for, but in effect they were all in the same lane. Cole had a huge alley along the numbers, and all he had to do was juke linebacker Ty Summers, who appeared to be the safety on the play, and outrun punter JK Scott. Touchdown.
The Packers’ special teams have been solid in Shawn Mennenga’s 11⁄ seasons
2 as their coach, but in this game that one terrible play kept Jacksonville in the game.