It appears that when looking at the defense, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wanted to upgrade their pass rush. He already had a solid foundation, with defensive linemen Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark, along with outside linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry. But that didn’t stop him from signing free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.
Gutekunst is hoping that the Packers can jumpstart Wilkerson’s career. The longtime New York Jet has recently suffered various injuries and faced various questions about his work ethic. We sat down with Ben Clubb, a frequent contributor to LWOS as well as Packtothefuture.com to discuss what he thinks of the Wilkerson signing and how he thinks he can contribute to the Packers defense this season.
An In Depth Look into new Green Bay Packers Defensive Lineman Muhammad Wilkerson
LWOS:
Great to catch up with you again Coach, always enjoy breaking down the Packers with you. The Packers locked up former New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson to a one-year deal early this off-season. Wilkerson is coming off a season in which he battled injuries but also had his work ethic questioned. With that said, do you think that new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who spent time with Wilkerson when Pettine was the Jets defensive coordinator, can light a fire under Wilkerson?
Coach Clubb:
First of all I’d like to say thanks again for having me. LWOS has some tremendous content and you guys are doing a fantastic job. I think it’s an understatement when I say how excited I am that Pettine is coming to Green Bay. One thing I love about Pettine is his passion for football.
I remember watching the show Hard Knocks the year they were covering the Jets and they showed Pettine at practice, in the film room as well as meeting rooms, and it was obvious how much he loved the game and how he wanted to make his defensive unit as good as possible. He’s the opposite of former Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Capers was very reserved and was pretty calm during the course of a game or practice. His mood was pretty consistent.
Not that there is anything wrong with his coaching personality, but I think what this defense needs is a coach who isn’t afraid to get after guys and get his point across, and I think Pettine is that guy. So, to answer your question, yes, I think he can light a fire under Wilkerson, but to the rest of the defense as well.
LWOS:
Gutekunst hasn’t done much to help the Packers cornerback situation so far this off-season. Sure, they signed Tramon Williams this past week, but at 35 it would seem foolish to think he is still a starting caliber cornerback. Along with not signing one of the top ranked free agent cornerbacks, Gutekunst also shipped their top playmaking cornerback from last season, Damarious Randall, to the Cleveland Browns for quarterback DeShone Kizer.
With that all said, the Packers will need to take the pressure off the cornerbacks by having an upper echelon pass rush. Explain to me how Wilkerson can help get the Packers pass rush reach that upper echelon level?
Coach Clubb:
After watching numerous tapes on Wilkerson I saw that he was consistently one of the first defensive lineman off of the line of scrimmage. That’s one of the most basic and important aspects of defensive line play. When he was in a 5 technique, or shaded outside of the tackle, he was extremely quick off of the line and got his hands on the tackle. He would use leverage on the tackle and drive him in to the quarterback which made him adjust his throws and took away some of his vision down field. His hand work is also what set him apart on the pass rush. The battle at the line of scrimmage is usually won by the player who gets his hands on the other first, and Wilkerson won that battle a lot. His size alone in a 5 tech was intimidating for most tackles. He has good size and a solid frame. He was often double teamed which would free up another rusher. That is what sets him apart from the rest.
LWOS:
You have reviewed a lot of game film on the Packers defense from last season. I know their defense will be different under Pettine, but do you think that under Pettine and with the addition of Wilkerson, we will see the Packers run a lot of 4-3 alignments this season? If so, would it be Wilkerson at one defensive end, Perry at the opposite end and Clark and Daniels lining up inside at the defensive tackle positions?
Coach Clubb:
I think back to what Mike McCarthy said when asked if Pettine will run more of a 3-4 base or 4-3 and the answer was “yes “. The flexibility of the 3-4 is what makes it so attractive to coordinators. I charted all the fronts that Pettine ran in his time with Wilkerson in New York and a lot of them looked exactly like a base 4-3 front, which is what the 3-4 coordinators call a load front.
The load front can be run from base personnel (three defensive linemen, four linebackers, four defensive backs) or from nickel personnel (two defensive linemen, four linebackers, five defensive backs).
In base personnel the outside linebacker will step off of the line of scrimmage and split the difference between the tackle and the slot receiver, if there is no tight end. Wilkerson would be the one in that case playing on the edge, making him the player responsible for forcing the play back inside. In that case, Perry would be the force player on the other side and Matthews would be rolled off of the line of scrimmage.
In the nickel situation a defensive back would be rolled down in the box as the other linebacker, which would probably be Josh Jones, with the two inside linebackers in their same alignment. The front four would go unchanged. Matthews and Perry would be the edge defenders and Wilkerson would be and interior defender in a 3 or a 1 technique with Daniels most likely as the other. They showed that look multiple times in New York.
LWOS:
When Wilkerson played under Pettine in New York, how did Pettine utilize Wilkerson? Do you feel that he will do the same thing with him in Green Bay that he did with him in New York?
Coach Clubb:
The thing that I found impressive was the way Pettine utilized Wilkerson in New York. He played almost every technique on the line of scrimmage throughout the course of a game. He would play in a 5 technique (outside tackle) 3 technique (outside guard) a shade technique (shade on center) a 9 (outside tight end) and various head up looks.
I thought Wilkerson was at his best when he played head up over offensive lineman. Pettine would use him to pinch inside of the tackle and occupy the B gap or he would use him to cross the face of the tackle and guard to get to the A gap, usually when bringing pressure. He was so quick to cross the face of the offensive lineman.
He would also use him in twist stunts and played a lot of games with him up front. If you want a good idea of exactly how good he is at this go back and watch the tape of the Jets-Pittsburgh Steelers game from 2012. He was fantastic.
LWOS:
Thanks again for taking the time to discuss Wilkerson and what he will bring to the Packers defense. My last question to you, why should the Packers fans be excited that their favorite team signed Wilkerson? What do you expect him to bring to this defense that they have been missing?
Coach Clubb:
One thing that your readers should be excited about as Packer fans is that Wilkerson seems like he is hungry. I think he really wants to revive his career and be in a place where winning is important.
We all know that winning and championships are important in Green Bay. The Packers goal every year isn’t to just win the division or reach the playoffs, it’s to win a championship and bring the Lombardi Trophy home. I think he is a guy who wants a fresh start and wants to give all he has to the Packers. Combine that with his physical presence and being reunited with his former coordinator and that should be enough to get any fan excited. I’m really excited to see how he will help this defensive line and defense all together.
Clubb is a high school football coach in the state of Oklahoma. You can follow him and his film breakdowns on Twitter at @PTTF_ChalkTalk and also check out his articles at www.packtothefuture.com. His latest piece is a scouting report on Alabama linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton.
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