With the unexpected signing of Quinton Dial, the Packers have now picked up two 49ers that were around in the bullying bad#ss days of San Francisco’s reign of 2011-2013. The skeptic could say these are just a couple guys that were cast off from a team that only had 7 wins in the last two years. We think it’s a couple guys who, even if they aren’t all-pros, are going to help Mike Daniels show other defenders how to play like nasty #ssholes.
I like it. WIthout Guion, we need more guys like this on defense. Guys who play angry.
The signing also settled the training camp question of if they would keep Brian Price or Christian Ringo. The answer is: if you can’t make your way onto the 53 by now, we’ll try someone else. Same with Jayrone – if you’re not a starter by now, we’ll bring in an ill-tempered UDFA and see how high his ceiling goes. That right there is a new approach – a competitive approach that can light a fire under guys. If you’re not gonna do something for us, you’re out (except for you Kyler, you just kick back and relax).
We already reviewed how the defensive line could excel this year. Now we’re adding hunger and anger to the equation for the whole front seven.
Toss in some guys like Josh Jones and Kentrell Brice to go in a defensive backfield that is, on the whole, playing more physical in the preseason, and you get a defense with a different personality. The thing about Jones and Brice isn’t that they love to really lay into people with brutal hits, it’s that they do it with speed in the high 4.3’s. These are two of the fastest guys on the team, maybe even the two fastest, and they hit with fury. That means offensive players don’t just have to worry about getting hit, they have to worry about getting his by someone faster than them that could be flying in from anywhere.
There is a new personality taking hold on this defense. A defense that looks like it’s going to be a lot better than last year.
Side note: When we’re right about something, we let you know (because when we’re wrong – or you think we’re wrong – you let us know on twitter). So when the final 53 came out and also included Lenzy Pipkins, we just thought we’d let you know that we knew it all along. He’s another guy to watch in this defensive makeover. Lots of high-potential youth to watch.
Only four more days…