Green Bay Packers Positional Preview Series: Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, and the Defensive Line

let's start with the D line uh which is a little bit different this year because uh The Edge rushers are now technically no longer outside linebackers they're DNS so this counts ran Gary Lucas vaness and Preston Smith and they're down lineman yes Matt lefur will be happy to do you think he's going to uh man expain that to you again I don't think so because first of all for those that don't know this story please tell it it's a very good one so there was a play late in the year I'm trying to remember which game it was but they got gashed in a big way and in the endzone camera there were two guys with their hands in the dirt now to me that means down linan now do I understand that in a sub package your outside linebackers are technically defensive ends I do and and he knew that but they got gash for like a 12 yard gain and was not a good look for their defense or for Joe Barry and so when I inquired about that he gave me a a lesson in what a down lineman is now I had already learned this earlier in my career now I will be honest I didn't really think of him that way under Dom Capers it was Mike petton as T likes to call him who taught me that that said those two guys were the only two guys with their hands in the dirt and they were spread out wide and they gave up a big gashing run so the point was you guys got to play the run better and he made it about my choice of words but here's here's why I think the world of Matt laflor and I think he's a good dude he called me like who calls but anybody anymore right you just text right hey sorry if I made you look bad no he called me and then when they switched to the 43 I texted him and I said boy I'm really excited to talk about all your down linemen and he texted me back and said yes I'm glad we can call Preston and RG defensive ends for you so it now that we're all on the same page and they're going to be in a 4-3 base the biggest part of it is it doesn't really matter cuz they're not going to be in a base defense very often that's true that's true uh yeah it feels uh it feels hard to talk about the defense without bringing up the new defensive coordinator Jeff Halley the former head coach at Boston College bringing his new base 43 uh to Green Bay in his first season as the defensive coordinator his first season as a defensive coordinator in the NFL but has defensive coordinator and head coaching experience at the Collegiate level has coached in the NFL was formerly uh with the San Francisco 49ers coached their Dbacks there but Jeff Halley the first time defensive coordinator bringing uh bringing this defense to Green Bay so when it comes to that name RG ran gar something that's always eluded him in his pretty solid NFL career is a double digit sack season and that's something we I remember we talked about with him last year was was can he finally Eclipse 10 sacks on the year he has yet to do that uh in his NFL career but with a new coordinator with a little bit different of a base defense it seems like he will be one of if not the focal point of this defense in 2024 but he has to be one of those guys that Jason was just talking about that's better against the Run has to do a better job of setting the edge has to be better against the Run well that's 100% true and look I saw a tweet earlier this week because we're on ranking season heading into training camps where the 33rd team said the Packers had a top five defensive line and I was flabbergasted what about this line say when they were swapping the color schemes of division teams sorry Mike uh I just I don't see a top five defensive line here I've got more questions than they probably have answers at this point and the first question begins with rashan Gary because I think I was willing to give him a pass okay he's coming off the ACL okay we're ready but then he just he he came out and he was so good early in the season and he faded late he had the two three sa games early finishes the season with 9 and a half does not have a single sack the last six weeks of the season and just did not have the impact that he needs to have we were talking about Jordan love and you're paying him he has to do certain things ran Gary's getting paid if he does not have and it's not even double digit sacks at this point if he doesn't have 12 sacks this year it's probably going to be how a lot of pressures yeah but look pressures don't matter unless they're sacks well they they matter they matter but the sack is the play the sack is the play that statistically is going to disrupt the and some guys are really good at getting them some guys are just a half step slow and get the pressure he needs to get sack cuz that's what he's getting paid for he needs to become a well maybe not as good as but like a miles gar at TJ watt type right like he needs to get to the quarterback he he needs to be their Bosa yes if you look at this scheme both of the bossas are in a similar scheme and Brian bulaga again did the best job of describing how they want to play the run which is stop the run on the way to the quarterback that seems to work in this system more often than it doesn't the problem is with the Packers doesn't matter what system it it is they seem to never stop the run 43 34 Dom Capers Mike petton Joe Barry hasn't really mattered right and so that's definitely where they have to be better but uh I gave him a pass too Gabe and and I do I think frankly his n and a half sack numbers are misleading cuz six of them came in two games I mean you know I was at a game at Lambo field where uh Antoine Odum had like six sacks in a game like the you know Vonnie holiday had a five sack game and I love Vonnie holiday one of my favorites that I covered but he was not a elite level pass rusher so he has to show that consistency they have to get as much as they can out of Preston Smith the only 30-some player on their roster and the guy that I want to see the most that I'm most intrigued by what happens with Lucas vaness this year he seems like the guy that can be The Versatile piece that in pass rushing situations they could put him inside next to Kenny Clark they could take Kenny Clark off off the field Kingsley and egbar didn't tear his ACL miraculously still don't understand that I don't know if Reggie healed it like he healed his own hamstring from up above but the bottom line is they need to get pressure and they need to stop the run and if and we'll get to the secondary but one of the things that you're counting on if you're stopping the run on your way to the quarterback is that your linebackers and your safeties are sure tacklers so what could have been a two-yard run and wasn't because your upfront guys didn't make the play doesn't become a 16 20 or 70 yard run because either your linebackers or your safeties come up and are sure tacklers how about interior Kenny Clark is uh he's a monster I mean he's a very very good defensive tackle um I think 2024 will be the year of Carl Brooks I think he will have an Emergen he really came on strong at the end of last regular season interior though I don't know how great the depth is but there's a couple of names there well I it's for both Georgia and I know we'll get to the linebackers here in a little bit but for both Georgia guys Devonte Wyatt Devonte it's it's going to be huge I mean this is a big year for him because they have to make the decision after this year if they're picking up the fifth year option and he has not lived up to the expectations of a first round pick you mentioned I think every Packer fan is more excited about Carl Brooks at this point than than Devonte W 100% yeah 100% like so if if if Wyatt's not going to step up hopefully Brooks does but Brooks has been so good but do you want to take him off the field and sub packages for Lucas vaness cuz Brooks Brooks had had some moments where he was absolutely a standout last year so again good problem to have trying to figure out how you're going to get some of these guys on the field they've got two young guys they think can stop the run uh and Brooks is part of that group but it's really TJ Slayton and Colby wooden the guy that's the wild card here is the former first round pick because we have heard multiple people Jason Reich their defensive line coach uh John Eric Sullivan they kind of number two man in the Personnel Department both go out of their way to talk about how this system will highlight Devonte Wyatt his quick twitch we talked to Devonte Wyatt during the offseason program and one of the things he said was that I'm not real good when I have to think I want to be able to react I want to be able to react and then diagnose as opposed to diagnosing and then reacting if that's true and he's able to be the player that they envisioned when they drafted him then they got something cooking if he is just a disappointing first round pick which happens throughout the league a lot and Goody's not immune to it if he's just a guy and if to your point Quay Walker is basically continues to be just a guy then their defense will not be significantly better even with a new system