Unless McDuffie beats him out for the 3rd spot (which he might). He (Barnes) would still make the team though, as the 4th.

Aj hawk was the best tackler on the team when you consider he was the third person on the pile most of the time.. individual tackles, no thanks.

Last I looked Macduffie did not have any hair. 😉 Campbell’s best position is Mike and it’s what he likes and why was resigned by the team. Yes, all three can blitz and are good at it but that might be a bit too radical even for the DC.

mcduffie is bald.

Barry has done it with extra OLBs. I could see this happening on occasion, especially later in games with good down/distance.

Maybe 2022 will be the return of the psycho/nitro package :)

This can't be overstated. GB has really shored up the middle of the defense over the last couple years, and the increased talent and depth at both DL and ILB should make both of those position groups better.

Well you’ve waited long enough to say that.

Lol

It’s been a minute since we’ve had a front 7 with this talent and depth.
Add to that a loaded secondary!
Excited!!!

Wilborn, Summers, and Kobe Jones will be waived and I hope at least one (Jones?) is signed to the PS. Wilborn has trouble shedding a block, and Summers can't square up and tackle on kickoffs.

Finally...ILBs to be feared, with speed, size, strength. Are the previous years of the soft middle of the Packer D now a "core" strength? TFLs and covered receivers...even INTs an expectation?

I am expecting strategic pass rushing from the ILBs too...drive OCs nuts. Walker blitzed a lot in GA...Campbell can do it too.

Campbell, Walker, McDuffie and Barnes looks to be a really good group. The ILBs are going to create tremendous synergies with the big boys up front. Then the hunters in the backfield. I really like giving Douglas a look at S. Lots of options in the backfield.

"I guess they think that position is more important than we do"

Elliot Wolf

One quote that has aged too badly to forget.

I just watched film study on Quay’s two pre-season games and it showed some very athletic and strong plays by him. I believe it was Jemlive….Anyways, he has some power and uses his hands effectively against OL trying to block him. He didn’t necessarily make the play but he redirected it where the RB didn’t want to go and others made the tackle. He was assignment sure, which was a knock on him in college. His athleticism is off the charts and seems to be taking coaching well. He should have a bright future and impact many games this year. I think Barnes is a third backer with McDuffie close behind. Good backups. We are all set at ILB>

I'm not try to be a Debbie Downer here, I like Walker a lot, but I wouldn't be surprised if Walker struggles a bit. Most rookie ILBs have been lately, even the 1st rounders. He's going to get a lot of stuff thrown at him he hasn't seen before by the veteran QBs.

One thing I've liked from him when I watched some clips of his preseason snaps is he takes on O linemen like a grown man. Just about every one he took on got a jolt from him. If he keeps that up and plays fast they can live with the mistakes. I think they'll make things easier on him by keeping his coverage responsibilities in front of him as much as they can and giving him some easy green dog blitzes. Hopefully Campbell has another stellar season in coverage.

This is an important point generally. All rookies are likely to have growth pains once the season starts. There will be a lot of things they haven’t seen from opponents and what we are doing will involve a lot of things that they haven’t done much either.

Strength is a strong word. The Packers have made a positive turn at ILB.

If I were a defensive coordinator, I'd be really confident in our entire defense, including the inside linebackers. I think that by adding guys like Slaton and Reed and Wyatt we've made the interior a much tougher place to do business, and it doesn't look like running at Gary's side is going to be easy pickings, either. We have the depth on the line, and at linebacker, to rotate guys and keep guys fresh and healthy enough to play.

It's a passing league, and pass defense starts with guys who can cover long enough for the pass rush to work, and Gutekunst has added Alexander, Savage, Amos, Douglas, Stokes.....these guys can cover.

I'm not a guy who is into hype, but this should be one of the better Packer defenses we've had since the Lombardi Era. When you add in an offense that controls the ball and eats the clock while the defense rests on the sideline......I'm actually wondering if we can give up fewer than 300 points this year.

Last season, we gave up 371 points, which was about average for the league. We gave up some garbage time points If we had given up one less TD during the season, we'd have been ranked in the top 10. Two AFC teams, the Bills and New England, were right around 300 points. The best NFC team was New Orleans with 335 points (no doubt helped by us only getting 3 on them in the opener.)

A 10% improvement would make us the stingiest defense in the NFC this year. A 20% improvement would put us under 300, and I think this group, if it stays healthy, can certainly do that.

I'm still impressed with Campbell. From a free agent not drwaing a lot of interest to one of the league's best is impressive. Let's hope he continues well.

And credit to Barry. He had his doubters when he arrived, but he's getting it done.