Packers Fan Journal

Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazzette has reported that there is a chance that Poppinga may not make the Packers’ final roster. The factors contributing to his slow demise are his contract, the switch to the 3-4 defense and his lack of coverage skills.

Kampman is the man at LOLB and it seems early on that the ROLB is Jeremy Thompson’s to lose and that his only real challenger is Clay Matthews III. Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk are manning the middle, with Desmond Bishop and Brandon Chillar as backups. But with questions abound about Kampman’s ability to make the transition from DE to OLB, Barnett’s recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, the effectiveness of Hawk, and the potential of Thompson and Matthews, Poppinga shouldn’t have to worry about being cut. In fact, he may be a valuable member of the team as a multi-position backup.

First off, besides Poppinga, who is going to backup Aaron Kampman at LOLB? Demovsky quotes Dom Capers as saying Poppinga is “…a glass-eater. One thing about him is he has a real defensive temperament. He’s going to go 100 miles per hour, and you know you’re going to get everything he’s got, which I like.”

Aside from being the backup at LOLB, Poppinga’s temperament and ability make him an outstanding special teams player. So is a backup LOLB and standout special teamer worth a starting linebackers salary?

The other question this story begs, is this: What has Jeremy Thompson really done, other than show up to OTAs looking ripped, to earn the starting ROLB job? The other nock on Poppinga is that he has been ineffective as a pass-rusher in the past. However, that doesn’t mean he has been ineffective as a pass-rushing OLB. What it means is that Poppinga hasn’t gotten to the QB on blitzes, and was ineffective playing as a defensive end in emergency spot duty last year. So if ineffective pass-rushing is the nock on Poppinga, why is it not a nock on Thompson? Thompson showed almost no ability what-so-ever to rush the passer last year either. Of course, Thompson will cost the Packers a lot less than Poppinga, and if he doesn’t start, he’ll likely be a special teamer as well.

Lastly, Poppinga is criticized, and rightly so, for his poor coverage abilities. But what’s required of him in coverage this year will be much different that what was required last year. For the most part, OLB’s are going to be responsible for the flats. Occasionally they will be matched up on a tight-end, but in those cases, they should have safety help. And if for whatever reason, an offense is able to the manipulate the OLB into covering a receiver one-on-one, it’s time to call a time out. So why are the Packers so sure that Poppinga can’t succeed in a new roll, but seem confident that Kampman and Thompson can?

It seems that Poppinga is between a large investment like Kampman, and a small investment with potential, like Thompson. Kampman has proven himself a special athlete worth his salary. Thompson hasn’t yet proven himself not a special athlete and is so far worth his salary, even as an experiment. And while Poppinga does have a motor and the right attitude, he has proven himself to be somewhat average. I do believe however, that Poppinga could be worth his price tag if he can effectively back up Kampman and be a standout special teams player. When all is said and done, he will make the Packers final roster.