My Thoughts on the newest linebacker, Brady Poppinga, who played six years with the Packers from 2005-2010 and won a Super Bowl ring in Green Bay. He played 15 games, with 12 starts last season in St. Louis on a Rams defense that struggled against the run.
Games studied: Baltimore, Dallas, New York Giants, Washington
- Viewed games from 2011 when he was with the St. Louis Rams.
- Played in a 4-3 scheme as a strong side outside linebacker.
- Good reactions and awareness. Will find the ball. No problem chasing play.
- Will pick up the back or tight end in the flat when in coverage. Looked assignment sound.
- Will play down the line in the running game. Will try and keep himself free to run to the ball.
- Aggressive attacking the line but will give himself up one-on-one. Did see one play where he was clean on fill and had tackle for loss.
- Not effective as a blitzer, when he did rush struggled to get pressure by freeing himself with moves. Got bounced in his attempts.
- Thought overall game, he showed awareness but needed to finish plays better. Did see the one nice tackle for loss but not near enough of those.
- Will get work on teams but will be interesting to see if he can really help like they are going to need him to.
