Tag: adrian amos

What ratings are former Penn State players getting in Madden NFL 22?

What rating did Saquon Barkley and Allen Robinson get in Madden NFL 22?

You can tell football is coming soon, because people are going crazy over the ratings given to some of the top NFL players in the annual release of the Madden NFL video game franchise. Madden NFL 22 is just around the corner and the first batch of player ratings have started to be revealed.

We’ll keep track of some of the notable Penn State players getting rated by the video game this year and see how they all stack up.

Adrian Amos is PFF’s pick for most underrated Packers player

Amos is reliable, consistent and verifiably good at all the things NFL safeties need to do, making him an ideal pick for the Packers’ most underrated player.

One of the best safeties in football a year ago is Pro Football Focus’ pick for the most underrated player on the roster of the Green Bay Packers.

It would be hard to argue against safety Adrian Amos, who finished last season with the second-best overall grade among safeties at PFF, as the team’s most underrated player.

A lack of splash plays no longer registers as a valid excuse. Since joining the Packers in 2019, Amos has created four interceptions, 15 pass breakups, 3.0 sacks and eight tackles for losses. He added another interception during the 2020 playoffs.

According to PFF, Amos delivered 24 stops – or tackles constituting a failure for the offense – and produced the highest overall coverage grade among NFL safeties in 2020. He played over 1,000 snaps and gave up a passer rating of 71.7.

He’s one of only a handful of NFL safeties to produce at least 20 stops, allow an opposing passer rating under 85.0 and play at least 1,000 snaps during each of the last two seasons.

Since 2017, Amos has received two “elite” overall grades and three “elite” coverage grades from PFF. The lowest overall grade he’s ever received from PFF is 69.6 during his rookie season.

A reliable, consistent safety who can cover and create negative plays is worth its weight in gold in today’s NFL. The position is taxed throughout a game like few others. Safeties must be able to cover any position on the field, protect against more and more vertical passing games, and be a willing contributor against the run.

Last season, Amos played over 100 snaps in the box (387), in the slot (108) and free safety (590). He was on the field for almost 99 percent of the Packers’ defensive plays.

While he landed on PFF’s All-Pro team, Amos did not earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors during the 2020 season, highlighting how underrated he still is outside Green Bay.

The Packers defense hasn’t been consistently dominant as a group, but the unit isn’t lacking individual talent. Amos, who is maybe the most reliable player at his position in football, must be included among the best the Packers defense has to offer entering 2021.

Packers free cap space by adding void years to contracts of Mason Crosby, Adrian Amos

The Packers keep manipulating the salary cap, this time with void years tacked onto the deals of Adrian Amos and Mason Crosby.

The Green Bay Packers created cap space by converting roster bonuses and adding void years to the contracts of kicker Mason Crosby and Adrian Amos.

The moves were first reported by Ollie Murry and confirmed by several beat reporters, including Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated.

Converting money to signing bonuses and adding three void years helped the Packers lower the cap hits of Crosby and Amos in 2021. Altogether, the restructures for Crosby and Amos created nearly $6 million in cap space, helping the Packers re-sign Kevin King to a one-year deal.

Both Crosby and Amos had two years left on their original deals. Under the new structure of the deals, they both will leave dead money on the cap in 2023 when the void years begin. A future extension might make sense for Amos, who is still 28 years old and a vital member of the Packers defense. Crosby is 37 and might only have 1-2 more years left in the NFL.

Teams have used void years on contracts to help spread out the proration of converted signing bonuses and create bigger cap reductions in 2021. While the proration creates more cap space this year, it will create dead money cap hits in a future season.

The Packers have nearly exhausted their cap-reduction mechanisms. The team has restructured the contract of every veteran player with a roster bonus, expect for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

[lawrence-related id=56901,56898,56891]

[listicle id=56816]

Packers save $750K in cap space by restructuring Adrian Amos’ deal

The Packers made modest gains with their salary cap situation by restructuring Adrian Amos’ deal.

The Green Bay Packers created modest salary cap savings by restructuring the contract of safety Adrian Amos.

According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, the restructuring involved converting all $1.5 million of Amos’ roster bonus into a signing bonus, saving $750,000 on the cap in 2021.

Amos’ four-year deal has two years left. By converting the roster bonus into a signing bonus, the Packers were able to prorate the money, splitting the cap charge up evenly between 2021 and 2022. The $750,000 saved on this year’s cap will be added to Amos’ cap hit in 2022.

Amos was scheduled to count $10,300,000 on the cap in 2021. The Packers lowered that number to $9,550,000 but also increased his cap hit in 2022 – initially set at $10,900,000 – to $11,650,000.

The Packers could have converted some of Amos’ $4.9 million base salary into the signing bonus, creating more savings, but the team is clearly wary about pushing too much money into the future.

The $750,000 in savings should get the Packers to around $8.93 million over the cap. They were at around $9.68 million over entering Friday, according to Over the Cap.

[listicle id=55957]

Packers clear cap space by restructuring contract of S Adrian Amos

The Packers freed up some cap space by restructuring the contract of safety Adrian Amos.

The Green Bay Packers cleared cap space by restructuring the contract of safety Adrian Amos, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Amos, who signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Packers in 2019, was due to count $10.3 million against the team’s cap in 2021. His deal included a base salary of $4.9 million and a roster bonus of $1.5 million, which can both be converted into a signing bonus to free up cap space.

However, any cap space freed up in 2021 would be pushed to 2022, when Amos’ cap hit is already $10.9 million. It’s possible the Packers are comfortable pushing the money forward knowing Amos could be a prime candidate for a contract extension following the 2021 season.

Amos, who turns 28 in April, is coming off a terrific 2020 season. He was the second-highest graded safety overall at Pro Football Focus.

Restructuring his deal using the signing bonus conversion could free up almost $3 million, according to Over the Cap. If the restructure involves an extension or the addition of voidable years, the savings could be even more.

The Packers were $9.4 million over the salary cap as of Friday. The team must be under the cap by next Wednesday, the start of the new league year.

Other players capable of doing restructures or extensions include quarterback Aaron Rodgers, receiver Davante Adams, edge rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith and offensive lineman Billy Turner.

[listicle id=55957]

Adrian Amos wishes he had called timeout before Buccaneers TD to end first half

Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos wishes he had stopped the play before a pivotal moment in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. 

Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos wishes he had stopped the play before a pivotal moment in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

Amos said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he should have called a timeout before the 39-yard touchdown pass to Scotty Miller before the end of the first half.

“Miscommunication on the sidelines,” Amos told the “Man to Man Pod” with Antoine Bethea and Darius Butler, via Aaron Nagler. “When I look back at it, that’s one play that haunts me, I just wish I would have went and called timeout…Looking back at it, I wish I had called timeout, and just be like, ‘Y’all sure, y’all sure about this?'”

The comments suggest that even Amos knew the Packers were in some trouble before the ball was even snapped. He said the Packers needed to be in a sideline call or sideline endzone, coverages that protect against completions near the boundary and deep into the end zone. The Buccaneers didn’t have a timeout and couldn’t complete a pass inbounds and still run another play.

The Packers ran a highly questionable coverage that focused most of the coverage personnel on the middle of the field and left both perimeter cornerbacks, including Kevin King, one-on-one on vertical routes. King got beat deep by Miller, who ran right past him and hauled in the deep throw from Tom Brady to give the Buccaneers a 21-10 lead going into halftime.

The Packers had a timeout left to burn but didn’t use it before the final play.

The Buccaneers used a timeout after converting on fourth down. The Packers could have used their final timeout after seeing how the Buccaneers were lined up on offense. At the very least, the defense could have come together, agreed on the right playcall and made sure everyone knew what to do beforehand.

Instead, the Bucs caught the Packers napping in a huge situation, creating seven points in what turned out to be a five-point win.

[lawrence-related id=55490]

[listicle id=55427]

Packers S Adrian Amos receives All-Pro votes in 2020

Packers S Adrian Amos received six votes for All-Pro but didn’t make either the first or second team.

Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos didn’t end up on the All-Pro first or second team, but the veteran did receive several votes after a terrific 2020 season.

Six of the 50 voters from the Associated Press voted for Amos, who finished behind first-team safeties Tyrann Mathieu, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Budda Baker and second-team safeties Jamal Adams and Jessie Bates.

A 16-game starter, Amos led the Packers in tackles with 83 and produced nine pass breakups, two interceptions and two sacks.

Pro Football Focus picked Amos as a first-team All-Pro safety, but not enough voters from the Associate Press agreed. According to PFF, Amos was the second highest-graded safety in the NFL in 2020, trailing only Bates.

When targeted in coverage, Amos allowed 8.5 yards per catch and a passer rating of 71.7, which ranked sixth and ninth among safeties, respectively.

Amos was one of only 17 safeties in the NFL to tally 10 stops against both the run and pass in 2020. PFF considers a stop to be a tackle that constitute to a failure for the offense.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst signed Amos to a four-year deal in 2019.

Matt LaFleur’s team had six All-Pros, including an NFL-high four first-team picks. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, receiver Davante Adams, left tackle David Bakhtiari were first-team selections, while edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander were second-team picks.  Guard Elgton Jenkins and kicker Mason Crosby also received All-Pro votes for the Packers.

[lawrence-related id=54659,54655,54652,54648,54645,54643]

Chicago vs. Green Bay: Which Packers player would you want on the Bears?

The Packers have no shortage of talent that they’ll be leaning on in Sunday’s matchup against the Bears.

The Chicago Bears will face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, and there isn’t a lot going the Bears’ way. Not only has Chicago lost four straight games, but they’re facing a team in Green Bay that has had their number for the better part of three decades.

The Bears are coming off a much-needed bye week, where Matt Nagy and his team had time to step back a little in the middle of a four-game losing streak. The big question for the Bears comes at quarterback, where it sounds like Mitchell Trubisky will get the nod due to Nick Foles’ hip injury. With the offense in need of any kind of spark, perhaps a change at quarterback can help with that.

Meanwhile, the Packers remain atop the NFC North primed for another postseason appearance. While Green Bay has suffered all three losses since their bye week, they’ve been impressive down the stretch.

The Packers have no shortage of talent that they’ll be leaning on in Sunday’s matchup, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, receiver Davante Adams, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander.

As Chicago prepares to face Green Bay, which Packers players would you want on the Bears?

VOTE!

[listicle id=462788]

 

Gallery: Vikings upset Packers at Lambeau

The top photos from Sunday’s Vikings’ win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

[sigallery id=”Bfdg8HSS8sAkUGVMubFxbJ” title=”Gallery: Vikings upset Packers at Lambeau” type=”sigallery”]

Providing a closer look at what’s happening with Packers S Adrian Amos

Breaking down the usage of Packers S Adrian Amos through the first five games of 2020. Is Mike Pettine using him correctly?

So far this season, Adrian Amos hasn’t been the same player he was a year ago. Last season, Amos showed he was a great offseason addition, stepping up as a reliable safety in the run game and in coverage. However, his play has since tapered off.

Through the first five games, Amos has 17 tackles, one defended pass, and no tackles for loss. At this point last season, he was at 25 tackles, one defended pass, and one tackle for loss. Perhaps, Amos is just off to a slow start, however, stats don’t always tell the whole story.

For instance, where Amos is lining up has vastly changed in the last year. In 2019, he played 40 percent of his snaps at free safety, 35 percent in the box, and 10 percent in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. This year, Amos is lining up 58 percent of the time at free safety, 24 percent in the box, and nine percent in the slot.

It’s unclear why Amos has found himself in a different role this year. After all, Green Bay’s secondary personnel hasn’t warranted any drastic shuffling. Chandon Sullivan sliding into Tramon William’s spot as the nickel corner is the only noteworthy alteration that comes to mind, but Sullivan has filled in rather seamlessly.

While the stats don’t necessarily point to a huge difference in Amos’ impact, the film does provide evidence of where he could be better utilized.

The first play we’re going to look at is from Week 2 of this season against the Detroit Lions. Here, Amos is caught flat-footed, and the result is a 24-yard touchdown.

When you have your safety playing deep a lot, you want him to be able to read the field well, take good angles to the ball, and at least have decent ball skills. Amos’ processing skills are fine, but his ball skills are just average.

On this play from 2019, Amos drops an absolute gimme of an interception. Luckily, Williams was in the right place at the right time to catch the pick.

Here is an example from the New Orleans Saint game from this year when Amos was playing deep but against the run.

He takes an aggressive angle at Alvin Kamara, slips, and then has to chase him down to prevent a touchdown. Amos is a good athlete compared to most safeties, but his speed and lateral quickness can be somewhat limiting when he’s asked to be the free safety. On this particular play, he gets himself into trouble trying to come downhill from center field.

However, there are examples from the Saints game of Amos being put in favorable spots on defense.

In the first part of the clip, Amos finds himself matched up on Taysom Hill. New Orleans is looking to get the ball in Hill’s hands fast by running a quick screen, but Amos is there to blow it up immediately.

In the second part, Amos is over the tight end. He quickly diagnoses the run call and is able to aggressively pursue Kamara, and because he is playing in tighter space and has less ground to cover, the Saints are limited to a minimal gain.

This next play is from last season against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers are in zone coverage, and Amos is hovering underneath. He quickly picks up on the play action and keys in on Irv Smith slipping from the backside of the formation. Amos plays it perfectly to stop the play for a loss.

Here are a couple more plays of Amos having a positive impact while playing in the box.

This doesn’t mean that Amos has to strictly become a box safety. There are instances where he has made plays from the deep safety position, but they happen more consistently when he plays closer to the ball.

Every great defense knows how to properly implement their personnel, but Mike Pettine appears to be dropping the ball when it comes to Amos. If he continues to play free safety on over half of his snaps this season, Green Bay isn’t going to get the same player they had in 2019.