Tag: Kirk Olivadotti

Seahawks hiring Packers assistant as linebackers coach

Olivadotti had served as Green Bay’s inside linebackers coach for the last five years

New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is beginning to build up his staff. So far we have received reports that the team has hired Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach and Jay Harbaugh as special teams coordinator. Yesterday we got word of another new assistant coming in.

According to a report by Aaron Wilson, the team is hiring Packers assistant Kirk Olivadotti as their new linebackers coach. Olivadotti had served as Green Bay’s inside linebackers coach for the last five years and he knows Macdonald from their time coaching together at Georgia.

Olivadotti deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done with the Packers linebackers, especially De’Vondre Campbell. During his time with the Falcons he’d been an average linebacker at best and now he’s one of the best off-ball linebackers in the league. He improved particularly well in coverage, which is something that should have an obvious appeal for Seattle.

Speaking of which, it’s hard to say exactly what Olivadotti will get to work with for the Seahawks. On paper Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Devin Bush are a solid 1-2-3 for this group (certainly better than Green Bay’s), but all three are about to become free agents. In the draft we like NC State’s Payton Wilson, but it’s too early in the offseason to say just how much help they’re going to need at linebacker.

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Packers wary of Giants’ Saquon Barkley: ‘He’s a phenomenal football player’

The Green Bay Packers plan to hone in on New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley, who they feel can do “anything he wants” on the football field.

On Monday night, the New York Giants host the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It will be their fifth primetime game of the season.

The Packers have won three of the last five meetings between these teams and lead the series, 34-27-2. Their last meeting, however, was won by the Giants — something the Packers wish to remedy on Monday.

Offensively, the Packers will rely on Jordan Love to work down the field however he can, handing off to AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones (if healthy) when needed. The Packers defense, though, is focusing on Saquon Barkley.

“Saquon can do anything he wants on the football field,” Packers inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti said. “He’s a phenomenal football player and a very good athlete, and he makes plays and they put him in position to make plays. … It’s one of the bigger challenges you’re gonna face.”

“Great running back, man,” said defensive lineman Kenny Clark. “He can do everything, receiver out of the backfield. In-and-out cutter, running between the tackles, outside perimeter game. He’s elusive. He’s a strong back, too. We’re going to have our hands full with him.”

They’re not wrong. Barkley is responsible for a large part of the offense’s success. It doesn’t matter if he has the ball or not, if he’s on the field, he’s a factor.

It’s not a bad tactic, but the Giants have other threats, and they need to be ready to use them as Green Bay hones in on Barkley.

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