Tag: Preston Smith

Packers need a lot more from struggling OLB Preston Smith

The Packers are struggling to affect the passer, which is reflected in the struggles of Preston Smith through five games.

The decline of the Green Bay Packers’ pass-rush in 2020 involves many factors, but a lack of production from outside linebacker Preston Smith is certainly one of the headlining acts.

Smith, who finished with 55 pressures and 12.0 sacks for the Packers a year ago, has just seven pressures and a half-sack through five games to start 2020.

After five games last season, Smith had 24 pressures, including 5.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. Of his seven pressures in 2020, only two have involved hitting the quarterback.

Playing time and role aren’t to blame. Smith has been on the field for 87 percent of the defense’s snaps in 2020, up three percent from last season. And he’s dropped into coverage 51 times, the exact number he dropped through five games last season.

Smith just isn’t affecting the passer. Pro Football Focus tracks a stat called “Pass Rushing Productivity,” which measures pressure rate per snap, weighted toward sacks. Among the 60 edge rushers with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps this season, Smith ranks 56th in Pass Rushing Productivity. He was 14th last season.

The decline in Smith’s pass-rushing production reflects a worrying trend for the 2020 Packers. Mike Pettine’s defense isn’t pressuring quarterbacks at nearly the same rate or volume as last season.

Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Kenny Clark have just 20 combined pressures in five games. Clark missed 3.5 games with a groin injury and still doesn’t have a pressure. Za’Darius Smith, who led the NFL in total pressures in 2019, has just 13 over the first five games. Together, the three combined for over 200 total pressures last season.

The Packers had over 300 total pressures in 2019 but are on pace for just 169 in 2020.

According to ESPN, the Packers rank 29th in the NFL in Pass Rush Win Rate at 34 percent. The top five teams in the rankings are all over 50 percent.

It can probably be assumed that Za’Darius Smith and Kenny Clark will eventually reassert themselves as difference-makers. They are too talented and too versatile as pass-rushing weapons to be held down for long. But the Packers are a defense built around disruption, and fully unlocking the pass-rush will require more from Preston Smith.

The final 11 games of 2020 will be important for No. 91. He has a $4 million roster bonus in March, on the third league day of 2021. The Packers are going to have tough financial decisions to make this spring, and releasing or trading Preston Smith could provide some relief. His cap hit is scheduled to be $16 million in 2021. The Packers want that decision to be a tough one in March. Smith isn’t making it any harder to start 2020.

Why Packers might need to give more snaps to OLB Rashan Gary

Preston Smith has been unproductive and ineffective to start the 2020 season. Is it Rashan Gary’s time to become a bigger part of the Packers defense?

In business, you’re either growing or you’re dying. The NFL is, after all, a business. So with a quarter of the season complete, how do the undefeated Packers keep growing?

It might start with the outside linebacker rotation, notably between Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.

It’s no secret that Preston Smith has not been as productive as he was last year. In four games, Smith has recorded one-half sack, one quarterback hit, zero tackles for loss, and eight tackles. He also has only five total pressures (four hurries, one sack) in 106 total pass-rushing snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Za’Darius Smith, for reference, has 12 pressures and was tied for the league lead in sacks at the end of Week 4.

Gary has seven pressures in three games and 58 pass-rushing snaps. According to PFF, Gary has the team’s high pass-rushing productivity in 2020 and ranks 19th in the stat among the 114 edge rushers with at least 40 pass-rushing snaps.

Meanwhile, Preston Smith, among the 49 edge rushers with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps played in 2020, ranks 47th in the NFL.

Andy Herman of Packer Report recently tweeted his grades on Preston Smith’s 2019 and 2020 seasons, and the trend is consistent with what we’re seeing:

The proposal here is to swap snaps between Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, making Gary the de facto “starter.” It’s important to note that this isn’t a one-to-one swap. As the Packers’ outside linebackers go, Preston Smith is their “best of bad options” cover guy. Kyler Fackrell occupied the coverage role well last year, but given their cap restraints and Fackrell’s ceiling, the Packers were wise to pass on a second contract. Even so, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine needs to find a way to employ some of his creative blitz schemes without sacrificing pass-rushing production from the traditional edge rushers.

Gary and Smith are also on the field quite a bit together, as Gary has the capacity to play further inside with his bigger frame. Even so, it’s time to make Gary a bigger feature of the defense as the guy who stays on the field until he needs some air, not the guy to come in and spell a starter.

There are some kinks Pettine will have to work through. Don’t expect Gary to drop. But we also shouldn’t be seeing Preston Smith dropping as much as he’s been doing. Pettine clearly has noticed the issue; his deployment of Oren Burks in an overhang/outside linebacker role – a role Burks is familiar with dating back to his time in college – tells us that Pettine is aware of the personnel’s limitation in coverage.

But if Preston Smith hasn’t been effective in coverage, and he’s being overshadowed by the player the Packers drafted to become an alpha rusher, it might be time, now in Year 2, to give Gary the keys to the car. He is a freak athletically who needs more opportunities. Preston Smith is a good outside linebacker who’s been struggling so far this year.

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Packers pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith discuss 2020 season

In previous seasons, the Green Bay Packers’ defense has been a major weak point. Many times, the greatness of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense was weighed down by poor performances from the defense. During the 2019 season, the roles reversed. …

In previous seasons, the Green Bay Packers’ defense has been a major weak point. Many times, the greatness of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense was weighed down by poor performances from the defense. During the 2019 season, the roles reversed. The Packers’ defense was far from perfect, but they definitely made a big step in the right direction. Outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith were two huge contributions for Mike Pettine in the 2019 campaign, as they combined for 25.5 sacks.

On Friday, the “Smith Bros” spoke to the media about the Packers’ defense heading into the 2020 season.

Both Za’Darius and Preston acknowledged the fact that if the Packers want to take the next step, they will need to get better at stopping the run.

“In that championship game, they (the 49ers) basically beat us because of the run game, they got on our edges,” said Za’Darius.

Preston echoed the same message, saying “We didn’t do a good job on the ground in the championship game. This year, we got to do a whole lot better in big-time games stopping the run, getting off the field, and helping put our offense in better positions to score.”

As mentioned earlier, Za’Darius and Preston formed a lethal pass rush duo in the 2019 season. The two edge rushers constantly tortured opposing quarterbacks and offensive linemen. In their second season in Green Bay, both players are looking to become even more dangerous.

“When he (Preston) makes a big play, I want to go make a big play. I think that is the number one thing that kept us going as a duo. For us to go into year two together, it is going to be even bigger and even better,” said Za’Darius.

“Me and Za’Darius always talk a lot about improving and being complete players. Last year was our first time in this new system. I think we learned each other fast. And now we know each other well when we are out there on the field,” Preston said when asked about his chemistry with Za’Darius.

If the upcoming NFL season is to go off without a hitch (and that is a big if), then teams will have to find creative ways to keep in contact off the field.

“Look, I just found out about the new rule no gatherings of more than 15 people, so it is going to be hard. Right now we are thinking about having each position do their own gathering. I just found out about the whole situation,” Za’Darius said.

Both Za’Darius and Preston accumulated a lot of sacks last season, but in total, the duo was only able to force two fumbles. In the 2020-21 season, both players will hope for more strip-sacks.

“Last year, we had so many attempts, but we didn’t get a chance to get the ball out,” Za’Darius said.

“Last year when we were getting sacks, we were always trying to get the ball out. We work that every day in practice. We are always trying to get the ball back for our offense so we can put them in great field position.”

Former Washington LB Preston Smith takes comical shot at Washington fans

Preston Smith says that he may be okay with no fans at games this year, noting that he got used to it while playing in Washington.

Washington has been a solid punching bag for the rest of the NFL for the better part of the last decade, but there are some people who wish to kick them while they’re down.

Not only was RB Derrius Guice released from the team after being arrested for domestic violence charges on Friday, but former Washington LB Preston Smith took an unnecessary shot at the team, saying that the potential of playing games in 2020 without fans in the stands might be something that he’s used to, seeing as he spent the first four years of his career doing something similar in Washington.

Hard to argue with the sentiment, but fair to be annoyed with the timing. There are enough other things going on in Washington to not want to be catching flack from former players, truthful as they may be.

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NFL Top 100 Players list: Packers OLB Preston Smith ranks No. 63

The Packers OLB ranked No. 63 on “The Top 100 Players of 2020” list.

The first of six Green Bay Packers to make “The Top 100 Players of 2020” list is outside linebacker Preston Smith.

Smith, a free-agent signing of the Packers who delivered a career-high 12.0 sacks during his first season in Green Bay, ranked No. 63 on the 100-player list.

After spending four years in Washington, Smith teamed up with Za’Darius Smith to completely revamp the Packers’ pass-rush. Together, the pair delivered 25.5 sacks, the most by a pair of teammates in the NFL in 2019.

Smith played all 16 games and two playoff games. He added two sacks and four quarterbacks hits during the postseason, bringing his 18-game totals to 14 sacks and 27 quarterback hits.

This is the first time Smith has made the NFL’s top 100 players list.

Packers on “The Top 100 Players of 2020” list

No. 57: WR Davante Adams
No. 62: LT David Bakhtiari
No. 63: OLB Preston Smith

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Santa Claus came early this year for entire Packers defense

OLB Preston Smith bought electric scooters for the entire Packers defense.

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith put on his red hat and played Santa Claus on Saturday.

Smith, who leads the Packers in sacks this season, bought the entire defense electric scooters from Bird, a California company that operates shared scooters in multiple cities across the world.

The scooters were personalized for every player, with unique colors, nicknames and numbers.

“It’s my gift to them for us having a good season right now, we’re 11-3 and going to the playoffs,” Smith told Mike Spofford of the team’s official site. “I just wanted to treat the guys and show my appreciation for them.”

According to Smith, cornerback Tony Brown organized a race between players at the team’s facility. The winner? Brown.

Smith, a free-agent signing of the Packers, beat pass-rushing partner Za’Darius Smith to 10 sacks, giving him the responsibility of providing a gift for the defense.

“They did help me reach that (goal), I couldn’t have done it by myself,” Smith said.

His 11.5 sacks set a new career-high.

Smith said last month that he’d be getting Rolex watches for the defense, but he revealed that purchase is still “pending.”

Coaches didn’t get scooters, but Smith has something “cheaper” planned for them.

After spending his first four seasons in Washington, Smith signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Packers in March.

3 key matchups ahead of Bears vs. Packers in Week 15

Ahead of Sunday’s Bears-Packers game, here are some matchups to watch as the two NFC North rivals square off for the 2nd time this season.

Arguably no two teams in the NFL know each other better than the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The league’s oldest rivalry adds another chapter to its storied history on Sunday when the Bears travel north to take on the NFC North division leaders in a pivotal game for both teams.

The Bears are on life support when it comes to their postseason hopes, sitting at a 2% chance to make the playoffs heading into Week 15. They’ll need to win and get some help from other teams to improve their chances.

The Packers, on the other hand, are knocking at the door when it comes to the playoffs. They’ll clinch a playoff berth with a win and a Los Angeles Rams loss when they take on the Dallas Cowboys. 

Despite the Packers’ better record of 10-3, this game will likely be close, as the 7-6 Bears are riding a three-game winning streak. Look for a few key matchups that may decide the game for either team.

1. Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski vs. Packers RB Aaron Jones

AP Photo/Sarah Stier

Jones has been the catalyst for the Green Bay offense in 2019, accumulating over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and scoring 15 total touchdowns. He’s been the Packers’ most dangerous weapon this season, meaning the Bears linebackers are going to have a tall task ahead of them on Sunday.

With starting linebackers Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan both out with injuries, that responsibility falls to Kwiatkoski. The fourth-year pro has been superb in relief of Trevathan, playing excellent run defense and improving in pass coverage. Now, he faces another big test against Jones without Smith by his side. Can “Kwit” slow down Jones both in the running and passing game?

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Bill Callahan talks about Preston Smith’s breakout year with Packers

Bill Callahan naturally faced questions about Preston Smith.

Hindsight doesn’t shine a great light on the Washington Redskins letting Preston Smith slip to free agency, where he promptly linked up with the Green Bay Packers.

Since doing so, Smith has put on a clinic en route to a career-high 10.5 sacks in 12 games, with a chance for more against the Redskins this weekend.

Speaking on the matter this week, interim Redskins coach Bill Callahan noted that’s just how it goes sometimes.

“Everybody matures, gets older, stronger, has new experiences, new position coaches, system and with that I think players evolve,” Callahan said, according to NBC Sports’ Peter Hailey. “You just don’t know what can make a spark in a player’s career, whether it’s a position coach, a coordinator, a system, new place, whatever it may be.”

The Redskins couldn’t have predicted this breakout from Smith and at least took the pass rush seriously this offseason by trading back into the first round for Montez Sweat.

That sequence of events hasn’t turned out to favor the Redskins just yet. In time it could, but it’s hard to deny Smith as one of the league’s best pass rushers right now.

He’ll get a chance to show Callahan and Co. just how much he’s changed compared to last season.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Week 12 Q&A with Packers Wire

With a Week 13 matchup between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Packers Wire.

The New York Giants (2-9) and Green Bay Packers (8-3) will square off on Sunday in Week 13.

The Giants opened the week as 6.5-point home underdogs, and the spread hasn’t changed as of Saturday morning.

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Packers Wire managing editor Zach Kruse.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Wire: The Packers appeared to have rounded out some early season struggles entering Week 12, but then came a meltdown against the 49ers. What did San Francisco do to frustrate Aaron Rodgers & Co. and what should the Giants have learned from that game?

Zach Kruse: The 49ers were a bad matchup for the Packers on paper and it played out exactly that way on the field. The 49ers dominated the line of scrimmage, contained Aaron Jones as a runner and receiver, got consistent pressure with only four rushers and smothered any and all underneath-to-intermediate options in the passing game. The Chargers established the blueprint in Week 9, and the 49ers executed it perfectly.

The key to frustrating the Packers is taking away the running backs (especially Jones), pressuring Rodgers without blitzing and playing coverage with seven. Force the Packers to beat you through the air with their receivers and tight ends. They haven’t proved capable of doing it consistently.

Continue …

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Giants vs. Packers: 4 keys to victory in Week 13

Here are four things the New York Giants can do to ensure a victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and get their third win this season

The New York Giants host the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday in a tale of two very different seasons.

The Packers are 8-3 and currently sit in third place in the NFC, also leading their division. The Giants are 2-9, sitting second-to-last in the NFC and at the bottom of their division.

The Giants’ wildcard hopes are out the window and their divisional hopes are hanging on by a thread, but that doesn’t mean they can’t curb the Packers dreams. The Minnesota Vikings are hot on the Packers’ tail, and the Giants would do them a big favor with a win.

Here are this week’s keys to victory:

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Pressure Aaron Rodgers

Much like the photo above, Markus Golden & Co. need to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is notorious for holding onto the ball too long, and for making poor decisions under pressure. The Packers’ big plays don’t come when Rodgers has a defender in his face, and they have 40 big plays on record this season.

If James Bettcher can get his defense to plow through the Packers’ offensive line and put some serious pressure on Rodgers, the Giants’ chances of winning go up dramatically.

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