Tag: Rashan Gary

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary was a controversial pick at No. 12 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft because of his underwhelming three-year career at the University of Michigan and the recent free-agent signings of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, who play the same position.

As a rookie, Gary did nothing to dissuade his critics, but as a second-year player, he’s beginning to show why GM Brian Gutekunst and the Packers scouting department thought so highly of him coming out of college.

Against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, Gary had what could be called his first breakout game as an NFL player. With four tackles, a career-high 1.5 sacks and four quarterback pressures, he showed he can be a disruptive presence.

In one of his highlight plays, Gary came off the right edge, avoided a cut block from Lions running back Adrian Peterson and applied pressure to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who forced a throw that turned into a pick-six for Packers cornerback Chandon Sullivan.

😤 @RashanAGary pressure
⬇️
🙌 @showtimesully10 pick-six! #GoPackGo

Up next: #GBvsNO | Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT | NBC pic.twitter.com/ZIRkRFN87G

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 21, 2020

To earn his first sack of the season, Gary split a double team from Lions rookie running back D’Andre Swift and backup right tackle Tyrell Crosby. With a hesitation move to set up his rush plan and a rip move to eliminate Crosby’s outside hand at the top of his rush arc, Gary got himself free and finished the play with a quarterback takedown.

Rashan Gary leads the #Packers with 7 QB Pressures in 2020… 2 sacks on Sunday vs Lions

Nice work here by both Gary and Kingsley Keke… 2019 Draft class making some impact plays!! @RashanAGary 👀 pic.twitter.com/8dds1xRfgZ

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 21, 2020

Defensive lineman Kingsley Keke and outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith also deserve praise for making the above play happen. It was a great all-around effort from the trio of Packers’ pass rushers.

Smith got upfield and drew a triple team, while Keke beat his 1-on-1 matchup and applied pressure from the interior, giving Stafford no room to step up and away from Gary’s pressure.

Earlier in the game, Gary made another impact play by helping to force an incompletion. Midway through the second quarter when the Packers were trailing 10-14, cornerback Chandon Sullivan got beat on a route for a potentially big gain by Lions wide receiver Danny Amendola. Because of the pressure from Gary, Stafford slightly overshot his target and the pass fell incomplete.

A great example of converting speed to power by Rashan Gary. Just enough pressure to affect the play. pic.twitter.com/QXjIy1P9T3

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) September 21, 2020

Last Sunday against the Vikings, Gary helped create another game-changing play.

After looping inside on a T-E stunt, he bull-rushed Vikings center Garrett Bradbury into quarterback Kirk Cousins’ face and got his arms up to disrupt the throwing window.

Because of the pressure from Gary, Cousins’ throw ended up behind wide receiver Adam Thielen and wound up in the hands of Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander for an interception.

As a rookie, Gary played in all 16 games, but finished his first NFL season with only two sacks. Through two games as a second-year player, he already has 1.5 sacks and currently leads the Packers with seven quarterback pressures.

Next week against New Orleans, Gary will have the much tougher task of facing offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, two of the best players in the league at their positions. The arrow is certainly pointing up for Gary in his second NFL season. Now he just needs to prove he can make an impact consistently and do it against better competition.

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The foundation of any second-year jump in the NFL is gradual but consistent improvement after first building a base of comfort and understanding about what is required at the professional level.

Midway through training camp, the Green Bay Packers believe second-year outside linebacker Rashan Gary is right on track.

“He’s continuing to get better each and every day,” coach Matt LaFleur said Friday. “Again, I can’t speak enough about his work ethic. We just have to make sure he keeps taking those right steps. And that when he gets in whatever situation, he knows exactly what to do. That’s the key for him, knowing what to do at all times. I’m excited about what he can bring to our defense.”

Translation: The Packers are confident he’ll be an impact player once he’s thinking less and playing more, and LaFleur sees Gary progressing the right way.

The 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft played sparingly and delivered only marginal impact as a rookie, but throwing a talented and improved player like Gary into a bigger role always has the opportunity to create a difference-maker in Year 2.

Even as the third rusher behind Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, Gary has a chance to double or even triple the number of snaps he plays in 2020, and the production will follow if he can translate practice production into impact plays on Sundays.

At practice on Friday, reporters noted an impressive rush from Gary that saw the young edge rusher toss aside an offensive lineman in a 1-on-1 pass-rushing drill. Consistently throughout camp, Gary has delivered notable plays or pass-rushes, potentially setting him up for a breakout season.

“I think (Mike) Pettine and the defensive staff have done such a great job putting him in advantageous positions for him,” LaFleur said. “The work that he puts in on a daily basis with Mike Smith, I think Mike is a great teacher and developer. They are constantly working on their pass-rush moves.”

Smith, the team’s outside linebackers coach, has been Gary’s biggest supporter. And the work the two have done together is starting to pay off.

“I think Rashan is extremely talented. I think he’s done a really nice job being violent with his hands and being able to get the offensive lineman’s hands off of him,” LaFleur said.

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While most of America was stuck inside of their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary was working. After tallying just 13 solo tackles and two sacks as a rookie, the Michigan product’s desire to be great burned hotter than ever before.

“You can never question how Rashan goes after it,” said coach Matt LaFleur. “He came back in phenomenal shape, I saw a lot of the videos that he was posting the entire offseason. He is always working.”

LaFleur was referencing Gary’s offseason training videos, which he posted to his Twitter account.

“(Those videos were for) whoever wanted to watch it. It was just me working, just me wanting to be the best that I can be. That is just my work ethic. I know to be where I want to be, I got to work hard,” Gary said.

For the former No. 1 ranked prep football recruit, the hard work is already beginning to pay off.

“Talking about being leaner, I came back weighing 276. That’s where I wanted to be before we started getting into camp. The offseason was a little bit different because of COVID, so I had to go back to high school workouts. I was able to get in touch with my D-Line coach and we spent a lot of time working on my craft and technique.”

While the drills and training videos are certainly very impressive, it will all be for naught if Gary can’t produce when it really counts.

The edge rusher told reporters that he needs to be coachable in order for the work on the practice field to translate to success in games.

“You need to believe, too. Everything that we do in drill work, you have to truly believe that it works. I feel like once you believe, especially with a coach like Mike Smith, anything is possible. All you gotta do is believe and play.”

Gary is ready to help Green Bay win games in the 2020 season. He has put in all of the necessary work to become a great player. When asked how hungry he is for the opportunity to prove himself, Gary said, “That’s not even a question. Everything that I did in the offseason, coming up until this point, it has been about being the best me, it has been about me coming back and becoming an impact player. That’s what I want to be and that is what I will be.”

If Gary wants to avoid being tabbed as a bust, then he must prove his worth in the 2020 season. This is Gary’s chance to live up to his true potential.

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The Green Bay Packers shocked many in the football world during the 2020 season, bouncing back from back-to-back playoff-less seasons to win 13 games, capture the NFC North title and advance to the NFC title game during Matt LaFleur’s first season as coach.

Now, the Packers will go into the 2020 season with big expectations.

Over the next few days, we’ll run down a list of 10 different things Packers fans should be excited about as the 2020 season nears. The series rolls on with the pass-rushing group, which could actually improve this season:

Gary could really supercharge Packers’ pass-rush

The free-agent additions of outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith transformed the Packers’ pass-rush in 2019, with the two Smiths combining with Kenny Clark to give Mike Pettine a three-pronged weapon of ultimate quarterback disruption. Za’Darius Smith emerged as one of the NFL’s most disruptive and versatile rushers, Preston Smith set career-highs in every major statistical category and Clark ascended into elite territory as an interior defender after creating his most productive pass-rushing season.

Together, the three rushers created 31.5 sacks, 67 quarterback hits, 37 tackles for losses and 210 pressures during the regular season in 2019 – making them one of the most productive trios in the NFL.

Here’s the exciting part: the Packers’ already dominant pass-rush could get a big boost if 2019 first-round pick Rashan Gary takes a significant developmental step in Year 2 and provides Pettine with another big, versatile rusher.

The 12th overall pick, Gary played sparingly as a rookie as he learned how to operate as a standup outside linebacker in the 3-4 base defense. His physical attributes aren’t in question; Gary is a rare blend of size and elite athleticism. But he needed major development as a rusher coming out of Michigan, where his production never matched his overwhelming talent. The Packers believed, with the help of Pettine and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, that they could provide Gary with the tools he needed to be a game-changing rusher.

Gary flashed as a rookie, producing a pair of sacks and a handful of pressures.

The expectation in Green Bay is that Gary will make a big leap in 2020 as he develops his skillset, gets more comfortable in the defense and settles into a bigger role as a rusher. Snaps are available after Kyler Fackrell, who played over 400 snaps last season, departed in free agency.

If Gary is truly ready to contribute, the Packers could have a deep and frighteningly talented defensive front capable of disrupting any and all passing games, much like the 49ers last season. Not only could Gary provide relief on the edges, but like Za’Darius, he’s big enough and quick enough to slide inside and rush from the interior on passing downs. Pettine is a big believer in creating interior pressure. Za’Darius, Gary and Clark could provide a devastatingly effective wave of inside rushers.

What to be excited for series

Potentially perfect safety duo

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Edge rushers are drafted early to disrupt the quarterback, but the Green Bay Packers believe second-year outside linebacker Rashan Gary is capable of playing a bigger role against the run on early downs.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said an evaluation of Gary’s rookie season revealed a physical and violent player who could help the defense better set the edge against the run.

“(Gary) was one of our better guys when we went back and just looked at outside linebackers setting an edge in the run game, just how physical and how violent he was against tight ends and certain blocking patterns, that we realized we need to get him on the field more,” Pettine said during a conference call with reporters.

Of Gary’s 244 snaps as a rookie, only 94 came against the run. The bulk of the run-stopping duties at outside linebacker were given to Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, who both played well over 80 percent of the defense’s total snaps in 2019.

The Packers want a better distribution of snaps in 2020. Getting Gary on the field more as an early-down edge-setter could help keep the two Smiths fresh for passing downs and give Gary more chances to impact the game as he develops.

“Rashan is certainly built to give those guys a break,” Pettine said.

Gary proved capable over a limited sample size against the run. He produced six run stops, which Pro Football Focus considers a tackle creating a “loss” for the offense, and he had a higher run stop percentage than both Smiths. Also, PFF’s grade for Gary against the run was almost nine points higher than his pass-rushing grade.

At Michigan, Gary was far more productive against the run than as a pass-rusher.

At 6-5 and 277 pounds, Gary certainly has the body type to be a quality edge-setter. In theory, he has the length to get off blocks and the power to create knockbacks against offensive tackles and tight ends.

Putting Gary on the field more against the run could help maximize his value while he continues to develop as a pass-rusher.

Pettine and the Packers are clearly planning a bigger role for Gary, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft who managed limited impact during his first season. He’ll be the top backup at outside linebacker, and Pettine believes Gary can do more on early downs against the run while also giving the defense another versatile rusher who can slide inside and rush the quarterback against guards and centers.

All teams want to see a big second-year jump from young players. The Packers are going to give Gary every chance possible to make the jump in a bigger role in 2020.

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Even without a traditional offseason, the Green Bay Packers are anticipating a big jump from second-year edge rusher Rashan Gary during the 2020 season.

Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said he believes Gary has enjoyed a terrific offseason away from the team’s facilities and will return to Green Bay with an opportunity to take on a much bigger role for his defense.

“We’re looking forward to Rashan making a big jump,” Pettine said during a conference call with reporters on Friday. “He needs to make a big jump.”

As a rookie, Gary – the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft – produced two sacks, three tackles for losses and three quarterback hits while playing 244 snaps on defense. He was a rotational player behind veteran starters Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, but more opportunities should be available in 2020. Backup Kyler Fackrell departed in free agency and the Packers want to lessen the load down-to-down on both the Smiths, opening the door for Gary to become a bigger part of the defense.

“I do see Rashan taking a significantly increased role,” Pettine said. “I do think at times Preston and Z probably played a little too much, we want to take some off their plate. Rashan is certainly built to handle giving those guys a break.”

Pettine mentioned providing Gary with more chances to play on early downs, noting his physicality and violence setting the edge against the run as evidence for his potential value at outside linebacker on first and second down.

Pettine and the Packers also want to take advantage of Gary’s ability to slide inside and rush the quarterback over the guard or center, much like the defense already does with Za’Darius Smith.

“I think because of his skillset, we can use him more like we’ve used Z, on third down especially, where he can move down and rush from the tackle spot, as opposed to only on the edge,” Pettine said.

With Fackrell gone and the Smiths unlikely to both play almost 900 snaps in 2020, Gary’s opportunity is arriving. The Packers are banking him taking full advantage as a second-year player.

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