Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been anything but perfect in 2018. First there’s his left knee injury Womens Bryan Bulaga Jersey , which has limited his ability to step into his throws. It has also limited his practice time, cutting back on his opportunities to build chemistry with the team’s three rookie wide receivers — an important factor given that they are seeing significant playing time with veterans Geronimo Allison and Randall Cobb injured.There is also the fact that Rodgers has seemed to pass up open receivers with regularity this season. Whether because he does not trust Mike McCarthy’s offensive scheme, his receivers, or his own eyes, there have been numerous instances of him choosing not to pull the trigger to an open man and extending plays.Still, Rodgers is on pace to set a few personal single-season records, and perhaps the most notable is in passing yards, thanks in large part to a pair of 400-yard games in the past two weeks. Rodgers now sits at 1,997 passing yards on the season, which exceeds his total from last year (effectively in six games as well) by more than 300 yards. This total puts him at an average of 332.8 yards per game, and if he keeps that pace he would eclipse not only his career-high yardage in a season, but he would cross the 5,000-yard threshold for the first time.His current pace would give him 5,325 yards through 16 games, which would give him the third-highest total in NFL history. Only Peyton Manning’s 2013 (5,477 yards) and Drew Brees’ 2011 seasons (5,476) yield higher totals. Rodgers’ previous career-high came in his 2011 MVP season, when he threw for 4,643 yards in 15 games (he sat out in week 17). Still, Rodgers isn’t leading the NFL in passing yards at this point. That honor goes to Ben Roethlisberger, whose 2,033 yards put him on pace for 5 Womens Aaron Jones Jersey ,421 yards. Rodgers is also on pace to break records for pass attempts and completions. His current line of 156-for-254 does not invoke greatness given that 61.4% completion rate, but it projects out to personal records of 416 completions and 677 attempts. His previous highs in those categories came in 2016, when he was 401-for-610.One other career-best mark for Rodgers is his interception rate. He has thrown one pick on 254 attempts, for a rate of 0.39%. That projects out to around three picks by the end of the year, which would be a career-low since he took over as a starter, even when considering his injury-shortened seasons.While Rodgers’ yards per attempt number is not quite matching the 8+ numbers that he consistently put up from 2009 to 2014, he is very close, averaging 7.9. He has significantly increased that number, as well as his yards per completion value (currently 12.8), over his marks in the past few years — one reason appears to be the fact that his receivers have been able to break some big plays for seemingly the first time since 2014. That year, he averaged 8.4 yards per attempt and 12.8 per completion, but those numbers dipped to around 7 and 11 each of the past three seasons.Where Rodgers does lag behind previous seasons is in touchdown passes, and his 12 through six games project out to 32 for the year. While that wouldn’t be a career-low over a full season (he threw 28 in 2008 and 2010, 30 in 2009, and 31 in 2015), it would be a low mark for touchdown rate per attempt, at just 4.7%. Surely his limited mobility is affecting this, however, as extending plays in the red zone was one of the reasons Rodgers has been so deadly near the goal line over the course of his career. (Also, he probably should have one more TD pass on his record, but his throw to Ty Montgomery last week was ruled a lateral, and thus a rushing attempt rather than a pass.)In summary Womens Reggie White Jersey , Rodgers is throwing the ball more than ever this year through the Packers’ first six games, something that is likely dictated in large part by the defense putting the team in an early hole. However, he has more big plays, thanks in no small part to his receivers picking up yards after the catch, which have him on pace to have an all-time great mark in passing yardage.Surely Mike McCarthy and Packers fans would like to see Rodgers throw the ball less often, as that would indicate that the team is in better control of its football games. If the team can improve its red zone efficiency, Rodgers’ touchdown numbers should improve to put him back near his mid-career averages. For now, though, fantasy players should be enjoying the video game numbers, and Packers fans have seen those stats come as the result of exciting, furious comebacks. Is it sustainable? Probably not. But it’s still fun. His linebacker skills alone would be worth a high price tag, but add in his athletic traits as a pass rusher and former UCLA standout Anthony Barr could be a star in Mike Pettine’s defense."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCSTShareTweetShareShareAnthony Barr is the kind of underutilized, high-upside play the Packers should consider Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsThe last time the Packers defense featured a No. 55, he was a bruising, hard-charging inside ‘backer reminiscent of a by-gone era in defense. In the old days (days that aren’t even that old), 3-4 defenses loved to have players like Desmond Bishop who could fly downhill, attack ball carriers and pressure quarterbacks. Even Mike Pettine just a few years ago used guys like Bart Scott, once an A-plus interior blitzer, to terrorize quarterbacks. But as defenses evolved to meet the burgeoning rise of spread offenses, coaches countered with more mobile cover players at linebacker. Pettine played safeties by trade next to Blake Martinez last season more than half the time.What if the Packers could get both? A No. 55 for the modern era, someone who could play the run, cover in space Womens Davante Adams Jersey , and had the athletic traits to be a pass rusher. Maybe someone who was a blue-chip pass-rush prospect coming out of college who ended up playing out of position in the pros. And perhaps he has a somewhat sordid past with the Packers thanks to a borderline hit on Aaron Rodgers that cost him his season.Yes, that No. 55: Anthony Barr. But don’t play him inside. Let him return to his natural position flying off the edge and hunting opposing quarterbacks.When Mike Zimmer decided Barr was an off-ball linebacker rather than a primary pass rusher, it was legitimately shocking. How could he take a player with 21.5 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss his last two years at UCLA and not let him pin his ears back? At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, he had freak athletic tools to do it even if he was raw with his technique. His first-step quickness was and is outstanding, posting a 1.56 10-yard split which is good for the 94th percentile among edge players. His 3-cone is in the 97th percentile and his shuttle is 91st.Believing Barr could play linebacker wasn’t a stretch. Clearly he was athletic enough to do it, but it’s like buying a Ferrari to go to the grocery store. Sure, it will do the job, but that’s not what it’s designed to do. Plus, everyone delivers now.And early in his career in particular, Barr flourished in the role earning four straight trips to the Pro Bowl. Even if he gave the Packers very little in Year 1 as a pass rusher, he’d be worth the $10 million to 12 million a top off-ball linebacker would earn in free agency. If there’s one thing the Packers defense lacks, it’s athletic playmakers. Enter Barr, with his length, change of directions skills, and burst. Watch him here shuck the wideout, run with him to the inside, then change directions and explode to the quarterback. Is there a player currently on the Packers athletically capable of doing this? Forget the horse collar tackle, it happens. Barr can be grabby as a tackler. But how many times have mobile quarterbacks made Packer edge players and linebackers look silly with their lack of speed? That’s not going down with Barr back there. Teams have consistently been able to beat Green Bay’s defense with misdirection because the squad simply doesn’t have the players to make up when they read things wrong initially. There’s not enough explosiveness to direct and go find the ball. That’s where Barr excels. Here, he gets fooled to the inside, but has the agility to stick his foot in the ground and the burst to go find the QB to try and disrupt the throw. Moving to the edge, could he hold up as a run defender? This is a relevant question if for no other than than we haven’t seen him take on blocks out there very often. But there are reasons to believe he can do it. This example comes against Green Bay where he takes on the block of Corey Linsley and sheds him easily to make the stop:Linsley trips http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-aaron-rodgers-jersey , but Barr had won the rep by keeping Linsley off his body and stayed detached. He consistently shows toughness and a little nasty taking on these kinds of blocks. There’s no reason he couldn’t do it on the edge with his length and upper body strength. His athleticism also shows up in the run game. In the prime of Clay Matthews’ career, teams decided to leave him unblocked on the backside at their own risk. Matthews would run backs down in the backfield regularly. No one needs Pro Football Focus to tell us that doesn’t happen anymore withhim. Barr not only has the juice to do it, he has the quickness to beat a blocker to the inside from the snap and make a play down the line. He won’t be facing tight ends on every snap, but if he’s too quick off the snap for an athletic player, imagine what it’ll be like for a 315-pound offensive tackle. Seattle’s Ed Dickson is no slouch either and Barr beats him first with quickness and then strength. This could be the end. A multiple Pro Bowl linebacker who size, speed, and impact tackling ability is worth paying top dollar for in Green Bay. But the pass rush upside should be the element to sell the Packers on ponying up the dough for their former nemesis. As Andy Herman at CheeseheadTV points out, Barr rarely beats offensive linemen to get his sacks. But he also rarely gets to rush the passer in a traditional sense. Nearly everything he does is off the blitz, a very similar type of A-gap mug blitz scheme Pettine runs. For starters, that’s not a problem because he’s really good at it. In 2018, only two players had a higher pressure rate when rushing the passer than Barr. In fact, Barr put up as many pressures (23) as Kyler Fackrell in fewer than half the pass rush snaps. Fackrell turned 27 last season when he had his breakout year and Barr is 26 right now. Over his career, Barr has never been outside the top-20 in linebacker pressures and was in the top 10 four times. Even if all he’s capable of is being one of the five best blitzing linebackers in the NFL, that is a considerable value add. When he comes off the edge, he does it with bad intentions for the quarterback, bringing his 4.66 40 to bear. Even if he doesn’t get home, his height and length can disrupt passing lanes. This is a good time to point out sacks aren’t everything when it comes to production. Disruption is production. Pressuring the quarterback, tipping a pass, hitting him after he throws it, these are all ways to be productive without sacking the quarterback. With closing speed like his, he could be a monster with more reps. Pettine loves to run overload blitzes where offensive lines aren’t sure who is coming and who isn’t. He’ll mix in a twist or stunt just to add in a layer of complexity. There are precisely the circumstances where Barr thrives. Not a sack, but he forces the overthrow from Russell Wilson. Notice how fast he closes down space and takes care not to make unnecessary contact with the quarterback Womens Antonio Morrison Jersey , avoiding a flag. This isn’t a pressure Clay Matthews or Nick Perry would get. They’re just not twitchy enough anymore. Even if Pettine has to treat Barr like a receiver who has to be schemed open, when those opportunities come, Barr will crush them. Blake Martinez posted a similar pressure rate to Barr’s last season in just 84 opportunities. Imagine Martinez and Barr each standing over the center while the quarterback tries to figure out who is coming and who isn’t. It doesn’t take going back to UCLA to find glimmers of the edge terror Barr could be become either. Minnesota would put him out there and get him matched on tight ends or running backs. Barr discards Kenyan Drake right into the quarterback and then gets the sack. It’s not beating an NFL lineman, but the burst, ability to corner and then retrace to the quarterback are traits the Packers are looking for in rookie pass rushers. In some ways, that’s how he has to be treated given how little he’s been able to do it as a pro. The question about his ability to win on his own around the edge shouldn’t be dismissed. Here’s one of the few reps he has taking on a block, in this case against one of the best left tackles in football. Barr’s approach here smacks of a player lacking confidence in these situations. The shimmy is more token than anything and robs him of any chance to convert speed to power. He does well to eventually get Andrew Whitworth’s hands off him, but the ball is long gone by then. The Packers would have to hope new linebackers coach Mike Smith could do the same thing for Barr he did for guys like Dee Ford, helping him improve his technique to unlock his potential. In half a dozen games from 2018 and 2017, there were only a handful of snaps, no more than five, where he was actually asked to go beat an offensive lineman. That’s one reason he hasn’t had to beat offensive linemen for any of his 13.5 career sacks. But let’s put that number into some perspective. Dee Ford led the league in pressures last year but saw 626 pass rush snaps last season to Barr’s 103 and 60 more than Barr has in his entire career (566). Even if every single one of those sacks had to be schemed up, I don’t think any Packer fan would think twice about it being a win. The question will be price, but even if all Barr can be is a versatile linebacker who can cover, make some plays in the run game, and maximize his blitz opportunities, that’s a $10 million-plus player in the NFL today. Given that floor of impact, it makes much more sense to pay him in that $12 million to 14 million range to be a jack-of-all trades Sam linebacker than to fork over the $14 million to 16 million it may take to get Preston or Za’Darius Smith. As long as Rodgers and his collarbone sign off, it’s an opportunity for the Packers to improve multiple areas of their team in one move.
