Morning Buzz: Defense still in transition
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee, or brew some English breakfast tea if that’s your thing, and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
We start with Gary D’Amato’s column on the Packers defense and how one draft doesn’t magically fix things.
Optimism abounds in Packer Nation after Ted Thompson used his first four picks in the NFL draft to address a whole lot of need. Cornerback Kevin King, safety Josh Jones, defensive tackle Montravius Adams and outside linebacker Vince Biegel could wind up being plug-and-play rookies.
If all four contribute, will the Packers be markedly improved on defense this fall?
Don’t count on it.
Green Bay is coming off a season in which its defense ranked 31st in passing yards, tied for 30th in passing touchdowns and was 22nd in total yards. The Atlanta Falcons exploited every weakness in the NFC championship game, with Matt Ryan going off for 392 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-21 beat down .
It’s hard to fix that kind of ugly overnight, especially with first-year players.
The Packers continued to add to their running back room on Tuesday, with the addition of Kalif Phillips out of UNC-Charlotte. Tom Silverstein has the goods.
Tom also has the details on the contract Jahri Evans signed:
Our Richard Ryman has all the latest on Eddie Lacy’s yard sale, which is apparently back on.
I was on Facebook Live chatting with readers late Tuesday afternoon:
The Packers tickets allocated for Brown County residents have all been claimed:
Elsewhere, Kevin King got a special message from his old coach:
Peter Bukowski writes on the athleticism of the new defensive backs and how it might help the Packers defense:
Back in 1978, James Lofton was the sixth overall pick in the draft:
Check out some of Kevin King’s highlights:
An Oshkosh Titan has been invited to the Packers rookie camp:
The Power Sweep has a bunch of great stuff on the rookies:
Kevin Mooney wonders if the Packers did enough to help their pass rush:
Rob Demovsky writes that Randall and Rollins have been put on notice:
Josh Jones isn’t afraid to blitz:
Vince Biegel joined the Wilde and Tausch show Tuesday:
Photos and details from Randall Cobb's wedding: