It’s missed tackles here, there and everywhere for Packers

There is no panic from defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, though. Here's the story, in words and video, from Saturday.

Through two preseason games, the Green Bay Packers could change their name to the Green Bay Tackling Dummies.

By the time defensive coordinator Mike Pettine got done talking to the media at midday Saturday, Pro Football Focus had graded second preseason games for 18 teams. The Packers had missed a league-worst 33 tackles. Atlanta had also missed 33 tackles, though that came in three preseason games. Among other teams with two games graded by PFF, Carolina had 22, Jacksonville had 18 and nobody else had more than 16. In the NFC North, Detroit and Chicago had eight missed tackles apiece in two games; Minnesota had 10 in one game.

By our count, the Packers had 36 missed tackles in two games; by coach Matt LaFleur’s count, the Packers had 42 missed tackles, though that figure presumably included special teams, too.

“We keep drilling it,” was Pettine’s solution. “We have to walk that fine line. Knowing a lot of the coaches around the league, most teams don’t do live work in the body of practice. That’s something you have to try to simulate the best you can. There’s no substitute for those live reps (in preseason games). A lot of our misses are with our young guys. I think some of it is just getting used to the speed of the game and some of the athletes they’re trying to tackle as opposed to what it was like for them in college. Understanding they have to take that extra step, they have to bring their feet and they have to make sure that technique part is right; that they’re wrapping with their arms. We’ve missed some where we’ve tried to hit guys and knock them to the ground and we’re just bouncing off. So, they’re figuring that out the hard way. But we’re going to continue to work it. We’re not going to panic and go to live tackling drills. We understand the issues and who the culprits are, and hopefully we’ll take a step forward this week.”

Pettine is right in pointing out many of the misses have come from young players. There might be more of a sky-is-falling outlook if the tackles were coming from front-line players, but that hasn’t been the case. By our count, rookie linebacker Ty Summers has been guilty of eight misses. On Thursday at Baltimore, Green Bay’s starters played two series. On the opening series, rookie safety Darnell Savage missed a tackle on the tight end. On the second series, veteran safety Adrian Amos missed a tackle on the running back and linebacker Za’Darius Smith missed a sack and rookie linebacker Curtis Bolton missed a tackle on the ensuing scramble.

Then again, it’s not as if the Packers are the only team giving a lot of playing time to their rookies in the preseason. Indeed, that’s rather universal thinking in today’s protect-your-starters-at-all-costs world of professional football. So, while the Packers’ youngsters are missing tackles at an appalling rate, most of the rest of the league seems to be having fewer issues.

That the missed tackles are coming largely from players who aren’t expected to play a large role on the defense is of little comfort to Pettine, whose defense last year ranked 20th in misses.

“No, we don’t look at it that way,” he said. However, he continued, “We do prioritize it. We want to make sure if there’s anybody that is going to be a big part, that we feel is going to be a big part, if there’s a cause for concern. But I think that’s with most teams, you’ll see some young guys having to get used to the speed of the game and the type of athlete they’re trying to get on the ground. It’s a concern, but it really stops there. It doesn’t go much further than that. It’s something we’re drilling. We know how to teach it. We’ve get guys a little further along with it.”

There’s no panic from LaFleur, either. Last year, when LaFleur was offensive coordinator in Tennessee, the Titans were one of the best tackling teams in the league under defense-minded coach Mike Vrabel. The Titans had six misses in their first preseason game.

“I think it comes back down to the practice,” LaFleur said on Friday. “We’re really have to concentrate and have a more concerted effort on thudding up and trying to stop the runners feet. Because I still don’t believe in taking to the ground. The risk-reward is not worth it to me and I think that’s true with a lot of coaches throughout the league.”