Green Bay Packers: Top five reasons the team from Packers News wins Super Bowl LII
Added depth on the defensive line
The Dom Capers-led defense started 2016 in fine fashion by holding opposing ground games to 60 yards or fewer in six of their first eight games of the year.
But the lack of depth in trenches made that type of dominance unsustainable with the front seven giving up an average of 77 yards to ball carriers in the second half of the season, a marked increase from the 53.6 yards they were allowing early on.
Big performances by DeMarco Murray (123 yards and 1 touchdown) and Rob Kelley (137 yards and 3 touchdowns) were just two examples of a crumbling unit.
But gone is the underachieving and oft-suspended Mike Pennel and while fellow disappointment Letroy Guion remains on the team, despite his 4-game suspension, he can easily lose his roster spot with new talent on board.
One of these new pieces is Ricky Jean-Francois, who can provide an added dose of quickness off the snap along with violent hands to win his share of inside battles versus the run and pass.
The continuing maturation of second-year lineman Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry also provide reasons for hope.
Clark, in particular, came on late in the year and was, in fact, at his best versus the Dallas Cowboys’ top-rated offensive line in the playoffs where he used his combination of quickness, leverage and the ability to anticipate the direction of running plays to be an absolute force.
More beef was added in last month’s draft in the form of 6-foot-4, 304-pound Montravius Adams, who wasn’t always consistent throughout his college career in the SEC, but displayed special traits when he was in top form.
Adams made the most of his Senior Bowl experience, where he impressed NFL talent evaluators on hand by showcasing tantalizing burst to shoot through gaps, the ability to chase down plays while also sinking his hips to beat big ball carriers head-on and prevent any sort of significant advancement.
If the 21-year-old can maintain his leverage on a more consistent basis, he has the physical requirements to not only blend in, but also become a feared playmaker.