• March 28, 2024

Development Of The Packers’ Safeties

The Green Bay Packers have made tremendous growth in the defensive secondary at both the cornerback and safety positions.  I’ve already written about the cornerbacks, so I might as well take a close look at the safeties.

At the beginning of the season, Nick Collins and Atari Bigby were the starting safeties for the Packers secondary which led the league with 24 interceptions and 15 forced fumbles.  It was the second year in a row that Packers defense led the league in interceptions.

I’m sure Andy Reid is aware of those statistics as he looks for a new defensive coordinator.

Collins put the Packers into the playoffs with an interception of Jay Cutler in the Pack’s final regular season game.  That was the fourth interception of the year for the Pro Bowl safety.

He was drafted in the second round in 2005 out of Bethune-Cookman University where he had walked on the team.  He didn’t have much of a football background, so it took him a while to live up to his ability on the NFL level, but he has been developed into a great football player.

Collins made the Pro Bowl squad for the third consecutive year and is one of the most complete safeties in the league.  He’s got the speed and quickness to cover one-on-one, as well as the size to bring down big backs and tight ends in the open field.

Safety Atari Bigby was signed by the Packers in 2005 as a free agent and spent most of 2006 on the team’s practice squad.  He gained a starting safety job during training camp of 2007 and hasn’t looked back.  He’s the classic ball hawk who has lightning quick explosiveness to the ball.

Bigby had five interceptions in 2007 and four interceptions in 2009.  He missed quite a few games in 2008 and has been laboring in 2010 with a groin injury.

Charles Prepah is a veteran journeyman who played special teams for four years in the Green Bay, but he’s stepped in this year and done a nice job in place of Bigby in the playoffs.

The Packers safety coach is Darren Perry who played a long time for the Pittsburgh Steelers at the safety position.  Perry had coached with the Oakland Raiders prior to joining the Packers staff two years ago.  He was an outstanding player and is considered a gifted coach on the NFL level.

I would be surprised if Reid were to hire him as the new defensive coordinator but I could see him coming to Philadelphia with Mike Trgovac or Winston Moss if Reid makes one of them his new defensive coordinator.

I also believe that Packers cornerback coach Joe Whitt Jr. is one of the secrets to their success.  The work he has done in developing the team’s cornerbacks has made them an outstanding defense.  I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the forementioned coaches were selected as the Eagles new defensive coordinator, Whitt Jr. would be approached about making the trip to Philadelphia.

GCOBB

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paulman
paulman
January 27, 2011 4:45 pm

Bigby & Peprah are Free-agents after this season and at least 1 of them will be availalbe…
Remeber the Packers last years Drafted Safety Morgan Burnett in the 3rd Round who has a very bright future ahead of him and was filling in for Bigby at the beginning of the season until he was injured..

paulman
paulman
January 27, 2011 4:50 pm

These young CB’s also had the good fortune to learn behind some great CB’s in
R Woodson and Al Harris which reinforces the good coaching techniques and schemes that the
Packers have.. Kind of like when S Brown and L Sheppard had a year or 2 to learn behind
T Vincent and B Taylor.. It starts with good dplayers in a good system/schemes.. If you keep draft/acquiring good young talent to learn from the veteran players, then yo can maintain that continuity and consistentcy that is so improtant to having an effective Defensice Secondary which teh Eagles have been known for years and it’s only been the last fews years that it has started to struggle… Was it the players or the coaches (McDermott was the Secondary coach before taking over as DC wasn’t he..)

jott1972
jott1972
January 27, 2011 4:53 pm

I have Peprah high on my list for the Eagles to purse as a replacement for Mikell…. he is in his prime at 27 and very talented. It makes sense after the Eagles hire Moss to run the defense….he would need some parts that know the system and can help others.

paulman
paulman
January 27, 2011 5:04 pm

Right on JOtt

I have Mickell probably signing a Free-agent deal with the Panthers for the same reason
McDermott was Secondary Coach for the Eagles before becoming the Dc and is the only coach that
Mickell has ever had at the NFL level.. You always see free-agent players try to reunite with old coaches that they know,trucst and had good seasons with..
I also see MLB S Bradley going back out to the mid-west (where he is from) and play for the Rams and reunite with Coach Spags..
This Defense will have a lot of new faces I believe come next year…

supabad
supabad
January 27, 2011 5:42 pm

We need aCB as well. If we cant get Asomuagh we should go after Sam Shields or Tramon Williams. I believe they are both free agents as well.