I expect Griffin to stand up pretty well, in large part due to Sheldon Richardson. Pete said that he would start Mike Bennett in the middle with Richardson beside him.
I expect our running defense to improve
noticeably with Richardson replacing Rubin, and we were first against the run last year, and this will cause other teams to pass more against us this year.
Which is fine, because I expect Richardson to
vastly improve our pressure up the middle. If they double team him, then Bennett will almost surely penetrate. Pocket destruction will force Rodgers to pass more quickly, with less time to see and think, and for receivers to get open. Our defensive ends will be closing on him all game, giving him a thrilling game, with less time to throw, and thus easing Griffin's coverage problem.
Carroll, Sherman, and Baldwin have all said that Griffin already looks like a veteran which is the second reason I think he will do pretty well. Chris Richard on Thursday explicitly mentioned Griffin's poise, and ability to stop the over the top throws.
This leaves their Martellus Bennett who will aggravate our historical problem defending their tight ends. Kenneth Arthur wrote today "This will be a rare head-to-head match up of the Bennett Bros. More importantly though,
Seattle has consistently struggled in defending tight ends; how has Martellus Bennett looked so far and what sort of production would you expect out of him this season as the Packers TE?".
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2017/9/8/162 ... prediction
I would expect them to route tight ends through Griffin's area to increase his pattern recognition problem.
I expect us to counter the tight ends in part with Bradley McDougald, six one, 209, and Neiko Thorpe, six two, 210. Pete said that we would use McDougald in some special looks when we acquired him, and Pete might have said some "three safety packages".
Chris seems to agree, writing
McDougal is going to play a lot, were going to have a Bandit Rush package I think or a dime / Bandit fast package I think and we will see it with TE coverage, watch the GB game I bet we break it out. There is a reason we are bigger and have attitude in our secondary and Coleman is going to be able to handle Cobb.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=138181
I did not know the term "bandit rush" when I read this, so looked it up finding that Bandit Rush means a 3-1-7 defense. I could not find what a "dime / Bandit fast" package is, and would love to have that explained to me. Perhaps it is a 4-1-6, or a 3-2-6.
Thoughts?
