Throughout the training camp practices and in the preseason games, it appears that the Green Bay Packers are using linebacker blitzes more often than they did last year under Joe Barry.
In the team drill portion of practice, it hasn’t been uncommon to see the linebacker blitzing multiple times within a specific period. In the two preseason games, the Packers’ linebackers have totaled five pressures, with Jimmy Phillips leading the way with 11 pass rush snaps, according to PFF. Quay Walker has three such snaps, while Isaiah McDuffie, Tariq Carpenter, and Eric Wilson all have two.
Following Tueday’s practice, I asked Quay Walker if this group was, in fact, blitzing more or if it was just my perception.
“We’ve been switching it up and blitzing a whole lot,” said Walker. “I felt like we blitzed a whole lot last year, but this year, we’ve been blitzing way; a bit more than we did last year.”
In part, the Green Bay defense may be showing for blitz looks to test Jordan Love and the young offense. It’s likely that opposing defenses are going to throw a number of blitzes at this offense in an effort to confuse them and cause some chaos. But with that said, the fact that the Packers are also doing it somewhat regularly in the preseason shows that this might be a bigger part of the defensive system in 2023.
According to Pro Football Reference (PFR), the Packers ranked fifth in blitz rate last season. However, as film guru Ben Fennell points out, PFF and PFR define a blitz as a rush with five or more defenders. The Packers, however, use a lot of five-man fronts. So yes, they are rushing five, but no, they are not blitzing. Fennell added that in the Minnesota and Chicago games early on last season, the Packers didn’t blitz Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields one time.
So, if what the Packers have been doing with their linebackers in the preseason and training camp carries over into the regular season, it would be a change of pace for them and a welcomed sight as well. Far too often, this Green Bay defense, which has its share of playmakers, was way too reactive instead of proactive. The offense was the one doing the dictating, while it felt and looked like the defense was on its heels in many instances. Blitzing, if effective, can be one way to take back some of that control by dictating, attacking, and disrupting the play.
Given that a key element of training camp is installing the playbook and that we’ve seen the Packers’ linebackers blitzing throughout the last few weeks rather than just here and there, it suggests that blitzing from that position is going to be a bigger part of the defense this season. But ultimately, like anything else, we will have to see if that carries over into the regular season.
