Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk is accountable for his actions. So, on Thursday he explained to everyone why he had such a shitty season in 2011.
He forgot how to tackle.
That’s right. In his sixth season in the NFL, Hawk suddenly just forgot how to tackle dudes. It happens to the best of us, after all. At least, that’s more or less what he said on ESPN Radio.
“I’m sure stat-wise this year it probably doesn’t look like I had as good a year as I had in the past,” Hawk said. ” I felt like early on in the year I definitely missed more tackles than I would like and let the running backs catch the ball out of the backfield on me and that definitely wasn’t acceptable. But me and [inside linebackers coach Winston] Moss kind of worked on a technique of how we were going to change that up, and I think for the most part, toward the end, I felt like I was getting a lot better.”
So, essentially, Winston Moss had to teach a former No. 5 overall draft pick how to wrap a guy up and bring him to the ground again? That’s superb.
Why is a guy who’s been an NFL starter for six years, a guy who was given a huge new contract before the season, getting tackling lessons during the season?
I’ll tell you why. Because A.J. Hawk is a mediocre football player. Always has been. Always will be. And because he was chosen so high in the draft, he’s undoubtedly one of Ted Thompson‘s biggest busts.
Hawk had 84 tackles, 1.5 sacks and no interceptions in 2011. Now that’s what I call a playmaker!
Can the D.J. Smith era begin soon enough?