Mike Daniels wants Green Bay Packers to send more ‘messages’
Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Daniels (76) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The Eagles won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Green Bay Packers defense has been the weakness of this team for a couple of years now, and it just seems like the defense continues to slide. Losing Aaron Rodgers has definitely hurt the Packers a huge amount, but the Packers are also winless since Rodgers’s injury due to some awful play on defense. Look no further than yesterday afternoon’s embarrassing 40-10 loss to the Detroit Lions to see just how bad this defense has become.
The Lions had no trouble running the ball down Green Bay’s throat, as Joique Bell and Reggie Bush seemed to rack up yardage almost at will. The Lions offensive line absolutely manhandled the Packers defense, particularly at the point of attack. I don’t know why the Packers are offering B.J. Raji an extension worth $8 million a year, and it’s even more mind-boggling to think that Raji has rejected that offer; he’s worth nowhere near that kind of money. It wasn’t just the run defense, though, as the secondary continued to break down in coverage.
Defensive end Mike Daniels has been one of the only bright spots on the Packers defense, and he’s honestly played at an incredibly high level this season both as a pass rusher and in run defense. According to Daniels, the Packers need to start playing with more aggression and sending messages to the offense by punching “them in their throat”.
Daniels said, via MLive.com, “We need to get tougher, choke people, punch them in their throat. I mean, that guy got a helmet-to-helmet on us. You know what? He was trying to send a message and every now and then you got to do that.”
The helmet-to-helmet hit that Daniels is referencing is, of course, the hit that Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy had on Packers tight end Ryan Taylor, which was flagged for a personal foul penalty of 15 yards.