Countdown to Kickoff No. 37: Profile on Green Bay Packers CB Sam Shields

There are 37 days to go until the NFL season kicks off, and our “Countdown to Kickoff” series continues with Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields.

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Back in March of 2014, I said that Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields was overrated.

Dumb tweet.

More than two years later, I sent this tweet to the world and got crushed for it.

When the Packers handed Shields $39 million over four years, he immediately became one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. But with just $12.9 million in guaranteed money, Ted Thompson didn’t risk anything, because Shields was a relative unknown at the time. Yes, he was a good cornerback with elite ball skills (17 passes defended in 2013), but he was a bit inconsistent and prone to getting burned.

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The Packers have a great deal on their hands now. Consider that Janoris Jenkins makes $12.5 million per year, and he is a similar player to what Shields was as a 26-year-old when he received his long-term contract. Sure, Shields still makes more money per year than Aqib Talib and Sean Smith, but both players were at least two years older at the time of their signings.

Many people do not want to recognize that Shields is a top cornerback, and one convenient way to dismiss this argument is to bring up the players around him. Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins are both promising players, and the safety duo of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett is inarguably elite.

What’s harder to see, though, is how much smarter Shields plays on film. He doesn’t take as many reckless chances as he used to, so while that means his PDs fall a bit, his recognition skills and insane vertical leap ensure that he will still pick off three passes per year.

Every year, Shields makes plays for the Packers secondary, and it is remarkable to think that only Richard Sherman, who has to be recognized as the best cornerback in the business, has more picks among CBs over this time span. Some say Patrick Peterson is the best CB in the NFL, yet Shields has even more interceptions.

As Nnamdi Asomugha, Darrelle Revis, or a semi-smart NFL fan will tell you, picks aren’t everything at the cornerback position. Heck, it’s why I called Shields “overrated” two offseasons ago.

But now he’s safely one of the 15 best cornerbacks in the league and one of the most valuable members of a secondary that allowed 20 touchdowns to 16 interceptions forced. Shields can go toe-to-toe with the best wide receivers the league has to offer, and he adds that dangerous playmaking factor.

A leader on defense who has been with the team for six seasons, Shields has two more years left on his contract, which figure to be his two best seasons in the NFL. If he plays to that level and the Packers pass rush does its part, this Packers pass defense could become almost as strong as the team’s passing offense.

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He may have dropped several interception opportunities against the Arizona Cardinals, but remember that he also got into those positions. Without his Ike Taylor impression, Shields would have been recognized as one of the stars of the game. Before you say he isn’t clutch, refer to his performance against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 NFC Championship Game. At his best, Shields changes the complexion of game, and not many cornerbacks can attest to that.