Tuesday, November 19, 2019

NFL Hot Takes Week Ten - Packers Defense Needs Improvement - Ticket King Green Bay


We are ten weeks into the NFL season, and we have plenty of stories that have unfolded. Time for some hot takes on all that is football in 2019.

Packers Defense- The Packers defense has too much talent to be playing as poorly as they have since the Eagles game. Coming into the game against Carolina, Kenny Clark stated that the defense has spent a lot more time watching film. Preston Smith noted that there is plenty of self criticism, and that members of the defense need to allow for some outside input on how they are playing. La Fleur mentioned that they were doing a lot of  “self scouting” in this department.

Packers Record- Through ten games the Packers are 8-2. Their over/under for the season was 7.5. That means with six games to go they have already beaten the spread. Let that one sink in.

Baker Mayfield- What we are seeing with Baker Mayfield is the difference between Aaron Rodgers sitting for three years and Aaron Rodgers playing from day one, as Mayfield has.
Granted, Mayfield isn’t waiting in the wings behind a Hall of Fame Quarterback like Brett Favre, and he’s playing for a team that has a first year head coach running the show. In fact, the differences between the Packers as an organization, and the Browns is probably putting more influence on how Mayfield acts on and off the field, than he was perceived to be in college ball. There have been plenty of cocky rookie first rounders in the NFL, but most of them settle in when they find out that their talent level in college is easily matched in the NFL.

Rams Personnel Moves- What in the world are the Rams doing? Trading two first-round draft choices for cornerback Jalen Ramsey was just the latest in a string of moves intended to build an “All-Star” team. How many All-Star teams have lifted the Lombardi trophy?

Jason Garrett- The last three minutes of the Cowboys/Vikings game on Sunday night was some of the worst clock management in recent years. Once they got into Vikings territory the Cowboys should have slowed it down and burned the clocked, either scoring a touchdown with six seconds left or losing the game. The hurried play calling showed, as the Vikings were ready for both of those draw plays to Elliott on second and third down.

Garder Minshew/Nick Foles- Coming out of their bye week here, the Jaguars will turn to Nick Foles. Yes, they just benched the rookie of the year Gardner Minshew.

Bears Quarterback Rumors- Mitch Trubisky was supposed to take that final big step this season after a promising 2018. Instead, he’s taken one giant step backward, and the Bears are ready to bail on him, according the rumors. Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, and Joe Flacco have all been linked to the Bears for next season.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Packers Survive and Advance After Wild Ride Against Kansas City | Ticket King Green Bay


If we could describe the Green Bay Packers season in three words they would be “survive and advance.”

Once again, the Packers lived by those words. Coming into this matchup, this was a game the Packers should have won easily. The Chiefs were without their star young quarterback Pat Mahomes, their two starting offensive linemen to the left side, and several key defensive players.  The Packers raced out to a 14-0 lead, and a blowout looked imminent. But the Matt Moore led Chiefs scored 17 unanswered points to take a 17-14 lead. The Packers fired right back with 10 straight of their own in the second half and held on for a 31-24 victory. Let’s look at the good and the bad from tonight’s game.

The Bad:

The Packers secondary, which was built to be much better this season and has been most games, was awful in the first half. They let Matt Moore (one year out of the league) look like he was on the same level as Aaron Rodgers. Moore threw the ball all over the field tonight, finishing the game 24 of 36 for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

Six of the the front seven on defense were on their heels for the first half of this game. They were confused by the pre snap motion, and burned by the speed that the Chiefs have in their wideouts. This may have been Preston Smith’s worst game of the season so far, as he finished with no sacks and just one quarterback hit.

The Good:

Aaron Jones  had himself a game last night. Jones finished the game with 20 touches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. 156 of those yards came through the air. He is starting to look like a young Dorsey Levens. Last season, Jones was just not called upon to catch passes, but this year he’s a multi dimensional force.

Aaron Rodgers finished his night completing 23 of 33 passes, for 305 yards and three touchdowns. There were more than a few passes that reminded everyone what a rare talent we have in Rodgers.

Matt LaFleur continues to adjust his gameplan week after week after week, and he did it yet again tonight. Last week he beat the Raiders on the edge with the big receivers. Last night, he torched a Chiefs beaten up linebacker unit with perhaps the hardest guy to cover in the league, Aaron Jones. His decision coming out of the two-minute warning showed me that he and Aaron Rodgers are finally on the same page. He could have tried to run the ball and pick up a first down, which would have been unlikely or run the clock down to almost a minute left before punting. Instead, he went five wide and let his big-money all-world quarterback go get it done with the game on the line. And sure enough, he did.

The Packers travel to Los Angeles next week to take on the Chargers, in a game that should see  80% Packers fans filling the stands. It should be a road game in name only. As for last night, the Packers survived and advanced.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Packers Peaking Against Raiders | Ticket King Green Bay


The Green Bay Packers ran over the Raiders on Sunday, cruising to a 42-24 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The win puts the Packers at 6-1 on the season.
When you compare Aaron Rodgers' first game of the season to his “NFC Player of the Week” performance last Sunday, you would think that they were two different quarterbacks. Through the early weeks of the season, the Packers leaned heavily on the defense, and it paid off. Once the Packers get everybody healthy, specifically Davante Adams and Darnell Savage, is there an even stronger team to come? 

Under LaFleur, Aaron Jones is finally getting the workload he should have. To this point in the season, Jones has 128 touches for 595 yards and nine touchdowns. This is exactly how it should be. Davnte Adams may not be back for this upcoming game at Kansas City, but all is not lost. This banged up core of wideouts has stepped up to the task. Elgton Jenkinsm a second-round rookie offensive lineman has stepped in for the injured Lane Taylor at left guard and has not looked back. He has been marvelous so far, and the Packers offensive line has been much better since he stepped into the role.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Packers vs Lions 2019 Game Preview | Ticket King Green Bay


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The Green Bay Packers are coming off their most important win the of the season, when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-24 after jumping out to a 31-3 lead. This week, the Detroit Lions come to town, looking for their third-straight win at Lambeau Field.

Rodgers is getting more and more comfortable in this offense each week. Even though it didn’t show up on the stat sheet, Rodgers had his best game of the season in Dallas. Without Davante Adams, Rodgers found nine different receivers, and was calm as could be in key moments. The Packers will be without Adams again this week, so they will need a similar game from Rodgers.

 The other Aaron is coming off his best performance of his career, scoring four touchdowns. Without Davante Adams, the Packers are going to need a similar performance from the running game, but unlike last week, Jones will not have to do it all by himself. After the big hit two weeks ago that many feared ended his season, and possibly his career, Jamal Williams has already cleared concussion protocol and is back for the Packers. That is welcome news, as now, with Tra Carson, then Matt LaFleur can split the running load between three running backs, and keep the workload off of Jones so he is fresher for later on in the season.

Even though the focus will be on the running backs this week, the wide receiver core unit will need to provide a similar performance as they had in Dallas. They weren’t special, but they came up big for Aaron Rodgers when they needed to.

The Packers have gotten more than their return on their investment in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. “The Smiths” could very well be the first team All-Pro for both outside linebacker positions at the end of the season. They have been that good. They were in Dak Prescott’s face all day in Dallas, but Prescott was able to slip away on many occasions because of his athletic ability. That will not be happening with Matthew Stafford. The Lions offensive line has their hands full in this one.

This is a young secondary is, talented & opportunistic, and chances, and based on what we have seen so far this season, they will be. Final Score: 24-17 Packers.
Matthew Stafford, for as great as he is, will give the opposing secondary 2-3 chances a game to make a play. They need to be ready for those


Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Packers "Stock Report" for Week Three | Ticket King Green Bay

Ticket King Green Bay
The Packers almost covered the spread against the Broncos on Sunday, earning a 27-16 victory in the rain and the slog. Vince Lombardi would have been proud. The win puts the Packers at a very surprising 3-0 to begin the season. Let’s review the game in “Stock Market Report” form.

Blue Chip Stocks

Preston Smith/OLB- One of the big free agent signings of the offseason, Preston Smith had himself a monster of a game, finishing with three sacks, two tackles for a loss, and three more quarterback hits on top of that.

Za’Darius Smith/OLB- The other of the Smiths had himself a huge game as well, finishing the day with two sacks, two tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits of his own. The Smith’s now have more sacks combined than the Packers starting rush linebackers did all of last season TOTAL.

Jaire Alexander/CB- Cornerback’s games don’t show up on the stat sheet, but Alexander is becoming one of the best corners in the league. He had another great game yesterday.

Darnell Savage/S- The Packers moved up to take Savage in the first round this year, and so far, they have gotten more than their investment back in return. Savage has graded out as the eighth-best safety in the league so far this season.

J.K. Scott/P- J.K. Scott has been the Packers best player so far this season, and at the rate he is going, he could very well be the first punter in history to end up on the MVP ballot.

Solid Investments

Marquez Valdes-Scantling/WR- MVS had himself a good game, catching six passes for 99 yards, including the first “Aaron Rodgers $14.95 three-course special- free play, deep pass, and a touchdown” of the season in the first quarter.

Jamal Williams/RB- He bulldozed his way through the mud all game, picking up important first downs and getting that tough yardage all game.

Blake Martinez/ILB- Another game, another solid performance for the All-Pro, finishing the game with 12 tackles.

Junk Bonds
Aaron Rodgers/QB- Rodgers and Matt LaFleur need to get on the same page, and soon.

Aaron Jones- He scored two touchdowns today but those were both in shorter yardage situations, and Jones only had 19 yards rushing in this one.

Buy/Sell

Buy: The Packers defense is for real- So far this season, this Packers defense has surrendered the second-fewest points in the league. The pass rush is clicking, and this defense is the real deal.

Sell: They can rely on the defense like this from this point forward- The defense may be for real now, but they can’t ask the defense to just completely shut down opponents every week like this. The offense has got to be better.

Buy: The offense has room for improvement- The offense has been bad, but the potential is there.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Packers Take Down Vikings | Ticket King Green Bay


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The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings met at Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon in a crucial early NFC North matchup. The winner would stake out to an early division lead through two weeks, and that winner proved to be the Green Bay Packers. The team raced out to a 21-0 lead, and held on for a 21-16 victory. Here are some rapid reactions to the game.

Packers: This game could not have started any better for the Packers. After going deep to Davante Adams on the first play from scrimmage. From there, an Aaron Jones run set up a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Williams. The Vikings first drive ended with a missed field goal. The Packers got the ball back and marched on a methodical, eleven play touchdown drive. The Vikings failed on their next drive when Kirk Cousins fumbled, and the Packers took that gift and scored. That was pretty much the end of the highlights for the Packers offense. Mike Zimmer made adjustments, and the Vikings defense clamped down, keeping the Packers off the scoreboard for the rest of the game. The second half of the game revealed the much expected growing pains for Matt LaFleur.

Vikings: The loss falls upon Kirk Cousins. Cousins finished the day 14-32 for 230 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. The interception in the fourth quarter was a ball Cousins simply should not have thrown. It was first down, the Vikings were running the ball on the Packers, and he had three shots at a touchdown if he just makes the right decisions. Cousins made bad decisions all game and missed open receivers. In the second half, the Vikings didn’t abandon the run game, but they also put too much on Cousins, asking him to throw thirty-plus passes. Cousins is not a game changer, literally. The Vikings will adjust, and their run game is for real. Also, give credit to the Packers defense yet again. They kept the Vikings out of the end zone just enough times to give the Packers the win. It’s another home game for Green Bay this Sunday, when the Denver Broncos come to town.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Packers vs Bears Week One | Ticket King Green Bay


Ticket King Green Bay
The 2019 NFL season has finally arrived. Usually the reigning Super Bowl champions kick things off by hosting the season opener.  Since this is NFL’s one hundredth season, they will literally kick things off with the oldest rivalry in the NFL. It’s the Packers versus Bears, and this game will be played at the NFL’s oldest (although modern) stadium, Soldier Field. For the Bears, it begins a season in which they are out to prove they are not a one-hit-wonder and their division title last year was no fluke. For the Packers, it is the start of a new era under head coach Matt LaFleur. It will also be the first time we see Aaron Rodgers in a new offense, or take a snap in 2019 for that matter.

How will Aaron Rodgers look? As stated above, this will be Aaron’s first live game action in this offense. He sat out the preseason due to back tightness, and the hot topic of many football talk shows has been just that. Some are saying it wasn’t a good idea for him to sit out the entire preseason, especially since this is a new offense. Still, he’s led the team through training camp, has studied the scheme, and tested it against the Packers defense. It’s not like he’s just been air dropped into the situation, with just 48 hours to learn the plays.

Tonight signals a change in the Packers offense. Not just because it is a new system, but because of what will be part of the focal point on offense. Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams are essential for setting up the play action, blocking, and keeping opposing defenses in check. These are two very talented young running backs, and it is a matter of them both staying healthy.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling won the third receiver job, Eq. St. Brown goes on injured reserve, J’Mon Moore gets cut, Jake Kumerow is the fourth receiver, and the Packers kept not only Trevor Davis but Darrius Shepherd and Allen Lazard as well.

The Packers rebuilt their linebacking unit this off season, specifically the pass rushers. They signed Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith on the same day and spent their top draft choice on Michigan’s Rashan Gary. MikePettine doesn’t want speed in his front seven. He wants strength and power. He wants to rush the passer by overpowering the offensive line and collapsing the pocket, not trying to run around them.

The Packers begin 2019 with two new starting safeties. They poached Adrian Amos from the Bears in free agency and spent a first-round draft choice on Darnell Savage from Maryland. If Savage and last year’s first-round cornerback Jaire Alexander both pan out, the Packers will be torched vertically no more.

Anything can happen in week number one. Teams that rise above make adjustments mid game, and hold on to get that first win under their belts. Still, few of us expect the Packers to win this game. Final score- 27-13 Bears.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

NFL Backup Quarterbacks Battle Across the League | Ticket King Green Bay


For those of us in Wisconsin, the time discussing the current backup quarterback battle going on in Packers camp between DeShone Kizer and Tim Boyle have taken up all the airspace. However, there are plenty of other backup and third-string quarterback battles going on across the league. Let’s highlight some of them.

Vikings:  This is an organization that has never been to keen on handing the backup quarterback position to a player who has never taken an NFL snap but that is what they are currently considering. Sean Mannion was chosen to be the backup, but Kyle Sloter, the former undrafted free agent, has been nothing but impressive. In his first couple of seasons with the Vikings, during the preseason and practice, Sloter has looked confident and poised. The Vikings could very well hand him the backup quarterback position and cut Mannion. That would probably mean that Jake Browning would head to the practice squad.

Saints: Teddy Bridgewater, the former Vikings first-round draft choice who was signed last year to be the backup, is losing his grip on the role to Taysom Hill. This former undrafted free agent has gotten better and better with each passing day. The Saints could very well elect to trade Bridgewater at the end of camp to a backup quarterback-needy team, recouping a draft choice, and signing somebody they like off of somebody else’s scrap heap to be on their practice squad.

Steelers: This could very well be Big Ben’s final season. If that is the case, the Steelers need to find his replacement. Neither Joshua Dobbs or Mason Rudolph are really the future. They are, however, in a heated battle to be the backup quarterback. Joshua Dobbs’ interception this week didn’t help his cause. This one is really tight.

Chargers: The Chargers backup quarterback battle is between Cardale Jones and the veteran Tyrod Taylor. They are going to have to cut one at some point, as rookie Easton Stick is going to require being kept on the 53-man roster. Right now, the advantage goes to Jones.

Raiders: It should be noted that Jon Gruden has said that Nathan Peterman is growing on him. However, Mike Glennon has been better. In fact, he threw two touchdown passes this week in a very impressive performance that all but solidified his back up job.

Buccaneers: This is a battle between a pair of veterans with some serious game experience. Ryan Griffin is in his sixth season, and in extended play this week he went 14 for 21 for 201 yards and a touchdown pass. Blaine Gabbert meanwhile did not look good, completing 5 of 12 passes, for just 42 yards.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Packers Family Night Recap 2019 - Ticket King Green Bay


The Packers held their annual Family Fun Night on Friday, which is a glorified scrimmage to help prepare them for preseason play. Let’s go through a rundown of what happened.

Aaron Rodgers- This was our first chance to see Rodgers in this new offense, and he looked very  comfortable. He found the likes of Jake Kumerow, Davante Adams, and Geronimo Allison for big gains down the field and looked sharp on smaller throws as well.

Davante Adams- Adams looked solid when he was on the field, specifically on that big catch from Rodgers. He and Rodgers should be just fine in this new offense.

Geronimo Allison- This was our first chance to see Allison, after missing most of the season a year ago. Allison will be the team’s number two receiver in this new offense. He looked in rhythm with Rodgers early, especially on a quick slant.

Trevor Davis- He has a lot of work to do this preseason to keep his roster spot. It was a case of “So far, so good.” He was the best player on the field Friday night, making big plays and leaping catches downfield for big gains. Still, it was just a glorified practice and we will see how he does in preseason play.

Jake Kumerow- If Kumerow wants to be the third receiver he sure helped his cause Friday night. He made a big catch downfield from Rodgers and showed off his footwork along the sidelines as well.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling- The second of three receivers battling for the slot job, Scantling looked solid, nothing impressive though.

J’Mon Moore- Moore struggled in front of the friendly crowd, and will be taking a seat on the back of Packers wide receiver bus soon.

Deshone Kizer/Tim Boyle- The backup quarterback battle got a lot more interesting Friday Night. Kizer strubbled when outside of the big rush, and that is not a measurement of NFL quarterback success. His worst moment was the interception and run back by Tony Brown. Boyle didn’t look spectacular, but he he made up ground, based on Kizer’s performance.

Sam Ficken- This backup kicker had the moment of the night, finishing Family Night with a 64-yard field goal.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Packers Position Battles Begin | Ticket King Inc.


Ticket King Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers are set to begin their 2019 Training Camp this week. However, position battles began as soon as offseason activities started after the draft. Let’s take a look at where we stand heading into camp.

Backup Quarterback Battle: Deshone Kizer vs. Tim Boyle- Let’s begin by saying that undrafted free agent rookie Manny Wilkens is not competing for the backup quarterback position. Rather, he is competing to get some other team’s attention, or possibly perform so well he makes the Packers choose between Kizer and Boyle, cutting the loser, and putting Wilkens on the practice squad. But back to Kizer vs. Boyle. As of this moment, Kizer is holding the edge. Boyle has a live arm, as we saw last year in camp, and if he performs well, he could take the job from Kizer.

Right Side of the Offensive Line: (Cole Madison vs. Lane Taylor vs. Jason Spriggs vs. Brian Bulaga vs. Elgton Jenkins) The three to the left, David Bakhtiari, Billy Turner, and Corey Linsley, that’s about as good as it gets in the NFL. The Packers signed Billy Turner to a big free-agent contract this offseason, Corey Linsley is an All-Pro, and I dare you to find me a better offensive lineman on the planet right now than David Bakhtiari. But the right side of this line, it’s anyone’s ball game. From what we are hearing, right now it’s still Taylor and Bulaga, but they are hanging in there by a thread. Some are cheering for Madison and Jenkins. Spriggs is getting one last shot. This is going to be the battle of camp.

Third Wide Receiver Position: (J’Mon Moore vs. Eq. St. Brown vs. Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. Jake Kumerow) Davante Adams has grown into a monster of an ace receiver and despite his injuries last year, Geronimo Allison is going to be the number two. The third spot is up for grabs. The three draft choices a year ago all had their moments, and nobody had a better camp in the league a year ago than Kumerow. As of this moment, St. Brown holds the edge, slightly, over MVS.

First Defensive Lineman Off the Bench:
(Rashan Gary vs. Montravius Adams vs. Kinglsey Keke vs. Tyler Lancaster) Two of the three starting defensive lineman are going to be Dean Lowry, who was recently signed to a contract extension, and Kenny Clark. We know this for a fact, and they are all both outstanding talents. In a shocking move, the Packers cut lose former All-Pro Mike Daniels, who was aging, and coming off a major injury. This was done to save cap space, possibly to extend Blake Martinez and/or Kenny Clark. But who will be the third starter? Adams begins this battle at the top by default. However, the rookie Keke has looked good and Lancaster wants it bad. Don’t forget about the first-round draft choice Rashan Gary, who will split time between rushing as a defensive lineman on passing downs and playing outside linebacker on rushing downs."

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Eight Best Aaron Rodgers Throws | Ticket King Green Bay


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Packers future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s career has been full of some of the most amazing throws in NFL history. Let’s rank the best ones.

8. Dances With Jaguars- In week one of the 2017 season, the Packers were in Jacksonville. They were facing third and 10 from the 29-yard-line with 20 seconds to go in the first half when Aaron Rodgers found Adams for the touchdown with 14 seconds left while being dragged to the turf.

7. 4th and 20- When the Packers traveled to Arizona for the divisional playoff game in 2016, they found themselves trailing by seven with less than a minute to go, facing a 4th and 20 from the shadows of their own goalposts. Rodgers escaped to his left and heaved one deep to an amazingly open Jeff Janis, who caught it and kept the Packers season alive. This is one of the best throws in NFL history, and it wasn’t even the best throw on this drive.

6. The Greatest Throw Never Made- In 2016 during their home game against the Lions, Aaron Rodgers made one of the most amazing throws in NFL history, and nobody remembers because it was an incomplete pass. He escaped to his left, and while falling away from his throwing arm, heaved a football 74 yards down the field, just out of the reaching arms of Trevor Davis.

5. Super Bowl Bullet- Late in Super Bowl 45, the Packers were facing third and 10 from their own 25, and their season was hanging in the balance as the Steelers were picking up steam. Rodgers dropped back to pass and fired a 20-yard bullet of absolute perfection to Greg Jennings. That was the moment the Packers finally realized what they had in the kid from Southern California.

4. Hail Rodgers #1- Aaron Rodgers has become known for his impressive deep throws late in the game, and this was the one started it all. In 2015 the Packers went into Detroit reeling, their season on the line and found themselves trailing 20-0 at the half. Rodgers orchestrated the impressive comeback, which was capped by one of the most amazing, awe-inspiring heaves in football history. Rodgers threw the ball 70 yards in the air and came within 20 feet of hitting the lights of Ford Field.

3. Windy City Bomb- In 2016, the Packers went into Chicago in Week 15 for one of the coldest games in recent memory having won three in a row, but having no room for error. They marched out to a two-score lead, and let the Bears come back and tie the game. In the game’s final moments, the Packers were facing third down when Rodgers moved to his left and went deep for Nelson who caught it. Rodgers ran the team to the line of scrimmage, spiked the ball, and Mason Crosby made the game-winner moments later. Many pundits believed that the Packers would lose if the game went to overtime as the Bears had all of the momentum and their offense was in rhythm.

2. Hail Rodgers #2- In that same divisional playoff game in the desert, the Packers were down seven with time for one last heave. The Cardinals decided to blitz and chased Rodgers back across midfield before he finally turned around and heaved the ball 61 yards while getting smacked to the turf into the waiting arms of Jeff Janis. For the record, McCarthy should have gone for two after that and won the game.

1. Dallas Dagger- Following a crushing sack, the Packers were facing third and long from their own 33-yard line when Aaron Rodgers huddled the Packers up and drew up a play in the dirt. Once they snapped the ball, Rodgers rolled out to his left and fired a 41-yard frozen rope to Jared Cook who dragged his feet just enough to stay in bounds. Crosby came on moments later and sent the Packers to Atlanta. I can only think of one other quarterback in NFL history, Rodgers’s predecessor, who should even consider trying that throw, much less attempt it.


Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Let's Meet our New Green Bay Packers | Ticket King


As we continue to get ready for the 2019 Packers season, we will be introduced to a host of new faces. Let’s profile some of them.

Za’Darius Smith: As one of the four big free agent signings, Smith comes to the Packers after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. Smith was a fourth-round selection by the Ravens in 2015 and played his college football for Kentucky, where he earned third-team all-SEC honors in 2014. Smith originally hails from Greenville High School in Alabama.

Preston Smith: The second of the Packers four free agent signings, the 26-year-old Preston Smith comes to the Packers after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Washington Redskins. Smith was a second-round draft choice by the Redskins in 2015 from Mississippi State and earned first-team all-SEC honors in 2014. Preston Smith originally hails from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Adrian Amos: As the third of the four free agent signings, the 26-year-old Amos comes to the Packers after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears, where he was a 5th round draft choice in 2015. Amos played his college football for Penn State and originally hails from Calvert Hall College High School in Townson, Maryland.

Billy Turner: The fourth of the free agent signings, the Packers will be the fourth team of the for the 27-year-old, but that is not a deterrent. Turner was a third-round draft choice by the Miami Dolphins in 2014. After some early struggles, he was released in 2016. He was claimed by the Baltimore Ravens and released three days later. He was then claimed again by the Denver Broncos. He never stopped working at his craft the entire time, and in 2018 emerged for the Broncos. His hard worked paid off this offseason when the Packers gave him a four-year, twenty-eight million dollar contract. Turner played his college football North Dakota State where he was a three-time FCS National Champion and originally hails from Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

Rashan Gary: The first of two Packers first-round draft choices of 2019, Gary is an edge rusher who played his college football for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, where he was a two-time first-team all-Big Ten performer. He hails from Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey, where he was the 2015 USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year.

Darnell Savage: The second of the Packers two first-round draft choices in 2019, the 21-year-old safety played his college football for Maryland, where he was a second-team all-Big Ten performer in 2018. Savage originally hails for Caravel Academy in Bear, Delaware.