Davon House is in the house. Again. What does this mean? How is the secondary supposed to improve with someone who was benched while playing for the perennial doormat known as the Jacksonville Jaguars last year?
Let’s explore the worst case scenario: House proves last year in Jacksonville was no fluke. Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins flop again, and Ladarius Gunter is thrust into covering WR1 each week and fares like he did against Dez Bryant and Julio Jones in the playoffs. And everybody gets hurt like they always do.
Here’s why this shouldn’t happen:
1. House knows the defense and can instantly contribute
Though he was never a bona fide starter during his first Green Bay stint, his role certainly grew over time. Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press Gazette tweeted that House was the only one who could come close to stopping Julio Jones against the Packers in their 2014 contest. Stopping Julio Jones would seem to be a priority for the Packers, correct?
2. House is an upgrade from Gunter
This may not always be the case, as hopefully Gunter’s baptism by fire this past season improves him. Gunter fought hard every week, and he damn well deserves praise for that. House got his big contract with Jacksonville because he was proven to be a big, physical, classic man-press corner. At the time, the Packers didn’t bother keeping him because of having depth at cornerback and Ted Thompson being Ted Thompson.
3. He didn’t routinely get burned when in Green Bay
Granted, he usually wasn’t tasked with covering the opponent’s top dog. He never shied from the opportunities, though. He at least has shown the capability of holding his own against top talent. This cannot be said for Micah Hyde, who just scored a House circa-2015 contract with the Bills.
4. The Domino Effect
This is perhaps the biggest thing House can address. House is the de facto DB1 on the team now. His acquisition is better insurance than relying solely on the draft. If Green Bay drafts a CB in rounds one or two, then there will be (what should be) a talented player joining House and three other cornerbacks with extensive experience. Granted, much of that experience is getting torched by the opponent, but each player has shown promise at times.
Plug in House with his experience and size against the WR1s and let the younger guys fight against the rest of the depth chart. It is instantly a better scenario than what the secondary faced this past season.
Even better would be if Green Bay brought in one more free agent CB. Most of us wouldn’t mind having Darrelle Revis, Brandon Carr, or Morris Claiborne suiting up at Lambeau. As we painfully learned last year, taking depth at corner for granted was absolutely crippling. In this era more than any other, depth in the secondary is critical.
For the love of all that’s holy, Ted Thompson, BUILD DEPTH AT CORNERBACK. MAYBE BE JUST A TINY BIT GREEDY FOR ONCE! YOU HAVE THE G** D*** MONEY TO SPEND! But no…he’ll probably just piss away what’s approaching to be three straight decades of hall of fame caliber quarterback play and draft another horrible defensive class.
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John Piotrowski is a UW-Eau Claire alum, spending most of his life in western WI. He makes the trek east to Lambeau whenever possible. Follow him on twitter at @piosGBP.
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3 responses to “House is Maybe the Packers’ Most Crucial Acquisition Yet”
I thought Dantari Poe would be signed by now. The Packers need NT help.Guion screwed up again and will miss the first four weeks. We can get a replacement for Lacy in the draft. TT lack of interest in improving our defense scares me.This draft has the corners we need I just hope TT has done his homework.
If nothing else is addressed in Free Agency then I completely agree with John. Thompson has been part of the problem instead of the solution with his penny pinching ways in Free Agency. As I watched the Patriots get better and better and better with each passing day in FA, I wonder how GREAT that must be to have a GM who “Gets It”. BB is going all in, just like Rodgers wanted him to do because he knows his days with Brady are coming close to an end. Rodgers is 33, healthy for now but you can’t continue to take Rodgers for granted and expect him to go win a SB all by himself. As Kevin Greene said “It’s Time”, and it IS time Ted. Go out and get another CB or OLB before the draft and stop drafting for need and go back to taking the BPA. That’s when Ted has been able to do his best.
Very well said John. The offense is stacked right now with some questions on the line. But that secondary will destroy any chances this team has if not addressed. I was getting pissed until they finally signed House. Another veteran would be some nice insurance.