Paul Bretl | 7/29/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are six practices into training camp, and fourth-round rookie safety Evan Williams is now up to three interceptions.
“They say a pick-a-day makes the bad feelings go away,” said Williams after practice on Sunday.
Williams’ latest interception came on Sunday’s practice during a two minute drill. Working with the second team defense during this period, Williams ended the two-minute period on the first play, jumping a pass thrown by quarterback Sean Clifford.
“Honestly, I was just reading the quarterback,” said Williams. “We were in a zone look. I kinda felt the route combos to the front side push away from me and knew there was probably something coming from the back side, got a dig from the backside and was just able to jump it.”
It was an instinctual play from Williams, who trusted what he saw and could feel how the play was developing from the offensive perspective. This type of play wasn’t a one-off either from Williams–the fact that he has three interceptions already goes to show that he puts himself in positions to make plays on the football.
If a player can do that consistently enough, eventually the ball production should follow.
“Evan, he’s smart,” said Packers’ long-time scout Sam Seale after the draft. “He’s instinctive. He’s a good kid and he makes tackles. He makes plays around the ball. He’s always around the ball. He’s a football player.”
Overall, the Packers’ secondary as a whole has done a very good job early on of making plays on the football. Of course, this is a credit to those players for being in a position to do so, but other helping factors include what has been a suffocating pass rush that has often left the quarterbacks with little time and hurried.
Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme is getting some of the praise as well as is Hafley and the coaching staff for their ability to teach it, and simply putting the players in a position where their natural abilities can take over, allowing them to make plays.
“I think it’s just a mixture of, I mean, our DC would definitely say it’s rush and coverage working together,” said Williams about the secondary’s play. “That’s his motto. I would definitely say it’s a testament to how well they’re coaching us and just how they’re allowing us to play fast. They haven’t thrown too much onto our plate where we’re on the field and kind of our heads are reeling and we’re kind of spinning around.
“They’ve just simplified our roles so, when we’re out on the field, we’re not in kind of a daze thinking about, ‘Oh, I’ve got to align right here.’ They’re giving us the freedom to, when we’re out there, get our assignment down pre-snap and think about that, but then, when the ball’s snapped, just allowing us to play fast. Giving us simple keys to read and just allowing us to be playmakers out there and make plays on the ball.”
If the Packers’ defense is going to improve in 2024, a key element will be improved ball production. Last season, the Packers ranked 23rd in passes defensed and had the second-fewest interceptions in the NFL with only seven. At the end of the day, it’s only been six training camp practices, and this production needs to carry over into the season, but nonetheless, it’s a good start.
“To me, it’s about how do we put our players in the best possible situations,” said Matt LaFleur, “and making sure that we have enough versatility within the scheme to keep teams off-balance and then trying to disguise and make as much stuff look like one thing and then it be something different. I think there’s a lot to that. I think when you look at – the more you’re able to create post-snap decisions by the quarterback, I think typically your scheme could potentially be depending upon your players.
“I think we’re fortunate that we have some pretty good players, certainly we felt that the pass rush is real, which in turn allows everybody else to play a little bit tighter, a little bit more flat-footed, a little bit more aggressive, when you have situations like that. It all goes hand-in-hand.”
The young safety trio of Williams, Javon Bullard, and Anthony Johnson are currently rotating days when it comes to who is lining up next to Xavier McKinney. With an emphasis on versatility and late movement, the Packers want to get each of these safeties comfortable playing with each other and filling a variety of roles.
Ultimately, it is going to be the day-to-day consistency that determines who is starting next to McKinney, and not only at one position on the field, but being consistent while filling multiple roles is going to be a requirement. But I imagine the ability that Williams has shown to make plays on the football, and more importantly, the process at which he gets into a position have those interception opportunities, has the attention of the coaching staff.
“I think whoever goes out there and gives us the most consistent effort and is able to make plays,” said LaFleur on what he’s looking for at safety. “We’re fortunate really when you look at all of those other guys, they’re all pretty intelligent guys that allows us to interchange X, whether we want him to be down in the box or put him in the post, just that flexibility is huge. So, whoever is starting opposite of him has got to be able to do both jobs as well.”