University of Tennessee Athletics
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GB coaches have high hopes for Harrell
January 23, 2008 | Football
By Tom Pelissero, greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers' hopes to improve from within next season start with Justin Harrell.
The first-round draft pick never had a show-stopping moment while playing in nine games as a rookie this season, and his action was limited in Sunday's season-ending loss to the New York Giants in the NFC championship game. But coaches are optimistic Harrell will be much improved this fall after completing the team's strength and conditioning program and offseason practices, in which he was limited as a precaution last year because he was recovering from a ruptured biceps tendon.
Harrell's ability to make that leap in Year 2 is crucial for a Packers defense that seems likely to lose one of its top three defensive tackles, Corey Williams, in free agency and may have another, Johnny Jolly, trying to play himself into shape in training camp following shoulder surgery.
"He's just got to keep coming, and now I think after we've got this season under his belt, now he's got to start building," defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn said of Harrell. "It was a tough situation, coming off a year he didn't get to play much, his senior year, and then all of a sudden he can't go through our offseason training and really couldn't get going until training camp, and never really got a chance to put a good foundation underneath him."
Harrell struggled with stamina and his increased weight during training camp, and he was inactive for the first four regular-season games. He played as a reserve in two games, then sprained an ankle and didn't play again until Nov. 29 at Dallas, after Jolly and reserve Colin Cole had sustained season-ending injuries.
He made his first two NFL starts the last two weeks of the regular season, when starter Ryan Pickett was out with a groin injury, and had his best game on Dec. 23 at Chicago, where he had nine tackles (five solo). But Harrell's regular-season totals ??? 24 tackles (13 solo) and two quarterback pressures in seven games, with no sacks or passes defended ??? have to be considered at least somewhat disappointing for a 16th overall pick who began training camp with his name alongside Pickett's atop the depth chart.
By comparison, 13 of the 15 players selected ahead of Harrell started at least eight games as rookies; the only player who played in or started fewer games was training-camp holdout quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick by Oakland.
The four defensive linemen selected ahead of Harrell each played in all 16 regular-season games.
On his way out of the locker room on Monday, Harrell was asked whether he'd met his personal goals.
"It's hard to say," he responded. "I'm pretty pleased with how this year went. I had to deal with some adversity at first, but I was able to stay with it, and when I got an opportunity to go out there and play, I think I did a pretty good job. But there's always room for improvement."
That will start with increasing the strength and flexibility of his 6-foot-4, 310-pound frame once he returns from a roughly two-week break to visit family in Tennessee.
Coaches don't expect Harrell to play like Williams, a versatile pass rusher who ranked third on the team this season with seven sacks. Harrell's strength is anchoring in the middle, and his primary method for getting into the backfield on passing downs is brute force.
So, once Jolly is healthy ??? early indications after his surgery last month were that he might be held out of all minicamp and organized team activity practices ??? he is the most logical complement to Pickett, an effective run plugger, if Williams signs elsewhere. The combination of Pickett and Harrell, however, could become an imposing presence against the run, and Harrell might show enough while Jolly is sidelined this spring and summer to earn a shot at starting.
"He's a hard worker; he's physical; he's big," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He's got to work hard in the offseason. A good offseason will help him, because he missed a lot of that last year. He has the work ethic to be here ??? I was visiting with him earlier ??? and the desire to be the best he can be."
Daniel Muir, who played in three games this past season as an undrafted rookie, will work on his lower body and technique in the offseason in hopes of earning a more prominent role as well. The other defensive tackle who finished the season on the active roster, Conrad Bolston, was claimed off waivers from Minnesota last month and wasn't around long enough for coaches to know what he can contribute.
Harrell made his third consecutive start in the divisional playoff win over Seattle ??? as a third defensive tackle in the goal-line defense ??? and had four tackles (three solo). Harrell played only 18 snaps on Sunday, and his lone credited tackle came midway through the fourth quarter, when he held a double team and took down running back Ahmad Bradshaw after a 3-yard gain.
Plays like that are the type Nunn has pointed to all season when speaking about Harrell's potential. Making them more regularly will be Harrell's challenge as he receives more opportunities in his second season.
"There were some encouraging things in there," Nunn said of Harrell's postseason play. "I thought he was a little inconsistent at times, just not playing fast a couple times. That's just being a rookie and not having a lot of offseason work.
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