The guys who follow the National Football League for a living know that it would be foolhardy to draw major conclusions from one exhibition game, particularly the first one for a rookie player.
But, what the heck... let's go out on a limb and make a pronouncement guaranteed to soothe some nerves in Packer Nation:
A.J. Hawk can play.
There was concern when the Packers' first-round draft pick didn't "stand out" during early workouts or in the Family Night Scrimmage. But, I watched the guy flow to the ball tonight against San Diego and he looked fast, tough and instinctive. He made a few mistakes, particularly in pass coverage, but I'm pretty sure he's going to erase those and get better every time he takes the field.
If you were wondering whether it was too early to buy that No. 50 jersey, go ahead and get it. The guy is going to be closer to Brian Urlacher than Tony Mandarich.
But, what the heck... let's go out on a limb and make a pronouncement guaranteed to soothe some nerves in Packer Nation:
A.J. Hawk can play.
There was concern when the Packers' first-round draft pick didn't "stand out" during early workouts or in the Family Night Scrimmage. But, I watched the guy flow to the ball tonight against San Diego and he looked fast, tough and instinctive. He made a few mistakes, particularly in pass coverage, but I'm pretty sure he's going to erase those and get better every time he takes the field.
If you were wondering whether it was too early to buy that No. 50 jersey, go ahead and get it. The guy is going to be closer to Brian Urlacher than Tony Mandarich.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
