DT Ryan Pickett (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Notes: Lawsuit probable for Pickett
By BOB McGINN and TOM SILVERSTEIN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 1, 2006

Green Bay - Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett of the Green Bay Packers escaped almost unscathed Saturday after being at fault in a two-car crash but now might face a civil lawsuit for his part in the mishap.

The driver of the other vehicle, Pamela Young of Green Bay, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Tuesday that she and her three passengers would sue Young for the injuries they suffered.

"I know this whole thing is about to get very interesting," Young told the newspaper. "We're the little people involved in all of this, but after the accident all anyone seemed to care about is that (Pickett) is OK. We want people to know that there were people who were severely hurt in that accident."

Pickett, who suffered a minor concussion and missed portions of three practices, was cited for failure to yield while making a left-hand turn from the Packers' administrative complex at Lambeau Field onto Lombardi Ave. Late Monday afternoon, about 52 hours after the accident, Pickett said he had not spoken to the people injured in the other vehicle.

"I haven't had a chance yet," Pickett said. "In camp, you're pretty much stuck here."

Pickett signed a four-year, $14 million contract March 15 to leave St. Louis as an unrestricted free agent.

Young, 37, was driving a 1994 Dodge Spirit when it struck the side of a Ford Expedition driven by Pickett. The police report said Pickett stopped at the stop sign leaving the stadium parking lot but apparently didn't see Young.

According to Young, she suffered two badly damaged knees and a dislocated wrist.

"I have no way of walking and no way of getting around," she said. "The doctors tell me it will be four to six months of healing. He’s fine, but we’re the ones who will be dealing with the pain and recovery for the next several months."

The passengers in the car, all residents of Green Bay, were Young's daughter, Melanie, 16; Paul Peterson, 31; and Elias Freeman, 18.

Pamela Young said her daughter would need plastic surgery because of deep cuts to her nose and face.

According to Young, Peterson suffered torn ligaments in his shoulder and a concussion.

Young said Freeman suffered a skull fracture and was unconscious after the accident.
“Right after the accident they were the most concerned about him because of the head injury,” she said.

Pickett, a starter for the Packers, is married and the father of two children.

“We were just driving down Lombardi toward the Resch Center when he pulled out of the stadium,” Young said. “There’s no way he looked before he pulled out. We have five or six witnesses who saw it who will say the same thing.”

Young has plans to meet with an attorney soon.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=479314

[BayBuck]

"I know this whole thing is about to get very interesting," Young told the newspaper. "We're the little people involved in all of this, but after the accident all anyone seemed to care about is that (Pickett) is OK. We want people to know that there were people who were severely hurt in that accident."

I think somebody's seeing dollar $ign$.

[BoxCar_Willie]

These are some greedy [censored]s. You don't suddenly come out and announce your going to sue a few days after a car accident. They won't even know the extent of their injuries for about 3 more months.

[osugrad21]

Link

Rotation Keeps Defensive Tackles Rested, Hungry

by Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 08/08/2006

Ryan Pickett

It's not a novel concept. Rotating defensive tackles in and out throughout the course of a football game can keep the team's biggest defenders fresh for four quarters.

But the Packers' two new additions at defensive tackle, free agents Ryan Pickett and Kenderick Allen, have noted the Packers rotate at the position more than other teams they've played on, and they expect that to be a benefit to the entire defensive unit.

"There's always rotation in D-line play, but it's a better rotation here," said Allen, who previously played for the Saints in 2003 and the Giants in 2004-05. "It's going to turn out more like 50-50, 60-40. That would be great.

"When it's your turn to make plays you have no excuse not to. You can't blame it on being fatigued, you don't have an opportunity to get tired, so you have to make the best of your playing time."

Pickett and Allen have joined a young group of defensive tackles that includes Colin Cole, Corey Williams, Cullen Jenkins, Johnny Jolly and Jerome Nichols. Throughout training camp, players have been mixed and matched in different tandems in the middle of the defensive line, and they're all getting accustomed to working alongside one another.

Pickett comes from a defensive scheme in St. Louis that didn't rotate as many players through, so the Packers' system is a bit of an adjustment for him. But he's impressed with the players surrounding him.

"I was pretty much every down when I wanted to be, and when I wanted a break, I got a break. That's how we ran it in St. Louis," he said. "But I think the talent is so great here we're going to have a rotation because we have a lot of great players."

Everyone at the position made at least one tackle in the Family Night scrimmage, and Jolly led the way with four (two solo, two assists). The group combined for seven solo tackles, a respectable number of the team's total of 47 solos, and had a consistent impact.

The biggest play might have been turned in by Allen, who was the first to bust through when the defense stuffed running back Samkon Gado on fourth-and-1 on the opening series.

Those types of plays help sort out just how the rotation is going to work.

"You can have a rotation, but if somebody is making plays, they're going to be in there more. It's like that everywhere," said Pickett, whose experience and track record would suggest he's less likely to be rotated out as much as the others. "Pretty much every team I've seen has a defensive line rotation, but if somebody is in there making plays, they're going to be in there at crucial times."

That ultimately is the key incentive for everyone in this group that expects to be on the field but don't necessarily know when. The structure seems particularly effective with such a young group in which everyone except Pickett was either a late-round draft choice or low- to mid-level free agent acquisition.

"A lot of us are just excited to get the opportunity to be playing and contributing," Jenkins said. "We don't have any problems with the rotation."

They just have to be ready to go in, and ready to make the most of it.

"I think it works, so two people won't just be out there dog-tired," Williams said. "It gives the other people a chance to get out there and play and show what they can do too."

[osugrad21]

Packers | Pickett dinged
Sun, 13 Aug 2006 06:07:32 -0700

Packers.com reports Green Bay Packers DL Ryan Pickett (finger) left the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 12, with a minor funger injury.


http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl

[osugrad21]

Link

Chris Havel column: Start with Pickett, add a nickel That defensive strategy may just work against Bears
By Chris Havel

Ryan Pickett has been watching A.J. Hawk for years.

Pickett, who also played at The Ohio State University, doubts Green Bay Packers fans truly understand how good the rookie linebacker is.

"They can't see him in practice," Pickett said. "I don't think people realize how special he is. He made a pick in Monday's practice and I was like, 'Wow!' This boy's real athletic, and he knows the game. He's going to be a great player for years to come."

Through no fault of their own, Packers fans also may not realize that Pickett is a pretty good player, too.

Pickett, 26, led National Football League defensive linemen with 115 tackles last season. The Packers signed the free agent to replace Grady Jackson as the primary run stopper. The 6-foot-2, 322-pound Pickett has flashed signs that he can do that, but he also can chase down ball carriers from behind and apply pressure on passing downs.

"I ain't got much of a chance to show it," he said. "But I'll get my chance. It's coming. It's coming Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it."

Brett Favre said Wednesday the Packers' offense is looking for something "to hang its hat on." That "something" is the running game in concert with the new zone-blocking scheme.

Whether it flourishes or fails remains to be seen.

Either way, it raises the question: What is the defense going to hang its hat on?

It could be the nickel package, in which defensive coordinator Bob Sanders replaces a linebacker with a cornerback on passing downs.

Offenses relish the thought of running teams out of the nickel because it forces the defense's hand.

That is especially true of the Bears, who use the run to set up the pass, and prefer to throw against four defensive backs and single coverage.

If the Packers' defense is going to put the Bears on their heels, it must be successful with its nickel package. If Chicago can't run at will, and finds it must pass against five defensive backs, the Packers' odds of success improve.

One reason the nickel has a chance to thrive is Hawk and fellow linebacker Nick Barnett. With Hawk and Barnett paired together, their speed should enable them to drop into coverage but recover in time to limit the ball carrier to a modest gain.

Another reason the nickel could be effective ? and don't laugh ? is Ahmad Carroll's presence. As a starting cornerback, he's unreliable. As a nickel back, he's covering the opponent's No. 3 receiver, which shouldn't be too much to ask of a former first-round pick. He also is expected to come up and support the run in the nickel, and he has shown to be a willing, tenacious tackler, if nothing else.

Add Pickett's history of playing the run, Brady Poppinga's potential as situational pass rusher and Abdul Hodge's ability to give Hawk or Barnett a breather, and there is a chance the defense will have something to hang its hat on ? just above the bearskin rug.