Brandon Jacobs
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Pickett-Jacobs matchup packs a huge punch
By Mike Woods
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
There are a lot of people you're happy to run into. Ryan Pickett, however, would not be one of them.
Unless, of course, your favorite colors are black and blue.
The return of Green Bay's favorite sequoia helped the Packers' run defense nearly pitch a shutout in their playoff-opening victory last week against Seattle, holding the Seahawks to a meager 28 yards on 18 attempts for a 1.6-yard average per carry.
Now comes a much larger test, both literally and figuratively.
In one corner this week will be the 6-foot-2, 322-pound Pickett. In the other, 6-4, 264-pound New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.
It's a meeting everyone wants to watch ? from a distance.
"Ooh, I don't know. I can't tell you,'' said Pickett, quizzed on what kind of impact that may make. "I know it's going to be just like tackling a guard. They can't run fast, though. It's definitely going to be different. He's a big, physical running back, good feet, so we've got to do our best to stop him.''
OK, how?
"Of course, hit him low,'' Pickett said. "Normally, guys that tall and big, they don't like being hit low, so you definitely gotta hit him low. And somebody like Brandon Jacobs, you've got to get him before he gets started downhill, because once he starts downhill, he'll fall forward for 6, 7 yards.''
Good teams have found that to be Jacobs' kryptonite. Of his five 100-yard games this season, only one has come against a top-five defense (Washington). The other four have come against defenses ranked 22nd or worse.
Jacobs acknowledges he'll have his work cut out for him.
"I think the defensive line that we're going up against is maybe the best defensive line that we've played against this year,'' Jacobs told Giants.com. "They're some big guys, and they're strong. You don't move them far.''
To get an idea of how important Pickett's role will be in that regard, consider when he went down with a groin injury against St. Louis, the Packers gave up a season-high 173 yards rushing. The next week, he sat out against the Bears and they rolled up 139 yards, the third-highest total against the Packers' defense this season.
Pickett's first game back was last week, and the Seahawks were held to 73 yards below their season average.
"He does such a great job playing the run,'' defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "Always executes his assignments, sheds blocks, makes tackles and also just having him out there.''
He'll be out there on Sunday, though not in the kind of dress you'd expect to find a Florida native in as the wind chill numbers are expected to be in the double digits. He said he'd prefer long johns, but due to team rules, he'll go sleeveless.
"I don't think I had a choice,'' he said.
"When I got here, I threw on some sleeves. They're like, 'Hey, what you doing?' I'm like 'Man, it's cold. It's like, 'No, it's not cold to you.' So, you can't wear them, so I just follow suit.
"The ends (are) on a different rule, but the inside and the offensive line, they said we can't do it. They said if you're over 300 pounds, you can't wear sleeves, so that's pretty much all of us.''
One of the precious few on the Packers' roster to play in a Super Bowl (in the 2001 season with the St. Louis Rams), Pickett has a complete understanding of what an NFC championship game means and what kind of team it takes to get through it. He thinks he's on that team.
"The year I went, I know everybody says it, but I think we were a very close team that year,'' Pickett said. "We had a good mix of people in veterans and younger players and I think a lot of getting through that, it has a lot to do with the locker room ? how the guys are, how they get along, how you trust each other.
"And we say it, and I know a lot of people say it, but trust is such a big factor in being a good football team. If you trust the guys behind you, you're going to do your job and you stay within a system, and I think that's what we have here.''
By Mike Woods
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
There are a lot of people you're happy to run into. Ryan Pickett, however, would not be one of them.
Unless, of course, your favorite colors are black and blue.
The return of Green Bay's favorite sequoia helped the Packers' run defense nearly pitch a shutout in their playoff-opening victory last week against Seattle, holding the Seahawks to a meager 28 yards on 18 attempts for a 1.6-yard average per carry.
Now comes a much larger test, both literally and figuratively.
In one corner this week will be the 6-foot-2, 322-pound Pickett. In the other, 6-4, 264-pound New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.
It's a meeting everyone wants to watch ? from a distance.
"Ooh, I don't know. I can't tell you,'' said Pickett, quizzed on what kind of impact that may make. "I know it's going to be just like tackling a guard. They can't run fast, though. It's definitely going to be different. He's a big, physical running back, good feet, so we've got to do our best to stop him.''
OK, how?
"Of course, hit him low,'' Pickett said. "Normally, guys that tall and big, they don't like being hit low, so you definitely gotta hit him low. And somebody like Brandon Jacobs, you've got to get him before he gets started downhill, because once he starts downhill, he'll fall forward for 6, 7 yards.''
Good teams have found that to be Jacobs' kryptonite. Of his five 100-yard games this season, only one has come against a top-five defense (Washington). The other four have come against defenses ranked 22nd or worse.
Jacobs acknowledges he'll have his work cut out for him.
"I think the defensive line that we're going up against is maybe the best defensive line that we've played against this year,'' Jacobs told Giants.com. "They're some big guys, and they're strong. You don't move them far.''
To get an idea of how important Pickett's role will be in that regard, consider when he went down with a groin injury against St. Louis, the Packers gave up a season-high 173 yards rushing. The next week, he sat out against the Bears and they rolled up 139 yards, the third-highest total against the Packers' defense this season.
Pickett's first game back was last week, and the Seahawks were held to 73 yards below their season average.
"He does such a great job playing the run,'' defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "Always executes his assignments, sheds blocks, makes tackles and also just having him out there.''
He'll be out there on Sunday, though not in the kind of dress you'd expect to find a Florida native in as the wind chill numbers are expected to be in the double digits. He said he'd prefer long johns, but due to team rules, he'll go sleeveless.
"I don't think I had a choice,'' he said.
"When I got here, I threw on some sleeves. They're like, 'Hey, what you doing?' I'm like 'Man, it's cold. It's like, 'No, it's not cold to you.' So, you can't wear them, so I just follow suit.
"The ends (are) on a different rule, but the inside and the offensive line, they said we can't do it. They said if you're over 300 pounds, you can't wear sleeves, so that's pretty much all of us.''
One of the precious few on the Packers' roster to play in a Super Bowl (in the 2001 season with the St. Louis Rams), Pickett has a complete understanding of what an NFC championship game means and what kind of team it takes to get through it. He thinks he's on that team.
"The year I went, I know everybody says it, but I think we were a very close team that year,'' Pickett said. "We had a good mix of people in veterans and younger players and I think a lot of getting through that, it has a lot to do with the locker room ? how the guys are, how they get along, how you trust each other.
"And we say it, and I know a lot of people say it, but trust is such a big factor in being a good football team. If you trust the guys behind you, you're going to do your job and you stay within a system, and I think that's what we have here.''
