Green Bay Packers: Dispelling some Rashan Gary myths

Green Bay Packers first round pick Rashan Gary has a lot of hype surrounding him as a former top college recruit, but there are also a few narratives about him that just aren’t true.

Ok everyone, I understand. You didn’t want the Green Bay Packers to select Rashan Gary with the 12th pick in the draft. You wanted Brian Burns. You wanted T.J. Hockenson. You wanted Montez Sweat.

You didn’t want the bust from Michigan that never produced and who’s motor runs hot and cold at times.

Rashan Gary was not my first choice either. As a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, I have followed Gary ever since he stepped foot in Ann Arbor to play for Jim Harbaugh. His career at Michigan, all things considered, was underwhelming.

He never was the dominant force that you’d hope for when you hear the phrase “best recruit in the country.”

That said, his pedigree and athletic prowess still had him on the radar for teams as a first round pick.

Throughout the draft process there are always things that come out that are, as Brian Gutekunst liked to word it, subterfuge.

Gary is no different. Frustration with the Gary pick is understandable. However, here are some things that have been said about the player that simply are not true.

“He doesn’t love football”

This doesn’t make any sense to me. I understand there are some college players that like what football can do for them, but do not love the sport itself. Gary is not one of those players. For those that did not pay close attention to Michigan football last season, here’s a snippet of how Gary’s season went.

He was injured in summer practice with a shoulder injury. He played through that shoulder injury early in the season, until ultimately it became too much for him to bear and as a result, he missed three games in the middle of the season. That stretch included a showdown with Michigan’s rival, Michigan State.

In this day and age, players sit out more often than not to protect their futures. It would have been easy for Gary to do just that, but he didn’t. He returned before he was 100 percent healthy and played out the final four games of the season.  While he did not play in the bowl game, Gary would not have come back if he did not love the sport.

“His Motor runs cold”

Again this is ridiculous. This appears to be a lazy attempt to explain why Gary wasn’t more productive when he was at Michigan. Gary never earned the reputation for loafing while he was at Michigan. For those that know Michigan’s coaching staff, Don Brown and Jim Harbaugh would not have tolerated it. Moreover, they would not have spoken so highly of him as he was about to enter the NFL Draft if he was a lazy player. Gary may not have been overly productive at Michigan and with his athletic profile, the reason why is anyone’s guess, but questions about his motor are in poor faith.

“He’s not a scheme fit”

Gary was announced as a linebacker when Roger Goodell told the world he was coming to Green Bay and immediately everyone wondered how he would transition to that role. Gary was a strong side defensive end at Michigan. He played with his hand in the dirt mostly, which caused the fan base to immediately harken back to the days of Nick Perry.

Gary is a much better athlete than Perry and they play two different styles. The good news for Green Bay is that they have a coach in Mike Pettine that is going to scheme to the strengths of his players. For years, Dom Capers would attempt to fit square pegs into round holes. We saw Pettine build to his players’ strengths last year and he will do the same with Gary.

The concerns about him dropping into coverage aren’t all that important. It’s pretty rare that linebacker coverage snaps end up mattering. Gary was picked to rush the passer and that’s what they’re going to focus on. If anyone can unlock the potential that is Rashan Gary, it’s Mike Pettine, Mike Smith, and Jerry Montgomery.