DT Ryan "Big Grease" Pickett (Super Bowl Champion)

[Buckskin86]

Q&A with Green Bay Packers' Ryan Pickett
Oct. 7, 2011
Written by
Kareem Copeland
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Green Bay Packers defensive end Ryan Pickett rests on the bench during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 1 at Lambeau Field. / H. Marc Larson/Press-Gazette

Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett is in the midst of his 11th NFL season ? the fourth longest tenured player on the team behind Charles Woodson (14), Donald Driver (13) and Chad Clifton (12). He was a rookie reserve on the Rams when they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI and now has a ring in Green Bay.
Pickett sat down with the Press-Gazette this week to talk about balancing a long career and raising a family.

With such a young team, what?s it like being an elder statesman in the locker room?

?It?s weird. It?s different. Just a few years ago I was one of the young guys. Now I?m the old vet. But it?s cool, man. It?s fine. They mess with me, they call me old and stuff like that. But it?s fun.?

How do you view this game now in your 11th season as opposed to 4-5 years ago?

?I guess you don?t take it for granted as much when you get older. You know what I?m saying? You kind of feel like, when you?re young, you?re going to play forever. Now you get older and kind of look at it like, OK yeah, I?m just blessed to be still playing. When I was young, I was like I just might play forever. Now I?m like, nah, I know that?s not going to happen. So, it just changes in that outlook. The game slows down and you understand a lot more. Things like that.?

What?s it like to see the cycle of guys coming and leaving? You played with Cullen Jenkins since 2006?

?That?s the hard part of it. You meet friends and stuff and teammates and y?all become close and then they have to leave. That?s kind of like the downer of the NFL. It?s part of the business that?s always going to be there. That?s kind of the worst part about it.?

What do you do to get away from the game, you?ve how got how many kids?

?Five. That should tell you what I do when I get away. Yeah, I?m with them. I?m a pretty busy man at home.?

What?s the secret to having five kids and keeping (your wife) happy?

?That?s the whole thing, keeping her happy. That?s how able to come to work and be stress free. Happy wife, happy life. She does a good job staying home with the kids and just taking care of me and the kids. That?s how I?m able to play like I can play.?

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111007/PKR01/111007097/Q-DL-Ryan-Pickett

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7alSfo7c8"]Packers Defensive End, Ryan Pickett, Can Do It All! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Pickett's return near: Some football intricacies aren't fully appreciated with the untrained eye. Count Ryan Pickett's impact as one underrated element in Dom Capers' defense. After suffering a concussion against Oakland, the defensive end missed the Packers' game Sunday at Kansas City and McCarthy expects him back this week.

The one-week furlough was felt. Kansas City's mid-season committee of lost parts at running back carved through Green Bay in key moments Sunday.

"I think Ryan Pickett is having his best year as a Green Bay Packer, especially over the last three years in this defense," McCarthy said. "He factors (in) every single week up front. It didn't help us, not having him, that's for sure."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...lexible-after-injuries-r53gh25-135904468.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Packers? run defense missing Ryan Pickett
By Tyler Dunne / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Monday, December 26, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- He?s usually the 340-pound source of optimism. Ryan Pickett can light up a room. But on the sidelines, teammates saw a different Pickett on Sunday.

This one wasn?t easy for the Green Bay Packers? defensive end to stomach.

"I can just see it in his face," defensive end C.J. Wilson said. "He wants it so bad."

Easy to see why. In Green Bay?s breezy 35-21 win over Chicago on Sunday, Pickett was out again. He missed his second straight game with a concussion suffered Dec. 11 against Oakland. His void was felt in a big way. The Bears shredded Green Bay for 199 rushing yards on 42 attempts. In the first half particularly, Kahlil Bell and Armando Allen - who? - resembled Pro Bowl players. Not desperation fill-ins. Not No. 3 and No. 4 running backs on an offense drowning fast.

Part of the problem is missing Pickett. Teammates acknowledge that much. But they also realize this isn?t a quick fix.

"You definitely have to address the issue," nose tackle Howard Green said. "For me, that?s not what you want. . . . It?s something we have to stand up as men on a defense and get that stuff corrected."

cont...

http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...issing_ryan_pickett/srvc=home&position=recent

 

[Buckskin86]

Pickett's return could help Packers' defensive line
Green Bay hopes to be more effective stopping the run
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Dec. 28, 2011

Mark Hoffman
Ryan Pickett took a knee to the head Dec. 11 against Oakland. In the two games since, the Packers have struggled to control the running game of opponents.

Green Bay - In the moment, the details were sketchy. The who, what, where, when and why were not clear to Ryan Pickett. Clarity didn't come for the Green Bay Packers defensive end until he watched film of the play later.

Pickett slid off a block, went to tackle Oakland's Michael Bush and the running back's knee crashed into his head. He suffered a concussion. His vision became hazy.

"I didn't know where I was," he said. "It was weird. I've never been hit like that before. Definitely don't want that again."

The Packers don't want this to happen again, either. In their two games without Pickett, the run defense crumbled. In a loss at Kansas City, the Chiefs rushed for 139 yards. Last week, the Chicago Bears - missing their top two running backs - rolled up 199 rushing yards. Pickett is only one player, not a miracle worker. But maybe his value in Dom Capers' scheme is richer than most realized.

Pickett was cleared and got back to practice Wednesday. Now maybe the run defense returns to normalcy. It wasn't easy for the 11-year veteran to watch idly.

"Oh, yeah, it's hard," Pickett said. "It's hard. It's tough, because that's not our style of football the past couple weeks, giving up runs like that. It's been real tough to watch."

With or without today's new concussion restrictions, Pickett believes he would have missed two weeks. One reason for the delay was that Pickett suffered a concussion earlier this season, at practice in October. That week, he returned in time for the game. This concussion had more of an aftershock. Pickett struggled to pass his memorization tests quite as quickly.

This was like taking the SAT all over again to Pickett, "and I hate the SAT," he said.

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...ld-help-defensive-line-v03jmlk-136354323.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Packers' Pickett is ultimate team player
Defensive lineman leads on field, at home and in a ministry
By Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 10, 2012

Mark Hoffman
Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett carries his son Ryan Jr. after the Packers? win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV last year. Ryan Jr., 4, ?watches the Super Bowl over and over,? Pickett said. ?He will watch it 100 times. I can?t take it anymore.?

Ryan Pickett and his wife, Jennifer, have five children: sons Caleb, 6 months, (left) and Ryan Jr., 4, and daughters (left to right) Abigail, 6, Lydia, 3, and Esther, 7. The family is expecting another child.

Green Bay - How many 32-year-old, 340-pound defensive linemen have their best season in their 11th year?

And then how many of them spend their off-days teaching third-grade math at the kitchen table?

Ryan Pickett feels a little more comfortable locking horns with centers and guards, but he enjoys both roles proudly. He leads the Green Bay Packers defensive linemen in tackles, but perhaps what's so remarkable is not that coach Mike McCarthy proclaimed that Pickett is having his finest year as a Packer.

It's that Pickett finds a way to balance practice, film study, games and travel with his huge - and growing - family.

Meet the Picketts.

Abigail, 6, is a little actress. She does not take after her quiet and reserved father. She's more like her mom. "She will talk all day," Pickett said.

Ryan Jr., 4, isn't hooked on "Blues Clues" or "Sesame Street" - but he watches his superhero, No. 79, every day.

"We have to take the remote from him. He watches the Super Bowl over and over," Pickett said. "He will watch it 100 times. I can't take it anymore. I'm like, 'Listen, we got to watch something else.' "

Lydia, 3, is an animal lover. She holds onto the dog and does not let it go. Turn your head for a second while she's in the backyard and she'll come back with night crawlers wiggling in her little hands.

Caleb is 6 months old and the spitting image of Pickett, whose apple cheeks and easy smile can't be contained under a football helmet.

Esther, 7, is like a little mom to all of them.

"She tries to take care of all of them," Pickett said. "She tries to feed them, get them dressed - she really looks after her other siblings."

That's five kids under the age of 7, and Pickett's wife, Jennifer, just found out they're expecting again, he thinks sometime in September.

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/137069618.html

 

[darbypitcher22]

Good to see this guy doing so well

 

[Buckskin86]

Ryan Pickett: When Mike McCarthy kept saying this was Pickett's finest season, he was doing a disservice to his career. True, Pickett was in tip-top shape this year. However, Pickett had more tackles per snap in each of his first five seasons than he did in '11. Remember, this is a former first-round draft choice who once was a legitimate pass rusher. In '06, he totaled seven pressures in 645 snaps, 5? more than he had in 495 this season. Few are better than Pickett withstanding double-teams inside. He just won't budge. Pickett finished third on the team in tackles for loss with 4?, his best for the Packers. Grade: B-minus.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/137833488.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Notebook: Pickett off to productive 12th season anchoring d-line
Sep 28, 2012
Written by
Weston Hodkiewicz
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Ryan Pickett made nine tackles against the Seahawks on Monday night, which was the most he's tallied since a 10-tackle performance against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 12, 2010. / File/Gannett Wisconsin Media

At first, Erik Walden wasn?t crazy about moving over to left outside linebacker after starting 15 games on the right side a year ago.

In Walden?s mind, playing on the left side meant more running plays, and he preferred the adrenaline-pumping pursuit of the passer. But that tune quickly changed once he realized he?d be playing behind veteran defensive lineman Ryan Pickett.

?He?s able to take two (blockers) and they don?t get any movement,? Walden said. ?It makes it easier for the other guys to defeat their one-on-one blocks. Having a guy like Pickett ? a good, humble leader, somebody we look up to ? you want to follow a guy like that who works hard day in and day out.?

Now in his 12th NFL season, the 32-year-old Pickett is off to one of his most productive starts with 15 tackles in the first three games, marking his highest three-game output to start a season since signing with the Packers in 2006.

Tasked with anchoring the defensive line against bruising running back Marshawn Lynch and Seattle?s zone-blocking scheme on Monday, Pickett consistently ate up two blockers and helped contain Lynch with no runs longer than nine yards.

?Ryan?s really playing some of the best ball of his career here,? Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. ?I think people realize what kind of athlete Ryan Pickett is. His foot speed and his balance, his athletic ability for a big guy is unique. He?s off to a good start. He?s a very consistent guy. Doesn?t get a lot of attention like a lot of the big guys do. Ryan?s always been a quality player but he?s such a steady force in our locker room.?

cont...

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...t-off-productive-12th-season-anchoring-d-line

 

[Buckskin86]

Pickett plays back to form
Ryan Pickett has 26 tackles over 201 snaps, or one tackle every 7.73 snaps. One NFL scout said there were only three nose tackles he would take over Pickett
Oct. 20, 2012

St. Louis - The intrinsic value of having at least one good big man in the middle of a 3-4 defense was never more apparent than last Sunday night at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Playing without injured B.J. Raji, the Green Bay Packers relied on the massive torso of Ryan Pickett to prevent a devilish zone running game from establishing the tempo if not determining the outcome.

Arian Foster, the Texans' excellent running back, went nowhere. Clay Matthews was phenomenal early and the entire defense played in unison, but in his understated fashion Pickett probably was the single most important factor why Foster's longest gain in 17 carries was just 5 yards.

On a few power plays, Pickett was an immovable force. Most of the time, Foster looked for seams and displacement as the Packers shuffled sideways with him on stretch plays.

Pickett moved under control without giving ground as Chris Myers, a highly rated center, tried to reach-block him while one of the back-side linemen worked to cut him at the knees. Because Pickett wouldn't go where the Texans wanted, the schematic integrity at the point of attack held until the pursuit arrived to make the tackle.

Pickett generally has been doing this in Green Bay for nearly 6? seasons. Now, with the Packers down to their No. 3 option at weak inside linebacker for the remainder of the season, it will be even more incumbent on Pickett to win his gap when the ball's there or make sure that against double teams both blockers stay blocking him.

The need for Pickett goes beyond 2012. The Packers also will need him next season, and really for as long as his body cooperates.

Pickett, who turned 33 earlier in the month, was just 21 when he went to training camp with the St. Louis Rams in 2001 as a third-year junior from Ohio State. This is his 12th season, and the last time he was able to play all 16 games was 2008.

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/pickett-stands-out-against-texans-vq79fv2-175099671.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Coach Q&A: Trgovac on Pickett being Green Bay's 'grunt'
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Nov. 24, 2012

Green Bay --- The numbers will never stand out. Through 10 games, Ryan Pickett has 31 tackles (14 solo) and no sacks. But this week, defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said this has been Pickett's best season with the Packers since the 3-4 alignment was ushered in four years ago. In our weekly one-on-one with a Packers assistant coach, Trgovac talks about Pickett's "grunt" role in the defense, the unselfish nature of the job and how some vets wouldn't be so willing to help out younger players:

Q: We don?t talk about Ryan Pickett a lot, but?

Trgovac: ??Pick? is the ultimate pro. He understands his role in this defense. He understands in this defense it?s his job to clog people up in the middle and let our linebackers make plays. He?s an unselfish player. He takes pride in that role. When people try to double-team him and get to the next level, he?s tying guys up so the linebackers can make plays. It?s hard to find guys who are willing to do that. He?s willing to do that.?

Q: Is it hard to find those guys?

Trgovac: ?They?re competitors and everything and they see guys flying off the ball and getting all the attention. So it?s tough to find guys who are just willing to do that and just be grunts. That?s what he is in this defense. He?s a good grunt.?

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/180705361.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Veteran Pickett shows no signs of slowing down
Dec 1, 2012
Written by
Rob Demovsky
Press-Gazette Media

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett prepares for a fourth-quarter play against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 9 at Lambeau Field. / Dan Powers/Gannett Wisconsin Media

Walk along the row of lockers that houses the Green Bay Packers? defensive line and each member of the group can agree on at least one thing.

Given the choice right now to accept as their own the NFL career of teammate Ryan Pickett ? 12 seasons, a Super Bowl ring, millions of dollars and no major injuries ? all of them, from budding star B.J. Raji to role players like Mike Neal and C.J. Wilson to promising rookies Mike Daniels and Jerel Worthy, gladly would sign on the dotted line today and forgo any future unknowns.

?Definitely,? said Raji, who already has done something Pickett never has by making the Pro Bowl last season, without hesitation. ?His longevity, that says a lot about him as a player and him as a person.?

Said Daniels: ?I wouldn?t be mad with that. I wouldn?t be mad at all.?

Not Pickett.

He wants more.

And it has shown in his play this season.

At a time when most players have to come to grips with their careers winding down, Pickett continues to thrive nearly two months after turning 33. He has started all 11 games this season and is on track to play a full season for the first time since 2007 (although he hasn?t missed more than three regular-season games in a season since 2001). He leads all Packers defensive linemen with 48 tackles, including 14 solo stops. Last Sunday against the Giants, he played 52 of the 65 defensive snaps.

?That?s probably the most I?ve played since I?ve been in the NFL,? Pickett said.

cont..

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...-shows-no-signs-slowing-down?odyssey=nav|head

 

[Buckskin86]

Trgovac: Pickett 'definitely has another good year left in him'
Jan 16, 2013
Written by
Weston Hodkiewicz

A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, Ryan Pickett continues to produce in the heart of the Green Bay Packers? base defensive front.

As Mike Trgovac observed from the sideline this season, Ryan Pickett didn?t look the part of a 33-year-old veteran playing one of the league?s most grueling positions.

In most cases, what the Green Bay Packers? defensive line coach saw was the same hungry defensive tackle he absorbed in 2009 when he was brought in as a part of Dom Capers? staff.

Going into next season, Trgovac isn?t expecting that to change.

Now a veteran of 12 NFL seasons, Pickett continues to produce in the heart of the Packers? base defensive front. Often a defensive lineman?s durability is questioned once they eclipse the 30-year-old threshold, but Pickett appears to still have something left.

A first-round pick by St. Louis in 2000, Pickett hasn?t posed much of a threat in the pass rush since the Packers moved to the 3-4 ? he has one sack in his last 57 games ? but his ability to eat up blockers and clog the middle have been important facets of the team?s run defense.

The lack of specialty numbers limit his Pro Bowl attractiveness, but he was as consistent as any defensive lineman the Packers had on the roster this season despite being the unit?s most senior member by seven years.

?I think Ryan has some more football left in him. I really do,? said Trgovac, who estimated Pickett played roughly 100 more snaps than he did a season ago.

"He was able to stay healthy this year. He came into training camp in relatively good shape. He fits our defense very well and takes a lot of pride in what he does. I didn?t see him fall off at all this year. I think he definitely has another good year left in him.?

Pickett, who turns 34 next October, had 51 tackles this year to mark his most productive year on the Packers' defensive line since signing with the team in free agency in 2006. He had 64 tackles that year.

Next season, will be in the final year of the four-year extension he signed in 2010 next season. He?s scheduled to make $5.4 million with a roster bonus of $500,000 due in March.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...tt-definitely-has-another-good-year-left-him-

 

[Buckskin86]

Ryan Pickett has been anchor on defensive line
By Rob Reischel, Packer Plus writer
Jan. 29, 2013

Green Bay - It was a warm August day, and there was Ryan Pickett waiting to tackle the Giant Slide at Bay Beach - a popular amusement park in Green Bay.

The 340-pound Pickett stood in a lengthy line as children and adults stared and wondered how this could possibly work. Pickett got to the top, plopped down on his burlap sack and shot down the 100-foot ride.

The jovial Pickett was smiles the entire way down.

"Man, that was fun," Pickett later said. "I'm just glad I survived it."

It's hard to imagine the Packers surviving without Pickett in 2012.

Pickett isn't flashy, and he rarely winds up on highlight shows. Coaches almost never bring up his name.

But Green Bay's defense wouldn't be the same without "Big Grease," who was probably the team's best defensive lineman in 2012.

"He doesn't do a lot of the things that show up in the stat sheet," defensive lineman B.J. Raji said of Pickett. "But everyone around here knows how important he is. We definitely wouldn't be the same defense without him."

Pickett is Green Bay's best defender against the run. He gobbles up double teams, yet is still able to find the ball carrier more often than most nose tackles. And at 33 years old, Pickett hasn't shown any sign of slippage and says he wants to play another four or five years.

Green Bay's defense struggled in its playoff loss to San Francisco - and at times against other elite offenses this season. Overall, though, the Packers made huge strides from 2011, and Pickett was a big part of that.

Green Bay jumped to 11th in total defense after ranking 32nd in 2011. And after giving up 22.4 points per game a season ago, the Packers allowed 21.0 in 2012.

In the middle of it all was the immovable Pickett, who was the Packers' only defensive lineman to start every game. Pickett also led the unit in tackles.

"I'd say it's one of my best years," Pickett said in early January. "You know I love this (3-4) defense, and I never knew if I would when we switched to it (in 2009). I think it's been really good for my career."

Pickett is the type of blue-collar player that every team needs. Pro Bowl berths aren't coming to someone like Pickett, but those close to the Packers understand his full value.

Pickett, who signed with the Packers as a free agent in 2006, has missed just nine of a possible 122 games in Green Bay. His effort level never wavers.

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/picketts-brigade-pk8grn5-188934511.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Making It Work: Married and Raising Six Kids
By Charli Penn

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Pickett Family

NFL star Ryan Pickett and his wife Jennifer are living their dreams. Happily married for the last 10 years, the San Diego based couple are the proud parents of six beautiful children ? ages six months to eight years old.

One serendipitous encounter in an Atlanta mall almost eleven years ago brought them together and they knew immediately that they?d been blessed. Jennifer was a college junior at the time, and Ryan, who now plays for the Green Bay Packers, was in town for a big game. ?I thought she was the most beautiful girl I?d ever seen,? he recalls. ?The moment was just breathtaking.? Their love was the real deal. Eight months later her popped the question. He was so excited to do it, he actually proposed over the phone. That same night, Jennifer ran right to the grocery store and bought a stack of wedding magazines. Their whirlwind courtship and quick ?I dos? caused many around them to question whether or not they were rushing things. After praying about it, both Ryan and Jennifer were certain they were on the right road.

These days, their brood is so large they had to convert a commercial truck into a custom family van (yes, really!) and their weekly schedules look more like road maps. But they manage it all together, and they love every second of it.

ESSENCE.COM: Ten years. Six kids. All smiles. What?s your big secret?
RYAN PICKETT: God is the secret. And, we?re best friends too.
JENNIFER PICKETT: I just have one brother, and Ryan is the baby of four. We knew we wanted to have a lot of children. We really wanted a big family. Ryan wanted to have girls first, and coincidentally, God blessed us with that. Then, we wanted a boy, so next we had a boy. Then, after that one boy, we said, ?Well we have to give him a brother!? So we kept going and another girl came. Then, we just kept trying for another boy. After our second son, our fifth child, we said, ?It?s an uneven number!? We tried again, and after that pregnancy, I said, ?I?m done!?
RYAN: Now we have four girls and two boys. It?s like a joy. A lot of people see it as stressful, but we have fun with the kids. It?s hard getting them up and getting them to bed, but I sincerely enjoy everything about raising them.

cont...

http://www.essence.com/2013/03/07/making-it-work-married-and-raising-six-kids

 

[Buckskin86]

Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith (30) is tackled by Green Bay Packers defensive end Ryan Pickett (79) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

'Big Grease' Pickett not quite as big
Pickett's a slimmer version of himself

Updated: Tuesday, 07 May 2013

Drew Smith, FOX 11 Sports

Ryan Pickett?s nickname is ?Big Grease,? but he may have to change it to ?Medium Grease? after getting in better shape in the offseason.

Usually, the Green Bay Packer defensive lineman treats the end of the season like school is out, but this offseason he decided to eat a little more healthily.

?It?s good eating,? said Pickett. ?Normally in the offseason, when the season is over, I?m like, 'Yes! I?m gonna go get some burgers, do this and that.' This year, I took a different approach. I just want to be healthy, not just for this year, but the rest of my life. I?ve got a lot of folks I need to be around for.?

Pickett was encouraged by his wife, who encouraged him to pay more attention to what he ate in the offseason. As a result, Pickett says he came back to the Packers almost 10 pounds under his listed weight of 338 and almost 20 under his true playing weight.

It helps the offseason program includes more conditioning drills than normal, as coach Mike McCarthy wants his team to be better equipped to play the athletic quarterbacks they will see early in their season, with the 49ers and the Redskins their first two games.

Pickett also has been busy in the offseason setting up his charity, the Ryan Pickett Foundation. The foundation raises money to help foster children. Pickett has already been involved in taking children on a shopping spree this past Christmas, and says it just comes out of his and his wife?s values.

?We wanted to do something real meaningful,? said Pickett. ?That?s why it took me 12 years to come up with this. My wife and I have six kids, so they are so important us and are big in both our hearts.?

cont...

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/sports/packers_and_nfl/big-grease-pickett-not-quite-as-big