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LB A.J. Hawk (2x All-American, Lombardi Trophy, National Champion, Super Bowl Champion)

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No move: As the Packers ponder cutting Clifton, who ranks eighth in average per salary, they apparently haven't even considered and no doubt will not be cutting linebacker A.J. Hawk, who ranks sixth on the club in average salary at $6.75 million.

Asked if Hawk would be returning in 2012, McCarthy replied, "A.J.? I have no reason to think he wouldn't be."

Hawk is coming off possibly his poorest season in Green Bay. It came after he signed a five-year contract in March on the eve of the NFL lockout.

Next season, his base salary will be $4.4 million.

Both Hawk and fellow inside linebacker Desmond Bishop missed games in December because of calf injuries.

?I think up until the time both him and Desmond went out with injuries I thought they were playing well,? said McCarthy. ?After they came back both of them dropped off a little bit.?

Rookie D.J. Smith replaced Bishop on the weak side, and Rob Francois replaced Hawk on the strong side. Smith, the team's best backup, and Bishop probably can play either position.

Will the Packers give Smith, whose contract as a sixth-round draft choice averaged $535,788, a legitimate opportunity to beat out Hawk?

"D.J.'s pushing those guys, there's no doubt about it," McCarthy said.

?I think everybody has acknowledged the way he performed with his opportunities. He won game balls once if not twice. D.J. played very well, particularly in sub packages.

?The biggest mistake people make, this isn?t fantasy football. My point is, you can?t have enough good players, you know? What if one of them gets nicked??

Asked if Hawk was a good player, McCarthy replied, ?He was voted team captain (on defense for the playoffs). The players voted on it. I?ll say one thing. When we do the player?s captain voting it?s interesting. Players know.?
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http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...ter-after-back-surgery-5j4beb3-140524513.html
 
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AJ Hawk cuts, donates his long hair
March 2, 2012

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Green Bay Packers linebacker AJ Hawk is easily spotted on the football field with his long, blond hair cascading down the back of his jersey.

Not any longer.

Hawk reports via Twitter that he has cut off his hair and donated it to charity. According to another tweet, Hawk is partnering with Wigs for Kids to start "Hawk's locks for Kids."
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http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/141204333.html
 
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Hawk Expects To Return, Improve In '12
By Jason Wilde
Channel3000.com/ESPNMadison.com Staff Writer
Posted: March 8, 2012

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? As A.J. Hawk met with defensive coordinator Dom Capers and inside linebackers coach Winston Moss the day after the team?s season-ending playoff loss to the New York Giants, all three men wondered the same thing about the Green Bay Packers? defense:

What happened?

?I had exit meetings with all our coaches on the way out of town after that game and we were asking each other the same question,? Hawk said Thursday during an appearance on ESPNWisconsin?s Green & Gold Today. ?It?s tough to put your finger on one thing. Obviously one of the biggest things we did (wrong) was giving up big plays. Not only deep balls but we let big runs break on us for some reason. And I don?t know exactly what it is. A missed tackle here, someone out of their gap.

?I don?t know exactly what the answer is, but I know we can definitely fix it. It doesn?t take a whole lot to get it turned around. It?s weird that it happened all year. We never seemed to come out of it. We always as a defense felt like we would, that we would put it together at some point, and we never really did.?

And that includes Hawk, who had the most disappointing season of his six-year NFL career.

"I'm sure stat-wise this year it probably doesn't look like I had as good a year as I had in the past," Hawk said. "But I felt like early on in the year I definitely missed more tackles than I would like and let the running backs catch the ball out of the backfield on me and that definitely wasn't acceptable. But me and Coach Moss kind of worked on a technique of how we were going to change that up, and I think for the most part, toward the end, I felt like I was getting a lot better.

?I felt like I was at least on the upswing as the season toward the end of the season, the last month or so, I felt really good about how I was playing and how I felt physically. That?s all I?m going to try to build off of going into next year. That?s all I can do.?

cont...
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http://www.channel3000.com/sports/30639416/detail.html

AJ Hawk radio interview- 3 8 12
 
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In the locker room after practice, LB A.J. Hawk spoke to reporters about his new haircut. Earlier this spring, Hawk had his long hair cut for charity, and he and his wife are partnering with Wigs for Kids in an effort called Hawk?s Locks for Kids, which will take donated hair to help make wigs for children who are cancer patients or burn victims. An event in Hawk?s home state of Ohio is planned for June.

?I think they said it takes six or eight people?s hair to make one wig for these kids, and with my ratty, terrible hair, they probably needed a bunch of extras in there,? Hawk said. ?So I didn?t give them much, but I gave them what I had.?
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http://blog.packers.com/2012/05/30/may-30-ota-practice-notes/

Hawk: "No lack of talent on defense"
 
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Pressure on Hawk. Chances are, you've read my colleague's story on inside linebacker A.J. Hawk (and the defense in general) back in January. The former fifth overall pick did not live up to the five-year, $33.75 million contract he signed a year ago. Far from it. Urgency is higher across the board on defense this off-season. There's more pressure on the assistant coaches to get the six draft picks up to speed and there's pressure on the veterans to rebound. With Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore both moving inside -- where there's already D.J. Smith and Robert Francois -- Hawk cannot play as poorly as he did in 2011. Dom Capers has other options to turn to.
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http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/157562665.html#!page=1&pageSize=10&sort=newestfirst
 
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A.J. Hawk joined ESPN Milwaukee with Homer to discuss his play last year, how the overall defense was assessed throughout the season, the need for a better pass rush, his role, the need to tackle better and those who debate whether he was worth the fifth overall pick in 2006.

ajhawk-300x168.jpg


How do you feel like you played last year?:

?Just like every year, I myself always have super high expectations on what I want to do. I?ve obviously gone back and watched all the games and evaluated myself like I?ve done every year in the past. I definitely think I left some plays out there. I?m not really a big stat guy, but I?m sure my stats didn?t really match up as well as they had in the past. But I just try to take advantage of any opportunity I can get. One thing?s for sure, I don?t think as a team we?re going to let another season like last year slip away.?

What was going on in the defensive meetings in terms of assessing the unit?s play throughout the year?:

?Obviously when you?re winning and your offense is playing as well as it did, they covered up for a lot of things that we as a defense weren?t really nailing down the way we should have. But I think each week we felt like we could turn the corner as a defense and put a full game together, but we could just never really put four quarters together in a game. A lot was made of how many yards we gave up, but as a defense we could care less about yardage, we only care about points. But the truth of the matter is we gave up too many points as well. ? We?ve been hard at work now for a couple months trying to figure that out and we?re definitely going to get it going in the right direction.?

Has there been discussion about needing a better pass rush?:

?I think it definitely wasn?t something that we sat there and thought about every day or brought up every day, that we need to get more of a pass rush. But as a defense, if you look at all the great defenses in the past, they?re getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback ? not only just sacks, but making the quarterback get out of the pocket and move around and throw with guys in his face. We didn?t do that enough this year. We know we have some of the best DBs in the NFL, so when we can make the quarterback feel stressed, we can get a lot of turnovers and do a lot of good things.?

cont...
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http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2012/06/06/nfl-green-bay-packers-aj-hawk-defense-improvement/
 
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LB Hawk knuckles down to regain big-play production
Jun. 15, 2012
Written by
Rob Demovsky
Green Bay Press-Gazette

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A.J. Hawk doesn?t need anyone to tell him the difference between his 2010 and 2011 seasons.

He knows.

?The year before I think I had three picks and got my hands on a lot of balls,? Hawk said. ?Last year, for whatever reason, I didn?t even get my hands on many. That?s a difference.?

In the Green Bay Packers? Super Bowl season of 2010, Hawk?s three interceptions tied for the league lead among linebackers. He also tied a career high with nine pass breakups and had a fumble recovery ? all while not playing a snap in the season opener at Philadelphia because of a game-plan decision. It was perhaps the best season for the fifth overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Last year, however, was a different story. Though the coaches maintained Hawk was steady down in and down out, his big-play production wasn?t there. He didn?t have an interception, a forced fumble or a fumble recovery. He had only five pass breakups, although he had 1? sacks compared to ? in 2010.

He thinks he knows why, and he worked this offseason to address it.

?Watching film I felt like I got stuck on blocks a little too much,? Hawk said Thursday after the team?s mandatory minicamp concluded. ?When I was able to blitz, a lot of times I?m blitzing up the middle or going against a center or a guard, and I feel like I got Velcroed or stuck to them a little too much. So I?ve focused on working on my hands and getting off (blocks) and get to the ball more.?

cont...
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http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...k-knuckles-down-to-regain-big-play-production
 
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Hawk didn't have off year, Packers insist
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
June 21, 2012

?A.J. didn?t play poorly last year. He just didn?t make those impact plays.? - Winston Moss, inside linebackers coach on A.J. Hawk (above).

Green Bay - Criticism is to be expected. Only two other Green Bay Packers players were drafted in the top five the last 25 years.

From Day 1, A.J. Hawk has been surrounded by massive expectations.

"When you're the fifth pick in the draft, you understand what the hell is going on," inside linebackers coach Winston Moss said. "You have a lot of pressure on you to make some plays. He understands that, and I think he's dealt with that going on seven years now."

That may be true. Such an entrance demands a player to be a star, not a placeholder. Still, Hawk regressed sharply last season. According to Pro Football Focus, he was in on 960 snaps. And all season, Hawk had zero interceptions, zero forced fumbles and just 1 1/2 sacks.

cont...
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http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...ff-year-packers-insist-jk5rtr3-159968545.html
 
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Packers: A.J. Hawk dropped weight in off season
Associated Press

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk dropped a little weight and worked on ball handling drills during minicamp to try to get back where he was in 2010 when his three interceptions tied for the league lead among linebackers. He also tied a career high that year with nine pass breakups.

The former Ohio State star reportedly weighs 238 pounds, down from the 245 he weighed at OSU and the 240 he carried last season. He didn?t have an interception, a forced fumble or a fumble recovery (he also had one of those in 2010) and had only five pass breakups, although he had 1? sacks compared to ? in 2010.

The Green Bay coaches maintained Hawk was steady last season, even though his big-play production wasn?t there.

Hawk told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that ?watching film I felt like I got stuck on blocks a little too much (last season). When I was able to blitz, a lot of times I?m blitzing up the middle or going against a center or a guard, and I feel like I got Velcroed or stuck to them a little too much. So I?ve focused on working on my hands and getting off (blocks) and get to the ball more."

There?s been no indication this offseason that Hawk?s starting job is in jeopardy, even though last year rookie D.J. Smith played well when Hawk and fellow starting inside linebacker Desmond Bishop were out with calf injuries late in the season.
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Read more: http://host.madison.com/sports/foot...c9d-11e1-96e2-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1ycU6Hc00
 
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Live from Tahoe: Packers LB AJ Hawk explains why he tackled that dude into the lake

Ian Rapoport | Tags: Packers, A.J. Hawk, Guy in the pool

Packers LB AJ Hawk signed some autographs (Twitpic)

One of my favorite things this offseason came when video surfaced from a celebrity golf tournament. Packers LB AJ Hawk was videotaped drilling a guy into a lake, a vicious tackle in what looked like a casual two-hand-touch game. It was hilarious? and a little strange.

Today, before a practice round of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe, I talked with Hawk about it. No, it wasn?t quite like it seemed. Turns out, the dude actually asked for it.

Well, allow Hawk to explain. But first, I had to broach the topic. ?So, A.J? you seen that video of yourself hitting that guy??

?Oh, I?ve seen that,? Hawk told me this morning, laughing. ?The golf one? Oh yeah? that thing kinda blew up. That was the last time I golfed, actually, a few weeks ago.?

Um, what happened?

?It was a charity golf event up in Youngstown and at the end, they have a dinner and auction and stuff,? Hawk explained. ?The guy that was running the auction, I knew him, and he wanted to raise some more money. So that was his auction item (the touch football game). He paid good money to have (it). My buddy Doug Datish, who played center at Ohio State, snapped the ball to Troy Smith, and Troy Smith threw the ball to him. Then I tackled him into the water. The dude paid ? the guy?s name is Bill ? he paid good money to have that happen. It was originally supposed to be a normal, I was just supposed to tackle him into the grass.?

Instead?

?And then he came up to me before and said, ?Hey, just knock me into the water,? ? Hawk said. ?So, I saw everyone with their cameras out, I knew it was going to get out. I didn?t know it?d be as big as it did. It was fun. I don?t regret it.?

Hawk does have one regret.

?The only thing I regret is, I wish I would?ve ? I told my wife when I got home ? I wish I would?ve wrapped him up and tackled him into the water,? Hawk said. ?That would?ve been awesome. But the water wasn?t that deep, so that might?ve been bad, head first into there. But it was fun, that guy was a great sport. We took a picture afterwards and he only lived about a minute away so he could walk home and change.?

I can?t lie. I?m slightly disappointed it was all planned. I bet I?m not alone.

?Everyone thinks I just took advantage of a guy and knocked him in,? he continued, ?but it was all set up, believe me. It was fun.?
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http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/07/17/liv...lains-why-he-tackled-that-dude-into-the-lake/
 
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