Packers: Hawk starts to take flight
JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
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GREEN BAY - Like any proud papa, Keith Hawk reads every word.
From Sports Illustrated to the Shawano Leader, if they've written something about his son A.J., well, chances are he's read it.
"You know dads," A.J. Hawk said after practice Saturday, as the Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker prepared for Monday night's game at Philadelphia. "They read everything."
Yes, Keith has made the Wisconsin media Web sites and packers.com part of his daily morning ritual, but, he said in his own defense, "I imagine most dads are doing that."
So remember all that talk early in training camp about Hawk not living up to his status as the fifth overall pick in the draft? Well, because this is a case of like father, not like son, Hawk wasn't really fazed by it because he didn't really know about it.
And if he does, when he does, he won't read a word about it. Saturday,
he was much more concerned about the top-ranked Buckeyes' game at Iowa than public perception of his play.
"It's just not something I'm worried about," Hawk said.
Instead, he'll leave the media-monitoring to his father.
"The one thing I've never worried about with A.J. is how he plays. I have none of that 'performance anxiety' with him," Keith Hawk said. "When I read that stuff, I thought, 'It's awfully early.' And sure enough, it's working out fine.
"I was never concerned about it - and I knew he wasn't reading it."
Oh, A.J. Hawk recalls a handful of reporters asking him about it, but he had no clue how pervasive it might have been because, truth be told, he doesn't really care.
"I know people were talking bad or saying whatever - but it's not like I get the paper here or watch the news. So I honestly never saw any of it," Hawk said. "The only time I heard anything was when (reporters) would tell me.
"My dad, I'm sure he read it all, but he never said anything to me. If he ever said anything, he'd try to be nice about it. 'Oh, you know . . . '"
Not that Hawk has something against local TV (his wife, Laura, is studying to become a news reporter) or is stranded on the shoulder of the information superhighway ("I get online to read Ohio State stories and see what they're doing, but I don't read about me," he says).
It's more a function of a lesson Keith taught him when he was very young.
"My dad told me when I was a kid, 'Don't ever get too excited or too upset about what people say. Because you're never as good as they say, and hopefully you're not as bad as they say,' " Hawk said. "If he finds something good, he'll try to tell me, 'Oh, I saw a good article on you today.' But honestly, I don't (care).
"I mean, I would hope they expect a lot out of me. Wouldn't you want your fifth overall pick to come in and play well? That's fine by me. I hope (Packers fans) have high expectations for me."
They do, and Hawk is gradually starting to live up to them. Three weeks into the regular season, he enters Monday night's game with 24 tackles (tied with fellow linebacker Nick Barnett for second-most on the team), one sack and one pass defensed, and has shown up a little more in each game.?
Improving steadily In the Packers' season-opening loss to Chicago, Hawk made little impact, tallying six tackles and one quarterback pressure on a blitz.
The next week against New Orleans, he had 10 tackles and broke up a pass, plus played a key role in limiting Reggie Bush' impact.
And last Sunday at Detroit, Hawk had eight tackles and his first NFL sack, although he also missed a pair of tackles.
"I think if you just take Week 1 through Week 3, he's steadily on the up-climb and will continue to improve," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.
The sack was the kind of instinctive play the coaches expect from Hawk. When he recognized that tight end Dan Campbell, his coverage assignment, was staying in to block, Hawk sprinted through a gap and threw quarterback Jon Kitna for a 9-yard loss.
"His man blocked and he triggered. That's what we do," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "That was an excellent play by him. It's just a matter of having a feel of the game."
And that feel is what Hawk continues to develop. He is on the field virtually every down because, unlike in past years where the Packers went to a dime unit of four down linemen, Barnett and six defensive backs in obvious passing situations, they have used their nickel unit (four linemen, Barnett, Hawk and five DBs) almost exclusively. When they have used a sixth DB, they've often gone with three linemen in order to keep Hawk on the field.
"Obviously, with a guy that talented, you want him on the field as much as possible so he can make plays," linebackers coach Winston Moss said. "I only anticipate him to continue to become impactful as he becomes more and more comfortable, knowing where he can make a play." ?
Not a big-play guy The one problem is Hawk, even as he rose to stardom at Ohio State, has never been about huge plays. In four years of college football (51 games), Hawk had 41 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, seven interceptions, 13 pass breakups and was involved in five fumble plays (two recovered, three forced).
As a result, those fans who are wanting to see a lot of those plays will be somewhat disappointed.
Sure, Hawk had an interception, a forced fumble and a sack of Vince Young in the Buckeyes' early-season loss to eventual national champion Texas last fall, but that isn't the norm. Instead, expect one or two such plays a game and otherwise sure, reliable tackling.
"I just think a lot of times big plays are what people are looking for, and even at Ohio State, I wasn't a guy that was going to shoot through a lot of gaps and make a lot of 'big plays,' " Hawk said. "I wasn't doing that all the time. It's just, when your one or two opportunities come to make a big play in the game, you've got to do it. That's something I'm learning here."
The good news is, he is a very good learner. Moss, who played 11 years in the NFL, has been impressed with Hawk's work in the film room and playbook and expects those habits to keep improving, too.
"If you're as talented as A.J. is, he can become that much more dangerous if he becomes a student of the game. That's going to maximize his ability," Moss said. "I've said from Day 1, when everyone was expecting impact-impact-impact, I think he's been on schedule. He's done exactly what we've asked him to do.
"I truly believe he understands the magnitude with which he was drafted and the consequences that come with that. He's well aware and readily prepared to fulfil those requirements."
And if he does, when he does, he won't read a word about it. Saturday, he was much more concerned about the top-ranked Buckeyes' game at Iowa than public perception of his play.
"It's just not something I'm worried about," Hawk said. "I feel a little better every week, every day. I'm still only three games in here, so it's not like I'm a veteran. But even though it's three (regular-season) games, we're nine weeks into working here (since camp opened). So every day you get a little more comfortable. I feel good, but you can always get a lot better. And that's what I'm trying to do."
