Brady Poppinga says championship teams need players who care only about winning, not about who gets to stand in the spotlight.
The veteran Green Bay Packers linebacker insists he's one of those guys.
"You
can't lose focus on what's truly important, and what's truly important
is winning a championship," Poppinga said. "You look at the model, it's
the New England Patriots. I think they're one of the most successful
teams this decade, that's the model that they've established and worked
for them. (They) have a bunch of team guys, whether this guy gets the
credit or that guy gets the credit, they don't care. They want to win
the Super Bowl."
But don't take that
to mean that Poppinga isn't excited about the prospect of leapfrogging
a pair of recent high-profile draft picks to open the season as a
starting outside linebacker in the Packers' new 3-4 defense.
"It
does not mean that I'm not ambitious, and that I'm not giving my very
best and I'm not going to go out and strive to be whatever I need to be
in order to help this team win," Poppinga said.
For the moment, at least, the Packers need Poppinga to start.
The
fifth-year veteran wasn't expected to be in this position coming into
training camp, given the competition at outside linebacker. Despite
having to make the difficult transition from pass-rushing defensive end
to outside linebacker, Aaron Kampman wasn't going to be challenged for
a starting job on one side.
And
Poppinga had a pair of recent draft picks in front of him on the other
side, first-round rookie Clay Matthews III and last year's fourth-round
pick, Jeremy Thompson.But Thompson is gradually returning to action
after sustaining a stinger, and Matthews continues to sit out with a
nagging hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Poppinga came up with an interception and a fumble recovery in Saturday's preseason victory over Buffalo.
"He's
taken advantage of his opportunities, and you like to see that,"
Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "Brady has the kind of
temperament you like on defense. He's a physical player, he plays the
run well, he's going to give you everything he has. And he certainly
was in the right place Saturday night."
Nobody
questions Poppinga's intense attitude and physical playing style, but
there are questions about whether he has full skill set to make the job
his own.
As an outside linebacker in
the 3-4, Poppinga will be expected to drop into pass coverage on one
play and power-rush an offensive lineman the next. And given Poppinga's
three sacks in 60 career games, there are questions about his pass-rush
ability.
Outside
linebackers coach Kevin Greene insists Poppinga is a good fit in
Capers' version of the 3-4, in which outside linebackers are coached to
charge straight ahead and collapse the pocket instead of rushing
upfield in an attempt to beat an offensive tackle around the outside.
"He's
a physical pass rusher," Greene said. "And then everything else opens
up, once you establish the violent, physical nature of the game. That's
how I played. And that's how I'm coaching these guys."
When
it comes to evaluating Poppinga's ability, Capers said he can only go
on what he has seen in practice and preseason games — and he likes what
he sees so far.
"He's showed it to this point," Capers said. "I have no reason to believe that he can't."
Poppinga
will turn 30 next month, having delayed his entry to BYU by going on a
two-year Mormon mission to Uruguay. And Poppinga continued his
volunteer work this offseason.
Poppinga
and his wife went with fellow linebacker A.J. Hawk and his wife to the
Dominican Republic, where they worked to install running water in the
town of San Cristobal.
"Now they
have full-blown pipes, running water coming to each house, and it saves
them a lot of time," Poppinga said. "So many people waste time just to
survive, whereas we have water, food and shelter — we take it for
granted, and now we're freed up to pursue whatever desires and
endeavors we have. Now they have that opportunity."
Poppinga now has an opportunity of his own on the field, but insists personal success isn't his goal.
"Is it what drives me, the source of my desire? No," Poppinga said. "I want to win a championship."