One of the Las Vegas Raiders’ biggest moves of free agency was signing former Green Bay Packer linebacker Quay Walker. To get to know Walker better and give Raider Nation an idea of what he brings to Las Vegas, Silver and Black Pride reached out to our friends at Acme Packing Company, and Justis Mosqueda was kind enough to answer a few questions about the linebacker.
Q: What would you say are Walker’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?
A: He’s been a very good run plugger for the last two years. Former
Packers’ linebackers coach and run game coordinator Anthony Campanile sort of changed him in that aspect before taking the defensive coordinator job with the Jacksonville Jaguars. As far as a weakness goes, I think it’s his coverage skills by far. Keep him in the box and fitting the A gap instead of having to play sideline to sideline, and the Raiders should be good.
Q: While the Packers didn’t pick up Walker’s fifth-year option, back in July, general manager Brian Gutekunst indicated that he was working on giving Walker a contract extension. Why did that never happen, and why did the organization allow the linebacker to hit the open market?
A: They disagreed on pricing. The Packers tried to get something done several times. There were reports that Green Bay would get into the low double digits ($10 million to $11 million) on his APY, but they weren’t willing to get to the number he got. I think Quay’s camp was hoping for $15 million per in free agency, which is probably why he waited out there for a bit before eventually signing with the Raiders.
Q: Walker was known for being a good athlete when he was coming out of Georgia, but he seemed to struggle in coverage as a Packer. Given his physical abilities, what would you say are his biggest issues in that area of the game?
A: Awareness of what the defensive structure is trying to do. A lot of times, he wouldn’t get enough depth in his zone, but generally, he covers grass a lot, instead of reacting to the route combinations that are coming his way. That sort of makes him an easy target.
Q: During his introductory press conference, Walker seemed to take a shot at the Packers by saying that he thinks the Raiders/defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will use him “the right way”. How did Green Bay use him, and what would you say is the “right way” to maximize his skill set?
A: I think he’ll probably want to be blitzed more so he doesn’t have to cover, if I had to guess. Otherwise, he played as a spot-drop zone Mike linebacker for Jeff Hafley and the quarters system under Joe Barry. The only thing he really hasn’t done is be a blitzer, so I’m guessing it’s that.
Q: How is Walker as a leader/teammate, and what type of person is he off the field?
A: I don’t think he’s a bad kid or anything, but Packers fans will point to the multiple ejections. The first was for shoving an opposing coach, and the second was for shoving an opposing trainer in an elimination game.
