Paul Bretl | 11/29/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Two weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, both Jeff Hafley and Quay Walker acknowledged that wasn’t his best performance by any means. Missed tackles and opportunities, poor angles, and wrong assignments were all a part of the equation.
However, since then, Walker has played what Hafley called his “best game” against San Francisco and then carried that momentum into Thursday’s game with Miami.
“I think the little things just add up,” said Quay Walker at his locker on Thursday night. “Leading up to the game, practice, walk-throughs and everything, just being locked in. I was really, really locked in the whole entire week through everything. Wasn’t saying much, just making sure I come out and play my best. I think that’s translated over to Sunday.”
Hafley agrees. The way Walker responded after that Bears game was like a man “on a mission,” and that began with his practice and preparation throughout the week leading up to the 49ers game. That focus and attention to detail led to him playing with “great” fundamentals and several impact plays.
But most importantly, Hafley was proud of how Walker responded after a tough showing the week prior.
“I thought the way he responded and the way he practiced and in practice it was like he was on a mission last week, and then he went out and played like that,” said Hafley of Walker’s performance. “He was fast, he was getting downhill, he tackled well. He played with great fundamentals, he was using his hands, he had a couple TFLs.
“I mean he was just getting there, beating people to the punch, he was knocking guys back, he was setting the edge, he was really good in pass coverage. I think that’s the best game he’s played at least since we’ve been together and I hope he can build off of that. But again, I think the coolest part is how he responded. I mean, that says a lot about him and I was really proud of him.”
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘Paul Bretl’ for more Packers coverage.
Against Miami, Walker was tied for the team lead in tackles with 10, two of which came for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. For a linebacker, that tackle metric can, at times, be hollow, but facing a speedy and YAC-heavy Dolphins’ offense, Walker and the Green Bay offense were able to limit those big play opportunities by swarming to the ball carrier–a point of emphasis for the defense this week.
In addition to the tackles, Walker also had a quarterback hit and a key sack with Miami facing a fourth-and-goal from inside their own five yard line.
For Walker, as already described, the preparation throughout the week has been a crucial factor in his improved play. With that improved confidence in what he’s being asked to do because of the foundation he’s laid on the practice field an in the team meetings, there is less thinking, and simply more reacting, resulting in fast and physical play.
“I think I just do too much thinking and, being honest with you, instead of going out there and just play,” Walker said. “Anytime I can play without doing any thinking – not that Hafley’s making me think or whatever the case may be – just be me trying to do everything right instead of just lining up and just playing, anytime I have that mindset, see it, go, I can be a real, real productive player. I don’t want to give myself too much credit but that’s how I see it.”
While the production and this level of play hasn’t has been there from Walker, he brings a very versatile skill-set to the linebacker position, which, as we’ve seen, gives Hafley a lot of flexibility in terms of how he utilizes him–almost being able to customize his role on a weekly basis depending on the matchup.
Walker can be utilized as a blitzer to help drum up pressure. His sideline-to-sideline speed, coupled with his physicality to fight through blockers, allows him to restrict running lanes for ball carriers, particularly on runs outside the tackles. Then, in coverage, he has the ability to cover a lot of ground as well.
“From the time that I got around him when I first came to now,” said Xavier McKinney of Walker, “obviously he’s growing each game, each practice, but from my eyes and from what I’ve seen, I believe Quay’s the best middle linebacker in the league, in my opinion. I think he has so many different qualities that you don’t really see. He can cover well, he can tackle well, he do a lot of things.”
With Hafley taking over as the defensive coordinator, Walker not only has been navigating learning a new defensive scheme, but he’s also become the Mike linebacker in the middle of the Green Bay defense–a role with immense responsibilities.
The Mike linebacker is responsible for relaying the play to the rest of the defenders, along with signaling coverages, making sure everyone is aligned correctly, making adjustments based on the offensive alignment and so much more. All of which has to be done in those few seconds before the ball is snapped.
“He goes through different things because he got the Mike,” McKinney added, “and that’s something that I completely understand because I had the Mike when I was in New York for a time. I know how hard that can be. So I understand him.
“I try to help him, just trying to call certain calls out and just try to make his job easier so he can go out there and play fast. But when he goes out there and plays fast, there ain’t a lot of people that can do what he can do.”
A big box was checked on Thursday night for Walker. After having his best performance of the season versus San Francisco, on a short week, he backed it up with another strong showing.
Like any player, Walker is still chasing consistency, so what we saw from him performance-wise these past two games becomes closer to the norm rather than the outlier. But over the last week and a half, he appears to be on the right track with his preparation leading to confidence and that confidence translating into disruptive play on the field.
“Man just continue to play, just allow my confidence to continue to grow,” said Walker. “Like I said, don’t do no thinking and just play. Whenever I see it, just go. Still a lot I can be better at, still a lot I can get better at.”