“You don’t have to be the greatest athlete,” said Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene, who had 160 sacks as an outside linebacker in a 15 year career that one day may land him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I’m talking from experience. I was not the most athletic outside linebacker to play. But I was physical. I was hard-nosed. I had a motor. And I was smart. I studied. I knew where I needed to be and I knew where my help was. I knew what leverage to use. I knew on the other side what they were trying to do.
“You do have to have some things. You have to be able to backpedal and go backwards. You don’t have to great at it, but you have to have some functional ability. But the No. 1 thing is the physicality. You can get caught up in all the measurables—40 yard dash, broad jump, shuttle. It boils down to are they physical and are they relentless? Are they playing with passion?”