Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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This season has signaled a shift in how teams attack Clark, who has become a focal point for offensive coordinators after his 55 tackles and 6½ sacks in 13 games during a breakout 2018.
Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has noticed his 6-foot-3, 314-pound pupil being double-teamed significantly more this year and for good reason. When Paradis and Turner handled him one-on-one, Clark was a headache and a handful.
“He’s doing his job at a high level; it’s just hard to make plays when you’ve got two guys on you,” Montgomery said. “So what he does is, he takes blocks up for other guys to make plays.”
Another reality is the hourglass to get after the quarterback has been reduced with the arrival of the Smiths, who have combined for 18½ sacks through the first 10 games. On plays where the quarterback holds the ball a tick longer, there’s often an edge rusher quickly in pursuit.
Those who know Clark best understand the value he brings to the defensive front on every down, which makes it hard to take him off the field. Like last year, Clark has once again been one of the league’s most active interior defensive linemen. He’s averaged 56 snaps per game this year (83.2% of Green Bay’s total).
“Everybody wants the sacks. Everyone wants the stats because that’s what the fans see and this is a big entertainment business (with) a lot of voting for Pro Bowl,” defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster said. “But when it comes to the pressures and how he changes the game, you can’t see that on paper but it’s definitely a forced to be reckoned with.