Amid down season, Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk gets a shot Sunday against Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PACKERS UPDATE

Hawk gets a shot amid down season

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With Brandon Chillar out with a broken hand, LB A.J. Hawk will see more time Sunday against the Bucs.

Because the Packers have played five defensive backs extensively this season, Hawk's snaps have been limited.

Sunday against the Vikings, the No. 5 overall pick in 2006 out of Ohio State played only 15. And he has just 34 tackles, down from the past three seasons of 155, 129 and 121, respectively.

But Hawk said he doesn't view this as an opportunity to prove he deserves more playing time. "I'm just going to go in there and try to help the team win," he said. "You like to be in there and get a rhythm, get a feel for the game, feel how they're trying to attack and what they're doing. But … that's a perfect world."

Asked if his reduced role has hurt him on a personal level, Hawk chuckled.

"It doesn't hurt," he said. "This doesn't do anything to my confidence or how I feel what I can do, personally."

Green Bay Press-Gazette