Don’t Turn Blind Eye on Turner for Offense’s Success
GREEN BAY, Wis. – For eight seasons, including three that reached NFC Championship Games, David Bakhtiari protected Aaron Rodgers’ blind side.
Along the way, Bakhtiari was selected to the All-Pro team five times. Together, they became close friends.
When Bakhtiari suffered a torn ACL on the Thursday before the critical Week 17 game at Chicago, it appeared to be an injury that could derail the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl express. Instead, the Packers blasted the Bears to earn the No. 1 seed, then crushed the Los Angeles Rams in a divisional playoff game. With the offense having shredded two of the top defenses in the NFL, the Packers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
While Rodgers seems poised to win a third MVP, it’s Billy Turner who has emerged as the team’s unsung hero.
“He’s had some incredible performances, in my opinion, going up against one of the best, if not one of the best edge rushers in the game in Khalil (Mack) a couple of times and played him really, really well,” Rodgers said on Wednesday.
“Just watching those games back, what he did with his hands and variants in sets, just training tape in mixing things up as a tackle. I thought it was just outstanding play. Then, our All-Pro left tackle goes down. Here’s Billy, who’s working on a left-foot forward, right-foot back kick stance. Now, ‘Hey, by the way, buddy, you’re going to have to go play left tackle.’”
Before the 2019 season, the Packers signed Turner to a four-year, $28 million contract. It seemed like an outlandish contract for a player selected in the third round of the 2014 draft but had never won a starting job. Handed the starting job at right guard, he was mediocre, at best. Of 63 guards to play at least 50 percent of the snaps, he finished 58th in ProFootballFocus.com’s pass-protection metric with six sacks, six hits and 45 total pressures. Sports Info Solutions charged him with 12 blown blocks in the run game, fourth-most among all guards.
He found a home at right tackle, where he replaced Bryan Bulaga.
“I’ve always felt Billy’s best position was tackle, in general. So, when we could move him out there, I felt better having him out there,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said on Wednesday.
Then, Turner was forced to move to left tackle when Bakhtiari suffered broken ribs at Tampa Bay. Then, it was back to left tackle after Bakhtiari’s knee injury. According to PFF, he’s allowed two sacks this season – none since Week 9 against the 49ers – and only four pressures the past two weeks.
He’ll have a big challenge on his hands against Tampa Bay’s Jason Pierre-Paul, a Pro Bowler after recording 9.5 sacks.
“To be honest with you, man, I’ve never been a guy to brag or to gloat or to rest on any type of accomplishments or anything like that,” said Turner, the son of former Vikings running back Maurice Turner. “I was raised in athletics and I was raised to be a team player. So, there’s been no point in my career where I’ve been chasing accolades or personal accolades.
“The only thing that I am chasing is championships. That is it. Super Bowls are more important to me than anything else. So, as far as I’m concerned, juggling different positions and going from the right side to the left side to guard back to a tackle and finding out a couple days before the game, it is what it is. It’s not easy by any means. It’s not like it’s something that I prefer. But, at the end of the day, if that’s what is necessary to help this team win games, that’s what I’m going to do every single time.”
