Today is the 43rd day of FOX Sports Wisconsin Packers writer Paul Imig's offseason evaluations of every player on Green Bay's roster. Click here for all of Paul's previous evaluations and come back every day through mid-March for Paul's in-depth film and statistical analysis. Coming up soon:
Tuesday, March 12: G Josh Sitton
Wednesday, March 13: ILB D.J. Smith
Thursday, March 14: RB James Starks
Friday, March 15: TE Ryan Taylor
Saturday, March 16: G Greg Van Roten
SAM SHIELDS, CORNERBACK
Season stats: 12 games (10 regular season, two postseason); 39 tackles, five missed tackles, five interceptions, 84 interception yards, one interception returned for touchdown, 14 passes defensed, zero forced fumbles, one sack; thrown at 57 times while allowing 26 receptions (45.6 completion percentage)
Best game: Divisional-round loss at San Francisco (one interception, 52 interception return yards, one touchdown, two passes defensed, four tackles, zero missed tackles, thrown at eight times while allowing three receptions; played 73 of 80 snaps; 2.2 PFF rating)
Worst game: Week 4 win over New Orleans (five tackles, one missed tackle, zero passes defensed, thrown at seven times while allowing six receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown; played 79 of 80 snaps; minus-0.5 PFF rating)
ProFootballFocus.com season rating: 16.1 (third-best on Packers defense; second-best among Packers cornerbacks; 15th-best among all NFL cornerbacks)
Expectations at the start of the season: Medium
Expectations were ... Exceeded
Looking live: Throughout training camp, Shields was up against a lot of competition to win the starting cornerback spot opposite Tramon Williams. Jarrett Bush was the leader coming in, Davon House was playing very well prior to a shoulder injury in preseason and second-round pick Casey Hayward was showing early signs of being a promising young player. Shields, undrafted in 2010, kept hanging around near the top of the depth chart. Bush ended up starting in Week 1 of the regular season, but after he struggled in that game against San Francisco, Shields got the call. Shields started from Weeks 2 through 6, but an ankle injury then kept him out for the next two months. Prior to his injury, Shields was never being taken off the field, regardless of the package being run by defensive coordinator Dom Capers. As Shields started to return to full health in early December, though, Hayward had been playing very well and House had started to contribute. Shields played just 69 percent of snaps in his return in Week 14 but was then right back up to being nearly an every-down player throughout the rest of the regular season and postseason.
Upon further review: Shields made very good progress in 2012, his third NFL season. His speed has never been in question, once again running like the fastest player on the Packers' roster. At 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, Shields will always have to somewhat rely on that speed to make up for his lack of size. His biggest improvement continues to be in his ball skills and discipline in coverage, which took another positive step this past season. There were several moments throughout the season when it seemed as if the officials were out to get Shields. In the unofficial category of "non-existent pass interference calls," Shields would have led the league. Without a few of those calls going against him, Shields' overall numbers would have been even more impressive. Shields also tackled much better in 2012, missing only five compared with 18 over the previous two seasons. Once he returned from injury in Week 14, Shields was giving some of the best, most consistent performances of his career. His interception return for a touchdown off of Colin Kaepernick in the divisional-round game against San Francisco was exactly what the Packers' defense needed to gain early momentum. Shields finished with five interceptions in only 12 games, tying him for the seventh-most in the entire NFL.
Overall 2012 grade: B-plus
Status for 2013: 99 percent chance of being on the Packers' active roster in Week 1 next season. Shields is a restricted free agent this offseason, but Green Bay will almost certainly retain him. Shields, 25, is one of the great finds by general manager Ted Thompson in undrafted free agency. He's been productive since his rookie season and continues to get better. Given his athleticism, Shields still has room to grow. However, cornerback is one of the deepest, youngest positions on the Packers' roster. He'll be competing for snaps against House and Hayward for many years to come, and also has the veteran Williams to keep up with. If Shields stays healthy throughout all of 2013, he has a chance to emerge as one of the NFL's better overall cornerbacks.
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