Julian Peterson is Fantastic

The dailies bemoaned the lack of pass protection in Saturday's exhibition loss to San Diego, but we saw something fantastic--what free agent speed-rushing linebacker Julian Peterson will do for the Hawks' defense this year.

In the second quarter, the Chargers tried a student body draw left, pulling the right tackle around to lead the way. Peterson, thus rushing unblocked from the right side, ran down the play, tackling the San Diego back for a huge loss.

Hawks' opponents, say goodbye to draws, sweeps and most screen plays. Peterson will run them down before they get started. That means the Hawks interior lineman can focus on rushing upfield. The Hawks should be stronger against the run this season and have an even better pass rush.

Peterson (shown above in a screenshot from the infamous 49ers player orientation video) is the player that the Hawks signed with the money they were supposed to give to Steve Hutchinson. The offense will be weaker without Hutchinson (as the poor pass protection is showing), but the defense is stronger. And if it's defense that wins championships...