Newly acquired linebacker Brandon Chilllar, who the Green Bay Packers signed in free agency to a fairly decent sized contract, saw his first extended playing time on defense against the Dallas Cowboys after not playing much in the first two games of the regular season.
It comes as a surprise to see Chillar on the bench after paying him so much money. Sure, Brady Poppinga has been solid, but why did you go out and sign Chillar then?
Maybe it was a mistake to barely play Chillar in the first two regular season games and then expect him to play a critical role against perhaps the NFC's toughest team with very little experience in the Packers' defense.
Poppinga has played well. He deserves some playing time. But maybe it would just be nice to see Chillar getting a little more playing time on third and long when the team doesn't decide to blitz. It would be nice to have Chillar's coverage skills in the game a little more often.
Chillar, for his part, has been a big contributor on special teams. The Packers have picked up where they left off last year as on the better special teams units in the entire NFL.
Chillar and company have had to make up for a shoddy punting game by providing great coverage while having to deal with some short punts with low hang time.
As the Buccaneers game nears, here's to hoping we see Chillar get some more P.T. on Sundays.