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Beer-Chugging Bakhtiari Headlines Green Bay Packers' Impressive Offensive Line

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This is the fourth story in a series examining Green Bay’s positional groups. The first three were on the Packers' quarterbacks, the wide receivers and the running backs.

Back in May, David Bakhtiari was getting ready to attend a Milwaukee Bucks playoff game. And Bakhtiari, the Green Bay Packers left tackle, was told the Bucks planned to put him on the Jumbotron.

“I was like, ‘You know what? At this point in my career and in my life, if they put the camera on me, I’ll just chug my beer. I’ll have some fun with it,’ ” Bakhtiari told reporters this spring.

Boy, did he ever.

Bakhtiari actually chugged three beers in a matter of just seconds. And what was supposed to be a beer-drinking battle with quarterback Aaron Rodgers turned into a laughable, one-sided affair after Rodgers didn’t come close to finishing his beverage.

Bakhtiari’s remarkable antics went viral. And suddenly, Bakhtiari was a household name.

“I didn’t think it was going to get to where we are today,” Bakhtiari said. “Apparently, going into Boulder (to play collegiately at Colorado) and only winning 11 games in four years has given me quite a talent that I hadn’t dusted off in quite some time. Apparently, I’ve still got it.”

Bakhtiari also has it on the football field, even if his exploits there are lesser known.

Bakhtiari was rated as the NFL’s No. 1 tackle by Pro Football Focus last year. Somehow, though, Bakhtiari has never been more than an injury replacement at the Pro Bowl.

Many eyes were raised when Bakhtiari signed a four-year, $51.67 million contract before the 2016 season. A case could be made though, that Bakhtiari has been underpaid.

“Although he has an interesting name and long hair and a number you can remember, he might not get a bunch of the attention that he really deserves,” Rodgers said of Bakhtiari.

That could change in 2019, though.

Green Bay is switching to an outside zone scheme that could help reignite an offense that’s gone stale in recent years. Athletic, versatile offensive linemen perform best in the outside zone and Bakhtiari could take his game to an even higher level.

“I like it. I’m a peacock, you’ve got to let me fly,” Bakhtiari said of the new blocking scheme. “I enjoy it. I’ve always enjoyed getting in open space. It’s something I take pride in, especially while the legs are still fresh and my mind-set’s still pretty young, of getting out there and making the secondary pay for wanting to play football with the big guys. I’ve always had fun with that so I’m excited to go into this offense and execute some of these things.”

Green Bay’s offensive line ranked No. 7 as a unit by PFF last season. And the Packers could be even better in 2019.

In addition to Bakhtiari, center Corey Linsley, right tackle Bryan Bulaga and left guard Lane Taylor all return. And Green Bay invested heavily in free agent Billy Turner hoping he can solve what’s been a problem at right guard.

Linsley played all 1,075 snaps last season — marking the third time he’s played every snap during his five-year career. Linsley isn't a great athlete or overly powerful. But he’s a picture of steadiness, was ranked sixth among all centers by PFF, and should be a mainstay in Green Bay for several more seasons.

“He’s perfect. I’m really excited about what he’s going to do this year. I think he’s a great fit,” Packers offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said. "Corey does a great job making sure everyone’s on point, well-targeted and all that stuff. Yeah, he’s doing a really good job with that."

Bulaga made 14 starts in 2018, which amazingly, is the third-most of his nine-year career. Bulaga battled knee and back injuries a year ago that knocked him out of four games, but played 72.7% of the snaps and performed well.

Bulaga allowed just five “bad” runs, the fewest on the offensive line. He also allowed 18 ½ pressures, the fourth-fewest on the line. Bulaga was hit with eight penalties, though, his highest number since his rookie season of 2010.

Bulaga is entering the final year of his contract, and seems like a longshot to return in 2020. But the bottom line remains that when Bulaga plays, Green Bay is a better football team.

Bulaga (6-5, 314) has always had ideal size and speed for right tackle. He’s been equally productive in both the pass and run game, and he’s as competitive as it gets.

The Packers are crossing their fingers that doesn’t change in 2019.

“I think that’s the magic question that you’re always trying to (answer), the fine line you’ve got to navigate,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Bulaga. “Because certainly we like him out there, because that’s how you get better, right? You get better through reps.”

Taylor battled ankle, foot and knee injuries in 2018 — and it showed. Taylor struggled with both speed and power players in his poorest season since becoming a starter in 2016.

Taylor allowed a team-high 8.5 sacks, the most by a Packers offensive lineman since Don Barclay gave up 9.0 in 2015.

And in addition to the ghastly sack numbers, Taylor allowed a team-high 30.5 pressures.

Taylor remained solid in the run game, but questions abound whether he’ll fit into the Packers’ new blocking scheme.

“Some of that stuff was muscle memory in the past,” Taylor told reporters about changing schemes. “It used to be things we would just do and now you have to think about it where it’s like you’re a rookie again. It’s like, ‘OK I need to go left, then right.’ That’s kind of what’s been the challenging part.”

“But it’s new, it’s fun. I like to learn something new rather than do the same thing the whole time.”

Turner started 11 games for Denver at both guard and tackle last season. Turner was far from dominant, but his flexibility and continued improvement were both huge positives and PFF rated him as the No. 33 guard in the NFL last year.

The Packers liked what they saw and signed Turner to a four-year, $28 million deal that includes $11 million in the first season.

Turner has experience in the outside zone scheme that LaFleur will employ. So even though Turner has made just 25 starts in five NFL seasons, his experience in the system could help him become a valuable commodity.

“Billy is a very good player,” Bulaga said of Turner. “I think he’s very smart and he adapts well, you know what I mean? When you’re playing next to someone new, you have to learn each other’s ins and outs, what they are very good at, what they’re maybe not so good at, and you have to adjust your game to fit that.

“I think Billy and I have done a really good job kind of working through those things with each other — what he’s comfortable doing, what I’m comfortable doing — and then we’re learning a whole new system to go along with that. So you’re working through some things and trying to get on the same page, but I think for the most part it’s gone really well.”

Green Bay could have better depth than it’s had in a while, too.

Rookie second round draft choice Elgton Jenkins could be the top interior backup. Cole Madison, a 2018 fifth round draft choice who missed last season, could contribute, as well.

Tackles Alex Light and Jason Spriggs, along with interior linemen Lucas Patrick, Justin McCray and Adam Pankey will all battle for jobs, as well.

“We’re asking them to do some new things that they haven’t really done before,” Stenavich said of Green Bay’s offensive linemen. “But for O-linemen, it’s just come off the ball. O-linemen like to do that. Be aggressive.

“All that stuff that we’re talking about is just stuff that really feeds naturally into being an O-lineman. I think these guys, they realize where they’re at in their career – different points, but all those guys want to be coached and they want to improve and they’re hungry for success. It’s pretty easy coaching those guys.”