Clinton-Dix isn’t doing what you say he is.

It’s hard to tell when Packer Twitter originally turned into a rage-filled mob with torches and fondue pitchforks roaming the alleys for the head of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

However, the fury was definitely noticeable at the end of last season when he got burned on a play against the Lions.

Is that what you want to see from your last line of defense? Of course not.

But, was there anything worth salvaging at that point? That’s an obvious, “no.”

Clinton-Dix has played in all 16 games every year since he was drafted in 2014. That’s unbelievable durability. He’s basically Wolverine.

Except he doesn’t actually have adamantium bones or accelerated healing abilities. He’s flesh and blood. It would be a shame to get busted up in a meaningless game at the end of a forgettable season.

He didn’t know where his career was going either. It was another four months before the Packers decided to exercise his fifth year option, which doesn’t guarantee much. That’s why he sat out of OTA’s this year. The NFL pays well, but Not For Long.

And that’s also why he told Jason Wilde in a recent interview for the Wisconsin State Journal he’s not sure where he’ll be playing next year.

“Right now, I’m playing each and every game like it’s my last. I don’t think I’m going to be here next year,” he said, after the loss to Detroit on Sunday. “That’s how I look at it. I just (have to) be honest with myself. You’ve got to play it game-by-game.”

Twitter ran with the first part of the quote as if to say Clinton-Dix is throwing in the towel on the Packers, indicative of his lacking performance at the end of last year. But, that reaction ignores two things:

One, this is the same out-of-context reaction that happened to Rodgers earlier this year when he said he wasn’t sure he’d finish his career in Green Bay. A lot of people believed that Rodgers was threatening he might decide to leave for a better team. In actuality, he was being realistic that the team might make that decision for him. Clinton-Dix meant the same thing.

The second thing it ignores is that, according to Pro Football Focus, last season was Clinton-Dix’s best yet. And this year, he’s doing even better.

Without giving away their proprietary data, here is the gist of PFF’s analysis on Clinton-Dix:

• He’s currently the seventh highest ranked Safety in the league. Earl Thomas is #1, but since he’s out for the season on IR that makes Clinton-Dix the sixth best.
• He has the second most snaps out of the top 10 at his position (might have to do with that durability thing we talked about earlier).
• Despite all the fan umbrage about trading away Damarious Randall and Micah Hyde, Clinton-Dix is ranked higher than both.
• In fact, he’s ranked higher that both Vikings’ heralded safeties Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo.
• Clinton-Dix is actually ranked higher than any safety you’ve ever heard of, with the exception of Derwin James (but that’s another story).

Still not convinced Clinton-Dix isn’t the washed-up bum you want to believe he is?

According to ESPN.com, Clinton-Dix is tied with five other players for the most interceptions in the league this year (3). His career total is 14, so that’s already over a fifth in just five games so far, putting him on pace for at least nine.

Out of the five players he’s tied with for interceptions, Clinton-Dix has the second most tackles (17).

And out of those five, he’s the only one with a sack.

That all said, like a lot players on this year’s roster, Clinton-Dix can do better.

On the Youtube show, “X’s and O’s with LeRoy Butler,” the former Packers’ safety explains how Clinton-Dix blew his coverage against the Lions this weekend. For some inexplicable reason, instead of staying in the end zone to help out Kevin King, he ran after the tight end who was already covered by both Oren Burks and Josh Jones.

The result of the play was another six points for Detroit.

“If A-Rod doesn’t complete a pass, is he a bad quarterback?” Clinton-Dix asked Wilde rhetorically.  “If Davante drops a ball, is he a bad receiver now? I’ve gotten to the point in my life and my career where I’m OK with making mistakes and not beating myself up too bad about it.”

The man has a point. At the moment, there’s plenty of credit to go around for all the Packers’ myriad of mistakes.  But let’s not take them or their words out of context.

It’s not as negative as you want to tweet.