motife
05-20-2006, 08:53 PM
http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/05/19/2/
McCarthy Wastes No Time Setting Packers' Tone
by Nathan Hager, Packers.com
posted 05/19/2006
After directing his squad for the second mini-camp of the offseason, Head Coach Mike McCarthy obviously knows there is still plenty of work left to do, but he's also happy with the direction his team is moving in.
While offseason workouts generally serve as teaching tools for new players and a chance to polish up for the veterans, when you throw in a complete new coaching staff, the time everyone spends together becomes even more valuable.
So, in getting to know his team a little better and vice versa, McCarthy and his staff also made it clear that they will demand nothing less than a high level of intensity as well as precision when it comes to practice.
Friday served as a perfect example of how difficult it can be to stay sharp with so many new faces, but after what McCarthy termed an "OK" morning session, the afternoon results were much better.
"I thought this morning was a little sloppy, but I thought it was better this afternoon," he said. "It was a good day's work ... a lot of positive things to build off of. It had good energy and good tempo."
Missing In Action
All told, the Packers had 23 of their nearly 90-member squad absent. However, McCarthy explained why the number may have seemed a little high.
"I've got 12 guys that are out for medical reasons and 10 guys out for personal reasons," McCarthy said. "And Marquand Manuel was limited."
When asked if these were excused absences, McCarthy left no doubts, saying, "absolutely."
Some of the players who are excused from this weekend's practices were Brett Favre, AJ Hawk, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Ahman Green, Al Harris, William Henderson and Charles Woodson.
Aaron Kampman said there was no reason to get excited about the absentees.
"I think we'd like to have as many guys here as we can," Kampman acknowledged. "The one thing that's been great this offseason has been the attendance. We've had more guys here this offseason than we've ever had since I've been here.
"A couple guys, not knowing the schedule, had some personal prior commitments so you can't blame them for that."
Let The Battle Begin
Though it's early, one of the most talked about position battles already taking place comes at safety between Mark Roman and Marquand Manuel.
Roman, the starter from the past two seasons, has looked good to McCarthy thus far, while Manuel, the ex-Seahawk who signed with the Packers this offseason hasn't had much time to shine due to the groin injury he's nursing.
Manuel participated in individual work in the morning session, Friday, but was held out of the team sessions in both practices. Though McCarthy said "he could have done team (drills) today, we're just being cautious."
That doesn't mean this is a waste of time for Manuel, however. In fact, it's far from it.
"I just want to get out there and compete," Manuel said. "I'm just trying to pick up as many things as I can by watching so that when I do get out there, I don't make as many mistakes. Just from that standpoint, I'm trying to learn the scheme and terminology."
One of the reasons Manuel signed with the Packers was because he thought the team had a chance to compete. And with what he's seen of his new teammates, he hasn't been disappointed.
"I think the biggest thing is you've got guys here that are hungry," Manuel said. "Any time you get in a different environment, everyone is hungry, everyone is eager to learn. We are eager to learn and win games. I think that is what everyone is trying to do."
Roman insists he's only got one thing on his mind and the starting position will work itself out.
"I just want to be better," Roman said. "If I'm better, that will make the team better. That's every individual. If they want to be better, they are going to make the defense that much better, too.
"I'm not in a position to make decisions. I get paid to play football and that's what I'm going to do. That's what I do best."
Manuel and Roman previously played together in Cincinnati and it sounds as if they are taking similar approaches.
"I'm going to try to do everything I've always tried to do," Manuel said. "And that's to play technique sound and fundamentally sound. I want to come in and do the little things that help us win, making sure everyone is on the same page, making sure that if something breaks down, we fix it.
"I think from that standpoint, that's really what I bring to the table. If you get 11 guys on the field at the same time thinking the same thing, adjusting the same way, you're going to have a dominating defense."
Regardless of who wins the job, Roman knows the competition will be intense, which in the end, will make both athletes better players.
"It's a dogfight," Roman said. "You just have to keep on fighting everyday. Whoever outperforms who, that's who it is. All you can do is go with it.
"That's the business, that's the job, and you know that. All you can do is put you're best foot forward everyday and move on from there."
Taylor Roaring To Go
Another player the team brought in this offseason is also in the mix for a starting defensive spot.
Ben Taylor, the ex-Cleveland Brown, signed with the Packers with hopes of landing a starting position at linebacker, although he's not quite sure if he will compete on the strong side or the weak side.
Another factor playing a role in his signing was the fact that Taylor was impressed with defensive coordinator Bob Sanders as well as linebackers coach Winston Moss.
"He's in there," Taylor said of Sanders. "If you do something wrong, he's in your face, if you do something good, he's patting you on the back. That's his relationship and you kind of want something like that up front, so it's good."
Taylor said much of what he sees in Sanders, he also finds in Moss.
"He's a good coach," he said. "Because he's an ex-player he kind of knows what a player goes through. He can kind of sympathize with you, but then he'll jump on you, too. I look forward to working with him."
Judging by his tone of voice, Taylor is ready to make an immediate impact. Yet he knows there is little opportunity to show what he brings to the table, at least physically. But, he knows that time will come, too.
"It's all mental right now," Taylor said. "You really can't show that you're going to hit somebody because you have to take care of your teammates right now. Training camp is where you get beat down and all that kind of stuff. Right now, it's all mental and making sure you're in the right reads."
McCarthy Wastes No Time Setting Packers' Tone
by Nathan Hager, Packers.com
posted 05/19/2006
After directing his squad for the second mini-camp of the offseason, Head Coach Mike McCarthy obviously knows there is still plenty of work left to do, but he's also happy with the direction his team is moving in.
While offseason workouts generally serve as teaching tools for new players and a chance to polish up for the veterans, when you throw in a complete new coaching staff, the time everyone spends together becomes even more valuable.
So, in getting to know his team a little better and vice versa, McCarthy and his staff also made it clear that they will demand nothing less than a high level of intensity as well as precision when it comes to practice.
Friday served as a perfect example of how difficult it can be to stay sharp with so many new faces, but after what McCarthy termed an "OK" morning session, the afternoon results were much better.
"I thought this morning was a little sloppy, but I thought it was better this afternoon," he said. "It was a good day's work ... a lot of positive things to build off of. It had good energy and good tempo."
Missing In Action
All told, the Packers had 23 of their nearly 90-member squad absent. However, McCarthy explained why the number may have seemed a little high.
"I've got 12 guys that are out for medical reasons and 10 guys out for personal reasons," McCarthy said. "And Marquand Manuel was limited."
When asked if these were excused absences, McCarthy left no doubts, saying, "absolutely."
Some of the players who are excused from this weekend's practices were Brett Favre, AJ Hawk, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Ahman Green, Al Harris, William Henderson and Charles Woodson.
Aaron Kampman said there was no reason to get excited about the absentees.
"I think we'd like to have as many guys here as we can," Kampman acknowledged. "The one thing that's been great this offseason has been the attendance. We've had more guys here this offseason than we've ever had since I've been here.
"A couple guys, not knowing the schedule, had some personal prior commitments so you can't blame them for that."
Let The Battle Begin
Though it's early, one of the most talked about position battles already taking place comes at safety between Mark Roman and Marquand Manuel.
Roman, the starter from the past two seasons, has looked good to McCarthy thus far, while Manuel, the ex-Seahawk who signed with the Packers this offseason hasn't had much time to shine due to the groin injury he's nursing.
Manuel participated in individual work in the morning session, Friday, but was held out of the team sessions in both practices. Though McCarthy said "he could have done team (drills) today, we're just being cautious."
That doesn't mean this is a waste of time for Manuel, however. In fact, it's far from it.
"I just want to get out there and compete," Manuel said. "I'm just trying to pick up as many things as I can by watching so that when I do get out there, I don't make as many mistakes. Just from that standpoint, I'm trying to learn the scheme and terminology."
One of the reasons Manuel signed with the Packers was because he thought the team had a chance to compete. And with what he's seen of his new teammates, he hasn't been disappointed.
"I think the biggest thing is you've got guys here that are hungry," Manuel said. "Any time you get in a different environment, everyone is hungry, everyone is eager to learn. We are eager to learn and win games. I think that is what everyone is trying to do."
Roman insists he's only got one thing on his mind and the starting position will work itself out.
"I just want to be better," Roman said. "If I'm better, that will make the team better. That's every individual. If they want to be better, they are going to make the defense that much better, too.
"I'm not in a position to make decisions. I get paid to play football and that's what I'm going to do. That's what I do best."
Manuel and Roman previously played together in Cincinnati and it sounds as if they are taking similar approaches.
"I'm going to try to do everything I've always tried to do," Manuel said. "And that's to play technique sound and fundamentally sound. I want to come in and do the little things that help us win, making sure everyone is on the same page, making sure that if something breaks down, we fix it.
"I think from that standpoint, that's really what I bring to the table. If you get 11 guys on the field at the same time thinking the same thing, adjusting the same way, you're going to have a dominating defense."
Regardless of who wins the job, Roman knows the competition will be intense, which in the end, will make both athletes better players.
"It's a dogfight," Roman said. "You just have to keep on fighting everyday. Whoever outperforms who, that's who it is. All you can do is go with it.
"That's the business, that's the job, and you know that. All you can do is put you're best foot forward everyday and move on from there."
Taylor Roaring To Go
Another player the team brought in this offseason is also in the mix for a starting defensive spot.
Ben Taylor, the ex-Cleveland Brown, signed with the Packers with hopes of landing a starting position at linebacker, although he's not quite sure if he will compete on the strong side or the weak side.
Another factor playing a role in his signing was the fact that Taylor was impressed with defensive coordinator Bob Sanders as well as linebackers coach Winston Moss.
"He's in there," Taylor said of Sanders. "If you do something wrong, he's in your face, if you do something good, he's patting you on the back. That's his relationship and you kind of want something like that up front, so it's good."
Taylor said much of what he sees in Sanders, he also finds in Moss.
"He's a good coach," he said. "Because he's an ex-player he kind of knows what a player goes through. He can kind of sympathize with you, but then he'll jump on you, too. I look forward to working with him."
Judging by his tone of voice, Taylor is ready to make an immediate impact. Yet he knows there is little opportunity to show what he brings to the table, at least physically. But, he knows that time will come, too.
"It's all mental right now," Taylor said. "You really can't show that you're going to hit somebody because you have to take care of your teammates right now. Training camp is where you get beat down and all that kind of stuff. Right now, it's all mental and making sure you're in the right reads."