OTA REPORT, from a fan. Friday, June 9, 2006.

[gbpackfan]

STUDS AND DUDS


STUDS:


1. JASON HORTON - Had a GREAT day. Covered DD like a blanket on several plays and picked off A-Rod in doing so. I believe it was 3rd and 6 and DD went to the chains, turned around and had A-Rod throw him the ball. Horton stepped in front and picked it. Very nice. Horton picked off A-Rod again in the endzone during 7 on 7 drills. All in all, he had the best day.

2. DONALD DRIVER - Okay, some of you asked for it, so here he is. Not because I am forcing the issue, but because he really does deserve it. Caught a real nice TD pass over the middle between 2 defenders. Was coaching up the rookies quite a bit and is a GREAT influence on the young guys. Caught everything thrown his way and took extra reps in individual drills. He was out of position on one play but after he was corrected and the play was over, he walked over to the coach and asked for more clarification. The point being, he wanted to make sure he understood his assignment.

3. GREG JENNINGS - Had another really nice day of practice. Seemed to be A-Rod's go to guy and showed real nice hands. I have yet to see him go deep though.


DUDS

1. ROBERT FERGUSON - Made all the plays in individual drills but didn't reall stand out in team drills. Made two nice catches over the middle but fell down on an out pattern and clearly pushed Mike Hawkins out of the way to hall in his only TD grab. Driver, Boe, Gardner and Jennings had a better day. For a guy who think he is a number 1 WR, he sure didnt stand out. I'm still pulling for him though!

2. SAMKON GADO - Not for his RB skills, but for his special teams knowledge. Stock had to blow the whistle about 5 times in a row to get Gado to line up correctly. He just wasnt getting it. They spent a lot of time talking to Gado in an attempt to get him to line up correctly. I dont think he ever really got it perfect.

3. BILLY CUNDIFF - The team practiced the two minute drill again today. A-Rod and co. were able to move the ball to about the 30 yard line and set Cundiff up to kick the "game winning" 40 yard FG (may have been 38 or 39 yds, you get the picture. IT WAS MAKE-ABLE!) with 2 seconds left in the game. Well, in front of everyone, Cundiff biffed. He missed wide left. The wind was blowing some, but last time I checked, it blows in Lambeau too! This was his only opportunity of the day. To be fair, Rayner (spelling) missed too, I think? It was so high I couldnt tell if it squeeked inside the post or not. But I dont have high expectations for him anyway, so I didn't list him as a DUD.


ONE LINERS (or more):

The Hawk did not fly in GB today.

Ahmad Carroll picked off Arth.

Tra Boger broke up a pass play over the middle and almost made a great INT.

Boerigter made an amazing catch after being swarmed by 3 defenders. A-Rod threw the pass.

A-Rod was streaky today.

Wishom continued to suck.

Ryan shanked a punt bad today, I think it went 8 yards.

A-Rod held for Cundiff's FG attempt.

DD was returning punts again.

So was Rodgers, Jennings and Fergie.

I know it isnt full speed, but Rodgers burst on returns seems to be better then Jennings and Fergie.

Gado and Roman (I believe) got into a shoving match and had to be pulled apart. It could have been someone else, there was a big pile of players pushing and pulling at each other.

Roman seemed like he wished he was somewhere else. Just going through the motions, with the 2nd team.

Manual is really stepping up as a leader. Barking out assignments left and right.

Jags yelled at A-Rod during O drills, saying "Aaron, what the fuck are you doing!!!!!!"

MM spends almost ALL of his time with the O.

Ted Thompson is really white!

Roy Manning is a big, fast, strong kid! If he get the mental part down, he will be a force.

Nick Barnett was MIA.

Hodge was MIA.

Favre was MIA.

Ben Taylor was the first team MLB today.

Manning and White started at OLB.

Woodson, Harris, Carroll, Hawkins, Horton, Blackmon? Who goes, who stays? Could they keep 6? Horton has played some good ball lately.

Thomas Gafford skipped a snap back to the punter today. All of Davis' snaps were perfect, as always.

Herron and Gado each took reps with the first string O today.

Ruvell Martin dropped some catchable balls.

Hawkins has not stood out yet.

C. Rodgers dropped some more passed during individual drills.

Davenport sprinted today. Looked okay. Still slowed up a little funny though.

DD might be the most in shape person I have ever seen.

Arth was the 3rd string with Favre gone.

Wrobel got 0 snaps, again. He will be the first QB cut.

Speaking of cuts, Donnell Washington is gone.

Say what you want about him, A. Carroll comes to play. He brings energy and passion to the field.


FAVORITE MOMENT

During a team drill, A-Rod was forced to run out of the pocket towards the crowd (to his right) and eventually had to run out of bounds. A-Rod was about 2 yards in front of me when he yelled "Damn it Francies!" Speaking to scrub WR Chris Francies. Francies said "what?" A-Rod replied "your route!" Francies mumbled something and ran back to the WR group. As he was doing so, A-Rod pulled his arm back with ball still in it and pretended to throw it at the back of Francies' head. It was hilarious. You could tell he was pissed and that Francies had no clue.



Okay, that will have to do until late next week. I think I am going back up on Thursday to watch the Hawk fly. Should be fun.

[MJZiggy]

Great notes--as usual. Has Samkon shown improvement over what he was doing previously?

[Anti-Polar Bear]

And the Packers pride themselves for being a classy organization. Words like "fuck" and "damn" doesn't belong t0 a place where young uns like BF4MVP could be watching.

Chewing smoke-less tobacco is also classless.

As a Green Bay Packers fan, I am ashamed of the Polar Bear regime.

[woodbuck27]

Are they giving you a good look at Draft pick QB - Ingle Martin? If so straight up - how would you compare him to Aaron Rodgers ie in arm strength,mobility,athleticism, attitude, adaptability . . . etc.

Are the practises any smoother /sharper with Brett Favre present?

[KYPack]

Hawk's in Monday according to all reports.

[Charles Woodson]

What do you think of hawkins. over the off season there were reports that he was alot stronger than last season.

[gbpackfan]

Ingle Martin - Martin has a very strong arm. He is not comportable back there yet and throws a lot of check downs. Last week he got sacked a lot because he doesn't get rid of the ball quickly enough. However, he made a pass today that was amazing. It was a 20 yard out that was PERFECT! For those of you who know, this is one of the hardest passes to throw in the NFL. It can easily be picked if you dont throw it right. The ball came in smooth and fast, flying by both the LB and CB. The kid has a really strong arm. I cant wait to see what he can once he gets a better understanding of the O.

Samkon Gado - I have never seen him so pathetic in special team drills before. Maybe he hasnt played a lot on special teams. And to be honest, if Gado isnt getting pulled aside by the coaches after a running play, it is very difficult to tell wheter he ran the ball through the correct hole. With out pads on, it's just hard to tell.

Mike Hawkins - Mike is the 4th CB right now. I believe the order is Woodson, Harris, Carroll, Hawkins, and Horton. I have not seen Hawkins pick off a pass yet but he never gets flat out burned either. It is strange, WRs will make catches on him but he is always right there. So maybe he needs some work on locating the ball once it is in the air. Horton clearly out played him the past 2 days. His physical build is better. I watched him jam WR's at the line today and he did a decent job, not great, but he's not getting pushed aside either. I can't wait to see him in a game to see how he has developed.

[Charles Woodson]

How is the D-line doin. havent heard alot about it

[gbpackfan]

It always seems like they put a lot of pressure on the QB's not named Favre.

Peterson has been playing a lot of DE.

Montgomery had a sack today.

Cole has been a starting DT a lot. But they do rotate them a lot.

I'll watch the DL real closely for you next week! :D

[RashanGary]

Thanks for the report...

I can't wait to see Hawk....I know it's without pads but I don't care. I'm gonna be there a couple times next week.

[woodbuck27]

Thanks 'a bunch' for the fine/insightful reporting again.

[motife]

McCarthy praised Robert Ferguson for his offseason weight training, also Scott Wells and Bubba Franks.

NFL Network has video of Thursday's practice :

http://play.rbn.com/?url=nfl/nfl/open/nflfilms/demand/s2006/nfln-ta/off/packers_minicamp_report_300k.rm

[motife]

Cole has been a starting DT a lot.


http://x3d.xanga.com/694a57e56243459243978/m39709105.jpg

DT Colin Cole, part of the Iowa Hawkeye "triangle of death", Abdul Hodge, Colin Cole and Aaron Kampman. They're rigged with special headsets so Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz can talk with them during the game.

[motife]

I can't wait to see Hawk....I know it's without pads but I don't care.

Here's what Hawk looks like without pads :


http://www.profootballtalk.com/HawkShrinkage.jpg

[MJZiggy]

Thanks, Motife! :wink:

[woodbuck27]

I can't wait to see Hawk....I know it's without pads but I don't care.

Here's what Hawk looks like without pads :


http://www.profootballtalk.com/HawkShrinkage.jpg


He looks like he could be the villan in an upcoming James Bond movie beyond that I'll make no comment. . .

[MadtownPacker]

I can't wait to see Hawk....I know it's without pads but I don't care.

Here's what Hawk looks like without pads :


http://www.profootballtalk.com/HawkShrinkage.jpgDamn, he is a monster.

[BlueBrewer]

He makes me feel like I am hung like a horse. For that I am thankful.

[Partial]

He makes me feel like I am hung like a horse. For that I am thankful.

His penis is twice yours. You're crazy if you think otherwise. Look at him.

[Harlan Huckleby]

big nose, big hose

[the_idle_threat]

I wish I had not seen that picture.


Anyhoo, thanks for this post, gbpackfan---great reporting and it is appreciated.



"Stock had to blow the whistle about 5 times in a row to get Gado to line up correctly. He just wasnt getting it. They spent a lot of time talking to Gado in an attempt to get him to line up correctly. I dont think he ever really got it perfect."

Paging Dr. Gado ...



"Ted Thompson is really white!"

Whiter than the punter, Jon Ryan???

[Polaris]

Thank you for this coverage. The Journal-Sentinel should put you on the payroll. For those of us who don't live in the area it's a Godsend to be able to get actual information at this time of year.

Your comments about Horton, Hawkins, and the entire secondary picture were interesting to me. I was a big proponent of drafting Will Blackmon because of his ability as both a cover guy and a returner, and he's been out with a broken foot, but when he returns for training camp it's going to be hard for me to believe that he's not going to be in the mix.

Assuming that we keep 5 corners, I still think either Horton or Hawkins is going to be the odd-man out. Perhaps we'll keep six this year, although we haven't in the past.

[NoVaDMak]

Thanks for the insight gbpackfan.

Question on the pickoffs. The one thing that has really bothered me a lot about receivers in the past few years is their inability to sell certain routes so the DBs jump routes. This seems to happen mostly on those short slant routes or the out patterns at the chains. Would you attribute the interceptions coming from poor throws, poor routes, or just exceptional coverage and anticipation?

[gbpackfan]

Okay, let's break down the picks.

Many of them come when......

The QB scrambles out of the pocket, usually to their right, and try and force something that just isnt there. This is how most of Brett's picks occured.

A-Rod has had numerous passes batted down at the line of scrimmage and has had at least two balls picked off because of it. These D linemen are playing very heads up, looking for the ball after it is knocked up into the air.

Arth threw a pass right to Carroll, it looked like a blown route by the WR.

Finally, A-Rod said after Friday's practice that he threw the ball exactly where he wanted to when Horton picked him off the first time. A-Rod said that Horton just made a great play and had great coverage. The WR he was covering? Donald Driver. So I don't think it was a matter of the WR not selling the route.

To be frank, 90% of the ints I have seen were the QB's fault.

[Polaris]

To be frank, 90% of the ints I have seen were the QB's fault.

Thank you for your honesty on that. Although finding excuses/alternative explanations for intereceptions has evolved into a cottage industry on Packer fan boards the last couple of years, I think, too, that 90% of intereceptions fall mainly on the shoulders of the guy who chooses to throw the ball where he did.

[red]

He makes me feel like I am hung like a horse. For that I am thankful.

its not the size that matters, its how hot the girl is you get to use it with. and his girl is smokin hot