woodbuck27
06-22-2006, 11:41 AM
PROMISING START
Pair of rookies front-runners at guard for the Packers
By TODD ROSIAK and LORI NICKEL
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 21, 2006
Green Bay - The early returns on the Green Bay Packers' 2006 draft have been encouraging at a number of spots.
That's especially true at guard, where second-round pick Daryn Colledge and third-round pick Jason Spitz have helped solidify a position that dogged Green Bay throughout the 2005 season.
Based on what's transpired over the past six weeks they'll enter training camp as the starters on the inside next to center Scott Wells.
Whether they'll remain in that position come the start of the regular season remains to be seen. But the Packers are undoubtedly happy with what they've seen from the duo so far.
"Obviously if they earn the starting position I'm comfortable with them because they've earned that opportunity," said head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday. "I've played young guys before; last year we played seven rookies on offense. There obviously is a process you have to go through."
The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Colledge, a Boise State product, was handed the reins at left guard the minute he set foot in Green Bay in early May and has acquitted himself well.
Almost a prototype for what the Packers' coaching staff wants in its offensive linemen - lighter and quicker rather than oversized and reliant on power - Colledge has picked up the team's new zone blocking scheme and shown he can operate out in space.
The 6-4, 313-pound Spitz, meanwhile, replaced Junius Coston on the right side in the second week of Green Bay's four-week run of voluntary practices in June and hasn't faltered.
Like Colledge, he's shown himself to be a better run blocker to this point.
The Louisville product has also helped his cause by displaying an ability to slide over to center - a position that aside from Wells remains somewhat unsettled with second-year man Chris White and free agent Wayne Lucier also competing.
"He picks things up very fast for a young guy," said McCarthy. "I don't recall working with a young guy that has the discipline with his hands on the inside.
"We've had him play two positions, sometimes three, where the other guys were able to settle more into one position."
Following is a position-by-position look at the Packers heading into the open of training camp July 28:
QUARTERBACK
Brett Favre will get a visit in Mississippi from strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson at some point before the open of training camp.
As far as his handle on the offense, McCarthy seemed pleased.
"He has excellent recall. I don't anticipate any problems there," he said. "I just think an old dog and new tricks. I mean, he's done it so long for one way, you know, now I've kind of tooled him a little bit with some new learning and frankly, like I've told him, I think it's healthy for him."
Backup Aaron Rodgers was inconsistent running the No. 1 offense the four days Favre was absent. He also had a number of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Fifth-round pick Ingle Martin is the No. 3 quarterback. McCarthy said the Packers probably will drop down to four quarterbacks by the start of training camp, meaning the team is in the midst of deciding to cut loose either Tom Arth or Brian Wrobel.
RUNNING BACK
With Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport still recovering from surgeries, the bulk of the load was cast onto Samkon Gado and Noah Herron.
Gado, the Packers' leading rusher a season ago, has been slow to pick up the new zone blocking scheme but still offers a nice package of size, speed and strength.
Herron caught the eye of the coaching staff with his hard-running style and ability to swing to fullback as well. That versatility should help when the 53-man roster is being determined.
Rookie free agents Ben Brown and A.J. Cooper had their moments as well, with Cooper's coming at fullback.
RECEIVER
About the only thing set in stone is Donald Driver remaining the team's No. 1.
It's hard to envision the team keeping Robert Ferguson, Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter when it comes down to it, especially with second-rounder Greg Jennings progressing and fourth-rounder Cory Rodgers also in the mix.
Free agent Ruvell Martin is an intriguing free agent who has size and good hands.
Nothing appears to have changed at tight end, where Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee figure to be 1-2-3.
OFFENSIVE LINE
With Colledge, Wells and Spitz poised to join tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher on the No. 1 unit, the battle for backup spots is on.
The team remains high on Coston despite his demotion to second string. Will Whitticker, a starter at guard for 14 games a year ago, has been moved to backup left tackle and done OK.
Tony Moll, a fifth-round pick and former tight end, struggled at left tackle and got some work on the right side as a result.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Of the 14 defensive linemen, free agent Ryan Pickett is the most intriguing. In the short term, it is unclear how quickly or how much he will be able to contribute in place of the departed Grady Jackson.
Pickett missed some of the voluntary practices and still needs to lose about 10 pounds to get to the desirable 320 range.
"He was a little rusty on his techniques and missed a couple of installations," said defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. "But the coaches have done a good job of catching him back up and working to get his weight right. But he should be OK."
Another free agent, Kenderick Allen, dropped 16 pounds from the first minicamp to this one to get to 325 pounds, and looked more lively.
Two of the four rookies - sixth-rounder Johnny Jolly and seventh-rounder Dave Tollefson - need to get stronger.
LINEBACKERS
The lone battle in this group could be between free agent Ben Taylor and second-year man Roy Manning on the strong side, although Taylor appears to have already jumped ahead.
"It's kind of hard to tell at linebacker without pads on," said Sanders. "It looks like a good battle heating up and hopefully when Brady (Poppinga) gets back, and throw in Kurt Campbell and Tracy White, and all those guys will get an opportunity to show what they can do."
Rookie first-rounder A.J. Hawk missed all of the second minicamp and half of this third minicamp after wrapping up his college coursework but is a lock to start on the weak side.
Third-rounder Abdul Hodge looks the part and has been playing almost exclusively in the middle with the second unit.
SECONDARY
Al Harris wants a new contract so he stayed home, and marquee free agent acquisition Charles Woodson, who was called "a true professional" after the first minicamp by Sanders, was a no-show for the four weeks.
Others came and went either for personal reasons or injuries, leaving the team with just three cornerbacks at times.
With the absences, youngsters like cornerbacks Patrick Dendy and Jerron Wishom and safeties Marviel Underwood and Tra Boger got plenty of reps.
"It'll be interesting when we put the pads on, who can make the right calls and who can keep us in the right defense and do it down after down, day after day," said Sanders. "And who is going to hit and wrap up and not give up those explosive gains."
Marquand Manuel, the Packers' first free-agent signing of the off-season, will compete in training camp with holdover Mark Roman for the starting safety job opposite second-year man Nick Collins.
Jason Horton, who had already endured setbacks with problems with his lymph nodes and then a shoulder injury, missed the end of camp again with a back injury.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rodgers, Jennings and Ferguson are the lead candidates at punt returner.
Woodson and the injured Will Blackmon may also get their chance in training camp.
Jennings, Gado and Davenport are the leading candidates to return kickoffs, with Chaz Williams, Leo Bookman, Carroll and Blackmon potentially joining them in late July.
"Greg Jennings and Samkon are working together," said special teams coordinator Mike Stock. "One of those guys is going to be the guy you're looking to get the ball to. And the other guy is going to be the guy who can do it if the ball is kicked away. You're trying to hook up combinations of people like that."
At kicker, it's a tossup. Some days Billy Cundiff held a slight edge; other days Dave Rayner held his own.
"Good, strong legs. I've been happily surprised about the accuracy of David Rayner," said Stock. "They talked about him being a kickoff specialist. Both of them are very capable."
Free agent Jon Ryan looks to have the edge over B.J. Sander at punter at this point.
Both have been used as holders also.
From the June 22, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Pair of rookies front-runners at guard for the Packers
By TODD ROSIAK and LORI NICKEL
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 21, 2006
Green Bay - The early returns on the Green Bay Packers' 2006 draft have been encouraging at a number of spots.
That's especially true at guard, where second-round pick Daryn Colledge and third-round pick Jason Spitz have helped solidify a position that dogged Green Bay throughout the 2005 season.
Based on what's transpired over the past six weeks they'll enter training camp as the starters on the inside next to center Scott Wells.
Whether they'll remain in that position come the start of the regular season remains to be seen. But the Packers are undoubtedly happy with what they've seen from the duo so far.
"Obviously if they earn the starting position I'm comfortable with them because they've earned that opportunity," said head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday. "I've played young guys before; last year we played seven rookies on offense. There obviously is a process you have to go through."
The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Colledge, a Boise State product, was handed the reins at left guard the minute he set foot in Green Bay in early May and has acquitted himself well.
Almost a prototype for what the Packers' coaching staff wants in its offensive linemen - lighter and quicker rather than oversized and reliant on power - Colledge has picked up the team's new zone blocking scheme and shown he can operate out in space.
The 6-4, 313-pound Spitz, meanwhile, replaced Junius Coston on the right side in the second week of Green Bay's four-week run of voluntary practices in June and hasn't faltered.
Like Colledge, he's shown himself to be a better run blocker to this point.
The Louisville product has also helped his cause by displaying an ability to slide over to center - a position that aside from Wells remains somewhat unsettled with second-year man Chris White and free agent Wayne Lucier also competing.
"He picks things up very fast for a young guy," said McCarthy. "I don't recall working with a young guy that has the discipline with his hands on the inside.
"We've had him play two positions, sometimes three, where the other guys were able to settle more into one position."
Following is a position-by-position look at the Packers heading into the open of training camp July 28:
QUARTERBACK
Brett Favre will get a visit in Mississippi from strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson at some point before the open of training camp.
As far as his handle on the offense, McCarthy seemed pleased.
"He has excellent recall. I don't anticipate any problems there," he said. "I just think an old dog and new tricks. I mean, he's done it so long for one way, you know, now I've kind of tooled him a little bit with some new learning and frankly, like I've told him, I think it's healthy for him."
Backup Aaron Rodgers was inconsistent running the No. 1 offense the four days Favre was absent. He also had a number of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Fifth-round pick Ingle Martin is the No. 3 quarterback. McCarthy said the Packers probably will drop down to four quarterbacks by the start of training camp, meaning the team is in the midst of deciding to cut loose either Tom Arth or Brian Wrobel.
RUNNING BACK
With Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport still recovering from surgeries, the bulk of the load was cast onto Samkon Gado and Noah Herron.
Gado, the Packers' leading rusher a season ago, has been slow to pick up the new zone blocking scheme but still offers a nice package of size, speed and strength.
Herron caught the eye of the coaching staff with his hard-running style and ability to swing to fullback as well. That versatility should help when the 53-man roster is being determined.
Rookie free agents Ben Brown and A.J. Cooper had their moments as well, with Cooper's coming at fullback.
RECEIVER
About the only thing set in stone is Donald Driver remaining the team's No. 1.
It's hard to envision the team keeping Robert Ferguson, Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter when it comes down to it, especially with second-rounder Greg Jennings progressing and fourth-rounder Cory Rodgers also in the mix.
Free agent Ruvell Martin is an intriguing free agent who has size and good hands.
Nothing appears to have changed at tight end, where Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee figure to be 1-2-3.
OFFENSIVE LINE
With Colledge, Wells and Spitz poised to join tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher on the No. 1 unit, the battle for backup spots is on.
The team remains high on Coston despite his demotion to second string. Will Whitticker, a starter at guard for 14 games a year ago, has been moved to backup left tackle and done OK.
Tony Moll, a fifth-round pick and former tight end, struggled at left tackle and got some work on the right side as a result.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Of the 14 defensive linemen, free agent Ryan Pickett is the most intriguing. In the short term, it is unclear how quickly or how much he will be able to contribute in place of the departed Grady Jackson.
Pickett missed some of the voluntary practices and still needs to lose about 10 pounds to get to the desirable 320 range.
"He was a little rusty on his techniques and missed a couple of installations," said defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. "But the coaches have done a good job of catching him back up and working to get his weight right. But he should be OK."
Another free agent, Kenderick Allen, dropped 16 pounds from the first minicamp to this one to get to 325 pounds, and looked more lively.
Two of the four rookies - sixth-rounder Johnny Jolly and seventh-rounder Dave Tollefson - need to get stronger.
LINEBACKERS
The lone battle in this group could be between free agent Ben Taylor and second-year man Roy Manning on the strong side, although Taylor appears to have already jumped ahead.
"It's kind of hard to tell at linebacker without pads on," said Sanders. "It looks like a good battle heating up and hopefully when Brady (Poppinga) gets back, and throw in Kurt Campbell and Tracy White, and all those guys will get an opportunity to show what they can do."
Rookie first-rounder A.J. Hawk missed all of the second minicamp and half of this third minicamp after wrapping up his college coursework but is a lock to start on the weak side.
Third-rounder Abdul Hodge looks the part and has been playing almost exclusively in the middle with the second unit.
SECONDARY
Al Harris wants a new contract so he stayed home, and marquee free agent acquisition Charles Woodson, who was called "a true professional" after the first minicamp by Sanders, was a no-show for the four weeks.
Others came and went either for personal reasons or injuries, leaving the team with just three cornerbacks at times.
With the absences, youngsters like cornerbacks Patrick Dendy and Jerron Wishom and safeties Marviel Underwood and Tra Boger got plenty of reps.
"It'll be interesting when we put the pads on, who can make the right calls and who can keep us in the right defense and do it down after down, day after day," said Sanders. "And who is going to hit and wrap up and not give up those explosive gains."
Marquand Manuel, the Packers' first free-agent signing of the off-season, will compete in training camp with holdover Mark Roman for the starting safety job opposite second-year man Nick Collins.
Jason Horton, who had already endured setbacks with problems with his lymph nodes and then a shoulder injury, missed the end of camp again with a back injury.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rodgers, Jennings and Ferguson are the lead candidates at punt returner.
Woodson and the injured Will Blackmon may also get their chance in training camp.
Jennings, Gado and Davenport are the leading candidates to return kickoffs, with Chaz Williams, Leo Bookman, Carroll and Blackmon potentially joining them in late July.
"Greg Jennings and Samkon are working together," said special teams coordinator Mike Stock. "One of those guys is going to be the guy you're looking to get the ball to. And the other guy is going to be the guy who can do it if the ball is kicked away. You're trying to hook up combinations of people like that."
At kicker, it's a tossup. Some days Billy Cundiff held a slight edge; other days Dave Rayner held his own.
"Good, strong legs. I've been happily surprised about the accuracy of David Rayner," said Stock. "They talked about him being a kickoff specialist. Both of them are very capable."
Free agent Jon Ryan looks to have the edge over B.J. Sander at punter at this point.
Both have been used as holders also.
From the June 22, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel