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10-29-2008, 11:05 AM
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/packers/home.htm
Green Bay Packers Team Report
Al Harris took another step toward making what would be an unbelievably hasty return to the Packers lineup.
The Pro Bowl cornerback was on the practice field Monday afternoon, when the team reconvened after its bye week.
Harris is eyeing a return to action when the 4-3 Packers, who have won two straight games and are tied for first in the NFC North, play at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
"It's been tough (being out)," Harris said. "I'm glad we're back on the winning side of the record part of it, but it's been tough."
Harris has missed the last four games after suffering a lacerated spleen in the Packers' 27-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 21.
The injury was initially thought to be serious enough that it would end Harris' season and possibly his career.
The prognosis took a turn for the better, though, after Harris underwent a series of tests and sought multiple opinions from doctors about whether he could safety return to the field this season.
Harris was cleared to do individual drills away from practice before the bye week.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said the team's medical staff is taking a cautious approach with Harris this week, classifying it as a "trial return," and won't rush him back into a game.
"It's important to get Al back on the practice field, just to see where he is, and get him back to football shape, and there's no substitute for that," McCarthy said. "Every player goes through it. You can condition with the best of them, and you still have to get out there and tug and pull and do the things that are required to get you in football shape."
Harris is expected to be eased into team drills Wednesday.
As for the possibility of having Harris reclaim his starting spot Sunday, McCarthy said, "We'll answer that question at the end of the week. It's an option, though. Hey, it would be great to have Al out there starting, but I'm only going to put him out there when he's ready."
NOTES, QUOTES
—The Packers went back to work Monday following their bye week.
The players were granted an extended break of five days by head coach Mike McCarthy and didn't practice at all last week.
McCarthy said before practice Monday afternoon that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, among a slew of players nursing injuries from the first seven weeks of the season, benefited from the time away from the field.
Rodgers played the last three games with a sprained throwing shoulder.
McCarthy held Rodgers out of Monday's practice, but the plan is to have Rodgers throw later in the week more than he did during each of the three weeks preceding the bye week.
"If I could get him to throw two days, I think that would be probably best," McCarthy said. "But, I'm going to let Dr. (Pat) McKenzie drive that car. We just have to be smart" before Sunday's game at the Tennessee Titans.
—McCarthy is into his first week of balancing fatherhood and being a head coach in the NFL.
McCarthy's wife, Jessica, gave birth to daughter Gabrielle on Wednesday. McCarthy has a 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
"Just to go through it again, you talk about toughness of your football team, there's nothing that compares to what Jessica and what women go through to have a child," McCarthy said. "It was just a remarkable miracle, and I enjoyed every second of it."
Although he gave his coaching staff the last four days of the bye week off, McCarthy managed to get some solitude from a restless newborn by going to his Lambeau Field office every day to engage in a study of his team to this point.
"She's sleeping four hours, so you get four-hour cracks at self-scouting," McCarthy quipped. "From a professional standpoint, it really worked out well for me because everybody was off throughout the weekend. I had some quality time in the building by myself going through really the self-scout of every aspect of our program."
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
—CB Al Harris was a practice participant Monday for the first time since he suffered a lacerated spleen Sept. 21. Harris will be given all of this week to show to the coaches and the medical staff whether he's in football shape before a decision is made on whether to clear him for the game Sunday at the Tennessee Titans.
—DT Johnny Jolly wasn't at practice Monday. The starter has a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday in Houston on a felony drug possession charge from the summer.
—SS Atari Bigby also was on the practice field Monday. Bigby hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury Sept. 14. He will be evaluated throughout this week before a decision is made on whether he can get back into game action Sunday.
—WR James Jones is practicing this week on what head coach Mike McCarthy referred to as a trial basis. Jones, the team's No. 3 wideout, hasn't fully recovered from an aggravated torn PCL in his right knee, which has sidelined him the last two games and three of the past four.
—DE Michael Montgomery practiced Monday for the first time since suffering a sprained ankle Oct. 5. Provided he doesn't have a setback this week, Montgomery should be good to play Sunday and possibly start at right end, the role he had in the game in which he was hurt.
—DE Jason Hunter has yet to recover from a hamstring injury that has kept the backup and key special-teams performer out of the last three games. He might be ready to return to the field for practice Wednesday.
—LB Danny Lansanah suffered a strained hamstring in the team's last game, Oct. 19, against the Indianapolis Colts. The backup and special-teams contributor didn't practice Monday but could return later in the week.
—DT Justin Harrell will go through another week of practice before the team decides whether to remove him from the PUP list and add him to the 53-man roster. Harrell, the Packers' first-round draft pick in 2007, was cleared to practice after being out the mandatory first six weeks of the season because of a back injury that required two surgeries. This is the third week of a three-week evaluation process for the team to decide on Harrell's status going forward.
—CB Kennard Cox was signed to the practice squad Monday. The 6-foot, 200-pound Cox was originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills this year out of Pittsburgh.
REPORT CARD AFTER 7 GAMES
PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — Brett Favre hasn't been forgotten, but Aaron Rodgers has begun his pressure-packed first year as the successor at quarterback to the league's only three-time MVP better than what many expected of him. Rodgers wasn't hampered by a sprained throwing shoulder with which he played the past three games. He is a bona fide top-10 QB in the league in the first half this season, producing high marks for passer rating (98.8), completion percentage (65.6), passing yards (1,668) and touchdowns (12). He is capably managing the team's West Coast offense, which has kept the mistakes to a minimum (four interceptions). Rodgers hasn't needed to throw deep often, but go-to receiver Greg Jennings is making big plays happen after the catch. Jennings ranks No. 2 in the league with 685 receiving yards and is averaging 18.5 yards per reception with a team-best four touchdown catches. Donald Driver has been more noticeable in the offense of late, but Favre's top target is having a down year with only 29 catches for 330 yards and two TDs. With James Jones out for four games because of a recurring knee injury, rookie Jordy Nelson has picked up the slack as a dependable possession receiver. The tight ends have been almost nonexistent in the passing game, though Donald Lee has two touchdowns in the last three games. Third-down back Brandon Jackson has been a catalyst in Rodgers' efficient use of checkdowns, ranking fourth on the club with 18 receptions. The pass blocking has been sporadically effective — Rodgers has been sacked 13 times.
RUSHING OFFENSE: D — The Packers are actually ahead of the 2007 season average of 99.8 rushing yards per game, but their current clip of 101 yards an outing has been a detriment. Ryan Grant is a shadow of the young standout who emerged in the second half of last season. Grant didn't miss any regular-season time after missing most of the preseason because of a hamstring injury, but lingering soreness limited his carries to no more than 15 the first four games. Grant has picked up the pace since then, but he didn't get his first 100-yard game of the season until last time out with 105 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. Even then, however, Grant averaged a measly 3.4 yards per carry, equaling his season average. Grant's vision in finding holes that are being created in the zone-blocking scheme hasn't been up to snuff. He also has reached the end zone only once. Jackson has shown to be an effective runner, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, but his opportunities to run with the ball have been few and far between. Rodgers, mostly because he's been scrambling from pass rushers, has been productive on the run, with 30 rushes for 113 yards. He has three touchdowns, all on sneaks that are a staple in the playbook now.
PASS DEFENSE: B — A case could be made, without little argument, that the Packers were better off without Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris and strong safety Atari Bigby in the starting lineup. Bigby missed the past five games because of a hamstring injury, while Harris was sidelined the past four after suffering a lacerated spleen. Replacements Tramon Williams at cornerback and Aaron Rouse at safety have been instrumental to Green Bay's opportunistic secondary, which has accounted for 100 percent of the team's league-high 13 interceptions. Savvy cornerback Charles Woodson and free safety Nick Collins each has four picks, followed by Williams with three. Both Woodson and Collins have returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The Packers have an unsurpassed five defensive scores, highlighted by a franchise-record-tying 99-yard interception return by Rouse in the domination against the Colts. The playmaking success on the back end has covered up for what is passing for a pass rush. In dealing with a slew of injuries on the defensive side, Green Bay all but abandoned the blitz and is rushing only four, five guys, which has yielded just 12 sacks. Even with the free-agent addition of Brandon Chillar as a situational linebacker who excels against the pass, the Packers remain vulnerable in covering top-end tight ends.
RUSH DEFENSE: D — The only sure defense the Packers had going for them in trying to stop the run in the first seven games was getting out to a sizable lead and forcing those opponents to become one-dimensional in catch-up mode. Green Bay ranks toward the bottom of the league in giving up an average of 141.9 rushing yards per game. It has been gashed for at least 150 yards in four games, which, other than the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, has been a recipe for a defeat. In the Packers' defense, they have had their hands tied up front, particularly in the interior, because of the injury epidemic. Losing Cullen Jenkins to season-ending torn pectoral muscle in Week 4 was a huge blow because of his effectiveness of playing the run on the edge on early downs. The healthy Packers have collectively been poor in gap assignments and tackling. Linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk aren't having standout seasons, as they should be.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — A 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by speedy cornerback Will Blackmon in the season-opening win over the Vikings was thought to be an auspicious beginning for an emerging special-teams group. Not to be, though. The units have been charged with 13 penalties, including three by Jarrett Bush and a costly holding call against rookie Jermichael Finley that wiped out a field goal in a three-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5. Blackmon has been victimized by the rash of flags, averaging 11.3 yards on punt returns and a meager 22 yards on kickoff returns. Mason Crosby continues to be a strong-legged asset on kickoffs with 10 touchbacks, but two of his three misses out of 14 field-goal attempts have been from less than 40 yards (one was blocked). Derrick Frost has been on a short leash as the team's shaky punter not long after he was signed to replace the booted Jon Ryan before the season started. Frost is averaging a pedestrian 43.9 gross yards, and his net average has plummeted in recent weeks to 37.6. Known for his strong directional kicking, Frost has put five punts into the end zone, though the gunners have been lax on a few of those. Chillar leads the coverage units with 10 tackles. Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly blocked a field-goal try against the Colts.
COACHING: B — Head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff managed to keep a young team from spiraling into a fateful nosedive when they rallied their charges to two wins before the bye to ease the sting of a three-game losing streak. The Packers are tied for first place in the NFC North, which they won with ease last season with a 13-3 record. A pivotal stretch is on the horizon for this year's 4-3 club. McCarthy will need Rodgers to continue to play under control and stick with run-heavy game plans that worked wonders in chewing up the clock, producing long scoring drives and earning lopsided wins the last two games against Seattle and Indianapolis. Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has a mostly young secondary playing at a high level in the bump-and-run coverage scheme, but a sustained lack of a pass rush could prove costly the second half of the season. Also on the to-do list for the coaches is to restore discipline in their players, who have penalized 58 times for a league-high 534 yards.
Green Bay Packers Team Report
Al Harris took another step toward making what would be an unbelievably hasty return to the Packers lineup.
The Pro Bowl cornerback was on the practice field Monday afternoon, when the team reconvened after its bye week.
Harris is eyeing a return to action when the 4-3 Packers, who have won two straight games and are tied for first in the NFC North, play at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
"It's been tough (being out)," Harris said. "I'm glad we're back on the winning side of the record part of it, but it's been tough."
Harris has missed the last four games after suffering a lacerated spleen in the Packers' 27-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 21.
The injury was initially thought to be serious enough that it would end Harris' season and possibly his career.
The prognosis took a turn for the better, though, after Harris underwent a series of tests and sought multiple opinions from doctors about whether he could safety return to the field this season.
Harris was cleared to do individual drills away from practice before the bye week.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said the team's medical staff is taking a cautious approach with Harris this week, classifying it as a "trial return," and won't rush him back into a game.
"It's important to get Al back on the practice field, just to see where he is, and get him back to football shape, and there's no substitute for that," McCarthy said. "Every player goes through it. You can condition with the best of them, and you still have to get out there and tug and pull and do the things that are required to get you in football shape."
Harris is expected to be eased into team drills Wednesday.
As for the possibility of having Harris reclaim his starting spot Sunday, McCarthy said, "We'll answer that question at the end of the week. It's an option, though. Hey, it would be great to have Al out there starting, but I'm only going to put him out there when he's ready."
NOTES, QUOTES
—The Packers went back to work Monday following their bye week.
The players were granted an extended break of five days by head coach Mike McCarthy and didn't practice at all last week.
McCarthy said before practice Monday afternoon that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, among a slew of players nursing injuries from the first seven weeks of the season, benefited from the time away from the field.
Rodgers played the last three games with a sprained throwing shoulder.
McCarthy held Rodgers out of Monday's practice, but the plan is to have Rodgers throw later in the week more than he did during each of the three weeks preceding the bye week.
"If I could get him to throw two days, I think that would be probably best," McCarthy said. "But, I'm going to let Dr. (Pat) McKenzie drive that car. We just have to be smart" before Sunday's game at the Tennessee Titans.
—McCarthy is into his first week of balancing fatherhood and being a head coach in the NFL.
McCarthy's wife, Jessica, gave birth to daughter Gabrielle on Wednesday. McCarthy has a 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
"Just to go through it again, you talk about toughness of your football team, there's nothing that compares to what Jessica and what women go through to have a child," McCarthy said. "It was just a remarkable miracle, and I enjoyed every second of it."
Although he gave his coaching staff the last four days of the bye week off, McCarthy managed to get some solitude from a restless newborn by going to his Lambeau Field office every day to engage in a study of his team to this point.
"She's sleeping four hours, so you get four-hour cracks at self-scouting," McCarthy quipped. "From a professional standpoint, it really worked out well for me because everybody was off throughout the weekend. I had some quality time in the building by myself going through really the self-scout of every aspect of our program."
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
—CB Al Harris was a practice participant Monday for the first time since he suffered a lacerated spleen Sept. 21. Harris will be given all of this week to show to the coaches and the medical staff whether he's in football shape before a decision is made on whether to clear him for the game Sunday at the Tennessee Titans.
—DT Johnny Jolly wasn't at practice Monday. The starter has a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday in Houston on a felony drug possession charge from the summer.
—SS Atari Bigby also was on the practice field Monday. Bigby hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury Sept. 14. He will be evaluated throughout this week before a decision is made on whether he can get back into game action Sunday.
—WR James Jones is practicing this week on what head coach Mike McCarthy referred to as a trial basis. Jones, the team's No. 3 wideout, hasn't fully recovered from an aggravated torn PCL in his right knee, which has sidelined him the last two games and three of the past four.
—DE Michael Montgomery practiced Monday for the first time since suffering a sprained ankle Oct. 5. Provided he doesn't have a setback this week, Montgomery should be good to play Sunday and possibly start at right end, the role he had in the game in which he was hurt.
—DE Jason Hunter has yet to recover from a hamstring injury that has kept the backup and key special-teams performer out of the last three games. He might be ready to return to the field for practice Wednesday.
—LB Danny Lansanah suffered a strained hamstring in the team's last game, Oct. 19, against the Indianapolis Colts. The backup and special-teams contributor didn't practice Monday but could return later in the week.
—DT Justin Harrell will go through another week of practice before the team decides whether to remove him from the PUP list and add him to the 53-man roster. Harrell, the Packers' first-round draft pick in 2007, was cleared to practice after being out the mandatory first six weeks of the season because of a back injury that required two surgeries. This is the third week of a three-week evaluation process for the team to decide on Harrell's status going forward.
—CB Kennard Cox was signed to the practice squad Monday. The 6-foot, 200-pound Cox was originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills this year out of Pittsburgh.
REPORT CARD AFTER 7 GAMES
PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — Brett Favre hasn't been forgotten, but Aaron Rodgers has begun his pressure-packed first year as the successor at quarterback to the league's only three-time MVP better than what many expected of him. Rodgers wasn't hampered by a sprained throwing shoulder with which he played the past three games. He is a bona fide top-10 QB in the league in the first half this season, producing high marks for passer rating (98.8), completion percentage (65.6), passing yards (1,668) and touchdowns (12). He is capably managing the team's West Coast offense, which has kept the mistakes to a minimum (four interceptions). Rodgers hasn't needed to throw deep often, but go-to receiver Greg Jennings is making big plays happen after the catch. Jennings ranks No. 2 in the league with 685 receiving yards and is averaging 18.5 yards per reception with a team-best four touchdown catches. Donald Driver has been more noticeable in the offense of late, but Favre's top target is having a down year with only 29 catches for 330 yards and two TDs. With James Jones out for four games because of a recurring knee injury, rookie Jordy Nelson has picked up the slack as a dependable possession receiver. The tight ends have been almost nonexistent in the passing game, though Donald Lee has two touchdowns in the last three games. Third-down back Brandon Jackson has been a catalyst in Rodgers' efficient use of checkdowns, ranking fourth on the club with 18 receptions. The pass blocking has been sporadically effective — Rodgers has been sacked 13 times.
RUSHING OFFENSE: D — The Packers are actually ahead of the 2007 season average of 99.8 rushing yards per game, but their current clip of 101 yards an outing has been a detriment. Ryan Grant is a shadow of the young standout who emerged in the second half of last season. Grant didn't miss any regular-season time after missing most of the preseason because of a hamstring injury, but lingering soreness limited his carries to no more than 15 the first four games. Grant has picked up the pace since then, but he didn't get his first 100-yard game of the season until last time out with 105 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. Even then, however, Grant averaged a measly 3.4 yards per carry, equaling his season average. Grant's vision in finding holes that are being created in the zone-blocking scheme hasn't been up to snuff. He also has reached the end zone only once. Jackson has shown to be an effective runner, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, but his opportunities to run with the ball have been few and far between. Rodgers, mostly because he's been scrambling from pass rushers, has been productive on the run, with 30 rushes for 113 yards. He has three touchdowns, all on sneaks that are a staple in the playbook now.
PASS DEFENSE: B — A case could be made, without little argument, that the Packers were better off without Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris and strong safety Atari Bigby in the starting lineup. Bigby missed the past five games because of a hamstring injury, while Harris was sidelined the past four after suffering a lacerated spleen. Replacements Tramon Williams at cornerback and Aaron Rouse at safety have been instrumental to Green Bay's opportunistic secondary, which has accounted for 100 percent of the team's league-high 13 interceptions. Savvy cornerback Charles Woodson and free safety Nick Collins each has four picks, followed by Williams with three. Both Woodson and Collins have returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The Packers have an unsurpassed five defensive scores, highlighted by a franchise-record-tying 99-yard interception return by Rouse in the domination against the Colts. The playmaking success on the back end has covered up for what is passing for a pass rush. In dealing with a slew of injuries on the defensive side, Green Bay all but abandoned the blitz and is rushing only four, five guys, which has yielded just 12 sacks. Even with the free-agent addition of Brandon Chillar as a situational linebacker who excels against the pass, the Packers remain vulnerable in covering top-end tight ends.
RUSH DEFENSE: D — The only sure defense the Packers had going for them in trying to stop the run in the first seven games was getting out to a sizable lead and forcing those opponents to become one-dimensional in catch-up mode. Green Bay ranks toward the bottom of the league in giving up an average of 141.9 rushing yards per game. It has been gashed for at least 150 yards in four games, which, other than the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, has been a recipe for a defeat. In the Packers' defense, they have had their hands tied up front, particularly in the interior, because of the injury epidemic. Losing Cullen Jenkins to season-ending torn pectoral muscle in Week 4 was a huge blow because of his effectiveness of playing the run on the edge on early downs. The healthy Packers have collectively been poor in gap assignments and tackling. Linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk aren't having standout seasons, as they should be.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — A 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by speedy cornerback Will Blackmon in the season-opening win over the Vikings was thought to be an auspicious beginning for an emerging special-teams group. Not to be, though. The units have been charged with 13 penalties, including three by Jarrett Bush and a costly holding call against rookie Jermichael Finley that wiped out a field goal in a three-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5. Blackmon has been victimized by the rash of flags, averaging 11.3 yards on punt returns and a meager 22 yards on kickoff returns. Mason Crosby continues to be a strong-legged asset on kickoffs with 10 touchbacks, but two of his three misses out of 14 field-goal attempts have been from less than 40 yards (one was blocked). Derrick Frost has been on a short leash as the team's shaky punter not long after he was signed to replace the booted Jon Ryan before the season started. Frost is averaging a pedestrian 43.9 gross yards, and his net average has plummeted in recent weeks to 37.6. Known for his strong directional kicking, Frost has put five punts into the end zone, though the gunners have been lax on a few of those. Chillar leads the coverage units with 10 tackles. Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly blocked a field-goal try against the Colts.
COACHING: B — Head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff managed to keep a young team from spiraling into a fateful nosedive when they rallied their charges to two wins before the bye to ease the sting of a three-game losing streak. The Packers are tied for first place in the NFC North, which they won with ease last season with a 13-3 record. A pivotal stretch is on the horizon for this year's 4-3 club. McCarthy will need Rodgers to continue to play under control and stick with run-heavy game plans that worked wonders in chewing up the clock, producing long scoring drives and earning lopsided wins the last two games against Seattle and Indianapolis. Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has a mostly young secondary playing at a high level in the bump-and-run coverage scheme, but a sustained lack of a pass rush could prove costly the second half of the season. Also on the to-do list for the coaches is to restore discipline in their players, who have penalized 58 times for a league-high 534 yards.