Partial
08-03-2006, 11:24 PM
Camp Report, Aug. 3
THUMBS UP
It was only one play. It was only a flash. But sometimes that’s all it takes for a rookie to give a coach hope. Wide receiver Cory Rodgers, a fourth-round draft pick who was hard to even find over the first eight practices, made a nice, out-stretched catch on an up-pattern in a two-minute drill at the end of the morning practice. Rodgers had caught just two balls in team sessions up until that point.
Rodgers left Texas Christian after his junior year to enter the draft and there was reason to wonder almost a week into camp if the NFL wasn’t too big for him at this point. But his catch Thursday was big-time, at least relatively speaking. He got a step on cornerback Mike Hawkins and hauled in Aaron Rodgers’ throw for a 25-yard gain. On the next play, with three seconds showing on the clock, Billy Cundiff kicked a 26-yard field goal to cap the drive.
THUMBS DOWN
Maybe it was just wishful thinking that second-year defensive end Michael Montgomery could make a big jump over his rookie year. After all, defensive end is a position where teams don’t find many gems in the later rounds of the draft and Montgomery was a sixth-round pick. In the first 39 years of the common draft (1967-’05), only two defensive ends selected in the sixth round ever played in a Pro Bowl (Michael Sinclair, Class of ’91; and Doug Betters, Class of ’78) and only one taken in the seventh round (Michael McCrary, Class of ’93).
Not that the Packers were expecting Montgomery to become a Pro Bowl player any time soon. But they were hoping that he’d make enough strides to upgrade perhaps their thinnest position on defense and give Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila more rest. But Montgomery has done nothing to get excited about this camp. Junius Coston, playing left tackle for the first time, locked him up and finished him off in the one-on-one pass blocking drill Thursday night. Free agent rookie Josh Bourke also stopped Montgomery's initial charge, but couldn't finish him off. Montgomery doesn’t seem to have bulked up from last year or done anything to improve his game. By the way, Carl Hairston, Montgomery’s position coach, was a seventh-round find at the position. Although he never played in a Pro Bowl, Hairston played 15 years in the league and was as solid as the concrete in the Lambeau Field tunnel. So maybe his teaching might still rub off on Montgomery.
INJURY REPORT
Cornerback Al Harris missed both practices with an elbow injury. Tight end Bubba Franks missed both practices with a wrap on his knee. Tight end Zac Alcorn, who may have suffered a hip pointer when he hit the ground after making a diving catch Wednesday, also missed both practices.
Chad Clifton (knee), Najeh Davenport (ankle), Arliss Beach (head) and Patrick Dendy (ankle) continued to miss practice.
Brett Favre observed the morning practice.
ODDS & ENDS
Going back to the off-season workouts, the Packers’ offense has been pretty much dreadful in the two-minute drill. In one June practice, the coaches even instructed the defense to give up on a play so the offense could score. And the last time Favre sat out the drill was in mid-June when Aaron Rodgers and Ingle Martin each threw interceptions on their fourth pass. But Thursday morning, with Favre sitting out, Rodgers was 4 for 8 and drove the offense from its 22-yard line to the defense’s 8 to set up Cundiff’s field goal. Rodgers had less success on his first series. He completed only 2 of 5 passes and turned the ball over on downs. Martin was 0 for 3 on his turn.
Linebacker A.J. Hawk intercepted his first pass: A Favre throw tipped by safety Nick Collins in seven-on-seven. Cornerback Charles Woodson also intercepted Favre in a team drill.
Rookie quarterback Ingle Martin combined with wide receiver Robert Ferguson on a 55-yard touchdown pass in a team period at night. Ferguson got behind safety Marviel Underwood.
ON THIS DAY
Aug. 4, 1978 – The Packers acquired veteran tackle Tim Stokes from the Washington Redskins for what was reported to be a fourth-round draft pick acquired in another trade. Stokes had recently lost his starting job in Washington. Two weeks earlier, coach and general manager Bart Starr had traded the Packers’ own fourth-round pick and a fifth for defensive tackle Carl Barzilauskas.
SCHEDULE FRIDAY
There will be one practice at 2 p.m.
THUMBS UP
It was only one play. It was only a flash. But sometimes that’s all it takes for a rookie to give a coach hope. Wide receiver Cory Rodgers, a fourth-round draft pick who was hard to even find over the first eight practices, made a nice, out-stretched catch on an up-pattern in a two-minute drill at the end of the morning practice. Rodgers had caught just two balls in team sessions up until that point.
Rodgers left Texas Christian after his junior year to enter the draft and there was reason to wonder almost a week into camp if the NFL wasn’t too big for him at this point. But his catch Thursday was big-time, at least relatively speaking. He got a step on cornerback Mike Hawkins and hauled in Aaron Rodgers’ throw for a 25-yard gain. On the next play, with three seconds showing on the clock, Billy Cundiff kicked a 26-yard field goal to cap the drive.
THUMBS DOWN
Maybe it was just wishful thinking that second-year defensive end Michael Montgomery could make a big jump over his rookie year. After all, defensive end is a position where teams don’t find many gems in the later rounds of the draft and Montgomery was a sixth-round pick. In the first 39 years of the common draft (1967-’05), only two defensive ends selected in the sixth round ever played in a Pro Bowl (Michael Sinclair, Class of ’91; and Doug Betters, Class of ’78) and only one taken in the seventh round (Michael McCrary, Class of ’93).
Not that the Packers were expecting Montgomery to become a Pro Bowl player any time soon. But they were hoping that he’d make enough strides to upgrade perhaps their thinnest position on defense and give Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila more rest. But Montgomery has done nothing to get excited about this camp. Junius Coston, playing left tackle for the first time, locked him up and finished him off in the one-on-one pass blocking drill Thursday night. Free agent rookie Josh Bourke also stopped Montgomery's initial charge, but couldn't finish him off. Montgomery doesn’t seem to have bulked up from last year or done anything to improve his game. By the way, Carl Hairston, Montgomery’s position coach, was a seventh-round find at the position. Although he never played in a Pro Bowl, Hairston played 15 years in the league and was as solid as the concrete in the Lambeau Field tunnel. So maybe his teaching might still rub off on Montgomery.
INJURY REPORT
Cornerback Al Harris missed both practices with an elbow injury. Tight end Bubba Franks missed both practices with a wrap on his knee. Tight end Zac Alcorn, who may have suffered a hip pointer when he hit the ground after making a diving catch Wednesday, also missed both practices.
Chad Clifton (knee), Najeh Davenport (ankle), Arliss Beach (head) and Patrick Dendy (ankle) continued to miss practice.
Brett Favre observed the morning practice.
ODDS & ENDS
Going back to the off-season workouts, the Packers’ offense has been pretty much dreadful in the two-minute drill. In one June practice, the coaches even instructed the defense to give up on a play so the offense could score. And the last time Favre sat out the drill was in mid-June when Aaron Rodgers and Ingle Martin each threw interceptions on their fourth pass. But Thursday morning, with Favre sitting out, Rodgers was 4 for 8 and drove the offense from its 22-yard line to the defense’s 8 to set up Cundiff’s field goal. Rodgers had less success on his first series. He completed only 2 of 5 passes and turned the ball over on downs. Martin was 0 for 3 on his turn.
Linebacker A.J. Hawk intercepted his first pass: A Favre throw tipped by safety Nick Collins in seven-on-seven. Cornerback Charles Woodson also intercepted Favre in a team drill.
Rookie quarterback Ingle Martin combined with wide receiver Robert Ferguson on a 55-yard touchdown pass in a team period at night. Ferguson got behind safety Marviel Underwood.
ON THIS DAY
Aug. 4, 1978 – The Packers acquired veteran tackle Tim Stokes from the Washington Redskins for what was reported to be a fourth-round draft pick acquired in another trade. Stokes had recently lost his starting job in Washington. Two weeks earlier, coach and general manager Bart Starr had traded the Packers’ own fourth-round pick and a fifth for defensive tackle Carl Barzilauskas.
SCHEDULE FRIDAY
There will be one practice at 2 p.m.