woodbuck27
08-07-2006, 12:30 AM
August 6, 2006
Questions remain after scrimmage
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
A week into training camp, the Green Bay Packers' new zone-block run game still is finding its legs.
With halfback Ahman Green not back from offseason surgery until later in camp and backup Najeh Davenport sidelined yet again, with a calf injury this time, the Packers' first live work running the ball was uneventful in the short look it got with the starters in front of 62,701 spectators at Lambeau Field on Saturday night for the team's Family Night Presented by Fox 11 intrasquad scrimmage.
Coach Mike McCarthy gave the run game a chance playing against the No. 2 defense, but on three possessions the starters didn't get much of anything on the ground. Starter Samkon Gado and backup Noah Herron combined for seven carries for only 22 yards. The Brett Favre-led offense had two three-and-outs with the first five being runs, though later, in a 2-minute drill, Gado scored on a 10-yard run.
It's not unusual for a team to struggle running early in a game and then pick up later. In fact, McCarthy and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, who brought the zone scheme from Atlanta, have preached that their run game is predicated on accepting several short gains early in the game. Their philosophy is that the 1- and 2-yard runs early at least will keep the offense out of second- and third-and-long, and those short runs will turn into 8-yard or longer runs in the second half.
"Running the football is a commitment, running the football is a four-quarter journey," McCarthy said.
"It's not very often you come out in this league ripping people with the run game," McCarthy said. I didn't look at it all that the run game struggled, and we had the run at the end there that Samkon scored on.
"The biggest thing running the football is you don't want negative runs, you want to keep hammering away at the defense for a four-quarter commitment. It was our first opportunity for live work, cut blocking and things like that. I thought we got off to a solid start."
With the run game quiet, the starting offense didn't score against the No. 2 defense until its third possession, when quarterback Brett Favre hit Donald Driver with a 48-yard pass over defensive backs Ahmad Carroll and Tyrone Culver setting up a score.
Favre also led a touchdown on his lone 2-minute drill, covering the 75 yards on 5-for-7 passing for 55 yards. On the three regular possessions and 2-minute drill combined, Favre was 9-for-16 for 119 yards.
"Very pleased," McCarthy said of Favre. "I think Brett has reached the part of training camp, if memory serves me right, it's the week in camp where the ball really spins off his hand."
Rookie receiver Greg Jennings also continued his strong bid to win the starting job opposite Driver. With Robert Ferguson missing the scrimmage for undisclosed personal reasons, Jennings was in the starting lineup, and in the 2-minute drill beat cornerback Therrian Fontenot on slant for 27 yards. Two plays earlier, Jennings had run past cornerback Jerron Wishom on a go route, but Favre overthrew him.
"The thing with Greg Jennings is he's been consistent in camp," McCarthy said. "Every day he's where he supposed to be, winning on routes, and he makes plays."
Backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a better night than his statistics would suggest. In three regular series and one 2-minute drill against the starting defense, his numbers looked bad  11-for-23 for 92 yards, one interception and a lone touchdown on a drive kept alive by two fourth-down conversions that wouldn't have been attempted in a game.
But Rodgers was victimized by two bad drops on potential big gainers  Chris Francies dropped a ball on a post pattern that might have been a huge gain, and tight end Donald Lee dropped a short pass that he might have turned into a decent first-down gain.
Also, Rodgers' interception came in the 2-minute drill on a near-desperation type pass when safety Marviel Underwood picked off a 30-yard throw inside the 10 intended for Ruvell Martin with 5 seconds left on the clock.
"We had a couple opportunities to come up with the ball," Rodgers said. "But I know nine out of 10 times, they're going to catch those. The best thing about is they came back kept getting open and made plays."
McCarthy said: "He threw the ball very well. I thought he gave the receivers opportunities. I like the way he was coming off his back foot, and the ball was coming out of there quick. He's definitely reached a confidence level and played with a lot of urgency. I'm excited about him."
The Packers' starting defense, playing without cornerback Charles Woodson, who sat out with a sore hip flexor, gave up the lone score by the backups mainly because it failed to stop two fourth downs that would have been punts in a normal game. The touchdown also came on fourth down, from the 5, when Rodgers scrambled and hit Marc Boerigter in the back of the end zone.
Cornerback Ahmad Carroll ended one series by breaking up a third-down pass to Rod Gardner. More than anything, McCarthy said his team looked like it was in good physical shape after going through his offseason workout program. The practice was scheduled to have about 60 plays but finished with closer to 90.
"We had guys play a lot of snaps tonight," McCarthy said. "I thought the speed of the game as far as game entry and substitution was very good for the first time out. Usually you encounter personnel problems early in the preseason."
GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH !
Questions remain after scrimmage
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
A week into training camp, the Green Bay Packers' new zone-block run game still is finding its legs.
With halfback Ahman Green not back from offseason surgery until later in camp and backup Najeh Davenport sidelined yet again, with a calf injury this time, the Packers' first live work running the ball was uneventful in the short look it got with the starters in front of 62,701 spectators at Lambeau Field on Saturday night for the team's Family Night Presented by Fox 11 intrasquad scrimmage.
Coach Mike McCarthy gave the run game a chance playing against the No. 2 defense, but on three possessions the starters didn't get much of anything on the ground. Starter Samkon Gado and backup Noah Herron combined for seven carries for only 22 yards. The Brett Favre-led offense had two three-and-outs with the first five being runs, though later, in a 2-minute drill, Gado scored on a 10-yard run.
It's not unusual for a team to struggle running early in a game and then pick up later. In fact, McCarthy and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, who brought the zone scheme from Atlanta, have preached that their run game is predicated on accepting several short gains early in the game. Their philosophy is that the 1- and 2-yard runs early at least will keep the offense out of second- and third-and-long, and those short runs will turn into 8-yard or longer runs in the second half.
"Running the football is a commitment, running the football is a four-quarter journey," McCarthy said.
"It's not very often you come out in this league ripping people with the run game," McCarthy said. I didn't look at it all that the run game struggled, and we had the run at the end there that Samkon scored on.
"The biggest thing running the football is you don't want negative runs, you want to keep hammering away at the defense for a four-quarter commitment. It was our first opportunity for live work, cut blocking and things like that. I thought we got off to a solid start."
With the run game quiet, the starting offense didn't score against the No. 2 defense until its third possession, when quarterback Brett Favre hit Donald Driver with a 48-yard pass over defensive backs Ahmad Carroll and Tyrone Culver setting up a score.
Favre also led a touchdown on his lone 2-minute drill, covering the 75 yards on 5-for-7 passing for 55 yards. On the three regular possessions and 2-minute drill combined, Favre was 9-for-16 for 119 yards.
"Very pleased," McCarthy said of Favre. "I think Brett has reached the part of training camp, if memory serves me right, it's the week in camp where the ball really spins off his hand."
Rookie receiver Greg Jennings also continued his strong bid to win the starting job opposite Driver. With Robert Ferguson missing the scrimmage for undisclosed personal reasons, Jennings was in the starting lineup, and in the 2-minute drill beat cornerback Therrian Fontenot on slant for 27 yards. Two plays earlier, Jennings had run past cornerback Jerron Wishom on a go route, but Favre overthrew him.
"The thing with Greg Jennings is he's been consistent in camp," McCarthy said. "Every day he's where he supposed to be, winning on routes, and he makes plays."
Backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a better night than his statistics would suggest. In three regular series and one 2-minute drill against the starting defense, his numbers looked bad  11-for-23 for 92 yards, one interception and a lone touchdown on a drive kept alive by two fourth-down conversions that wouldn't have been attempted in a game.
But Rodgers was victimized by two bad drops on potential big gainers  Chris Francies dropped a ball on a post pattern that might have been a huge gain, and tight end Donald Lee dropped a short pass that he might have turned into a decent first-down gain.
Also, Rodgers' interception came in the 2-minute drill on a near-desperation type pass when safety Marviel Underwood picked off a 30-yard throw inside the 10 intended for Ruvell Martin with 5 seconds left on the clock.
"We had a couple opportunities to come up with the ball," Rodgers said. "But I know nine out of 10 times, they're going to catch those. The best thing about is they came back kept getting open and made plays."
McCarthy said: "He threw the ball very well. I thought he gave the receivers opportunities. I like the way he was coming off his back foot, and the ball was coming out of there quick. He's definitely reached a confidence level and played with a lot of urgency. I'm excited about him."
The Packers' starting defense, playing without cornerback Charles Woodson, who sat out with a sore hip flexor, gave up the lone score by the backups mainly because it failed to stop two fourth downs that would have been punts in a normal game. The touchdown also came on fourth down, from the 5, when Rodgers scrambled and hit Marc Boerigter in the back of the end zone.
Cornerback Ahmad Carroll ended one series by breaking up a third-down pass to Rod Gardner. More than anything, McCarthy said his team looked like it was in good physical shape after going through his offseason workout program. The practice was scheduled to have about 60 plays but finished with closer to 90.
"We had guys play a lot of snaps tonight," McCarthy said. "I thought the speed of the game as far as game entry and substitution was very good for the first time out. Usually you encounter personnel problems early in the preseason."
GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH !