Numerous camp notes

[HarveyWallbangers]

Walden appears to have taken the lead at LOLB.


The Green Bay Packers finally broke their three-week, three-way rotation at right outside linebacker Wednesday, and Erik Walden was the player moving to the forefront.

"It ain't done until the fat lady sings," Walden said after spending his second straight day with the No. 1 defense ahead of Frank Zombo and Brad Jones. "It's final when New Orleans arrives."

Still, Walden admitted he was "absolutely" pumped and said he would do whatever was necessary to hold the spot.

"Anytime you're with the 1's it's definitely a little boost," Walden said. "I'm working every day trying to convince him ( Kevin Greene) along with the other coaches and the organization that I'm their guy. But, at the same time, you can't be worrying about that too much or it might affect your play.

"I give them a player that can do a numerous amount of things. Just that energy, and playing with heart. I'm going to show up every Sunday and try to help the team win."

Since July 30, the first day of training camp, the Packers have overseen a three-way rotation with Zombo, Walden and Jones alternating day by day as the starter on the right outside opposite Clay Matthews.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday, Walden was No. 1, the first time any of the three had been the starter two days in a row. Jones took more snaps behind Walden on the right side than Zombo, who worked behind Matthews most of the time.

It's quite possible that the starter won't be determined until after the third exhibition game. Zombo started Saturday night against Cleveland; it would appear he and Walden are the leading candidates.

Zombo and Walden traded starts last season after Jones was lost for the year in Week 7 with a shoulder injury.

When Walden went to camp with Miami last summer, he weighed 250. Released in late September, he lost weight during his month out of football and then played between 238 and 240 in Green Bay.

Walden took it upon himself to gain back up to 250 to play the more physical style demanded by Greene, the outside linebackers coach.

According to Walden, the extra weight has enabled him to play the run and rush the passer with more power while not detracting from his movement skills.

Walden said weighing 250 or 238 had no bearing on the 37-yard reception to tight end Benjamin Watson that he yielded in Cleveland.

"With the technique and poor judgment I'd have been beaten either way," he said. "My wandering eyes and my technique got me in trouble."

[HarveyWallbangers]

Quarless has added bulk, and he's showing improvement as a blocker.


Tight end Andrew Quarless has been in and out of practice with nagging injuries. He's back now and blocking well.

"He's done a tremendous job on front-side blocking at the point," said Ben McAdoo, who coaches the tight ends. "When he's been out there he's been accountable. He's been catching the ball, too."

As a rookie, Quarless had trouble holding weight and was down near 240 by the Super Bowl. He's back up to 250 now and playing stronger.

"Weight definitely helps your strength and enables you to handle guys who are a little bit heavier," he said. "(Blocking) is definitely something I was keying on in my training for the season, but I think it's really a mind-set. I want to be dominant."

[HarveyWallbangers]

Fontenot has some nice things to say about Saine.


Running back Brandon Saine, a rookie free agent from Ohio State, led the Packers in Cleveland with 35 yards rushing in 10 carries. He took the field late in the first half and then played the entire second half.

"Brandon did a nice job of running hard," running backs coach Jerry Fontenot said. "He was carrying piles. He was driving his knees. He was accelerating his feet on contact. He made some guys miss on the screen (pass). He's not afraid to stick his nose in there and pass protect.

"Overall, he did a really nice job."

[HarveyWallbangers]

T.J. Lang has taken the lead at LG.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127981878.html

[HarveyWallbangers]

Gordy is in the hunt for a spot, and he's used to the heat and hard work.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/127980438.html

[HarveyWallbangers]

Neal's injury doesn't appear to be serious, and he hasn't been ruled out for the Arizona game.


Mike Neal didn’t attend practice as a spectator Wednesday, but his knee injury in practice Tuesday apparently wasn’t serious enough to warrant a medical scan, coach Mike McCarthy said.

Neal, a starting defensive end, injured his left knee in practice when his cleats caught the ground as he tripped on a tackling dummy while doing a pass-rushing drill. The injury looked serious at first, but after being examined on the spot by the team’s medical staff, Neal walked off the field with only a slight limp.

The Packers’ medical staff re-examined Neal on Wednesday morning, and McCarthy said Neal’s status is day-to-day. That generally means the injury is not serious, although day-to-day injuries occasionally end up lasting for several weeks. Most injured players also attend practice, but Neal did not.

McCarthy didn’t rule out Neal for Friday night’s preseason game against Arizona, though it seems unlikely the Packers would even consider risking playing him in a game that doesn’t count in the standings.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Sounds promising for rookie TE Taylor. He's stuck on the all of the #1 special teams units.

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110817/PKR01/110817165/Special-teams-could-rookie-Taylor-s-route-starter?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wynn is having a solid camp.


A year ago, Jarius Wynn played uninspired preseason football and found himself on the street when the Packers made their final roster cuts.

The Packers kept rookie seventh-round pick C.J. Wilson instead of Wynn, who was a sixth-rounder in 2009.

Though Wynn was re-signed just a week later when injuries hit the defensive line, perhaps it served as a wake-up call. He contributed in spots last season and was active for three of the four postseason games, including Super Bowl XLV.

The third-year pro is in a fight for a roster spot once again. At least this time, if he goes down, he will go down swinging. Wynn has made himself noticed far more often in this training camp than in last years’. On Wednesday, the 6-foot-3 and 285-pound defensive end showed off his athleticism by dropping into coverage and tipping a pass by Matt Flynn in the red zone.

With defensive end Mike Neal out because of a knee injury, Wynn got the call to team with B.J. Raji as one of the two down linemen in the nickel package. He’s not as beefy against the run as Wilson is, but he could develop into a better pass rusher.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Elmore is not.


Time may be running out for Ricky Elmore.

The rookie sixth-round pick just hasn’t shown enough in his conversion from collegiate defensive end to NFL outside linebacker. That’s not to say he won’t but at this point, he looks like a candidate for the practice squad unless another team claims him off waivers.

The Packers had hoped Elmore could become a pass-rushing threat like he was at the University of Arizona, where he had 21½ sacks over his final two seasons while playing with his hand on the ground. But Elmore hasn’t shown the strength or quickness to beat NFL offensive tackles. That was evident again in the one-on-one drill on Wednesday, when he couldn’t beat undrafted rookie Ray Dominguez, who easily has the worst record among all offensive linemen in the drill.

The one-on-one pass rushing/pass blocking drill isn’t the end-all definition of a player, but it can be telling. Elmore has lost eight straight one-on-ones, has a 1-10 record in the drill, hasn’t won a rep since Aug. 4 and his only victory came against Dominguez.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Bulaga is having a strong camp.


Bryan Bulaga may very well spend the rest of his career at right tackle, and if he does, it’s looking more and more like the Packers will be set at the position for the next decade, just as they were with his predecessor, Mark Tauscher. That doesn’t mean that Bulaga wouldn’t mind getting a crack at replacing Chad Clifton on the left side when the veteran calls it a career, but for a guy just entering his second NFL season after being the youngest player in NFL history to start a Super Bowl (21), Bulaga looks like an old vet already. He won his only 1-on-1 pass-blocking turn – against Clay Matthews – and has rarely been out of position all camp long. “I think it’s clear that Bryan Bulaga is a different player this year than he was last year,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said this week.

[Brandon494]

Good to hear Walden and Lang getting the starting jobs. Also like what I'm hearing about Taylor and Gordy, I honestly believe both are pretty much locks to make the team.

[Upnorth]

Thanks harvey! Great work

[Harlan Huckleby]

I read somewhere ("Boy's Life"?) that Walden and Zombo are still neck-and-neck in their competition. I've stopped having any opinion on this position, other than surprise that Mr. Jones has fallen so far. Maybe he is not back 100% from injury, and worth keeping on the roster.

[woodbuck27]

Gordy is in the hunt for a spot, and he's used to the heat and hard work.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/127980438.html


http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/128010453.html

Final cornerback spot ... Lee vs. Gordy vs. Ross

Jarrett Bush has most likely locked down his roster spot. Arguably no corner has made more plays in practice.

Behind him, a roster spot could boil down to Pat Lee, Brandian Ross and Josh Gordy.

The countdown may be on for Lee. He’s still in the lead here, but must start making plays. In our latest Packers Audibles interview, West defended Lee but that play kind of said it all. West caught a pass on Lee's back. The corner didn't turn to make a play.

Management may be more willing to roll the dice on potential here. Both Ross (see: Family Night) and Gordy (see: Browns game) have teased their potential.

My gut says one of them (Ross or Gordy) winds up with a roster spot.

GO PACK GO !

[rbaloha1]

Walden is athletic and shall make plays. Loves the way he throws around his body. The downside is Walden is going to give up some big plays.

[KYPack]

I read somewhere ("Boy's Life"?) that Walden and Zombo are still neck-and-neck in their competition. I've stopped having any opinion on this position, other than surprise that Mr. Jones has fallen so far. Maybe he is not back 100% from injury, and worth keeping on the roster.

I was of the opinion prior to camp that Brad Jones would come racing in and claim that job. The other two guys are blow-up types, but make huge coverage errors from time to time. Man, Jones was for shit vs the Browns. He looked like a dis-interested ghost in that game.

Walden is no picnic, either. He blew cover on Watson from here to there. If you are gonna screw up, make a mistake on your fill. You have to cover that seam, if you blow it, it's six.

We have Superman on one side & three plumbers on the other.

I hope Kevin Green can pound some smarts into one of these boys and get 'em going.