PaCkFan_n_MD
08-21-2006, 09:47 AM
By Vic Carucci
National Editor, NFL.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Aug. 17, 2006) -- Random thoughts from the Green Bay Packers' training camp …
-- I know everyone says it, I know it sounds corny, but I can't help myself. Every time I visit Lambeau Field, I am truly moved by the incredibly rich NFL history that surrounds you the instant you set foot in the place. Actually, it hits you the instant you start driving down Lombardi Avenue and you see those giant statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi in front of the entrance to the atrium. You don't need to be a Packer fan -- and I have no particular rooting interest in the Packers -- to find yourself feeling a strong connection to everything that makes the game as special as it is. It's also astounding to see the numerous people, young and old, lining up for daily Lambeau tours. And the Packers' camp has the added unique quality of kids loaning their bicycles to players to ride to the practice field across the street while the kids carry their helmets.
-- It's hard to believe that, with his no-nonsense and ultra-intense approach to the game, linebacker A.J. Hawk is only a few weeks into his first NFL training camp. Hawk acts, looks, and performs like a seasoned pro. He is every bit the hitting machine he was during his spectacular career at Ohio State. One of the jokes around the team is that Hawk isn't satisfied unless he records at least 30 tackles in each practice. Veteran defensive tackle Aaron Kampman is as impressed as anyone who has watched Hawk in action on the field, but his favorite anecdote about his rookie teammate came when each player on the team had to stand up during a meeting and recite his name and college. Hawk instantly won over Kampman when he simply identified his school as "Ohio State" rather than " The Ohio State," as is common practice for so many former Buckeyes. "It's a little thing," Kampman said. "But it told me a lot about the guy."
-- Leave it to running back Samkon Gado, who emerged as a force last season as soon as injuries gave him an opportunity to play, to try and find ways to get a jump on the career as a physician that he plans to pursue after he finishes playing. Gado, who was slowed earlier in the week by a sore hamstring, spends a good deal of time around the Packers' training staff -- even when he isn't injured. Earlier this week, he received a lesson on how to read the results of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam.
-- You tend to forget the many little details with which a new head coach must familiarize himself. Among Mike McCarthy's greatest challenges so far is handling chores such as meeting with officials before the game. "I mean, they asked me 10 or 15 questions that I never knew went on," McCarthy said of his meeting with the officials working the Packers' preseason opener against San Diego. "Who's your captain? Just little stuff like that. Thank God the preseason is for the coach, also."
National Editor, NFL.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Aug. 17, 2006) -- Random thoughts from the Green Bay Packers' training camp …
-- I know everyone says it, I know it sounds corny, but I can't help myself. Every time I visit Lambeau Field, I am truly moved by the incredibly rich NFL history that surrounds you the instant you set foot in the place. Actually, it hits you the instant you start driving down Lombardi Avenue and you see those giant statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi in front of the entrance to the atrium. You don't need to be a Packer fan -- and I have no particular rooting interest in the Packers -- to find yourself feeling a strong connection to everything that makes the game as special as it is. It's also astounding to see the numerous people, young and old, lining up for daily Lambeau tours. And the Packers' camp has the added unique quality of kids loaning their bicycles to players to ride to the practice field across the street while the kids carry their helmets.
-- It's hard to believe that, with his no-nonsense and ultra-intense approach to the game, linebacker A.J. Hawk is only a few weeks into his first NFL training camp. Hawk acts, looks, and performs like a seasoned pro. He is every bit the hitting machine he was during his spectacular career at Ohio State. One of the jokes around the team is that Hawk isn't satisfied unless he records at least 30 tackles in each practice. Veteran defensive tackle Aaron Kampman is as impressed as anyone who has watched Hawk in action on the field, but his favorite anecdote about his rookie teammate came when each player on the team had to stand up during a meeting and recite his name and college. Hawk instantly won over Kampman when he simply identified his school as "Ohio State" rather than " The Ohio State," as is common practice for so many former Buckeyes. "It's a little thing," Kampman said. "But it told me a lot about the guy."
-- Leave it to running back Samkon Gado, who emerged as a force last season as soon as injuries gave him an opportunity to play, to try and find ways to get a jump on the career as a physician that he plans to pursue after he finishes playing. Gado, who was slowed earlier in the week by a sore hamstring, spends a good deal of time around the Packers' training staff -- even when he isn't injured. Earlier this week, he received a lesson on how to read the results of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam.
-- You tend to forget the many little details with which a new head coach must familiarize himself. Among Mike McCarthy's greatest challenges so far is handling chores such as meeting with officials before the game. "I mean, they asked me 10 or 15 questions that I never knew went on," McCarthy said of his meeting with the officials working the Packers' preseason opener against San Diego. "Who's your captain? Just little stuff like that. Thank God the preseason is for the coach, also."