PR Outsider: Training Camp Report AM day 2 (7-29-07)

[MJZiggy]

—Brett Favre, Aaron Kampman, Donald Driver, Ryan Pickett and John Jolly didn't practice.

—I got a close look at the linebackers today and Brady Poppinga, AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett go everywhere together. They are always the first three to go through a drill, they always together talking. They all looked ripped and ready to play. Barnett actually looked... Read more! (www.packerrats.com)

[MJZiggy]

Could someone please sticky this?

[Scott Campbell]

Written by JustinHarrell
Sunday, 29 July 2007

These are some observations from Saturday morning practice.

.....continued on the Home Page.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Thanks for these reports JH. Nice to hear that the LB's are playing good, I expect big things from our D this year.

[BananaMan]

Thanks for the report. I like how fast you write them.

[RashanGary]

We try to get them out quick bannanaman. Everyone is looking for stuff after practice and since I'm there anyway, I figure I might as well share it with the people I talk football with.

[MadtownPacker]

Some good stuff JH. I like how the LBs are running around like some gang. I bet they are gonna kick some ass this year.

[retailguy]

Some good stuff JH. I like how the LBs are running around like some gang. I bet they are gonna kick some ass this year.


Listening to you, it sounds like it could be during some kind of drive by... :whaa:

[RashanGary]

Oh yeah, they practiced really hard too. Corey Williams has sort of stood out IMO. I've been paying attn to the DT's because of Harrell but Williams has really made an impression on me. He is big but not at all fat. He's looked really quick. I think he's going to be a very important piece to our defense this year.

I'm looking forward to this Thursday after their day off. Everyone is probably a little sore right now from the workload. They'll have Wednesday off. They'll have a shells practice Thurday morning to run through whatever they are teaching and then I think Thursday night is going to be a spirited practice. I'm hoping Harrell breaks out a little bit once he gets his football legs back.

[retailguy]

Oh yeah, they practiced really hard too. Corey Williams has sort of stood out IMO. I've been paying attn to the DT's because of Harrell but Williams has really made an impression on me. He is big but not at all fat. He's looked really quick. I think he's going to be a very important piece to our defense this year.

I'm looking forward to this Thursday after their day off. Everyone is probably a little sore right now from the workload. They'll have Wednesday off. They'll have a shells practice Thurday morning to run through whatever they are teaching and then I think Thursday night is going to be a spirited practice. I'm hoping Harrell breaks out a little bit once he gets his football legs back.

Don't ignore the possibility that Williams could get traded for draft choices. We only have 7 next season! :wink:

[retailguy]

Justin said (in the article):


The number one offensive line opened up a couple big holes on a few runs. They also had times where they clearly lost. It was nice to see holes open for a change though.


Did you see overall improvement or overall no improvement in the short time you saw them?

Was very distressed to hear that the still looked lost at times. That's not going to work.

[MadtownPacker]

Was very distressed to hear that the still looked lost at times. That's not going to work.
They probably say that every year. The roster is almost all players from last season+ and a bunch of newbies. Don't flip the panic switch yet. Maybe I mean turn if OFF because you have had it ON for a while. :P

[retailguy]

Was very distressed to hear that the still looked lost at times. That's not going to work.
They probably say that every year. The roster is almost all players from last season+ and a bunch of newbies. Don't flip the panic switch yet. Maybe I mean turn if OFF because you have had it ON for a while. :P

Well, "THEY" was JH the poster not anyone from the team. Since he's got his green/gold skirt on with the pom pom's, I didn't expect him to actually criticize anyone. The fact that he mentioned the line looks lost concerned me because of WHO it came from.

I'm not panicked. I gave THAT up about a week after Green signed with Houston. I have NO expectations on this season. Whatever wins we get will be treasured in this household.... :evil:

[RashanGary]

It’s hard to tell because they don’t do a lot of full out tackling on the RB’s. Also, it’s hard to tell if 1 yard was gained or five. The only time I could clearly see one way or the other was when big gaping holes opened and the RB ran through untouched. That happened twice. Once with Herron and once with Jackson I believe.

It was nice to see them open up a couple big, glaring holes. The defense made some plays too though, I know Poppinga blew up a big one yesterday. I’m still going to focus on the run game, but I think the only clear view we’ll get is preseason.

The best positives I saw was that Spitz looked leaner and about the same size as Colledge. Colledge looked fit and defined and Moll looked a lot like Clifton. Moll had thicker legs and Clifton had wider shoulders but they were the same height and about the same size.

[retailguy]

It’s hard to tell because they don’t do a lot of full out tackling on the RB’s. Also, it’s hard to tell if 1 yard was gained or five. The only time I could clearly see one way or the other was when big gaping holes opened and the RB ran through untouched. That happened twice. Once with Herron and once with Jackson I believe.

It was nice to see them open up a couple big, glaring holes. The defense made some plays too though, I know Poppinga blew up a big one yesterday. I’m still going to focus on the run game, but I think the only clear view we’ll get is preseason.

The best positives I saw was that Spitz looked leaner and about the same size as Colledge. Colledge looked fit and defined and Moll looked a lot like Clifton. Moll had thicker legs and Clifton had wider shoulders but they were the same height and about the same size.

Thanks. A lot.

edit - clarifying I'm meant this seriously and positively. I do appreciate it.

[Rastak]

It’s hard to tell because they don’t do a lot of full out tackling on the RB’s. Also, it’s hard to tell if 1 yard was gained or five. The only time I could clearly see one way or the other was when big gaping holes opened and the RB ran through untouched. That happened twice. Once with Herron and once with Jackson I believe.

It was nice to see them open up a couple big, glaring holes. The defense made some plays too though, I know Poppinga blew up a big one yesterday. I’m still going to focus on the run game, but I think the only clear view we’ll get is preseason.

The best positives I saw was that Spitz looked leaner and about the same size as Colledge. Colledge looked fit and defined and Moll looked a lot like Clifton. Moll had thicker legs and Clifton had wider shoulders but they were the same height and about the same size.


Pre-season games are a much better thing to judge on. Practice is cool and can give you some hints but the faster paced games are the real pre-season evidence.

[the_idle_threat]

Enjoying the practice reports. Thanks, JH!

[HarveyWallbangers]

I like the practice reports, but they must be taken with a grain of salt. There's ingrained bias by all reporters (and fans). I've sat in the stands watching training camp, and had a completely different take than the person sitting next to me. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on. At a position, a guy could look better than other guys at the position, but it might be a weak position. It's hard either way to get overly excited. The one thing to note is that the defense is usually ahead of the offense at this point, and considering that the defense has better personnel, it wouldn't surprise me if the offense struggles through most of this camp.

I remember a miss I had was Tod McBride. To me, the guy looked like he didn't have the potential to even make it in the league. He eventually carved a niche as a nickel/dime back for several years in the league.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Anyone remember the panic last year when the training camp reports talked about how much A.J. Hawk and Daryn Colledge struggled? Hawk ended up being good, and Colledge did a fine job as a rookie--starting at LG and LT when Clifton was out. Tough assignment. He wasn't perfect, but he's much further along than most of the rookie interior OL that have come to the team. Timmerman had a similar rookie year. Wahle looked like crap for 2-3 years. Rivera couldn't make the active roster. Flanagan couldn't stay healthy. On the other side, everybody raved about Mike "Neon" Hawkins--and not just our reporter.

[Rastak]

Anyone remember the panic last year when the training camp reports talked about how much A.J. Hawk and Daryn Colledge struggled? Hawk ended up being good, and Colledge did a fine job as a rookie--starting at LG and LT when Clifton was out. Tough assignment. He wasn't perfect, but he's much further along than most of the rookie interior OL that have come to the team. Timmerman had a similar rookie year. Wahle looked like crap for 2-3 years. Rivera couldn't make the active roster. Flanagan couldn't stay healthy. On the other side, everybody raved about Mike "Neon" Hawkins--and not just our reporter.


We gotta quit givin him shit about Hawkins. He really liked what he saw, but training camp isn't a game situation. I agree with your points. Hawk didn't look all that great early in the year either but seemed to finish strong from what I saw. Hard to draw conclusions from pre-season games let alone camp.

[b bulldog]

I took my two boys up today and came away with a few observations but with only a few practices under their belts, nothing can be concluded as of yet imo. ARod went with the ones due to Brett's family emergency and Rodgers looks to have put on more good weight. His arm strength looked much better than his rookie season and he seems to have a comfort level when the bullets aren't live. As nick said, Tausch looks pretty soft but he always had and always will. The Oline wasn't by me that much so I watched the WR's more. IMO, our WR's without DD and KrOB are solid but far from making somebody game plan for them. jennings easily looks to be the best in camp at the moment but Martin seems to have a knack for getting open and Jones looks to be the part. I think our TE's are average at best but they didn't do much by me either today. I am much more interested in the D and I liked what little I saw. The first thing I must ay is that the D is Hawk's baby and he is the star as far as the fans go. I love, let me repeat love the way he gets physical with the backs and wr's in the 7/7 drill and in person, you can see his football instinct really carry him. (I actually talked to his wife like for 8 seconds today) Barnett looks the fastest to me but he lacks the instinct that Hawk has and as a result, he is out of position at times and Poppy looked like Poppy. I am one of these guys who is rooting for Poppy and I know many wish he will get replaced. I saw some burst from Williams at DT and Montgomery at DE. The DL should be very solid once everyone gets their legs under them and they all get a chance to play with each other more. I think our younger S's looked pretty good. One thing I still think is that Collins doesn't have much instinct at the S position. He missed some plays imo that he should have been in on. I may be expecting more than I should out of Nick but with his speed and body build, I think he should be making more plays. Woodson and Harris look as smoooooothe as ever. Charles just glides on the feild. It will be very interesting tio see what happens between Bigby,Culver and Rouse this camp. Will manuel makwe this team or should he??? I had a 5 year old and an 8 year old that were complaining about the heat so I couldn't watch as closely as I would have wanted and afterall, it was only the second day of practices and I think it is way premature to label anybody until a few weeks into camp. It still amazes me how polite most of the players are to all of these kids who surround them by the dozens after these practices. My kids were already noticing how lucky the local kids are in regards to the bike riding before and after practice with the Packers.

[retailguy]

Neat observations Bulldog, thanks for sharing them. I enjoyed reading them.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Thanks for the writeup, bulldog. I think these things make this site unique. I don't get this much elsewhere.

[the_idle_threat]

Outstanding. Thanks, bulldog!

[HarveyWallbangers]

There's been a buzz about Rodgers this offseason and preseason. Tom Pelissero said this after mini-camps.


Q: Haivng come into covering the Packers with a fresh set of eyes, did any of the players you saw at the minicamps or OTAs surprise you with being better than you expected?

TOM PELISSERO: As I've stated before in this space, Aaron Rodgers stood out as much as anyone at the skill positions. Of course, guys are in shorts and a lot of QBs look good. But Rodgers' mobility not too far removed from ankle surgery was notable, and he has more zip on his passes than I'd noticed in the past. I certainly wouldn't dub that pick as a failure just yet.

My Vikings friend at work assures me that Pelissero is not a homer.

Now, this story about how impressive Rodgers has looked in camp.

http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070729/PKR01/307300017/1989


QB Rodgers looks sharp
By Tom Pelissero

A strike to Chris Francies over the middle, a slant to Shaun Bodiford, then a perfectly threaded ball to Carlyle Holiday in tight coverage.

It was only a blitz drill in the second practice of training camp, but Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to make the most of his opportunities with the first-team offense Sunday morning.

“My biggest … thing, besides trying to be as accurate as possible, is just trying to keep the tempo as high as … it is when Brett’s in there,” said Rodgers, who led the starters in veteran Brett Favre’s absence. “Keep the energy level, the enthusiasm level and the tempo high, so we’re in and out of plays and getting a lot of reps and practicing at a high tempo.”

Rodgers completed 13 of his last 16 passes Sunday morning — two of the misses were drops by Holiday and Brandon Miree — and was 15-for-21 overall, including 6-for-7 in the challenging blitz period.

The performance was on par with Rodgers’ play in most offseason practices that were open to the media this summer, showing off his improved arm strength and increasing comfort in the Packers offense.

“Aaron’s at the point in his career he just needs reps,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “(First) team reps are so important for a young quarterback, because you don’t really get the opportunity being a No. 2 and 3 as you grow up the ladder.”

Rodgers needed 5½ months to recover from a broken foot sustained Nov. 19 against New England, the game in which he saw his most extensive action last season.

His arm, however, has overshadowed any lingering concerns about his health since minicamp.

Splitting the offseason between Green Bay and his home in Chico, Calif., Rodgers utilized stretching, resistance-band exercises and low-weight, high-rep lifting to build strength in his throwing shoulder. He also jumped rope often to improve strength and quickness in his wrists, forearms and calves.

“It’s just a matter of challenging yourself in a number of different ways,” Rodgers said. “This offseason was really physical, because mentally, I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of the offense.”

McCarthy had chided Rodgers in the past for his weight, which was 228 pounds in March 2006. By cutting out his favorite foods, pizza and ice cream, Rodgers weighed in Friday at 217 — his lowest weight since his sophomore year at the University of California — with roughly 9 percent body fat.

All of which may not mean anything if Rodgers, who in five regular-season NFL games is 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) with an interception and a 43.9 efficiency rating, rides the bench another year.

There’s no telling whether Favre, who missed Sunday’s morning practice because of a death on his wife’s side of the family, will step away after this season. Rodgers will be in the third year of the five-year, $7.655 million contract the Packers gave him as the 24th overall draft pick in 2005, and his best chance to become a starter might come elsewhere.

“A lot of it depends on circumstance,” General Manager Ted Thompson said. “Is he going to get that opportunity? Is Brett going to continue to play for several more years, and play effectively? I think that’s the whole thing about the National Football League, is being prepared when your opportunity arises.

“I think (Rodgers is) talented, I think he can play, and I think he has a mindset to be an NFL quarterback, and I believe he thinks he’s an NFL quarterback. … But the proof is in the pudding.”

[HarveyWallbangers]

Aaron Rouse finally makes the notes page.


Nose for the ball

Rookie safety Aaron Rouse felt as though all the off-the-field preparation for training camp started to pay off on Monday.

Lining up with the second and third defenses, Rouse made at least three impact plays during the workout, beginning with an early team (11-on-11) period when good penetration on a screen pass to Herron put him right in the running back's face as he made the catch.

Later in a seven-on-seven sequence, he cut in front of tight end Zac Alcorn on a short pass in the flat and made an interception that would have gone for a long return. Then in a red zone team period, he stepped up to make a solid hit on Pope on a running play up the middle.

"It felt great," Rouse said of his first series of impact plays. "I've studied my playbook very hard, I've been studying the offensive routes, and once I get in there, instincts take over. I felt like I've been doing other things well, but when you get the opportunity you have to step up and make the play."

McCarthy wouldn't say whether Rouse, who's an imposing 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, would start getting any snaps with the No. 1 defense anytime soon. He noted how difficult it is to get all the defensive backs adequate reps, but he did notice Rouse's play on Monday as well.

"I thought he made a very nice play on the interception," McCarthy said. "You can see his athletic ability, especially for his size."

[HarveyWallbangers]

Other tidbits. Charles being Charles.


Tight end production
Both GM Ted Thompson and McCarthy have emphasized that the offense needs more production from its tight ends this season, and during red-zone and goal-line team periods on Monday, the tight ends were certainly showing up.

On a red zone snap with the ball just inside the 20, Donald Lee caught a bullet from Aaron Rodgers for a touchdown. Moments later, Alcorn took a pass in the flat from Ingle Martin and scored.

Later, with the ball on the 3-yard line, Rodgers ran play-action and hit Bubba Franks in the end zone for another TD.

There could be more of that to come as training camp and the preseason progress.

"For us to sit here and say we need to get more production out of them, we need to start first increasing their opportunities," McCarthy said.

Getting his picks
With help from a blitz by linebacker Nick Barnett, Charles Woodson intercepted a short dump-off pass from Aaron Rodgers intended for Robert Ferguson, giving the veteran cornerback three interceptions in the last two practices.

Backup safety Atari Bigby also had an interception during team drills.