Training Camp - Day 1

[HarveyWallbangers]

Hawk seemed pretty excited to be in Green Bay. It's a good fit.

Cliff Christl Blog

FRIDAY, May 5, 2006, 7:03 p.m.
Minicamp Report - Camp 1, Day 1
It's only a minicamp. It was only the first day. But wide receiver Greg Jennings, one of the Green Bay Packers' second-round draft picks, looked smooth and fluid with some quickness and burst in and out of his cuts. One of the prettiest plays of the day came in 7-on-7 when Brett Favre hit Jennings on a hook route. With veteran cornerback Charles Woodson in coverage (Coach Mike McCarthy said he was in press coverage, although it appeared that Woodson was off the linel), Jennings drove hard upfield and then worked back for the ball. "He looked to be very natural," said McCarthy. "He had bump-and-run and we refer to the technique as a speed move where he has to adjust his route off his weight and cross the face of the DB. I almost had to look and check his number. I thought it was Donald (Driver). (Jennings) came snapping out of it and caught the ball in stride and turned it right up. Watching him catching punts, very natural. I think we were right on that one."

Woodson later sat on a comeback route by Jennings and intercepted a Favre pass. Woodson spiked Jennings on the play and lost his balance, but came up with the catch. It was one of several times where Woodson stumbled or fell during the practice. He appeared to be having problems with his cleats on the Don Hutson Center FieldTurf. After practice, Woodson said he would change his cleats before the two practices Saturday.

Woodson was listed as No. 21 on the roster, but wore No. 2. He said he'd like to wear the number permanently, but NFL rules prevent corners - or wide receivers, for that matter - from wearing numbers below 10. Woodson practiced only at corner.

Samkon Gado was the only veteran running back to practice, but he looked fully recovered from the sprained medial collateral ligament that knocked him out of the final two games of last season. "He's very explosive," said McCarthy. "I think you saw that in some of the lead zone runs." Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport were in uniform and took part in some light running and stretching early in practice, but won't be ready to go full speed until at least the start of training camp, according to McCarthy.

What are McCarthy's early impressions of second-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers? "Very bright," was one. "More athletic than he showed in college," was another. Rodgers threw a lot of checkdowns in the team sessions, but McCarthy praised him for his decision-making. "I thought he played controlled today," said McCarthy. "I thought he was very composed." What about Rodgers' arm strength? "His arm strength is good," said McCarthy. "He spins the ball, which is important in this part of the country."

Favre shared time with the other quarterbacks in camp - Rodgers, fifth-round draft pick Ingle Martin and free agent Tom Arth - but looked fit and threw some nice balls. Along with connecting with Jennings on the hook, Favre also threw a perfect deep ball over Driver's outside shoulder for a big gain.

The Packers worked William Whitticker at tackle and Kevin Barry at guard. Whitticker started the day working at right tackle behind Mark Tauscher. But when Adrian Klemm dropped out of practice with an apparent injury, Whitticker moved to the left side and worked with the No. 1 unit. Chad Clifton underwent ankle surgery following the season and won't practice this camp. The only other tackles were fifth-round pick Tony Moll, who worked on the left side, and free agent rooke Josh Bourke, who worked on the right side.

Barry worked with the second unit at right guard. Second-round draft pick Daryn Colledge practiced with the first unit at left guard. Second-year man Junius Coston, who worked at left guard all last summer and throughout the Packers' off-season sessions this spring, worked with the first unit at right guard. It was the first day that Coston had ever practiced there. Third-round pick Jason Spitz worked with the second unit at left guard. Scott Wells was the No. 1 center with Chris White behind him.

A.J. Hawk worked with the first unit at outside linebacker. ... Roy Manning lined up as the other outside backer with the No. 1 defense. ... With free agent safety Marquand Manuel, who is coming off a groin injury from the Super Bowl, watching practice, Mark Roman was still lining up with the first unit at safety. ... Robert Ferguson lined up with the first unit at wide receiver opposite Driver. ... Third-round pick Abdul Hodge worked at middle linebacker and looked athletic on a deep drop in 7-on-7, where he deflected a Favre pass.

Other players coming off injuries who didn't practice included running back Chaz Williams; defensive linemen Kenny Peterson, Donnell Washington, draft pick Johnny Jolly and free agent Tim McGill; linebackers Brady Poppinga and Kurt Campbell; cornerback Jason Horton; and safety Jeremy Thornburg.

Three players practiced on a tryout basis: linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann, Stanford; fullback Ben Brown, Tabor; and offensive guard LeQualan McDonald, Baylor.

[FritzDontBlitz]

good stuff, harvey. thanks for the post.....

[motife]

Nick Collins report on the Packer minicamps :

Havel said on 107.5 that Greg Jennings looked fantastic. He was adjusting to balls. Apparently he catches everything thrown his way. Also, Donald Lee looked really fast and fit. According to both Johnny Gray and Havs; Will Blackmon was very impressive, as well as enthusiastic for the game.

[Joemailman]

Intersting that Whitticker was at Tackle. Looks like maybe the coaches have already decided that Whitticker doesn't have the speed to play Guard in this blocking scheme.

[MadtownPacker]

Sounds great! Really like that Jennings stood out. He was my fav pick of this draft. Can you say Go-To-Rookie?

[RashanGary]

Intersting that Whitticker was at Tackle. Looks like maybe the coaches have already decided that Whitticker doesn't have the speed to play Guard in this blocking scheme.

I didn't know quite what to think about that but I think you hit it right on the nuts.

[RashanGary]

Notice how they say nothing about Hawk......Havel followed suite. I think each news paper is holding out for a good article after the camp.

[motife]

McCarthy expects much from Favre, Packers
By CHRIS JENKINS
AP SPORTS WRITER
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Asked if he liked what he saw in his first day of minicamp, new Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy responded with a qualified "yes" Friday.

That goes for Brett Favre, too.

McCarthy said he had several "deja vus" watching Favre on the field for the first time this offseason, recalling his days as the Packers' quarterbacks coach in 1999.

Most of those memories, McCarthy said, were positive. But not all of them.

"Just some of the things he does fundamentally," McCarthy said. "Some of the things, you shake your head at. And some of the things, you're glad he's your quarterback. Probably a lot more of those, that's for sure."

After more than four months' worth of wavering on his football future, Favre returned to join his teammates for the Packers' first minicamp. He's scheduled to address the media Saturday.

Favre did light jogging and stretching with the team and ran some plays. But just because Favre is gracing the Packers with his presence again this year doesn't mean he gets to do whatever he wants.

McCarthy expects his quarterback to participate in an undetermined number of the team's offseason activities, something Favre has skipped in recent offseasons. Favre also is expected to put in the extra time it will take to learn a new offense.

McCarthy talked to Favre for more than two hours after his arrival on Thursday.

"I'd like to sit here and say he did cartwheels and everything as we talked about what we were going to do," McCarthy said. "But that would not be accurate. I've worked with Brett before. He knows where I'm coming from. He understands my beliefs as far as fundamentals, how you want to play the game and so forth and I think that's in line with how he wants to play the game."

McCarthy has projected a serious, businesslike attitude in his initial public appearances as the Packers' coach, using corporate terminology such as "group dynamics."

Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski describes the Pittsburgh native as "blue-collar."

"There's not going to be a lot of gray area," Jagodzinski said. "There's no, 'I wonder what he meant by that?' He'll tell you."

But McCarthy doesn't appear to be a disciplinarian out of the mold of Bill Parcells or Tom Coughlin. That's a good thing, because it might not work with players who remember him as friendly and good-natured from his first stint with the team.

Receiver Donald Driver said he and a few other players thought it was a little odd to watch McCarthy deliver a semi-stern lecture in a recent team meeting.

"By me knowing him, for him to come into those meetings and get the 'deep voice' is kind of funny," Driver said. "We kind of laugh at him a little bit. But he's getting his point across, and he's doing his job."

That laughter aside, Driver said McCarthy has the players' respect.

"He gets that respect regardless," Driver said. "I don't think they would have gave him that position if he had to earn respect. I think he pretty much has that respect already, and I think everyone in that locker room already respects him as a man."

And Driver understands that McCarthy will have to get tough at times.

"That's a head coach on any team," Driver said. "He has to have that attitude. And there's going to be one day where we're going to come out there and we're not going to have a good practice. And he's going to have that attitude where he's going to go off on us."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/aponline/66614.69PACKERS-FOOTBALL-MINI-CAMP.sff.jpg

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre shares a laugh with first-year head coach Mike McCarthy during the first day of a football mini camp Friday, May 5, 2006, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

[Bretsky]

Sounds great! Really like that Jennings stood out. He was my fav pick of this draft. Can you say Go-To-Rookie?

Jennings development as well as the OL could be the keys to how we progress this season. Gardner is not a long term starter; he's a #3. Ferguson is an underachieving fraud piece of crap tease who will disappoint again. If Jennings and the OL develops the O can be dangerous.

[RashanGary]

I agree B......

If those two things happen, the Packers should have a very good year.

[motife]

Favre ‘in good shape,’ McCarthy says


By Mike Vandermause
packersnews.com

Quarterback Brett Favre impressed new coach Mike McCarthy as he practiced Friday afternoon in the Green Bay Packers’ first post-draft minicamp workout at the Don Hutson Center.

“I think he’s in good shape,” McCarthy said. “His weight’s at a good number. He hasn’t thrown a whole lot, but I thought mechanically, as far as running the offense and the number of changes that have been made, particularly in the language, he picked it up quickly. I think he looks good.”

Favre is scheduled to meet the media after the Packers’ practice on Saturday morning. It will mark the first time Favre has talked publicly since it was announced April 25 he would return for a 16th NFL season.

Meanwhile, Packers first-round draft choice A.J. Hawk will have to make the most of his practice time at this minicamp because he won’t return until the second week of June.

Hawk will miss the Packers’ next minicamp May 19-21 because he will be attending classes at Ohio State. Hawk said his final test is June 9, meaning he will miss at least six of the Packers’ organized team activities that begin May 31 and conclude June 21.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll definitely be on the phone with some guys and the coaches to make sure I know what I missed,” Hawk said. “I need to get a good base and a good feel for the defense, especially since I won’t be back for the next minicamp.”

Hawk, who was the No. 5 overall pick in Saturday’s draft, worked with the Packers’ first-string defense at Friday’s minicamp practice.

“I want to get a good feel for the defense and make sure I feel comfortable so I can run around and just play and not be thinking out there,” Hawk said.

Hawk said he bought a house in the Green Bay area and plans to move here permanently next month.

[Tarlam!]

Hawk said he bought a house in the Green Bay area and plans to move here permanently next month.


WELCOME HOME A.J. HAWK!!!!

[Bretsky]

Hawk said he bought a house in the Green Bay area and plans to move here permanently next month.


WELCOME HOME A.J. HAWK!!!!

Danget I missed out on another home loan ! I wonder how I could market to these guys; it would be absolutely AWESOME to to a Home Loan for a Green Bay Packer. Every year I say I'm going to do it, but I think this year I'm sending a Home Lending Brochure to every Packer on the team and we'll see if the PR Dept in Green Bay gets in there.

Cheers,
B

[motife]

Packers: Something old, lots new as McCarthy era starts
JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - As he stood in a far corner Friday evening, leaning against a trash can, Rob Davis' eyes tracked around the Green Bay Packers locker room.

The 37-year-old long-snapper has been here for almost 10 years now - longer than everyone except fellow graybeards Brett Favre and William Henderson - and he's seen just about everything.

He's seen Lambeau Field change from its green corrugated metal facade to the Taj Mahal of stadiums. He's seen hundreds of players come and go. He's seen three head coaches and a couple of dozen assistants try to do things their way before moving on, either by their choice or someone else's.

But as Davis scanned the place, he was amazed at all the changes this offseason had brought. Not that Davis didn't know about them before the team's first minicamp opened under new coach Mike McCarthy Friday, but it hadn't really hit him just how much was different until he left the Don Hutson Center after practice.

Gone were kicker Ryan Longwell (Davis' closest friend on the team) and veteran center Mike Flanagan (another close friend who used to have the locker adjacent to Davis'), two of the team's most prominent free agents who were allowed to sign elsewhere.

Taking over Flanagan's locker was former Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson, the Packers' biggest-name free-agent signing during general manager Ted Thompson's 16-month tenure, with a number of other lesser-name signees - defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, safety Marquand Manuel, wide receiver Mark Boerigter and linebacker Ben Taylor - also trying to get accustomed to their new surroundings.

On the other side of the room, a gaggle of reporters and TV crews waited by the locker of first-round draft pick A.J. Hawk, one of 12 picks from last weekend's NFL draft who were reporting for their first day of work as professional football players.•

McCarthy runs show And, of course, there was the biggest change of all: Gone was coach Mike Sherman, whose six-year tenure ended when Thompson fired him in January and replaced him with McCarthy, leading to changes in how just about everything - from the weight room design to the practice schedule to the way the team does calisthenics - is done around here.

"It's definitely weird," Davis said, finally. "But I think all of us - players and coaches alike - know that the NFL is about change. Change is inevitable in this business, and either you change with it or you go home. That's just how it goes."

Added cornerback Al Harris, who joined the team via a 2003 trade with Philadelphia and is already the 13th most-tenured player on the roster: "It's a lot of new faces. You get used to coach Sherman, and now he's gone. You've got to get to know everybody. It's new faces, it's a new schedule, it's a change. And change is not always bad."

McCarthy's first day of "real" football work - he was hired Jan. 12 but his on-field coaching had been limited to a few days during the offseason workouts before draft meetings started - began with a team meeting. His message, he said, was focused on how he would "establish (his) plan" for the team and his expectations for it.

"A day like today you prepare a long time for. It's been a personal goal of mine to have this position, and a lot of thought goes into it, particularly the team meeting this morning," McCarthy said after practice. "As I went through our presentation, I found myself trying to delete things because you have so much to say."

That was followed by typical first-day administrative duties - medical issues, equipment fittings, etc. - before practice began shortly before 3 p.m. The workout lasted just under two hours and McCarthy, a former hands-on offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, admitted to being "in limbo" at times because he isn't accustomed to overseeing the entire workout.

"I guess that's something to get used to. I'm just used to being so much more active on the field, and I would think that that's a normal transition," said McCarthy, who blended in with the other coaches in his green pullover, green fleece pants and white cap with the brim pulled low. "(But) It felt great to get out there, (because) we feel like we've been pushing paper for three months.

"This is what it's all about. Coaches coach and players play. Obviously, the meetings are important, the offseason program is very important, the individual time with the coach and players are important, but this is the closest thing we have to the game. So this is what everybody looks forward to, and it's just an exciting time." •

Woodson makes debut Woodson, who officially signed a seven-year, $52 million deal Monday, was the most popular interview subject Friday - Favre won't address reporters until today - and admitted he's adjusting to playing in Green Bay after eight seasons in Oakland.

"I never in my life thought I'd be in Green Bay. That never ran through my mind," said Woodson, the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. "When my agent called me and said Green Bay was interested, I was thinking, 'Green Bay?' I'd never even thought of it. Once we went through the process, I came here and I visited and that eased those reservations a little bit."

Hawk, meanwhile, headlined the rookie class and was one of two rookies - second-round pick Daryn Colledge at left guard being the other - to line up with the first team.

"It's just like you're going from high school to college," said Hawk, who worked at will (weak-side) linebacker along with middle linebacker Nick Barnett and nominal strong-side starter Roy Manning. "You just have to get used to the new system and new schedule and everything. And so I'm glad to get the first day out of the way."

Of course, amid all the change, the one constant is Favre, back for his 15th season as the Packers' quarterback. After four months of mulling retirement, he made his decision just in time for the draft and made his return official by participating in Friday's workout after Sherman let him skip all the minicamps last offseason.

And how did he look?

"Like Favre," new offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. "He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. But Brett is learning our (terminology) right now. It's like Spanish. You can say the same word in English it sounds different but it means the same thing. It's a change."

Just like everything else was Friday.

"But you know what? It was a football practice. Nothing more, nothing less," Davis said. "I certainly wouldn't expect them to come in and reinvent the wheel. Being a new coaching staff, there's going to be different twists on things. (McCarthy) had some Power Point (presentations) where he addressed what we're trying to achieve, and I don't think that's any different than the last three coaches that were here.

"It was his first time out of the gate, but I think he was clear about what he expects out of us, what he wants from us. And I think that's about all you can expect out of a first day."


http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/05/05/27738.jpg

[Scott Campbell]

Gardner is not a long term starter; he's a #3.


You may end up being right, but I'm not ready to concede that yet.

[Scott Campbell]

Hawk said he bought a house in the Green Bay area and plans to move here permanently next month.


WELCOME HOME A.J. HAWK!!!!

Danget I missed out on another home loan ! I wonder how I could market to these guys; it would be absolutely AWESOME to to a Home Loan for a Green Bay Packer. Every year I say I'm going to do it, but I think this year I'm sending a Home Lending Brochure to every Packer on the team and we'll see if the PR Dept in Green Bay gets in there.

Cheers,
B


B, it's Green Bay, and he while he is buying a house, he might not need a loan.