motife
05-09-2006, 07:29 AM
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/index.php?ntid=83029&ntpid=1
MON., MAY 8, 2006 - 1:11 PM
Packers: Thompson says 'everybody fits in pretty good'
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ron Wolf used to say you could never rule anybody "in" based on the post-draft minicamp, but you could definitely rule somebody "out."
In 2000, for example, the then-Green Bay Packers general manager got one look at Texas Southern return specialist Joey Jamison and knew right away he'd wasted a fifth-round draft pick. Of course, Wolf used a more colorful word than "wasted."
Based on what he saw during the Packers' three-day, four-practice minicamp that ended Sunday, GM Ted Thompson felt good there were no Jamisons in his 12-player draft class and that his handful of veteran free-agent signees were as advertised.
"It's always an interesting time," Thompson said. "It looks like everybody fits in pretty good."
That said, Thompson and first-year coach Mike McCarthy cautioned no definitive judgments can be made based on how players looked in helmets and shorts.
"I think there's a confirmation of what you saw on film - why you signed people, why you drafted them - and I think we've been able to accomplish that this weekend," McCarthy said. "But the other part of it is, we're only practicing in helmets (and not in pads)."
With that in mind, here is a position-by-position look where the Packers stand with another minicamp less than two weeks away, May 19 through 21:•
Quarterbacks Brett Favre is back in the saddle, although after being excused from all of last year's offseason workouts by former coach Mike Sherman, it's clear the three-time NFL MVP will need time to get up to speed in the offense and regain his form.
"I don't think he's much different than any other minicamp he's been in from my time here before," said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, the Packers' tight ends coach from 1999 through 2003. "But when those lights come on, he'll be ready. Brett will be fine."
Backup Aaron Rodgers looked sharp for most of the four practices and threw several deep balls that were right on the mark. He appears to have benefited from his work in the quarterback school that began March 20 and needs to continue to progress to set up an important training camp for him after last year's struggles in preseason.
"I thought he did a nice job of managing the huddle. He made good decisions in the passing game. I thought he was very composed. And those are all signs of maturity," McCarthy said. "It's just important that we start stacking success after success after success, however small they may be."
Ingle Martin made the kind of mistakes you'd expect from a rookie fifth-round pick. Journeyman Tom Arth looks like a long shot. •
Running backs With four-time Pro Bowler Ahman Green (ruptured quadriceps tendon) and No. 2 halfback Najeh Davenport (broken ankle) on the mend and not expected to practice until after training camp begins, Samkon Gado, Noah Herron and undrafted free agent Arliss Beach got most of the work. Gado showed some burst and continues to prove he wasn't a flash in the pan. Beach showed promise.
"I'm not worried about it. I watched the young guys in there this weekend and they got better with every rep," Jagodzinski said. "(Green and Davenport) are both good runners. They'll be fine. I'd rather have a healthy guy in camp than a halfway healthy guy in minicamp." •
Offensive line Although left tackle Chad Clifton was held out of the camp following offseason knee and ankle surgeries, observers got a glimpse of the revamped line with Mark Tauscher at right tackle, Junius Coston at right guard, Scott Wells at center and rookie second-round pick Daryn Colledge at left guard.
Last year's starter at right guard, Will Whitticker, worked in Clifton's place after his backup, Adrian Klemm, suffered a knee injury on Day 1. That's not a good sign for Whitticker, who's never played tackle and could go from being a 14-game starter last year to odd man out this year. An overweight Kevin Barry worked behind Coston at right guard.
However, the line is a position that can't truly be evaluated until the pads come on in late July.
"That's the thing, in shorts you really can't tell," said Jagodzinski, who is installing a new zone-blocking scheme. "As far as what bulldog will bite, I don't know. I can't tell you yet. But we'll make that work. On opening day, we will have the five best guys that we've got." •
Receivers/tight ends With Donald Driver as the unquestioned No. 1 receiver now that Javon Walker is in Denver, the search for a starter on the other side began during this camp and likely will continue well into training camp.
Holdover Robert Ferguson claims the new offense suits him better than Sherman's, but after five unproductive NFL seasons, he's running out of time. Rod Gardner, who was signed for the last two games of last season, will be better off with an entire offseason in the system while free-agent pickup Marc Boerigter is steady but not flashy. Rookie second-round pick Greg Jennings stood out more than any other draft pick.
"It's wide open," McCarthy said. "When you're talking about keeping six receivers, I think it reflects the depth you have there. I've been in situations where you can only keep five because that's all you have. We'll definitely have six receivers here from a talent standpoint to pick from."
The tight end position is unlikely to change, with holdovers Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee entrenched and likely to be more involved in the offense under Jagodzinski.
"Top to bottom, who would you rather have than those three?" Jagodzinski said. "I know there's one or two you'd rather have, but as a group of three, who'd you rather have?" •
Defensive line The starting foursome was Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila at the ends and Corey Williams and free-agent signee Ryan Pickett inside, although holdovers Colin Cole and Cullen Jenkins also got their share of work with the No. 1 unit at the tackle spots. Recent pickup Kenderick Allen had his moments.
Mike Montgomery, a sixth-round pick last year, worked as the primary backup at end, but the rotation could change given that Kenny Peterson (ankle), rookie sixth-round pick Johnny Jolly (ankle) and underachieving tackle Donnell Washington (conditioning) did not practice.
"Our defensive line's a little bit better than some people think," Thompson said. "We don't have the splashy superstar, but we have a rotation of about eight guys that can play the game that I think play their roles well and I think they're coached very well. I think as a group they've made remarkable progress in the last year. Would I love to have a Mario Williams (the No. 1 overall pick in the draft) or somebody like that? Absolutely. But I think we're a little better than some people think in the defensive line." •
Linebackers This much we know: Mike (middle) linebacker Nick Barnett and No. 5 overall pick A.J. Hawk, who started out at will (weak side), are going to be on the field a lot. Roy Manning, an undrafted rookie last year, and free-agent pickup Ben Taylor alternated at sam (strong side) with the No. 1 unit, but if third-round pick Abdul Hodge, who worked behind Barnett at mike, can emerge, Barnett could be a candidate to move outside.
"There were some good guys added in there," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "It creates a lot of good competition, and competition breeds guys elevating their level of play. It should be interesting." •
Defensive backs Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson are excited about the possibilities with them as the starters, but the sub package still should be a concern with deposed starter Ahmad Carroll and still-raw Mike Hawkins as the nickel and dime backs.
At safety, Nick Collins started all 16 games last year and is expected to make more plays in Year 2. Free-agent signee Marquand Manuel didn't practice because of the groin injury he suffered in Super Bowl XL, so Mark Roman, whom Manuel is expected to replace, ran with the No. 1 unit instead. Sixth-round pick Tyrone Culver and undrafted rookie Tra Boger made a few plays.
"I think they're going to be a solid group," Sanders said. •
Special teams McCarthy focused the special teams periods on punting situations, so there were no kickoff and place-kicking drills. Neither B.J. Sander nor Canadian import Jon Ryan punted particularly well, each shanking more than their share.
"I wouldn't classify them as inconsistent," McCarthy said.
Rookies Corey Rodgers, Will Blackmon and Jennings joined Woodson as punt-return candidates. Rodgers, anointed on draft day by special teams coordinator Mike Stock as the man to beat, dropped too many balls the first two practices but looked better the final two workouts.
"I'm excited about (Woodson) as a punt returner, he's very natural back there. Him and Jennings both," McCarthy said. "You can never have too many good returners, so that's obviously an opportunity to get (Woodson) the football because he is an exciting player with the ball in his hands."
MON., MAY 8, 2006 - 1:11 PM
Packers: Thompson says 'everybody fits in pretty good'
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ron Wolf used to say you could never rule anybody "in" based on the post-draft minicamp, but you could definitely rule somebody "out."
In 2000, for example, the then-Green Bay Packers general manager got one look at Texas Southern return specialist Joey Jamison and knew right away he'd wasted a fifth-round draft pick. Of course, Wolf used a more colorful word than "wasted."
Based on what he saw during the Packers' three-day, four-practice minicamp that ended Sunday, GM Ted Thompson felt good there were no Jamisons in his 12-player draft class and that his handful of veteran free-agent signees were as advertised.
"It's always an interesting time," Thompson said. "It looks like everybody fits in pretty good."
That said, Thompson and first-year coach Mike McCarthy cautioned no definitive judgments can be made based on how players looked in helmets and shorts.
"I think there's a confirmation of what you saw on film - why you signed people, why you drafted them - and I think we've been able to accomplish that this weekend," McCarthy said. "But the other part of it is, we're only practicing in helmets (and not in pads)."
With that in mind, here is a position-by-position look where the Packers stand with another minicamp less than two weeks away, May 19 through 21:•
Quarterbacks Brett Favre is back in the saddle, although after being excused from all of last year's offseason workouts by former coach Mike Sherman, it's clear the three-time NFL MVP will need time to get up to speed in the offense and regain his form.
"I don't think he's much different than any other minicamp he's been in from my time here before," said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, the Packers' tight ends coach from 1999 through 2003. "But when those lights come on, he'll be ready. Brett will be fine."
Backup Aaron Rodgers looked sharp for most of the four practices and threw several deep balls that were right on the mark. He appears to have benefited from his work in the quarterback school that began March 20 and needs to continue to progress to set up an important training camp for him after last year's struggles in preseason.
"I thought he did a nice job of managing the huddle. He made good decisions in the passing game. I thought he was very composed. And those are all signs of maturity," McCarthy said. "It's just important that we start stacking success after success after success, however small they may be."
Ingle Martin made the kind of mistakes you'd expect from a rookie fifth-round pick. Journeyman Tom Arth looks like a long shot. •
Running backs With four-time Pro Bowler Ahman Green (ruptured quadriceps tendon) and No. 2 halfback Najeh Davenport (broken ankle) on the mend and not expected to practice until after training camp begins, Samkon Gado, Noah Herron and undrafted free agent Arliss Beach got most of the work. Gado showed some burst and continues to prove he wasn't a flash in the pan. Beach showed promise.
"I'm not worried about it. I watched the young guys in there this weekend and they got better with every rep," Jagodzinski said. "(Green and Davenport) are both good runners. They'll be fine. I'd rather have a healthy guy in camp than a halfway healthy guy in minicamp." •
Offensive line Although left tackle Chad Clifton was held out of the camp following offseason knee and ankle surgeries, observers got a glimpse of the revamped line with Mark Tauscher at right tackle, Junius Coston at right guard, Scott Wells at center and rookie second-round pick Daryn Colledge at left guard.
Last year's starter at right guard, Will Whitticker, worked in Clifton's place after his backup, Adrian Klemm, suffered a knee injury on Day 1. That's not a good sign for Whitticker, who's never played tackle and could go from being a 14-game starter last year to odd man out this year. An overweight Kevin Barry worked behind Coston at right guard.
However, the line is a position that can't truly be evaluated until the pads come on in late July.
"That's the thing, in shorts you really can't tell," said Jagodzinski, who is installing a new zone-blocking scheme. "As far as what bulldog will bite, I don't know. I can't tell you yet. But we'll make that work. On opening day, we will have the five best guys that we've got." •
Receivers/tight ends With Donald Driver as the unquestioned No. 1 receiver now that Javon Walker is in Denver, the search for a starter on the other side began during this camp and likely will continue well into training camp.
Holdover Robert Ferguson claims the new offense suits him better than Sherman's, but after five unproductive NFL seasons, he's running out of time. Rod Gardner, who was signed for the last two games of last season, will be better off with an entire offseason in the system while free-agent pickup Marc Boerigter is steady but not flashy. Rookie second-round pick Greg Jennings stood out more than any other draft pick.
"It's wide open," McCarthy said. "When you're talking about keeping six receivers, I think it reflects the depth you have there. I've been in situations where you can only keep five because that's all you have. We'll definitely have six receivers here from a talent standpoint to pick from."
The tight end position is unlikely to change, with holdovers Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee entrenched and likely to be more involved in the offense under Jagodzinski.
"Top to bottom, who would you rather have than those three?" Jagodzinski said. "I know there's one or two you'd rather have, but as a group of three, who'd you rather have?" •
Defensive line The starting foursome was Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila at the ends and Corey Williams and free-agent signee Ryan Pickett inside, although holdovers Colin Cole and Cullen Jenkins also got their share of work with the No. 1 unit at the tackle spots. Recent pickup Kenderick Allen had his moments.
Mike Montgomery, a sixth-round pick last year, worked as the primary backup at end, but the rotation could change given that Kenny Peterson (ankle), rookie sixth-round pick Johnny Jolly (ankle) and underachieving tackle Donnell Washington (conditioning) did not practice.
"Our defensive line's a little bit better than some people think," Thompson said. "We don't have the splashy superstar, but we have a rotation of about eight guys that can play the game that I think play their roles well and I think they're coached very well. I think as a group they've made remarkable progress in the last year. Would I love to have a Mario Williams (the No. 1 overall pick in the draft) or somebody like that? Absolutely. But I think we're a little better than some people think in the defensive line." •
Linebackers This much we know: Mike (middle) linebacker Nick Barnett and No. 5 overall pick A.J. Hawk, who started out at will (weak side), are going to be on the field a lot. Roy Manning, an undrafted rookie last year, and free-agent pickup Ben Taylor alternated at sam (strong side) with the No. 1 unit, but if third-round pick Abdul Hodge, who worked behind Barnett at mike, can emerge, Barnett could be a candidate to move outside.
"There were some good guys added in there," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "It creates a lot of good competition, and competition breeds guys elevating their level of play. It should be interesting." •
Defensive backs Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson are excited about the possibilities with them as the starters, but the sub package still should be a concern with deposed starter Ahmad Carroll and still-raw Mike Hawkins as the nickel and dime backs.
At safety, Nick Collins started all 16 games last year and is expected to make more plays in Year 2. Free-agent signee Marquand Manuel didn't practice because of the groin injury he suffered in Super Bowl XL, so Mark Roman, whom Manuel is expected to replace, ran with the No. 1 unit instead. Sixth-round pick Tyrone Culver and undrafted rookie Tra Boger made a few plays.
"I think they're going to be a solid group," Sanders said. •
Special teams McCarthy focused the special teams periods on punting situations, so there were no kickoff and place-kicking drills. Neither B.J. Sander nor Canadian import Jon Ryan punted particularly well, each shanking more than their share.
"I wouldn't classify them as inconsistent," McCarthy said.
Rookies Corey Rodgers, Will Blackmon and Jennings joined Woodson as punt-return candidates. Rodgers, anointed on draft day by special teams coordinator Mike Stock as the man to beat, dropped too many balls the first two practices but looked better the final two workouts.
"I'm excited about (Woodson) as a punt returner, he's very natural back there. Him and Jennings both," McCarthy said. "You can never have too many good returners, so that's obviously an opportunity to get (Woodson) the football because he is an exciting player with the ball in his hands."