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**ND72** · 08-01-2009, 05:55 PM

Pelliserro did say that it is obviously Barbre's job to loose, and that he got "scolded" because he started a scuffle again today. As he was pancaking Brady Poopinga, POOP grabbed his facemask and brought Barbre down with him, and Barbre didn't like it. (that's what I read today anyway).

**red** · 08-01-2009, 06:12 PM

any word on if kampman looked comfortable at olb? or that he looks like he can be a player there

thats the big ? for me right now. can our best defensive player make the switch to the most important position in our new system

**ND72** · 08-01-2009, 06:18 PM

I read that he looked at times like he was pretty dominate, nothing negative was written about him though.

**vince** · 08-01-2009, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by ND72

Pelliserro did say that it is obviously Barbre's job to loose, and that he got "scolded" because he started a scuffle again today. As he was pancaking Brady Poopinga, POOP grabbed his facemask and brought Barbre down with him, and Barbre didn't like it. (that's what I read today anyway).

Good to hear. I'd rather see an error of aggression like that than a missed assignment or false start. Giaco got some reps with the first team too and held his own apparently.

**vince** · 08-01-2009, 06:56 PM

Here's another perspective on the first practice.

Mike McCarthy Press Conference Transcript - Aug. 1
posted 08/01/2009

(You were doing some mixing and matching with Wells, Spitz, and Sitton. Is that pretty much wide open at center and right guard?)
There is definitely competition going on in the interior of our line, and really all the way through. We're trying to find the best five and work all the different combinations that are needed. We'd like to make a decision earlier in training camp than past years, but time will answer those questions.

(Practice was about two and a half hours; did you plan to go that long?)
Well, we were actually nine minutes early today so the pace of practice was good. I thought the structure of the practice was good. We're off to a good start, but it's like training camp (with) a lot of timing and rhythm issues and footwork and so forth. It's day one and we've got a lot of work to do.

(How concerned are you with B.J. Raji not being here for the first practice?)
B.J. is a young player. It's always important for all of your players to be here, particularly the young ones. Business sometimes gets in the way of football. That's part of the National Football League. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

(How rusty is Wells after missing the entire offseason?)
I had a chance to just watch Scott early. I tried to watch the injured players that were coming back early, but he looks like he is off to a good start. He looks like he is in great shape. The trainers and the strength and conditioning staff were real impressed with what he has done just the last couple of months. I look for Scott to come back at full strength.

(Same question for Jenkins)
Yeah, he was in our backfield a bunch on offense, so Cullen doesn't look like he has missed a beat. It's good to have him back. He looked good today.

(How did the defense function today?)
I thought the organization of practice on both sides of the ball was good. Defense, we had the one substitution error on the seven-on-seven, but I thought the function with Dom and Winston, the boundary interaction with the substitution because we gave them a lot of sub offense on first and second down, so I thought the mechanics of it was very good. That's really a tribute to the players and the coaches, what we got done in the offseason program.

(Overall, were you happy with today's practice?)
It's OK. I thought it was OK. I have a lot of notes. That's probably not a good sign, and we'll watch the film and we'll make the corrections.

(Did any of the rookies jump out for you?)
Nothing really jumped out at me. The biggest thing with the rookies is you get to see them in the spring, you see their athletic ability. I thought we had guys on the ground too much today. That's not a good sign, but it is normal in training camp. I thought our rookie class, they looked good in pads. It is an adjustment for them. You can see some guys, it's not that their conditioning isn't in order, but it's a lot different when you get to this level. Just going through it the first time, there are a number of them that will have to adjust to that.

(How did Jeremy Thompson look?)
I didn't watch Jeremy a whole lot individually today, but that's something I could probably better answer after watching the film.

(How did Chad Clifton look?)
Yeah, I watched Chad today. I think his conditioning, for what he has been through with the four operations, I like the way he is coming back. He is like the rest of our guys. He needs to go through training camp, a little rusty.

(Is right tackle Allen Barbre's spot to lose or is that too strong?)
You would definitely say he is ahead right now, but I thought Breno, just watching him in the one-on-ones and the times that he was in there, he looks like he is coming back off his injuries. And Tony Moll is definitely going to apply competition too. Depth charts on the first day of training camp are sometimes not necessary in my opinion, so we'll see what happens.

(Will Lang get some reps too?)
Potentially, yes.

(You have an off day on Wednesday. Does that say how camp is different where guys needed camp to get into shape and now it is a 12-month job?)
Definitely. I just think the whole structure is different than the old days. You hear Ted Thompson and the older players talk about training camps starting before July 4 and six preseason games. The times are different. When you have your football team here pretty much, I think we had 96, 97 percent of our football team here since March, so the amount of work that we were able to get done and the strength and conditioning aspect, schematically putting everything in, it's now time to get the padded work done and fundamentals, but we're just being smart with the conditioning and the health of our players.

(Does that eliminate the need for as many two-a-days?)
I am of that opinion. I don't know if that's what everybody feels. I think it's important, I like the teaching aspect of our schedule. We are not in a 2-1-2 schedule just so we can be off on Wednesdays. That's not really, that's part of it. But I think it's important to teach, then have an opportunity to eat, and then play. And then correct, teach, eat and then perform. It's very important. I didn't like the old schedule when I was an assistant coach because I felt you never really got to watch all the video. There's so many good situations that are created because of the competitiveness between the offense and defense out there. The offensive players have already put their plays in the spring, and the defensive players know it's coming and they can probably time it up by the installations. So there's problems that the defense can really generate for the offense, and you learn from it, and it goes the same way the other way. The offense can create problems for your defense. There's so much good learning from training camp film, and it's important to get through that film. So this gives us the opportunity to cover everything, every practice is looked at, every practice is prepared for. And when you go back-to-back practices and then have a meeting following it, it's hard to get that done from a time management standpoint.

(How long do you look at the film after each practice?)
How long? Never timed it. I'm trying to think here. The staff, probably about an hour and a half. The staff will grab their plate of dinner and go right to the film room, and we'll watch it. Then the players, we'll go special teams and the quarterbacks at 7 o'clock, and we'll go from there. We have to have it done by 7 o'clock to answer your question.

(Is the punting battle wide open?)
Absolutely. Wide open.

(Last year you had just one punter in camp. How different is it with two?)
It's a position open on our football team, and we've got two young candidates without a lot of experience. That's where we are. It's different from the fact obviously the reps and splitting them up, it's a wide open competition.

(If a cell phone going off is a $1,701 fine, how much is it for using Twitter?)
That's part of the cell phone.

(What is the reason behind the Twitter policy for players?)
I'm supposed to flip out when a cell phone goes off in this setting, but we don't work for the same company. It's disrespectful. You don't pull out your cell phone and start talking in the middle of a meeting, and to me, Twitter, texting, and all the different things you can do on the cell phone fall in the same category.

(What does an undrafted player like Tyrell Sutton have to overcome?)
He's got to fight for his reps. He's got to fight for everything. It's only natural that the drafted player initially gets probably more opportunity. He missed the time early because of finishing his schoolwork, but he definitely has a big spring in his step. You can see why he was such a productive player in college. But he's just got to keep taking full advantage of his opportunities.

(Would you like to fully push Harrell in camp to make sure he can hold up?)
Fully test him? He's full-go. He's out there in the padded work. We're keeping an eye on all our players, especially the ones that are coming off of injures. But he's a full-go participant.

(How did Aaron Rodgers look today?)
I thought he did OK. I thought he had a solid day. I thought he was put in some tough spots with the protection part of it wasn't as clean. We probably had some plays the defense was, a better defense was called, where he was overloaded. The timing, without seeing the film, I thought it was OK. There's times we were in sync and there's times when we weren't. I think it was pretty much a normal first day of training camp.

**packrulz** · 08-02-2009, 06:24 AM

The times are different. When you have your football team here pretty much, I think we had 96, 97 percent of our football team here since March, so the amount of work that we were able to get done and the strength and conditioning aspect, schematically putting everything in, it's now time to get the padded work done and fundamentals, but we're just being smart with the conditioning and the health of our players.

Wow! 97%! That's great!

**bobblehead** · 08-02-2009, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by packrulz

The times are different. When you have your football team here pretty much, I think we had 96, 97 percent of our football team here since March, so the amount of work that we were able to get done and the strength and conditioning aspect, schematically putting everything in, it's now time to get the padded work done and fundamentals, but we're just being smart with the conditioning and the health of our players.

Wow! 97%! That's great!

No big deal....the veterans know how to play in the NFL and didn't benefit from all this offseason work....it merely burned them out. They should be allowed to sit home and mow the lawn or whatever else they want to do, not be burdened by all this offseason crap.

**MJZiggy** · 08-02-2009, 11:53 AM

They didn't have to be there. Attendance at most of this stuff is optional. Perhaps they're there because they want to be the best they can? Because they want to truly feel like part of a team working for a common goal? If they couldn't handle it, they wouldn't be there--and I'm sure they all can afford gardeners and to have loved ones in GB with them in the offseason if that's what they want.

**Rastak** · 08-02-2009, 02:31 PM

I have an RSS feed from KFFL and saw this link...thought you might like the update. The Vikes don't hit the field for another 30 minutes.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/insider/index.shtml

The Blitz: Training Camp Practice No. 2
Cleaning out the notebook from this morning's session on Clarke Hinkle Field ...

* The No. 1 defense outperformed the No. 1 offense, and it wasn't close. At no time was the difference more obvious than in the blitz drill, which began with: an illegal snap by Spitz; an interception thrown by QB Aaron Rodgers, who threw a cross for WR Donald Driver that CB Charles Woodson sniffed in zone coverage; and then a sack by blitzing ILB Brandon Chillar. Rodgers finished the drill 1-for-5, his only completion a quick hit to Driver in the slot.

* That epitomized Rodgers' practice-long struggles, which only were compounded by several drops and successful blitzing by the defense. He finished 7-of-19 passing in team drills and even scuffled in the offense-leaning 7-on-7, missing a couple open receivers and finishing 6-for-9.

* No. 2 QB Matt Flynn (2-for-2) actually looked more comfortable against the blitz, at one point making a great hot read to find WR Kole Heckendorf releasing free from the slot. No. 3 QB Brian Brohm also was 2-for-2 against the blitz and had one of his best days passing since he arrived here. Both second-year QBs finished 6-for-6 in team drills and 3-for-3 in 7-on-7.

* Four veterans coming off surgery -- RE Cullen Jenkins, S Atari Bigby, LT Chad Clifton and C Scott Wells -- were placed on a one-a-day practice schedule and thus out most drills. DE Justin Harrell and S Aaron Rouse got the bulk of the contact work with the starters in place of Jenkins and Bigby, respectively. Tony Moll worked in place of Clifton, while Jason Spitz worked at center and Josh Sitton at right guard, as they did for portions of Saturday's practice.

* The only player to drop out was Harrell, who experienced cramping in his left calf late in practice. He said he expects to practice tonight. Prior to the injury, he provided several glimpses of what he can be when healthy -- tons of length, tons of power. He was outmuscling Moll on a regular basis, particularly against the run.

* LBs Nick Barnett (knee) and Brad Jones (back) remain on the physically unable to perform list. Jones said he feels OK and expects to be cleared soon. The only player absent was top draft pick NT B.J. Raji, who remains unsigned.

* Team (11-on-11) drills got off to a rocky start in an initial game situation period. TE Donald Lee dropped QB Aaron Rodgers' first pass; two plays later, TE Evan Moore and Lee had back-to-back false starts. RT Allen Barbre and Spitz also were yanked for false starts during team work.

* WR Greg Jennings had a chance to make the play of the day when he beat CB Tramon Williams deep down the right sideline, but Rodgers' perfect pass went right through his hands.

* The trickle-down effect of the offensive line absences was Jamon Meredith moving up to play second-team left tackle, Dane Randolph flip-flopping to take Meredith's spot with the 3s and T.J. Lang replacing Randolph at right tackle.

* RB Kregg Lumpkin is the picture of form when he runs the gauntlet in individual drills. Perhaps better than anyone on the team, he gets low while also keeping the ball high, almost perpendicular to the ground.

* ROLB Jeremy Thompson remains the best covering outside linebacker, but he's getting shoved around when asked to play at the line of scrimmage. You can't play soft at that position, even with the sort of long arms Thompson has to keep linemen off him.

* Tempers flared on a couple occasions during the team run period, with Thompson tangling briefly with TE Jermichael Finley and Barbre doing the same with LOLB Aaron Kampman after the next play.

* Finley looks a lot more powerful and confident this year, but his balance sometimes seems lacking. At times, it appears he comes too hard out of his breaks, and at others -- such as when Rodgers threw a pass to an open Finley during 7-on-7 -- he seemed to lock up his hips and made a lame attempt at adjusting to the ball in flight. Still a work in progress.

* Chillar was all over the field, getting in on at least two sacks in team and recording a nice pass break-up against TE Tory Humphrey during 7-on-7 passing.

* Coach Mike McCarthy's assessment of the punting -- "not very good" -- probably was an understatement. P Durant Brooks was superior again, averaging 49 yards with 4.19 seconds of hangtime to P Jeremy Kapinos' 45 and 3.82, but Brooks also had a 20-yard shank out of bounds. It's tough to imagine coaches being particularly confident in either guy right now.

* The hit of the day came from RB DeShawn Wynn, who stood up ILB Desmond Bishop on a blitz and sent Bishop's helmet flying.

* Dropping 'em like they're hot: Lee, WR Ruvell Martin, Jennings, Heckendorf.

-- Tom Pelissero, tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com

**Packgator** · 08-02-2009, 03:16 PM

From the Pelissero blog during practice #2:

"Harrell just mauled moll on a zone left run. The man is powerful when healthy"

Hopefully a sign of things to come.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/insider/index.shtml

**Rastak** · 08-02-2009, 03:30 PM

Packgator, in an unrelated note you seem to be a Gator fan. Do you think Percy Harvin's skills will translate to the NFL after watching him in college?

**Brando19** · 08-02-2009, 08:08 PM

Second practice of the day is underway. Woodson has had 2 drops of what would have been interceptions. Jennings was just matched up with Kampman in zone and torched him for a 70 yard TD. Follow it live here... http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...er/index.shtml

**packers11** · 08-02-2009, 08:19 PM

Love reading how Woodson is just locking things down... Who said age is catching up to him? It sounds like he is everywhere...

**Brando19** · 08-02-2009, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by packers11

Love reading how Woodson is just locking things down... Who said age is catching up to him? It sounds like he is everywhere...

Woodson has quickly turned into one of my favorite players. Interception machine!

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