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High-effort rookie Moll takes to new role at guard
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The first time Tony Moll tried his hand at guard, he didn't last long.
Moll was 8-years-old playing in a Pop Warner youth football league in his hometown of Sonoma, Calif.
He remembered moving from tight end to right guard for a couple of series but then was moved again, to quarterback, to replace an injured teammate.
"I didn't really get that many reps at (guard)," Moll said Thursday.
Moll, who turns 23 on Wednesday, has been making up for lost time at the position this week in Green Bay Packers training camp.
Originally considered a developmental prospect after the Packers selected the converted tight end from Nevada in the fifth round of this year's draft, Moll is a viable candidate to fill one of the two starting vacancies at guard.
The coaching staff moved Moll, who opened camp three weeks ago third on the depth chart at right tackle, to right guard earlier this week. He's practiced there with the starting unit, and a strong performance Saturday when the Packers host Atlanta in a preseason game could earn Moll the lead role for the seasons' start.
"It's a big deal," Moll said of the upcoming game. "I'd love to obviously keep the starting job. So, I'm going to be focusing on that a lot. I'm going to be playing my hardest to try to get it."
Moll describes himself as a hard-effort guy who is apt to "go a hundred miles an hour the whole game and try to knock people on the ground."
The high intensity and take-charge attitude were evident in both the Packers' scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Aug. 5 and Green Bay's 17-3, preseason-opening loss at San Diego Saturday.
Moll worked as a backup at right tackle in both instances. After Moll shut down Chargers standout pass-rushing linebacker Shawne Merriman, the coaches thought the athletic rookie might help an unstable interior of the offensive line.
So, when the team reconvened on the practice field Monday, Moll was plugged in at right guard, third-round draft pick Jason Spitz moved from right guard to left guard and second-round draftee Daryn Colledge was demoted to second string at left guard.
"Some of the things he's seeing for the first time at that spot. But, he's catching on; he's catching on," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said of Moll. "He has two smart guys next to him. The center, Scott (Wells), and 'Tausch' (right tackle Mark Tauscher) can help him out in there with the calls and all that."
Moll said he has gradually become comfortable at guard after four days of practice and understands the array of line calls.
"I don't feel like I'm hurrying myself at the line and second-guessing myself. I know what I'm doing now," he said.
Yet, Moll acknowledged that he's had to adjust in his work at guard to how the action unfolds quicker than it does playing on the outside.
"The defensive end, they try to run around you or juke you and you have a little more time (to react)," he explained. "Going against a (defensive) tackle, he's right up on top of you."
Moll will get a stern test in his game debut at his new position with Pro Bowl tackle Rod Coleman lined up on the other side for Atlanta.
Head coach Mike McCarthy isn't fretting the matchup for Moll or any of the encounters his young interior linemen will face against the Falcons' stout defensive line.
"Our young guys need to grow up. So, what a better group to grow up against?" McCarthy said.
In light of the position changes brought on by a subpar performance last weekend by the offensive line, which failed to keep quarterback Brett Favre upright, McCarthy would like to have the starting five solidified next week.
General manager Ted Thompson said Thursday that he wouldn't be surprised if Moll tarts.
"We're moving some people around, put in different combinations and see what right now looks like the best," Thompson said. "So, maybe that's the best rotation right now. Maybe that changes in 10 weeks. Maybe it changes next year. We're just trying to get the right combination for now."
Admitting that he never expected to be in contention for a starting spot this season after he was taken in the late rounds of the April draft, Moll now isn't inclined to let go of the plum job he inherited this week.
The 6-foot-5 Moll put on 50 pounds, going from 250 to 300, before his senior season at Nevada last year to make the transition from tight end to tackle.
He's mobile on his feet weighing 295 in Packers camp, and his trademark toughness has been a conversation piece for Favre, who had Moll's ear in practice Wednesday.
"He said, 'Don't play like a rookie does. Just go out there and just kick butt like you know you're capable of doing.' That's what I'm going to be trying to do," Moll said. "I tried to do that in San Diego - just go out and start a hellstorm. Hopefully, I'm going to be able to bring that same thing here on Saturday."
GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH PACKER FANS !!
High-effort rookie Moll takes to new role at guard
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The first time Tony Moll tried his hand at guard, he didn't last long.
Moll was 8-years-old playing in a Pop Warner youth football league in his hometown of Sonoma, Calif.
He remembered moving from tight end to right guard for a couple of series but then was moved again, to quarterback, to replace an injured teammate.
"I didn't really get that many reps at (guard)," Moll said Thursday.
Moll, who turns 23 on Wednesday, has been making up for lost time at the position this week in Green Bay Packers training camp.
Originally considered a developmental prospect after the Packers selected the converted tight end from Nevada in the fifth round of this year's draft, Moll is a viable candidate to fill one of the two starting vacancies at guard.
The coaching staff moved Moll, who opened camp three weeks ago third on the depth chart at right tackle, to right guard earlier this week. He's practiced there with the starting unit, and a strong performance Saturday when the Packers host Atlanta in a preseason game could earn Moll the lead role for the seasons' start.
"It's a big deal," Moll said of the upcoming game. "I'd love to obviously keep the starting job. So, I'm going to be focusing on that a lot. I'm going to be playing my hardest to try to get it."
Moll describes himself as a hard-effort guy who is apt to "go a hundred miles an hour the whole game and try to knock people on the ground."
The high intensity and take-charge attitude were evident in both the Packers' scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Aug. 5 and Green Bay's 17-3, preseason-opening loss at San Diego Saturday.
Moll worked as a backup at right tackle in both instances. After Moll shut down Chargers standout pass-rushing linebacker Shawne Merriman, the coaches thought the athletic rookie might help an unstable interior of the offensive line.
So, when the team reconvened on the practice field Monday, Moll was plugged in at right guard, third-round draft pick Jason Spitz moved from right guard to left guard and second-round draftee Daryn Colledge was demoted to second string at left guard.
"Some of the things he's seeing for the first time at that spot. But, he's catching on; he's catching on," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said of Moll. "He has two smart guys next to him. The center, Scott (Wells), and 'Tausch' (right tackle Mark Tauscher) can help him out in there with the calls and all that."
Moll said he has gradually become comfortable at guard after four days of practice and understands the array of line calls.
"I don't feel like I'm hurrying myself at the line and second-guessing myself. I know what I'm doing now," he said.
Yet, Moll acknowledged that he's had to adjust in his work at guard to how the action unfolds quicker than it does playing on the outside.
"The defensive end, they try to run around you or juke you and you have a little more time (to react)," he explained. "Going against a (defensive) tackle, he's right up on top of you."
Moll will get a stern test in his game debut at his new position with Pro Bowl tackle Rod Coleman lined up on the other side for Atlanta.
Head coach Mike McCarthy isn't fretting the matchup for Moll or any of the encounters his young interior linemen will face against the Falcons' stout defensive line.
"Our young guys need to grow up. So, what a better group to grow up against?" McCarthy said.
In light of the position changes brought on by a subpar performance last weekend by the offensive line, which failed to keep quarterback Brett Favre upright, McCarthy would like to have the starting five solidified next week.
General manager Ted Thompson said Thursday that he wouldn't be surprised if Moll tarts.
"We're moving some people around, put in different combinations and see what right now looks like the best," Thompson said. "So, maybe that's the best rotation right now. Maybe that changes in 10 weeks. Maybe it changes next year. We're just trying to get the right combination for now."
Admitting that he never expected to be in contention for a starting spot this season after he was taken in the late rounds of the April draft, Moll now isn't inclined to let go of the plum job he inherited this week.
The 6-foot-5 Moll put on 50 pounds, going from 250 to 300, before his senior season at Nevada last year to make the transition from tight end to tackle.
He's mobile on his feet weighing 295 in Packers camp, and his trademark toughness has been a conversation piece for Favre, who had Moll's ear in practice Wednesday.
"He said, 'Don't play like a rookie does. Just go out there and just kick butt like you know you're capable of doing.' That's what I'm going to be trying to do," Moll said. "I tried to do that in San Diego - just go out and start a hellstorm. Hopefully, I'm going to be able to bring that same thing here on Saturday."
GO PACKERS ! HOLD THE FAITH PACKER FANS !!
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