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Tuesday camp report
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 21, 2007
THUMBS UP
Give safety Charlie Peprah a lot of credit. All summer long he has languished on the fourth team, waiting for any kind of opportunity to prove himself as a position player. A starter on the kickoff coverage unit and second-string on three other special teams units, Peprah looked to be a long shot to make the team. But against Seattle Saturday night, Peprah picked off a pass late in the game and had another interception Tuesday in practice. With the release of Marviel Underwood, Peprah has moved up to the No. 3 unit and stands to get a significant amount of playing time Thursday night against Jacksonville. If the quick-footed Peprah continues to play strong special teams and improve as a safety, he'll stay ahead of Tyrone Culver and Alvin Nnabuife and possibly knock veteran Marquand Manuel out of a job. Peprah, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Giants last September, said he had been waiting for his opportunity to show what he can do. Even though it has taken longer than expected, there is time for him to make a run at a roster spot. It would help if he could elevate himself onto the first team of several other special teams units. Then there would be no reason to keep Manuel around.
THUMBS DOWN
Wide receiver Donald Driver still is quarterback Brett Favre's best option but he has had a case of the drops during training camp and needs to clean that up before the regular season starts. Driver was at it again this week in practice, dropping a pass Monday in practice and then letting a perfectly thrown deep ball from Favre bounce off his hands during a full pads practice Tuesday. Driver also had a drop on a slant route in the first quarter of the Seattle exhibition game Saturday night. A year ago, Driver ranked tied for seventh in the NFL with eight drops, which also tied for the team lead with tight end Bubba Franks. That's one for every 21.5 passes that were thrown his way. By comparison, fellow starting receiver Greg Jennings dropped three passes, or one every 35 passes thrown his way. Driver's drops are another reason the Packers are making a mistake by not keeping Jennings involved in the offense during camp. Driver can't do it all alone and the more the ball is spread around, the less reliance there is on one player making every catch. Jennings has seen a few more balls in the past week but he needs to be used some as the primary receiver so he can establish himself as a big part of the offense.
INJURY REPORT
Defensive Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) missed practice. Gbaja-Biamila was excused from team activities Monday because he was with his 18-month-old son, Anis-Jedidiah Oladipupo, who was undergoing a follow-up visit at Children's Hospital after undergoing a procedure three weeks ago to repair a minor heart defect. Gbaja-Biamila said his son was doing well.
Running back DeShawn Wynn (thigh) was not cleared to practice and won't play against Jacksonville.
Coach Mike McCarthy said running back Vernand Morency (knee) might be back for the Tennessee game Aug. 30 and definitely would be ready for the season opener against Philadelphia Sept. 9.
ODDS AND ENDS
Jennings might not be getting the ball a lot but it hasn't affected his catching ability. When Favre threw him a post route into the end zone, Jennings reached out and snared the ball cleanly with two hands.
First-round pick Justin Harrell had a forgettable day in one-on-one pass rush drills. He lost to guard Allen Barbre and centers Tyson Walter, Jason Spitz and C.J. Blomvall.
Manuel received a couple of repetitions with the No. 1 defense, but Atari Bigby and Nick Collins handled most of the work together. Manuel was paired mostly with rookie Aaron Rouse.
Linebacker Tracy White probably wasn't expecting the shot he took from Blomvall during a team drill blitz. White came flying in the hole, and Blomvall, the Swedish import, snapped White's head back with a clean shot to the chest.
Practice was moved inside the Don Hutson Center for the second day, again disappointing fans who were expecting to see the team. The Packers have three more practices left that are open to the public.
Wide receiver James Jones had a rare drop in practice. He ran a nice hitch route inside the 10-yard line and Favre threw straight to his numbers. However, the ball hit his hands and dropped to the ground. Jones almost never catches the ball with his body.
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 21, 2007
THUMBS UP
Give safety Charlie Peprah a lot of credit. All summer long he has languished on the fourth team, waiting for any kind of opportunity to prove himself as a position player. A starter on the kickoff coverage unit and second-string on three other special teams units, Peprah looked to be a long shot to make the team. But against Seattle Saturday night, Peprah picked off a pass late in the game and had another interception Tuesday in practice. With the release of Marviel Underwood, Peprah has moved up to the No. 3 unit and stands to get a significant amount of playing time Thursday night against Jacksonville. If the quick-footed Peprah continues to play strong special teams and improve as a safety, he'll stay ahead of Tyrone Culver and Alvin Nnabuife and possibly knock veteran Marquand Manuel out of a job. Peprah, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Giants last September, said he had been waiting for his opportunity to show what he can do. Even though it has taken longer than expected, there is time for him to make a run at a roster spot. It would help if he could elevate himself onto the first team of several other special teams units. Then there would be no reason to keep Manuel around.
THUMBS DOWN
Wide receiver Donald Driver still is quarterback Brett Favre's best option but he has had a case of the drops during training camp and needs to clean that up before the regular season starts. Driver was at it again this week in practice, dropping a pass Monday in practice and then letting a perfectly thrown deep ball from Favre bounce off his hands during a full pads practice Tuesday. Driver also had a drop on a slant route in the first quarter of the Seattle exhibition game Saturday night. A year ago, Driver ranked tied for seventh in the NFL with eight drops, which also tied for the team lead with tight end Bubba Franks. That's one for every 21.5 passes that were thrown his way. By comparison, fellow starting receiver Greg Jennings dropped three passes, or one every 35 passes thrown his way. Driver's drops are another reason the Packers are making a mistake by not keeping Jennings involved in the offense during camp. Driver can't do it all alone and the more the ball is spread around, the less reliance there is on one player making every catch. Jennings has seen a few more balls in the past week but he needs to be used some as the primary receiver so he can establish himself as a big part of the offense.
INJURY REPORT
Defensive Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) missed practice. Gbaja-Biamila was excused from team activities Monday because he was with his 18-month-old son, Anis-Jedidiah Oladipupo, who was undergoing a follow-up visit at Children's Hospital after undergoing a procedure three weeks ago to repair a minor heart defect. Gbaja-Biamila said his son was doing well.
Running back DeShawn Wynn (thigh) was not cleared to practice and won't play against Jacksonville.
Coach Mike McCarthy said running back Vernand Morency (knee) might be back for the Tennessee game Aug. 30 and definitely would be ready for the season opener against Philadelphia Sept. 9.
ODDS AND ENDS
Jennings might not be getting the ball a lot but it hasn't affected his catching ability. When Favre threw him a post route into the end zone, Jennings reached out and snared the ball cleanly with two hands.
First-round pick Justin Harrell had a forgettable day in one-on-one pass rush drills. He lost to guard Allen Barbre and centers Tyson Walter, Jason Spitz and C.J. Blomvall.
Manuel received a couple of repetitions with the No. 1 defense, but Atari Bigby and Nick Collins handled most of the work together. Manuel was paired mostly with rookie Aaron Rouse.
Linebacker Tracy White probably wasn't expecting the shot he took from Blomvall during a team drill blitz. White came flying in the hole, and Blomvall, the Swedish import, snapped White's head back with a clean shot to the chest.
Practice was moved inside the Don Hutson Center for the second day, again disappointing fans who were expecting to see the team. The Packers have three more practices left that are open to the public.
Wide receiver James Jones had a rare drop in practice. He ran a nice hitch route inside the 10-yard line and Favre threw straight to his numbers. However, the ball hit his hands and dropped to the ground. Jones almost never catches the ball with his body.
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