[[Schneidman] Packers CB Jaire Alexander didn’t want to ride one bike back to the stadium after practice like players normally do. Instead he told these six kids wearing his jersey to bike alongside him while he jogged. “I need the exercise,” he said.
[Bukowski] - Based on what we've seen, reports etc. so far from Rashan Gary, he's exceeding outside expectations and performing extremely well. Expectations inside the Packers were very high. They LOVE him.
Jason Hirschhorn did an AMA today Couple notable answers Spoiler Q Sleeper on Packers team A All the usual caveats for the first week of training camp apply, but thus far Curtis Bolton has looked the part. He arrived from Oklahoma without much playing experience, but his top-shelf athletic gifts offered potential to become more than just a back-of-the-roster player. Those tools helped him make the cut for my annual Packers UDFA prospectus, and they have made him one of the bright spots of camp thus far. Bolton seems to make a nice play or two each practice and has moved ahead of Ty Summers, a draft pick this past April. Besides Bolton, I like what Dexter Williams has shown. As a draft pick, he already had the inside track for a roster spot. But his comfort level with the outside-zone runs has improved quickly and his burst makes him a natural in the scheme. Williams needs to show more before Jamaal Williams has to worry about his role on the team, but that could become a legitimate question if these trends continue. .... Q Which WR stands out the most right now aside from Adams? A While Geronimo Allison, Jake Kumerow, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have all had moments during camp, Davante Adams has so thoroughly dominated the workload in team drills that it's difficult to say any of the other wideouts have stood out next to him. Part of that relates to how Matt LaFleur and his staff have run practice. The Packers offense has focused mostly on red-zone work which naturally limits opportunities for receivers that don't specialize in that area. We'll get a better look at those wideouts once that part of practice expands, possibly as early as this week. .... Q How do you think the offense will fair this season based on what you’ve seen out of camp so far? A The Packers offense has looked inconsistent as a whole. Just a few days ago, Aaron Rodgers and company scored three touchdowns in as many plays during the red-zone period. Today, Matt LaFleur pulled the No. 1 unit after poor execution led to a turnover. Such fluctuations shouldn't come as a surprise given the new scheme and the recent return of football work. Though the passing game still has some wrinkles to iron out, the ground attack has looked mostly sharp during team drills. Sixth-round pick Dexter Williams had his best moments in this setting, and with Jamaal Williams dealing with a hamstring trouble, the rookie has garnered some positive attention. Especially if Rodgers sits out the first preseason game, the backs will have plenty of opportunities to show what they can do. .... Q Any surprise cut candidates before we whittle down to the final 53? My money may be on Jamaal Williams, or (gasp) Marcedes Lewis. A Too many people have written off Jamaal Williams. No, he doesn't have the burst nor the upside of Aaron Jones, and his absence has allowed Dexter Williams to shine, but a lot more needs to happen before the Packers decide to move on from Jamaal Williams. As for surprise cuts, the Packers already made one when they released Mike Daniels. Perhaps Jason Spriggs could trend that way as well. I detailed his situation in a previous answer. .... Q What is different about the Packers training camp under LaFleur compared to McCarthy a year ago? A The shorter practices under Matt LaFleur have drawn the most attention, and not without reason. I think LaFleur's decision to focus so heavily on red-zone work during the first week of camp is more interesting, though. Because of that approach, we haven't seen the full Packers offense yet, a significant change from Mike McCarthy's training camps. .... Q How do you think the WR & CB depth charts will shake out after camp? Any big surprises you think will happen? A Unless injuries intervene, Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling each have a roster spot locked in. Equanimeous St. Brown probably does as well. That leaves Trevor Davis, Jake Kumerow, and J'Mon Moore as the leading in-house candidates for any remaining spots at wideout. I don't expect the Packers to keep more than six receivers at this point, and the coaching staff seems to like Davis on jet motion and sweeps as well as his return abilities. Kumerow clearly has the support of Aaron Rodgers, and he has made a better case for a roster spot than Moore though the first week of practice. That could flip if Moore has more moments like his touchdown catch over Tony Brown from last week, however. As for the corners, Ka'Dar has shined during his work with the No. 1 defense. I don't expect he'll run with them come Week 1, but Hollman's early success suggests he could become a regular contributor at some point in his career. In a related matter, Josh Jackson should start to worry if he can't return to practice soon. The Packers will give him every opportunity to earn a major role in the defense given his talent, potential, and draft status, but absences like this can force the coaching staff's hand. .... Q Who is making that "jump" this season? What rookie or UDFA are you watching closely? Has anything surprised you yet this year (NFL or Packer wise)? A I will tempt the football gods and pick Kevin King. He has looked as good as any corner in Packers training camp and his size and athleticism should finally manifest as top-shelf play if he can stay on the field. Curtis Bolton. I wrote about him at length in a separate answer. The release of Mike Daniels came as a surprise. The Packers effectively made their intentions towards him clear when they signed Za'Darius Smith, but I thought Daniels would play out the final year of his contract before departing in free agency next offseason. .... Q How many QBs do we carry and who's your best guess? A Right now, I think the Packers will end up carrying two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster and a third on the practice squad. Though each of their non-Aaron Rodgers QBs has practice-squad eligibility, DeShone Kizer might have a hard time passing through waivers (and he could have other PS offers should he clear). Unless Kizer bombs during the preseason, he has the inside track for the backup job. That would leave Tim Boyle and Manny Wilkins for the practice-squad job. Wilkins has taken reps ahead of Boyle during the last few practices, though the hierarchy could change several times over the course of training camp and the preseason. .... Q We've heard good things about most of the free agent pickups, but not much about Preston Smith. How has he looked so far? A Preston Smith hasn't flashed in the way that, say, Za'Darius Smith did when he beat David Bakhtiari during one-on-one drills. However, the difference between Preston Smith athletically and the guys that the Packers ran out at his position last year is considerable. Few pass rushers have both his size and movement ability, and you can see that during practice. The big plays will come in time. .... Q How much playtime do you think Rashan Gary will get this season? A Whether Rashan Gary officially starts or not, he will see at last a near-starter's workload now that Mike Daniels has departed. When the Packers shift Za'Darius Smith inside (which should happen often), Gary can either line up next to him as a defensive linemen or play off the edge. Perhaps the shoulder injury Gary sustained in college limits him as the season unfolds, though that hasn't come up during camp. .... Q Biggest thing standing out about this team after a week of camp - both positive and not-so-positive A The answer is the same for both. The defense looks far ahead of the offense at this stage. As mentioned earlier, the Packers have focused on red-zone work and still have work to do between the 20s, so we should wait before giving a full assessment. Still, given Green Bay's defensive woes in recent years, that change is startling. .... Q Who’s been your standout player of camp so far? A Davante Adams. The Packers certainly expected a lot out of their No. 1 wideout, but he has monopolized the passing game at times in a way we haven't seen during past training camps. Just last month, Aaron Rodgers said he wanted to throw to Adams even more than last year. That doesn't appear hyperbolic given how camp has unfolded through the first week. .... Q Who has been the most impressive young DB on the team so far this year? A I really like what Kevin King has shown so far during camp. Questions about his health will dog him until he proves he can remain on the field for a full season, but the talent is there.
Think the Packers have a top 7 defense. With a heavier emphasis on the ground game and ball control that will slow down the possessions of the offense the defense faces. I also think we have legit playmakers at almost every level. Kenny Clark gobbling up double teams is going to make a lot of guys look good. Could be top 3 d-lineman by seasons end. If Kevin King can stay healthy and support Alexander and Amos and Savage are even above average...look out.
Overall points from camp so far seem to be: -Z Smith has been very disruptive -Gary is a physical freak of nature but will take time -Dexter Williams looks good -Trevor Davis is making progress on offense. Will probably make the team. -theyve got something in Kadar Hollman
I like that all the reporting says he's been a really high-motor guy, wasn't that one of his big weaknesses in college?
His motor was never an issue imo. He was just a DT playing DE. he created tons of pressure, just didnt rack up a lot of sacks. plenty of other people on that D did though. His big issue was that he never tried to pull any moves on the oline. just ran in and tried to get around them with no real plan of attack.
Jones hasn't practiced due to hamstring tightness. Jimmy Graham has been buttcheeks too. Good chance our offense will take a while to get going. On the flip side, sounds like our defense will be in a much better spot than recent years.
Fuck me Packers have inherited the Vikings shitty viking horn antic Shit plays every opponent's 3rd down and sounds like the alien's horn from War of Worlds
Any word on Burks? Didn’t watch much but I liked the offense and what it was attacking. Moore had some drops when I watched, looks like he is getting the biggest shot at WR of the young guys.
Moore is probably fighting for a roster spot with Kumero. ESB and MVS are locks to make the roster. They probably want Moore to prove himself given he was drafted the highest of the three. If Rodgers doesn't trust him to catch the ball he's a waste because he won't throw it to him.
I haven’t heard one beat writer who thinks Moore is even close to Kumerow right now. Moore would have to go nuts the rest of camp to get a spot imo. Have even heard they believe they might be keeping only 5 guys.
lol shit I didn't watch and didn't see any big injuries on twitter. Though he is on the field in base isn't he? Plus the main backup to Martinez.
Supposedly it's the USS Green Bay New staff wants to put a spark in the notoriously dull crowd at Lambeau
I think the only real takeaways I have after watching the first preseason game are that J’Mon Moore is not good at football and Dexter Williams like a pretty decent RB3.