8/26/2006
Rookie Rodgers' roster spot in jeopardy
Cory Rodgers' struggles continued on Thursday, when he dropped what appeared to be a routine catch during punt return drills. Rodgers made several difficult catches, but of the five players who were catching punts, Rodgers was the only one to drop one. "Just catching the ball is the primary focus," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The technique he's using now is not what he's using in his college days, but he's getting better." Rodgers' problems might cost him a roster spot. Cornerback Charles Woodson and receivers Greg Jennings, Carlton Brewster and Robert Ferguson fielded punts Thursday.
Rayner struggles
Dave Rayner made all eight field-goal attempts in the controlled conditions of the Don Hutson Center on Tuesday, but had a rougher time in a strong crosswind at Ray Nitschke Field on Thursday. Rayner made seven of 10 field goals during a live session, with all the misses coming in the span of four kicks, and all coming from 39 yards. The worst of the misses was when the kicking unit was simulating rushing onto the field for a last-second kick. He pulled the kick so far to the left it clanged off the scoreboard. After practice, he called the kick "embarrassing." "I rushed it and planted really poorly and kind of fell off the ball," Rayner said. Rayner made his first four kicks, at distances ranging from 20 yards to 30 yards. But then he missed two 39-yarders in a row with both of those hooking left with the help of the wind. He then hit a 39-yarder, missed the run-on kick, then made another from that same 39-yard spot.
Davenport on roster bubble?
Asked whether Najeh Davenport would play against Cincinnati, McCarthy suggested the injury-plagued running back isn't a shoo-in to make the final roster. "Player injuries I really can't control. Obviously, you want to see him out there," McCarthy said. "He's competing for a roster spot. Am I concerned? I'm concerned about what's best for our football team. We like the things Najeh has done, but he needs to get out there and play and make our football team, just like everybody else."Halfback may be one of the most contested positions on the roster. In addition to Davenport, Ahman Green, Samkon Gado, Noah Herron and Arliss Beach are in the mix.
Henderson calls surgery a tuneup
After having minor surgery on his right knee, fullback William Henderson said he's hopeful he'll be back on the field in time to play in the Sept. 10 season opener against the Chicago Bears. "I'm in Day 3 of post-surgery, and I'm just trying to be patient," Henderson said. "It was just a cleanup. It was no big deal." Henderson said the injury didn't occur on a specific play during Saturday's preseason game against Atlanta. "The last time I had any work on it was 1990. It just needed to be tuned up," Henderson said. "After a long time of playing football, it basically decided it wanted some attention."
Jags on sidelines
McCarthy said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagod- zinski would remain on the sideline during games. Typically, the offensive coordinator watches from the booth, but McCarthy said Jagodzinski can be more helpful on the sideline. "I'm calling the game, but with anything else going on, Jeff is managing the offense on the sideline," McCarthy said. "As it stands today, yes, he'll stand on the sidelines." McCarthy said quarterbacks coach Tom Clements and tight ends coach Ben McAdoo would be in the booth.
Super Bowl XXXI players
To be honored at opener
A 10-year reunion of more than 30 players from the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XXXI-winning team will take place Sept. 10 at the season opener against the Chicago Bears, highlighting the team's annual alumni weekend. They'll be honored at a pregame ceremony during which Pro Football and Packers Hall of Famer Reggie White's name will go up on the facade of the east side of the stadium bowl. Among the players scheduled to attend: Don Beebe, Robert Brooks, LeRoy Butler, Mark Chmura, Doug Evans, Antonio Freeman, Chris Jacke, Keith Jackson, Sean Jones, Dorsey Levens, Aaron Taylor and Frank Winters. Other Packers alumni will be introduced at halftime.
Hodge blasts Herron in team drills
In one of the biggest hits of training camp, linebacker Abdul Hodge blasted running back Noah Herron on a hand-off behind the line of scrimmage. It was a nontackling drill but Hodge nevertheless made solid contact with Herron, who bobbled the ball before going to the ground and hanging on.
Slipping away
Guard William Whitticker, who has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring early in training camp, is rapidly running out of time to earn a roster spot. The Packers have already settled on starters Jason Spitz and Tony Moll at guard and have second-round draft choice Daryn Colledge waiting in the wings. In addition, Whitticker flopped in a brief look at left tackle earlier in camp and, because of his 6-foot-5, 338-pound frame, is ill-suited for the team's zone-blocking scheme that emphasizes mobility over size. Now it appears his hamstring injury will keep him out even longer than had been hoped. "I thought he was going to be back this week but I guess that injury's been lingering," Jagodzinski said. "I don't know if he's running out of time but it's hard to make the club if you're not out on the field."
Click clack
Rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk has received plenty of face time on TV as an endorser for Under Armour, an apparel company that began offering a line of football cleats this summer. The company's advertising campaign has centered on the click-clack sound the cleats make on hard ground, a solid choice judging by all the feedback Hawk has been getting. "I hear it all the time," he said. "I never thought it'd get this big."
After Hours
Friday’s practice lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. Following practice, fullback Vonta Leach stuck around to work on his pass-catching ability. He’s had trouble hanging onto passes during training camp. Also, staying after practice was linebacker Brady Poppinga, who was working with linebackers’ coach Winston Moss and defensive coordinator Bob Sanders.
Ryan gets competition
Punter Jon Ryan probably shouldn’t get too comfortable. The Packers were working out John Torp, a left-footed punter, on the Ray Nitschke practice field early Friday afternoon with Ted Thompson observing the workout. Torp's kicks ranged from 33 to 56 yards. He also was seen practicing holding the place kicks. He was waived by the Vikings about a week ago.
Injury report
New: None.
Returned: Cornerback Patrick Dendy (ankle).
Still out: Safeties Marviel Underwood (knee) and Atari Bigby (hand), cornerback Will Blackmon (foot), fullback William Henderson (knee), offensive linemen Josh Bourke (calf) and William Whitticker (hamstring) and defensive lineman Kenny Peterson (ankle).
McCarthy coaches, Favre responds
Veteran quarterback making better decisions
after rebuke by first-year coach
By Pete Dougherty / greenbaypressgazette.com
After Brett Favre threw five interceptions in a practice four days into training camp, coach Mike McCarthy said the same thing publicly as in the Green Bay Packers' next quarterbacks meeting: Favre broke a cardinal rule by throwing the ball down the middle of the field late in a play. That practice, and the way McCarthy and his coaching staff handled it, potentially was an important day in the 2006 season. It could show whether McCarthy's more critical way of handling a future Hall of Fame quarterback is more effective than the previous coaching staff's lighter touch, and could be seen as a watershed if Favre cuts his interceptions about in half from the astounding 29 he threw last season. As a 36-year-old and three-time NFL most valuable player, Favre isn't, and shouldn't be, coached like a younger quarterback. But it was worth noting that McCarthy publicly, even if mildly, rebuked Favre, and went over each of those interceptions with all four quarterbacks at their next meeting. He recalls categorizing two or three of them as bad decisions.
"A big part of coaching is emphasizing," McCarthy said Friday. "When something goes wrong, you have to emphasize it, and if it doesn't get corrected, you have to find a different way to emphasize it until you correct it. That (meeting) was an opportunity to emphasize it for everybody in the room. We did that, and I'm not saying that's the reason why, but it's been pretty good since." MORE>>
Beach Making Strong Push For Running Back Spot
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
"From all the players I talked to, they say, 'You can't make the club in the tub.' I was really nervous about that because you don't get to show what you've got. It puts you in a tough position." -- Arliss Beach
Undrafted rookies face an uphill battle for a roster spot each day of training camp, making every single practice a fight for their football lives.
So when an undrafted rookie goes down with an injury and misses significant practice time, it's easy for him to fall off the coaching staff's radar, and easier yet to get cut come decision time.
Running back Arliss Beach was afraid he might be one of those easy decisions. Signed by the Packers in May as a rookie free agent out of Kentucky, Beach sustained a concussion on the third day of training camp in a violent collision with rookie linebacker Abdul Hodge in a blitz pickup drill. He missed seven days of practice, including the Family Night scrimmage, and wasn't much of a thought while veteran backs like Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport were returning from injuries. At one of the most competitive positions on the roster, Beach knew he had to get out of the training room and back onto the field, pronto. MORE>>
Receiver catching everyone's eye
Jennings impressing coaches, teammates
By BOB McGINN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 25, 2006
If ability to assimilate rapidly a National Football League system is an indicator of future success, the Green Bay Packers have hit the jackpot with wide receiver Greg Jennings. Jimmy Robinson has been coaching Jennings hard during four weeks of training camp. This is his 17th straight season tutoring wide receivers in the NFL, and he was an NFL wide receiver for six years before that. The five teams for which Robinson has coached drafted 17 wide receivers, including eight in the first three rounds. Most of them struggled as rookies, typical for the position. The one who didn't was Marvin Harrison, and 10 years later that's the receiver Robinson can't get out of his mind when he watches Jennings.
"The only other guy I can remember that came in and pretty much knew what he was doing right away was Marvin Harrison," said Robinson, who coached him in 1996 and '97, his first two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. "Honestly, I don't remember if he burst on the scene kind of the way Greg has or not. But I know that Marvin was out there very natural at everything he was doing right from the start." MORE>>
Hawkins gets back on the field
But he's not assured of a job in the defensive backfield
By Rob Demovsky / greenbaypressgazette.com
Ask anyone associated with the Green Bay Packers about cornerback Mike Hawkins, and their answer invariably will be along the same lines.
"Talented young man," secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said.
"He's got skills, speed and quick feet," receiver Rod Gardner said.
"He's a fast, talented guy," cornerback Al Harris said.
At some point, talent isn't enough. Though this is only his second season, Hawkins is getting dangerously close to being one of those guys who never lived up to his potential. His unusual football background scared away teams when Hawkins became eligible for the draft in 2005. He was homeless for a time as a teenager in Dallas. He played in only five college football games because he left the University of Oklahoma after his freshman season. He spent parts of two seasons in the Arena League. None of it kept the Packers from drafting Hawkins in the fifth round (No. 167 overall) in 2005. They were intrigued by his raw ability and his 4.28-second time in the 40-yard dash. Asked to rate Hawkins' abilities from a pure talent standpoint, Schottenheimer said: "I think he has as good a cover skills as anyone I've been around. MORE>>
Green appears ready for his close-up
He'll likely play Monday night
By RICK BRAUN / Packer Plus writer
Posted: Aug. 24, 2006
Ahman Green has spent the last 10 months working toward Monday night, and he'll have a national audience. Green returned to full-contact practices on Aug. 14 and is expected to reap the fruits of his 10 months of rehabilitation next week when he returns to action in the Green Bay Packers' exhibition game against the Cincinnati Bengals on "Monday Night Football."
The one-time Pro Bowl running back suffered a torn quadriceps tendon on Oct. 23 as he ran around the right end in a game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. In practices he has looked fast and strong, showing no signs of the injury.
"It's easy to look good when you're just in helmets," Green said when he returned to practice. "This was the first day for me taking a full practice and now we'll just continue to take more small steps with contact and getting ready for the regular season. I will see the progress when I start getting tackled and start going through more contact in practice. My goal is just to go forward and have no setbacks." MORE>>
Not a surprise Poppinga's 'geeked'
JASON WILDE / madison.com
"I'm excited about (the game) - I'm not going to lie about that - but it's not the end-all. It's just a step in the process. It's just a game I want to be ready for and want to play well in. The fact that I'm practicing and training, I guess it lessens the hype of it all. The thing is, I'm geeked up about everything. I've been playing football since I was a little kid, and every time I'm geeked up." -- Brady Poppinga
Brady Poppinga doesn't expect much pub for his return to game action Monday night, not with two higher-profile comebacks - those of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer and Green Bay Packers halfback Ahman Green - also on the docket. So unless wiseacre Tony Kornheiser reads Poppinga's bio in the media guide and decides to riff during ESPN's telecast on Poppinga's Eagle Scout honor in 1995 or his decision to name his newborn son Julius Maximus (inspired by his favorite movie, "Gladiator"), his remarkably quick comeback from a torn ACL in his left knee last December figures to get little more than passing mention. And that's just fine with the Packers' second-year linebacker.
"You've got a guy like me - up-and-comer, special teams guy, late-round draft choice - and then you've got (Palmer and Green). It's a status thing," Poppinga said. MORE>>
Brewster catches on quickly
After only 4 days, he's shown good hands as receiver, punt returner
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
With every acrobatic catch Carlton Brewster makes in practice, the Green Bay Packers' scouting staff looks smarter. The Packers traded cornerback Therrian Fontenot to the Cleveland Browns for Brewster on Tuesday, and considering Fontenot had virtually no chance to make the Packers' roster, Green Bay might be in position to get something for nothing.
"He's been here (four) days, and I think he's done a nice job," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He does a nice job with the punt returns, also. I could see what our personnel staff saw in him, and hopefully we'll give him a chance, if not this week than next."
Brewster said he was surprised by the trade. "I was, because I was balling out there and doing my thing. The coaches really liked me," Brewster said. "But three of the corners were hurt, and I think they had to do what was best for the team." MORE>>
Published by PackerPundit On Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 7:21 AM.
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