CAMP REPORT
THUMBS UP
The contrast between Randall Cobb last summer and this summer is fairly distinct. A year ago, he dropped too many passes in training camp and seldom was able to overwhelm cornerbacks on designed routes. In the first 11 practices of this training camp, he has precious few drops and has made his presence felt almost every day. That’s why, when Cobb dropped a pass Saturday, it stood out. Early last week, he reeled in not one but two passes one-handed during one practice. “I think he is,” wide receivers coach Alex Van Pelt replied when asked if Cobb was having a tremendous camp. “The beauty of working with Randall and Jordy ( Nelson), you don’t have to get on them to finish or put the ball away. They’re pros. They do it all the right way. They do a great job leading the (WR) room.”
THUMBS DOWN
Two days after limiting New England to a long reception of 17 yards, the defense sprung some leaks Saturday. The scout-team offense was running plays from either the Steelers, the opponent next Sunday, or the Bears, the opponent Sept. 13. Running back Rajion Neal, who made three starts and had a 125-yard game against Kentucky as a wide receiver in 2011, was in at wide receiver in a bunch formation to the left. “Just giving our defense a look from the team we were scheming against,” said Neal. “All it was was a freerelease go route that I just needed to clear out for the guys.” But when quarterback Matt Blanchard noticed Neal a step or two behind strong safety Sean Richardson, he unloaded a 50-yard bomb that Neal caught beautifully for what would have been a long touchdown. To close practice, the Packers gave quarterback Brett Hundley and the deep reserves a 2-minute drive starting from the 35 against a backup defense. On the first play, wide receiver Larry Pinkard took his deep route even deeper when he saw Hundley buying time toward his side. Getting behind Quinten Rollins, Pinkard made the catch near the 15 before stepping out of bounds at the 8 for a gain of 57.
INJURY LIST
Returning to practice Saturday were T Vince Kowalski, LB Clay Matthews and Richardson.
Joining the injured list after being hurt in New England were TE Justin Perillo (concussion) and CB Kyle Sebetic (ankle). Also missing practice with new injuries were T David Bakhtiari (knee) and DE Josh Boyd (knee).
Thirteen of the 88 players on the roster sat out Saturday’s practice, which was conducted in shells in hot, humid weather.
BITS AND PIECES
Offensive line coach James Campen was back Saturday. He missed three practices last week as well as the Patriots game because of personal reasons.
Versatile Lavon Hooks made a one-handed snag late in practice as the defensive linemen back-pedaled on simulated zone drops before being thrown the ball by assistant coach Jerry Montgomery. Hooks, a terrific basketball player in junior college, has high-pointed passes gracefully on previous days.
With Bakhtiari down, Don Barclay worked at left tackle with the No. 1 offense. Replacing Barclay at right tackle with the No. 2 offense was Josh Walker.
Shades of Seattle. For the second time in camp an extensive portion of special teams was allocated to individual onside-kick recoveries. Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay bounced boots in rapid succession as dozens of players took turns recovering under the watchful eye of Ron Zook.
In an agility drill aimed at improving their low-block shield, defensive linemen shuffled laterally over bags before Montgomery rolled a massive rubber ball at their legs. When B.J. Raji didn’t fend off the ball with his hands and was upended, Montgomery chirped, “Got one.”
CB Ryan White, who was signed (one year, $435,000 minimum) Thursday, actually played 10 snaps in the fourth quarter. He had been out since the Packers cut him Aug. 30.
SCHEDULE
The next practice is at 12:15 p.m. Monday.