Passing game struggles to stretch field
GREEN BAY - News and views from the Green Bay Packers’ training camp practice Tuesday:
Tuesday’s takeaways
❚ A good judge of any offense is whether it can stretch the field with its passing game and connect on plays that demoralize a defense. Those have been few and far between in the first five practices under new coach Matt LaFleur. “There’s some plays that we’ve missed down the field,” LaFleur said. “It’s been pretty evident. But it is a work in progress. I think we’re getting better in that regard, but when they are there, they have to be automatic.” There was one there Tuesday. It was a long-developing play in which Aaron Rodgers faked a handoff, rolled to his left and threw across the field to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The play was wide open, but Rodgers underthrew it badly. He dropped to one knee in frustration. “That was our first time throwing it since last spring,” ValdesScantling said. “That was our first true rep at it. It just got away from us. But I think he’ll make that throw 10 out of 10 times when it matters. It’s not an easy throw. It’s 50 yards down the field, opposite numbers.”
❚ Add the quick snap to the aspects of LaFleur’s scheme the offense hasn’t mastered. Occasionally, the quarterback will break the huddle quickly and rush the players to the line of scrimmage. It’s far more synchronized than when Rodgers might rush the players to the line to try to catch the defense in the middle of a substitution. It has not worked particularly well because the offense has had trouble getting set and keeps drawing false-start penalties. It happened on the final play of a team drill when DeShone Kizer got the team to the line quickly and then completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown. Flags dropped and while it looked like the defense might have been offside, Kizer said no. “It was on us,” Kizer said. He said it’s his job to keep everyone calm and focused on reacting to his cadence and not a call the defense might make.
❚ During the first-and-10 drill early in practice, the offense ran the ball better than it has all camp. On the first play, running back Aaron Jones cut back into a huge hole on an outside zone run and then a play later took a toss to the right for a sizable gain. Later, Tra Carson broke off a big run up the middle in which he was barely touched. “From an offensive perspective (it was good),” LaFleur said. “But the last time I checked I was the head coach, so I need the defense to be on their (game).”
Injury report
There were no new injuries to report. Still out are: T Jason Spriggs (trapezius), RB Jamaal Williams (hamstring), OLB Kendall Donnerson (hamstring), and DT Fadol Brown (calf).
Kicker Mason Crosby (calf) and CB Josh Jackson (foot) are on the non-football injury list; S Darnell Savage Jr. (teeth) is on the non-football illness list; and LB Greg Roberts (core muscle injury) is on the physically unable to perform list.
Bits and pieces
❚ Sam Ficken kicked for the first time against a rush. He went 3 for 4, connecting on a PAT and field-goal tries of 39 and 50 yards. He missed on a field goal of 45 yards. He was 8 of 10 against no rush heading into Tuesday.
❚ Rookie Elgton Jenkins, who played center in college, took his first snaps at the position. He had been playing right guard. So far, Jenkins, Justin McCray, Lucas Patrick and Cole Madison have taken snaps at center behind starter Corey Linsley.
❚ Cornerback Tony Brown tried to get the defense to notice he was all alone on one side of the formation, but it was too late. Kizer completed a fade route to running back Darrin Hall into the corner of the end zone over Brown’s head. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine let the defense have it in the huddle afterward.
❚ Converted college wide receiver Kabion Ento has been around the ball a lot despite not having played cornerback since high school. He had an interception and had excellent coverage on a pair of throws down the field.
Quote of the day
“Year One is usually the most difficult because there’s so much information you’re giving these guys and it tends to slow down the play, so I think the balancing act from a coaching perspective is, all right, you want to push them, but you don’t want to have an information overload where it’s paralysis by analysis out there.”
— LaFleur on the balancing act with installing a new offense.
Practice schedule
The next practice is 10:15 a.m. Wednesday at Ray Nitschke Field.