Top pick Stokes getting picked on often
GREEN BAY - Monday’s takeaways from Packers training camp:
Stokes has a leg up on Jackson
First-round pick Eric Stokes is getting plenty of work with the No. 1 defense while Kevin King (hamstring) remains on the non-football injury list to start camp, and it’s been an education for the rookie cornerback from Georgia. Stokes is finding out just how skilled NFL quarterbacks and receivers can be. He has been picked on plenty and given up his share of plays, including big ones.
Early on Monday, for instance, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling beat Stokes on a slant, and Aaron Rodgers snapped off a throw that hit Valdes-Scantling in stride for a long touchdown. Later in practice, during a two-minute drill, Rodgers and Davante Adams beat Stokes on a perfectly timed back-shoulder throw that picked up 16 yards and stopped the clock when Adams got out of bounds. A little later, from the 10-yard line on that drive, Rodgers and Adams tried back-shoulder plays on backto-back plays. The first was an incompletion. The second came on third down, and Stokes had good coverage for another incompletion, but it appeared he was called for pass interference or holding, because the offense got the ball back at about the 5 with a first down.
Along with the losses, Stokes has flashed his great speed (4.29 seconds in the 40 at Georgia’s pro day) at times, including earlier Monday when he stayed stride for stride with the Packers’ fastest receiver, Valdes-Scantling (4.37-second 40) on a deep ball on third-and-8 that resulted in an incompletion. Stokes also had tight coverage on an incompletion on a crossing route to Equanimeous St. Brown.
Stokes appears to be ahead of Josh Jackson for the open outside corner position while King is out, and it remains to be seen whether he can challenge King for the starting job when King returns. Stokes has had a welcome-to-the-NFL moment or two pretty much every day in camp, and he’s made few if any plays on the ball in 11-on-11 — playing the ball was the knock on him coming out of college. But he is getting valuable playing time against the starting offense, and in the next month of practice in pads and preseason games the Packers will get an idea of just how quick a study he is at one of the game’s most difficult positions.
Love struggles in two-minute offense
The Packers ran their first two-minute h drills of camp, and whereas Rodgers ran a tight and efficient possession, Jordan Love’s was shaky and ended badly. The scenario was the ball at the offense’s 25 with 1:15 left and (apparently) down by three points.
Going against the No. 2 defense Love had a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage early, then converted one third down (on a checkdown to DeAndre Thompkins for a 10-yard gain on thirdand-8). The clock was down to 21 seconds when on third-and-1 near midfield Love scrambled up the middle for a first down. Love then spiked the ball to stop the clock with a little under 10 seconds left, but he apparently had the ball snapped before the offense was set because the drive ended there with the presumed 10-second runoff for a false start. It’s the quarterback’s responsibility to make sure everyone is set before the snap. Rodgers then took his turn against the starting defense, and things ran much more smoothly. Rodgers moved the ball to the defense’s 44 in six plays, and on a third-and-10 appeared to get the ball snapped while the defense was subbing and had too many players on the field. With the free play Rodgers took a shot downfield to Randall Cobb, who drew a pass interference penalty on Darnell Savage — Savage made a juggling interception but clearly pushed Cobb in the back before the ball arrived. Rodgers couldn’t get the ball in the end zone on three shots from the 10 or closer, and Mason Crosby kicked a 25-yard field on the last play.
QB watch
Love has been wildly inconsistent early in camp, showing talent that made him a first-round draft pick on some plays but struggling with accuracy and command at other times.
On Monday he badly underthrew a deep ball to open Malik Taylor and was fortunate cornerback Ka’dar Hollman ran into Taylor for a pass-interference penalty. But a little later Love threw a perfect strike to undrafted rookie Chris Blair on a double move against Kabion Ento for a touchdown of about 40 yards. Later still, Love hit Taylor in stride on a crossing pattern for a big catch-and-run.
But Love also fumbled an exchange from center Jake Hanson, and he and Hanson had another fumble when the center appeared to jump the gun on a shotgun snap while Love was still directing teammates in the formation. Then there was the apparent false start on the spike to end Love’s two-minute drill. That’s very much how his first week of camp has been.
Injury report
Returned to practice: RB Patrick Taylor (from PUP, groin).
Didn’t practice: WR Bailey Gaither (undisclosed).
Non-football injury list: CB Kevin King (hamstring), S Will Redmond (foot), OLB Za’Darius Smith (back), ILB Isaiah McDuffie (hamstring), DL Kingsley Keke (ankle).
Physically unable to perform list: LT David Bakhtiari (ACL recovery), TE Josiah Deguara (ACL recovery).
Reserve/COVID: ILB Ray Wilborn.
Bits and pieces
Mason Crosby had a rough field-goal period after going 8 for 8 on Saturday. He was only 4 for 8 Monday with misses from 36, 39, 46 and 53 yards, and makes from 33, 41, 48 and 50.
Backup outside linebacker Randy Ramsey sustained what might be a significant leg injury during 11-on-11 work. Ramsey was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field.
Quote of the day
“I’m looking forward to when we get the pads on, because that’s when you really find out, and that’s where guys turn into dudes, you know, and you flourish.”
— Tight end Marcedes Lewis, on the prospect of some players standing out in the first practice in pads Tuesday after opening camp with five practices without pads.
Practice schedule
The Packers practice at 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, open to the public.