Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
TAKEAWAYS News and views from Packers practice
Green Bay — News and views from the Green Bay Packers' training camp practices:
Sunday's takeaways
❚ Matt LaFleur definitely is a proponent of relatively short practices to help keep his players healthy. Sunday was the team's first day in full pads, and the workout lasted about 1 hour, 50 minutes. That was after going about 1:40 the previous day in shoulder pads, helmets and shorts. The first two practices of camp, not in pads, were in the 2:15 range, which is still on the shorter side for early training camp. LaFleur's predecessor as coach, Mike McCarthy, traditionally conducted several practices each camp that topped 2 1⁄2 hours, including the first day in pads. NFL rules allow for teams to practice in pads up to three hours per day in training camp, and up to a maximum of four hours including a walk-through conducted apart from the regular practice. LaFleur sounds like he doesn't plan on holding any long practices. “The places I've been – I think we can get the work that needs to be done in a shorter period of time,” LaFleur said. “We take advantage of our walk-throughs in the evening to make sure that we're getting adequate reps, because a lot of this stuff is mental. If you can take some wear and tear off the body, I think that's a good thing – especially early on.”
❚ Rookie cornerback Ka'Dar Hollman, a sixth-round draft pick, is getting an early education on the precision and sophistication of veteran NFL quarterbacks and receivers. Twice Sunday, Hollman played good coverage only to get beaten for sizable gains on excellent back-shoulder throws by Aaron Rodgers to receivers Davante Adams and Jake Kumerow. On Adams' catch, the throw was basically right at the back of Hollman's head rather than the back shoulder, and Adams jumped over Hollman and snagged the ball almost off the cornerback's helmet. “That was a real tough catch and a real tough throw,” Hollman said. “There are little detail things I know I can fix.” Kumerow's was more of a traditional back-shoulder catch, but he deked Hollman by waiting to lift his arms until the ball was almost on him and then got both feet down in-bounds with a quick double-toe tap. “(Hollman) played great defense,” Kumerow said, “actually got me at the line and kinda rode me wide to the sideline, which is not a good route by me – I have to save more space, because if I save more space on that sideline I'll be able to turn up after the catch and get more yards. He did a good job, but it was just a better ball. Sometimes you can't defend a great ball.” Hollman later had tight coverage on Trevor Davis on a deep out route that caused an incompletion on a throw by Tim Boyle.
Saturday's takeaways
❚ One of the new wrinkles in LaFleur's offense is the occasional series where he'll pick up the tempo – not by going no-huddle, but by huddling and then having the offense rush to line up and snap the ball quickly in hopes of catching the defense still lining up or not quite ready to play. It's a part of the West Coast offensive system that LaFleur learned from Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. The Rams used it occasionally and with some success against the Packers in Week 8 last season, as did the New England Patriots a week later on their touchdown drive to open the game.
Through three days of practice, LaFleur occasionally has had his offense run plays in up-tempo mode.
“It is tough because the big thing is as a defender you want to see the formation,” defensive lineman Dean Lowry said, “and when they line up as quickly as they do, you can't process as quickly to see what their formation is or see the mannerisms of the backfield or the O
line. That is a challenge when they do that, and it kind of throws you off balance.”
The offense also saw a potential downside of the quick-tempo though, at least in the learning stages, when it was called for three apparent false-start penalties while going up tempo Saturday.
“The defense is calling out ‘move’ and ‘shift,’ and we’re thinking (the snap is on) first sound,’ said tackle Alex Light, who had one of the penalties. “So the first sound we’re thinking we’re getting out. I heard ‘move,’ and I was already cocked in my stance and ready to go.”
❚ LaFleur’s early camp practice schedule is the same as McVay’s with the Rams in that he’s opening camp with four straight days of practice before a day off, whereas former coach Mike McCarthy opened camp with three practices and then a rest day. Teams are prohibited from practicing in pads the first two days of camp, so Saturday was the first day the Packers could use pads, though LaFleur opted to go with shoulder pads and helmets but with the players in shorts instead of full uniform. The practice was close to full contact.
“I don’t think there’s much of a difference,” LaFleur said of full uniform vs. shoulder pads and shorts. “It’s more or less, I think guys when they are in shorts might be a little bit more mindful of not going to the ground. The whole intent out here is you just don’t want guys going to the ground, whether we’re in full pads, whether we’re in, throughout OTA’s. We want guys to stay on their feet.”
❚ LaFleur has ended each practice so far with nine snaps in a third-and-goal period that’s a win-or-lose play for both sides of the ball. Three quarterbacks get three plays each from various yard lines at or inside the 10. The defense got the better of it the first two days, but on Saturday, Aaron Rodgers threw touchdown passes of 10, 6 and 3 yards; DeShone Kizer threw a two-yard touchdown pass and had rookie receiver Darrius Shepherd drop what should have been a sixyard score; and undrafted rookie Manny Wilkins ran for one touchdown and scrambled for what probably would have been another.
“When coach really puts an emphasis on, ‘OK, this period is specifically for competition, we need to beat you, you need to beat us,’ ” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “That’s the urgency of this period.”
QB watch
Neither Tim Boyle nor DeShone Kizer has separated himself for the No. 2 job in the very early stages of camp. Kizer missed a chance for a big play in an early team period Sunday when he overshot an open Davis on a go route. But in a third-down period Kizer converted the first down on all three of his snaps with completions to Shepard (third-and-5), J’Mon Moore (third-and-6) and Kumerow (third-and-9). Wilkins has been scattershot early in camp but showed good touch completing a medium-deep out route to Davis in an early team period.
On Saturday, with Boyle absent from practice for personal reasons, Kizer had the No. 2 spot in the rotation all to himself, and Wilkins got more team snaps than usual as the No. 3 instead of his spot as the No. 4. Kizer had his best day of camp. He hit Allen Lazard for a 20yard catch and run on an out pattern when safety Natrell Jameson just missed a diving deflection. Kizer also hit Jake Kumerow for a two-yard touchdown near the back of the end zone against the Packers’ best cover man, cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Bits and pieces
❚ It appears to be a given that LaFleur will keep a fullback on the roster – many teams in the league, including the Packers last season, no longer carry a fullback. Danny Vitale and Malcolm Johnson are getting plenty of snaps in team drills, including occasionally in oneback sets. Early signs suggest Vitale is the better receiver of the two. Blocking will be a big part of the job as well, and right after Johnson was called for a false start penalty Sunday, he came back the next snap and put a good block on linebacker Oren Burks on a zone run that opened the way for a nice gain by halfback Dexter Williams.
❚ Cole Madison, who sat out all of his rookie season last year for mental health reasons, has been working as the center with the No. 3 offense, though he rates fourth on the depth chart behind Corey Linsley, Lucas Patrick and Justin McCray. Patrick and McCray have been flip-flopping at right guard and right center with the No. 2 line. McCray also took a couple snaps with the No. 1 offense Sunday. Madison had a decent day in one-on-one pass rushing drills. He twice held stout against Tyler Lancaster, though Lancaster is primarily a run-stopping defensive tackle, not a pass rusher.
❚ Former Packers cornerback Demitri Goodson is a scouting intern with the team this summer.
❚ Top draft pick Rashan Gary had a decent start in the first one-on-one pass-rushing drills of camp in shoulder pads. Keep in mind that determining a winner and loser in one-on-ones is highly subjective, but Gary had two solid power rushes that probably were wins against tackle Gerhard De Beer. LaFleur conducts one-on-ones by having the rusher and blocker go against each other on back-to-back snaps – all previous Packers coaches going back to Mike Holmgren had them take one snap each rotation across the line. “Less transition time equals more reps,” LaFleur said.
Injury report Sunday
T Bryan Bulaga (veteran day off) and Boyle (personal) returned to practice. New to the injury list was T Jason Spriggs (trapezius).
Also out were Mason Crosby (calf), S Darnell Savage Jr. (teeth), RB Jamaal Williams (hamstring), CB Josh Jackson (foot), OLB Kendall Donnerson (hamstring), LB Greg Roberts (core muscle injury, PUP), and DT Fadol Brown (calf).
Recently claimed RB Darrin Hall did not arrive in Green Bay in time to practice Saturday.