Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Jones sheds body fat with steadier diet
Green Bay — Now that the jokes and teasing are over, Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones can measure what effect his considerable drop in body fat can do for him.
Jones was noticeably trimmer during offseason workouts, but it wasn’t until a Dexa body fat scan was performed during OTAs that he realized what he had accomplished through a change in diet.
His weight remained the same, but his body fat dropped from 11% last season to 5.3% and upon reporting for training camp it looks like he might have lowered it some more. It’s most noticeable around his mid-section and Jones said when he watched practice tape he couldn’t help but notice a difference from a year ago.
“I was a little chubby (before),” he said. “At the time I thought I looked good, but I feel a lot better, I’m moving a lot better. I look a little stronger, not as bulky in the stomach area.”
Through the first three practices, Jones, who is listed at 208 pounds, has lined up with the first team to start every drill. Teammate Jamal Williams also receives snaps with the No. 1s and remains an important part of the run game, but Jones would likely be the starter if the season opened tomorrow.
Jones, who led the team in rushing last year with 728 yards on 123 carries (5.5 average), is an excellent fit for firstyear coach Matt LaFleur’s offense. He’s quick more than fast and his career yards-per-carry average of 5.5 yards is all anyone needs to know about his ability to break off 20-yard runs.
“I just think that he’s a dynamic, onecut runner that has some versatility in the pass game,” LaFleur said. “He’s got good hands, and I’m sure glad he’s on our team. For him and a lot of our players, it’s just getting comfortable with our offense and knowing exactly what to do and digging at the details.”
With Williams out Saturday because of a hamstring injury, rookie Dexter Williams got a heavier dose of rushes with the No. 1 offense, but the majority of time quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on the field, Jones is with him.
“However much they’re going to play me, they’re going to play me; however much they use me, they’re going to use me,” Jones said. “Starting off getting the reps with the 1s – Jamal gets them, too – getting to start every period, I’m pretty much getting them. It’s definitely a compliment knowing they trust me.”
Jones has several goals but first among them is staying healthy. He has torn his medial collateral ligament three times since entering the NFL and running backs coach Ben Sirmans has stressed to him that he needs to get stronger in the lower body so he can withstand the hits from the side that have caused his injuries.
Grant, Sagapolu getting a look
Under the previous regime, there wasn’t much desire for a running back like Corey Grant.
At 5-9 and 208 pounds, Grant was the prototypical undersized speed back coming out of Auburn in 2015 and the Packers weren’t interested in straightline runners who relied more on 40-yard dash time than open-field moves.
Under LaFleur, the Packers still seek sharp cutters for their outside zone, but there is room for someone who can outrun everyone to the edge and make something big out of swing passes and screens.
Grant ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds at Auburn’s pro day in 2015 and he showed some of his breakaway ability in four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started only two games, but averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 81 attempts, caught 18 passes for 156 yards and returned 41 kickoffs for a 23.6-yard average.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has been on the lookout for another back after releasing Kapri Bibbs on June 14 and had kept an eye on Grant, an unrestricted free agent. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett served as a recruiter when Grant started to draw interest around the NFL.
“You know, other than the fact that Nathaniel Hackett had him at Jacksonville and I know he’s really, really fast,” LaFleur said of what he knew of Grant. “He seems like a great guy and I’m anxious t get a chance to see him develop.”
Hackett was a quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator during Grants four seasons in Jacksonville and had his most successful year in 2017 (30 carries for 248 yards and two touchdowns) when Hackett was calling plays for the Jaguars.
The Packers had an open roster spot due to the release of defensive tackle Mike Daniels. However, adding Grant wasn’t their only move.
Gutekunst signed former Wisconsin nose tackle Olive Sagapolu, a 6-1 1⁄2 331pound undrafted free agent who has been recovering from right rotator cuff surgery. In four seasons in Madison, he played in 44 games with 26 starts, totaling 61 tackles (31 solo), 10 tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception.
He injured his shoulder in October and spent the last nine months rehabbing in the hopes of being ready for the start of training camp. He had no idea when or if the calls would start coming, but the Packers decided he was worth looking at even though he’s still not 100%.”
“I’m very thankful to this organization for taking a chance on me,” Sagapolu said. “So, the best thing I can do is take each day, take each rep, take advantage of it and just have fun.”
Though he’s new to the team, there were quite a few players who recognized
Sagapolu from a YouTube video in which he does a standing backflip on the beach. At 331 pounds, it was an impressive feat and not unfamiliar to a lot of fellow big men.
“A lot of them kind of recognized me,” he said. “A lot of them kind of asked, ‘Are you the big guy, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I guess that’s pretty cool in a sense. You’re the big guy that does the flips. So, yeah, take it with a grain of salt.”
Jones reports
After missing the voluntary portion of offseason workouts, Josh Jones was present at minicamp and vowed he would report to training camp.
The third-year safety followed through last Wednesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst said. Jones, who reportedly wants to be traded but declined that notion when speaking to reporters in June, reported to the team ahead of Thursday’s start to training camp.
Jones did not participate in minicamp because of a hamstring injury sustained while working out away from team facilities this spring, but he was neither listed on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury lists this week.
“I expect him to (participate),” Gutekunst said. “He’s here today.”
Gary quickly adapting to Pettine’s system
At the University of Michigan as fellow students tracked how they could reach their professional aspirations, learning from the best in their chosen field, Rashan Gary was no different.
Gary, the Green Bay Packers’ firstround rookie and formerly the nation’s top high school recruit, said he spent much of his free time dissecting film from two defenders in particular: Julius Peppers and Aaron Donald. But he didn’t look at Peppers’ tape with the Panthers or Donald’s film with the Rams. No, Gary went all the way back to their college days, pulling Peppers’ film at the University of North Carolina and Donald’s from the University of Pittsburgh.
“I did that just to see the growth,” Gary said. “It wasn’t that I would just watch it to get moves from that. I was watching it to see his growth as a player. You see what they’re doing to change their body. You see how they love the game, watching film. If an elite player like that is out there like this, studying like this, I want to be great. So why not look at a player that’s on his way to being great right now?”
It’s much too soon to know if Gary will be great, but the Packers have to be pleased with their top rookie’s start. Gary spent years preparing to be an NFL player. Through two days in pads, he has certainly looked the part.