Price to mix smarts, strength
If nose tackle Brian
Price makes the Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster, it’s not going to be because he’s stronger than the guy across from him.
It’s going to be because he’s stronger than the guy across from him and can use it to his advantage.
The 6-3, 322-pound Price is the only true nose tackle on the team other than Kenny Clark and Letroy Guion, the latter of whom will miss at least the first four games because of a suspension. There’s room for Price to carve out a spot for himself after getting a small taste of action as a rookie last year.
But it will require him to play smarter.
“I think between last year and I’d say this year, I have a lot better IQ for the game,” said Price, an undrafted rookie who was active for two games in ’16.
“I can slow things down, whether it’s a block in front of me or if it’s a play in the backfield. That’s the comparison with being a rookie last year where you’re everywhere, eyes are everywhere and you can’t stop moving enough.
“Sometimes it’s good to just slow yourself down a little bit and make the play.”
Slowing down is not something that comes easy for Price.
He does 200 push-ups a day during the off-season and his mentor is fellow defensive lineman Mike
Daniels, which pretty much says it all.
“I’m kind of a brutal guy,” he said. “I don’t mind the contact. So, if we’re hitting hard, count me in. I’m in for it.”
Price has been using his impressive upperbody strength to bull rush opponents, but with short arms he has to use proper form in order to disengage and get to the quarterback or running back. Defensive line coach
Mike Trgovac is trying to get him to use his feet to help set up the bull rush, and there are times Price gets it and times he doesn’t.
You can tell in one-onone pass rush drills when he gets it because the other player usually gets pushed back 5 yards. When he doesn’t, he gets swallowed up.
“That’s one thing I try to specialize in is my bull rush,” he said. “It’s good to have a crazy mentor like Mike. I get to pick up small things along the way from him and he gives me tips. His No. 1 tip for me is be yourself, be crazy. I’m cool with that.
“But it’s all about technique as far as your bull rush goes, as contradictory as that sounds. Otherwise, it could be a mess.” Bad day for Bennett:
It probably would have been better if tight end Martellus Bennett had been given Thursday night off.
Besides already being bothered by allergies, Bennett hurt an elbow in a blocking drill, tripped on the turf in the Don Hutson Center running a slant route and dropped a pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“It was one of those days for me, like the damn elbow, or get caught in the turf, the ball’s coming,” Bennett said. “It was one of those days where stuff just happens. Nothing was going my way.
“It was a rough day. I
looked at Aaron and I said, ‘I don’t know what the (expletive) is going on today.’” Paying his dues: Rookie cornerback Kevin King wasn’t flipping out over being picked on in the 2-minute drill Thursday. At the request of cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt, Rodgers and receiver Jordy Nelson went at King, connecting for three decent-sized gains, including a 10-yard back shoulder touchdown.
“Of course, you want to be tested,” said King, the Packers’ top pick in the 2017 draft. “You want to know where you’re at, especially against the best quarterback in the world. It was definitely a learning experience. I want to keep learning.”
Waters to IR: Cornerback Herb Waters reverted to injured reserve a day after the Packers waived him injured.
Waters, an undrafted free agent from Miami, hurt a shoulder during minicamp in June and aggravated the problem during the first practice of training camp. He didn’t practice again and was waived-injured Aug. 3.
“I mean it’s unfortunate to have the back-toback injuries, but Herb, we were all excited about him,” coach Mike McCarthy
said. “You could definitely see the talent. Just the type of kid, young man that he is, I really thought he’d be competing for a spot on our 53man roster.” Tight end Beau Sandland hobbled through the locker room with his left leg in an immobilizer. Sandland dropped out of Thursday’s practice with a knee injury and did not return.
He told reporters Friday that the injury wasn’t serious and wouldn’t require surgery.
Official visit: Referee Carl Cheffers and members of his crew spent the day in meetings with Packers players and coaches to familiarize themselves with some of the plays they’ll be seeing this year and offer guidance on how those plays might get called during the season.
The officials, who are here for three days and work the practices, meet with position groups for question-and-answer sessions related to rule changes, points of emphasis this season and interpretation of existing rules.
“There’s a lot of interaction,” Cheffers said. “They have questions on things that come up during the day. We did a lot of video of practice. Coaches were asking us on different events that took place and wanting clarification.”
One of the rule changes this year is a softening on illegal celebrations. Players can go back to group celebrations, using the ball as a prop or going to the ground.
The Lambeau Leap was grandfathered in when the stricter rules were put in place, but only one player could leap in the stands. Now multiple players can do so, but a 40-second clock starts after the touchdown is ruled official and the celebrants have to be off the field before the clock expires on the extra point or they’ll be called for delay of game.
“That would probably preclude them from having too many (do the leap),” Cheffers said.