Bennett supports brother’s stance on protest
GREEN BAY – Tight end Martellus Bennett said he supports his older brother Michael Bennett’s decision to protest by sitting through the national anthem, but the Green Bay Packers tight end has no plans to do the same.
Michael Bennett, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle, sat through the national anthem before the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers to protest racial inequality. It’s a stand former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a year ago, which first gained national attention when he did it before the Packers’ exhibition in San Francisco last August.
In the Packers’ locker room Tuesday, Martellus Bennett said he’s proud of his brother’s bravery and community outreach.
“I support Michael in everything he does,” Bennett said. “He’s very welleducated on what it is he wants to happen in the world, and what he’s trying to communicate, and I think he does an awesome job. I love him to death, and I think he’s very courageous in the position he’s in and the things that he says, and I’m proud to be his brother and see him make the impact that he does — not just with stances like that but the work that he does in the community, the type of father he is.’’
Bennett said he did not know his brother was going to protest during the anthem before it happened. The brothers are very close, but conversations are more rare during busy training camp schedules.
Like his older brother, Bennett doesn’t shy away from being outspoken on racial issues. Asked if he thought about joining his brother’s protest, Bennett said he prefers to protest in other ways.
“I make my statements every day,” Bennett said. “I’m more of an in-themoment-type guy. I don’t pre-plan anything like that. If it happens, it happens. I’ll never do anything out of malicious intent, but I support him. I support his movement. I support Colin Kaepernick, I support all the guys —
Angela Davis — all the people that came before us to pave the way for what we’re trying to do in the black community.
“I support everybody and always will. I always will be very pro black, I guess would be the term to say.” Injuries accumulating: Ty Montgomery did not practice Tuesday because of a lower-body injury that the running back said was related to “just soft-tissue stuff.”
Soft tissue can be a wide variety of injuries. Asked if the “soft tissue” was his hamstring or quadriceps, two common areas for football players, Montgomery refused to give specifics.
“I’m not telling you what it is,” Montgomery said.
The Packers held their first open practice since Thursday’s preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Montgomery described the injury as “nothing major” and said he missed Tuesday’s practice as a precaution.
As for whether Montgomery’s injury might prevent him from playing in the exhibition Saturday in Washington, Montgomery said, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
Rookie receiver DeAngelo Yancey also missed Tuesday’s practice with a groin injury. Rookie safety Josh Jones dropped out of practice with an apparent right-ankle injury.
Jones hobbled off the practice field and pointed at his right ankle as if he had been kicked or stepped on. On the sideline, trainers put a bandage on his ankle before wrapping it in tape. He watched a few practice periods on a cart with a large ice pack wrapped around his ankle before being taken away.
That Jones wasn’t immediately removed from the field suggested the injury wasn’t too severe.
Cornerback Davon House did not return to practice. House missed the preseason opener and has not practiced since injuring his hamstring during the night practice at Lambeau Field on Aug. 5. Rookie defensive tackle Montravius Adams attended his first practice since early in camp. Adams said he stopped wearing his walking boot Monday. His surgically repaired left foot is still sore, Adams said, and he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to participate in practice.
Meanwhile, coach Mike McCarthy effectively ruled out four players for Saturday’s game, including cornerback Damarious Randall. Randall and rookie receiver Malchi Dupre remain in the concussion protocol, McCarthy said. Don Barclay, the backup center, and rookie outside linebacker Vince Biegel also remain sidelined.
The Packers also announced they released defensive end Shaneil Jenkins, who had been signed Sunday after being waived by the Seahawks. Jenkins failed to pass a physical. Blindsided: Although the hard hit Eagles safety Tre Sullivan delivered against Dupre might have looked worse, it wasn’t the only blow that rankled the Packers during their exhibition opener.
Randall sustained a concussion when Eagles receiver Bryce Treggs delivered a blindside block. Video shows Treggs loading up for the hit, taking advantage of the unsuspecting Randall.
Joe Whitt Jr., the Packers’ cornerbacks coach, said there’s no place in the game for such a block.
“Damarious did everything he was supposed to,” Whitt said. “Just thinking about that play, that’s the type of play that we want to get out of this game. We’re looking to grow the game — and I want my son to play — and make this game as safe as possible. That’s the type of play that shouldn’t be in the game.” Rodgers’ plan: Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t say if he’ll play this weekend at Washington, but he doesn’t expect to sit the entire preseason.
“I would assume,” Rodgers said, “this year with Denver being the third preseason game, I’ll play for sure in that one.”
If Rodgers plays only in the third exhibition, it would follow the plan the Packers used last year. Rodgers got two snaps in their third exhibition at the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, and that was it.
Rodgers said there’s some benefit to having a trip to Denver fall on the Packers’ third preseason week — even he gets only limited snaps.
“That altitude will help with the conditioning,” Rodgers said, “because it’s tough to play out there.”
Bad-ball catcher: The footballs Trevor Davis fields as a punt returner might suit him best.
They rotate end over end, not in a pretty spiral. They can land 5, 10, 15 yards from where Davis starts. They are intentionally difficult to catch.
According to Rodgers, that’s just the way Davis likes it. “I laugh with (quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt) sometimes,” Rodgers said, “because it’s almost better when you throw him a bad ball. He’s probably the best bad-ball catcher we’ve got. He can catch a ball running full speed, a foot behind him, in front of him. Sometimes it’s the ones right at him that he struggles with.”
Davis appears to have the starting punt return job secured after his 68yard touchdown against the Eagles. As for Davis’ progress as a receiver, Rodgers said he has been impressed.
“He’s had a really nice camp,” Rodgers said. No sweet 16: Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said when he watched film of last week’s game, he attributed 16 missed tackles to the defense.
Capers said that total was far too high and he expects the tackling will improve, starting Saturday.
“I feel that we’ll get much better,” Capers said. “We expect to improve this week. Every step in preseason, you guys watch us tackle every day on the practice field, and then all of a sudden you get in a real game and the level steps up. Now, here in about three or four weeks, it’s going to really step up and go from preseason to the regular season. It’s something we’ve got to learn from because it’s obviously very important for us.”