Time to get excited about OTA's

packersfan152

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With OTA's coming this week, I have a couple players that I am quietly rooting for.

Derek Sherrod- I hope he comes in and shows that he is actually worth the first round pick. I know he will be a little sloppy, but I think he can come back and show that if an injury occurs (let's hope it doesn't) he can be a swing man.

Jamari Lattimore- I hope he comes in with a little bit of swagger and attitude to him. He showed flashes when he had to step in for Jones, and I like him better next to Hawk. He reminds me a little of Bishop and can hopefully be a nice rotational player.

Colt Lyerla- I am really rooting for this guy. IF he can stay focused I think he might be the biggest steal in the draft. Finley is out, Quarless isn't the answer and I think Lyerla can run the seam when asked.
 
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With OTA's coming this week, I have a couple players that I am quietly rooting for.

Derek Sherrod- I hope he comes in and shows that he is actually worth the first round pick. I know he will be a little sloppy, but I think he can come back and show that if an injury occurs (let's hope it doesn't) he can be a swing man.

Jamari Lattimore- I hope he comes in with a little bit of swagger and attitude to him. He showed flashes when he had to step in for Jones, and I like him better next to Hawk. He reminds me a little of Bishop and can hopefully be a nice rotational player.

Colt Lyerla- I am really rooting for this guy. IF he can stay focused I think he might be the biggest steal in the draft. Finley is out, Quarless isn't the answer and I think Lyerla can run the seam when asked.

I agree with you on Sherrod and Lyerla, don´t think Lattimore´s capable of being a starter.
 

TJV

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IMO the new CBA was too restrictive regarding restricting the amount of time teams can coach players during the off season. It's one thing to restrict the amount of physical contact, but it's counter productive to be so restrictive on how much time particularly young players can spend with coaches. Those restrictions particularly hurt teams like the Packers who rely on youngsters more than the average NFL team. That's why I think it's BS for the NFL to schedule Rookie Premiere during a time when teams are doing OTAs. Not only that but if Rookie Premiere is more than just a PR gig - it has seminars focused on financial planning and social media best practices among other things - why not expose all rookies to it? And if it is just a PR stunt, why not schedule it before teams start OTAs?

Davante Adams and Khyri Thornton aren't in Green Bay because of Rookie Premiere. That's not a huge deal but because of the new CBA restrictions I think its BS. I'm just happy Clinton-Dix and the rest of the rookies somehow escaped it.
 
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IMO the new CBA was too restrictive regarding restricting the amount of time teams can coach players during the off season. It's one thing to restrict the amount of physical contact, but it's counter productive to be so restrictive on how much time particularly young players can spend with coaches. Those restrictions particularly hurt teams like the Packers who rely on youngsters more than the average NFL team. That's why I think it's BS for the NFL to schedule Rookie Premiere during a time when teams are doing OTAs. Not only that but if Rookie Premiere is more than just a PR gig - it has seminars focused on financial planning and social media best practices among other things - why not expose all rookies to it? And if it is just a PR stunt, why not schedule it before teams start OTAs?

Davante Adams and Khyri Thornton aren't in Green Bay because of Rookie Premiere. That's not a huge deal but because of the new CBA restrictions I think its BS. I'm just happy Clinton-Dix and the rest of the rookies somehow escaped it.

I agree that it´s contra-productive to schedule the rookie premiere during OTAs, but the NFLPA is to blame for that as they´re the ones organizing the event. The rookie symposium, which is held by the league, will take place between the offseason program and the start of camp and all rookies will be allowed to attend.
 

TJV

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I came upon this while reading the article on the Packers website about Davon House:
Since offseason rules prohibit players from doing anything with footballs until OTAs begin, House and Tramon Williams decided to work with a tennis ball machine for a few weeks. For one exercise, they’d lay on their back, pop up when they heard the machine launch the ball, and then have to find it and catch it.
http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...re-hands/a9d09131-20ac-4fb3-8f0b-86eb29e52eab

That’s got to be a misprint, right? I would understand if the CBA prohibits players on a team from getting together and scrimmaging on their own, but the CBA can’t really prohibit two players from playing catch with a football, can it? :D

BTW, Wilde has an article about Tramon Williams. He’s another year away from the nerve damage he did to his shoulder in the 2011 opener. It’s still a little weaker than his other shoulder but as the article says he played very well during the last part of the season - Whitt says from the Giants game on. The Packers may not be able to keep him after this season but having “the old” Tramon for all of this season would be fantastic. http://espnmadison.com/common/page.php?feed=2&id=14421&is_corp=1
 
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Since offseason rules prohibit players from doing anything with footballs until OTAs begin...

That’s got to be a misprint, right? I would understand if the CBA prohibits players on a team from getting together and scrimmaging on their own, but the CBA can’t really prohibit two players from playing catch with a football, can it? :D

I thought exactly the same when I read the article and took a look at the CBA because of it. It was a misprint as players are allowed to get together and practice on their own and use footballs on these occasions. But in phase one of the offseason workout program, which consists of the first two weeks, no footballs are premitted to be used except of a QB throwing to a WR provided that they aren´t covered by anyone.
 

Passepartout

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Seems like that only the QB and WR only can be using the footballs. Sounds boring but oh well.
 

TJV

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Tyler Dunne says the biggest surprise of OTAs/minicamp for him was the entire TE group. He said Richard Rodgers makes catches every day that “make you turn your head”, and he said Bostick returned from his foot surgery and has had good practices as well. ‘Collectively as a group, TEs made plays every day’. Dunne says he doesn’t know who will be the starter – Quarless didn’t practice – and of course they weren’t in pads but early returns on the TEs are good.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/packers.html
 
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I never get excited about OTAs.

Some guys can look great when there's no threat of being hit and then not so impressive in game action. There's no substitute for preseason games in sorting out the keepers from the pretenders and the guys who will get snaps from the ones who ride the bench. That is, no substitute short of regular season game action.
 
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Tyler Dunne says the biggest surprise of OTAs/minicamp for him was the entire TE group. He said Richard Rodgers makes catches every day that “make you turn your head”, and he said Bostick returned from his foot surgery and has had good practices as well. ‘Collectively as a group, TEs made plays every day’. Dunne says he doesn’t know who will be the starter – Quarless didn’t practice – and of course they weren’t in pads but early returns on the TEs are good.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/packers.html

I like the fact that the TE group has looked good so far in OTAs and minicamp but I have to agree with HRE that it doesn´t mean anything once the pads come on. Being on the All-Oneida team won´t help us win games come September.
 

TJV

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Of course newcomers can’t make the team before the pads come on, and I’ve mentioned many, many times over the years a caveat about it being ‘very early’ before offering opinions on newcomers. But consider the conclusions some have arrived at shortly after the draft concerning the potential contribution of rookies; certainly OTAs and minicamp provide more information than opinions on how rookies will adapt to the NFL based upon nothing NFL related. I agree with, “former GM Ron Wolf (who) used to say that you can’t rule anybody “in” after the post-draft minicamp but you most certainly can rule someone “out.” http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/more.php?m=15&r=18&item_id=784

Joey Jamison is one of the best examples of being ruled out before the pads came on. He was a 5th round pick in 2000 drafted to replace Desmond Howard at PR. In one of the first practices that spring Wolf stood on the sideline watching him field several punts, dropping most of them. (I think it was Jason Wilde who reported) Wolf famously saying, "I guess I (expletive) that one up".

So of course I wasn’t anointing Richard Rodgers as the next great NFL TE. But when someone who watched all the OTAs and minicamps the media was allowed to, picks the pass-catching ability of the TE group in general, and Rodgers’ in particular making catches every day that “make you turn your head” as the surprise of those practices that’s a good sign.
 
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HardRightEdge

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[Tyler Dunne] said Richard Rodgers makes catches every day that “make you turn your head”....

That can mean one of two things: (1) he maybe heard somebody say something that made him turn his head in which case he is not actually seeing the catches himself or (2) he is seeing some dreadful things that make him avert his eyes.

Aside from jokes about professional journalists using inapt metaphors, there is a point to be made.

I like to read what the journalists say to (1) get an idea of what the players, coaches or management claim to be thinking and measure that against my own perceptions and experience or (2) get the journalists personal observations and see if they resonate with my own perceptions and experience.

Personally, I'll wait until I have something to look at.
 
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jaybadger82

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I agree that it´s contra-productive to schedule the rookie premiere during OTAs, but the NFLPA is to blame for that as they´re the ones organizing the event. The rookie symposium, which is held by the league, will take place between the offseason program and the start of camp and all rookies will be allowed to attend.

The NFLPA is inept. I don't know the details about how the rookie premiere came about but let's not act like the NFL wasn't a participant in setting the terms. How does the league's decision to push the draft back several weeks go ignored? -That compresses the entire off season timeline for these things in an obvious television ratings grab...

In past years, I don't recall events like the rookie symposium interfering with off season activities and I suspect it's inaccurate to assume that the NFLPA is the sole culprit for the change. They are quite inept, though.
 
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HyponGrey

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The NFLPA is a bunch of veterans who don't want rookies to take their jobs, so of course the NFLPA is inept on this issue. It's part of why preseason will eventually get even shorter.
 
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The NFLPA is inept. I don't know the details about how the rookie premiere came about but let's not act like the NFL wasn't a participant in setting the terms. How does the league's decision to push the draft back several weeks go ignored? -That compresses the entire off season timeline for these things in an obvious television ratings grab...

In past years, I don't recall events like the rookie symposium interfering with off season activities and I suspect it's inaccurate to assume that the NFLPA is the sole culprit for the change. They are quite inept, though.

The NFLPA´s rookie premiere and the NFL´s rookie symposium are two completely different things. The NFLPA held their event during OTAs and invited only a handful of rookies to it, with attendance being mandatory. The NFL´s symposium is held this week after OTAs and all draftees can attend.

So I think it´s fair to blame solely the NFLPA on Adams and Thornton missing two OTA practices because of them having to participate in the rookie premiere.
 

jaybadger82

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Ah, OK. Definitely sounds like the NFLPA drove this thing.

But, just to be clear, the rookie premiere is part of the collective bargaining agreement that the NFL agreed to, correct?
 
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Ah, OK. Definitely sounds like the NFLPA drove this thing.

But, just to be clear, the rookie premiere is part of the collective bargaining agreement that the NFL agreed to, correct?

Yes, it is part of the current CBA.
 

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