2015 Packers notes

[PikeBadger]

Hyde and Montgomery are penciled in as the starting punt and kickoff returners entering the season:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/320820431.html

Undrafted free agent TE Mitchell Henry has impressed the coaches so far in camp. He has been able to pick up the blocking assignments, including from the fullback position, and has shown a knack for getting open, making a number of good catches over the middle.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/320828561.html

Very good news. I'm also reading on NFL mobile that Richard Rodgers is coming along well and may be primed to exceed the perceptions and expectations of some people here.
On the other side of the coin, apparently the ILB's in competition for roster spots have not shown particularly well.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Very good news. I'm also reading on NFL mobile that Richard Rodgers is coming along well and may be primed to exceed the perceptions and expectations of some people here.
On the other side of the coin, apparently the ILB's in competition for roster spots have not shown particularly well.

Yeah, Richard Rodgers seems to have taken a step entering his second season and had probably the best catch in camp so far this week. McCarthy called out the inside linebackers and demanded more plays out of the group after Monday´s practice. It shouldn´t come as a surprise to any Packers fan though as the position wasn´t adequately addressed during the offseason.

 

[Vrill]

I'm feeling A LOT better about our CB/DB situation now. Randall and Gunter have been looking good and making plays from a lot of reports I am seeing. I wonder how Rollins and Goodson have been looking?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I'm feeling A LOT better about our CB/DB situation now. Randall and Gunter have been looking good and making plays from a lot of reports I am seeing. I wonder how Rollins and Goodson have been looking?

Rollins broke up a deep ball by Rodgers to Montgomery and gave up a 26-yard reception to White during Tuesday's practice (the first one he participated in 11-on-11 team drills). He mostly rotated with Gunter as the dime corner. Goodson broke up two passes late during that practice, but has already dropped behind Gunter on the depth chart. He´s on every #1 special teams unit though.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Richard Rodgers, in a rare moment of candor and self-critique in this game (or was it a bit of Berkeley dialectic, 1/2 self-critique, 1/2 sarcasm?), said regarding his diving, one-handed flash play, “It was just a little out in front of me. If I was faster, I could have caught it with two hands,” Rodgers said, cracking a smile. “I have to work on my speed.”

http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...ext-step/e61117dd-a955-42e7-a0e9-afc746098863

I have little doubt he'll prove to be an adequate receiver. However, he should not be confused with a downfield, seam-busting threat, such as Finley, that will draw special attention in opponents' game planning. But he doesn't have to be.

Where he does need to improve over last season? Simple...he needs to be a better blocker.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Where he does need to improve over last season? Simple...he needs to be a better blocker.

Rodgers´ pass blocking was fine but he definitely needs to improve as a run blocker. While he improved over the course of the regular season in 2014 he declined during the playoffs once again.

 

[Half Empty]

A player can't win a job on practice play along. But he can lose one. It's a war of attrition. Along those lines, when the reporters tell us a guy isn't getting first or second team snaps, that can be meaningful in that he just might have attrited himself off the team.

Besides...what do we have to look at unless you're at the practice field? Second hand sources? One day they'll have you going gaga over Gunter knocking Abbrederis on his butt (or head as the case might be) and stealing the ball; the next day he's getting lit up.

I believe I'd actually like to see guys play with my own eyes before settling on judgements. How does that not make sense?

No problem if that's your criterion. My point was that, if you're going to wait for 'some, if not all' of the preseason games to make a judgement, I wouldn't expect to hear from you along those lines until just before the regular season starts.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Nick Perry, who missed the entire offseason program but was cleared for camp and participated in the first five practices, not practicing today. Sam Shields not practicing either.

 

[HardRightEdge]

On the other side of the coin, apparently the ILB's in competition for roster spots have not shown particularly well.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/320630062.html

McCarthy summed up the issue as follows:

“There’s too much thinking going on, and that’s understandable,” McCarthy said. “Particularly today was a very challenging installation for our defense, particularly the inside linebackers, just their volume of responsibility and communication. You’ll probably see a little more of that hopefully as the week comes to a conclusion. They need to settle in and start playing.”

This is an occupational hazard at the position, and especially in the Capers defense. The issue is compounded by the fact that the guys competing are the rookie Ryan and the OLB conversions who have little experience (or shall we say no game experience) at the position.

Cohen reported on Ryan, a pretty smart and experienced major college player:

"Ryan, a rookie from Michigan drafted by the Packers in the fourth round, acknowledged the difficulty of each new installation and said mistakes are bound to happen. He has caught himself overthinking, allowing concepts to get 'jumbled around' in his head, and the result is even more of an emphasis on film study to make the proper adjustments. 'There’s going to be stuff that I need to improve in,' Ryan said. 'That’s just a matter of getting in your playbook, getting the film, asking the older guys, stuff that you need to do. That’s what I’m doing right now.'

Which "older guys", one wonders? Barrington and Matthews each have a 1/2 season under there belts.

On a related note, reports indicate Matthews has been working mostly in base defense, flipping the script from last season where he did most of his inside work in nickel. This could be a function of the fact Matthews had little or no previous work in that role and they want to explore the depth of Matthews' versatility and what kind of chemistry evolves out of it. Or it could be the plan, in which case somebody will have to step up to a 65% snap count.

Perhaps some de-installation will eventually be in order, in keeping with the McCarthy defensive theme for this year: less scheme, more pre-snap adjustments.

 

[Mondio]

Rodgers´ pass blocking was fine but he definitely needs to improve as a run blocker. While he improved over the course of the regular season in 2014 he declined during the playoffs once again.

I expect him to improve, simply because he has the tools to do so and by all reports, he works hard and puts in the time. He's young, even though he has a pretty large frame, it looks really immature to me at least. He hasn't peaked physically yet and has room to improve there too IMO and didn't he play WR his last year in college? so now he can actually put time into learning the craft of a NFL TE I think he will.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

On a related note, reports indicate Matthews has been working mostly in base defense, flipping the script from last season where he did most of his inside work in nickel. This could be a function of the fact Matthews had little or no previous work in that role and they want to explore the depth of Matthews' versatility and what kind of chemistry evolves out of it. Or it could be the plan, in which case somebody will have to step up to a 65% snap count.

Matthews has lined up inside a lot during camp so far and Capers has said the amount he plays there during the season will be determined both by how well his replacement at outside linebacker is playing and the opponent that week.

According to the defensive coordinatior they´ve concentrated a little bit more with him working on the inside, probably to this point it's been 2-to-1 inside to outside because he's played outside and he's got all that experience outside. He'll be moving around from week to week depending on the game-planning standpoint.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I expect him to improve, simply because he has the tools to do so and by all reports, he works hard and puts in the time. He's young, even though he has a pretty large frame, it looks really immature to me at least. He hasn't peaked physically yet and has room to improve there too IMO and didn't he play WR his last year in college? so now he can actually put time into learning the craft of a NFL TE I think he will.

Yeah, Rodgers slimmed down from 275 to 245 pounds before the 2013 season and moved to receiver his last year at Cal. He definitely has the atheltic ability and body frame at 257 pounds right now to improve as a run blocker.

 

[HardRightEdge]

No problem if that's your criterion. My point was that, if you're going to wait for 'some, if not all' of the preseason games to make a judgement, I wouldn't expect to hear from you along those lines until just before the regular season starts.

It was "settling on judgements", particularly regarding players we've never seen or those switching positions. And you won't hear from me about my thoughts on roster cuts vis a vis the bottom of the roster until we see these guys play.

This is a time for gathering a few impressions.

For example, much is being made of the 4 Rodgers picks. One thrown to Abbrederis...well, is that a function of the QB testing the skills of an unfamiliar player? Probably. Or how about the Randall pick against Adams? Rodgers was quite animated in protesting that Randall was OB. Maybe that was because he threw the ball where it couldn't be picked and he was OB. Or maybe this is shaping up to be a 2011-like secondary, alternating between route jumping interceptors and burn victims? And how about the stats from these drills? Is Rodgers beating these guys for 10 yards per attempt in between the picks (or non-picks as the case may be)?

The point being, getting jazzed about a report that a particular player made a splash play or two can get you yo-yoing...like with Gunter.

If you don't like my take, consider that of our estimable DC, in speaking of the secondary in particular:

"We're going to have to see these guys play a lot in the preseason."

 

[HardRightEdge]

Matthews has lined up inside a lot during camp so far and Capers has said the amount he plays there during the season will be determined both by how well his replacement at outside linebacker is playing and the opponent that week.

According to the defensive coordinatior they´ve concentrated a little bit more with him working on the inside, probably to this point it's been 2-to-1 inside to outside because he's played outside and he's got all that experience outside. He'll be moving around from week to week depending on the game-planning standpoint.

I saw that.

 

[Mondio]

I think the ability for Matthews to master the inside and outside position, makes this defense much better on that alone. Week to week, team to team, play to play, it gives us one heck of a football player to create mismatches with and confuse offenses and their planning.

 

[TJV]

It makes all kinds of sense to have Matthews taking a lot of snaps inside. Both he and Barrington should be better inside with the experience they've gained last season through this offseason. And they should be better after the time they've spent working together.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Damarious Randall is taking snaps as one of the gunners on the #1 coverage unit ahead of Jeff Janis today.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

It makes all kinds of sense to have Matthews taking a lot of snaps inside. Both he and Barrington should be better inside with the experience they've gained last season through this offseason. And they should be better after the time they've spent working together.

It would be great if Matthews would be able to get on the practice field again.

 

[Vrill]

Rollins broke up a deep ball by Rodgers to Montgomery and gave up a 26-yard reception to White during Tuesday's practice (the first one he participated in 11-on-11 team drills). He mostly rotated with Gunter as the dime corner. Goodson broke up two passes late during that practice, but has already dropped behind Gunter on the depth chart. He´s on every #1 special teams unit though.

Gunter makes the team assuming he stays the course.

Man, we are going to be deep in the secondary this coming season.

 

[Vrill]

Damarious Randall is taking snaps as one of the gunners on the #1 coverage unit ahead of Jeff Janis today.

Yeah, Randall was a special teams demon at Arizona State.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Gunter makes the team assuming he stays the course.

Gunter just picked off a deep pass by Rodgers for Janis. If he´s able to cover one of the fastest guys on the team on a deep route it doesn´t seem his lack of straight line speed is a huge issue.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Week to week, team to team, play to play, it gives us one heck of a football player to create mismatches with and confuse offenses and their planning.

Certainly. But if it confuses the defense and creates an unsteady chemistry it is all for naught.

There seems to be an undercurrent of debate between the head coach and the DC. The more McCarthy talks about less scheme, going on two years, the more variations Capers seems to add. McCarthy talks about less thinking and more instinct in the ILB crew; Capers continues to tinker with more personnel combinations and in encouraged by the play making in the backfield.

I've made no bones about my favoring the McCarthy approach. Perpetual youth and a complex defensive scheme makes for an unsteady combination. No doubt McCarthy is in an evaluation process with increased focus on the defense; any incremental changes he may prefer amounts to trying to steering the Capers battleship.

I happen to live in Buffalo, so I see a lot of the Bills play. I think this defense may be the best in the league, considering their offense can't stay on the field. I think most everybody here saw what they did against the Packers last year. They lined up in nickel/2-deep zone all day. Nothing fancy, no disguises, just guys lining up and playing football.

Consider this:

The Packers current salary cap commitments to the defense for 2015 and 2016 are $70.4 mil and $61.7 mil respectively.

Buffalo's current defensive cap commitments for 2015 and 2016 are $61.7 mil and $70.0 mil respectively. The let Byrd leave in FA and never lost a beat. They lost only one defensive player to FA, a DB, with a decent vet to take his place, so the low cap is not a function of house cleaning. It has nothing to do with having cheap QBs affording more money for the defense.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Gunter just picked off a deep pass by Rodgers for Janis. If he´s able to cover one of the fastest guys on the team on a deep route it doesn´t seem his lack of straight line speed is a huge issue.

Maybe Janis wasn't where he was supposed to be. Or maybe he didn't use his "catch radius". Rodgers has not had much opportunity to work with him, and there's not much margin for error in the World According to Rodgers.

 

[Mondio]

I think simple is better too, I approach everything in my life that way. I don't care if you have an experienced defense or a young one. By simply having Matthews move positions, I don't think it makes things complicated, you still can keep things simple, but he is far and away more athletic than anyone else other than Peppers who also lines up in various places but nobody seems to make mention of that. if you don't know if he's inside or outside and if he's going to attack from the inside to the other side, straight ahead or outside or zone blitz, it gives the offense more to guess about, not our defense.

 

[Half Empty]

It was "settling on judgements", particularly regarding players we've never seen or those switching positions. And you won't hear from me about my thoughts on roster cuts vis a vis the bottom of the roster until we see these guys play.

This is a time for gathering a few impressions.

For example, much is being made of the 4 Rodgers picks. One thrown to Abbrederis...well, is that a function of the QB testing the skills of an unfamiliar player? Probably. Or how about the Randall pick against Adams? Rodgers was quite animated in protesting that Randall was OB. Maybe that was because he threw the ball where it couldn't be picked and he was OB. Or maybe this is shaping up to be a 2011-like secondary, alternating between route jumping interceptors and burn victims? And how about the stats from these drills? Is Rodgers beating these guys for 10 yards per attempt in between the picks (or non-picks as the case may be)?

The point being, getting jazzed about a report that a particular player made a splash play or two can get you yo-yoing...like with Gunter.

If you don't like my take, consider that of our estimable DC, in speaking of the secondary in particular:

"We're going to have to see these guys play a lot in the preseason."

Bold #1 - pretty much in synch with my point, although, in addition to roster cuts, I'd expect no comments on the abilities, good or bad, of the players.

Bold #2 - when he starts posting here, I'll tell him the same thing.

My point was, and is, that if you don't want to comment on players based on the admittedly thin resumes that training camp provides, that's fine. Please don't take away the enjoyment of those who do.