RB Brandon Jackson 2nd round
WR James Jones 3rd round
S Aaron Rouse 3rd round
G Allen Barbre 4th round
LB Desmond Bishop 6th round
Article:
The improve-from-within philosophy Ted Thompson embraces as Green Bay Packers general manager relies on young players' ability to develop quickly and take on prominent roles.
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So, it has to be considered a good sign for the Packers that, among roughly 60 players who reported for the offseason strength and conditioning program in March, the five who have shown the most improvement hail from the 2007 draft class: Brandon Jackson, James Jones, Aaron Rouse, Allen Barbre and Desmond Bishop.
"Those five guys have really, really done a great job this offseason," strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson said this week. "You can see their confidence just is growing. You can see that they feel like they're filling into the veteran role and taking the challenge to improve. A lot of times, that's difficult, because the vets kind of watch out for each other a little bit. But of all the guys, those five guys really stick out as guys you'd have to consider for most improved."
Young players tend to make the biggest strides every offseason, because many begin to plateau physically by the time they're 27 or 28. Second-year players naturally can make major gains in their first full offseason in the program.
But the progress of last year's draft class, which had 34 starts in 2007, bodes particularly well for the team entering offseason practices in which Barbre is pushing for a starting job and players like Jackson and Jones must fend off challenges for their supporting roles.
This year, first- and second-year players reported for the offseason program March 17, two weeks before the veterans. The nine-week program is free weight-oriented and emphasizes progressive, functional training, with players evaluated for gains in strength, power, agility, acceleration and explosiveness.
According to Gullickson, each member of the improved fivesome — Jackson, Jones, Rouse, Barbre and Bishop — stands out in all five categories like "they're a different guy than they were previously."
"So many times, the case is where these fellas come off their senior years of college, they prepare for the combine and they go off to train a little bit further," Gullickson said. "They don't know exactly what's next and they're drafted and they go to a minicamp, and it's just one thing after the other, and they don't get on a good, solid program to help them specifically for football. Sure, they train for the combine, but there's other ways and other things that they need to take care of. So, all of a sudden, now they're settled down into a program, they know what to expect, they kind of grow into it and feel comfortable with it and know what's expected of them, and they flourish."
The program continues to evolve, too. Starting next week, the second of organized team activity practices, players for the first time will have a "regenerative" day — core stability work, rotational movements, balance and foot-speed drills — sandwiched between two 45-minute, full-body workouts. Next March, Gullickson hopes to conduct one-on-one interviews at the start of the program to tailor workouts to what players believe are their strengths and weaknesses.
Only Jones and fullback Korey Hall, a sixth-round pick, started at least half of the Packers' games (including playoffs) as rookies. However, each of the nine 2007 draftees who made the roster — two were cut — appeared in at least seven games, and sixth-round pick Mason Crosby won the place-kicking job.
Far more players than not need more than one offseason to make the leap on the field. For instance, the Packers' No. 1 pick in 2006, linebacker A.J. Hawk, didn't come on as many expected last season. But if even two members of the 2007 draft class break out this season like receiver Greg Jennings and defensive tackle Johnny Jolly did last season, it would be a welcome boost for a team coming off a 14-4 record and NFC championship game appearance.
The most obvious candidate is Barbre, a weight-room animal who has a good chance to unseat left guard Daryn Colledge. If Rouse performs well through training camp, coaches will be inclined to get him on the field regularly, at safety or elsewhere. Jackson (No. 2 running back) and Jones (No. 3 receiver) need to continue their progression to hold on to their respective roles, while Bishop could follow Tracy White and Jason Hunter as the latest defensive player to make a name on special teams.
All that's without mentioning the Packers' top draft pick in 2007, defensive tackle Justin Harrell, who injured a disc in his back while lifting weights last month and won't be cleared for contact until training camp. With Corey Williams' departure via trade and Jolly recovering from shoulder surgery, coaches remain hopeful Harrell can take on a prominent role.
"You look at him, you think, 'Wow — what could we mold him into?'" Gullickson said of Harrell, who started three games late last season. "The setback is something that, we'll have to start kind of back at square one. But he's going to be fine, and I know he's itching to get started."
WR James Jones 3rd round
S Aaron Rouse 3rd round
G Allen Barbre 4th round
LB Desmond Bishop 6th round
Article:
The improve-from-within philosophy Ted Thompson embraces as Green Bay Packers general manager relies on young players' ability to develop quickly and take on prominent roles.
Advertisement
So, it has to be considered a good sign for the Packers that, among roughly 60 players who reported for the offseason strength and conditioning program in March, the five who have shown the most improvement hail from the 2007 draft class: Brandon Jackson, James Jones, Aaron Rouse, Allen Barbre and Desmond Bishop.
"Those five guys have really, really done a great job this offseason," strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson said this week. "You can see their confidence just is growing. You can see that they feel like they're filling into the veteran role and taking the challenge to improve. A lot of times, that's difficult, because the vets kind of watch out for each other a little bit. But of all the guys, those five guys really stick out as guys you'd have to consider for most improved."
Young players tend to make the biggest strides every offseason, because many begin to plateau physically by the time they're 27 or 28. Second-year players naturally can make major gains in their first full offseason in the program.
But the progress of last year's draft class, which had 34 starts in 2007, bodes particularly well for the team entering offseason practices in which Barbre is pushing for a starting job and players like Jackson and Jones must fend off challenges for their supporting roles.
This year, first- and second-year players reported for the offseason program March 17, two weeks before the veterans. The nine-week program is free weight-oriented and emphasizes progressive, functional training, with players evaluated for gains in strength, power, agility, acceleration and explosiveness.
According to Gullickson, each member of the improved fivesome — Jackson, Jones, Rouse, Barbre and Bishop — stands out in all five categories like "they're a different guy than they were previously."
"So many times, the case is where these fellas come off their senior years of college, they prepare for the combine and they go off to train a little bit further," Gullickson said. "They don't know exactly what's next and they're drafted and they go to a minicamp, and it's just one thing after the other, and they don't get on a good, solid program to help them specifically for football. Sure, they train for the combine, but there's other ways and other things that they need to take care of. So, all of a sudden, now they're settled down into a program, they know what to expect, they kind of grow into it and feel comfortable with it and know what's expected of them, and they flourish."
The program continues to evolve, too. Starting next week, the second of organized team activity practices, players for the first time will have a "regenerative" day — core stability work, rotational movements, balance and foot-speed drills — sandwiched between two 45-minute, full-body workouts. Next March, Gullickson hopes to conduct one-on-one interviews at the start of the program to tailor workouts to what players believe are their strengths and weaknesses.
Only Jones and fullback Korey Hall, a sixth-round pick, started at least half of the Packers' games (including playoffs) as rookies. However, each of the nine 2007 draftees who made the roster — two were cut — appeared in at least seven games, and sixth-round pick Mason Crosby won the place-kicking job.
Far more players than not need more than one offseason to make the leap on the field. For instance, the Packers' No. 1 pick in 2006, linebacker A.J. Hawk, didn't come on as many expected last season. But if even two members of the 2007 draft class break out this season like receiver Greg Jennings and defensive tackle Johnny Jolly did last season, it would be a welcome boost for a team coming off a 14-4 record and NFC championship game appearance.
The most obvious candidate is Barbre, a weight-room animal who has a good chance to unseat left guard Daryn Colledge. If Rouse performs well through training camp, coaches will be inclined to get him on the field regularly, at safety or elsewhere. Jackson (No. 2 running back) and Jones (No. 3 receiver) need to continue their progression to hold on to their respective roles, while Bishop could follow Tracy White and Jason Hunter as the latest defensive player to make a name on special teams.
All that's without mentioning the Packers' top draft pick in 2007, defensive tackle Justin Harrell, who injured a disc in his back while lifting weights last month and won't be cleared for contact until training camp. With Corey Williams' departure via trade and Jolly recovering from shoulder surgery, coaches remain hopeful Harrell can take on a prominent role.
"You look at him, you think, 'Wow — what could we mold him into?'" Gullickson said of Harrell, who started three games late last season. "The setback is something that, we'll have to start kind of back at square one. But he's going to be fine, and I know he's itching to get started."