saw this interview with the coach online. nice to see the coach so candid in this interview, i guess he really opens up after being so guarded during the season.
On TE Spencer Havner's recent arrest: "I’ve talked to Spencer the Sunday after the accident, really just checking on him physically at that time, and that’s really all I have to report. We’re watching it, his situation. I think Spencer’s a quality person, I think he’s a good kid, I think he made a bad mistake. Without our doctors being able to lay their hands on him, I would just guess, but based on my conversation with him, (he'll be out) four to six weeks."
QB Aaron Rodgers' development and off-season focus: "There will be coaching points that he’ll be aware of. Just knowing him personally, that will probably be one of the things at the top of his list in his individual improvement. I look for him in his responsibility to get the ball out. Throwaways are OK. When a quarterback throws the ball away in our system that’s a plus. That’s a plus decision. That’s the way I’ve always graded it. I worked at a place that followed a system where the quarterback was taught to take the sack rather than force the throw. That’s kind of an old-school theory but it has existed in this game. I think as I sit here today we’ll be much better in that area. We better be. I can’t go through 50 sacks again. That was unbelievable. I’ve never been through anything like that."
Where he envisions T.J. Lang playing this year: "There’s a difference in opinion there. I think T.J.’s long-term, this is just me personally, Joe Philbin, James Campen and Jerry Fontenot, we go round and round about it, I think T.J.’s long-term is at guard. I think he’s a natural left guard, when I look at his body. But he is young. He needs to develops strength to hit that. He is a very young second-year player. There’s a lot of room for development. But you can’t argue with the fact that he’s a more natural tackle because that’s where he has played. He feels more natural at tackle because that’s where he has played. I definitely feel he could play right tackle today if he had to. And I think he’s done a solid job at subbing in there at LT when needed."
What hurdles he sees ahead for TE Jermichael Finley: "You always worry about young guys that have success that fast, that quick, particularly more when they aren't at work. I think we have a very good work environment. Jermichael, in particular loves football, the working out, the drill work, the one on one coaching with Ben McAdoo that you can’t get enough of. He’s at work, he’s got a big smile on
his face, but like a lot of guys you kind of worry about them once they leave the building. But it’s all part of growing up and handling success. I think success is the biggest challenge you have to handle in the National Football League, that’s something we talk about a lot."
Whether the Packers will draft an offensive lineman: "I don’t know how the board’s going to go. It depends how the draft goes. I would think so, but crazier things have happened through the draft. Especially with it being three days now, I mean …
His assessment of CB Al Harris' rehab: "he’s still in Florida right now, he’ll be coming up, I don’t have the exact date as far as with (team physician) Pat(McKenzie), but I talked to Al seven, eight, nine days ago. It’s a significant injury. He’s in a very positive mindset right now, which is good to see. He struggled there. I mean, that was a real serious injury. His first couple weeks there were tough. He had to go in and get the adjustment, Pat had to take him in twice and try to get the full range of motion in his knee. But he’s doing drills, movement drills, and he feels he’s really making progress, and we’ll just continue to watch that and see how he responds."
An update on DE Justin Harrell: "Justin, this is the best he’s looked in the strength and conditioning part of it. I don’t think you can really evaluate him until he gets out there and puts the pads on and
torques. D-line is different, but I know Mike Trgovac really liked what he saw last year in the spring. I know Dave Redding and Mark Lovat feel good about where he is in the weight room compared to this time last year, so he’s made progress, but until he gets in there and you see him torque and play with
leverage that’s when the lower back will be tested."
Whether having the umpire in the backfield would have benefited the Packers at the end of the Arizona playoff game: "I think it definitely would have helped. Our quarterback, I think, definitely could be protected more than he was last year. There were a number of times that he was hit and penalties were not called and fines probably followed. Not that I’m aware of that, but if you looked at it, it was probably out there. That’s all you want. You want your quarterback protected like the other team’s quarterback. That’s the basic request that I have every week when I talk to the officials."
On Flordia quarterback Tim Tebow: He’s a winner, and I’m excited to see what he does in the National Football League. He wins games, he’s a tremendous competitor and he’s like a lot of young quarterbacks, there’s some things he can work on to improve on, but you can see his tremendous passion in the way he plays the game, and it will be interesting to see who has the opportunity to
develop him. I’d love the opportunity to develop him."
On the fact FB John Kuhn is the only unsigned RFA taking part in off-season workouts (Kuhn signed a waiver to allow him to participate): That’s business. We’ve been in communication with all those guys, so it’s been healthy. I know Atari, Mark Lovat’s talked with every single one of those guys to make sure they know what we’re doing, the things we changed in the weight room so when they come back they won’t (wonder) what’s that exercise? Just the little stuff like that, but I think those guys are all pros. I don’t worry about any of them from a conditioning or strength standpoint. It’s a business decision."
On cornerback Pat Lee, who was put on injured reserve with a knee injury: Patrick Lee looks good. His wasn’t really a season-long injury. He could probably have been ready in December if he had to, somewhere in that time. He had pink eye last week, but other than that he looks good. He wore sunglasses in my meeting. He told me about it and then I yelled at (trainer) Pepper (Burruss) for not telling me he had pink eye. You walk into a team meeting and you’ve got a guy sitting there with sunglasses on, I don’t know if that’s normal anywhere else."
On TE Spencer Havner's recent arrest: "I’ve talked to Spencer the Sunday after the accident, really just checking on him physically at that time, and that’s really all I have to report. We’re watching it, his situation. I think Spencer’s a quality person, I think he’s a good kid, I think he made a bad mistake. Without our doctors being able to lay their hands on him, I would just guess, but based on my conversation with him, (he'll be out) four to six weeks."
QB Aaron Rodgers' development and off-season focus: "There will be coaching points that he’ll be aware of. Just knowing him personally, that will probably be one of the things at the top of his list in his individual improvement. I look for him in his responsibility to get the ball out. Throwaways are OK. When a quarterback throws the ball away in our system that’s a plus. That’s a plus decision. That’s the way I’ve always graded it. I worked at a place that followed a system where the quarterback was taught to take the sack rather than force the throw. That’s kind of an old-school theory but it has existed in this game. I think as I sit here today we’ll be much better in that area. We better be. I can’t go through 50 sacks again. That was unbelievable. I’ve never been through anything like that."
Where he envisions T.J. Lang playing this year: "There’s a difference in opinion there. I think T.J.’s long-term, this is just me personally, Joe Philbin, James Campen and Jerry Fontenot, we go round and round about it, I think T.J.’s long-term is at guard. I think he’s a natural left guard, when I look at his body. But he is young. He needs to develops strength to hit that. He is a very young second-year player. There’s a lot of room for development. But you can’t argue with the fact that he’s a more natural tackle because that’s where he has played. He feels more natural at tackle because that’s where he has played. I definitely feel he could play right tackle today if he had to. And I think he’s done a solid job at subbing in there at LT when needed."
What hurdles he sees ahead for TE Jermichael Finley: "You always worry about young guys that have success that fast, that quick, particularly more when they aren't at work. I think we have a very good work environment. Jermichael, in particular loves football, the working out, the drill work, the one on one coaching with Ben McAdoo that you can’t get enough of. He’s at work, he’s got a big smile on
his face, but like a lot of guys you kind of worry about them once they leave the building. But it’s all part of growing up and handling success. I think success is the biggest challenge you have to handle in the National Football League, that’s something we talk about a lot."
Whether the Packers will draft an offensive lineman: "I don’t know how the board’s going to go. It depends how the draft goes. I would think so, but crazier things have happened through the draft. Especially with it being three days now, I mean …
His assessment of CB Al Harris' rehab: "he’s still in Florida right now, he’ll be coming up, I don’t have the exact date as far as with (team physician) Pat(McKenzie), but I talked to Al seven, eight, nine days ago. It’s a significant injury. He’s in a very positive mindset right now, which is good to see. He struggled there. I mean, that was a real serious injury. His first couple weeks there were tough. He had to go in and get the adjustment, Pat had to take him in twice and try to get the full range of motion in his knee. But he’s doing drills, movement drills, and he feels he’s really making progress, and we’ll just continue to watch that and see how he responds."
An update on DE Justin Harrell: "Justin, this is the best he’s looked in the strength and conditioning part of it. I don’t think you can really evaluate him until he gets out there and puts the pads on and
torques. D-line is different, but I know Mike Trgovac really liked what he saw last year in the spring. I know Dave Redding and Mark Lovat feel good about where he is in the weight room compared to this time last year, so he’s made progress, but until he gets in there and you see him torque and play with
leverage that’s when the lower back will be tested."
Whether having the umpire in the backfield would have benefited the Packers at the end of the Arizona playoff game: "I think it definitely would have helped. Our quarterback, I think, definitely could be protected more than he was last year. There were a number of times that he was hit and penalties were not called and fines probably followed. Not that I’m aware of that, but if you looked at it, it was probably out there. That’s all you want. You want your quarterback protected like the other team’s quarterback. That’s the basic request that I have every week when I talk to the officials."
On Flordia quarterback Tim Tebow: He’s a winner, and I’m excited to see what he does in the National Football League. He wins games, he’s a tremendous competitor and he’s like a lot of young quarterbacks, there’s some things he can work on to improve on, but you can see his tremendous passion in the way he plays the game, and it will be interesting to see who has the opportunity to
develop him. I’d love the opportunity to develop him."
On the fact FB John Kuhn is the only unsigned RFA taking part in off-season workouts (Kuhn signed a waiver to allow him to participate): That’s business. We’ve been in communication with all those guys, so it’s been healthy. I know Atari, Mark Lovat’s talked with every single one of those guys to make sure they know what we’re doing, the things we changed in the weight room so when they come back they won’t (wonder) what’s that exercise? Just the little stuff like that, but I think those guys are all pros. I don’t worry about any of them from a conditioning or strength standpoint. It’s a business decision."
On cornerback Pat Lee, who was put on injured reserve with a knee injury: Patrick Lee looks good. His wasn’t really a season-long injury. He could probably have been ready in December if he had to, somewhere in that time. He had pink eye last week, but other than that he looks good. He wore sunglasses in my meeting. He told me about it and then I yelled at (trainer) Pepper (Burruss) for not telling me he had pink eye. You walk into a team meeting and you’ve got a guy sitting there with sunglasses on, I don’t know if that’s normal anywhere else."