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OTA 4: JUNE 18-19
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<blockquote data-quote="TOPHAT" data-source="post: 155871" data-attributes="member: 781"><p><strong>TUESDAY UPDATES</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/includes/newspaper/blogs/insider/index.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.packersnews.com/includes/newspaper/blogs/insider/index.shtml</a></p><p></p><p><strong>The great unknown and other odds and ends</strong> </p><p></p><p>The Packers' offseason program ended Tuesday with the final session of organized team activities (OTAs), meaning the next time reporters and fans see the players on the field will be for the opening practice of training camp on July 28. Never in my 10 years covering the Packers have I had less of a feel for the team's No. 1 draft pick going into training camp than this year. Defensive tackle Justin Harrell, the 16th pick in April's draft, did next to nothing on the field during the minicamps and OTAs. Coming off the torn biceps tendon injury that limited him to only three games during his final season at Tennessee last fall, the Packers were extremely cautious with Harrell. He took part in only a handful of individual drill but got no work during any team (11-on-11) or one-on-one passing rushing drills. Coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday that team doctors should clear Harrell to return in a couple of weeks. However, there are no on-the-field sessions scheduled until training camp begins.</p><p></p><p>By all accounts, Harrell was an impact football player in college football when he's on the field. However, at this point, there's no way to know how he'll assimilate into the NFL game. Given that he has yet to go head-to-head against an NFL offensive linemen, it'll be a critical training camp for the rookie.</p><p></p><p><strong>Odds and ends:</strong> At first glance, McCarthy's training camp schedule looks a bit on the soft side. Never do the Packers practice more than four straight days and during what is usually a grinding time leading up to the first preseason game, the Packers have three days off. However, it's hard to blame McCarthy for changing things up given the way the Packers have started seasons recently. Last season, the Packers started 1-4. Before McCarthy arrived in 2006, the Packers started 0-4 in 2005, 1-4 in 2004 and 1-2 in 2003. ...</p><p>Though very little kicking took place during the OTA sessions open to reporters, Dave Rayner added a little spice to the kicking battle by missing a pair of 46-yard kicks. Rookie Mason Crosby, a sixth-round pick, nailed his only attempt, also from 46 yards. It'll be an interesting battle to watch in camp.</p><p></p><p>Is anyone else starting to wonder if Will Blackmon is just one of those guys who can never stay healthy? The cornerback, who is the leading candidate to become the nickel defensive back, missed most of the OTAs due to a groin injury. Last year, he missed all of training due to a broken foot and then when he finally returned, he lasted only a month before he sustained a season-ending rib injury.</p><p>_____________________________________________________________</p><p>ttp://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/19/packers-marviel-underwood-returns-to-practice/</p><p></p><p><strong>Packers' Underwood Returns to Practice</strong></p><p></p><p>After sitting out all of last season with a torn ACL, Green Bay Packers safety Marviel Underwood returned to the field much earlier than expected. Safety Marviel Underwood, who wasn't expected to participate in any team (11-on-11) drills until training camp, slipped into the defensive backfield for a few snaps during the team red zone sequence on Monday. The former fourth-round draft pick (2005) practiced yesterday [as noted] for the first time since the preseason of last year and by all accounts, looked pretty good. At one point he actually went one-on-one with a receiver in the red zone and came away with a deflection. <strong>This is great news for the Packers, who have been dealing with all sorts of little, annoying injuries this offseason</strong>. And while they are not exactly thin at safety, this just adds another quality talent to the battle for the starting job.</p><p>______________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/PKR01/706190434/1989" target="_blank">http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/PKR01/706190434/1989</a></p><p></p><p><strong>McCarthy's Year 2 goal? A good start</strong></p><p></p><p>If Mike McCarthy could have one do-over from his rookie season as an NFL head coach, he'd probably go back to late August. The Green Bay Packers had eight days between their second and third preseason games, and McCarthy put them through nearly a full week of practice, including six straight days of regular training camp workouts. The Packers subsequently were blown out, 48-17 by the Cincinnati Bengals, in what is typically the most important exhibition game because the starters see most of the playing time. That seemed to start a downward spiral that included the Week 1 shutout loss to the Chicago Bears at home and a 1-4 start. </p><p></p><p>Hindsight told McCarthy he overworked his team during the dog days of training camp, something he admitted on Monday, a day before his team was to conclude organized team activities — the last official workouts before training camp opens on July 28. When McCarthy revealed his 2007 training camp schedule on Monday, it reflected the one mulligan McCarthy wishes he had last season. This summer, the Packers never will practice more than four straight days, and McCarthy has opted to give the players three Wednesdays off from practice. On Aug. 1, 8 and 15, players will report for meetings and film review sessions in the morning with players getting the afternoon and evening off. All three Wednesdays follow a two-a-day practice schedule that will be the same as last year (an 8:45 morning practice in shells and a 6:30 evening session in full pads). "I go back to rest and recovery," McCarthy said. "That's something I was critical of myself last year." </p><p></p><p>In all, the Packers will have three fewer training camp practices than last year but McCarthy said his players will lose only about 100 total reps. The Packers also will finish the preseason one day earlier (on Aug. 30 at Tennessee) than last year, giving McCarthy an extra day to prepare for the regular-season opener against Philadelphia on Sept. 9. "That's clearly the focus," McCarthy said. "We need to start fast. That's been a problem here of late, particularly last year. We'll be fresh coming out of training camp, especially with us playing at Tennessee on that Thursday night, so no excuses." The subtle change in the training camp schedule is just one of the differences in Year 2 under McCarthy, whose team won its final four games last season to finish 8-8. There have been small changes in the offseason strength/conditioning program and adjustments in scheme and game planning. </p><p></p><p>"I certainly think we're in better position now than we were a year ago," veteran long snapper Rob Davis said. "I know we lost some key players and we need to replace those guys in a hurry, but I think the confidence level should be a little higher, which should equate to a faster start." Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is simply that there's continuity on the coaching staff, meaning schemes are being tweaked instead of taught. "We're clearly a lot further ahead than we were last year at this time," McCarthy said. "That's very obvious when you look out there on the football field (and see) the improvement a number of our players have made since last year. Just the way we practice — our practices are better. I think that's part of where we are as a football team and how much of the offense, defense and special teams that we have in. Everything we're going to use next year is in. "Last year, we accomplished the same thing, but I think we did a lot better job this year of eliminating things and cutting the volume down as tight as we can get it." That has allowed the coaches to work on game-specific looks and situations during this month's OTA sessions. </p><p></p><p>"Like today, we (worked against) a 3-4 (defense); we did some Bear defense; we got two goal-line looks when last year we only did one," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said after Monday's practice. "We're throwing a lot at these guys, so I feel good about what we've accomplished. I don't think we had that kind of time or opportunity last spring." Same thing for the defense, which has the same coordinator in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003. "I think we're definitely ahead," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "We've gotten to see some things, too, which allows us to hone in on some areas where we may have been a little light in the package and maybe eliminate some stuff where we were a little heavy in the package."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TOPHAT, post: 155871, member: 781"] [b]TUESDAY UPDATES[/b] [url]http://www.packersnews.com/includes/newspaper/blogs/insider/index.shtml[/url] [b]The great unknown and other odds and ends[/b] The Packers' offseason program ended Tuesday with the final session of organized team activities (OTAs), meaning the next time reporters and fans see the players on the field will be for the opening practice of training camp on July 28. Never in my 10 years covering the Packers have I had less of a feel for the team's No. 1 draft pick going into training camp than this year. Defensive tackle Justin Harrell, the 16th pick in April's draft, did next to nothing on the field during the minicamps and OTAs. Coming off the torn biceps tendon injury that limited him to only three games during his final season at Tennessee last fall, the Packers were extremely cautious with Harrell. He took part in only a handful of individual drill but got no work during any team (11-on-11) or one-on-one passing rushing drills. Coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday that team doctors should clear Harrell to return in a couple of weeks. However, there are no on-the-field sessions scheduled until training camp begins. By all accounts, Harrell was an impact football player in college football when he's on the field. However, at this point, there's no way to know how he'll assimilate into the NFL game. Given that he has yet to go head-to-head against an NFL offensive linemen, it'll be a critical training camp for the rookie. [b]Odds and ends:[/b] At first glance, McCarthy's training camp schedule looks a bit on the soft side. Never do the Packers practice more than four straight days and during what is usually a grinding time leading up to the first preseason game, the Packers have three days off. However, it's hard to blame McCarthy for changing things up given the way the Packers have started seasons recently. Last season, the Packers started 1-4. Before McCarthy arrived in 2006, the Packers started 0-4 in 2005, 1-4 in 2004 and 1-2 in 2003. ... Though very little kicking took place during the OTA sessions open to reporters, Dave Rayner added a little spice to the kicking battle by missing a pair of 46-yard kicks. Rookie Mason Crosby, a sixth-round pick, nailed his only attempt, also from 46 yards. It'll be an interesting battle to watch in camp. Is anyone else starting to wonder if Will Blackmon is just one of those guys who can never stay healthy? The cornerback, who is the leading candidate to become the nickel defensive back, missed most of the OTAs due to a groin injury. Last year, he missed all of training due to a broken foot and then when he finally returned, he lasted only a month before he sustained a season-ending rib injury. _____________________________________________________________ ttp://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/19/packers-marviel-underwood-returns-to-practice/ [b]Packers' Underwood Returns to Practice[/b] After sitting out all of last season with a torn ACL, Green Bay Packers safety Marviel Underwood returned to the field much earlier than expected. Safety Marviel Underwood, who wasn't expected to participate in any team (11-on-11) drills until training camp, slipped into the defensive backfield for a few snaps during the team red zone sequence on Monday. The former fourth-round draft pick (2005) practiced yesterday [as noted] for the first time since the preseason of last year and by all accounts, looked pretty good. At one point he actually went one-on-one with a receiver in the red zone and came away with a deflection. [b]This is great news for the Packers, who have been dealing with all sorts of little, annoying injuries this offseason[/b]. And while they are not exactly thin at safety, this just adds another quality talent to the battle for the starting job. ______________________________________________________________ [url]http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/PKR01/706190434/1989[/url] [b]McCarthy's Year 2 goal? A good start[/b] If Mike McCarthy could have one do-over from his rookie season as an NFL head coach, he'd probably go back to late August. The Green Bay Packers had eight days between their second and third preseason games, and McCarthy put them through nearly a full week of practice, including six straight days of regular training camp workouts. The Packers subsequently were blown out, 48-17 by the Cincinnati Bengals, in what is typically the most important exhibition game because the starters see most of the playing time. That seemed to start a downward spiral that included the Week 1 shutout loss to the Chicago Bears at home and a 1-4 start. Hindsight told McCarthy he overworked his team during the dog days of training camp, something he admitted on Monday, a day before his team was to conclude organized team activities — the last official workouts before training camp opens on July 28. When McCarthy revealed his 2007 training camp schedule on Monday, it reflected the one mulligan McCarthy wishes he had last season. This summer, the Packers never will practice more than four straight days, and McCarthy has opted to give the players three Wednesdays off from practice. On Aug. 1, 8 and 15, players will report for meetings and film review sessions in the morning with players getting the afternoon and evening off. All three Wednesdays follow a two-a-day practice schedule that will be the same as last year (an 8:45 morning practice in shells and a 6:30 evening session in full pads). "I go back to rest and recovery," McCarthy said. "That's something I was critical of myself last year." In all, the Packers will have three fewer training camp practices than last year but McCarthy said his players will lose only about 100 total reps. The Packers also will finish the preseason one day earlier (on Aug. 30 at Tennessee) than last year, giving McCarthy an extra day to prepare for the regular-season opener against Philadelphia on Sept. 9. "That's clearly the focus," McCarthy said. "We need to start fast. That's been a problem here of late, particularly last year. We'll be fresh coming out of training camp, especially with us playing at Tennessee on that Thursday night, so no excuses." The subtle change in the training camp schedule is just one of the differences in Year 2 under McCarthy, whose team won its final four games last season to finish 8-8. There have been small changes in the offseason strength/conditioning program and adjustments in scheme and game planning. "I certainly think we're in better position now than we were a year ago," veteran long snapper Rob Davis said. "I know we lost some key players and we need to replace those guys in a hurry, but I think the confidence level should be a little higher, which should equate to a faster start." Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is simply that there's continuity on the coaching staff, meaning schemes are being tweaked instead of taught. "We're clearly a lot further ahead than we were last year at this time," McCarthy said. "That's very obvious when you look out there on the football field (and see) the improvement a number of our players have made since last year. Just the way we practice — our practices are better. I think that's part of where we are as a football team and how much of the offense, defense and special teams that we have in. Everything we're going to use next year is in. "Last year, we accomplished the same thing, but I think we did a lot better job this year of eliminating things and cutting the volume down as tight as we can get it." That has allowed the coaches to work on game-specific looks and situations during this month's OTA sessions. "Like today, we (worked against) a 3-4 (defense); we did some Bear defense; we got two goal-line looks when last year we only did one," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said after Monday's practice. "We're throwing a lot at these guys, so I feel good about what we've accomplished. I don't think we had that kind of time or opportunity last spring." Same thing for the defense, which has the same coordinator in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003. "I think we're definitely ahead," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "We've gotten to see some things, too, which allows us to hone in on some areas where we may have been a little light in the package and maybe eliminate some stuff where we were a little heavy in the package." [/QUOTE]
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