• Live Packers Training Camp Report (August 13th, 2008)

  Filed under Training Camp Report
  Aug 13

  I was lucky enough to check out today’s training camp practice and I know it must be hard for Packer fans that have had very few training camp reports this offseason. Lucky for you I am here to tell you about what I observed at practice today. I am far from a football expert but I am a diehard Packer fan and have picked up a lot of things along the way. I am very familiar with the team so I still think I can give an accurate viewpoint on the practice. Be sure to also check out my pictures from the practice at the end of the post. Also check back either tomorrow or the next day for my thoughts on tomorrows practice.

  • Scott Wells, Al Harris, and Johnny Jolly returned to practice. AJ Hawk, Ruvell Martin, Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, Justin Harrell, Ryan Pickett, and Charlie Peprah sat out the practice.
  • Aaron Rodgers played pretty sharp the whole night in my opinion. His passes were right on target with very few mistakes made on his part. Rodgers seemed to have great chemistry with all the receivers and seemed to be on the top of his game. Rodgers had no turnovers in the whole practice and most of his incompletions came from great plays by the defense. Rodgers is really starting to prove his critics wrong.
  • The other QBs were not quite as sharp in practice. This was probably the best practice for both of them that I have seen. This is definently a good sign for both QBs. They seem to be developing and improving with experience. This is very typical of rookie QBs and I think both could have a sucessful future. They both have their own problems to overcome though. Flynn makes some amazing throws but makes just as many overthrows and underthrows. Flynn will need to get over this problem if he has any chance of improving his career. Brohm just needs to continue working on his accuracy, his chemistry with his receivers, and his knowledge of the pro game. Will see if both QBs continue to improve throughout camp. If one or both of them take the next step I think the Packers won’t make a change at the QB position but if both of them falter in their growth I think Thompson will have to bring in a veteran.
  • At running back Brandon jackson impressed me once again. I just can’t believe how much stronger and faster he is this season. He also seems to be better at hitting the hole. Jackson had a couple longer runs in practice and I believe that he will be a great compliment to Grant. Behind Jackson there is some news as well. Morency didn’t stand out at all in practice (I am not even positive if he played or not). Wynn sat out and I think his time in Green Bay is coming to a close because he just can’t stay healthy. Noah Herron actually impressed me quite a bit. His injury hasn’t seemed to slow him down at all. Herron is playing very consistently and seems to be the best receiver out of the backfield. Finally there is Kregg Lumpkin (I still love that last name). Kregg Lumpkin is really starting to grow on me. He does need quite a bit of work though. He does have all the physical skills though. He seems to have the power and speed for the position. He does need to work on his hole recognition and getting to and through the hole faster. At this point Lumpkin has an uphill battle to make the roster but I think if he continues to grow he might have a shot to make the team or more likely the practice squad.
  • It was not a good day for the fullbacks. The fullbacks either didn’t stand out at all (Kuhn) or dropped passes (Hall and White)
  • The wide receiver position was pretty strong after some lackluster performances on Monday. Driver was catching passes left and right and seems to have gotten his grove back. If people were worrying that Rodgers and Driver don’t have a connection yet, there is no need to worry. James Jones was pretty much James Jones. He didn’t drop any passes and did exactly what he was supposed to do. As I mentioned Jennings and Martin didn’t play so the younger receivers got a lot of work. Jordy Nelson had a strong performance including several nice receptions. After Jordy Nelson, the receiver position gets a little more murky. At this point the only way any of these receivers will make the team is due to an injury or the Packers deciding to keep 6 receivers. At this point Taj Smith will get the 6th spot if there is even a sixth receiver. He is very consistent and he rarely drops passes. I think Smith has some potential at the position and I would hope the Packers would add him to the practice squad if they don’t keep six receivers. Chris Francies did redeem himself a little in todays practice but I think it is too late for him since I think his days as a Packer are really limited.
  • The TEs had a strong performance tonight. Donald Lee was Donald Lee. He made his catches just like he is supposed to do. I think Jermichael Finley also had a good practice. I didn’t really get to see much blocking so I really can’t judge him on that but he did catch the ball really well. I think with a little more time to develop he could be a good TE. Tory Humphrey didn’t stand out (I am not even sure if he played). At this point I hope the Packers cut ties with Humphrey. Humphrey can truly make some great plays but he follows that up mistakes. He also cannot stay healthy. I hope the Packers look into either Evan Moore or Joey Haynos for the 3rd and final TE spot. Joey Haynos is a bigger TE but Evan Moore has better receiving ability. I personally want Evan Moore to win the final TE spot.
  • I really can’t tell you a whole lot about the offensive lineman (since I am far from an offensive line expert). One thing I did notice was that Scott Wells was back and with it came improved offensive line play. Since Wells returned to practice Spitz moved back to guard and what surprised me most was that Josh Sitton was the other starter at the guard position. This proves that there is truly a three way competition for the final starting guard spot. At this point I actually think Sitton might be the leader in the competition.
  • There really isn’t a whole lot to say as far as the defensive line is concerned. You can really tell that the Packers are suffering due to all their injuries along the defensive line. Things must have gotten so bad that Aaron Rodgers actually spent a play playing DE (he actually wasn’t that bad). Obviously Rodgers was joking around but the Packers do have a severe problem with injuries on the defensive line. The only defensive lineman that actually stood out at least a little was Michael Montgommery who seems to be have improved quite a bit this offseason.
  • The linebackers really didn’t stand out at all (good or bad).
  • As far as corners are concerned, Al Harris and Charles Woodson are their normal selves. Al Harris was a shutdown corner and Charles Woodson intercepted another pass. We are finally seing something from the backup CBs as well. Tramon Williams I think has almost wrapped up the third CB spot. He has really grown from last season in my opinion. He is starting to show signs of becoming a shut down CB and is really reminding me of Al Harris. After Tramon Williams I think we also have some depth. Jarrett Bush, Pat Lee and Will Blackmon have also showed quite a bit of potential in my opinion. I think the CB position is the strongest it has been in a long time.
  • I really didn’t observe anything at the safety position.
  • There was quite a bit of special teams practice. The punt coverage and return teams really got a lot of work (I guess that is not very surprising after Monday’s game). I know a lot of people were concerned after Jon Ryan didn’t have a great game. In practice he was quite a bit better but still a little inconsistent. Jon Ryan really needs to improve his consistency. He definently can kick the ball far but due to his inconsistency he also has too many short punts. Jon Ryan needs to be much more consistent. If he can’t improve his consistency the Packers need to think about replacing him.

  Pictures Coming Tomorrow

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  Tagged as: Green Bay Packers, Packers, Packers Training Camp Report
  

2 Responses to “Live Packers Training Camp Report (August 13th, 2008)”

1. 

   nunobow said on August 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

   First of all - thanks for the detailed practice report. Looking forward to the pictures to come.

   Though not commenting on all of your posts I for sure do read all of them :)

   And now to the “actual” comment:

   It seems quite a surprise to me too that the offensive line may end up being (left-to-right) Clifton-Spitz-Wells-Sitton-Tauscher.

   When Wells returned from his injury, I would have expected Spitz to be back at RG and then Barbre to get the initial nod at LG with (what I understood was) a good performance against the Bengals, when Sitton at the same timestruggled significantly the opposite Guard spot.

   My guess is that the coaches will give Sitton another chance against the 49ers - if he still struggles and Barbre still plays well then we’ll se another starting lineup against the Broncos.

   But hey… just like you - I’m also far from an o-line expert :)

2. Live Packers Training Camp Report (August 14th, 2008) | Packerholic said on August 14th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

   [...] went to the last two Packers practice. If you missed yesterday’s report you can check it out here and find the pictures from the practice here. Once again I will provide my thoughts on the practice [...]

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