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Today was the final training camp practice opened to the public. Green Bay Press Gazette and Packers.com have reports on the practice. A couple things stood out to me though.

Donald Driver’s drops returned to practice again. At this point I am not too worried since Driver has had troubles with drops at the beginning of previous seasons and he fixed the problems. Driver really needs to stop the drops once the regular season begins since we have enough troubles as it and we don’t need to add the trouble of dropping passes that should have been caught in the first place.

The defense appeared to have a very good practice. Will Blackmon, Joe Porter, Pat Lee, and Tramon Williams all made big plays in practice today. While some people might take this as a negative against the offense I like to think of it as a positive for the defense. It appears that our backup cornerbacks are starting to make plays and not blow coverages (two things they couldn’t do against the Broncos).

Brohm appeared to struggle once again in practice. I am guessing this training camp is not what a lot of people expected out of him when we drafted him. I wouldn’t worry too much though. Quarterbacks usually struggle in their first season. I can remember Aaron Rodgers really struggling during his first season. Obviously he has overcome most of those problems. I would give Brohm some more time before I would even consider calling him a bust.

Jermichael Finley appeared to have a good practice. He supposedly caught everything that even came near him. I honestly don’t know why some Packer fans are so negative about him. He hasn’t been perfect this training camp but he has shown multiple times that he has the skills to be a very good NFL TE. Today is the perfect example. I think Finley could already be used as a pretty good pass catcher. The one thing he needs to work on in my opinion is his blocking. Most TEs out of college struggle with their blocking but most eventually learn how to be pretty good blockers. I think Finley ahs a very bright future with the Packers.

So that is the final training camp report of the season. Next year I will continue the training camp reports but it is now time to focus on real football and the regular season. While some people might be pretty negative about the season I am quite optimistic and think the Packers will win around 11 games this season. As long as the Packers can get their players back from injury and avoid to many more injuries in the regular season I think the Packers are Super Bowl contenders. Be sure to check out my final 53 man roster prediction after the Titans game.

So what are your expectations for the season? Do you think the Packers will compete for the Super Bowl, the first pick, or somewhere in between? I would like to hear other Packer fans expectations on the upcomming season.

The game could have gone a little better but Packer fans should be really happy that last night was not a repeat of last week. The Packers offense rebounded nicely and I hope they can continue to play that well into the season. The Packers defense is another story and I think there were a couple things that lead to their poor performance. Since I am in a good mood after last night’s game I have decided to start with the positives from the game.

Positives

Aaron Rodgers had a great game in my opinion. There is no way you can possibly complain about 18/22 for 193 yards. Tack on a passing and running TD as well. Rodgers rebounded from last week. He might have only had one of two mistakes in the whole game and the rest of the game was flawless. If we see more games like this than against the 49ers I think Rodgers will have a very successful season this year. As long as the line give Rodgers time I think he will quickly develop and overcome these mistakes that he has made so far this preseason.

The wide receivers redeemed themselves tonight. There was only one noticeable drop in my opinion (James Jones) and other than that the receivers did their job. This week they were finally able to get open so Rodgers had somewhere to throw the ball. I think McCarthy really needs to think about using a lot of the short passes this season since Aaron Rodgers and the receivers played much better with the short passes than the intermediate to long passes of last week. Finally it was nice to see Greg Jennings back since he really opened up the passing game in my opinion.

Kregg Lumpkin might have earned himself a spot on the roster with his play in yesterday’s game. While his stats might not show a great game I think he showed the potential to be a good RB in the league. While I personally don’t think he is currently worthy of a roster spot on the team I think the Packers are going to have to keep him on the roster since there is no way he makes it to the practice squad. This is one of those times that I wish the NFL had a developmental league like the MLB. While I wouldn’t guarentee that he makes the roster, I will say that he improved his chance last night.

The offensive line did a very good job pass blocking in today’s game. While it has been said that the Broncos defensive line is pretty weak, that doesn’t really matter to me. It doesn’t matter since the offensive line did their job in the game. They could have been challenged more but they weren’t. If there defensive line was better we don’t know what would have happened. We could have given up many more sacks or we could have continued to block well. There is really no reason to debate what would have happened since we will never get to see what would have happened.

Jason Hunter had a great game at defensive end. I have been a critic of Jason Hunter for a while now and for good reason. He never seemed to get any pressure on the QB. He didn’t have a problem with that last night. He had several good pressures on the QB (would have had more if the Broncos offensive lineman didn’t hold several plays in a row) and even caused the Tracy White interception that won the game. Hopefully next week the Packers can give him some time against the Titan starting offensive line since I want to see what he can do against better competition. If Hunter continues to play like he did last night he could be a future pass rusher in this league. I think last night’s performance at least guarenteed him a spot on the roster especially since he has always been a great special teamer.

Desmond Bishop had a very good game in my opinion. This battle between Bishop and Hodge for the final linebacking spot is getting really heated. Both are playing great and there is a very slim chance that we can keep both of them. One of them will probably have to go. Someone is likely to either be able to sign a very good LB or make a final roster trade to acquire one of these linebackers with a lot of talent that we just don’t have room for.

Will Blackmon made the roster last night in my opinion. Not from his defensive play (even though that wasn’t terrible) but from his returning. Blackmon probably won the punt returning job after last night’s performance and has finally given the Packers a returning threat which we haven’t had for a very long time.

Negatives

These injuries are starting to get ridiculous. How our luck is going as far as injuries are concerned I wouldn’t be shocked if our whole roster is hurt by the end of the season. If the injuries weren’t bad enough we had five injuries in yesterday’s game. It appears that James Jones’, Nick Collins’, and Charles Woodson’s appear to be nothing and they won’t miss the opener against the Vikings. Atari Bigby’s injury is a little more serious since there is a chance that he might not be able to play the opener. Finally Sitton’s was probably the worst he hurt his knee and had to have his leg wrapped. He will have more tests today but the one positive is that he didn’t need to use crutches to walk. At this point I think we need to wait to see what the test reveal.

We really need help on the defensive line. Injuries are decimating the defensive line. In particular we can’t keep a good defensive tackle from getting hurt. I think most of the problems from last night can actually be attributed to the defensive tackle position. First the defensive tackles did nothing to help in the run game. They couldn’t hold their spot and they couldn’t get any push. The defesnvie tackles also hurt the passing game since our defensive ends got some pressure from the sides but it went to waste since we could get absolutley no pressure up the middle. The Packers really need to either add a defensive tackle or hope that Pickett and/or Harrell get back soon. I think Packer fans saw last night why Pickett is so valuable to this team.

Our offensive line is really letting the running backs down. All night the offensive line struggled at opening holes for the running game. The offensive line needs to start opening holes for the running game or we will be in some trouble this season since we will have to focus on the pass and defenses will do the same. This week the offensive line improved their pass blocking. Hopefully this week they will improve their run blocking.

The Packers really need to add a veteran QB. Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn are just not ready to start. If we don’t add a veteran and Rodgers gets hurt we might as well throw the season away since at this point Brohm and Flynn would never be able to win a game. I think Thompson was pretty stupid not adding a veteran earlier. I don’t know how he expected two rookies to be able to fill in if Rodgers got hurt. I am not giving up on either QB since I think either or both could have a pretty good future as long as they are given some time to develop.

Other Thoughts

Jon Ryan had a really good game punting but I wouldn’t put too much stock into it since the game was in Denver after all. Denver’s high altitude has always helped kickers and punters in the past with the distance on their kicks. At least Ryan didn’t shank a punt in this game.

Mason Crosby finally missed a field goal. I guess it was about time that he would miss one since he has been pretty much perfect this whole training camp. The snap and hold were also not great which could have lead to the missed field goal.

The running back battle is as muddled as it has ever been. At this point I can’t really tell you who win will either the one or two open spots on the roster. Each running back brings their own strengths and weaknesses and the decision will come down to what the coaching staff wants most out of the third running back.

Danny Lansanah might have earned himself a spot on the practice squad with his play last night. He is definently a raw player at this point in his career but he showed potential (exactly what you want out of a practice squad player). Lansanah needs to learn from his stupid roughing the passer penalty though since every player should know better than that.

I hope Joey Haynos makes the roster over Tory Humphrey. While Tory Humphrey makes some good plays we balances those with some terrible plays. Add in the fact that he can’t stay healthy and you should know why I want to finally cut him loose. The reason I like Joey Haynos is because of his measureables. You don’t find many 6′8″ TEs in the league. Just think how that height advantage could be used in the end zone with jump balls. Joey Haynos also has good hands and showed last night that he can block as well.

Jarrett Bush really needs to develop some consistency. Last week he played terrible and this week he played pretty good. If Bush wants to have any chance of making the roster (he is the CB looking in at this point in time) he needs to have another solid game against the Titans and show that he has some consistency between games.

I am excited about Pat Lee’s future. While I don’t think he will have much impact this season (fourth CB at best) I think he could be a very good player in the future. Pat Lee has shown a knack for the football. He also seems to be getting better every single week that he plays. He is a little raw but I think with some development he could be a very good CB.

Sometime this week there will be a roster cutdown to 75 players. When I find the exact date I will write a post about who I think is on the bubble. When the cuts are released I will also write a post about whether I thought they were the right choices or not.

So what did you think about last night’s game? What went well and what went wrong in your opinion? Are you more optimistic about the season after last night’s game?

With the third and most important preseason game approaching quickly, today’s practice was pretty important. Today I have actually two links with full coverage of today’s practice. One is from the Green Bay Press Gazette while the other is from Packers.com (I have no idea how I didn’t find this blog earler). A lot seems to have happened today, along with a new player being added to the roster.

We’ll begin with the new player. Like I mentioned last night, Evan Moore has been placed on IR. At this point Evan Moore will either spend the season on the IR (my hope since I think he could be good next season after a years work) or the Packers could reach an injury settlement and cut him. To replace Moore on the roster the Packers have added DT Rodney Allen. Rodney Allen has most recently played for the Odessa Roughnecks in the Intense Football League (an indoor football league). I think the signing is pretty decent. I personally am not that optimistic about a player from the Intense Football League but I do like that he is a defensive tackle. The Packers really need defensive tackles even if they are just camp bodies. The thing that really surprised me though is Allen actually practiced today and he actually looked really good. I doubt he will make the final roster but with our current injuries at the DT position who really knows.

Aaron Rodgers has appeared to have gotten his accuracy back since he was able to throw the football 45 yards through the air into a very little net. I actually saw him do this at least one during the practices that I went to. I think Aaron Rodgers has amazing accuracy for his passes. He just needs to calm down in games and I think everyone will be able to see his accuracy. It probably also wouldn’t hurt if he would actually have some time in the pocket.

It’s nice to see the defensive making plays even though it isn’t making our offense look good. Today Will Blackmon intercepted a pass, Cullen Jenkins tipped a pass, and Abdul Hodge laid out Ryan Powdrell. It is always good to see your defense making plays.

Mason Crosby was once again perfect. I think Mason Crosby was easily one of the biggest steals of last year’s draft. Come on. We got him for a sixth rounder and he is already one of the best kickers in the league. Most sixth rounders don’t even make their respective teams.

Allen Barbre seemed to have had a good practice but it doesn’t seem to matter since it looks like Spitz and Sitton will be the starters once Scott Well finally gets over his trunk injury (which he reagrivated in Saturday’s game). I really think the Packers should actually think about starting Barbre and Sitton. A lot of people thought Sitton played the best of all the guards on Saturday and Spitz seems to not be able to play the other guard position. I doubt it will happen but I want to know why the coaching staff has really not given Barbre a real shot at the starting job. Barbre is getting some work at tackle though so he might have a future as either Clifton’s or Tauscher’s replacement.

Be sure to check back later today because if I find any new updates I will be sure to add them to this post. So what are thinking about right now as far as the Packers are concerned? Are you optimistic about Friday’s game or do think the Packers will embarrass themselves once again.

There was one practice today. The Green Bay Press Gazette has a post explaining what happened during the practice. Here are my thoughts on what they are reported:

• James Jones’ fumbling problems returned today during practice. I wouldn’t put too much stock in it though since I don’t think it is anything to worry about. He struggled with fumbles early last season but he worked through them in the second half of the season. I don’t think the problems have returned (or at least I hope they haven’t).
• Aaron Rouse impressed everyone once again. Wherever a play is made he seems to be in the vicinity. He actually recovered the James Jones fumble (it was caused by Blackmon).
• It’s not surprising that Will Blackmon is one of the kick returners but what does surprise me is that Jordy Nelson is the other returner. I guess he must have shown something returning since I personally wouldn’t have picked him as one of the returners.
• Once again there was a fight on the field. While I don’t think people have to worry yet since I think the fight was caused by the heat, if the fights continue everyday I think the Packers could be in trouble.
• Josh Sitton was supposedly impressive again today. I doubt Sitton will do enough to win a starting job but he is showing why he deserves to make the team. It’s always great to see when later round picks take advantage of their opportunities to impress the coaches.

Just to remind everyone I will be heading to Green Bay tommorrow to attend the Family Night Scrimmage. Since I am not a season ticketholder (I really wish I were though) I have always like the Family Night Scrimmage. I am even happier this season since I actually got first row seats this year so if you watch the scrimmage from home be sure to look for me. Tommorrow I will have an article about what you should look for in the scrimmage. I also might be able to provide a link on where to actually see the scrimmage on the internet for those of you who don’t live in the Green Bay area (I am not positive about this since it was breifly talked about on the TCR (a Green Bay show that highlights what happened on training camp every day). Check back tommorrow for both things and everyone can rejoice that Packer football has finally returned after such a long break that seemed to last forever.

From reports around the internet it sounds like yesterday’s practice was very interesting. I personally wasn’t able to go so I got all my information from the following three stories. Two are from the Green Bay Press Gazette (Offense Finds It’s Groove, and Night Wrap-Up) and one from JS Online (Friday Camp Report). So here is what stood out to me in the three reports.

• It seems like the offense is finally starting to get going. This is actually pretty normal since offenses always take longer to get going in training camp than defenses do. It seems like the first and second teams are both improving quite a bit.
• Jermichael Finley appeared to have a good day. From what I way of Finley on Wednesday I think he will be a good player. He is a rookie tough so you need to suspect some growing pains and mistakes. If Finley can continue to excell by getting off the line quickly I think he could really help out the Packers’ offense this season.
• Brian Brohm seems to be developing pretty quickly. Brohm didn’t look bad in Wednesday’s practice but I think he does need a little work with his timing since he did have some INT problems. I think he will naturally develop that timing and he should be fine.
• Will Blackmon and DeShawn Wynn both sat out the practice with injuries. Neither injury appears to be serious but they do worry me a little since both have an injury history. Hopefully both can recover from their injury since both have quite a bit on untapped potential.
• Rodgers apparently didn’t have a great practice. Packer fans should worry though since Rodgers will have some bad practices. In my opinion it is better if he struggles in practice and learns from his mistakes instead of making the mistakes in an actual game. I don’t think people should worry since I think it was just a bad day and he will rebound.
• The Packers supposedly have a 3-3. Supposedly Poppinga ended up lining up as a DE. While I don’t know how successful the scheme will be I really like that Bob Sanders is finally willing to open up the defense and try something new. In the past the Packers have suffered from having too bland of a defense and hopefully this shows that the defense is going to be willing to take some chances.
• Rouse continues to make plays with another INT in yesterday’s practice. I think Collins should really start looking over his back since I think Rouse is coming really close to taking his job.
• Two scuffles broke out in practice. While most people will think of this as a bad sign I will take a positive out of it. The players are obviously playing with a lot of energy which is always good for a football team.
• The Packers offensive line appears to be improving quite quickly since they are starting to dominate in the one on one drill. Barbre still seems to be the best fit for the starting guard spot. I also heard that Josh Sitton is really impressing the coaches so that is also a positive.