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Kevin Seifert wrote:Green Bay Packers

Training camp site: Team facility in Green Bay, Wis.

Campfires
At least two and possibly three positions on the offensive line are up for grabs as the Packers transition to a younger -- and, they hope, bigger -- offensive line. Jason Spitz seems primed to overtake veteran Scott Wells at center, while Allen Barbre is hoping to hold off rookie T.J. Lang for the right to replace Mark Tauscher at right tackle. And if Wells wins the center job, Spitz could move to right guard and compete with Josh Sitton.

Got all that? Because there's plenty of competition elsewhere on this team. The Packers moved back into the first round of the April draft to grab outside linebacker Clay Matthews, but a spring hamstring injury allowed second-year player Jeremy Thompson to grab hold of the job seemingly designated for Matthews. Thompson will spend training camp trying to hold off Matthews.

Elsewhere, the Packers will have an intriguing (if somewhat inside baseball) competition for their No. 3 receiver position behind Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. James Jones' playmaking skills would seem to give him the edge over 2008 top pick Jordy Nelson, but Jones' injury troubles last season make him an unknown quantity this summer.

Camp will be a downer if ...
... one of the Packers' two backup quarterbacks doesn't demonstrate substantial improvement. Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm got rookie exceptions last year, but neither ran the offense smoothly during minicamp last month.

Brohm's case is especially interesting. He flopped last summer after the Packers made him a second-round pick, by default leaving the No. 2 job to Flynn. If Brohm wants to restore his track as the Packers' top backup and a future starter (for another team), he'll have to get it turned around in camp this summer. Otherwise, he'll be buried on the depth chart for another year.

Camp will be a success if ...
...the Packers can demonstrate mental proficiency with the 3-4 defense. There is little doubt that retrofitting the personnel base will take some time. But if the Packers can master the different alignments and strategies typically employed by coordinator Dom Capers, they'll almost certainly improve their defensive proficiency from a year ago.

Capers and his staff are good teachers, and it's reasonable to expect Packers players to have absorbed the mental part of this new scheme.

A true one-two punch?
Training camp would be a nice time for someone to step in as a legitimate second option behind tailback Ryan Grant. One question the Packers would like to solve: Do they have someone on the roster who provides a stylistic complement to Grant?

Is Brandon Jackson the best answer? You could make an argument that his style isn't different enough from Grant to make him a viable option. Could that person be DeShawn Wynn? Or possibly Kregg Lumpkin? The Packers would like to leave camp with a firm idea on whether they have someone they can consistently rotate into the lineup for strategic purposes.

Since most NFL training camps will open within the next week, it's time to start thinking about some serious questions. One that should interest many football fans is which players are ready to step up their games this fall. There are a handful of stars who are trying to bounce back from hard seasons in 2008, because of crippling injuries or substandard play. Then there is another group of players to consider -- the ones who are trying to live up to the heavy expectations that came with new roles during this offseason.

One person who will be under the microscope is Brett Favre, the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback who soon will reveal whether he's coming out of retirement once again, this time to play for the Minnesota Vikings this fall. If his latest comeback were official, Favre would top this list. But since -- as I write this -- he's not officially back in the game, here are 10 other players with plenty to prove as training camps begin:

8. Aaron Kampman, OLB, Green Bay Packers: With 37 sacks over the last three seasons, Kampman has been as consistent a pass rusher as you'll find in the NFL. Now we'll see whether he can continue being that steady when he's a 3-4 outside linebacker instead of a 4-3 defensive end. There's little question that Kampman has the athleticism to make the switch. The major issue, however, is how long it will take him to find a comfort level in that new scheme.

The best example of a player making that kind of switch is current Oakland Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis. He reluctantly moved from end to linebacker in Dallas in 2006 and wound up making the Pro Bowl with 12½ sacks in 2008. The Packers will do their best to help Kampman's own transition, a strategy that includes putting him back in a down position in certain sub packages. But make no mistake: He needs to get acclimated in a hurry if a defense that was disappointing in 2008 is going to rebound this fall.

MickeyDavis wrote: As far as the 3-4 goes, I expect a lot of growing pains. I think the front 3 will be Pickett, Raji, and Harrell by default if he stays healthy. Probably wont deserve it but Pack will be eager to give him opportunities to shake the bust label.

automatic44 wrote:

MickeyDavis wrote: As far as the 3-4 goes, I expect a lot of growing pains. I think the front 3 will be Pickett, Raji, and Harrell by default if he stays healthy. Probably wont deserve it but Pack will be eager to give him opportunities to shake the bust label.

Did you forget that we have Cullen Jenkins?

MickeyDavis wrote:Linebackers will also be interesting. How will Kampman do? Will Barnett bounce back from a major injury? Matthews get playing time? Can Hawk rise up from extremely average to show he was worth the #5 pick in his fourth season? The Poppinga, Chillar, Matthews battle should be good.

Smith Booed At 49ers Training Camp
1st August, 2009 - 6:11 pm
Mercury News - Alex Smith ran the 49ers' second-unit offense on Saturday, got booed loudly several times after making throws nowhere near his receivers, and Mike Singletary loved it, according to Tim Kawakami.

“Outstanding,” Singletary said later of the boos.

Silverstein wrote:-- Rookie linebacker Clay Matthews, who is represented by the same agent firm that represents first-round pick B.J. Raji, said that Raji wants to get in as soon as possible. He said at this point, he doesn't believe Raji is falling behind because much of what the defense is doing was covered during organized team activities.

"I know B.J. wants to be here," Matthews said. "I talked to him on the phone last night. He’s chomping at the bit to get in here. I don’t think he should be too far behind. We’re reiterating what we did in OTAs and he did a great job then. He’s a heck of an athlete so I don’t expect him to fall behind once he comes back."


At this point, not much has changed in the first round with the exception of Minnesota wide receiver Percy Harvin agreeing to terms. Harvin was selected 22nd, which means it doesn't affect Raji's situation much since he was drafted ninth overall. Until someone in picks Nos. 8 through 12 budges, it looks like those picks could be out awhile.

-- Wide receiver Greg Jennings dropped what would have been a sure touchdown in the early going, an affliction that struck him harder than usual last year. Jennings made a great move on cornerback Tramon Williams and had two steps on him when Aaron Rodgers' perfectly laid-out pass glanced off his hands.

"I should have taken all my pads off and apologized to every fan who had to watch that," Jennings said. "Greg had a horrible day today. I promise Greg will be better.

As a result of his drop, he and a number of the wide receivers did push-ups.

"You drop a ball and you’re going down and doing 20 push-ups. We feel that we should have every ball that touches our hands."


-- Charles Woodson's interception was the second in two practices for the defense. Williams had one in the first practice Saturday.

Last year, there was a heated competition between Woodson and safety Aaron Rouse for the training camp lead and this year, it could be close again.

"There are a lot more opportunities in that a lot of times we see the ball thrown," cornerback Al Harris said of the new zone scheme. "A lot of times we see the ball and you have a better chance getting your hands on the ball."

-- Defensive end Cullen Jenkins is one of the more practical people on the team

Coach Mike McCarthy called him arguably one of the best players on the team, but Jenkins wasn't having any part of it. Coming off ankle and pectoral surgeries, he said that judgment can't be made until he's on the field for an extended period of time.


"Coming off the injury, it’s something where I’m not trying to take anything for granted," Jenkins said. "I have to realize I have to make it to the season before I can start to help the team out. It’ll take time. Throughout training camp I have to make sure I’m consistent and improving and make sure I’m in the best possible shape to help this team out."

He said his top priority is being available.

"That’s my No. 1 goal is to be out there," Jenkins said. "If I’m not out there I can’t achieve any of the other goals I set for myself. Just stay healthy and stay on the field so I can help the team."

-- Safety Jarrett Bush suffered the first significant injury of camp.

He strained his side after landing awkwardly during an early drill and limped to the sideline. He went back on the field later, but didn't feel quite right and the trainers told him to shut it down for the morning. He said he didn't think it was anything serious. We'll update this at the night practice.

Bedard wrote:Green Bay - Cornerback Charles Woodson broke his off-season silence today and while he wouldn't have minded the team bringing in a big-name free agent on defense, Woodson was content with adding two first-round picks and has a good feeling about the team overall.

...

"I do, I do," Woodson said. "Absolutely (better than last year's 6-10 record). I don't see a repeat of last year. I feel good about the personnel we have. Though everybody doesn't think we have the people here to run this defense, I believe we do so I look for big things out of this defense.""You guys have watched us in this defense for the last three years and when you watched our games, I'm sure you could call out what we were running a lot of times," Woodson said. "It's one thing for things to look the same every play but you can't just run the same thing every play. So this defense gives us a great chance to give the offense different looks, move around a little bit, just showing them different things, throw them off-balance. So it's a defense you can have a lot of fun in. Of course, there is a lot to it so you definitely have to be on your Ps and Qs as far as making your calls and making sure everybody's on the same page. But when everything's clicking, it's a very, very fun defense."

Silverstein and Bedard wrote:

8:54 greg_a_bedard: Now today is a perfect day for football

9:01 greg_a_bedard: Bigby and jenkins aren't in pads on defense. They are one a days

9:02 TomSilverstein: Good morning everyone. My first accomplishment: I crossed Oneida St. while writing this and didn't get hit by a car!

9:04 greg_a_bedard: Clifton and Wells are out on offense. Spitz and Moll are in

9:05 greg_a_bedard: Oh and no Raji

9:06 greg_a_bedard: Crowd is about half what is was yesterday.

9:16 greg_a_bedard: Donald Lee with first drop pf the day

9:17 greg_a_bedard: Moore and Lee go offsides on back to back plays

9:18 greg_a_bedard: Lang is rg on 2s. Preston is center. He finished practice after tweaking his knee

9:20 greg_a_bedard: Rodgers 4 of 5. Flynn and brohm 1 of 1

9:21 TomSilverstein: I'm going to try to give you my observations during special teams periods (yawn).Stay tuned.

9:27 greg_a_bedard: Brooks was out kicking Kapinos again until he just shanked one 30 yards and 15 out of bounds

9:31 TomSilverstein: One thing that's obvious is that the DEs in this defense are playing a completely different position. The emphasis in drills is to get i

9:32 TomSilverstein: in the OLs face fast.

Silverstein and Bedard wrote:

9:33 greg_a_bedard: Anthony Smith is in for Bigby

9:33 greg_a_bedard: Brohm and Sutton work a nice screen. Still not the Packers' forte by any stretch.

9:36 greg_a_bedard: I'll say this about Sutton: he may not be fast but has great balance and bounces off tackles well

9:36 greg_a_bedard: Individual time

9:45 TomSilverstein: Lcoach Mike Trgovac drinks a lot of espresso before practice and he yells more than my boss

9:49 greg_a_bedard: Still individual.

9:53 greg_a_bedard: John Clayton, Alex Marvez, Don Banks and John Czarnecki are here today. Nancy Gay and Jay Glazer tomorrow.

9:56 greg_a_bedard: Team run

9:57 greg_a_bedard: Nice shifty run by jackson

10:00 greg_a_bedard: Harrell is no 1 re with jenkins out

10:01 greg_a_bedard: Finley and thompson get into it

10:02 greg_a_bedard: Jennings drops sure touchdown from rodgers

10:04 greg_a_bedard: Poppinga is getting it from greene for not getting up field enough

10:05 greg_a_bedard: Brohm and Jaron harris hook up on pass of the day. Brohm threads needle. Harris makes smooth sliding catch

10:07 greg_a_bedard: Huge hole opened by lang and dietrich-smith

10:08 greg_a_bedard: Rodgers picked by woodson. Classic woodson jump in front of driver. Man he's good at that

10:09 greg_a_bedard: Barnett is talking trash with the offense. The hair is a flowing

10:09 greg_a_bedard: Wynn sets up his blocks perfectly. Good cut back

10:10 greg_a_bedard: The next time I see Flynn throw a pass over 12 yards in team will be the first time

10:11 greg_a_bedard: Dietrich-smith got worked by Malone

10:12 greg_a_bedard: Rodgers and martin have miscommunication. That's rare

10:14 greg_a_bedard: Flynn fumbled snap

10:19 greg_a_bedard: Watching Kampman in 7 on 7s. He tries so hard to get out on RB, he's in a position to easily get burned by quick RB

10:22 TomSilverstein: Woodson knows this defense inside and out already. A great natural feel for the game.

10:24 greg_a_bedard: Finley should have had a high pass from Rodgers. I know everybody is high on high but he's still inconsistent

10:25 TomSilverstein: Al Harris hasn't played this much zone in a decade.

10:25 greg_a_bedard: Field goal

10:32 greg_a_bedard: Seems like there are a few more rollouts this year

10:34 greg_a_bedard: Campen not happy with preston

10:35 greg_a_bedard: Nice blocking by finley vs bishop. And then he talked trash

10:36 greg_a_bedard: Rodgers misses easy pass to driver high

10:37 greg_a_bedard: Colledge has been on the ground a lot today.

10:39 greg_a_bedard: The packers have a pretty good little No 2 line going with giacomini lang preston dietrich-smith and meredith. Faring well against 2 defense

10:42 greg_a_bedard: Thompson needs to prove some things at the point. Just got handled by humphrey

10:43 greg_a_bedard: Practice over

10:49 greg_a_bedard: McCarthy said there were again a lot of mental mistakes by offense in deceptive period. We'll stay after them about it.

10:52 greg_a_bedard: Cullen Jenkins is a difference-maker. He may be the best or one of the best players on our team

10:52 greg_a_bedard: On punting period: Not good.

11:40 greg_a_bedard: Charles Woodson finally talked and it was worth the wait. He had pointed comments about the former defensive scheme - too predictable...

11:41 greg_a_bedard: "I'm pretty sure you guys knew what we were going to run." And that while he has a good feeling about this team, there was a time when...

11:42 greg_a_bedard: ...he wanted team to go out and get an impact player like linebacker who had been in this system. But he's satisified with 2 1st rnders