Training Camp Thread

[Allanon23]

I am heading up to camp today, I'll come back with some impressions.

Don't fap while watching, security doesn't like that for some reason

[LUKE23]

Heading up to Family Night on Saturday with my wife and two and a half year old. She loves screaming "touchdown" so hopefully we get to see a few.

[LikeABosh]

Gonna go to a preseason game. I'm thinking Arizona will be the most interesting.

[Reddeye]

The Packers have accepted an invitation from President Barack Obama to visit the White House on Friday, Aug. 12, the day before the Packers open their preseason in Cleveland.

[BUCKnation]

Anybody hear about that eagles player that had a seizure. MM's night practices this year are a good idea

[jimmybones]

Random thoughts from what Im reading:

-Burnett will have a good shot to start.

-Starks looking really good.

-At TE Williams and Taylor looking good already and Quarless struggling. Should be an interesting battle for spots there.

-Jermichael Finley is a god.

[jimmybones]

-House made a break up on Jennings...I'd love to see him step up and just snatch the #4 corner spot..We'd be impossible to throw on and the depth would be nice.

[Wade-A-Holic]

Aaron_Nagler Aaron Nagler
Deepest Packers team I've ever seen, including '96 RT @LBCJetsetter: we looking good so far champ?

Boy I don't know that I'd go that far. Way too soon to know really.

Nagler isn't usually one to over-hype, though. He calls it like he sees it from what I can tell.

[Badgerlander]

Aaron_Nagler Aaron Nagler
Deepest Packers team I've ever seen, including '96 RT @LBCJetsetter: we looking good so far champ?

Boy I don't know that I'd go that far. Way too soon to know really.

Nagler isn't usually one to over-hype, though. He calls it like he sees it from what I can tell.

Yeah me too, and I don't see it really, yet.

[Badgerlander]

Aaron_Nagler Aaron Nagler
Deepest Packers team I've ever seen, including '96 RT @LBCJetsetter: we looking good so far champ?

Boy I don't know that I'd go that far. Way too soon to know really.

Nagler isn't usually one to over-hype, though. He calls it like he sees it from what I can tell.

Yeah me too, and I don't see it really, yet.

[Reddeye]

Meaningless (probably) fact: Packers will travel 10510 miles for reg. season games. That's 27th in NFL. SF (29196) is 1st. Tenn (7060) 32nd

[Reddeye]

What a surprise.

Rob Demovsky
Sherrod seems better in LT one on one reps than at LG.

Antonio Freeman is watching practice from the sidelines

[rilamann]

If the Packers get HFA and play in the Super Bowl their only road trips after Dec 4th will be @KC & @Indy.

[ReasonablySober]

Newhouse sounds like the breakout player in camp. At left tackle. Think about that for a moment.

[El Duderino]

I remember being impressed by Newhouse at LT last year during preseason games, so in a way, i'm not all that surprised to hear he looks good there this camp.

Don't forget that he was an effective three year starter at LT for TCU, but being only 6'4 and having some problems at times pass blocking. He does though have long arms and ran a 5.0 40.

Time will tell if Newhouse can manage to become more than quality backup/spot duty caliber level at LT, but even if that was what he ends up, that would be nice value for a 5th round pick. If he actually becomes a competent or quality starting LT, that would be an absolute steal. I do know that i'll be watching him very close this preseason.

I'm curious though that i haven't heard Newhouse getting snaps at LG also, unless i missed it?

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Remember when we didn't have a competent starting tackle (on the right or left) a couple of years ago. Man has our OL come a long way. Hopefully this is the year our line becomes an above average run blocking team.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Good article on James Jones. Sounds like Jennings, not Driver, was the one who lobbied for Jones which makes more sense. Sounds like he's pretty serious about fixing the drops.

Green Bay - Standing in the locker room Wednesday afternoon, Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones vowed the ball and his hands were going to be working the same shift this season no matter what the circumstances.

Jones described the drops he had in 2011 as "a handful," which would be an accurate description if you're talking about the Jolly Green Giant.

By subjective analysis, Jones had 10 dropped passes last year. An indisputable fact was that he had five that basically occurred on similar plays and probably would have resulted in touchdowns had he held on.

Jones did not duck the issue.

When asked about what he needs to improve on most this season, he immediately brought up the drops. He did not blame them on lack of concentration, bad eyesight, poor throws or alien landings.

"Just drops," Jones said. "I make no excuses for it. If he (quarterback Aaron Rodgers) threw it to me again, I'd catch it. But last year was one of those years I let a couple go. This year I plan on not doing that."

The Packers must believe the problem is correctable because they signed Jones to a three-year free agent deal Sunday after the fourth-year receiver began preparing himself to play for another team. The market fell out from under Jones and the big question was whether he would hold out in the hope that injuries around the league would improve his position or just re-up with the Packers.

He decided on the latter.

"This is the place I truly believe I want to be," Jones said. "I wasn't out there chasing the money. I was looking for the best place for myself. Me and my wife sat down and went over things and this was the best situation.

"Come back here and not only be successful but win some ball games."

Jones' agent, Frank Bauer, had credited Rodgers and receiver Donald Driver with a successful lobbying campaign that helped bring Jones back, but Jones corrected him by saying it was Rodgers and receiver Greg Jennings, his best friend on the team.

Whether it was Driver or Jennings, it didn't matter because the message came across loud and clear to the front office.

"It definitely meant a lot," Jones said. "When I read their statements and comments I didn't tear up because I'm not a soft guy like that, but it meant a lot to me, just to step up to head coach and everybody and say something."

It might mean a lot to Jones, but it won't mean much of anything to the Packers if he doesn't blossom into the sure-handed receiver they thought they got when they drafted him in 2007. His receiving numbers were solid last year (50 catches for 679 yards and five touchdowns), but there were those regular-season dropped TDs against Miami, the Jets and the Giants, all on go routes down the sideline.

Another one against Philadelphia in the playoffs almost cost the Packers the game and a drop on a different kind of route against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl capped off a rough year for Jones.

The Packers had to look at Jones' issue two ways.

On the one hand, he was dropping clutch passes. On the other, he was consistently getting open deep, often when he drew one-on-one coverage.

When Jones got home, he went back and looked at the tapes of his drops and came to the conclusion that he needed to work on over-the-shoulder catches. So that was the focus of his off-season.

"I was throwing and catching every day, just different kind of throws coming over your shoulder," Jones said. "Sometimes they'll throw them straight, sometimes they'll throw them in the air. But I spent a lot of, lot of, lot of, lot of time working on those catches.

"As a competitor and athlete you don't want to let the same ball keep getting away from you, so you have to work on it if it does."

Jones went home to northern California and went to work catching passes from any quarterback he could find. He worked out with the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks, his former receivers coach at San Jose State and his former quarterback there who now plays in the Canadian Football League.

Upon his return, Jones started working for the first time under new receivers coach Edgar Bennett. One of the most detailed coaches in the business, Bennett specializes in repetitive drills that strengthen fundamentals and make every action almost routine.

Jones doesn't think concentration was a problem, but Bennett isn't ruling that out and thinks he spotted a common problem with receivers - trying to run too soon after the catch. Bennett is a stickler for making sure his players watch the ball into their hands and his receivers are finding out how serious he is.

"There's certain drills we can use to emphasize those areas," Bennett said. "We'll continue to work on those areas."

So far, Jones has been relegated to standing on the sideline because players who sign free agent contracts aren't eligible to begin practicing until Thursday. Because of that, Jones' attempt to put his drops in the rearview mirror begins now.

"(I want to) come back and be an impact player for this ballclub," Jones said. "Whatever I can do to help this team win."

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

BobMcGinn Bob McGinn
TE D.J. Williams, the #Packers' fifth-round pick, can't play in-line right now. He will need intensive work on his blocking to get on field.

TE has to be the most interesting position to watch during camp. Finley has been incredible. Williams and Taylor have garnered of praise. Quarless is having a hard time to get on the field. Crabtree has showcased some decent pass catching. All 5 of these guys are worthy of an NFL roster spot but it's unlikely they'll all make the Packers roster. If Williams really can't play on the line right now, I think that really helps Quarless chances. I wonder how Taylor looks on the line.

[LUKE23]

Really feels good to have three legit prospects to rotate at the tackle spots between Sherrod, Bulaga, and Newhouse. All three of them are 22 years old as well.

[jimmybones]

Really feels good to have three legit prospects to rotate at the tackle spots between Sherrod, Bulaga, and Newhouse. All three of them are 22 years old as well.