Training Camp Thread

[chuckleslove]

Masthay has quietly and very quickly become one of the better punters in the NFL especially considering how well he did in cold weather last year.

[El Duderino]

Masthay was huge for us down the stretch and in the playoffs last year.

In general, i think that often many fans overrate the importance of punters unless your team has a really bad one. If football fans were asked to name just 3 of the punters on the last ten Super Bowl winners, i think the vast majority wouldn't be able to name those 3.

That said, while i think punters don't mean much over a 16 game schedule, i do think in the short sample that is the playoffs, a punter having a really good game or a really bad game can have a noticeable impact by downing a punt or two deep in an opponents territory and/or by nailing a long punt while deep in his own territory during a close game as was the case with Masthay, especially vs the Bears. On the flip side, that bad punt by the Giants rookie kicker allowed Jackson the opportunity to return that punt for a TD. Without that, we don't make the playoffs and no Super Bowl.

Ted struggled at finding a decent punter after foolishly waiving Ryan, but if reports in camp of Masthay punting great carries over to games like last week, on top of how well he punted the last half of last season, and if Cobb becomes the return threat that we all hope, special teams could actually become a strength this year instead of the liability it's been in previous years.

[LUKE23]

Good read on the skill position depth:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/127985148.html

The only absolute at the position is Greg Jennings. Nelson called Jennings the most underrated player in the NFL on Wednesday. He isn't underrated in Green Bay, where everyone acknowledges him as the No. 1 wide receiver.

Nevertheless, when Finley was healthy a year ago, he averaged 49 snaps in the first four games compared with 42.8 for Jennings. Of Finley's 196 snaps, 90 came as a split or slot receiver.

Finley's back, of course, and it's inevitable that he will slice into the wide receivers' playing time.

Then there's the rookie, Randall Cobb, who looks like a natural at the slot position from which Driver made so much hay. Doesn't Cobb have to play some, even if he's the No. 5 receiver?

"I don't know," Philbin replied. "We're not quite there yet. But I like what I've seen."

Counting playoffs, Jennings averaged 53 snaps last season compared with 42.3 for Driver, 35.1 for Nelson and 32.5 for James Jones.

Final roster moves, injuries and special-teams considerations will determine who gets what at the position in 2011. All that's for sure is the competition couldn't be keener.

[Badgerlander]

Masthay was huge for us down the stretch and in the playoffs last year.

him and j bush were deadly against the bears

He was practically MVP of that game.

I'm giddy over our WR/TE core. Jennings and Finley are studs, Nelson and Jones are on the cusp, Driver is the security blanket, Cobb looks like he has some of Jennings ability to take a short pass and turn it into a long gain, DJWill is Finley lite, Borel is Cobb lite, and Quarless has a ton of potential. All of those weapons should make it insanely easy for guys like Kuhn, Crabtree, or RTaylor to find a hole in the coverage and make a big play. That said, I am all for cutting Quinn to keep an extra TE, but we better damn well be able to pick up a first down on the ground from 3rd and 1 or score from the 1 on second and goal.

[eagle13]

[quote="DocHoliday That said, I am all for cutting Quinn to keep an extra TE, but we better damn well be able to pick up a first down on the ground from 3rd and 1 or score from the 1 on second and goal.[/quote]

Raji

[Ayt]

I'm giddy over our WR/TE core. Jennings and Finley are studs, Nelson and Jones are on the cusp, Driver is the security blanket, Cobb looks like he has some of Jennings ability to take a short pass and turn it into a long gain, DJWill is Finley lite, Borel is Cobb lite, and Quarless has a ton of potential. All of those weapons should make it insanely easy for guys like Kuhn, Crabtree, or RTaylor to find a hole in the coverage and make a big play. That said, I am all for cutting Quinn to keep an extra TE, but we better damn well be able to pick up a first down on the ground from 3rd and 1 or score from the 1 on second and goal.

We've been very good in those situations the last two years and I don't think Johnson had much to do with it. Besides, the OL is much more important in short yardage situations like that than the FB. I'm sure we'll see a ton of runs to the right behind Sitton and Bulaga in short yardage situations.

Last year, Kuhn was 10 of 13 on 3rd or 4th and 1. The year before, Grant was very good in short yardage situations.

[Kerb Hohl]

Remember when everybody wanted Chad Jackson and were pissed when the Pats traded up into our spot to take him?

I was definitely in the camp that wanted Jackson, but was not one of those people ready to jump off a ledge after we took another "no name" guy.

I just looked...looks like Jackson is back in the NFL, but damn...dude was essentially a nothing and we got Greg Jennings.

[Ayt]

Remember when everybody wanted Chad Jackson and were pissed when the Pats traded up into our spot to take him?

I was definitely in the camp that wanted Jackson, but was not one of those people ready to jump off a ledge after we took another "no name" guy.

I just looked...looks like Jackson is back in the NFL, but damn...dude was essentially a nothing and we got Greg Jennings.

TT has owned the Pats in trades. They traded up 16 spots in the 2nd to get Jackson in that draft giving us their 2nd later in the draft and a 3rd. We then took Jennings with the 2nd rounder they traded to us (and Spitz with the 3rd).

In 2009, we traded up and got the 26th pick from NE (and drafted some Thor guy) when NE themselves needed a pass rushing OLB. As good as NE is, it has to hurt their fans to know they had Clay right there for them late in the 1st and they passed him up.

Pwnage.

[Ayt]

Contrary to what he said Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Thursday that defensive end Mike Neal did indeed undergo a MRI scan on his injured knee. He added that Neal remains in the "day to day category," though history suggests knee sprains typically take about two weeks to recover from.

Blech.

Meanwhile, linebacker Clay Matthews has soreness and tightness in his hamstrings, McCarthy said. Matthews' tight hamstring hit last night and this morning, according to the coach. His number of snaps have been monitored.

Matthews should consider hamstring replacement surgery.

McCarthy was high on rookie Alex Green. In his first full week of being healthy, the running back from Hawaii has stood out in pass protection. "He’s a dynamic individual," McCarthy said. "He has done a very good job in pass protection, particularly for a first-year guy. It seems to come natural to him. I think he’s had a heck of a camp. He's just got to stay healthy.”

It would be huge for us if Green gains the trust of MM as a pass blocker so he can play as our 3rd down back. Adding that type of athlete could be a nice change from what we've had. I want to see more draws, shovel passes, and screens out of the shotgun on 1st and 2nd down this year. Not only could Green be very effective with those plays (being so used to it at Hawaii), it would also help to really slow down the DL pass rush and the number of blitzes teams are willing to call. We've actually asked a ton out of our OL since a shotgun has pretty much been a guaranteed pass in recent seasons whether it has been 1st down or 3rd down.

I'd really like to see some shotgun running plays where we pull Sitton and have him lead into the hole against a nickel or dime D. That type of play can get big yards if blocked properly with an explosive back carrying the ball.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/128026943.html

[LUKE23]

It would be monumentally huge if Green was a good pass blocker. Jackson was so good at it but so worthless at everything else it was hard to warrant him a roster spot. If Green could do that at 75% of the level Jackson did and give us rushing/receiving, huge.

[LikeABosh]

Glad to hear it. I wasn't really excited going into the season knowing Kuhn was our only 3rd down back.

[El Duderino]

It would be monumentally huge if Green was a good pass blocker. Jackson was so good at it but so worthless at everything else it was hard to warrant him a roster spot. If Green could do that at 75% of the level Jackson did and give us rushing/receiving, huge.

I thought Jackson was also very solid in the screen game. His biggest problem was reading blocks at the line of scrimmage on hand offs, but in the screen game where he was out in space, he was decent after the catch and could run through arm tackles because of his really strong lower body.

Obviously though Green has the physical gifts to be a more dynamic weapon on those screens and checkdowns than Jackson was.

[Ayt]

It would be monumentally huge if Green was a good pass blocker. Jackson was so good at it but so worthless at everything else it was hard to warrant him a roster spot. If Green could do that at 75% of the level Jackson did and give us rushing/receiving, huge.

Yep. I'm really excited about it. We haven't had a back like Green the entire time MM has been here. MM drew up all kinds of fun plays with Deuce McCallister in NO. I don't expect Green to be able to motion into the slot like McCallister did at times, but MM still has plenty of plays in his bag he can pull out for a guy like Green with our rather athletic offensive line.

I've mentioned it before, but I was really high on McCarthy as an offensive mind when we hired him. I thought his offense in NO was brilliant in utilizing the different weapons he had with a QB that really wasn't that great in Brooks and secondary weapons that were merely average. MM loved to spread teams out with his 3 WR, single back set (shotty or normal). From there, he'd get the ball to McCallister every way he could while moving Horn all over the place to get single coverage. Just like us now, he also loved the big passing play and ran a lot of deep routes and had his QB take shots when the coverage was favorable. He uses the same principles here, but we haven't yet had a RB for him to really play around with like he does with our TEs and WRs.

Teams haven't had to deal with an explosive power back getting the ball while they are running a nickel or dime against us. An extremely athletic, 225 lb back that is used to playing out of the shotgun and the spread is perfect for us.

[Reddeye]

QB controversy?

Maybe the coaches have scored it differently, but from a sideline view, backup quarterback Matt Flynn has had a better camp than starter Aaron Rodgers. Flynn usually plays with the backups and often runs the scout team, which are factors that weigh against him. Yet practice after practice, he's fearless in the pocket, on target with his throws and always calm and collected. If scouts from other teams were allowed to attend practice, they would be making calls back home as fast as possible. Film of Flynn leading a long second-quarter drive later in the half against Cleveland has undoubtedly circulated among teams looking for a quarterback. It would be nice to see what Flynn could do playing behind the starters. Rodgers, for the most part, hasn't been as consistent. Some of his throws have been off, and some of his connections with receivers not as crisp. Who knows if Rodgers is working on different things with his receivers or being blitzed more; he's just been off at times. The Cleveland game was a perfect example when he made two bad throws on the first series. Rodgers will be fine. He'll throw for a jillion yards and probably be in the race for MVP. But from a spectator's standpoint, Flynn has been more enjoyable to watch this summer.

[Ayt]

I hope Jennings is teaching Cobb how to do this in TC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeNypaVm ... page#t=88s

[Ayt]

QB controversy?

Maybe the coaches have scored it differently, but from a sideline view, backup quarterback Matt Flynn has had a better camp than starter Aaron Rodgers. Flynn usually plays with the backups and often runs the scout team, which are factors that weigh against him. Yet practice after practice, he's fearless in the pocket, on target with his throws and always calm and collected. If scouts from other teams were allowed to attend practice, they would be making calls back home as fast as possible. Film of Flynn leading a long second-quarter drive later in the half against Cleveland has undoubtedly circulated among teams looking for a quarterback. It would be nice to see what Flynn could do playing behind the starters. Rodgers, for the most part, hasn't been as consistent. Some of his throws have been off, and some of his connections with receivers not as crisp. Who knows if Rodgers is working on different things with his receivers or being blitzed more; he's just been off at times. The Cleveland game was a perfect example when he made two bad throws on the first series. Rodgers will be fine. He'll throw for a jillion yards and probably be in the race for MVP. But from a spectator's standpoint, Flynn has been more enjoyable to watch this summer.

[El Duderino]

To bad we don't control Flynn's rights for one more year so we could have him as the quality backup QB in our Super Bowl defending season, but then in the offseason shop him to the highest bidder.

[eagle13]

It seems to me at this point - on game day w/ 2 OL typically inactive - McDonald will be top reserve at all 3 interior positions & Newhouse at both T spots.

Domingues or Schlauderaff is battle for 9th OL. Loser on PS. Campbell was viable 9th as RT but is missing too much time. Doubt he can make 53 now. Maybe 2nd yr on PS.

Schlauderaff is playing RG even tho he only played LG in school. Would be interesting to see how he plays at LG.

Said it before in this thread - keep Sherrod at LT and Schlauderaff at LG.

Clif / New / Sher
Lang / McD / Schla
Wells / McD / Lang
Sit / McD
Bul / New

IF Clif goes down early and goes to IR - possible move Bulaga permanently to LT with Newhouse at RT short term and Sherrod at RT long term.

With roster pressure for 5 TEs & 6 WRs - can't see Q making it.

[eagle13]

I'd give Harrell almost a full half next week and if he looked good I'd trade Flynn if we could get a 2nd at minimum. Harrell seems no worse than Flynn 2 yrs ago. And Cobb could be emergancy 3rd QB.

[an_also]

I'd be pretty uncomfortable going into the season with Harrell as the backup.