Saturday Post-Practice Update
August 01, 2009, 4:46 pm Link To This Post
News & Notes
Attendance for the first practice at the new Ray Nitschke Field was estimated at 2,100. The bleachers, seating approximately 1,500, were full, with several hundred more fans lined up along the fences on either end of the facility.

The center-right guard combination with the No. 1 offensive line began on a rotating system. It started with Scott Wells at C and Jason Spitz at RG, but other snaps with the No. 1 unit had Spitz at C and Josh Sitton at RG, or Wells at C and Sitton at RG.

Just as during OTAs and mini-camp in June, Jeremy Thompson was the starting OLB opposite Aaron Kampman with the No. 1 defense.

With LB Nick Barnett and DE B.J. Raji missing from the No. 1 unit, Brandon Chillar and Johnny Jolly, respectively, worked in those spots instead.

During a punting drill, G Evan Dietrich-Smith worked as a backup long snapper.

Plays of the Day
During team (11-on-11) work, WR James Jones made the offense's biggest play, hauling in a deep ball down the left side from QB Aaron Rodgers. Jones got behind CB Al Harris, and S Nick Collins was a touch late getting over to help.

WR Donald Driver also had a nice grab on a throw from Rodgers between three defenders over the middle, and TE Evan Moore hauled in a nice bootleg-left pass from QB Brian Brohm on a crossing route.

On defense, LB A.J. Hawk tipped and nearly intercepted a ball over the middle intended for Driver, while Kampman got what would have been a clean sack on a play-action pass.

Harris made a nice deflection on a pass for Driver, reaching around the receiver with his left hand to bat the ball away. During one-on-one drills with receivers, CB Joe Porter intercepted a deep ball intended for WR Patrick Williams.

Near the end of practice in the final team drill, CB Tramon Williams snagged an easy interception and potential long runback when WR Brett Swain cut inside and Rodgers threw the out route. The big hit of the day went to Collins, who dropped his shoulder pads on an unsuspecting RB DeShawn Wynn, knocking Wynn off his feet on a downfield run.

Injury/participation update
Barnett (knee) and fellow LB Brad Jones (back) are on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and did not practice.

Rookie first-round draft pick Raji also was absent, having not signed a contract yet.

***
Head Coach Mike McCarthy's press conference transcript is here. Also posted are today's feature story on the offensive line and the daily Training Camp Report.

Sunday Morning Post-Practice Update
August 02, 2009, 11:02 am Link To This Post
News & Notes
Four players coming off of surgeries from the offseason -- DE Cullen Jenkins, S Atari Bigby, T Chad Clifton and C Scott Wells -- sat out the morning workout and are expected to be on a one-a-day schedule for practice, returning to the field tonight. Jenkins and Bigby did go through the early jog-through portion of practice, but they weren't dressed in their pads.

In Jenkins' absence, DE Justin Harrell took snaps with the No. 1 defense until dropping out of practice late with leg cramps. DE Michael Montgomery then filled in.

S Anthony Smith took the vast majority of the snaps with the first unit in place of Bigby.

On the offensive line, the No. 1 unit was the same as during OTAs and mini-camp in June, with Tony Moll playing LT for Clifton, Jason Spitz at C, and Josh Sitton at RG. Allen Barbre remained at RT and Daryn Colledge at LG.

The day started out as a rough one for the tight ends, as Donald Lee dropped a pass on the first snap of team practice. Moments later, TE Evan Moore was called for a false start, and then Lee false-started as well.

Attendance was approximately 1,400.

Plays of the Day
What would have been the play of the day was a near-miss, as WR Greg Jennings had a deep ball from QB Aaron Rodgers glance off his fingertips after he had gotten behind CB Tramon Williams.

The offense made its share of solid plays, though, with WR JaRon Harris making a diving catch over the middle on a throw from QB Brian Brohm. Rodgers beat the blitz one time with a quick slant to WR James Jones, and he had a nice connection with WR Donald Driver on a crossing route. Driver also made a nice play by leaping to catch a throw by Brohm over top of LB Clay Matthews, and RB Tyrell Sutton burst into the open field when the offensive line beat the blitz with a running play.

The defense held its own as well. Smith knifed into the backfield for what would have been a clean shot on RB Ryan Grant, while LBs A.J. Hawk and Brandon Chillar blitzed for a sack of Rodgers. LB Brady Poppinga also got into the backfield for what would have been a sack of Brohm.

In the secondary, CB Charles Woodson made a nice read and interception on a ball over the middle from Rodgers to Driver, while S Nick Collins made a good deflection along the sideline on a comeback route to WR Brett Swain, barely getting over there in time.

The big hit of the morning goes to RB DeShawn Wynn, who knocked LB Desmond Bishop's helmet off picking him up on a blitz.

Injury/participation update
LBs Nick Barnett (knee) and Brad Jones (back) remained out, while DE B.J. Raji is not yet under contract. DE Johnny Jolly continued to work with the No. 1 defense in Raji's absence.

Today's Updates wrote:

I hope Spitz/Sitton is the C/RG tandem they go with.

I hope Raji gets that deal done ASAP. It's also interesting they called him a DE in that article.

I wonder why Chillar and not Bishop replaced Barnett in the lineup.

"Packers_Finland" wrote:

Sunday Morning Post-Practice Update
August 02, 2009, 11:02 am Link To This Post
News & Notes
Four players coming off of surgeries from the offseason -- DE Cullen Jenkins, S Atari Bigby, T Chad Clifton and C Scott Wells -- sat out the morning workout and are expected to be on a one-a-day schedule for practice, returning to the field tonight. Jenkins and Bigby did go through the early jog-through portion of practice, but they weren't dressed in their pads.

Today's Updates wrote:

"Packers_Finland" wrote: