Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp10/columns/story?columnist=mortensen_chris&id=5462522 


GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's more truth than fiction that a head coach and quarterback are joined at the hip in the NFL, especially in Green Bay. Vince Lombardi had Bart Starr. Mike Holmgren had Brett Favre.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy admits he allows himself to dream on the quiet mornings when he's sipping a cup of coffee while taking in the historical sweet aroma of Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers is his big-ticket item who can help him build the next Green Bay legacy, but McCarthy takes nothing for granted.

"(Rodgers) has done an excellent job to this point, he's a two- year starter & he'll see new challenges this year from the defenses because, you know, they've had now two years to study him and our particular offense," said McCarthy, now in his fourth season working with Rodgers. "We also have a responsibility as a coaching staff to make sure that he has the resources ... and frankly, he just needs to learn the offense."

Wait. Rodgers must learn the offense after making the Pro Bowl with 4,434 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2009?

"We have a few new concepts," McCarthy said with an ever-so-slight grin, declining to elaborate.

McCarthy is most proud that Rodger' accuracy and decision-making have progressed on schedule. He already has physical gifts that arguably are as good as any NFL QB.

"To say he's the most gifted, that's a huge compliment & he is definitely in the upper echelon," McCarthy said. "I mean, there is not anything from an offensive outlook that we hold back from. We feel that he can make all the throws. He gives us the ability to throw the ball deep, but also he has the ability to get the ball out of his hand quickly, and he's very disciplined and smart with his decisions and so forth. I would say he is definitely a complete quarterback."

More observations from the Packers' training camp:

McCarthy expects a big reduction in the 51 sacks the Packers allowed in 2009 during an 11-5 season. First-round pick Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) has been so impressive that instead of just learning left tackle behind veteran Chad Clifton, he is competing to be starting left guard.

The most unsung player on offense is right guard Josh Sitton, a 6-foot-3, 318-pounder entering his third season. The Packers believe he is a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

Special teams play was such a weakness last season that McCarthy has emphasized it in camp. There's been no lack of tackling in practice, and officials have been asked to monitor penalties that plagued the unit in '09.

While the Packers suffered a big blow when defensive tackle Johnny Jolly was suspended for the year for violating the NFL substance abuse policy, they're tickled with the move of last year's top pick, B.J. Raji, to nose tackle. They like their depth with defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and defensive end Cullen Jenkins, and are high on rookie defensive end Michael Neal, a second-round pick from Purdue.

Linebacker A.J. Hawk, who has fallen somewhat short of lofty expectations as a former first-round pick, is having his best camp. He looks lean and quick.

Clay Matthews, recovering from a hamstring injury, has flipped to left outside linebacker to add to the disruption Jenkins can cause at right defensive end. Matthews is coming off a 10-sack season.

While Al Harris recovers from ACL surgery, the cornerback competition opposite Charles Woodson has allowed young defenders to shine, including a physical Brandon Underwood and a very speedy undrafted rookie, Sam Shields of Miami.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers had an tremendous statistical impact in his first year; McCarthy and Capers just want fewer breakdowns against big-time passers like Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner. All of them burned the Packers in crucial games last season.

Yes, tight end Jermichael Finleystill has rising wow factor, but the Packers would like to see a little more maturity.

Safety Nick Collins, one of the league's best, is also schooling Georgia Tech rookie Morgan Burnett, a third-rounder who has a chance to contribute in the secondary.


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Jacob
14 years ago
i was waiting for a while for morts bus to get to green bay, i felt like this was the shortest segment of all the camps, + they shoulda sent schefter i like him better
Bigbyfan
14 years ago

i was waiting for a while for morts bus to get to green bay, i felt like this was the shortest segment of all the camps, + they shoulda sent schefter i like him better

"Jacob" wrote:



I thought the same thing. It seemed like he asked two questions and then it was over. Plus I would have rather heard from a player.
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RaiderPride
14 years ago
Mort and Schefter are fine... However Any Information is Great Information.

Thanks for the read Kevin. I appreciate the fact you posted this.

What I find so interesting is this comment.

"We also have a responsibility as a coaching staff to make sure that he has the resources ... and frankly, he just needs to learn the offense."

"AND FRANKLY, HE JUST NEEDS TO LEARN THE OFFENSE?

One could take that comment in many directions as far as what that means.

Thanks for the post Kevin. Great read.
""People Will Probably Never Remember What You Said, And May Never Remember What You Did. However, People Will Always Remember How You Made Them Feel."
Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
I was a little put off by the ampersands (&) in the McCarthy quotes. It looks like Mortensen cut-and-pasted his raw notes and didn't bother to proofread or polish them at all before submitting them. And it's clear they weren't edited either.

Big kudos for not mentioning any former players.

I'm definitely liking what I'm hearing about Hawk.
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dyeah_gb
14 years ago
This is all good news that gets me excited for this season.

Let us not forget that Rodgers was criticized for holding on to the ball too long in the first half of the season. Maybe this is related to the "learning the offense" comment.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool - R. Feynman
Blitz
14 years ago
"We have a few new concepts," McCarthy said with an ever-so-slight grin, declining to elaborate.

:onfloor:

Funny stuff.
:thumbright:
"... There.. is.. your.. dagger..!! "
dhazer
14 years ago
What I am not liking is the comments about having our young guys learn new positions.

First-round pick Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) has been so impressive that instead of just learning left tackle behind veteran Chad Clifton, he is competing to be starting left guard.
I know there is a thread on this but I just don't understand why they insist on doing this shit. It's not like Clifton is a young player and we will be lucky if he makes it all 16 games. If he goes down then what disrupt the whole line again and end up with the same problems we had last year.

The next part I didnt care for was
Clay Matthews, recovering from a hamstring injury, has flipped to left outside linebacker to add to the disruption Jenkins can cause at right defensive end. Matthews is coming off a 10-sack season.

Ok so we had a guy make the Pro Bowl but now we are going to move him to the other side and learn all new things.


I just don't like how Fred Flintstone handles the young players, His idea of having these guys learn multiple positions is a major downfall of his.

I also didn't understand the comment about AR learning the offense.

Im excited about seeing AR play tonight and then I can start on my report of him.
Just Imagine this for the next 6-9 years. What a ride it will be 🙂 (PS, Zero should charge for this)
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Greg C.
14 years ago

What I find so interesting is this comment.

"We also have a responsibility as a coaching staff to make sure that he has the resources ... and frankly, he just needs to learn the offense."

"AND FRANKLY, HE JUST NEEDS TO LEARN THE OFFENSE?

One could take that comment in many directions as far as what that means.

"RaiderPride" wrote:



No. In the context of the article, it's obvious that he is just talking about the usual learning that happens in training camp.

I agree with Jacob and Bigbyfan that Mort's ESPN segment on Packers training camp was extremely lame, though I kind of saw it coming when I noticed that he would be in Green Bay on a day when there was no practice. Try to plan your trip a little more carefully next time, Mort.
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Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
Mortensen is far more interested in rooting out the latest Favre scoop anyway. Problem is he's been superseded by Werder the past couple of years.
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