Getting a feel for his team hasn't come easy for head coach Mike McCarthy in the early stages of training camp.

Robbed of a critical three months of offseason workouts for player development and system implementation thanks to the lockout, McCarthy and his staff have been pressed into teaching on the fly. They had to devote the first nine practices of camp to the installations for the offense and defense, leaving them just one day on the field to prep for Saturday's preseason opener at the Cleveland Browns.

In previous years, the schemes were installed during organized team activities in the spring and then reviewed at the start of training camp.

Having to start from square one this summer has created a disjointed beginning for the Packers as they set out to defend their Super Bowl title.

"We're not in football shape, and I think that's to be expected at this point in camp," McCarthy lamented.

Compounding the ragged matters is the Packers had to call their Family Night practice before a crowd of 43,048 at Lambeau Field on Saturday after only 20 minutes of action. That left the Packers with a nearly football-free weekend since McCarthy gave the players off Sunday.

Not that they minded more time away from the field, especially the older players.

"I think it can hopefully keep us fresh, even though people will say well, yeah, we've had five months off, so we should all be fresh," linebacker A.J. Hawk said.

After quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the skilled players on offense didn't bother to get together for workouts during the lockout, breakdowns in timing on pass plays came to the fore in the initial days of camp.
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CBSSports wrote:

Yeah like MM's gonna run the ball 20-25 times a game. LOL. I'll take the under!

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 

421 rushes in the regular season last year, that's an average of 26.3 yards/game.

Originally Posted by: Porforis 

The part I don't understand in this is how are we playing catch up, our team was just on the field a few months ago compared to other teams that hasn't been doing anything since january. We can call the core of this team (starters) all vets and should know their system, it's not like we have a new coach on offense or defense or a rookie starting some where. But then again we are playing catch up to the teams like the Saints and Jets that their leaders got their teams together during the lockout and worked together and I am sure went thru their playbooks with the rookies.

But we will see what happens, nothing counts until 9-8-11

Originally Posted by: dhazer 

That's not a really good yards per game at all. I would have figured Aaron Rodgers averaged more yards running than that.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 

Players turn in their playbooks at the end of the season, they don't carry them around during the off season with them. I believe this is because they may be cut or traded and obviously coaches will take pages out, add pages, etc ...


The injury risk far outweighed the reward of working out in the off season. The off season workout get togethers were media hyped, don't fall into the trap and use that thing between ya ears.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool