RaiderPride
15 years ago
From ESPN




Green Bay Packers
Training camp site: Team facility in Green Bay, Wis.


Campfires
At least two and possibly three positions on the offensive line are up for grabs as the Packers transition to a younger -- and, they hope, bigger -- offensive line. Jason Spitz seems primed to overtake veteran Scott Wells at center, while Allen Barbre is hoping to hold off rookie T.J. Lang for the right to replace Mark Tauscher at right tackle. And if Wells wins the center job, Spitz could move to right guard and compete with Josh Sitton.

Got all that? Because there's plenty of competition elsewhere on this team. The Packers moved back into the first round of the April draft to grab outside linebacker Clay Matthews, but a spring hamstring injury allowed second-year player Jeremy Thompson to grab hold of the job seemingly designated for Matthews. Thompson will spend training camp trying to hold off Matthews.

Elsewhere, the Packers will have an intriguing (if somewhat inside baseball) competition for their No. 3 receiver position behind Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. James Jones' playmaking skills would seem to give him the edge over 2008 top pick Jordy Nelson, but Jones' injury troubles last season make him an unknown quantity this summer.

Camp will be a downer if ...
... one of the Packers' two backup quarterbacks doesn't demonstrate substantial improvement. Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm got rookie exceptions last year, but neither ran the offense smoothly during minicamp last month.

Brohm's case is especially interesting. He flopped last summer after the Packers made him a second-round pick, by default leaving the No. 2 job to Flynn. If Brohm wants to restore his track as the Packers' top backup and a future starter (for another team), he'll have to get it turned around in camp this summer. Otherwise, he'll be buried on the depth chart for another year.

Camp will be a success if ...
...the Packers can demonstrate mental proficiency with the 3-4 defense. There is little doubt that retrofitting the personnel base will take some time. But if the Packers can master the different alignments and strategies typically employed by coordinator Dom Capers, they'll almost certainly improve their defensive proficiency from a year ago.

Capers and his staff are good teachers, and it's reasonable to expect Packers players to have absorbed the mental part of this new scheme.

A true one-two punch?
Training camp would be a nice time for someone to step in as a legitimate second option behind tailback Ryan Grant. One question the Packers would like to solve: Do they have someone on the roster who provides a stylistic complement to Grant?

Is Brandon Jackson the best answer? You could make an argument that his style isn't different enough from Grant to make him a viable option. Could that person be DeShawn Wynn? Or possibly Kregg Lumpkin? The Packers would like to leave camp with a firm idea on whether they have someone they can consistently rotate into the lineup for strategic purposes.
""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."
Dulak
15 years ago
Interesting article ...

my comments -

- I like the offensive line competition. Ie we need a goodline this year. No more 34 sacks allowed.

- Whats up with collins? He still holding out for more $?

- I'm a bit interested in the ROLB position - thompson or matthews

- IMO it will be a no brainer that jones takes over the 3 spot. He seemed to indicate he no longer sufferes from his injuries as he did last season. He was a nice go to guy in 07; would expect him to do just as well this coming year.

- as far as the RB issues ... to be honest I'd rather they bench grant and use jackson and wynn of lumpkin or the new guy they are working.
but whatever - grant got his money so I assume they will make him work for it.

I cant wait for some nice preseason games where we can actually talk about something other then theory
shield4life
15 years ago
- Jones could take over the 3rd spot but depending on how much Nelson has developed since last year. Great potential in Jordy for this year and the future.

- I love Grant, I just hope he pans out to be like 2 years ago.
Glad To Be A Packers Fan.
15 years ago
Poppinga is the starter. This out of touch ESPN crap is never correct.
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Rockmolder
15 years ago

Poppinga is the starter. This out of touch ESPN crap is never correct.

"CaliforniaCheez" wrote:



I doubt it. I'd like someone who can at least rush the QB a little opposite of Kampman. So far, Poppinga hasn't gotten us any pressure on the QB at all. The rest of his numbers have been average at best as well. If Thompson can even resemble a Lamar Lathon (LB who played opposite of Greene under Dom Capers) or a player like Shaun Phillips, I think he'll get the nod. Mainly because he has tons of potential and can still grow a lot. Poppinga, on the other hand, has been on his current level for about 3 years. Of course, he could excel in this scheme but I doubt it.

Apart from that, we still have a 1st round LB waiting. I have a feeling that if he might become the starter, he could put up numbers comparable to Poppinga's, but get some more QB pressures.
earthquake
15 years ago
I dont think its really that big of a deal which one is the #3 or #4 WR, they will both see heavy playing time, nelson will probably see a lot of time in run formations, considering his size and blocking ability.
blank
Dulak
15 years ago
Was going to point out - that chillar should be a sure thing as a ILB on passing downs (IMO he's our best coverage guy).
Fan Shout
Mucky Tundra (2h) : @AaronNagler · 2m Both Jordan Love and Malik Willis were Limited participants at Packers practice today.
Zero2Cool (5h) : Johnson didn't make it until 2020. Ring 2023. 🤷 Personally, he should have been in years prior to Hall.
Zero2Cool (5h) : HUMP DAY
beast (5h) : Guys that have a good shot at making the NFL Hall of Fame usually get into their teams pretty fast
beast (5h) : Yeah, but is Kampman and the others in the NFL Hall of Fame?
Zero2Cool (5h) : Johnson was Hall of Fame, 2020. Should haev been in Ring a year later, not three years.
Zero2Cool (5h) : I could be wrong there though
Zero2Cool (5h) : Guys like Kampman, Tim Harris, Al Harris, etc all over 15 years. Hall of Fame is 5 year wait
Zero2Cool (6h) : I guess I see players in Packers Hall come way later
beast (6h) : Yeah, usually teams hall of fames are a much lower bar than the NFL
Zero2Cool (6h) : is it uncommon for Hall before Ring?
Zero2Cool (6h) : S Xavier McKinney named first-team All-Pro by NFLPA
beast (8h) : I missed it, sorry, but he got into the NFL Hall of Fame years before that
Zero2Cool (8h) : Jones took his sweet ole time!
Zero2Cool (8h) : Yeah, he's in the ring of honor, just saw video and his name is up there
Zero2Cool (8h) : Didn't they have a thing in 2023 for Jimmy's ring of honor? I swear I saw it
beast (8h) : Though if they're legitimately trying to re-sign MM, then it makes sense.
beast (8h) : Jerry Jones still hasn't put Jimmy Johnson in the Ring of Honor, but he's in the NFL's Hall of Fame, Jones is petty
Mucky Tundra (20h) : Unless the Cowboys are planning an extension, seems kinda petty
beast (21h) : Cowboys denied Bears request
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : From what I'm reading, MM is under contract through the 14th of January; after that he's free game
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : McCarthy let go or not extended??
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Chicago Bears have asked the Dallas Cowboys permission to interview Mike McCarthy for head coaching vacancy
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : The winners page that is
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : I was not hoping for that. It messes up the page lol
beast (6-Jan) : Thank you, and I was really opening we were going to get 4 or more tied for the top 3.
beast (6-Jan) : Thank you, and I was really opening we were going to get 4 or more tied for the top 3.
beast (6-Jan) : Thank you, and I was really opening we were going to get 4 or more tied for the top 3
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : congrats beast on 2024 !
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : congrats porky on winning 2023 pick'em! (oops sorry)
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : Packers have $60M+ of 2025 cap space on paper TODAY.
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Missed FG into a Lions TD; that'll do pig, that'll do
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : That might be it for the Vikings
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Oh so the refs do know what intentional grounding is
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : what the hell was that Goff?! Not much pressure and he just air mails it to Harrison
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : They really need to to get rid of the auto first down for illegal contact
Martha Careful (6-Jan) : watching the Vikings and Lions it's understandable why they swept the Packers. So much better product
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Even when GB got pressure he was throwing darts; vs no pressure on that last pass he just air mails an open guy
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : didn't have guys in his face ... pressure makes difference
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Where was this Darnold vs GB?
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : BALL DON'T LIE
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : how was that not a safety? Goff throws it at an offensive lineman
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Zero, I thought that was a given! ;)
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : Zero I looked through earlier and noticed the same thing. Bonkers year. I just wonder if beast put any money on games
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : I'm hoping for BLOODBATH. Pummel one another.
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : 8 people in pick'em would have won any year with their total lol
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : I'm rooting for the Lions to lose.
Mucky Tundra (6-Jan) : God help me but I'm rooting for the Vikings to...Vikings to...Christ I can't say it
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : 4 td for Rodgers
Zero2Cool (6-Jan) : Chiefs got shutout
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