Packers Practice Roundup: August 3, 2022

The Packers did a light walk-through and probably finished putting in their instals in today's practice.

 

Today's practice was a light walkthrough.  The Packers probably finished putting in their instals on defense and offense; Matt Lafleur had previously indicated that the team wanted to finish that before the Family Night event.

 

MISCELLANEOUS:

Two additions to the Packers’ injury list: RB Patrick Taylor (groin) WR Osirus Mitchell (quad) Jaire Alexander is practicing.  Demovsky

Matt LaFleur said Jaire Alexander was feeling a little "tight" yesterday so the Packers shut him down. Precautionary thing. Wants him out there for Family Night.  Kruse

Aaron Rodgers impressed with Romeo Doubs’ start to camp: “Every single day, there’s been at least one ‘wow’ play from him. That’s kind of rare for a young guy like that. Now we’ve had some guys over the years do that, but they’re all in the top 10 in the Packers' receiving history.”  2) Brian Gutekunst: "We're very, very bullish on Amari Rodgers and what he can do for this football team."  3) Brian Gutekunst says he'd like to just put Rashan Gary in "bubble wrap" and save him for regular season. He's very pleased with his 4th-year edge rusher: "All the physical skills, and knowing what's going to happen before it happens, is coming together. He's wrecking practice."  4) Brian Gutekunst says it's evident Jordan Love feels more comfortable in his third training camp: "I think you're seeing a confidence level of, 'OK, I know what's going to happen before it happens.'"  5)  Brian Gutekunst says he isn't too concerned with affects of Christian Watson missing in camp long term, but says the rookie WR will need to "play catchup" more the longer he misses. #Packers aren't going to rush Watson's recovery. Their investment was a long-term commitment.  6) GM Brian Gutekunst says rookie Romeo Doubs has had a "great start" to camp. He's been especially pleased with how Doubs has shown on the practice field what he scouted on film in college, specifically his ability to win in multiple ways as a receiver.  7) Brian Gutekunst says he could always see Yosh Nijman's physical tools on tape. Now he's been able to put those tools together to become an impressive offensive tackle: "He's really worked his way into a guy who's going to have a long career."Wood

No. 1 offensive line is back to, left to right: Nijman, Runyan, Myers, Hanson, Newman.  Spofford

Yeah, Amari Rodgers is making this team. Can’t imagine Gutey cutting him.  Kruse  [Time will tell.  TGR]

Doubs is off to a fast start but what Gutey is most pleased about is that Doubs has shown his ability to win in multiple ways on the field—something he did very well at Nevada.  Bretl  [And Doubs' ability to play slot or move out wide helps the team disguise things and helps with depth.  It appears to me that Amari Rodgers plays the slot, only.  Amari probably still makes the team, but breaking down what each depth player can do is important.  TGR]

Matt LaFleur is actually mad that the JUGS machine sucked with punts yesterday. He said he’ll pay any price for a new one. “I have never seen anything like that. That was ridiculous … It was awful. You couldn’t get the ball to turn over. It was damn near impossible to catch.”  Wood  LaFleur said the excessive number of muffed punts Tuesday was due to a defective Jugs machine. He said the ball wasn't turning over and getting blown all over the place. "We're in the market for a new Jugs machine," adding if someone has one that works could they borrow it.  Silverstein  [So, are the coaches going to look at the players or at the machine as being at fault yesterday?  TGR]

The Packers' special teams have been so bad that even their jugs sports machine stinks.  Demovsky  [I thought this was funny, news is light, soooo.  TGR]

Brian Gutekunst joked (maybe it wasn’t a joke) that he could count the seconds between when the Raiders cut safety/special teamer Dallin Leavitt and when Rich Bisaccia called Gutekunst to push the Packers to sign him. Leavitt seems to be a special teams cornerstone here.  Wood [I gave this its own paragraph.  I don't know for certain, but when guessing about the team's ultimate 53-man roster, I am going to remember this quote.  TGR]

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on rookie OL Zach Tom, who’s worked with the starters at multiple spots: “To see him go from practice to practice at different spots and perform pretty well, that’s exciting.”  Wood

 

 

 

 

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7 points
 

Comments (54)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Coldworld's picture

August 03, 2022 at 11:10 pm

Leading up to his second preseason, the same things were said about J’mon Moore. Another guy who supposedly had confidence issues (in his case the dropsies). Moore was waived before the start of the season.

I understand trying to boost a player to unlock potential, but I put about as much credence in those as should have been placed in the similarly vague statements about Moore and his improvement and potential. He didn’t and that potential was not enough to retain him.

Moore had also returned kicks the previous year, more impressively than Rodgers too. He was a 4th rounder not a third.

We will see, but without Rodgers showing up more meaningfully or a few others dropping out through injury, I see him really struggling. In addition to Cobb, the following receivers will make the team if healthy; Lazard and Watkins, Doubs, Watson. All play (or seem likely to) take some snaps in the slot. That’s 5. It seems likely that Jones will also take some.

If we keep Rodgers we have no cover on game day for anyone else than Cobb on the active roster, either forcing us to cut the playbook or play a slot out of position and that even if he would be active. That likely depends on Watson’s progress for a game or two, but if healthy, those 5 are going to be active.

If a player other than Cobb is hurt we probably elevate an X or a Z type—Winfree can play all positions and Toure seems to be doing mostly slot and middle routes at this point but has a history of doing so. Both are regularly making plays with the seconds. More so than Rodgers. Both they and the others can cover the slot.

Without a radically better showing, Rodgers is not going to beat out a healthy Cobb, Lazard, Watkins or Doubs. As such he’s likely only active if Watson isn’t, and I think that’s only happening if Rodgers is the returner of choice. Leaving aside Watson’s possible role as a returner, despite being the incumbent, Rodgers is behind Doubs on punts and Gafford on kicks at this point.

Unless that changes, Rodgers is likely inactive if he’s on the roster and likely not the first up even if one of those ahead is out, maybe two if Cobb isn’t one of them. Has Rodgers showed enough potential to stash on the roster till next year? Has he shown enough to make it unlikely that he clears waivers? Is there a possibility that Winfree, Toure or one of the others surpasses him in the next few weeks?

Sorry Brian Gutekunst. I respect you, but this seems to be a J’Mon Moore repeat threatening to play out after your endorsement to me and is couched in similarly vague expressions of improvement, value and potential. If it helps Rodgers change that, great, but if he doesn’t change his trajectory then I think he’s on a similar course.

Of course when a GM has to praise a player vaguely because he’s being asked why that player has been invisible, that’s also a red flag typically. Perhaps being slow off the Moore bandwagon has tainted me, but Moore at least looked the part (if he could only catch). “Potential” didn’t save Moore and rightly so: it won’t Rodgers. Only consistent playmaking will.

5 points
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5
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 03, 2022 at 11:14 pm

Damn, Dude, I was writing much the same thing, then fat fingers did something (I know not what) any my whole comment disappeared before I could submit if. So I wrote the one below, not as long or detailed, particularly looking at what depth guys can do at ILB, Safety and CB, but in much the same vein as your comments when I submitted it and looked up at your comment.

2 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 03, 2022 at 11:37 pm

Been there, done that TGR. I was one of the last to give up on Moore (who also trained hard on his own dime in the off season and owned his failings). Moore had good practices and was very athletic, but it all fell apart in games. So far Rodgers is similar but without the obvious physical talent or stand out practice field showings: not the same depth of lows but also no similar highs either.

1 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:27 am

This is GM speak. Conversely, for players whom can do multiple things "the more you can do for the team, the value you bring." If an offensive lineman can play multiple spots, if a safety can play either side, deep or in the box, if a corner can play outside, slot, star, nickel, dime, if a WR can play anywhere, slot, outside, kick returns, punt returns, gunner, they bring value.

So far, Amari Rodgers is just a "slot" guy. Which I find ridiculous, great recievers can line up anywhere. Great players have formational and positional versitility. Lazard and Adams were both productive from the slot. He can't play outside, he is a liability on Special Teams. Now some of his defenders say "well, if they would just use him right, on screens, that's what he did at Clemson." (Yes I literally had a Clemson fan say that to me)
Okay, so the guy can only catch WR screens when lined up in the slot??? My guess if that true, a defensive coordinator can defend that pretty easily. That means he is also easily replaceable and not worthy of a roster spot.

In addition, the argument about he is a slot guy and Cobbs replacement. Aaron Jones will motion or split out on many plays from 12 perssonel to 11 perssonel to find a matchup they like and get slot snaps. He will be the slot receiver, Aaron Jones is the best "slot" receiver on the team. So essentially, Aaron Jones can play his position and do it much better.

5 points
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dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:10 am

"Now some of his defenders say "well, if they would just use him right, on screens, that's what he did at Clemson.""

I'm reminded of what a local told me of one of our downtown pizza places which is a local "institution". When I said the pizza wasn't very good, they said, "well, you need to get extra sauce with seasoned crust, and blah, blah." Sorry, man, but if you need to drown out the pizza with other junk to make it good, it ain't good pizza.

It's "only marginally related anecdote" day.

3 points
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LLCHESTY's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:23 am

Someone last week tweeted he had a nice reverse I thought. Maybe he fills the gadget role?

1 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:51 am

Is that enough for a roster spot? Gadget plays? Is that because he can't do anything else? We are talking like less than 15-20% of snaps

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dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:12 am

Given that LaF has been perfectly fine using guys like Geronimo Allison and Allen Lazard on the gimmick plays and WR screens in the past, I'm gonna go with "no".

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Bure9620's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:31 am

Is that enough for a roster spot? Gadget plays? Is that because he can't do anything else? We are taliking like less than 15-20% of snaps where he could even line up for that.

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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:00 am

This year we have a high pick rookie WR used to carrying the ball with blazing acceleration and good speed who needs a role early on beyond just going deep. If Watson lines up as a gadget type he surely offers a greater chance of surprise given he probably usually will go deep.

If one is searching for a role for a guy, then something is wrong, if one allocates a role to a guy over a better option, something is worse.

1 points
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GregC's picture

August 04, 2022 at 03:59 am

You didn't mention the obvious difference between J'Mon Moore and Amari Rodgers: Moore could not catch a football if his life depended on it. He was bad at it in college and did not get any better at it in the pros. I don't recall ever seeing another packer WR who had such bad hands. This does not appear to be an issue with Rodgers. I get it that his lack of versatility is an issue, but he is still the heir apparent to Cobb. It's common for NFL teams to have slot specialists. The Packers have two, which is unusual, but one of them is old and injury prone. At this point, I still think Rodgers will earn a spot on the roster. It sounds like he had a good day in practice on Tuesday, so maybe he is on the upswing.

3 points
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wildbill's picture

August 04, 2022 at 11:38 am

You can’t give up too early. I remember how bad Adams hands looked early in his career and, if I remember right, Jordy dropped three balls in the super bowl. I get it that both of them could play outside/inside but we line RBs out wide at times so surely Rodgers has that capability. I’m not a big Rodgers fan but have found patience can be very beneficial. The negative is who do you displace to carry him while he hopefully gets better

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wildbill's picture

August 04, 2022 at 11:38 am

You can’t give up too early. I remember how bad Adams hands looked early in his career and, if I remember right, Jordy dropped three balls in the super bowl. I get it that both of them could play outside/inside but we line RBs out wide at times so surely Rodgers has that capability. I’m not a big Rodgers fan but have found patience can be very beneficial. The negative is who do you displace to carry him while he hopefully gets better

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Guam's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:03 am

CW: I was one of the early defectors from the J'mon Moore train and recall our discussion threads about him. He had poor hands in college and never did improve. Amari Rodgers is more of a puzzle for me as he performed well at the college level but has shown nothing at the pro level. I think your piece has persuaded me that despite his college performance, it might be time to step off the Amari Rodgers pro train. He has just not done enough to warrant a roster spot and baring a major turnaround should not be on the 53.

2 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:36 am

I think ( in response to Greg) I made it quite clear he couldn’t catch in games. In fact he had some highlight reel practice catches but it never became consistent and cratered in games.

Guam, I agree with you that Rodgers was good in college. But he was used not as a conventional receiver but rather as a guy they schemed open and let him run with the ball. So I expected a learning curve. What I did not expect was to not see any of the athletic prowess translate or any signs of nfl level athletic talent. This extended to his role as returner, something he also was good at in college.

When one can’t catch reliably or can’t live up to or display adequate athleticism, then one has a problem. Can I blame it on confidence or coaching? Maybe I could formulate an explanation. Can I blame it on body “shape” ? Maybe, but that’s closer to what he was when in college so who he was when we picked him.

In the end though, after a year in the system I expected him to have an advantage over rookies coming into camp. As a third rounder, by year 2 I expect him to show more potential than UDFA holdovers. I also expected him to show up on returns. In fact, Winfree has outshone him, Doubs eclipsed him, Jones looked like a better WR in the slot. Toure has made more “third down” conversion type plays and taken up slot snaps with the seconds. Recently I’m hearing that even Davis snd possibly Hyam have looked as good as prospects.

And then we have returns. Doubs looks to have better awareness and decisiveness and, frankly, better hands. Early yet, but why is a rookie looking better? From what little I’ve heard, Gafford is ahead on kicks too. We have yet to even see Watson in the mix.

So what is Rodgers’ selling point? His draft status? It’s not positional versatility, as I’ve been through at length. He’s not once wowed us on a play with his speed, catching or YAC ability, even without pads. He’s our second best pure slot WR, but third if you count Jones, and one should. He’s probably behind Watkins, Lazard, Doubs and maybe even Toure and Winfree if you count players who are able to play in the slot. I assume Watson might at times too, and I’d far rather manufacture plays to get him in space and run at this point. The chances are reasonable that he won’t be a first choice returner either.

So he’s made some routine catches and hasn’t screwed up. That’s nice, but an increasing number of others look more athletic and to be better and more versatile receivers, including some who will likely not make the roster. When is he going to be active? Who would you waive to keep him and in what role would he be the best option if he were active? I do not see one and I do not see his new athleticism shining out to suggest it’s an issue of delayed realization of true latent athletic potential.

In many ways Rodgers is similar to Moore, just that Moore had to show he could consistently catch to unlock visible physical talent and could not while Rodgers has to show that he has the physical ability to consistently make a bigger impact than others. Moore could not, so far Rodgers has not. Both mens’ issues have been blamed on confidence, both have now got a vague if effusive signal of faith from the team. In the end, both were just not in the best group of receivers when it mattered (Moore) and getting close to that (Rodgers).

When a team has to make statements to assure that a player isn’t a disappointment it’s a sign that they know the play isn’t speaking for itself and thus that the team is aware of that. They see him getting surpassed every day. They are also aware we haven’t seen any splash plays from Rodgers since he arrived. They are not going to admit that. They are going to encourage him in every way they can to try to uncover the reason they drafted him, up until the moment that they decide he either is not capable or that enough others are more so.

It’s up to Rodgers to show that he has it in him to make impact plays and that he offers more upside than others or more value now. He hasn’t yet: he has less than a month in which to do so or, like Moore, he will very likely not make the roster and may not be in Green Bay. Pads are on, scrimmages and then games are coming. Rodgers will have opportunities to prove himself, but it will take more than just not being terrible. He needs to stack memorable plays.

As of today, if Rodgers was unavailable, would the team miss Rodgers? If the answer is no then this issue is real. I don’t think so, on offense or STs, and I don’t see evidence of untapped athletic upside sufficient to carry him for future years.

1 points
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PatrickGB's picture

August 04, 2022 at 03:38 pm

I have Clemson fans in the family. Nobody had much to say about him. I thought he was a good player on a better team. He did not wow me. Yet I went along with the choice because I trusted the staff in GB to draft well. It seems to me that too many drafts are about replacing Cobb. Montgomery was supposed to be a bigger stronger Cobb. And Rodgers was supposed to be that quick elusive guy. Perhaps at a lighter weight he might be that. I remain doubtful. I hope I am wrong.

0 points
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PatrickGB's picture

August 04, 2022 at 03:31 pm

Perhaps my memory is off but I remember that Moore had some hype. A late round gift is what I remember. Good size and potential. Yet I don’t recall the same amount of gushing over him as I have heard for Doubs.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 04, 2022 at 04:56 pm

Doubs produced on day one of TC and looked fine in OTAs. The gushing is due to production, albeit just in practices. Have to wait to see if there is production during games.

At practice today, it looked to me like when Love couldn't find anybody he threw to Doubs if there was any kind of window. I am thinking Doubs will produce with Love in preseason games and probably with AR, though it remains to be seen.

0 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 03, 2022 at 11:11 pm

APC thinks Amari Rodgers is WR 7 or 8. I don't think he is PR 1 necessarily. Kruse thinks he is a lock. I certainly think the Packers are going to give him every chance to make the club's 53 (shawn Davis as well). I do think we need to consider a player's functionality on offense or defense plus their ST ability when thinking about who will make the 53 (agreeing with CW's comments yesterday). GB needs a guy to play centerfield, so is that Scott? It needs X receivers. The proven X receivers are Watkins, I suppose Lazard though I think he is better off at slot or flanker. It looks like Doubs, and perhaps Toure can do it. Maybe Watson, but Amari or Cobb cannot.

All that said, here is the full comment from Gute:

"He did a great job this offseason getting into a different kind of shape. I never thought he was not in shape, just bigger, had more weight on him. I think the more opportunities he gets, the more you’re going to see him come out of his shell and the more he’ll produce. A lot of these guys, the more comfortable they get in the offense, the more their talent is going to show. I’ve always kind of felt that the middle of year two into year three is when you see most players get to that point where they really know what they’re doing; they’re not thinking any more and just let their talents show."

That phrase about guys coming into their own in the middle of year two to year three sounds ominous to me. Then again, I don't know if that is Gute doubling down on his own prior decision to trade up for this guy (hubris) or having justified faith in his own evaluations (patience). I look forward to seeing Amari at practice and in preseason games. I hope to see burst and quickness and a modicum of speed out of him, all things I didn't see in games last year. If I see those things, then fine, patience is a virtue.

APC also thinks Cole Van Laanen is sliding out of contention for RT. Newman was at RT today, plus Tom and Nijman in the past. IDK. CVL got some positive tweets while he was at RT. Looking forward to seeing him as well at a practice or a preseason game. Ditto for Hanson.

Here is the rest of Gute's quote:

"We’re very, very bullish on Amari Rodgers and what he can do for this football team ... the opportunities you get you have to be prepared for and make the best of those opportunities ... You can’t ask for more than what he’s working. I think in this particular training camp, you’ve seen him make the most of his opportunities. I’m excited for him, not only on offense but on special teams."

4 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:41 am

As a Badger fan, I cannot unsee what Chase Young did to Cole Van Lanen in the Wisconsin-Ohio St. game. He gave up 4 sacks and I don't know how many pressures. 10? 15? Chase Young was in Jack Coans lap on every drop back. It was like watching Connor McGregor beat up a 13 year old girl......Not happy when the Packers drafted him and it's quite concerning CVL was even getting snaps at Tackle....

2 points
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dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:20 am

I cringed when the Packers took van Lanen. I thought he was UDFA material, and that the Badgers' OL has been subpar and less than the sum of its parts for a couple years now...they've just had guys like Taylor making them look better than they are. If they have as much enthusiasm for Tom as it sounds, CVL isn't going to make the 53.

Here's hoping for the Badgers' sake that Bob Bostad has some of the ol' magic left in the tank.

0 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:22 am

Nagler, not a CVL fan, was saying the other day that he was surprised to find himself really impressed having watched CVL at LT with the twos. I wasn’t a fan of the pick but I’m also not scarred by college play as much as some. It seems to me he was never likely to be starting as soon as Tom made a mark. He does seem to be being lined up as additional depth as a swing tackle.

Until Jenkins and or Bakh are back and playing, our depth is non existent behind Nijman and Tom, so that makes sense even while experimenting with Newman as well (I am skeptical).

The interesting thing is those who have watched CVL I’ve read or spoken to who did know him in college all see him as being better than imagined. I see him heading to the PS most likely, but let’s see if he continues to justify that surprise in games. Perhaps Walker or Jones will affect this too.

2 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:43 am

Yeah, I agree on CVL to the PS. Lot of positive tweets while he was at RT.

Made it to practice today!

2 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 11:11 am

Enjoy!

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LLCHESTY's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:16 pm

He tested much better than he looked in 2020. PFF had him as their 2nd highest rated T in 2018 and he obviously slid back from there. He was always a better run blocker than pass blocker.

0 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:43 am

As a Badger fan, I cannot unsee what Chase Young did to Cole Van Lanen in the Wisconsin-Ohio St. game. He gave up 4 sacks and I don't know how many pressures. 10? 15? Chase Young was in Jack Coan's lap on every drop back. It was like watching Connor McGregor beat up a 13 year old girl......Not happy when the Packers drafted him and it's quite concerning CVL was even getting snaps at Tackle....

2 points
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Guam's picture

August 04, 2022 at 07:54 am

Agreed Bure9620! Also a Badger fan and have painful memories of that game.

I always thought Van Lanen might be a guard in the pros, but he certainly lacks the quick feet and athleticism to be a tackle against NFL speed rushers. I was surprised when the Packers started him out this year at tackle.

0 points
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dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:18 am

AmRod should get plenty of preseason snaps. I think your comment about BG's statement on him points toward his being secure in a roster spot, but I've been vocal about not being a fan since the day he was drafted--he might still show up, but I'm not holding my breath.

2 points
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PatB's picture

August 04, 2022 at 02:47 pm

A vague vote of confidence from a GM at this point does not mean much. I was surprised Zach Kruse interpreted this one as a roster lock.

IMO this is pretty simple. Winfree, Rodgers, and Toure are competing for one or maybe two spots. If Winfree and/or Toure outperform Rodgers in practice and preseason games, then they should get the spots.

0 points
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Leatherhead's picture

August 03, 2022 at 11:48 pm

Nijman-Runyan-Myers-Hanson-Newman. I predicted 80% of this lineup shortly after the dratt but I thought Rhyanwould be the LG.

Amari Rodgers is going to be fine.

1 points
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Lphill's picture

August 04, 2022 at 06:51 am

why would you replace Runyan?

3 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:40 am

Probably LH meant RG? No way I move Runyan...unless Jenks is ready to start with Bakht, Nijman, and Tom showing solid T play.

A line of Bakht, Jenks, Myers, Runyan, Nijman, on paper, would be the best since 2015 IMO (Bakht, Sitton, Linsley, Lang, Bulaga).

1 points
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Leatherhead's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:25 am

I meant RG.

0 points
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Guam's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:14 am

LH: I wish I had your confidence in Amari Rodgers, but I am siding with ColdWorld on this one. Rodgers has had enough time to show something and he has demonstrated nothing. I don't think he makes the 53. I think the Packers keep six WRs and they are Watkins, Lazard, Cobb, Watson, Doubs and either Toure or Winfree.

1 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:30 am

I would love to be wrong. I was relatively hopeful that his new build would mean we would see him make splash plays in shorts and that we would see a more decisive player.

0 points
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Leatherhead's picture

August 04, 2022 at 11:45 am

Guam and Coldworld, let's see if this improves your confidence.

An organization that has an exceptional track record of finding receiving talent on the second day of the draft selects a guy who led his conference...a good conference...in receiving.

He doesn't get many offensive snaps or targets, playing behind Adams, Lazard, MVS, Cobb, EQ, etc. He is our punt returner. He had two muffs, one that he recovered, and one went out of bounds. No turnover. When Hill broke himself returning a kick he didn't need to, Rodgers was given the job and didn't have a turnover doing that, either.

Now, how much sense does it make that this guy, who was a very good college WR, was selected by an organization known for acumen in this area, and he proceeds to just not be worth a crap in one year? Does that make any sense to you? Because it doesn't make any sense to me.

More likely is that he's a year older, a year more mature, a year more confident. Several of the guys who were ahead of him last year were let go by the same people who drafted him. Would they have done that if they knew he wasn't worth a crap?

Jordy Nelson, in his SECOND season, only got target 33 times....because other receivers were on the team. Randall Cobb, as a rookie, got targeted 31 times. Donald Driver....our all time leader at WR.....got targeted 6 times as a rookie.

So you can choose what to believe. IF you want to believe the personnel department and the coaching staff wasted a pick on a guy who was a good college player but didn't do anything as a rookie, go ahead. I don't believe that. I believe it makes more sense that the organization is bringing him along slowly.....like Love, and Dillon, and Gary were as rookies, and that our personnel department and coaches are actually competent at their jobs, and that Rodgers will be a player for us.

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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 12:36 pm

He’s not our punt returner at the moment. Despite being an incumbent he’s been behind others at both kicks and punt. He doesn’t get opportunities? Cobb isn’t taking every snap by a long shot. A UDFA and a 4th rounder surpassed him almost from day one in terms of snaps in the slot. He seems to have lost snaps to Toure on the seconds too. That happens for a reason. He hasn’t even produced a highlight reel moment in shorts. Maybe he will, but he badly needs to.

0 points
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LLCHESTY's picture

August 04, 2022 at 01:26 pm

If all good college players made it in the NFL they could expand to 64 teams. Top 10 picks fail all the time and USFAs play for 10 years. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

0 points
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Guam's picture

August 04, 2022 at 05:06 pm

Your hypothesis about a highly professional organization does not preclude mistakes. J'mon Moore was a fourth round pick that was gone in one year. Even the Packer FO makes mistakes and even at WR which they are historically good at. It happens. Iam afraid Amari Rodgers might be another one.

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dblbogey's picture

August 04, 2022 at 12:07 am

Based on Hanson's total lack of experience and Newman's shaky rookie year, I sure hope Bahk and Elgton are starting by week 4.

0 points
1
1
Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

August 04, 2022 at 12:17 am

We need to get our punter to start studying that jugs machine. Learn how to kick a ball that doesn’t turnover and is uncatchable.

13 points
13
0
T7Steve's picture

August 04, 2022 at 07:32 am

I've got three excuse machines sitting right in my back yard.

As for Amari, I'd rather see see another fullback/tight end use up the roster space if he's iffy. They can always work the slot if Cobb is inactive.

-1 points
1
2
LambeauPlain's picture

August 04, 2022 at 07:48 am

I was thinking the exact same thing, Doug.

Vyqueens ST Coach to his punter: "Hey, can you punt a ball to mimic that Packers Jugs machine...keep it upright and all wobbly and stuff?"

1 points
1
0
dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:25 am

Yeah, it's more than a little unsettling that they're making excuses based on the jugs machine when, in general, they gotta be able judge and secure any kind of kick that comes their way. Pretty weak sauce.

2 points
3
1
Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:44 am

I was actually hopeful it was deliberate. If one can catch those swirling balls the others are a breeze. I don’t care about any drop in preseason that helps a catcher improve. They should keep doing it. The fact that the jugs is just used to simulate a set type of kick and trajectory is a bit concerning. Punters and weather aren’t that predictable by both accident and design from my experience. Maybe it went past the sublime to the ridiculous, I don’t know having not seen a video.

1 points
1
0
Johnblood27's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:43 am

i have been studying JUGS for decades.

Hasn't made me better at anything... but I smile a lot!

2 points
2
0
mrtundra's picture

August 04, 2022 at 07:59 am

It is interesting that we have not seen more reporting on, or heard more talk about Rhyan, in this O Line configuration. Tom seems to be generating most of the positive rookie talk, on the OL. When Elgton returns, things will get more iffy, for playing time, for both Tom and Rhyan on the OL. I think they use Nijman at RT, when Bakh returns. GO PACK, GO!!!

1 points
1
0
dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:23 am

I think you're right. I think Bakh will be practicing somewhere around the second PS game, and the starting OL configuration will be Bakh, JRJ, Myers, Newman, Nijman. When Jenkins comes back, one of Nijman or Newman goes to the bench.

I'm very pleased with what looks like a very deep and very talented OL group....enough so that I think Bakh is likely playing his last season in GB.

0 points
0
0
LambeauPlain's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:29 am

I have a very high regard for Gutey's tenure as GM. He has remade the roster into one of the best in the NFL.

However...there is that 3rd round gremlin, 2018-2022:

Burks (trade up), Sternberger, Deguara, Rodgers (trade up), Ryan.

5 selections and only Deguara "may" be a good player. I hope Rodgers will be and find it curious Rhyan isn't getting snaps/evaluations in camp with the 1's or 2's, being a potential swing G/T.

Maybe Gutey, going forward, should just trade up or down with his 3rd rounders. However, the 3rd round roster since the 2010 SB year-2017 wasn't pay dirt for TT either:

2010 Morgan Burnett, '11 Alex Green, '12 &'13 no thirds, '14 Khyri Thorton & Richard Rodgers, '15 Montgomery, '16 Fackrell, '17 Montravius Adams.

Only Morgan was a difference maker. Fackrell and Rodgers were serviceable. Monty was a square peg.

3 points
4
1
Roadrunner23's picture

August 04, 2022 at 08:32 am

Thanks TGR!

0 points
0
0
HarlanHuckleby's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:29 am

For a moment there I read the No. 1 OL post to say that Spofford was in that group. If that were actually the case I would admire his pluck but be concerned that he might be overwhelmed by defensive linemen/ the punter/ a random hot dog vendor.

2 points
2
0
dobber's picture

August 04, 2022 at 09:41 am

"For a moment there I read the No. 1 OL post to say that Spofford was in that group."

We'll have to see if he's on the "injured/DNP" list for today...

0 points
0
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Coldworld's picture

August 04, 2022 at 11:15 am

Or just “missing”.

0 points
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Darrin's picture

August 04, 2022 at 10:51 pm

Masks outdoor at a football practice? WTF.

0 points
0
0