Packers Practice Roundup: Day 7. August 1, 2019
Packers Practice Roundup for day 7, August 1, 2019.

Today's practice was really a half-speed walkthrough. There really are no plays. This comports well with LaFleur's stretegy to take it easy if it is a third straight day of practice, since he believes injuries tend to occur at such times.
Still, I found some interesting takes from the media observers.
Injuries, Usage, Formations, Personnel:
- Josh Jackson, Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones appear to be out again today. Reiner
- safety Mike Tyson is out today with a personal matter. Owczarski [I could find no mentions of Fadol Brown, Crosby, Donnerson, Greg Roberts or Spriggs.]
- shortest practice of camp concludes at 1 hour, 34 minutes. A teaching day at walkthrough speed, no competitive periods. Next up: Family Night. Wood
- No pads today for the seventh practice of Packers camp. Demovsky
- LaFleur said intensity will ratchet up tomorrow night. Some scripted plays, but also two move the ball periods and a 2-minute drill. Wood
- No residual for Josh Jones after being pulled off the field yesterday for fighting: he’s back out there in team drills. Wood
Quarterbacks and WRs:
- Aaron Rodgers argument in a weird nutshell.... In the simplest terms: It's 3rd & 5. Slant/Flat. Man Coverage. 3 Step. Good protection. Slant is wide open. QB doesn't throw it. Extends play, scrambles for 6 yards. Do you give the QB a positive grade or a negative grade? Ben Fennell
- MVS very strong at the catch point vs. Hollman. Dime from 12. Uglem
- Davante Adams said this will be the hardest year for Packers to cut down WR group for a 53-man roster of any year in his career. Aaron Rodgers singled out Allen Lazard, Trevor Davis, Teo Redding and Jake Kumerow as lower guys who have impressed him in camp. Schneidman
Tight Ends:
- Of my 2018 clan of Robert Tonyan, Tim Boyle, Alex Light & Raven Greene, it looks like Tonyan is the breakout performer of the group! Big offseason for him so far! Herman
- Aaron Rodgers on Bobby Tonyan: "He's just so versatile. He's doing a better job at the point of attack blocking. We're not asking the off-the-ball TE to do a ton of point-of-attack stuff, it's a lot of movement stuff, and he's great at that. Very natural receiver." Kruse
Running Backs:
- Aaron Rodgers just handed off to his fullback during a two-minute drill. I repeat, Danny Vitale got a carry during a two-minute drill. Schneidman
Defensive Backs:
- Rodgers says Tony Brown talks the most out of all the DBs. Said it’s nice to complete one on him so he shuts up for a little it. Nagler
- Hollman getting picked on after becoming a camp darling. Kizer and Kumerow get him this time. Uglem
Linebackers:
- Aaron Rodgers on Za'Darius Smith: "Z is kind of a scary guy just looking at him. Walking in the door, he has that clout, as Julius Peppers did, where there’s a healthy, ‘I’m not going to cross that person.’" Schneidman
Kicker/STs:
- Story from today on the Packers' kicker situation. Crosby is the longest-tenured active Packer not named Aaron Rodgers, but he's missed seven straight practices. Sam Ficken is Crosby's first camp competition in five years. Could we be nearing the end of the Crosby era in GB? Schneidman [By my count, Ficken is 12 of 15, or 80%.]
Offensive/Defensive Line:
- Kenny Clark dominates 1-on-1s Demovsky [Actually from yesterday.]
- Matt LaFleur said it was “good learning moment” for Rashan Gary, jumping offside late in 2-minute drill to give offense extra play. Asked if he’s ever seen someone jump in a half-speed still, LaFleur paused: “Our guy is pretty good at his cadence.” Not Aaron Rodgers’ first rodeo. Wood
Overall/Miscellaneous:
- Veteran RB Theo Riddick, released by the Lions, is signing with the Broncos, a source said. Demovsky
- The Packers had a spelling bee this week. Came down to Aaron Rodgers v Mike Pettine. Back n forth, had to flip coin. Pettine won toss, got choice of whether to spell the word or defer. Pettine took the ball, er, word: “conscientious.” Pettine spelled it right. D wins again. Nagler
- Aaron Rodgers says rookies were asked to name coaches on their side of the ball from just looking at headshots. Rodgers said both offensive and defensive rookies got less than 50%. Schneidman
- Matt LaFleur said he will coach from the sideline this preseason despite still being in a walking boot because of his Achilles repair. Demovsky
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Comments (24)
Thegreatreynoldo
August 01, 2019 at 09:05 pm
Since practice was half speed, there really was no outstanding player to feature in the photo at the top of the article. Far as I can tell, the only person who won anything was Pettine, so there he is.
I am imagining Pettine saying: "I before e, except after c."
BradHTX
August 01, 2019 at 09:46 pm
That they had a spelling bee is pretty hilarious.
One of the things about Rodgers... It’s not that he always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. It’s that most of the time he actually IS the smartest guy in the room, and knows it.
Turophile
August 01, 2019 at 10:32 pm
Pettine was also the recipient of a 'smartest' quote.
Rex Ryan (with the Jets) said after working with Pettine, that in any room that had Pettine in it, he (Pettine) was the smartest guy there.........."and I don't care who else is in that room, either".
Both very smart dudes.
Cubbygold
August 02, 2019 at 09:01 am
interesting
Doug Niemczynski
August 02, 2019 at 05:05 am
vowels a,e,i,o u and sometimes y.
Samson
August 01, 2019 at 09:43 pm
Nice report. -- Great to have early insight into TC from the field..... Although I'll have to admit... sounds like more of a "fantasy type football camp" for the 40+ crowd.....
Really... "take it easy if it is a third straight day of practice." ... Three days in a row!! ... that's inhuman!! --- I can only guess what Vince would think & it's not good.
"What the hell isn't going on out there?"
fastmoving
August 02, 2019 at 03:06 am
Sounds more like the 80+ crowd.
And I only can guess what Vince would say and it not that bad as some may think. Is another time and I only can guess thats Vince would be well aware of that because he was always a little bit ahead of his time.......
The same can not be said about some guys these days. here and in generall
JHitTheB
August 02, 2019 at 05:14 am
Gort/Perry
Ok say he does throw it. Doesn't mean its guaranteed to be a good throw. Doesn't mean the WR is guaranteed to catch it. How do you know he doesn't catch it then fumble trying to get RAC? Or catch it then get tackled before picking up the first? Or the pass is tipped and picked off then returned for 6?
There are so many variables to every single play you cant possibly make any kind of assessment without actually seeing the play...
Define "good protection." How long were all blocks held? Did the pocket break down? Was he pressured? A 3 step drop is quick - so why the need to scramble so fast?
Define "wide open." Who was the WR and defender? Was it press man? Cover 1/2 man with a safety over the top? How much separation? Was the slant open before or after the scramble? Were the throwing lanes open?
So many unanswered questions but we do know Aaron got the 1st. Drive extended. Perhaps instead of being negative Nancy's all the damn time you should look at it objectively. GB was able to convert a 3rd and 5. Couldnt say that very often last year. I for one am thrilled Aaron has his mobility again. That makes him a very very dangerous man and GB hard to defend.
Packer Dave
August 01, 2019 at 09:57 pm
It's concerning that a number of guys who need reps (Jackson, Spriggs for ex) are out so long. Maybe the starters will see more preseason time to make up for all this two hand tag stuff?
Thegreatreynoldo
August 01, 2019 at 10:25 pm
14 practices left (counting the Friday Family night and joint practices with Houston), plus 4 preseason games.
Coldworld
August 02, 2019 at 07:34 am
Sounds like Jackson is very close from What LaFleur was saying.
I was hoping to see Donnerson, but with a hammy that may be longer term. Really hope Fadol Brown can get back in soon.
Bure9620
August 02, 2019 at 02:59 am
Spriggs does not need reps, he can simply strap cinder blocks to his feet which will simulate his actual movement in a game. Man I hope Alex Light passes him up.
Coldworld
August 02, 2019 at 08:37 am
I’d prefer it if Spriggs proved you wrong tbh. If he can’t then I’m assuming he is gone. Light doesn’t strike me as a starting tackle if the future either but as having a ceiling as a potentially competent back up. I hope I am wrong.
I really hope Nijman can force his way into the 53. We need more than Light alone and, if Light is better than Spriggs, Spriggs does not count as more!
Need Spriggs out there so that we get a clear answer before the roster is finalized.
Pierre
August 02, 2019 at 12:22 am
Same old hold the ball and don’t hit the open slant by Rodgers on third and short. Why put yourself at risk of injury running the ball as the QB when a receiver is clearly open?
If Rodgers doesn’t change his habit of extending plays so often when receivers, any receivers, are open, and they can convert a first down, then it’s going to be another mediocre season for the Packers with no playoffs.
Daren726
August 02, 2019 at 05:24 am
It’s one play, one comment in the seventh practice. OMG. Let’s wait to see him in a preseason game before we jump to any conclusions.
Cubbygold
August 02, 2019 at 08:01 am
I'll be more concerned in real games, but yeah, there needs to be a strong reason for rolling out and running. This team is done if 12 gets injured, so he should be even more aware of the risks
Cubbygold
August 02, 2019 at 07:58 am
How does Tonyan compare to Sternberger? Is this a potential redundancy or are they bringing different skillsets that can be effective in a 2 TE set next year?
dobber
August 02, 2019 at 09:29 am
Starting to look like Graham's status for 2020 is up in the air...moreso than before, anyway. Saves $8M on the cap...
Coldworld
August 02, 2019 at 02:25 pm
Right Dobber. Tonyan is turning into a Graham type move player. Next year they may well need 2 TEs not called Graham. I think Sternberger will be brought along more slowly than some think, with Tonyan’s development buying him time. That’s a good thing not a bad one.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 02, 2019 at 04:15 pm
I am remembering Andy Herman's comment about Sternberger: just looking at the group, Sternberger is noticeably smaller than the other TEs in camp.
That probably is not going to change.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
August 02, 2019 at 09:47 am
Been a huge Tonyan fan all along and furious last year MM couldnt see the talent. Why they kept playing Graham the 2nd half of season with broken thumb when he was virtually useless made no sense and particularly those last 3 games when Packers out of playoffs. Kept saying guys like Tonyan needed game experience. I think Tonyan is the real deal and will surprise many of us this year.
Cubbygold
August 02, 2019 at 01:53 pm
but playing the starters did give them a win over the Jets, so we've got that going for us
Coldworld
August 02, 2019 at 02:30 pm
Drove me nuts too. Got the team nowhere, made Graham look worse and wasted an opportunity to advance Tonyan. I don’t care who you are, I prefer two handed catchers in football.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 02, 2019 at 04:21 pm
Agreed. Graham's production dipped from 45.2 yards/game to 30.67 yds per game after he broke his thumb. Playing guys before they are ready can hurt their confidence long-term, I suppose.