ESPN La Crosse 105.5

Accomplished RB Josh Jacobs still believes there’s more to prove on Packers

By: Paul Bretl 6/3/24

Josh Jacobs comes to the Green Bay Packers as a very accomplished running back, however, now on a new team, Jacobs still believes that he has plenty to prove.

The desire for Jacobs to show what he can do is twofold. Although Jacobs is a former All-Pro, NFL rushing leader, and team captain for the Raiders, those accolades are just that, accolades, even though they are impressive ones. His new teammates didn’t see the work that went into playing at that high level or what it took to earn the respect of his former teammates.

Jacobs wants to be a leader on this young Packers team but knows that is an honor that’s earned and not just handed out, regardless of what a player has done at their previous stops. So, as Jacobs nurses a hamstring injury during voluntary OTAs, is it a requirement that he be on the practice field, or is doing so a prerequisite for a successful season? Not really. But Jacobs is out to prove that he has the right mentality and work ethic to be a leader.

“Yeah, I do,” said Jacobs when asked if he needs to be on the practice field. “Because these guys haven’t seen me on the day to day. Sometimes you see the end result, but you don’t see the work it takes to get there. Like I said, trying to be a leader on this team with this young group, and I feel like you’ve got to show and prove a certain mentality, certain demeanor and certain work ethic, for a lot of guys that want to take that next step. Especially with being there before, a lot of guys don’t really know how to do that.

“I tell people all the time, having Davante Adams come to the Raiders was the best thing for me, because I seen a player be great, and I seen a player be great on a day to day basis, so for me, that’s what I try to bring.”

As much as Jacobs has accomplished during the regular season, he hasn’t had the opportunity to do the same in the playoffs. During Jacobs five years with the Raiders, he made the playoffs only one time, when Rich Bisaccia was the interim head coach in 2021.

Jacobs would impress, as he often does, carrying the ball 13 times at 6.4 yards per attempt in that playoff loss. But to Jacobs, he judges talent on how a player performs when it matters most, and 13 career playoff carries at this point in his career haven’t allowed him to meet the standards that he’s set for himself, and in order to get to that point, it requires the team to win games.

“For me, when you judge, when I judge let me say that, when I judge running backs or just players in general, it’s like OK, yeah you can be good, but are you good when it matters?” said Jaocbs. “When it matters the most? In the biggest moments, in the biggest games, that’s where you leave your mark.

“Being a guy that has a lot of history and especially with the Raiders program, in the top three in almost every category since I’ve been there, it doesn’t really mean nothing because we didn’t win. Being able to leave a legacy is something that I think about now, being older. Playing playoff football and obviously trying to get a ring is the only thing that’s really on my mind.”

If needed, Jacobs can handle a heavy workload as a ball carrier, but he also brings a natural pass-catching ability to the running back position as well. Over five seasons with the Raiders, he was targeted in the passing game 249 times, and as Jacobs told Matt LaFleur when he first arrived to Green Bay, he believes he has more to offer in that regard.

Beyond the prerequisite of making plays as a ball carrier, the running back’s ability to not only impact the passing game but be moved around the formation is an important element of LaFleur’s offense as it can create mismatches for the running back to exploit, along with one-on-one opportunities in space, where Jacobs has excelled. During his All-Pro 2022 season, he ranked 11th in average yards after contact and first in missed tackles forced.

Jacobs could also benefit from being in an offense that features a potent passing game led by Jordan Love. The trickle-down effect of that to Jacobs is potentially facing more light boxes than what he’s been accustomed to as oftentimes the focal point of the opponent’s game plan.

“The thing that I like the most is how diverse it is—especially for me,” said Jacobs of LaFleur’s offense. “Like, we can line up wide, we can do dual backs, they have certain packages of personnel that allow me to win, put me in space and be able to win in space. And as a running back that’s all you ask for, get your 1-on-1 matchups and that’s where you can show how special you are.”

Following the Packers and Raiders Week 5 matchup last season, Jacobs said that he kept tabs on Green Bay for the remainder of the season, intrigued by the young, ascending talent this team had.

Now in Green Bay and a member of this Packers’ culture, Jacobs says the environment “brings a little juice back to you.” The all-football, all-the-time atmosphere reminds him of his college days at Alabama. And just as Jacobs did back then during his days in Tuscaloosa, where he developed into an eventual first-round pick, he still believes he has more to prove.

“I think that’s because the guys are so young,” said Jacobs on the similarities between the Packers and Alabama. “The guys that are older, the vets that are proven, like RG (Rashan Gary) and P (Preston Smith) and all these guys, they’re the type of guys that’s like they’re still going to go work and be humble. When you’ve got a young group that wants to make a name for themselves, you’ve got a group of guys that’s got a little edge, and they’re willing to listen and willing to do a little bit more, a little bit extra than normal.

“I think that’s just the special thing about this place. You’ve got a lot of group of young guys, like the receiving corps is crazy man. I’m so excited just watching them. Any one of them can go at any moment. We had that talk with them about taking the next step, who’s going to be the guy, who’s going to be the guy to step up and the man that wants a spot. I think we have a really good group, and I look forward to this season.”

Back to the basics for Packers QB Jordan Love during OTAs

By: Paul Bretl 6/3/24

As Jordan Love strives to further elevate his play following an impressive end to the 2023 season, the focus for him is on the basics. Specifically, his attention is on refining his footwork and enhancing his pocket presence, crucial elements for a quarterback’s success.

“There’s always little things,” said Love on what he’s working on. “I think the biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket, being able to say balanced in the pocket. Sometimes I get out of whack with my feet and I might start drifting in the pocket too much. Just pocket awareness, making smaller moves and understanding when I’ve got to get out of there.”

Footwork is the foundation for a quarterback’s success on any given play. As quarterbacks coach Tom Clements has said previously, he usually has a good idea of how the pass turned out by watching the quarterback’s footwork.

Footwork, the cornerstone of a quarterback’s performance, is more than just steps. It’s about executing the right drop to ensure timely throws, maintaining balance, and keeping the feet in constant motion. This synchronized movement with the quarterback’s eyes is crucial for a successful play. Any deviation from this can disrupt the quarterback’s mechanics, leading to inaccurate passes or mistimed plays.

This focus on footwork isn’t anything new for Love. Since Clements arrived in Green Bay, footwork has been the focal point of his teachings, and Love has made significant strides already. However, proper footwork extends beyond just being in the pocket. In today’s NFL, making off-schedule throws on the move is a must as well.

“Also throwing on the run,” said Love when further describing what he’s been working on. “Being able to escape the pocket and make those off-schedule plays is something I worked a good amount on.

“Also, just being comfortable, seeing the defense, going back and watching the tape, seeing things I could have done different with picking up protections and things I wasn’t doing earlier on that I started being able to pick up on later in the season. But I think the biggest thing for me is just pocket movement, making smaller movements.”

In addition to the individual drills that the quarterbacks go through, Matt LaFleur has heavily utilized 7-on-7 periods during OTAs to help further emphasize the footwork element at the quarterback position. LaFleur has made it known he is not a fan of 7-on-7 drills, largely because there isn’t a pass rush, but the focus right now is on having “perfect feet,” and this drill helps accomplish that.

“I’m not a fan of that,” LaFleur said of the 7-on-7 drills. “I just think it’s not realistic. It puts the quarterback, you know, I like the quarterbacks having to feel a rush.

“But what we’re making a big emphasis on is [having] perfect feet. Making sure the guys go through their progressions, having perfect feet and when they’re not, they hear about it. I just think, again, offseason, where we’re at, new defense, it’s important for them to understand the drops that we want them to take, so we implemented it.”

As has been established, footwork is the foundation – pun intended – for a quarterback’s success, and without the proper execution of it, the play is potentially doomed from the start. While that element will set Love up for success, the schematic test for Love and the Packers’ offense as a whole this season will be showing that they can counter the counters.

Opposing defenses have now had a full offseason to look back and digest Love’s tape. They’ve been able to really examine what he does well and where he struggles and will undoubtedly come up with game plans that try to take away the former while putting him in scenarios that exacerbate the latter.

“You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure,” said Clements. “Disguising a little bit more. Making it more difficult to see where to go. So that’s from a quarterback standpoint, if that happens you have to have a lot of film study and be able to react.

“I mean that was one of Aaron’s (Rodgers) best attributes is the he could process information very quickly and usually make the right decision and get the ball where it had to go. That’s something that we’ll have to see how defenses approach it, but that’s something you’ve got to be ready for.”

For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, it’s obviously important that Love and the offense counter these adjustments thrown at them but also do so somewhat quickly. Taking a week or two to adjust can have a big impact on potential playoff seeding. Instead, these counters need to be made on the fly.

With the experience Love has gained over the last year, his ability to process the play as it’s unfolding has improved as has his overall comfortability with the offense and the players around him. These will be key factors when it comes to countering the counters, as will his footwork when under duress.

Ultimately, Love can diagnose the play perfectly, but if his footwork, and subsequently his mechanics, are off, then the odds of the play turning out successfully have already taken a potentially large hit.

Packers rookie Jordan Morgan playing musical chairs along OL during OTAs

By: Paul Bretl 6/2/24

Two of the Green Bay Packers’ OTA practices over the last two weeks have been open to the media, and we’ve already seen rookie Jordan Morgan lining up at three different positions along the offensive line.

During the first OTA practice that was open to the media, Morgan lined up at both the right and left tackle positions and didn’t begin with the starting offense. Then, during the second OTA practice that was open to the media, Morgan was playing left guard with Elgton Jenkins not present.

“I wouldn’t say he’s a tackle, I wouldn’t say he’s a guard,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, “I just wanna see where he fits best for us and with our best five out there. So that may be at tackle. It might not be, but I’m excited to work with him and you can see his athleticism when he’s out there. He’s a pretty talented guy.”

Every one of Morgan’s snaps on the offensive line in college came at left tackle–that’s nearly 2,400 in total. But as GM Brian Gutekunst mentioned during the draft, with Morgan’s quick feet and his strength, they believe he can play guard as well.

That, however, is just a projection at this time, given that Morgan doesn’t have any college game experience playing along the interior. So, not only is Morgan adjusting to a new playbook and the play-speed at the NFL level, but he’s also playing a new position and a different side of the line that he’s not accustomed to.

“It’s a little bit extra,” said Morgan on playing different positions. “A little more studying and extra film work and extra on-field stuff. It helps a lot. It’s easy to pick up, just like I said, flip it. It makes it easier.”

As we all know when it comes to the offensive line, the Packers’ goal is to put the “best five” on the field. But, in order to do that, there needs to be an understanding of how each player performs at various positions.

So it’s not only Morgan who is doing the learning but the Packers’ coaching staff is learning about Morgan to figure out where he fits best within the offensive line unit–a process that will continue through the final week of OTAs and into training camp before we potentially see Morgan finding one position to focus on.

“Very excited about it,” said Stenavich on the versatility of the offensive line unit. “I think it’s just a matter of putting the best group out there and there’s a lot of different combinations, like I said, that we’ll see. We’ll see how it all shakes out.

“That’s one thing we’re always pretty intentional about is working guys at multiple positions to just see where they fit best. I think that’s kind of what we’ll be doing in OTAs and the early part of camp.”

When it comes to putting the best collective offensive line unit on the field, that doesn’t necessarily mean that each player is lined up at the position they are best at. When it comes to offensive line play, the sum of the parts is greater than any individual player or two.

For example, an All-Pro right tackle coupled with a below-averaged left side of the line equates to a so-so offensive line unit. So, in determining where Morgan will end up, it may not be where he’s at his best but, instead, where the unit as a whole is at its best.

“We’re trying to give him as many reps as possible,” said Matt LaFleur. “We’re rotating a lot of guys through all the positions. That’s just kind of how we train these guys.”

As expected, it’s not only Morgan who is being moved around. Without Zach Tom available as he deals with a pec injury, we’ve also seen Andre Dillard and Caleb Jones take some starting snaps at right tackle. Sean Rhyan as primarily played right guard but took a few snaps at center this past week, while Royce Newman has played both guard spots as well.

With Jenkins at left guard, Tom probably the right tackle – unless he’s moved inside – and Morgan not being asked to play center, if Morgan is going to start come Week 1, it’ll be at left tackle or right guard. As of now, we haven’t seen him taking any starting reps ahead of Rhyan at right guard. Also, not to be forgotten about in all of this is Rasheed Walker, who is as confident as ever and has been the Packers’ starting left tackle in these two practices.

We are still a ways off before anything has to be finalized, and a lot can change once training camp begins and the intensity is cranked up a few notches. So, for the time being, we can expect to see Morgan filling a variety of roles as the Packers search for where he is the best fit amongst the group. And while this is asking a lot of a rookie in his first month with the team, the Packers wouldn’t do that if they didn’t think Morgan could handle it.

“Just how smooth he makes it look,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus about Morgan. “Just the way he runs off the ball, his athleticism, just being able to mirror guys. Even this weekend, we weren’t hitting guys, we weren’t going through defenders, just the way he glides and moves on the field right now, just that athleticism that he shows, it’s pretty cool to see.”

Keep your eyes on Packers DE Deslin Alexandre this summer

By: Paul Bretl 5/31/24

Everyone loves the under-the-radar player to watch for during this time of the year. So, one name I’ll put out there is defensive end Deslin Alexandre, who had an impressive day during the Packers’ OTA practice on Wednesday.

The Packers concluded Wednesday’s practice with an end-of-half two-minute period for the first, second, and third string offensive and defensive units. This was the first practice during OTAs where the Packers had an 11-on-11 team period that took place at full-speed.

With Preston Smith and Rashan Gary not present and Lukas Van Ness sidelined with a thumb injury, the Packers found themselves shorthanded at defensive end. This resulted in some additional opportunities for Alexandre that he took advantage of.

Alexandre was on the field with the second and third units and produced a “sack” during each of those two-minute periods. From my vantage point, it appeared that Alexandre won with speed on those two reps.

Now, of course, in a real game environment, getting to the quarterback is step No. 1, but finishing the play is the second part of the equation. We will never know if that would have happened, but he was right there to make a play on the quarterback, which would have resulted in two huge plays for the defense during those two-minute drills.

The Packers signed Alexandre to a futures contract back in January. He went undrafted in 2023 out of Pittsburgh and initially signed with the New York Jets. He was released by the Jets following training camp and spent some time on the Chicago Bears practice squad.

Alexandre is a good athlete, posting a RAS of 8.41 during the pre-draft process. He played 1,767 snaps over five seasons at Pitt, almost all of which came lined up as a traditional edge rusher. His 2022 season was his most productive, recording 27 pressures and seven sacks. By PFF’s metrics, Alexandre was a reliable tackler throughout his career and solid against the run.

“Alexandre is an edge defender who relies on his broad frame and natural power,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein in his pre-draft report. “He’s long and naturally heavy handed, but he will need to play with much better bend to improve his ability to hold the point against the run.

“While he’s a segmented mover at times, he does have quick feet and shows decent pursuit quickness and motor. He’s a face-up rusher who is unlikely to beat NFL opponents with crafty moves and counters, so fortifying his power rush will be critical as a Day 3 possibility for 4-3 defenses.”

In February of 2023, Alexandre won the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, an award presented to the football player “who best demonstrates an outstanding record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship.”

“I don’t think there are enough superlatives to describe Deslin and his achievements while at the University of Pittsburgh,” Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi said. “His impact as a student, athlete and community leader is so inspiring. He represents the absolute best of what it means to be a Pitt Panther. Deslin has given Pitt so many reasons to be proud and I know he will make the Witten family proud as the recipient of this outstanding award.”

In the grand scheme of it all, it was one practice in late May when the pads weren’t on. If Alexandre is going to make a real roster push, he’ll have to build upon this performance and continue to deliver during training camp, where the intensity is much higher.

At best, there is just one defensive end spot up for grabs on the 53-man roster if we assume the Packers are going to keep five. Competing for that spot will be Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby, and Keshawn Banks.

Packers rookie QB Michael Pratt impresses during Wednesday’s OTA practice

By: Paul Bretl 5/31/24

It was only one practice that took place in late May, well before the pads even come on, but one of the standout players on Wednesday was rookie quarterback Michael Pratt and his performance in the two-minute drill.

Up until this point, all of the 11-on-11 team periods that had taken place over the last two weeks of OTAs were done at a pace a little bit faster than a walkthrough. So not only was this Pratt’s first time running the two-minute offense, but it was his first time where everything was moving at full speed.

“It was awesome,” said Pratt of the two-minute period. “I think it was definitely a little bit, not nerve-wracking, but today I kind of learned the whole two-minute operation this morning about an hour before we went out there and did it.

“So at first I was kind of like, alright, I’ve got to figure it out, but getting to watch the first two groups go and getting mental reps in the midst of that definitely helped a lot, and then once I got out there it was kind of just fluid, and everyone was doing their job.”

To wrap up Wednesday’s practice, the Packers’ first, second, and third team units went through an end-of-half two-minute situation. The offense had 1:30 left on the clock and were starting at thier own 25-yard line.

Pratt led the third-team offense into field goal range, which Anders Carlson was able to connect on from 46 yards. Pratt finished the drive, completing 5-of-9 passes for 46 yards, and from my vantage point, it looked like two of those incompletions would have been classified as drops.

However, beyond the numbers that don’t mean a whole lot this time of the year, what stood out most was the process of it all. Playing full-speed, Pratt appeared poised in the pocket, he was mostly accurate, and got the ball out quickly, knowing exactly where to go with it.

In the past, we’ve heard Matt LaFleur mention ‘letting it rip,’ when he’s discussing what he wants to see from Jordan Love or Sean Clifford. This doesn’t mean being overly aggressive or throwing the ball downfield just for the sake of doing so, but rather, being confident in what you see and the quarterback getting the ball out of his hands. On Wednesday, Pratt was letting it rip.

“Definitely slowing down,” said Pratt on the speed of the game. “I think this week, you know, yesterday and today, I think everything’s really started to slow down a little bit. I feel like I’m at the point now where rookie minicamp and first week it was like hearing the whole call and it’s like thinking about the formation, thinking about the motion, thinking about the protection, thinking about the concept, like now once I get the call, I can kind of visualize the formation and the motion together.

“Think about the protection a little bit because I might need to change it and then the concept, now that I know the formation, it’s X this or Z this. I think it’s definitely starting to click a lot better and I’m able to operate a little faster and able to play a little bit faster.”

Adding to Pratt’s performance was the fact that, as he mentioned, he had roughly an hour to take what he learned in the classroom that morning, absorb it, and then go execute on it on the practice field.

This isn’t an unusual process at this stage of the NFL offeseason, and every player had the same task. However, we often hear the phrase ‘drinking from a firehose’ during this time of the year for incoming rookies, and this is a prime example of that.

It’s also a glimpse into one reason why the transition from college to the NFL is such a big leap, particularly at the quarterback position. Pratt, of course, needs to know what he has to execute on, but in order to do that, he has to know everyone else’s responsibility while also deciphering what the defense is doing, and he has a short amount of time to figure all of that out.

“Just trying to lock in and memorize the most that you can, especially the important parts,” said Pratt on how he processed what he had just learned. “It’s all important but there’s some key details that you really have to memorize.

“So, just trying to prioritize that and remember as much as I can and same thing I was saying to them just learn from my mistakes and continue to get better every day.”

As I wrote about following the draft, the Packers decision to select Pratt was more so about getting back to the drafting and developing process at the quarterback position, more so than feeling that they needed to find an upgrade over Clifford. By all accounts, Clifford made strides and performed well in his role last season, with quarterbacks coach Tom Clements expecting a “big jump” from Clifford in his second season.

With that said, if Pratt does end up pushing Clifford during training camp, the Packers aren’t going to shy away from competition either. Having that element in every position room has been a focus this offseason for GM Brian Gutekunst.

At the end of the day, it was one practice, and the next step for Pratt is to build upon that performance through the remainder of OTAs and into minicamp. However, especially given the circumstances, it was an impressive performance, nonetheless.

“Just continuing to learn every single day,” said Pratt. “Mistakes are going to be made at every position – by rookies, by vets – but once you make that mistake, learn from it and don’t make the same mistake again.

“There’s a lot of things that are being thrown at us, especially all the rookies. Having to learn so many different things – for a=mations, motions, protections, cadences. There’s so much more than just the play itself. So, just trying to take it all in and getting better every day. I think that’s the most important part.”

Packers CB Jaire Alexander focused on doing ‘what’s best for the team’

By: Paul Bretl 5/30/24

After a 2023 season where Jaire Alexander dealt with injuries along with a team-imposed suspension, he is attacking 2024 a bit differently. This doesn’t mean the offseason was a complete reboot for Alexander in terms of how he goes about things, but changes were made.

“It’s a little bit of both,” said Alexander. “I feel like I have so much more to put out there and display consistently, and I’m just ready to attack that.”

Injuries limited Alexander to only nine games last season, including the playoffs. He was also suspended for the Packers Week 17 game against Minnesota for going on the field the week prior during the coin toss when he wasn’t one of the elected captains.

Matt LaFleur discussed how difficult the decision to suspend Alexander was, but added that it provided a good learning opportunity for both sides. And upon Alexander’s return in Week 18, his play improved as well.

In the six games prior to the suspension, Alexander allowed 24 completions on 31 targets at almost 13.0 yards per catch with five pass breakups. However, in the three games following the suspension, two of which were playoff games, Alexander held pass-catchers to four receptions on eight targets at 6.8 yards per catch with an interception and a pass breakup.

“Man, I’m super motivated,” said Alexander about coming off last season. “I feel like every offseason is always a fresh start to do better and get better. That’s why I’m here.”

One of those changes that were made this offseason was Alexander choosing to participate in voluntary OTAs. Both Matt LaFleur and passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley have commented on how present Alexander has been, the leadership he has displayed, and the energy he’s brought to the building.

“I think that, like I said, just going into Year 7,” said Alexander, “at this point, I’m trying not to make it as much about myself and just do what’s best for the team.”

As new defenisve coordinator attempts to turn this Packers defense around, a big part of that will be helping Alexander return to his All-Pro caliber level of play. As a unit, the Packers generated only seven interceptions last season, the second-fewest in football.

Hafley’s vision-based, more man-heavy defensive approach should help put Alexander and the other Packers’ cornerbacks in better positions to make plays on the football. Hafley has also been praised by former players – including Richard Sherman – for his ability as a teacher and to build game-plans that allow the defenders to play fast and physical, another aspect that can contribute to improved play from this unit as a whole.

“I like Jeff,” said Alexander. “He’s been great since Day 1. Preaches aggression, getting after everything. He’s a cool guy.

“You see it across the board,” Alexander added, “we’ve got a bunch of athletes on the field who like to make plays and can make plays. I think this is going to work really well.”

However, also a part of that improved-play equation is the relationship aspect and keeping the lines of communication open. Following Alexander’s suspension last season, LaFleur mentioned that the communication from both parties was something that needed to improve.

During Hafley’s introductory press conference, he discussed how important the communication element was to him, and that approach has helped Alexander feel more connected to the coaching staff.

“Yeah, definitely. When I met the strength staff first, they were great. There was a mutual respect. I was willing to work with them. Then I met the coaches next. Same there. It was all good vibes from the get-go. That propelled me here as well. Talking with Matt, talking with Gutey. I’ve seen them several times this offseason before I even came back to OTAs. Just having that relationship and building that, it’s been helpful.”

Alexander has also been appreciative of having Xavier McKinney in the defensive back room. He calls McKinney his “big little bro” and adds that it’s been fun leading alongside of him, and that his presence provides “another voice who can make plays.”

When Hafley met with reporters in early May, he said the vibes are high in the cornerback room, where it’s going to be a competitive environment–and a key contributor to those vibes is Alexander’s presence within the building.

“I think the biggest thing is just understanding that although I am on an island all the time and all day,” said Alexander, “it’s the culmination of everybody being around and the culmination of the chemistry that we’re building now that’s going to matter later on in the season. You’ll see it.”

Fully healthy, Packers Eric Stokes with ‘something to prove’ in 2024

By: Paul Bretl 5/30/24

At least from the outside looking in, there is quite a bit of uncertainty in regards to what to expect from Eric Stokes during the 2024 season. However, if the offseason is an indication of what’s in store, then a bounce-back season could be on the horizon.

“I think he’s as good as I’ve ever seen him,” said Matt LaFleur after Wednesday’s practice. “Both mentally and on the field. I want to temper the expectations with that, but I really mean that. He’s out there competing each and every day. He looks fully healthy. He’s doing a great job of challenging our wide receivers. He’s always in great faith.

“I think you see that personality is back. That’s tough on players when they’re going through an offseason not having opportunity to really build upon their bodies when you’re just focusing on rehabbing and getting healthy. He’s had a chance to really develop his body. He looks in great shape. I think the play says the same.”

Over the last two years, Stokes has played only 587 defensive snaps. His 2022 season was limited to just nine games after he suffered a season-ending foot injury. Then, in 2023, he played just 110 defensive snaps as he recovered from the foot injury early on while also dealing with various hamstring injuries throughout the year.

Along with wide receiver Christian Watson, the Packers sent Stokes to UW-Madison as well, to get to the root of his soft tissue issues. To summarize, with Stokes’ foot not at full strength, that put a heavier workload on his calf and hamstring, which contributed to the soft tissue injuries. So this offseason, the focus for Stokes has been on strengthening his foot and the areas around it.

“Yeah, so when we went down to Madison,” said Stokes at his locker, “just showed me everything to where like everything was equaling up for my foot to where like my foot wasn’t as strong as it needed to be, so that’s why it put more pressure on my hamstring, my calf and all that stuff, so it just showed me a lot of different little things and then I went back home, back where I train at in Atlanta.

“Basically we just trained hard and so like every day we doing calf raises, we doing hamstrings and stuff, we just attacking my legs and all that stuff day in and day out and now I come back, I feel even better. I feel like I’m faster than I was before, so it’s a lot of great new things.”

Stokes has an infectious aura about him. He’s easy to gravitate towards with his happy-go-lucky mindset and a laugh that can be heard throughout the locker room.

However, in dealing with the initial foot injury and then the setbacks that followed over the last season and a half, Stokes’ positivity was put to the test.

“Oh, it definitely took me time,” said Stokes on maintaining his positivity. “Definitely took me time. I would 110% agree with that. It took me time because of course from the start, I was mad. I was frustrated, everything just going wrong … but at the end of the day, it’s a bigger picture with everything. Like I know it was a lesson I had to go through for every little thing that I went through. Now it’s time to show.”

Of course, step No. 1 for Stokes is staying healthy and available. But after a stellar rookie season, prior to his Week 9 injury in 2022, he did find himself in a sophomore slump, which contributes to some of the unknowns around what to expect when he returns.

Through eight-plus games that season, Stokes allowed 21 completions on 25 targets at 13.1 yards per catch with no pass breakups or interceptions.

Part of the equation in getting Stokes back to his 2021 form will include Jeff Hafley as the defensive coordinator. Stokes mentioned that there are a lot of similarities between what Hafley is asking him to do and what he was asked to do while at Georgia, which includes more press man coverage.

On top of that, Hafley has been praised by past players for his ability to put together game plans that allow the defenders to play fast rather than overthink, along with his ability as a teacher and communicator.

“Oooooh, I love Hafley,” said Stokes. “I love Hafley. I love how his mindset is and everything, to where like he’s coming in. He just wants you to ball. He’s gonna put you in the positions. He ain’t gonna make you overthink anything and all that stuff.

“He just want you to go out there and have fun and just play 110 miles per hour and that’s what I love about Hafley, to where like he always say, ‘Imma go ahead and take the bullet. You just go out there and just have fun and you just play.”

The Packers are going to embrace competition at the cornerback position with the best player starting opposite of Jaire Alexander come Week 1. But, for the time being at least, it is Stokes working with the starting defense during OTA practices open to the media and not Carrington Valentine.

Stokes is entering the final year of his rookie deal and in early May, the Packers declined his fifth-year option for the 2025 season. After two injury-riddled seasons, Stokes believes he has something to prove and he appears to be on the right path towards doing so.

“I’ll always feel like I got something to prove,” added Stokes, “especially coming off two injuries, the two seasons I’ve had previous. I feel like I got something to prove. I just can’t wait to come out Week 1 and show everybody.”

Key Observations and Takeaways from Packers 2nd OTA Practice

By: Paul Bretl 5/30/24

The Green Bay Packers held their second OTA practice that was open to the media on Wednesday. Here are my key takeaways and observations from what took place.

Who was in and who was out? Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft were still sidelined as they recover from pec injuries. Kitan Oladapo was again out as well, still recovering from offseason foot surgery. Tyler Davis and Alex McGough, who dropped out of last week’s practice were also out. Lukas Van Ness did participate last week, but not this week. LaFleur said that he broke the tip of his thumb. After missing last week, Robert Rochell was back.

Elgton Jenkins, Preston Smith, and Rashan Gary were not present. Kenny Clark went through stretch but he did not participate in team drills. Matt LaFleur said he knew that these three would not be at today’s practice.

Josh Jacobs was back. He participated in individual drills but sat out of full-speed team drills and the two-minute drill. He did participate in walkthrough reps. “He’s progressing,” said LaFleur. They hope to get him on the field for full-speed reps next week.

Where was Jordan Morgan? After playing both tackle spots during the first week, Morgan was taking reps at left guard today with Jenkins not here.

More movement on the offensive line: Not surprisingly, we continued to see a heavy rotation along the offensive line. The only certainty right now is that Josh Myers will be taking snaps at center. Sean Rhyan saw a few reps at center, Royce Newman played both guard positions with the starters, and Caleb Jones saw some right tackle reps with the ones. Rasheed Walker continued to play at left tackle, and without Tom, Andre Dillard was the starter at right tackle.

Michael Pratt had an impressive day, leading the third-string offense to a field goal during a two-minute end of half situation. He appeared poised in the pocket, got the ball out quick and showcased his “big arm,” that GM Brian Gutekunst mentioned after the draft. After practice, LaFleur said that there are still inconsistencies and they’ve gone through about 40 percent of the playbook.

Most of practice was again at a slower pace as they focus on implementing the reps the right way. However, for the first time, the Packers did go through a full-speed two-minute drill.

Who was starting on defense? Along the front was JJ Enagbare at right defensive end, followed by TJ Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, and Brenton Cox. In their 4-3 base, Quay Walker was the middle linebacker, with Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson next to him. In the secondary was Jaire Alexander, Carrington Valentine, Xavier McKinney, and Anthony Johnson.

Other defensive notes: Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Bullard were quickly rotated in for Wilson and Johnson. When the Packers were in nickel, Karl Brooks was in for Slaton next to Wyatt, with McDuffie and Walker at linebacker. Last week, Bullard and Evan Williams were on the side of the field with the second and third string defenders. Today, each had the opportunity to get some work in with the starters.

Colby Wooden took some snaps at defensive end today.LaFleur said this was a product of being shorthanded at that position today, but he did add that he believes Wooden can fill that role if needed as well.

Anders Carlson had a very solid day, missing only one of his seven attempts. The Packers have been rotating kickers each practice, with two kicking and one sitting out. Today was Greg Joseph’s day to sit out, allowing Jack Podlesney to kick. He would go just 3-for-7. Afterward, LaFleur said each kicker has had his day and called it a “tight battle.”

During the two-minute drill for the first and second teams, the defense won both battles. Jordan Love was 2-4 with the drive stalling at midfield. Sean Clifford, meanwhile, got the offense into field goal range. He was able to connect with Malik Heath and Samori Toure on a few completions.

It’s this time of the year that we are always looking for that under-the-radar name to watch. One player I’ll mention is defensive end Deslin Alexandre, who was signed to a futures deal in January. During the two-minute period with the second and third-team defenses, Alexandre had two potential “sacks.”

Special teams notes: Daniel Whelan continues to really impress. He had great distance and hang time on his punts. Getting first reps as the fliers were Bo Melton and Corey Ballentine. Malik Heath and Keisean Nixon were with the second unit and Xavier McKinney was again working as the personal protector.

Anders Carlson embracing Packers’ kicker competition

By: Paul Bretl 5/29/24

The competition at kicker for the Green Bay Packers is already well underway, and second-year player Anders Carlson is making sure to embrace it.

“I think it’s something you embrace,” said Carlson after Tuesday’s practice. “I think when you’re in the NFL, you’re going to compete. Whether you see people in your building or not, it’s a competitive business. So, no, it’s all about staying in your own lane and being a good teammate and just trying to be the best.”

Last season, it was the Packers who embraced the unpredictability that can come with relying solely on a rookie kicker, in what ended up being a roller coaster ride of a year for Carlson.

Carlson would miss either a field goal attempt or an extra point in 10 of the Packers’ final 12 games, including a crucial kick in the final minutes of Green Bay’s eventual playoff loss to San Francisco. Carlson’s six missed extra points were the most in football, and from Week 5 on, there were only three games where he didn’t miss an attempt.

The silver lining, I suppose, from Carlson’s rookie season was his resiliency and ability to bounce back–something Rich Bisaccia has spoken highly of since the Packers drafted him. Despite the inconsistencies, Carlson would never miss back-to-back kicks.

“When I dissected my season,” said Carlson, “most of my field-goal misses were just left when the wind was blowing right to left. I don’t know the specific number, but four out of five or five out of the six were just left, and that’s including that long one from Detroit. But still, like I said, if it’s one miss, it’s something you can correct and focus on.”

As Carlson looks to be the Packers’ kicker in 2024 and bounce-back this season, he isn’t in uncharted waters, and neither is Bisaccia.

Carlson’s brother, Daniel Carlson, had a rocky start to his NFL career as well. In D. Carlson’s first two seasons, he would make only 36 of his 47 field goal attempts and was released as a rookie by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

D. Carlson would latch on with the Raiders when Bisaccia was the special teams coordinator, and since 2020, has been one of the more reliable kickers in football.

“Obviously his first year was a little rocky, too,” said Anders of his brother. “When we were off the field, we talked about it a good bit. But, really, we love getting on the field and competing. I think that makes us better. It’s kind of the same thing here, competing every day.”

Carlson said he spent a portion of the offseason training with his brother Daniel at Auburn, where he went to school. Now, back in Green Bay, Carlson is competing with Greg Joseph, who was signed during free agency, and Jack Podlesny, who was signed just days after the Packers’ 2023 season came to an end.

Podlesny is a two-time National Champion with Georgia, who went undrafted in 2023 and struggled to stick to an NFL roster last season. Joseph, meanwhile, has spent the last three seasons in Minnesota, making 82.2 percent of his field goal attempts–although he has struggled at Lambeau Field.

There isn’t enough time in a single practice to get all three kickers reps with the team, so Bisaccia said there is a rotation where one day, two kickers will get the field goal attempts. Then, the next practice, the kicker who was out the day before will be in while someone comes out, and the process repeats.

In the past, Bisaccia has said he prefers to have only two kickers on the roster for training camp because, as illustrated above, it is difficult to give three kickers regular reps. However, he didn’t know if that would be the case or not this year. Bisaccia also left the door open to making an addition if the team feels that is what’s best.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” said Bisaccia on carrying two or three kickers this summer. “It might be those three. It might be three other ones,” said Bisaccia. “I don’t know. It might be six. We’re appreciative of certainly Brian getting it to the point where it’s at right now, having a three-man competition. We’ll see how long we can keep that going.

“Maybe the anticipation of even having, you know, there’s some things going on in a bunch of different leagues, right, that everyone’s about, so we’re going to keep investigating to try to end up with the best player we possibly can.”

From Day 1 of last offseason, Bisaccia, Matt LaFleur, and Brian Gutekunst all knew that there would be growing pains for Carlson–it was something that was brought up routinely throughout the season. Hindsight being 20/20, the Packers probably would take a different approach at kicker if they knew how good the team was going to be by the end of last season.

Instead, the Packers chose patience as Carlson navigated the steep learning curve of being a rookie kicker in the NFL. However, for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations in 2024, there is no more patience. Carlson either has to perform, or someone else will be doing the job.

“It’s all about staying in your own lane. We were talking about it earlier. It’s a unique position because you’re on your own a lot, anyway, so it’s learning about yourself a lot.

“But then also you get the team aspect with the live holds and kicks, the snap and the holder, as well. So just buying into the guys around you, but also knowing yourself and building off of what you’ve learned.”

One player at each Packers defensive position group to watch during Week 2 of OTAs

By: Paul Bretl 5/28/24

This will be the second week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for the Green Bay Packers, with Wednesday’s practice open to the media.

Last week’s practice that we were able to view was moving at a slower pace during team drills. Matt LaFleur mentioned afterward that this was intentional, with the focus being on teaching, and as the players get more practices under their belts, the pace will pick up.

“I think it’s gonna happen organically,” said LaFleur on when things will speed up. “We kinda approached the offseason last year in a similar fashion. That first week was more jog-through and then we started to pick up the tempo as we went.

“I obviously wanna be mindful and make sure we’re doing things the right way around here, but I think learning how to practice is part of the process. You got a lot of new guys in there and they gotta learn and we’ll pick up the speed as we progress later throughout OTAs.”

Also of note, there are two groups on opposite ends of the field that are going through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills at the same time. One group is made up primarily of expected starters. On the other side of the field are the backups. Working with the ‘starters’ initially were only returning players. The rookies were with the second group.

So when the Packers were in their new base 4-3 defense, it was Eric Wilson next to Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie. Lining up next to Xavier McKinney was Anthony Johnson, while Rasheed Walker started at left tackle and Andre Dillard at right tackle with Zach Tom sidelined.

Eventually, we saw Jordan Morgan taking snaps at both right and left tackle. With Josh Jacobs out, Marshawn Lloyd was the second running back behind AJ Dillon, and Edgerrin Cooper saw snaps at linebacker with this group. This, of course, doesn’t mean Anthony Johnson will be starting come Week 1, but it goes to show that starting snaps won’t be handed out either. The rookies have to first show they can handle the new responsibilities being thrown at them.

“They’ve been great,” said LaFleur of the rookies. “I think that’s one thing, personally, that I have so much appreciation for Gutey and his staff for the type of people that they bring in the building.

“You can never be around enough high-character people that love the game of football, that are willing to put in the work and are very coachable. It makes it a lot easier to come to work each and every day. It gives you more excitement to come in here to try to build something special together.”

So in preparation for this week’s practices, one of which the media can view, here is one player from each position group on defense that I’ll be keeping my eyes on.

Defensive Tackle: Colby Wooden

Colby Wooden put on a few pounds this offseason, as LaFleur said, which will better suit him and his role in Jeff Hafley’s defense. This is an attacking, one-gap defensive front, where rather than reading and reacting, it’s all about getting upfield. With this more aggressive play-style, there is an added emphasis on the depth of this unit with players being rotated heavily. That puts an added importance on Wooden at the back end of the Packers defensive tackle depth chart to make a jump in his second season.

“I would say last year we were more reading,” said Wooden on what the defensive front was asked to do under Joe Barry. “This year we’re asked to just not think and go, which that plays into our favor.

“We would get stuck on, you know, play-action, they would hold us and because we’re reading we can’t get to a pass rush and so this year, we’re not reading we’re just going. Full stop running on the way to the quarterback.”

Defensive End: Lukas Van Ness

The Packers pass rush was very hot and cold last season. They were either incredibly disruptive or quite quiet, with little in between. More consistency is needed. Hafley’s one-gap system hopefully helps with that, but a jump from Lukas Van Ness in his second season will go a long way as well. Van Ness started to build some momentum over the second half of last season. The Packers transition to a 4-3 defense will have Van Ness with his hand back in the dirt, which is how he played the majority of his snaps at Iowa.

“Biggest jump in my opinion in my years and time of being in the NFL is from your rookie to sophomore year,” said defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich. “Every guy that you see that luckily I’ve been around, I say I, we, us, organization, coaches, from Year 1 to Year 2 that is when that light, that is when it clicks.

“At this level as you guys have heard me say, it’s knowing about you’re matchup. It’s knowing about protections. It’s knowing about the scheme. You’ve got to know where the fit is. You’re not looking over at the sideline and looking at a card to tell you where you’re alignment is like college football is right now. And it’s different and these guys have got to take the time to learn it.”

Linebacker: Edgerrin Cooper

As already mentioned, Cooper didn’t begin last week’s practice that was open to the media with the starters, but he did eventually see some action with that group. Although this wasn’t a full-speed practice, Cooper’s sideline-to-sideline speed against the run was quite evident, as was his ability to operate in space when in coverage. The big thing I’ll be watching for with Cooper is that he continues to see more playing time with the starting group because that means on film progress is being made.

“Just learn as much as I can and prepare myself,” said Cooper about what he wants to accomplish. “I made a promise to myself, we’re going to go 110 percent every day and just try to wait for me on Sunday nights.”

Cornerback: Eric Stokes

I’m going to make the assumption that the starting cornerback spot opposite of Jaire Alexander is still wide open, but last week it was Eric Stokes who got the start over Carrington Valentine, for what it’s worth. With some uncertainties around this position group entering 2024, a healthy and bounce-back season from Stokes can go a long way in providing stability. I’m not sure anyone knows what to expect from Stokes this season after he saw limited action in 2023 and is coming off a shortened 2022 season where he struggled prior to his injury. Like Christian Watson, Stokes worked with UW-Madison to find the root cause of his hamstring issues from last season, and the early results are promising.

“Time will tell,” said LaFleur about Watson and Stokes. “Certainly you’ve got to get through the entire offseason, into training camp. There’s a lot of volume in training camp, so we get through that, then we’ll feel pretty good about it. Both he and Stokes look like they’re probably in the best shape I’ve seen either one of them.”

Safety: Javon Bullard and Evan Williams

I’m going to cheat and put down both rookies for the safety position. Last week, on the side of the field opposite the “starters,” it was Javon Bullard as the free safety and Evan Williams as the strong safety. Not only am I interested in seeing if either line up next to Xavier McKinney this week, but also the versatility that each player possesses. The Packers believe both players can handle both safety roles along with playing in the nickel. In addition to the versatility that Bullard and Williams bring, each brings a fast and physical play style to the table as well.

“I’d like to say this is the best group I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in the league, and that’s from me to the whoever the last person is, doesn’t matter. Everyone has done a great job,” McKinney said after Tuesday’s practice.

“I think the talent level in our room is out of this roof. It’s going to be fun to play with these guys because everyone is smart. We’re all working off each other and build off each other and compete with each other to make each other better.”