2024 Training Camp Thread

[El Guapo]

Quarterbacks, rookies, and injured players reported to camp yesterday. Veterans report on Sunday and practice begins on Monday. It's finally here.

I expect to see the offense win a lot of early battles. It will be interesting to see how Hafley implements his new scheme and how well the players adjust to all of the changes (4-3, terminology, etc.). The CBs should be playing more press coverage which should be more exciting but definitely puts more pressure on the safeties to deal with WRs that beat the coverage.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Both Zack Tom and Kraft were put on the PUP list to start camp. Tom is expected to come off the PUP list sooner than Kraft who could miss nearly all of training camp. Had he had such a serious injury now, it could've nearly ended his season. Let's hope Musgrave can go an entire season without a serious injury otherwise the TE group could get depleted in a hurry.

 

[OldSchool101]

Both Zack Tom and Kraft were put on the PUP list to start camp. Tom is expected to come off the PUP list sooner than Kraft who could miss nearly all of training camp. Had he had such a serious injury now, it could've nearly ended his season. Let's hope Musgrave can go an entire season without a serious injury otherwise the TE group could get depleted in a hurry.

Yes. I thought Alex McGough could’ve had a better opportunity if putting on another 15lbs and converting to TE.

 

[Thirteen Below]

It will be interesting to see how Hafley implements his new scheme and how well the players adjust to all of the changes (4-3, terminology, etc.). The CBs should be playing more press coverage which should be more exciting but definitely puts more pressure on the safeties to deal with WRs that beat the coverage.

One thing that sounds pretty certain is that Hafley's defense is going to be fairly simple for the players - "attack, attack, attack, at every opportunity. Interfere with your man, harass him, make them make mistakes and don't give them a chance to go to Plan B." It's supposedly designed to be simple, so that players don't have to waste time thinking, or running down checklists - just react.

How well that works against NFL-level offenses remains to be seen. Once other offenses start to get the idea, they may have some surprises for us. We'll see what we'll see. But at least in the early part of the season, it shouldn't look too complicated from the outside.

So, sooo very much rests on the DBs. If Stokes looks like the Stokes from 2021, and he and Jaire stay healthy, I think we'll be OK. Xavier should be a force of nature, especially in a system where he's free to play wide open and just do what he sees needs to be done. Then it comes down to Bullard, Williams, or even Oladapo if necessary to step up and anchor the defensive backfield.

Gutekunst seems to have put all the right pieces in all the right places for this D to succeed. I guess we'll see how they all work together.

 

[Heyjoe4]

One thing that sounds pretty certain is that Hafley's defense is going to be fairly simple for the players - "attack, attack, attack, at every opportunity. Interfere with your man, harass him, make them make mistakes and don't give them a chance to go to Plan B." It's supposedly designed to be simple, so that players don't have to waste time thinking, or running down checklists - just react.

How well that works against NFL-level defenses remains to be seen. Once other offenses start to get the idea, they may have some surprises for us. We'll see what we'll see. But at least in the early part of the season, it shouldn't look too complicated from the outside.

So, sooo very much rests on the DBs. If Stokes looks like the Stokes from 2021, and he and Jaire stay healthy, I think we'll be OK. Xavier should be a force of nature, especially in a system where he's free to play wide open and just do what he sees needs to be done. Then it comes down to Bullard, Williams, or even Oladapo if necessary to step up and anchor the defensive backfield.

Gutekunst seems to have put all the right pieces in all the right places for this D to succeed. I guess we'll see how they all work together.

It sounds kinda obvious but the best defenses are always around the ball. That does require an "attack" mentality and a tendency to act rather than think, but that's ok. Gluten has taken great pains to strengthen the back end of the defense and ideally, that prevents a missed tackle or missed coverage from turning into a TD or a huge gain.

Mistakes will happen but it's a helluva lot better than having the CBs playing 10 to 15 yards off the LOS and "death by a thousand cuts."

 

[El Guapo]

It sounds kinda obvious but the best defenses are always around the ball.

Agreed, but it's also because those "best" defenses have enough high quality players to do it effectively. Unfortunately there aren't enough of those guys to go around. Therefore a good coach will assess his players' skills and adapt a scheme around it.

Like many coaches though, Joe Barry was stuck on his style of defense even though he had guys like Jaire Alexander, Rasuul Douglas, and Adrian Amos - two CBs that craved press coverage and an assignment-assured safety on the back end.

 

[El Guapo]

...and just when everyone was all getting excited for the backup QB competition, the Packers waived Alex McGough:

Packers sign wide receivers Rory Starkey and Jalen Wayne, waive Alex McGough

The Packers announced a handful of moves at wide receiver on Friday.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[Heyjoe4]

Agreed, but it's also because those "best" defenses have enough high quality players to do it effectively. Unfortunately there aren't enough of those guys to go around. Therefore a good coach will assess his players' skills and adapt a scheme around it.

Like many coaches though, Joe Barry was stuck on his style of defense even though he had guys like Jaire Alexander, Rasuul Douglas, and Adrian Amos - two CBs that craved press coverage and an assignment-assured safety on the back end.

Yeah I didn't mention that those ball-hawking defenses had enough high-quality guys, so thanks for adding that. Just chasing the ball won't do it. It's that whole "skate to where the puck is gonna be" thing.

And Barry was really stuck on his scheme. The best coaches know how to adjust week-to-week and within a game. Sometimes it takes until half time to reset, but good coaches and coordinators will reset. Barry never did, until MLF stepped in and then, why did he need Barry? He didn't.

It did bother me that Barry played so much off-the-ball zone when - as you accurately point out - he had a lot of solid athletes in the secondary. Campbell kinda said it when he left - guys just weren't positioned to take advantage of their unique talents. So here's to Hafley and Co. and much success.

 

[Heyjoe4]

...and just when everyone was all getting excited for the backup QB competition, the Packers waived Alex McGough:

Packers sign wide receivers Rory Starkey and Jalen Wayne, waive Alex McGough

The Packers announced a handful of moves at wide receiver on Friday.

www.nbcsports.com

EG please remind me - didn't the Packers draft a QB this year to compete with Clifford? I thought so but can't recall the name. Thanks.

 

[Half Empty]

Michael Pratt: General manager Brian Gutekunst wanted to get back to drafting quarterbacks with regularity, so he used a seventh-round pick on Pratt. Some teams had him in contention to be the first quarterback selected after the top six passers were taken in the first round. Instead, he was the 11th and final quarterback selected. Among his career highlights at Tulane was outdueling USC’s Caleb Williams in the Cotton Bowl.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Michael Pratt: General manager Brian Gutekunst wanted to get back to drafting quarterbacks with regularity, so he used a seventh-round pick on Pratt. Some teams had him in contention to be the first quarterback selected after the top six passers were taken in the first round. Instead, he was the 11th and final quarterback selected. Among his career highlights at Tulane was outdueling USC’s Caleb Williams in the Cotton Bowl.

Thanks HE! Pratt, that's the name I was trying to recall There will still be a good competition for Love's backup. I didn't even know there was a QB named McGough on the team. Seems he's been bouncing around since 2018.

And thanks for that info on Pratt. I recall reading he was held in pretty high regard and seems like Gluten got a deal in round 7, again.

 

[sschind]

Thanks HE! Pratt, that's the name I was trying to recall There will still be a good competition for Love's backup. I didn't even know there was a QB named McGough on the team. Seems he's been bouncing around since 2018.

And thanks for that info on Pratt. I recall reading he was held in pretty high regard and seems like Gluten got a deal in round 7, again.

They also worked out Jake Fromm on Friday although I'm not sure why. Still, it doesn't hurt to have some background on the guy just in case.

 

[OldSchool101]

It sounds kinda obvious but the best defenses are always around the ball. That does require an "attack" mentality and a tendency to act rather than think, but that's ok. Gluten has taken great pains to strengthen the back end of the defense and ideally, that prevents a missed tackle or missed coverage from turning into a TD or a huge gain.

Mistakes will happen but it's a helluva lot better than having the CBs playing 10 to 15 yards off the LOS and "death by a thousand cuts."

Yes and The part that never made any sense to me? We’d send 5 and we’d still play “off” coverage. If you know the ball is highly likely coming out in under 2.3 sec or thereabouts. Why would we play 8 yards off a Receiver? Wouldn’t that be the time to play Press man? That never equated with me.

Slow that receiver down .5 sec inside 5 yards where it’s allowed to tussle a little bit. That should be where an aggressive Defense plays to its strength and frustrates the Offense.

 

[Pkrjones]

...and just when everyone was all getting excited for the backup QB competition, the Packers waived Alex McGough

I'm still excited about the backup QB battle... can Pratt shine during preseason games & unseat Clifford?

 

[Heyjoe4]

Yes and The part that never made any sense to me? We’d send 5 and we’d still play “off” coverage. If you know the ball is highly likely coming out in under 2.3 sec or thereabouts. Why would we play 8 yards off a Receiver? Wouldn’t that be the time to play Press man? That never equated with me.

Slow that receiver down .5 sec inside 5 yards where it’s allowed to tussle a little bit. That should be where an aggressive Defense plays to its strength and frustrates the Offense.

Good points. And using the numbers you provided, if a pass is coming out under 2.5 seconds, and they always do, slowing a WR down by a fraction of a second is huge.

OMG that was frustrating to watch. The corners would start on the LOS and then back up to the sticks. The QB throws that 5 yarder on an untouched slant, the receiver either gets the 1st down or is within a yard or less. It's a four-down game now and the 1st down is an easy pick up. Drove me nuts. Hopefully things are about to change.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I'm still excited about the backup QB battle... can Pratt shine during preseason games & unseat Clifford?

Agree. Dropping McGough was NBD IMO. Pratt seems to have been a steal for Gluten. Competition at backup is good because one of those guys could be a valuable trade asset. It's a great strategy for a GM to follow. Wolf drafted and traded Aaron Brooks and I think Matt Hasselback. It worked out really well this year, giving up only a 7th round pick.

 

[OldSchool101]

Good points. And using the numbers you provided, if a pass is coming out under 2.5 seconds, and they always do, slowing a WR down by a fraction of a second is huge.

OMG that was frustrating to watch. The corners would start on the LOS and then back up to the sticks. The QB throws that 5 yarder on an untouched slant, the receiver either gets the 1st down or is within a yard or less. It's a four-down game now and the 1st down is an easy pick up. Drove me nuts. Hopefully things are about to change.

Yes. I understood Barry doing that in a 3rd and 15 on their side of the field. But 3rd and 7 and we’re playing 8 yards off. No.

Just saw this in.

McKinney was the runaway winner in safety voting for SI.com’s All-NFC North Team.


Also from YardBreaker:
Green Bay also added Georgia product Javon Bullard in the second round of this year’s draft, and as Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes, Bullard is in “pole position” to land a starting job alongside McKinney.

This echoes a report from June that suggested Bullard and fellow second-round rookie Edgerrin Cooper had performed well in spring practices and had put themselves firmly in the mix for first-team action. Cooper, the first middle linebacker taken in the 2023 draft, appears poised to start next to Quay Walker in the second level of the Packers’ defense.

 

[OldSchool101]

We’ve got lots of “new bodies” this Camp. With new prospects comes some hesitancy in predicting outcomes. However you throw enough darts at a dart board from a reasonable distance
(call it 5 draft Rounds), you tend to get at least 1 that hits near the Bullseye.

Just from 2024’s Rookie class alone we signed 5 players across Rounds 2-5
at Safety and LB. iLB is generally an area that has slipped in importance (you can see it by top contracts). The outcome of that is you can normally get a very good one inside 4 Rounds that has a decent chance of starting or getting significant playing time. Drafting 2 ILB’s inside the Top #100 overall gives you a 90% chance that 1 will be Starter quality. I’m but factoring injury or personal issues because that can be argued at any position. The draft pushing the position down a little makes success at ILB as close to a sure bet as you can get apart from a Day1 selection.

We need 1 of 2 of that group to make a Year 1 Splash. I’m talking bringing consideration for All Rookie Team etc. if that alone happens Such as Cooper or Bullard rising fast? Our Defense is going to look different. Potentially being one of the best Safety or Best LB duos would be substantial in moving the needle. Last season we were in consideration for one if the bottom Safety Rooms in the league. Thats not happening in 2024 I think we might surprise many opponents who try to run on us etc.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Yes. I understood Barry doing that in a 3rd and 15 on their side of the field. But 3rd and 7 and we’re playing 8 yards off. No.

Just saw this in.

McKinney was the runaway winner in safety voting for SI.com’s All-NFC North Team.


Also from YardBreaker:
Green Bay also added Georgia product Javon Bullard in the second round of this year’s draft, and as Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes, Bullard is in “pole position” to land a starting job alongside McKinney.

This echoes a report from June that suggested Bullard and fellow second-round rookie Edgerrin Cooper had performed well in spring practices and had put themselves firmly in the mix for first-team action. Cooper, the first middle linebacker taken in the 2023 draft, appears poised to start next to Quay Walker in the second level of the Packers’ defense.

I think Bullard and even Cooper are late first round picks if there hadn't been so many QBs, WRs, and OL taken early. gluten scored some value with these guys.

 

[Pkrjones]

Happy 1st day of Training Camp!!! Packer football '24 is upon us! Anyone attending open practices and/or shareholder meeting please post news, observations or stories. Thanx!

 

[Firethorn1001]

McGough was never going to be in the mix for a backup QB position. He moved to WR in the offseason.

 

[El Guapo]

McGough was never going to be in the mix for a backup QB position. He moved to WR in the offseason.

Admittedly I confused McGough with Pratt when I first posted.

I heard that bringing Fromm in was likely more just a meaningless move so that the Packers had someone to throw the ball to the two WRs that they brought in at the same time. It's like a taking a free sample at the liquor store. Maybe someone else can come up with a better analogy....

 

[Heyjoe4]

Admittedly I confused McGough with Pratt when I first posted.

I heard that bringing Fromm in was likely more just a meaningless move so that the Packers had someone to throw the ball to the two WRs that they brought in at the same time. It's like a taking a free sample at the liquor store. Maybe someone else can come up with a better analogy....

NBD. I couldn't remember Pratt's name either.

 

[El Guapo]

For those that didn't hear, Jordan Love won't physically take part in practice but will do all of the non-physical stuff. Not expected but makes a ton of sense for him to not get injured before inking the deal.

Zach Tom is back off of the PUP.

More from Brian Gutekunst press conference:

Big things to know from Brian Gutekunst's pre-training camp press conference

All the big things to know from Packers GM Brian Gutekunst’s pre-training camp press conference on Monday.

packerswire.usatoday.com

 

[Thirteen Below]

I think Bullard and even Cooper are late first round picks if there hadn't been so many QBs, WRs, and OL taken early. gluten scored some value with these guys.

Yeah, I think you and I have both said this a number of times - this was an absolutely perfect year to not need a WR of a QB, or a Top 10 pick OL, but do need safety and LB. This draft coiuld not have worked out better; even if Gute had planned it out a year earlier, I doubt he could have lined it up more perfectly.

And as far as OL is concerned, we did still get a tackle who would been one of the first half dozen OL off the board most years. He might have gone Top Ten some years, or at least close to it. And in most other years, Cooper and Bullard could easily have gone 1st Round, maybe even both.

I love othese last 2 drafts!!!