GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and offensive assistant coaches met with the media on Thursday. Here's a summary of their key comments.
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers
On what Ahmad Brooks and Quinton Dial bring to defense:
Quinton has done a nice job of playing the run. He's a big guy in there. He does a nice job using his hands, using his leverage. He didn't get knocked off the ball a lot. Ahmad gives you another quick-twitch guy who has the ability to make plays.
On Kevin King playing through shoulder injury:
It's been an issue for him because he hasn't been able to stay there without having problems with it. It was pretty obvious during the game Sunday when he wasn't using two hands pressing. He's a tough guy and he's done a nice job working his way through that. You can see it's bothering him.
Offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett
On Baltimore secondary:
They certainly made some plays. Their ability to create turnovers is one of the things that really stands out. They're one of the best in the league. I believe they have 18 turnovers, 13 by interceptions. They play with good awareness on the back end of things. They have a good unit upfront. They do a great job as far as pursuit of the football, covering the ball.
On RB Jamaal Williams:
I thought he did a really nice job with his ability to break tackles. He finished moving forward and accelerated his feet on tackles. He did a nice job from a protection standpoint. I love his attitude. I love his approach. From a preparation standpoint, he's been working his tail off and to get that opportunity is no surprise he played the way he played.
Special teams coordinator Ron Zook
On how Brett Goode looks:
Physically, he looks a lot better than the first time. The ball has velocity on it. He's done it so long. He's a pro. It's so much easier with all the protections. I think everybody was more at least with that.
On Baltimore punter Sam Koch:
He causes you problems. A lot of teams play against the, you put two returners back there because he can kick across his body. He's able to point like he's punting one direction and actually punt across his body. It's hard to get a feel for it unless you have two guys back there.
*Offensive line coach James Campen *
On Justin McCray's best attribute:
He's very headstrong. That's a credit to him. This young man came in and is asked to know every position on the line of scrimmage. It takes a strongminded person to take all those things and having to change his feet and technique going from left to right. He's done a very good job.
On where Terrell Suggs lines up:
He'll play both sides. You have to be prepared for him on both sides. He's a tough guy to handle. Very good, smart, plays hard. He has the effort. You always see the effort plays come out of him.
On feeling for Bryan Bulaga:
You feel really bad for the player because he's having a really good year last year and everything is pointing upwards. That happens. It's easy for all of us to stay – well, that's football – but when it happens to one of your own, it hurts. It's like our kids when they first stub their toe. You really feel bad for the player. That's your first thoughts. Then, you try to figure out what you're going to do for the group. Bryan is a pro's pro. He'll be back in the room once we gets all the pain out of his leg.
On Jason Spriggs' improvement:
I think he's getting close. He missed a lot of padded practices. This was maybe his third or fourth padded practice. He has to get back to finding contact. He's getting a lot of reps, a lot of work.
Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt
On Brett Hundley's 42-yard pass to Davante Adams:
Just getting better each week. He's made that throw 100 times in scout team. I's just having the confidence to make that throw in that situation. His confidence will only get better as he moves forward. … We were building towards that type of game. He's feeling more comfortable playing the game. I thought he did a good job managing the offense the last few weeks.
On playing in cold weather:
The biggest thing is be comfortable. A lot of guys have a history of – oh, I don't need sleeves. I've learned the hard way. So just be comfortable. He's been practicing outside here the last three years. IT's not like the first time he's thrown the ball in the cold.
Receivers coach Luke Getsy
On Hundley's touchdown pass to Adams:
It's a combination of the extended play and Brett getting comfortable with body language of each guy and seeing Davante had turned it up the sideline and threw a ball that was away from the defender. It was a heck of a throw.
On how big Hundley's fourth-quarter passes were for confidence:
That was good for everybody's confidence. You could see form the first time Bret stepped in in Minnesota until now, everyone has gotten a little better. Brett's confidence is higher. Our confidence is higher. All those parts are getting cleaner, the efficiency and effectiveness has continued to improve.
On Randall Cobb's 38-yard catch-and-run:
It's huge. That first third down, him breaking that tackle set the tone for the game. That's who he is. We have to continue to get him the ball in a bunch of different ways. His ability to make a guy miss and run through tackles. He's the tone-setter for us and in our room.
Tight ends coach Brian Angelichio
On working with a smaller group:
It's the same. Meetings, players, practice time, nothing has changed there. With two guys, injuries could stress you but that's not the mindset we have. We're just going out, practicing, getting better and working on the things we need to help the team win.
Running backs coach Ben Sirmans
On keeping all the RBs ready:
We have some experience based off of last year. The main thing is always testing them in the meeting rooms and find different spots to give them reps – I'm talking your threes and fours – and making sure they're always paying attention.
On if this year's team is better equipped to handle the loss of running backs:
With the experiences of last year, that's probably why we drafted three running backs this year. We knew two of those guys are going to have to definitely play this year. At least, you're backed up. You don't' have to worry about going outside the organization to bring guys in.
On Jamaal Williams:
He's a downhill runner, try to get four-yard plus very aggressively. I just think it took some time for him to get a comfortable level with what we're doing. The things we thought he possessed, he showed.
