GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and defensive assistant coaches met with the media Thursday. Here's a sampling of their key comments:
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
On new K Brayden Narveson:
We evaluated film, all of (the kickers) coming out (in the draft) and we kind of did a deep dive into him coming out from N.C. State, because we liked him. I know he'd been to a bunch of different schools and we went all the way back to Western (Kentucky) and saw what he did there. He's got a great body, he's strong and he had a really good preseason over there at Tennessee. We've been following him along with others throughout the preseason.
On the new kickoff:
I still think it's a learning curve, or a work in progress. The two (joint) practices were extremely beneficial to us because I think them and us probably showed things in the practice session that we wouldn't show in the preseason game. We're still going to keep learning as the year goes on, but we feel good about the direction we're going in and we feel good about what's legal and what's not legal and what the blocks look like and how they're going to officiate it. It's our reality right now and I feel like we'll be ready to go.
On facing Eagles returner Britain Covey:
He doesn't like to fair catch. He likes to make plays inside the 10, inside the 5. He's got great quicks. He can make you miss and he can go the distance. So he'll be a handful that we'll try to manage with Daniel (Whelan) and our coverage teams. They're a big, physical, fast unit and so it will be a good challenge for our group.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich
On Sean Rhyan at RG and where things stand with Jordan Morgan:
Sean's done a great job. Given that opportunity he's stepped up and shown he can be our guy if we need him to be. Jordan's coming along in practice so we're just taking that situation day to day and seeing what happens there.
On new QB Malik Willis:
The good thing with him, he's not a rookie, so he's been around a couple years now. His rookie year, he was kind of in a familiar system, so there is familiarity with some schemes and some concepts, so when we're talking he can go back into the past and pull some things so it's not all brand new to him. He's a quick learner. He's doing a good job, so we're just meeting with him extra, trying to catch him up. It's not ideal (for his development, to go through so much change again), that's for sure. Definitely not ideal. Hopefully we can just keep him here for a while and give him a good foundation.
On Josh Jacobs' potential workload given the RB situation:
What's nice is he's been in those roles where you can really lean on him in the run game and everything else. He's used to that. But you've just got to be smart and play it by ear and make sure you're not overusing him too much early. Emanuel Wilson's played, so it's not like we're putting in a guy that hasn't done anything, and then you just take it week by week and see what the situation is, with the health of the room and then just go forward, don't really look too far into the future.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On coaching from the field or box:
I like to be up in the box right now. That's where I was in the preseason games. I've been on the field the last couple years, obviously. It's calm, it's quiet, I can kind of lay everything out. You take the emotions out of it a little bit, which is sometimes good and bad. It's nice to be around the players and you get excited and guys get excited and then get 'em going and then calm 'em down and then talk to 'em. So I do think there's pluses and minuses to that. I think from calling (the plays), setting stuff up, having your notes, setting the next series up, looking at the iPad, having time to study while the offense is on the field and really get thoughts for the next possession, self-scout yourself a little bit, too, and see what you've done, what has been good against you, what has been good for us, I just think you can get more accomplished from that standpoint.
On the preseason and not showing too much:
In the preseason games, the biggest thing for us was to get an evaluation of our players and let our players play fast and play with great fundamentals and technique. The thing that we were most proud of was how hard the guys played and how physical they were. If you turn on the film, regardless of who was out there or what the call was, we were physical. We were running the ball, we were hitting people, we were getting off blocks. We were finishing. When you stop the tape, there's 10, 11 guys around the ball. This game goes back to it's still gonna be about the players.
On calling his first NFL game:
For me, it's like this, just like I talk to the players and I mean this – I tell them we're gonna work really hard up until the time that we kick off and my sheet's gonna be in front of me and I'm gonna let it rip, and we're gonna call it and we're gonna play fast and we're gonna play physical and I'm not gonna hesitate on the call. We're gonna get it in quickly to Quay Walker so they can look out and see what the offense is coming out in and we can go line up and play. Once that starts, maybe I'll be a little anxious before kickoff but we're gonna work to the point where we're prepared. I trust the players. I trust the staff and I just gotta go call it and they gotta go play and execute and I cannot wait for that to happen.
Defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich
On facing Eagles QB Jalen Hurts:
He's an unbelievable challenge. Obviously the No. 1 thing we've got to do is keep the man in the pocket and that's a hard feat to do. You have six rush lanes, you got four guys who have to do a heck of a job of bottling that up. We've got our hands full. We're going through it right now. We're trying to get our plan together here.
On the depth of the D-line:
You've got an unbelievable group of competitors in that room and there's a reason why when you bring in a group of 16 to 18 guys in camp, and 15 are going to survive whether they made the roster or practice squad, that says a lot about our group. I personally have never been around in my 12-13 years in the NFL of coaching a D-Line, have never been around a group that's had that many people in a room. Now, I love it selfishly. There's no doubt about it. But those are the guys that did it because they compete against each other.
Linebackers/running game coordinator Anthony Campanile
On LB Edgerrin Cooper's status after missing time due to injury:
It's trying to get him back as fast as we can. For him, it's just getting out there and doing it. He's been doing a great job in the classroom, in practice. Staying involved as much as he can. But, obviously, the speed of it, that's the toughest part for anybody coming back. I think he's doing a good job of it right now, I do.
On LB Eric Wilson:
I just think Eric's a really tough, smart football player. He came into camp in great shape. He's a tough guy, super-, super-diligent in his preparation. When I say 'a smart guy,' I think he's the type of guy that knows pretty much why he's doing what he's doing and what everybody's doing around him. Really coachable, so fun guy to coach, fun guy to be around in the room. I thought everything we asked him to do since I've gotten here, he's just gotten better and better at it little by little. He's the same guy every day, which is very hard to do in any walk of life, in any occupation – certainly in professional football – but that's one of the great things I can say about him.
On LB Quay Walker:
I remember interviewing him getting ready for the combine when I was in Miami and I was impressed with how sharp he was. I had a tape of him at Georgia, stuff they were doing, and he was able to tell me everybody's role on the defense, what he was doing. That was something I remembered in preparation for that draft, I thought he was a sharp guy, and that's been true since I've been here. I think he's a really, really intelligent guy. He loves to learn football, loves to work at it.
Defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley
On CB Carrington Valentine's injury recovery:
He's working back in there. We're going to be smart with him and kind of ease him back in. He's done a really good job of attacking that injury and getting back in a timely fashion. I've been really impressed with his mental. He's done a really nice job of staying connected with the scheme, with his technique, with his fundamentals … staying engaged even though he couldn't be out there full speed.
On S Evan Williams' knack for making plays on the ball:
He is one of those guys. He's proved it here. I tell ya, when guys do it in college, there's a good chance they'll do it in pro ball, and he did it on his college tape at Fresno and at Oregon. So we're really pleased by how he's come in here and adapted. He really carries himself like a pro. I think his brother plays in the NFL and the dad played a couple years so he's very mature beyond his age that way.
Defensive backs coach Ryan Downard
On S Xavier McKinney's leadership:
Having young guys in the room, they're looking to him for guidance and little tips here, and I try to empower him as a leader within the safety group. He's done a good job using that platform, and I think slowly but surely the young guys, they open their eyes to wow, I didn't even think like that, and they get the player perspective from him. He's starting to build credibility, and then combined with that, he's a player on the field, so he's making plays, and it just doubles down on the fact that maybe what this guy's saying, he's got some of it figured out.
On S Javon Bullard handling his NFL debut in Brazil:
I hope he handles it with flying colors. He has been in some bigger games. I try to look at that in pregame, not only on Family Night but then the preseason games, just to see what the look in his eye is, and he just wasn't shaken at all. It was just laser-like focus. He's kind of like that in the building. But I don't have any concerns about that right now. Time will tell. Some of that is speaking to that before the moment arises, right. None of the environment, none of the score, none of the last play matters. It's always the next play or that particular day. I've told Bull, there's not going to be any 60 to whatever and you're out at halftime ballgames like there was in college. These are down to the wire. We try to hammer that, but I hope and expect he'll handle it well.
