(Were guys getting a little chippy out there after practicing against each other this week?)
I would think that's normal at this point of camp. Just reflected back to last year's notes, this was actually a rough practice on the offense and we repeated that again today. It was very challenging as far as the schematic things we were going against, but that's no excuse, and I think when frustration sets in you get some of that extra-curricular activity. That's really not necessary.
(What did you want to see cleaned up at the end of practice?)
Offensively we didn't start the practice very well, so we went back and repeated the team run and the blitz period.
(How was Aaron Rouse's first week and do you have big expectations for him this season?)
Aaron Rouse is off to a good start. When you just look at Aaron physically, he's gifted. He has excellent size, range, and I just go back to his rookie season last year, he was given a limited number of opportunities and took full advantage of it. We're looking for him to carry that over to this year and factor in both the safety play and the special teams.
(What is the one thing you want to see tomorrow night?)
I am more interested in the fundamental things. Just talking about game planning as far as with Bob Sanders and Joe Philbin this afternoon, I think it's important to let these guys line up and play. I'm not interested in schematically challenging one another as far as putting one side of the ball in a better position than the other. I think it's just more important for our guys to go out there and play at game speed in a game environment and do all of the fundamental things that we have been working on.
(Will it be roughly the same format as last year?)
It will be very much. If you remember last year's format, we started with the ones vs. the twos and vice versa, and hit a number of special teams segments. Really the health of our team will factor how long we go on that schedule.
(What does Rouse need to do to win one of the starting safety spots?)
I just think Aaron is in a very similar position like a number of our young players. It's just that consistency, just playing every down consistent. He has obviously shown the ability. He has been very productive, like I said, in his limited reps. He has the size and speed and instincts that you are looking for, but he just has to continue to practice and play at that level of consistency.
(Because of Rouse's size, can you do different things with him out there schematically?)
As you look at him physically, he is definitely a matchup in certain situations. That is something that we have explored and I'm sure that everyone here as noticed as far as the sub groups and the different packages that he is a part of.
(What has Jordy Nelson done to catch your eye?)
I would say for the rookie class I thought he has been probably one of the most consistent individuals. Jordy has really come into the spring and really picked things up and I really like the way he plays with his pads. He plays with a good pad level. He is fundamentally strong, particularly for a rookie. It is definitely not too big for him. I just look for him to continue to get comfortable and get the timing that he needs with the quarterbacks, but I think he is off to an excellent start.
(Has Ryan Grant hurt himself by missing the first week of camp?)
He's not helping himself. I think everybody agrees with that. The thing that concerns me about Ryan, he went about everything that he needed to do throughout the spring, he was very conscientious. I know Edgar Bennett is in daily contact with him, but it's time for him to get to camp. He is still a young player. He doesn't have a high level of experience, and it's time for him to get here and be a part of what is going on. It's obviously a contract negotiation, it's a business matter that I really don't get too involved with or get too caught up in, but I would really like to see Ryan get here.
(Are you frustrated that it has dragged on and do you see an end in sight?)
Frustrated? I think Ari Fleischer would call that a bait question. No, it's a business matter.
(At what point does Brandon Jackson supplant him as the starter?)
That's not where we are. We're about improving as a football team. We're still in the installation phase, so that's what we're focused on. Really, tomorrow night's scrimmage is about getting out there and playing fundamental football and taking the next step as a football team.
(How many plays of live tackling will you have tomorrow night?)
It really depends on how many drives. The drives will dictate that.
(How about series?)
I'd probably better answer that tomorrow. I just want to visit with Pepper and Doc McKenzie.
(Why wasn't Tory Humphrey practicing today?)
Tory's ankle, Achilles is a little tight. Just being smart with him, because of his injury last year.
(Will Scott Wells be able to go tomorrow night?)
That's really something we'll probably have to decide in the morning.
(Josh Sitton was seeing some time with the first unit at right guard. Was that just because of Wells' injury?)
Correct. More with Scott not being in there.
(Was Tory's injury last night?)
I think it's just a combination of coming back off a major injury, going through his first week of camp.
(Did Condrew Allen injure something?)
Yeah. He had a bruised knee.
(There's an indication the commissioner could rule on Favre as soon as Monday. What are the next steps that happen?)
Once again, I'm not going to deal with the hypotheticals. I think our football team has done an outstanding job of separating whether Brett is here or not here, and if he is reinstated, we have a plan that we'll discuss with Brett and our football team first. All the other stuff is really, once again, I think that's all business, whether reinstatement and all the number of things that have gone on with him. Those questions will all be answered at the appropriate time.
(Are you making some progress with the third-and-short offense?)
I think so. I think the power play has looked very good, as far as getting out of the blocks. I think the inside zone has been productive for us. We definitely need to improve in that area. That was a negative area for us on offense, so we're off to a good start.
(Do you think Jenkins is back like he was at camp, or is he still fighting through some of the injuries he had last year?)
He's definitely healthy, and you can see his explosion is definitely back. He played through that last year, with the bone bruise. I think he looks great. I think he's off to an excellent start.
(How do you feel your team has done with the mental toughness, under the distractions and things happening outside of what's going on here?)
I think our football team is handling it great. Once again, I think we've done an excellent job of separating. It's really a two-part issue. What's going on between Brett and the organization is something that the players and coaches, we cannot handle. We're not involved in it. I think they did a good job from a responsibility standpoint dealing with it for about two days, but the focus has been on improving. Today was our first bump in the road in terms of having too many negative things happen in practice, and I think that's a credit to their focus and their energy level and staying true to, it's training camp. Everybody is going through it, and they've done a really good job. No one is really talking about it, frankly.
(Are you happy with the progression of Aaron Rodgers?)
Absolutely.
