GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and defensive assistant coaches met with the media over the past couple of days. Here's a sampling of their key comments.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
On what's most important at this stage of the season:
I think to be fundamentally sound this time of year, to stay away from the penalties. Obviously, we went through two penalties in the game last week on special teams that end up costing you, so I would say that the fundamentally soundness of your body position, your alignment, knowing what you're supposed to do, do what you're supposed to be coached to do and do it the right way is what you're trying to do at this point in time.
On K Brandon McManus:
What he's brought is 12 years of experience of playing at an extremely high level, especially inside of 50 yards. He has a great sense of confidence. I think we've said it in this room multiple times that he's very particular, knows what he wants. It's made it extremely easy for Daniel Whelan to get better and improve at holding the football because of the way he wants it held, where he wants the laces and again, Matt Orzech's always been the calming factor for Brandon and for Daniel. But the other thing is … he's really just kinda kicking into high gear. He didn't play early in the year. We're expecting him to play his best football as we go through the postseason.
On being ranked third in kickoff coverage:
That's good to know. I wouldn't know that. I don't really look at those things until the year is over. I think we've been playing pretty well in both kickoff and punt coverage to this point. There's always the next game, the last game is irrelevant. You learn from it and now we have to kick off in this game. There will be returns on both sides. But I'm excited about our young guys that are starting to pick it up and learn the system. Again, we talked about the new kickoff early in the year, I still think it's a work in progress. We learn something from all the people that we're watching during the week and for the mistakes that we've made, we're learning from it all the time.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On losing CB Jaire Alexander:
Ja was practicing, he was trying to come back. So there's always hope, right? I mean, he was out there last week still trying to practice. So I kept that in the back of my mind, and was hopeful we'd get him back. He worked for it, he kept pushing himself, and it didn't work out. So now, it's definitive, it's not there anymore, so now certainly there's no more thinking about what we would do differently if he were in the game.
More than anything I feel for Ja, and we've been counting on the guys who've been on the field, they've been doing a really good job, so there is no looking back or what-ifs, it's just full-speed-ahead with how we've been playing and each week how we can evolve and get better. But I'm proud of the guys who've been in.
On S Javon Bullard's best position:
I had this conversation with him just as he was getting ready to come back and play, I just think he's got so much versatility and value, moving him around all over the place — whether it's nickel, dime, safety, getting him closer to the ball, blitzing him, getting him involved in the run game, he's got coverage ability. I just think he's going to be a guy that you can do so many things with down the road once he really has a great grasp and feel for everything. He's a talented guy who's strong, physical and you don't have many guys in this league who can do that much, so it makes him very, very valuable, and I think he's starting to see that and feel it and embrace it. You just need a little bit of time to get him where he's comfortable because he's been injured, too, so he hasn't been practicing very much.
On LB Edgerrin Cooper:
He's an instinctual player, right? Most times, he's where he's supposed to be. If he feels like he can go through a gap and make the play before it gets into his gap, there's times where he does that too. We pressure him a lot, which helps. He goes and gets the football. I totally see what everybody sees. If you turn on the TV copy of that guy, you can make a 12-play cut-up and it's just like, 'Whoa.' The way he runs people down, the way he weaves under gaps and shows up behind the line of scrimmage … He's got a lot of natural ability, and he's getting better and better. He played 70 snaps (at Minnesota), and that's the most that we've ever put on him, and he's going to grow from that, and I think what you're starting to see too is we are going to be able to bit by bit as he grows, put him in some pretty fun positions. Another guy, what a great draft pick and what a great person. He loves ball. He's got a really bright future.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich
On WR Jayden Reed's usage:
You're always trying to get him the ball. He's one of those guys that, as you've seen, he can make a lot of special plays with the ball in his hands, so every game plan you go in there and he's one of the guys that you're like, 'All right, this is how we've got to get him the ball.' So, yeah, I would say anytime you come out of a game and he doesn't get his touches, you've got to make sure he does.
On dealing with Vikings' blitzes:
The Vikings' defense, going into that game, we knew we've got to be on it as far as picking up pressures. I thought our backs did a really good job in that game handling their pressures, for the most part. The biggest thing we learned is the same thing that happened in the first Vikings game is we've got to start faster, and that starts with consistency where you go out and you've got to make sure you protect the ball and make sure you're not shooting yourself in the foot with penalties, like we did in the first half of the game. We just had some crucial mistakes that put us behind the eight-ball. A credit to us, we're fighters. We're never out of a game, no matter what the score is, so we're going to pull ourselves back into it. But when you play a really good football team and you spot them that many points, it's going to be really hard to win the game.
On QB Jordan Love's play at Minnesota:
I thought he came out and started slow in the Minnesota game but, as the game progressed, I thought he played really well. It wasn't just him. It was our entire offense didn't come out hot like we wanted to. But I think he's doing a good job. He's managing the game, he's making throws, he's creating plays with his feet, extending plays. So, yeah, I think he's doing fine. And he's protecting the football, which is very important.
Defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich
On DL Rashan Gary making the Pro Bowl:
Obviously, teams are (saying), 'Hey, look, you have to account for Rashan Gary,' whether it's protection, whether you're going to chip, thump, use somebody extra. And, obviously, that's happened to him this season. I will say this, though, if you look statistically, his run rate of wins, he's substantially better than what he's ever been. And he's embraced that role. He's embraced the transition and going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and playing some various different alignments. And obviously, he's done a Pro Bowl-level type of play.
On DL Brenton Cox Jr..:
We saw flashes in some work with him last season. He's just embraced his opportunity. It's next guy up. You don't get ready; you stay ready. So, all those cliche things have happened for Brenton Cox. He gets into the game. He's played six, seven games and, obviously, he's had his opportunities to make plays for us. Great for him, great for us as a D-line to utilize another substitution guy to go in there and embrace the role.
Linebackers/running game coordinator Anthony Campanile
On LB Ty'Ron Hopper:
Hop's honestly, he's had a bunch of progress. I think he understands it a little bit more than he did earlier on. I know he does. You see him in practice showing up, flying around a little bit, and then on special teams he's made some plays. But he's a physical guy. I think he's getting better every day, I really do. I'm excited about him. I'm excited where his progress is right now, and I think he's in a good spot.
On LB Quay Walker trying to return from injury:
In the room, I think he's done everything he can do. He's all over it. Answering questions, totally immersed and locked into the game plan. That's something that kind of speaks to the character of the guy, too. Even the games he hasn't played in, he's in the room, answering questions, calling it out, playing the plays through on the screen just like he's out there as he normally would be, and I think that's a help to some of the younger guys in the room, too. He's done a great job of getting himself, or keeping himself I should say, locked in and trying to stay right where he was at before he got injured.
On the run defense playing well:
There's always things you can do better, but I think these guys are totally bought into what we're teaching. I firmly believe that there's a progression each play. Your eyes, your feet, your hands, and then there's got to be a violent finish. That's how every football play should start and end. If your eyes are right and you'll feet will be right, you'll get there, and your hands will buy you time. That's some of the fundamental things about defending the run, those are essential. Your body position, where your feet are, not compromising your base, playing with great hands and technique, pad level. Some people talk about those things, but you've got to drill those things every day, almost like to the point where it's a martial art. Literally, you're always in good position to destruct blocks and play blocks and understand where combinations are coming from, and what means what. Big plays are made with anticipation, and if you can eliminate … if I line up and it's one of two things as opposed to one of 10 things, I'm going to play a lot faster, and that's your job in my opinion as a coach. It's organizing information so that players can process it and play faster. If you're not doing that, in my opinion, you're not doing a good job coaching. My point being, I think the guys do a great job of processing the information and eliminating plays before the snap.
Defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley
On the DB group moving forward without Jaire Alexander:
I love our group. We've got a tight-knit group. Not only is Ja not playing, but he's still involved with those guys off the field. He's done a good job taking CV (Carrington Valentine) under his wing, and they've kind of matriculated to be the same person sometimes. (Eric) Stokes is playing better, Keisean (Nixon)'s a competitor. So we're very excited about what those guys bring to the table, whatever comes ahead of us.
On CB Keisean Nixon's constant position adjustments:
If you ask Keisean that question and he's standing up here, he embraces the challenge, he wants the challenge. He wants the hard downs. He looks at himself as CB1, so he wants everything that comes with that. He's definitely a guy that can go inside and outside, obviously. Just a testament to him how he works throughout the week to learn both spots. Obviously nickel he's got a lot more reps invested in that spot. Being able to go outside and then come back inside is like he's coming back home. So we're very proud of him. The fact he can do both jobs makes us deeper in the secondary.
I think it's unusual, especially in pro ball. You want guys that specialize in those jobs. I had a couple guys in college that have been a nickel or a safety, or a dime and a safety. Never a guy that really went from corner back inside to nickel. It's a testament to Keisean's ability to compete, because nickel is totally drastic, different from corner. At corner, you've got one misstep and the band's playing and it's PAT field goal. So he's done a really nice job of wanting to do that, not blinking when it happens. When Zayne (Anderson) went down last week and we put him inside because Bull had to go to safety, he's like OK, let's go play. He's competitive, he's a pro that way, and I'm very proud of him, because he's come a long way at being a master at both jobs.
On CB Carrington Valentine's play lately:
Just a guy that comes to work every day. He's the same guy, got a smile on his face. He's got a unique personality, and you feel that in the meeting room, you feel that on the field. I always joke with him, his personality reminds me of Marlon Humphrey. He plays with that same kind of play style, that same kind of edge. He's looking for the challenge, looking for the confrontation, and I think that's helped him down the stretch make a couple plays.
Defensive backs coach Ryan Downard
On S Zayne Anderson before his injury:
It's been awesome to see 39. He's relentless in taking notes. He does that every meeting, and one of the best things he does, when he wasn't playing, he would stand behind and I would have him rep behind as if he was in the play, and he really took that seriously, whether we were in our walk-throughs or out at practice. I just try to re-emphasize to these guys that your time is coming. It's coming sooner than you know. I tell the rookies that, I told him that, and then to see him get an opportunity, that's a credit to him and his preparation to just go out there and do your job and let the plays come to you. I'm actually getting chills talking about it, because it's such a good story for him, so I'm really proud of Zayne.
On S Evan Williams:
I think he can be as good as he wants to be. He has a weapon in his brain with how smart he is and how aware he is. That accelerates your ability to play early in this league because you can grasp the concepts. He's a great communicator. He understands what we're trying to get done in terms of disguise, and he works well with X. He can be absolutely as good as he wants to be. I know that's a generic answer, but that's the truth.
On S Javon Bullard changing positions:
He's done an awesome job. He has obviously been asked to be shuffled around a little bit. There's not a lot of players that can do that, especially as a rookie. That's something we tried to address in the right way, not to put too much on his plate at one time. Obviously at safety you're controlling the entire back end with all the checks and the mental side of that game. He knew from learning all the safety stuff what the jobs were at the nickel, but it's different when you actually put yourself in those positions and really walk-through, jog-through, rep at that position. It is a hard thing to do, especially for a rookie. He's done a great job. I think he's got a great attitude towards it, and it's going to serve him down the road. He's going to be a player that you don't know where he's going to line up at, because he can do all these different jobs. It's going to be a good thing as he continues on in his career.
