GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and offensive 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 new K Brandon McManus:
I mean, what's not to like? He's a got a lot of skins on the wall, he's been in a lot of pressure situations. He's had kicks in the Super Bowl. He's played in cold weather. He's played in hot weather. So he's had a lot of experiences kicking in a lot of different climates at a lot of different places, and he's been successful for a long time. So we're glad we got him right now.
On LB Ty'Ron Hopper's impact on special teams:
Hop's starting to show up, especially on the kickoff team. He's made some plays now. He's been taking care of a little bit because other guys have shown up earlier and started to get doubled and he's been singled and made three really good plays last week. He was our player of the week, and he's really playing well on punt return. He had a good block on Keisean's punt return last week, which usually doesn't get seen. Hopefully just keeps improving.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On the emphasis on turnovers:
You can't just talk about it and we're not just talking about it. We've dedicated a meeting to the football, and then we go out and on the days where we can't thud up because we don't have pads on, everybody better finish with a punch on the ball and if the ball's in the air, we better go attack it and go get it and we find ways to disrupt the quarterback. I think you get what you emphasize. You can't emphasize everything, it's impossible. So, what are the most important things to you philosophically?
On rookie S Javon Bullard playing in the slot:
He's versatile. He's really good around the football. He can play the run well. He's got good coverage skills. He can play in deep zones. He can play man. It's his versatility that allows us to do so much. In all fairness to him, we shifted him around a little bit, which is hard for a rookie. Like really hard, harder than anyone has any idea. He's playing two entirely different positions and he hasn't practiced that one as much as he's practiced being further back as a true safety. So you've got to give him a lot of credit for being able to transition. I don't know how many rookies could do that.
I think you're going to see him move around even more. That's the whole thing about our defense right now. We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative. As you start to see each week, if you turn us on and really watch us, there's something a little bit new every single week. We've got to build and build and build and find what we're good at, who's good at what and really start to roll. I don't think we're there yet. I think we're still at the infancy stages yet of where we're going to be as a defense and ultimately what it's going to look like, but he is a key piece in all of that, like a key piece.
On all the different packages:
If you have guys that can play certain positions that gives you an advantage, then I think it's our job to coach it and get it done. Our staff's done a good job with that. As we go and we evolve within our scheme, I think we're starting to get a really good feel for that. It's about adapting. I've said this since I got here, it's not like, 'Hey, here's the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.' It's each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well? Let's do more of it, make it look different. And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That's the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go. Any way that we can adapt and get better, both coaching, playing, scheme, personnel, it's not just like plug and play. Let's evolve. I think that's very important.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich
On the Texans' edge rushers, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter:
Obviously Hunter we know from him being with the Vikings for a long time. Really good player. I think he's still showing signs of being an elite pass rusher. And then Anderson is a young guy coming up. I think he has five or 5½ sacks, and this is our first time going against him obviously. They both play with great motors. They both can beat you with power and with speed. So those pass rushers are guys you've really got to be on point with your balance and your technique because they can run you over and they can put moves on you, too. It's going to be a big challenge.
On whether the offense is seeing more blitzing than last year:
No, no. I think anytime you play like the Vikings you're expecting pressure on pretty much every snap, and teams like that. One thing that comes with it, if you're able to do a good job in pass protection when they're just rushing four, then the defense has to do something to generate pressure, so that's why you might see more pressure in certain situations, just to try and generate some pass rush, try and get the ball out of the quarterback's hands fast, things like that.
Passing game coordinator Jason Vrable
On WRs Christian Watson and Jayden Reed opening plays up for each other with their speed:
I think it goes both ways. Obviously we got the big play to Christian, the coverage was zone, but when they go in man, sometimes J-Reed is the clearout guy, and other times Christian is. They're both fast. Every week we get the GPS numbers in terms of speeds and every week we have a different guy breaking 20 (mph). So we've got a lot of guys between Bo, J-Reed, Christian, heck Wicks was up in that range too for us the other week in the game early on. So we've got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things for us.
On managing egos in a crowded position group:
If you're in that room and you don't after a game want the ball, then we've probably got the wrong guys. You want guys who want the football and believe in themselves to catch the football and also to get open. Like I said, since I've been here, our guys have been tremendous. We obviously had the setback before and we moved on from it. All I really care about from our room, are you happy and content with the way you played after the game, but also are you happy for your brother next to you who got to have his success? That's all you ask from your guys. You have to truly build that every single day it's not something that just happens.
Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements
On QB Jordan Love's hard count:
He's used it. I think he's just getting better at it, and it works better against some teams. We have different mechanisms where he can use different types of cadence. Oonce he does it and has some success with it and we stay on side … I mean, that's always something that has to happen. I think earlier, even last year and some early games this year when we tried it, we didn't execute it offensively and we jumped offside. You can't have that happen, obviously. But if you can, cadence can be a weapon, it should be a weapon for the offense, and if we stay on side and he does it the way he's been doing it, it's pretty helpful.
It takes awhile to get the hang of it. Aaron (Rodgers) was very good at it. I think when he was here we probably had about 10 different types of cadences, and we don't have that many now but if you can use your voice inflection and you can mix it up and go on a quick count sometimes, go on some longer counts, keep them guessing, then in certain important situations when you can use the hard count when the defense is anxious to get a good rush, it can be helpful. And if you get 'em a couple times it'll slow 'em down and if they keep on doing it then we just get free plays, hopefully.
Wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey
On Watson's quick return from injury:
It was great to have him back out there. Christian works hard in all respects, whether it's out on the field at practice or the way he takes care of his body. It's exciting to get him back out there, and he seemed to hit his rhythm during the course of the game.
On what WR Bo Melton brings to the table:
One of the strong suits of Bo's game is his versatility. Bo is that type of guy regardless of where you ask him to play he has the intelligence to be able to do it, but more importantly he has that mindset and that physicality that whatever job you give him he's going to go out there and attack. It definitely gives you some flexibility and some options in terms of being able to use him in different ways.
Offensive line coach Luke Butkus
On rookie Jordan Morgan's return to action:
Little rusty. Jordan's going to work at it. Unfortunately, he got banged up a couple weeks ago and we've just got to constantly get him right with fundamentals, get-off, all the things that we talk about. He wasn't able to do that for a while being injured.
On facing Houston edge rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter:
Same challenge that we faced all spring, all training camp, with (numbers) 52 and 91 and 90 and 55. Their get-off is incredible. Very good pass rushers. A lot of moves and they play really hard. It's always a bad combination when you have really good players that play really hard. For us.
Tight ends coach John Dunn
On convincing the play caller to dial up the Tucker Kraft sneak:
It wasn't me convincing. I think it was the guy doing it convincing. Anytime you have something like that, it's always what's it look like in practice, right? And it takes a little while to get there. But he did that some in college, and he executed, so it was good. Those things are fun to do. They're fun when they work.
On Ben Sims:
Ben gets better every time he goes out, practice included. Still second-year guy, trying to get better, own everything he does. Obviously he made the catch, that was nice, that everyone sees. But it's not always the things everyone can see, it's the things you can't see. Just continuing to get better in the run game, footwork, hand placement, landmarks, all those things which are always a work in progress no matter how long you play, but again, a guy in my opinion who always stays ready.
Running backs coach Ben Sirmans
On lining up WR Jayden Reed in the backfield:
You're putting the ball in the hands of another dynamic player who's capable of creating explosives, keeping the chains moving and somebody else that you have to defend.
On Josh Jacobs' success:
His ability to break tackles. He's very influential when he's out there on the field. He's got really good lateral cutting ability that leads to big plays downfield. I would say those have probably been the biggest assets and he's also somebody that defenses have to prepare for.
On Houston's run defense:
I think they'll have one of the best, if not (the best), front seven we've seen. They're really good on the defensive line, not just through penetration. I was showing the guys today just how disciplined they are at controlling their gaps from the guys up front to the second level with the linebackers. It's a pretty stout front, for sure.
