GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and offensive assistant coaches met with the media over the past couple of days.
Here's a sample of their key comments.
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett
On Jordan Love's growth:
He's only had one preseason, so it's almost like a rookie but with a whole year of training before he's had to actually go out there. He's grown a ton from Day 1 to all the things that we've asked him to do – to understanding the system, the conversations are much different than they were the first year. Watching Aaron do it last year to now coming into this year, his growth has been a ton. Even the stuff that he did in the preseason was so huge. That's so valuable, all that experience.
On preparing a young QB:
For each quarterback you always want to develop that 'you can't stop me' mentality. I remember my dad would always talk about that. That was always his goal with all the quarterbacks he coached, that when they get up at the line, they feel like whatever that play is, it doesn't matter what's thrown at them, they know they're going to win, they're going to have the ability to win that down, that play. So right now with Jordan, that's what we're trying to find. We're trying to find those plays that he's most comfortable with, within the game plan, to be able to attack the Kansas City Chiefs, that he's going to be comfortable and not have to think and can play.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry
On facing the Chiefs' offense:
It's the same thing we kind of preach all the time. Let's not give up the explosion play. Let's keep the ball inside and in front of us. Let's make them earn every single blade of grass that they gain. There's no free yards, so I think that's kind of the common theme every single week. That's the way we approach every game, every game plan.
On De'Vondre Campbell's Defensive Player of the Month award:
We didn't have a cake party for him, but we did mention it and he literally was like, 'Hey, thanks guys, that's great. But hey, today is third down. Let's get on with our day. Let's get better today.' That's the type of approach that he took and it was cool. He didn't want any praise. He just wants, hey, it's all about the team, it's all about the 11 guys that are on the field, it's all about us as a unit, not as individuals. And I think that's what's allowed us to get to 7-1. Are we there yet? Absolutely not. But that's what's great about this group is that they come in every single day, they want to work, they want to grind, they want to be coached and that's exciting. It's a great group of guys.
Special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton
On how much the type of punt Corey Bojorquez hit led to the muff at Arizona:
It was absolutely his punt. We call it the banana kick. The Australian kickers have coined that kick and they do a really good job with that. It's a tough ball to catch for returners. Corey's been working on that throughout this season since he's been with us. He broke it out one time before in the Washington game. It was not totally to perfection, but now he has that thing rocking and rolling.
Quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Luke Getsy
On building a game plan for Jordan Love based on what he does best, or what will work vs. the Chiefs:
I think first is how you want to attack the opponent. That's definitely the most important thing you want to do. And then, you have to see what he does well, or what he has done well and maybe lean on those things. That's what the week of practice is for, too. We'll probably do more this week and pull some of that stuff back to what he feels great about, what he feels excited about, what we think he'll be able to do well. But you definitely put the plan together how we're going to attack these guys first.
On getting Blake Bortles back:
Unbelievable guy. Love having him in the room. Positive energy. He gets the game. The guy's got so much experience. The conversations you have with him, immediately, are just awesome. He truly is a pro. Jordan was leaning on Aaron so much, and without him in the building, with Blake, there couldn't be a better guy for Jordan to be able to lean on this week.
Running backs coach Ben Sirmans
On the running game at Arizona:
The biggest thing is that the guys ran pretty hard, broke tackles, which is one of the things that we always talk about that we have to do to be effective. So it was good just seeing them compete and battle in that type of environment. We've got to keep building consistency and I think if we're able to do that, that'll help us tremendously in the run game. We've just got to continue to get YAC, as we call it.
Wide receivers coach Jason Vrable
On the young receivers in Arizona:
The highs and the lows in the game, I wanted them to keep that even-keel personality and go out and play. We had some fumbles and some drops but every time they came over to me on the sideline, I'm like, I'm going to stay the same way, man. We're going to be fine. It's a 70-play game, 60-play game. It's about your next play. I thought they did a good job. You could feel the nerves early but I felt like they calmed down and the group as a whole did a good job.
On getting Davante Adams back:
He's doing great. He gave me a hug. It was just like, 'Man, I feel like I've been away forever.' I said, 'How do you think I feel?' A testament of what he's done for the culture of the receiver room is, when he's not there, it still can hold its own. Because he sets the standard. These guys have all gotten better and become a better player and also just a better teammate because of the way he sets it.
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator Adam Stenavich
On Lucas Patrick stepping in at center:
Very impressed. He's a guy that continuously steps up to whatever role he's asked, and he's not the flashiest player, but he just grinds, and whatever the team needs, he steps up and gets it done. It hasn't been perfect by any means, and he'll be the first one to tell you that, but I'm extremely proud of the stuff he's done this year and before that, too.
On whether it will be easy for Elgton Jenkins to move wherever when David Bakhtiari comes back:
I think for Elgton, yes. I think he could go to any spot, you give him three or four days of practice, he'll be just fine. He's one of those special guys that can just do it and it's pretty amazing. Wherever we put him, I think he'll be just fine, whether that's guard or center or tackle or whatever it is.
Tight ends coach Justin Outten
On Dominique Dafney:
He never missed a beat when he was out (due to injury), which is great. He asks the right questions every single day. He actually tries to pick and prod and ask why, which is great, I love that. if the guy doesn't know why, then you can't connect the dots. He's really advanced in the mental aspect of the game, and the physical aspect is just coming along.
On Josiah Deguara:
There's been some huge jumps physically. Mentally, he was always there. Coming out of college, he was extremely intelligent, does the right things. He was a pro coming out. That's kind of what blew me away when we interviewed him coming out of college, and then the physical part, … he is now playing full speed, which is nice to see. He's playing with confidence, and I love watching it. You can see his character come out, he's a tough kid, and every opportunity he gets, whether it's first down, second down or third down, he's going to take advantage of it and play hard.
