GREEN BAY -- The Packers' three coordinators met with the media on the players' off day Monday. Here's a summary of their key comments.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine
(on Year 2)
"The guys who were here are so much further ahead from a mental standpoint. You hear them communicate, whether it's in walk-thru or in practice, and you always like a noisy defense. Because guys are afraid to yell out and make checks if they're not sure. If guys are quiet, it's a problem."
(on Raven Greene filling in for Darnell Savage)
"Raven was a guy last year who really started to come on. He showed some flashes in training camp a year ago and then not a very good first preseason game. He'd be the first one to tell you he'd wish to have that one back. But he got it back together, made the team, and was doing some really good things on special teams.
"He made some plays for us but unfortunately got hurt. He was ahead of schedule rehab-wise in the spring and was able to take more reps than we thought he would. He's a guy that certainly has an NFL skill set. He's smart, he's tough. We're hopeful he can be a big part of what we do."
(on Rashan Gary)
"He's been solid. You can tell football is really important to him. He doesn't want to just be good, he wants to be great. He's soaking it up. He has a lot to learn from a mental standpoint and technique-wise, but Coach (LaFleur) mentioned it yesterday, the one thing you love about him is his effort. Sometimes we have to slow him down in the walk-thru. He's a guy with a great motor. We tell the guys we want to coach you how to play not how hard to play, and the effort is there every play."
(on Montravius Adams)
"If I had to vote somebody or say who's most improved from a year ago, I'd say Montravius. There's a couple other guys in the discussion. But when I first got here and met him in the spring, my opinion wasn't real high, and he knows that. We challenged him and I think Jerry Montgomery has done an outstanding job with 'Mon.' 'Mon' has taken the challenge, lost a bunch of weight. At the end of last year he was playing quality minutes and making some plays, and I would not have predicted that. The confidence at the end of last season he got, getting out there and playing – Hey, I can do this – really propelled him into the offseason to show up in April ready to go and he's been impressive since he came back."
(on Tramon Williams)
"The elite nickels, slot corners in the league are the guys that have a high football intellect, they have some savvy there. There's a lot more thinking involved in nickel than playing outside, and this is a guy who's seen it all. He understands how to play with leverage, he understands how to disguise. He just has that wealth of experience. Even though you don't see him as the most physically imposing guy, he can play the run, he can blitz. We hope he doesn't have to go outside and play corner, but he can. We hope he doesn't have to play safety, but he can. Those guys with versatility are always key to your depth."
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett
(on excitement with Aaron Rodgers over a successful run play in Sunday's practice)
"One thing we talk about a lot in the run game is it takes all 11. Their boot fake can help it especially when you have Aaron out there. When he runs out hard, he can fool a lot of guys. It was a good-looking play and Aaron did his job. You have to get excited about everything, even the little things."
(on the young receiving corps behind Davante Adams)
"That group, it's a younger group. It think they're all coming along. The good thing is it's a lot of review from the offseason stuff and they're all grasping it more every day. The big step early in camp is learning the system even better than you did before. You don't want to have to go up to the line and think. All the guys have done a nice job of understanding the system."
(on Robert Tonyan)
"I'll tell you Tonyan has done a really nice job. He's always been good in the pass game. Working with Coach Outten, they've done a good job of learning and embracing the run game. That really helps that guy. That's something Bobby has done a nice job at that."
(on what Aaron Jones does well)
"He's got a really good burst and ability to press the outside. His one-cut ability showed up a couple times yesterday. It looked nice. The biggest surprising thing for me is when he did make his cut, his ability to get his shoulders square and get downhill."
(on how Marcedes Lewis can help the offense)
"I think he's going to help us a bunch. The good thing about Marcedes is he understands the type of player he is. He's a great pro. He really takes pride in his blocking. He's a big target. He's had a couple catches. He helps you in the play-action game. The way he handles himself and takes care of his body, with his size, he's going to be able to help us out quite a bit, I think."
Special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga
(on the two kickers)
"They're both here, both are talented. Obviously Mason's been consistent and had some big moments here for the franchise. You have that comfort with him. But Sam has an NFL leg and has done a great job in the spring. Right now it's open and we'll see who the best man will be."
(on JK Scott's strong set of punts early in camp
"He's continued to progress from where he left off in the spring. He's worked hard, diligent, really worked on his technique, and you saw the results of that. His direction was really good and his whole operation was quicker than it was. We just need to keep building on that."
(on finding core players)
"Talking with Matt and Brian, we're still mapping all that out, once the roster gets cut down and you're down to 46 on game day … right now it's all hands on deck. We're trying to train to play as well we can on special teams. We're training everybody and everybody's had a great attitude about it. We'll finalize it as we get closer to the season."
