GREEN BAY - The Packers' defensive assistant coaches met with the media on Wednesday following the second-to-last practice of the offseason program.
Here are some of their key comments.
Associate head coach/linebackers Winston Moss
On Biegel:
"Biegel comes prepared every single day to play hard every single day. That's Vince Biegel. I want Vince to be the best Vince he can be. He's a hard worker."
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine
On Williams helping learn the scheme:
"The best thing about Tramon is he can play. If we just wanted a guy who knew the system, we'd just hire another coach. His ability, how long he's lasted in the league and starting the way he started as a free agent, it's a great story. He's just an A-plus person through and through. For the young DBs in the room, to have him to look up to, how do you prepare, how do you take care of yourself, the difference between watching film and studying it … coaches can only take players so far at times, but when they have a guy in the room who's going through it at the same time who's gone through it in the past, that's a huge benefit."
On Wilkerson:
"The way he left New York left a little bit of a bad taste in his mouth, and he's a prideful guy. I think he sees this situation as a chance to redeem himself. (In New York) he was outstanding for us, and he's very eager to get back to that. I really like the chemistry in that defensive line room."
On getting on his players:
"There's a time for it. I told the guys right in the beginning they have control over their coach's emotions. If they want to see me fired up, there's an easy path to that. I'm not going to hesitate to call them up, and we're not in the business of letting things slide. Every coach has their own set of pet peeves, and the guys are quickly learning what mine are."
Pass-game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
On the potential of the unit:
"We'll see. It really matters once we get on game day. We haven't played very well the past two years and it hasn't necessarily been because of lack of talent. But that's in the past. What we're focused on right now is these men trying to play championship-style football. I like the room, like the way the room is gelling. I think we have a chance, but it's too early to say what we are."
On Jackson:
"He studies as much as any rookie we've ever had. He asks really good questions, he can play multiple positions, and he is sticky. He can hold vertical control, and he has gotten his hands on a number of balls."
On Alexander:
"He's a good kid. I think he's doing a nice job. He's a confident kid but he's not a cocky kid. I was somewhat worried about, is he going to be cocky? But he's not cocky. You want real confidence out there, and I think he's a real tough kid."
Run-game coordinator/inside linebackers Patrick Graham
On Burks:
"He's doing a good job of picking up the defense. He's being real diligent about his work, spending extra time in the meeting room, spending extra time on his own. I've been pleased with the whole group in general."
On what it takes to stop the run:
"In the run game, it's a mentality, on both sides of the ball. It's a huge part of it. You have to understand where we can take chances, where we can't take chances. You have to set the edge in the run game and constrict the space. It's a mentality, and then understanding the run game."
Secondary coach Jason Simmons
On the young guys:
"The best thing we've done these OTAs is move those guys around. They're ready to compete. Are they ready for a game? Not yet, but they're definitely ascending."
On Clinton-Dix:
"The one thing I know about Ha Ha is when we kick this thing off in Chicago, he's going to be ready and he's going to be in front, ready to lead the troops. I'm comfortable with him being a leader on this team, game one."
Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery
On the depth of the unit:
"We're going to utilize as many guys as we can. It's important for our guys to be fresh. We'll probably rotate guys a lot more now than in the past. We'll have plenty of rotation, that's for sure. It's a long game, it's a long season. You want guys to be healthy, and you want those guys to be fresh on money downs."
On Clark:
"My hopes are for him to take the next step. He's a pro and goes about his business each day the way you're supposed to. That's what you love about him. I look forward to him taking that next step, whatever that may be, but it should be good. If he can stay healthy, I think it'll be a good year for him."
