OTAs: Passing offense takes center stage, Raven Greene gets an opportunity and more

Mark87

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On the first play of an 11-on-11 drill Wednesday afternoon, quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered Packers fans a glimpse of the future. He took a snap, dropped back and heaved a deep pass in rhythm to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a touchdown along the left sideline.

It was quite a way to start the team’s second public practice.

From there, Rodgers and coach Matt LaFleur unveiled a larger portion of the offense with respect to the passing game. And when the afternoon ended with a back-shoulder touchdown pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Davante Adams, it certainly felt like the Packers had taken a step in the right direction.

Here’s what you need to know:

Breaking the mold
A large portion of Wednesday’s practice was dedicated to the red zone, with the offense and defense playing 11-on-11 at various locations inside the 20-yard line. The Packers maximized their reps by running the same drill on each end of the field: starters and primary backups to one side, reserves and roster hopefuls on the other.

One of the most glaring visual differences between LaFleur’s offense and the one by former coach Mike McCarthy is the former’s reliance on condensed formations, the use of which seemed to increase during the red-zone session. Where McCarthy preferred to spread his receivers across the field — often times with equal distance between them, stretching toward the sideline — LaFleur enjoys clustering his receivers near the end of the offensive line, a staple of the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan systems.

These tighter formations typically feature a trio of receivers just a few yards from the offensive tackle on that side of the field, and there is generally a tight end on the opposite side to balance the formation. The easiest way to picture it is a three-by-one alignment.

From an offensive perspective, the benefits of narrower formations include varying the types of releases for wide receivers (who are no longer walled off by the sideline), reducing the efficacy of press coverage (because it’s more difficult to press without the sideline) and increasing the chances of natural pick routes (as wide receivers break from the trio and cross each other’s paths within the first few yards).

“It’s complex,” Adams said. “It’s a lot to it, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. It’s really early still, so we’re still getting a good feel for how we run certain routes, the quarterbacks on certain timing. But that’s what this time is for, to practice and get better and get on the same page.

“It’s inviting a lot less press coverage, but something I’ve been comfortable with is press coverage, so it’s not like it’s taking anything away or adding anything really. It’s going to allow me to get out and get into my routes a lot easier, and if guys want to still move with motions and matching and press from there, it’s just going to take it back to what I’m used to. So at the end of the day, I feel like it’s a win-win for the offense.”

With Adams entrenched as the No. 1 receiver, the remaining spots on the first-string offense belonged to Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison and tight end Jimmy Graham, with tailback Aaron Jones manning the backfield.

The second-string unit consisted of Allison and fellow wideouts Jake Kumerow and Equanimeous St. Brown with tight end Marcedes Lewis and running back Jamaal Williams alongside quarterback DeShone Kizer.

“I’m adjusting to it quick,” said Jones, who nixed cookies, chips and candy from his diet to reduce his body fat during the offseason. “At first it was a lot to learn, but over the offseason program it seems like it’s getting easier and easier the more we go over it. It shows out there. There are big plays waiting to happen in the offense.”

Across the ball, defenders are learning to adjust to LaFleur’s condensed formations. In more traditional alignments, where receivers spread toward the sideline, cornerbacks embrace the one-on-one nature of their assignment with less regard for what’s going on around them. In the bunched formations, however, success is predicated on heightened football intelligence because defenders must predict the available route combinations based on the situation, location on the field and team-specific tendencies.

“The thing about the bunch set is you probably know what routes you’re going to get out of those things,” cornerback Tramon Williams said. “You can still kind of predict it because you understand what routes you’ll get from that concept. But sometimes they don’t make it easier. Nowadays you’ve got a lot of option routes. The offense just makes you wrong, you know what I’m saying? You can play something perfect — at least you think — but the offense has the option to do the opposite of what you’re doing.

“When the guys get tight, as a DB you want to get width because you want to get a chance to see everything at that point. The reason why they’re getting tight is to really spread you out at some point, so you want to already be having the width (by angling your body) and just let everything come to you. Playing it outside in so you can see everything.”

Next man up
For the second consecutive week, safety pick Josh Jones abstained from organized team activities as he attempts to force a trade. Jones, a second-round pick in 2017, has chosen to train on his own away from Lambeau Field.

And while last week’s practice was most notable for Jones’ absence — which prompted numerous questions for teammates and coaches — Wednesday’s practice was more about how the defense might look without him. In other words, who will take Jones’ place for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine?

In terms of the safety position, Jones found himself buried behind free-agent acquisition Adrian Amos and first-round pick Darnell Savage Jr., two players who have commanded the starting defense this spring. Their presence made it unlikely Jones would find legitimate playing time in that part of the defense.

Instead, Jones’ best chance at earning snaps might have been at the hybrid inside linebacker position that has belonged to the likes of Morgan Burnett and Jermaine Whitehead the last few years. It was there that Jones’ tremendous speed and athletic ability were most dangerous alongside starter Blake Martinez.

On Wednesday, the Packers entrusted former undrafted rookie Raven Greene to play the hybrid safety-linebacker position. He spent time playing with Martinez and the starting defense during 11-on-11 drills.

Though Greene is listed at 5 foot 11 and 197 pounds, he arrived in Green Bay for offseason workouts with plenty of extra muscle through his upper body, which he described as “a little advancement” through laughter and smiles. He joked about asking the equipment staff for an extra-small jersey in order to show off his bulging biceps.

“I just really like to work hard in the weight room,” Greene said. “And being that I couldn’t work legs for a really long time, it just balanced out that way.”

He was unable to train his legs because of an ankle injury suffered late last season, shortly after Greene received a brief uptick in playing time due to the injuries of players around him. He managed 43 snaps from scrimmage and 134 on special teams before landing on injured reserve in early December. Greene said he underwent an arthroscopic cleanup during the offseason and compensated by bulking his lower body.

“I haven’t really lost a step on my speed, which is the best part about it,” Greene said.

The coaches were excited about Greene’s progress and potential prior to the injury last season. And now Jones’ absence creates an opening as the No. 3 safety behind Amos and Savage.

“He has the same (opportunity) that everybody else has,” defensive backs coach Jason Simmons said. “That’s the thing, just to be honest with you. I can’t sit up here and say that one guy has more of a chance than anybody else, particularly if what I’m preaching is competitiveness and people are competing for jobs. So he has the same on that everybody else has, and I’ll make sure those reps show that.”

Practice makes perfect
Each year, the one-on-one pass rush drill between offensive linemen and defensive linemen/edge rushers is among the most anticipated parts of training camp. It offers a specialized look at which players have found their grove chasing quarterbacks and which linemen resemble stone walls in protection.

And while there are caveats to the drill — it favors offensive linemen and lends itself to experimentation for defensive players — few things excite the coaches like a decisive rep for one side or the other.

Of course, conducting that drill during OTAs places even more asterisks beside the results. Players, coaches and scouts alike harp on the differences between performing in shorts and winning with shoulder pads come training camp. There are always a few players who appear lost during the spring only to jump off the page later that summer when physicality is embraced — and vice versa.

Nonetheless, there are benefits to observing the one-on-one pass rush drill whenever it’s conducted, and Wednesday was no exception. It afforded viewers a chance to assess the movement skills and raw explosiveness of players on both sides of the ball.

Here were some of the highlights:

Za’Darius Smith is a powerful man. A marquee free-agent signing, Smith has looked terrific in small doses thus far. He demonstrated a powerful two-hand swipe against offensive tackle Jason Spriggs to slice into the backfield for what might have been a sack and then, in a series of reps as an interior rusher, flashed tremendous get-off speed to disrupt guards and centers. When it comes to size and speed, Smith has obvious similarities to former edge rusher Julius Peppers. The Packers are hoping his production will match.

In addition to kicking Smith inside, the Packers are exploring first-round pick Rashan Gary’s versatility as well. Gary (6-5, 277 pounds) and Smith (6-4, 272 pounds) have similar builds and look like mirror images at times. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, who works with Smith and Gary when they play along the line of scrimmage, experimented with having both of them rush from the interior at the same time, laying the groundwork for some of the stunts and twists Pettine adores. “(Pettine) knows every individual player’s strengths,” Smith said. “In certain situations, to kick a guy like me inside and probably Rashan also, to be able to do the little things like that, I feel like he’s doing a great job at it. … Right now, we’re both on the same side. I’m teaching (Gary) some little things about the two-point stance. I know that’s something that he probably hasn’t been doing. It’s keying in on the little things and doing the technique right.”

Rookie fifth-round pick Kingsley Keke is off to a nice start. At 6-3 and 288 pounds, Keke cuts a lean figure for an interior rusher but offsets his lack of girth with nice explosiveness. Keke had two dominant reps against second-round pick Elgton Jenkins that demonstrated his variety of pass-rush moves. The first was a lightning-quick speed rush that got Jenkins on his heels immediately; the second was a terrific spin move from outside in that left Jenkins grasping at air. “I like setting up the rush and attacking the edge, making them feel like I’m going vertical and then when the quarterback steps up, I’m there,” Keke said of the spin. “That’s one of my moves I like to do.”

Odds and ends
The only player absent from Wednesday’s session was Josh Jones. … Rookie inside linebacker Ty Summers, outside linebacker Greg Roberts and defensive end Mike Daniels were on the sideline but did not participate due to injury. … Center Corey Linsley arrived late due to a travel issue. During his absence, offensive guard Lucas Patrick shifted to center with the first-string unit. Fellow guard Justin McCray served as the second-string center. The Packers are asking Jenkins to concentrate solely on guard at this time, even though he played center the last two years at Mississippi State. “His main area of focus is going to be, you know, at the guard position,” LaFleur said.
 
This new offensive system seems in early stages to benefit both sides of the ball. With teams running various forms of this O, it should help our D to be more prepared to defend. Whether or not we have the personnel to pull it off remains to be seen.

On the Offensive if we can keep Rodgers healthy and give a little bit of time, this could be an exciting offense to watch.
 
Thanks for posting Mark.

Josh Jones may be trying to send a message by skipping voluntary OTA's, and I won't worry about it unless he skips something that's mandatory.

But he's doing this to his own detriment. Jones has cracked open the door, and Raven Greene has stepped right through. Even if Jones decides to abandon his request for release/trade, he may have lost his chance at the hybrid LB/S spot to Greene.

Jones may be a 3rd year player versus Greene being a 2nd year player, but they are both 2nd year players in Pettines defense. Level playing field, and right now ………...advantage, Raven Greene.

Side note, I read that Rashan Gary blew past David Bakhtiari on an outside speed rush that turned peoples heads.
 
Heard Keke Kingsley also schooled Jenkins a bit. I know it is not in pads but hopefully it is more about the DL and not Jenkins.
 
Read somewhere that that he had strong reps against Jenkins as well. Hopefully more of a positive statement on Gary than a negative on Jenkins.

I didn’t hear about Gary beating Jenkins, but I did see where Gary whupped Turner while playing as an interior rusher.

Either way it’s a good sign.

Now let’s hope it continues when the pads go on in training camp.

I’m heading for Door County on 6/12. Will stop by and try to get a glimpse of mandatory camp.
 
I didn’t hear about Gary beating Jenkins, but I did see where Gary whupped Turner while playing as an interior rusher.

Either way it’s a good sign.

Now let’s hope it continues when the pads go on in training camp.

I’m heading for Door County on 6/12. Will stop by and try to get a glimpse of mandatory camp.

Coming up to my neck of the woods eh?

Good early signs. Let's see if they can keep it up when the grind of camp and pre season hits.

I like the changes. Refreshing.
 
To me beating Jenkins not a big deal he's a rookie who is going to be a backup to start the season unless a injury happens.
 
To me beating Jenkins not a big deal he's a rookie who is going to be a backup to start the season unless a injury happens.
I wouldnt take that to the bank. Lane taylor was not good last yr and might not be athletic enough for this system. If I'm a OG in green bay im busting my ass for one of the spots.

On that note lets see the guys in pads before we get to pumped about who is beating who
 
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