2011 Assistant Coaches Thread (What They're Saying)

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WR Coach Edgar Bennett:
“Most of this information already was in the playbook as far as concepts,” Bennett said this week. “Even when we were (coaching) the running back position, we were heavily involved in the passing game as running backs. But now it’s more detailed as far as, is it a route by steps versus depth? Things like that. What’s the split as far as formation alignment? Important details like that. It’s information that’s right there. You’ve got Coach Mike that’s been in this system for many years, has coached multiple positions in this offense.”

“It goes back to the more opportunities to catch the football in different situations, the better,” Bennett said. “Just like anything else. We’re coming out here to build good habits. We do ball-skill drills every day, and we start our period every day with some form of catching the football. You’ll see them going from sideline to sideline doing certain drills, catching the ball away from their body, above, below, just continue to work on all these different type catches that will take place in the game.” continue

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During the first two days of training camp, when the practices were not in pads, defensive line coach Mike Trgovac could be seen working with Guy on the very basics of footwork and hand placement. To make matters worse, Guy sustained a concussion in practice on Wednesday and has missed valuable time.

“You want to be able to go over stuff with the younger guys on the field,” Trgovac said. “Not to slight the older guys because they haven’t been on the field for a while, either, but with these younger guys, it’s the first time they’re hearing it from us, so you’ve really got to be precise. You’re hoping that the older guys can have some recall and listen to what I’m saying to the young kid, and they go with the flow.”

snip

Elmore not only has to learn a new, more complex defense, he must learn the techniques of a different position.

“I love his heart, and he wants to learn,” outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene said. “I’m just trying to feed him as quick as I can, our concepts, how to play with fundamentals and techniques, all the things I taught (Erik) Walden and (Clay) Matthews and Brad Jones. It just takes time. There’s a lot of material.”continue

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"It's about what I expected," Trgovac said. "They're two big guys. They came in and they are in range of where I thought they would be. When you're a D-line coach you get worried when you can't talk to those guys, but they came back within range.

"They've got some work to do, but they're doing it."

"They have a month coming up in a couple days to get themselves ready for it," Trgovac said. "And they're working hard at it. They weren't just so blown out of proportion that it was, 'Oh, no, we'll never be able to get them there.' That's not the case."continue

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"He's (Randall Cobb) a smart player, an instinctive football player," Bennett said. "He does an outstanding job in the classroom. He's a guy that can jump in there and play multiple spots." continue

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"We're all made differently," Greene said. "One guy has a little bit more fluidity than the other guy. One guy has a better strike than the other guy. One guy may have a better understanding of the drop techniques and fundamentals. They all have pluses and they all have minuses. They're all different but they're all competing."

With so many starting spots locked in on defense -- players peaking at each level -- it seems the defense could get even better if one of these three emerges. Maybe this a spot where the unit could reach the next level.

Bookend pass rushers make 3-4 defenses a nightmare. From his playing days, Greene would know.

He sounds confident either way.

"I'm not sure what 'next level' you're referring to," Greene said. "We're already a pretty damn good defense. At least we have been the last couple years. I think my guys will be fine no matter who we plug in there." continue

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Left tackle Chad Clifton, who almost never loses in the one-on-one pass blocking drill, got smoked on an outside move by linebacker Brad Jones. Clifton’s reps were again limited during team periods.

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Bulaga is the fastest riser currently. Considered to have been a “steal” late in the first round of the ’10 draft, Bulaga moved into the starting lineup one month into the regular season and elevated his play throughout the postseason. He is continuing his ascent this summer.

“He has Clay Matthews over him frequently (in practice). That’s good work for both of those guys,” Offensive Line Coach James Campen said of Bulaga.

“You’re always looking to get your best five. You get to learn the pro game from inside out; that’s an advantage,” Campen said in explaining the thinking behind making Sherrod the first-team left guard from the start of training camp. “He’s not crossing the ball. He’s not having to get into a right-hand stance.” continue

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A three-technique tackle at Purdue, Neal is trying to make the transition to 3-4 plug. He is a key man in Capers’ scheme for, if Neal can adapt, Capers defense will then be without concern.

“You see the things that excite us about Mike. The key for Mike is to stay on the field and keep working. I don’t think there’s any question he can do those things,” Capers said, referring to the hold-the-point, run-stuffing demands being placed on a player whose natural talent is for penetrating into the backfield and chasing the ball. That was at Purdue, not in Capers’ 3-4.

“We just have to get him comfortable with our technique,” Capers added.

To protect against that happening more slowly than expected, Capers is experimenting with Raji at end, which was the case on Wednesday.

“You don’t want to experiment in the game. Odds work against you if you haven’t seen it work out here,” Capers said. “B.J. is still our nose tackle and ‘Pick’ (Ryan Pickett) is still an end, but you’re going to see guys line up at a lot of different spots. We believe it gives us flexibility.”

Flexibility, in this case, is another word for camouflage or intrigue. The playbook Capers finished installing on Wednesday is mostly meant to confuse one man on the field, he being the opposing quarterback. Sometimes that might even mean dropping Raji into pass-coverage.

“You’re seeing a different style of offense now than you did then,” Capers said, referring to his first season as a defensive coordinator, in 1992, when he began a career that has made him one of the most famous names in defensive football history. The zone-blitz that brought him to prominence then is now child’s play compared to all of the pages that have been added to his playbook.

“We saw more two-back power then. We’re seeing more spread now. I think the quarterback play now is as good as it’s been. If those guys have a pre-snap advantage and know what you’re in, they’re pretty efficient,” Capers said.

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The first period for the defense ended when rookie D.J. Smith, a sixth-round draft choice from Appalachian State starting on the weak inside for Desmond Bishop, timed his blitz beautifully and shot through for what would have been a routine sack. The night before, D-coordinator Dom Capers said of Smith, "Every practice, you've seen a play or two that looks pretty good. If they work at it, then you see it more and you see it more. There's a good feeling about him." Smith stands just 5 feet 10½ inches but isn't small. Weighing 240, he's thick and big-boned. Smith always seems to be around the football and is said to be a student of the game. He could very easily chalk up 10 or more tackles in Cleveland.
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While Burnett says he’s taking nothing for granted, and Peprah isn’t willing to concede anything yet, it has become clear which direction the Packers are going. They’re going with the guy they drafted in the third round out of Georgia Tech last year, not a guy they re-signed as a street free agent.

“I’m looking forward to Morgan taking that next step and really showing us the reason why we took him when we did,” Packers safeties coach Darren Perry said. “Just keep him healthy, and I think all the things that excited us about him at Georgia Tech will show up.”

“As a rookie, there were so many things that he didn’t know,” Perry said. “You can tell by some of the questions that they ask that maybe he didn’t know it quite as well as he needed to last year, but he was thrown into the fire, and I thought he handled it quite well.”

“I’ll tell you what, I don’t think Morgan is far off at all,” Perry said. “Mentally, he’s so much further along than he was last year.”continue

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Another look:
Safeties coach Darren Perry is eager for a long game look at Anthony Levine, the free-agent safety from Tennessee State who was cut at the end of camp last summer before spending the entire regular season on the practice squad.

"He's made great progress," Perry said. "He's really more athletic than you think. He probably isn't going to look as pretty as maybe Nick Collins or Morgan (Burnett) or Underwood, but the guy has quickness, good hands, some burst and has made some plays on the ball.

"He's also one of my sharpest guys."

(snip)

Sophomore slump:
End C.J. Wilson hasn't been very impressive during the start of camp, but defensive line coach Mike Trgovac isn't overly worried.

He understands that Wilson still has some growing to do.

"The off-season that he missed (due to the lockout), so many guys make that progression then," Trgovac said. "He's still in his second year. He only played 200-some snaps for us last year. It will come with C.J."

(snip)

At inside linebacker, knowledge of the defense is essential. The group's position coach, Winston Moss, believes the unit will be fine with A.J. Hawk maturing and Robert Francois developing.

"He's really just taking the command of the defense to another level," Moss said. "I wouldn't necessarily say he's doing anything different. The guys just naturally have so much respect for him. He doesn't do anything special but his presence, his quiet demeanor (and) his work ethic as a professional demands so much.

"He (Hawk) doesn't have to say too much. His actions speak 10 times louder than his words."

"Robert is a very powerful guy, a very smart guy," Moss said. "He can get in and make plays against the run and is an impactful blitzer."

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Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin finds himself frequently telling quarterbacks coach Tom Clements that Graham Harrell throws an eminently catchable ball.

"Does he have a cannon? I don't know, but guys catch his passes," said Philbin. "Decent accuracy. He's made some nice progress. Kind of knows how to play the position."

(snip)

Still No. 1:
Rookie Derek Sherrod has been the starting left guard since camp opened and will start there against the Browns.

"What's he been playing guard? A week? Ten days?" said Philbin. "It's an adjustment, but he's making some nice progress."

Under new coordinator Dick Jauron, the Browns are switching from a 3-4 to 4-3 defense.

"I hope they cover (Sherrod) a little bit and we see how he plays with a guy on him," said Philbin. "I love his length. He's going to be able to get good separation.

"In pass pro, he's got a big advantage. He's got 35-inch arms. I think he bends pretty well. We've been working on his stance. He's got pretty good flexibility in his hips."continue

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Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette

Whitt, the Packers’ cornerbacks coach, is at it again with his I-know-something-you-don’t-know routine.

“I would have loved to have my hands on him (during the lockout) because he’s still so raw and in the early parts of his career,” Whitt said of second-year player Sam Shields. “He’s rare. He’s rare with his ability to bend and pedal and really loves the game. We got lucky with him.

“When we got him, I knew he was going to be good. I didn’t know he was going to be that good, that quick. He can improve from what Tramon did in ’09 to 2010. If he can make that same kind of jump, which he can ….”

(snip)

“Tramon and Sam give us the opportunity to do other things with Wood,” Whitt said.

“Not at all,” answered Shields when asked if he envisioned all this. “Just changing positions, then coming here, at first I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ My whole mindset was just special teams.

“Joe Whitt talked to me and said I can be that guy. He gave me a strategy with the flashcards and things like that that helped me learn the plays and get that whole defensive mindset. I took it as that and ran with it. I feel like I’ve been a DB all my life now.”

(snip)

“He got the swagger the Dallas game,” Whitt said. “He came up to Wood and said these guys can’t run by me. It started there and really, the Chicago game here, is when he really started playing outstanding football and he took it into the playoffs.”

(snip)

Whitt was asked to break out his crystal ball one more time.

“I wouldn’t take another corner over the top three we have,” Whitt said. “His press technique is as good as there is. There’s still things he has to learn with his eyes. He’s a defensive player, but he’s a young defensive player. At least he’s not an offensive player playing defense anymore. He has a long way to go before he’s going to be what he’s going to be. When he becomes that, everybody’s going to know.

“I don’t know (his ceiling).”continue

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"In this defense, they spend the first whole year trying to learn what we're doing because we do a lot," Trgovac said. "Secondly, they're trying to change their stances because they're different than what they were doing. So they're concentrated so much on that in their first year, they're not really focusing on the pass rush as much.

"Last year, (Jarius Wynn) he started doing more and this year he and B.J. have started teaming up and done a nice job of studying. He's seeing things a lot faster this year."

Wynn has had some solid practices in training camp and became a starter in the nickel when Neal went down with a knee injury Aug. 16. Against the Cardinals last Friday, he didn't have a sack, but he was flashing moves he didn't have a year ago.

"Jarius played well," Trgovac said. "He had some good rushes that he was coming clean on. The ball was just out before he got there. He had a couple moves where he beat the guy with a move and was coming clean."

"We don't rush as much outside particularly in nickel," Trgovac said. "He's getting better at his inside rush. He has long arms so he has a good mixture of finesse moves and he can use power inside, too."continue

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Chris Callies

Whitt established the “10 Commandments” of cornerback play not long after his promotion to his current position, after serving as defensive quality control coach in 2008. The list is the foundation of everything he teaches. They include rules about leverage and film study, basics that aren’t so simple on the heels of wide receivers such as Detroit’s Calvin Johnson or Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald. When all else breaks down, the first rule on the fly is go back to Whitt’s “10 Commandments.”

“Those were created two years ago, and that’s the level where we want to play,” he said. “That’s the standard we want to set. They’ve changed, based on the way we play. We changed four of them. We want to set the standard of secondary play in the NFL, but our play has to show that.”

His level of detail is infectious, according to Capers, the Packers’ defensive coordinator. When details matter so much to the coach, it matters to the players. Whitt spends hours going over film in his office, sharing insights with secondary/safeties coach Darren Perry, looking for “nuggets” they can give to their players, printed on small cards. Whitt does the five-game breakdown, then digs deeper into the season for more keys on an opponent. He says Perry might be the best in research, sometimes going back three years for one small advantage.

(snip)

“We need to make critical plays, not just plays that show up on the stat sheet,” Whitt said. “Sam’s interception against Dallas – where he jumped up and caught it with one hand when we were up by 14 – that’s what we call a ‘splash play.’ Sam’s interceptions in the NFC Championship, that’s big-time.

“That’s what we are all about. It goes to preparation, the time in the classroom, the time studying film. Real life teaching allows them to play fast. When you take doubt out of the equation, we’re going to play downhill at you. This is a partnership, though. This isn’t about me. It’s an honor to work with these men.” continue

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Though he has moved from running backs coach to receivers coach, Edgar Bennett still gives a ball security presentation to the Packers offense a few times a year. He did it during training camp and he'll revisit the topic as needed throughout the regular season.

His expertise in holding on to the football for the running backs could help the receivers. There are a lot of similarities in the technique the two positions use to secure the ball.

“We still teach our core principles,” said Bennett. “The No. 1 thing is high and tight. We teach how to carry the football from a leverage standpoint, how to protect the ball certainly as a receiver, catching the ball and tucking it away. Once the reception is made, we teach how you carry the ball, being smart in certain situations, in crowds versus out in the open field, putting the ball to your outside arm so now you can use your inside arm as a weapon as a stiff arm.”

“The proof is in the pudding,” said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. “We talk about it all the time, players are a reflection of the coaches and if the guys do a great job of ball security, hopefully it reflects to some degree on a coach and a lot on the players. Edgar has done a great job.”

Donald Driver had a couple drops in the preseason game at Indianapolis and if anyone knows how to work with even a seasoned veteran like Driver on that, it’s Bennett.

“One of the balls definitely got on him kind of quickly,” said Bennett. “The other one was more of a difficult catch where he was moving in the opposite direction and he tried to reach back around and catch the football.

“Our goal is to catch every ball. Period. We’ll make no excuses. And when we don’t we’ll go on the practice field and continue to work on our drills. I think our guys take pride in it.”continue

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Although So’oto has done his best to make up for it with a high-energy approach, Greene has been on his case constantly about his fundamentals.

“If you don’t have proper technique and fundamentals, you’re going to get your ass kicked,” Greene said as only he can. “Now, my playing weight was 242, 245. I liked to think when I look back on my career that I kicked a lot of ass, mainly on big people. They didn’t really block me a whole hell of a lot with running backs and tight ends. They blocked me with big people, but I had good fundamentals and technique with my physicality. That’s always a pretty good recipe for success. So’oto, like all of my kids, I’m always talking about fundamentals and technique. ‘Lower your pad level. Get your hands inside. Lower your strike point.’

So for now, the 6-foot-3, 263-pound So’oto has been a sponge around Matthews and Greene, hoping his production and potential lead to a roster spot.

“All of this is real new to me, so who better to learn from than Clay Matthews and Kevin Greene?” So’oto said. “It’s priceless, sitting in the room with Kevin Greene, one of the best players to play my position ever, and Clay Matthews, one of the best players right now at my position. It’s just a lot of soaking it in and listening and learning — and a lot of writing.continue

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The coaches were pleased with Newhouse’s performance at right tackle, particularly because he gets most of his practice reps on the other side, at left tackle when Chad Clifton is resting. Newhouse had to react in a hostile road environment to all the stunts and games the Bears like to play with their defensive linemen, and he responded.

“They twisted a good bit,” Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin said. “They did a lot of line moves, and I thought overall, for the most part, he handled that very well. In the running game, there were a couple of things here and there he needs to do better, but I thought for getting thrown into that situation, he did well.”

McCarthy said he believes Matthews is playing the run the best he has in this three seasons in the NFL. Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers said Matthews was simply beating Chicago’s pulling guards with his athleticism to get in the backfield and make stops, more than one of which was behind the line of scrimmage.

“Most people, when they see you trot nickel out there, they say, ‘Well, let’s run the ball against it,’” said Capers, who always feels that stopping the run early is the key, because offenses will get impatient and abandon it. “If we can’t play the run out of nickel then we won’t play it nearly as much as we do on first and second down.”

The two down linemen in that package – normally B.J. Raji and either Ryan Pickett or Jarius Wynn – have been so stout that inside linebackers Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk have rounded out what’s becoming a “front six,” with cornerback Charles Woodson not needed as much in run-support as expected.continue