Packers Family Night
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Around the Parking Lot with Olivia Harlan
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Family Night notes: Young DBs shine, Eddie Lacy leads productive ground game
by Mike Spofford on Sunday, August 4th, 2013
–Young DBs shine: All the injuries at cornerback for the Packers have led to extra reps for a lot of prospects, and that paid off for two young corners on Saturday.
Brandon Smith, an unknown 26-year-old who was out of football the past two years, shocked everyone with an interception on the first day of practice, but he showed on Saturday that maybe it wasn’t a fluke.
He had tight coverage on Ross in the end zone, spun around at the right moment and snagged Coleman’s underthrown jump ball.
“I just read his eyes,” Smith said. “His eyes got big, so I whipped my head around and jumped up as high as I can to make the play."
–Lacy blasts ahead: Rookie second-round pick Eddie Lacy posted powerful runs of 16, 19 and 8 yards amongst his handful of carries.
“I think Eddie definitely has picked it up here the last 3-4 days,” McCarthy said. “This is our longest stretch of practices in a row, and it’s important for guys to take that step, and he’s definitely getting more and more comfortable with the things we’re doing.”
Lacy concurred.
“I’m very comfortable, a lot more comfortable than when I first got in. but it’s going to continue to be a progression,” Lacy said. “I still have things I need to learn and make sure I’m not second-guessing myself no matter what they call. There’s still room for improvement.”
–O-line update: McCarthy didn’t rule Don Barclay out of the right tackle competition, but it’s worth noting that the first sub for Marshall Newhouse at the position was rookie fourth-round pick David Bakhtiari.
Equally interesting, Barclay actually took some snaps at right guard in place of T.J. Lang with the No. 1 line.
“I give Don a lot of credit,” McCarthy said. “He’s doing what’s best for the team, and what’s best for the offensive line unit is that he’s versatile. We aren’t just letting him line up and play right tackle.”
Past the click an update on how Tramon Williams is feeling and a guess at when he'll be available
Mason Crosby’s performance 'not going to cut it'
by Mike Spofford on Sunday, August 4th, 2013
Mike McCarthy didn’t try to sugarcoat what he witnessed from veteran kickerMason Crosby on Saturday night.
“Mason Crosby is competing for a job on our football team, like everybody else, and he definitely didn’t take a step in the right direction with his performance,” McCarthy said.
“I’m not going to talk about if I’m worried or not,” Crosby said. “This is my job, this is what I want to do. I have to go out and perform. I didn’t do that tonight, and I have to take advantage of my next opportunity.”
“I had a great week of work,” Crosby said. “That’s what’s disappointing. I had a good session the other day, and all the field goals I hit this week were solid. It’s something I want to evaluate and look at, and if anything I have to learn from it and move on.”
Past the click, more from family night including quotes from Coleman and Rodgers
