2023 Packers Training Camp/Pre-Season Thread

Family Night - August 5th - Doors open at 5:30 PM, Practice starts at 7:30 PM

Pre-Season Schedule

Friday, August 11th - at Cincinnati - 6:00 PM CDT
Saturday, August 19th - New England - 7:00 PM CDT
Saturday, August 26th - Seattle - 7:00 PM CDT

It’s one week before the Green Bay Packers’ veterans report for training camp and it seems like general manager Brian Gutekunst isn’t finished shaking up his roster. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, Green Bay is set to bring in USFL standout quarterback Alex McGough for a workout on Tuesday.

McGough is recently coming off of a season where he was named the USFL’s MVP after leading the league in passing touchdowns and passer rating. Originally, the plan was for McGough to be the backup quarterback to J’Mar Smith — Birmingham Stallions head coach Skip Holtz’s college quarterback from back in their Louisiana Tech days together — but Smith went down with an early-season injury that forced McGough into the lineup.

https://www.acmepackingcompany...s-roster-update-2023

Another arm for camp.

Love is toast!

I agree with the views in this story.

https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/...-packers-offense-156

A bigger factor will be having a QB that runs the offense the chief play caller wants run.

Although, prior to last season, offense wasn't generally "the problem."

They signed the guy after the workout.

Aaron Wilson

@AaronWilson_NFL

#Packers intend to sign

@USFL

MVP quarterback Alex McGough

@USFLStallions

a two time champion and athletic dual threat previously with #Texans #Seahawks    #Jaguars following a successful workout, per league sources

@KPRC2

Slow down. Let me get this straight. This offseason Gutey trades away a MVP QB for what will be a first round pick and then says hold my beer and goes out and signs a MVP QB? My gawd. The thing I like best about Gutey is he not only drafts the position but he signs a free agent as well...err, how does that paragraph go again?

Another in a long line of Packer MVP quarterbacks

So for 25 of the last 28 seasons the Packers have had a MVP QB on the roster.  I doubt any other team can match that.

I wasn't particularly impressed with him when I would catch one of his games. I'm not going to say he sucks; as matter of fact, he's someone that could adapt to a backup role easily. But I think he will be PS fodder.
If the brass liked what they saw enough to sign him, I don't have a problem signing him.

Besides, during the play-by-play, who doesn't like hearing "Magoo" attached to football terms?

I saw his highlights. Many of them were throws to Sternburger.

I actually watched a bit of the championship game and thought to myself he looked better than some NFL backups I’ve seen. Good athleticism.

@PackerPatrick posted:

I saw his highlights. Many of them were throws to Sternburger.

Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer passes.

Backup position is wide open and it's a great opportunity for him.

Sternburger signing announcement is next.

@antooo posted:

Sternburger signing announcement is next.

Ugh, are we already caving into this new MVP QB diva?

Why wait….may as well get it over with.

@PackerPatrick posted:

I saw his highlights. Many of them were throws to Sternburger.

Speaking of MVPs....
Furburger had quite the season himself.

He added another 6 receptions for 67 yards and 1 TD in 2 playoff games.

Most likely camp fodder, but may stick if one of the other guys gets injured. (Knock on wood.) He may beat out Etling, but Etling is also the guy who's been around the longest and they may want him for at least some experience. They aren't going to get rid of Clifford this soon unless he's absolutely horrendous.

@Fandame posted:

Most likely camp fodder, but may stick if one of the other guys gets injured. (Knock on wood.) He may beat out Etling, but Etling is also the guy who's been around the longest and they may want him for at least some experience. They aren't going to get rid of Clifford this soon unless he's absolutely horrendous.

Gutey loves his draft picks. Leonard will stay. McGough is insurance. Ettling, as you said is an experienced player, as far as experience goes, on a young team, in GB.

@Fandame posted:

Most likely camp fodder, but may stick if one of the other guys gets injured. (Knock on wood.) He may beat out Etling, but Etling is also the guy who's been around the longest and they may want him for at least some experience. They aren't going to get rid of Clifford this soon unless he's absolutely horrendous.

What’s interesting is that him and Etling were in the same draft class and went one after the other. While neither are true NFL starters, they both have lots of time on NFL practice squads. They are not elite by any stretch of the imagination but have been on a lot of practice fields and training rooms.

According to the official NFL transaction wire, the #Packers placed OLB Rashan Gary, CB Eric Stokes, C Jake Hanson and WR Jeff Cotton on the physically unable to perform list to start camp and WR Grant DuBose and TE Camren McDonald on the non-football injury list.

@PackerPatrick posted:

........ they both have lots of time on NFL practice squads. They are not elite by any stretch of the imagination ............

So they are both practice squad MVPs?  The tradition continues .........  Unless of course they both start camp on the DNDL - you know - the Do Not Disturb List. 

More seriously, Etling is 28 years old.  PSSL (Practice Squad Shelf Life) is starting to work against him. 

Now he is more of an Et than an Etling.

@antooo posted:

Now he is more of an Et than an Etling.

If he loses the other 2 letters, he will be either non-existent or invisible. 

@ilcuqui posted:

According to the official NFL transaction wire, the #Packers placed OLB Rashan Gary, CB Eric Stokes, C Jake Hanson and WR Jeff Cotton on the physically unable to perform list to start camp and WR Grant DuBose and TE Camren McDonald on the non-football injury list.

Hanson is now off the pup and Huber is saying some positive things about Stokes.  Thinks he's just a couple weeks away.

@mattschneidman: The Packers' annual shareholders meeting is at Lambeau Field this morning at 11, followed by a Mark Murphy press conference.

Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur at the podium tomorrow (MLF and Gutekunst at 9 and 9:20 am tomorrow)

First open practice of camp and open locker room on Wednesday.

And really, this is why Murphy gets the big bucks...

#Packers announced they have acquired Foamation, the company that manufactures cheesehead hats. “Who else but us, right?” said Mark Murphy. pic.twitter.com/JmT6vE9WBs

— Mike Clemens (@MikeClemensNFL) July 24, 2023

Big foam playing the long game. Now they are in the boardroom.

Now we can pad the bottom of the ski hill for when the big kids get going too fast.

Packers new scoreboard is up and running

Nice!

Foamation will open up a world of possibilities.  Besides the padding at the bottom of the slide, there could be a huge foam cube that looks like swiss cheese with "holes" that are really passage ways for kids to crawl through - maybe 100' one each side - think of all the missing kid reports that will be filed.  And lets not forget the Viking market - seat and head pads to soften the seats and protect against whatever falls off the ceiling.  Then the foam shields required to go to a Packer game in Chicago.  And finally, a foam sound proof room so we won't have to listen to Lion fans.

To bad this deal wasn't done earlier so we could provide protection for the workers who put up the new video board.   Especially the one who experienced an accidental death. 

Snippets from MLF presser this morning:

- “Every year has its unique set of challenges. There’s a lot of excitement today,” LaFleur says of having a young roster.

- This will be a different training camp due to the youth. “You’ve got to be aware of your personnel. We are pretty young, especially on the offensive side of the ball. There’s a lot of excitement that comes along with that.”

- It will be a “fluid” approach to the preseason. He hasn’t decided if Love and Co. will play in the preseason, though joint practices against the Bengals and Patriots will help get them ready.

- Gary and Stokes: Hopeful both will practice in camp. They’ve done an “outstanding job,” LaFleur said. “They put the work in. It’s evident, you can see it.” They’ll eventually come off the PUP list is the plan.

- LaFleur calls it “exciting” that Love and the receivers were working together in California recently.

- LaFleur on the weather and air-quality issues: “I’m less concerned about the heat. It’s going to be very our guys to make sure they stay hydrated so we don’t have anybody go out there and overheat.” Being hot is “part of training camp. You don’t want it easy.” Team can’t control air quality.

- On Love: Wants him to get better “each and every day … You can’t give him enough reps. It’s about making incremental improvements. I’m really excited. He definitely has complete command of our offense.”

- Love will get a lot of reps but he won’t be overloaded to make sure his arm remains strong.

- On the safeties: Hoping two players separate themselves. “We feel like we’ve got a lot of capable guys.”

- It will be the same offense – with some of the usual tweaks. “It’s about the collective more so than just one person.”

- Love won’t get the free rein at the line of scrimmage that Rodgers had. That will happen “organically.” Doesn’t want him “paralyzed” by thinking about too much at the line.

- On the rookie tight ends: “We’ve never seen these guys with the pads on. That will be the ultimate test to see how they come off the ball in the run game. I feel like that’s a lost art in that position group. They’re talented guys. … they’ve got a lot to learn” because of the varied job description.

- On the second-year players taking a jump: Wants to see how fast they play and how quickly they can react.

- LaFleur won’t say whether it’s just right tackle that’s up for grabs between Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom or if Tom will battle Josh Myers. The goal is to find the best five.

- This training camp says it “feels like Year 1. It feels like we’re right back where we started” when he was hired. Says that’s exciting. Will coach the players hard and expect them to work hard.

Comments from Gute this morning:

- On not adding a veteran receiver: Excited about the young group and “how they’re going to grow together” with Jordan Love. Will monitor the veteran market.

- Says the third quarterback rule – a third active QB in addition to the usual 48 players – likely won’t make much of an impact on final roster decisions.

- On Love playing in the preseason: It’s a “double-edged thing.” Need to keep him healthy. That will be a “feel thing” for coach Matt LaFleur. Happy to have the joint practices vs. Cincinnati and New England. You can get a “live” look and “protect” your quarterbacks, but “the game’s not played that way. That’s where players probably learn the most.

- On adding a second kicker: “We’ll see how it goes. I think Rich would like 20 specialists.”

- On second-year jumps from Watson, Wyatt, etc.: For me, it’s the consistency. You see the flashes right away. Can you do it down in and down out … within the scheme? It’s one thing to flash and make plays off your natural ability, but can you take everything that’s been taught to you and make plays within the scheme.

- On the NFC North and not being chased: Every year’s a new year. “Who’s to say we won’t be? … We’re excited to get after it.”

So the safety position comes down to hope.

@lovepack posted:

So the safety position comes down to hope.

And a prayer.