Two days of pretty intense competition offered up plenty of high pitched chirping, only one brief dust up and thankfully for the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, no significant injuries. The two teams wrapped up their second joint practice Wednesday on Ray Nitschke Field and any bad blood exchanged between the squads during the pair of two hour sessions was put aside as Head Coach Matt LaFleur and General Manager Brian Gutekunst welcomed Saints coach Dennis Allen, his coaching staff and team scouts for a social get together in the evening.
LaFleur is a big fan of joint practices and the benefits they provide.
The format on Wednesday was nearly identical to Tuesday’s session. The teams warmed up and conducted individual drills on either side of the Don Hutson Center and came together by jumping right into an 11 on 11 period.
It started horribly for Aaron Rodgers and the first team offense. After Rodgers talked of mistakes from his young wide receivers in the opening practice, there was a false start flag on the very first snap. It took almost a half dozen snaps to complete a pass but it did get better from there.
The Pack’s number one defense was a bit too fired up. Just a few plays in against the New Orleans starters, corner Eric Stokes and a Saints player got tangled up and went to the ground and when it was obvious they didn’t want to untangle, the most serious scuffle broke out. It ended quickly as the combatants were pulled apart by 20 of their respective teammates who encircled the the pair.
Two All-Pro’s chat. Aaron Rodgers visits with Cameron Jordan.
Rodgers’ calling out of his receivers apparently sunk in. Position coach Jason Vrable convened an unscheduled meeting Wednesday morning to have his guys and the quarterbacks hash everything out with a quick film study.
Playmaking ensued as the practice went on. Veteran Sammy Watkins in particular seemed to take the bull by the horns with an impressive route or catch in nearly every team period. Rookie Samori Toure saved his best for last. Over two days, neither team’s two minute offense was able to get much done but when Jordan Love got his chance, he cashed in with the former Nebraska Cornhusker. They connected on a beautiful 50 yard touchdown pass. Toure beat his defender on a deep corner route and Love threw a perfect pass in stride. Icing on that cake was the two point conversion for the win and the combination delivered again.
The Packer defense continued to exert heavy pressure on the New Orleans pocket. The Saints two minute drill ended with back to back pressures from veteran Jarran Reed and 5th round pick Kingsley Enagbare who had an impressive couple of days, emerging as the best bet for the number three edge rusher behind Preston Smith and Rashan Gary.
One special teams item that caught my attention, 2nd round pick Christian Watson joined the rotation fielding punts.
Two players added to the list of injured after Tuesday’s practice were wide receiver Danny Davis and defensive back Rico Gafford, both sidelined with sore ankles. Marcedes Lewis was given a veterans day of rest. The two newest Packers, tight end Nate Becker and defensive back De’Vonte Cross were in uniform.
One wide receiver was cut and the Packers brought back another they looked at for just over a week two years ago. Malik Taylor, battling a shoulder injury all camp, was waived injured. Late in the afternoon, the Packers claimed Travis Fulgham off waivers from the Denver Broncos. Originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 6th round out of Old Dominion in 2019, he appeared in only three games without a catch as a rookie. Once released, Green Bay signed him and he spent a grand total of 9 days with the team in the 2020 training camp and was cut. That’s when Fulgham signed on with the Philadelphia Eagles and became an overnight sensation. The 6-2, 215 pounder played in 13 games, catching 38 passes for 539 yards and four touchdowns. Just as quickly as his game soared, it disappeared. Let go by Philly, he signed on with Denver but played in only one game last year. The Packers are wondering if the second verse will be better than the first with Fulgham. He doesn’t have much to impress this summer either.
Another former receiver and quarterback couldn’t quite make the grade either. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton announced the three finalists from it’s Seniors Committee today. Cecil Isbell and Sterling Sharpe didn’t make the list. Isbell was the NFL’s top passer in the early 40’s firing bombs to Don Hutson. Sharpe was dominant in his 7 years with the Packers, pulling in 595 passes before a career ending neck injury. Former New York Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley and Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Ken Riley were the 3 finalists. Riley served as Forrest Gregg’s secondary coach in Green Bay in 1984 and ’85.
Finally, the Packers announced Wednesday they’ll have a free concert before the Regular Season home opener against the Bears. The multi-Grammy winning group Train will perform outside Lambeau Field on Saturday, September 18 at 5:00 PM, the night before the Packers welcome the Chicago Bears to town.
