The last joint practice of training camp had a little bit of everything. The Packers and New England Patriots put in another two hours and 18 minutes together today on Ray Nitschke Field. The teams practiced in sunshine, under cloud cover and in a 10 minute light rain. There were team periods with big plays, bad plays and some downright dirty plays. Things got a bit testy the second time around. In the opening split team work, the Packers starting offense and Patriot number one defense made it clear short fuses would be evident. There were two scrums within the first five snaps which drew some barking from New England Head Coach Bill Belichick.
In a later punt cover drill, reserve linebacker Keshawn Banks got tangled up with a Patriot after the whistle and when the pair disengaged on their own, Banks took a swing. From about 20 yards away, New England’s Anfernee Jennings got into a full sprint and laid out Banks which led to both teams converging. Jennings was immediately ushered off the field for the day by Patriot coaches and when Matt LaFleur asked Banks if he threw a punch, he got an honest answer and Keshawn’s day was done. One last big brawl started when Dallin Leavitt got piled on when down, drawing teammate Isaiah McDuffie into the mix and seconds later, it became a full scrum. With bodies getting pulled out of the pile, New England defensive end Keion White somehow pulled McDuffie’s helmet off his head and threw it up into the air.
Almost nonchalantly, one of the NFL referees working practice reached out and caught it and the practice proceeded.
The chirping between the two sides kept up until the final horn.
As for the football…
New England was the better team throughout. That’s not to say the Packers didn’t make plays. On the backup end of the field, I saw defensive back Tyrell Ford and Linebacker Jimmy Phillips Jr. come up with impressive interceptions with big returns. Christian Watson is impressively winning one on one matchups, plucking a couple of red zone touchdown catches from Jordan Love.
It was the two minute drill at the end of practice the sealed the day’s win for the Pats. Love was picked on his very first throw but was given a reprieve series that fizzled on downs. Mac Jones delivered a deep ball to DeVante Parker who got behind Rasul Douglas for a touchdown. Backup QB Bailey Zappe also finished his drive with a touchdown, hitting Kayshon Boutte with a low bullet right at the front pylon.
Rookie Sean Clifford saved some face for the Pack with his series. He got the offense into position by finding Grant Dubose over the middle to the New England 21 before spiking the ball with :04 left. The Patriots blitzed but Clifford stood in long enough to let a hail mary fly toward the end zone. Two defensive backs went for the ball and both could only deflect it back up and it came down into the hands of rookie free agent Cody Chrest for an improbable touchdown. Chrest was mobbed by the entire team, by far the best feel good moment of the day.
The Chrest story is a dandy. He grew up in Cypress, Texas, the child of diehard Packer fans. His parents purchased a share of Green Bay Packers Incorporated stock when he was a baby. He played four years at Harvard, finishing up just as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging. With college eligibility remaining, he enrolled back home at Sam Houston State where he suffered a very serious knee injury, one that kept him off the field for nearly two years. His phone never rang draft weekend but he signed a free agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts, only to get cut almost before the contract ink dried. The Pittsburgh Steelers had him in town for a cup of coffee but he got cut again.
Down but far from finished chasing his dream of making it to the NFL, Chrest went back home to attend a big family party at his aunt and uncle’s cabin. All of his relatives were there to celebrate his grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary. On that same night, Cody’s brother proposed to his girlfriend who became his fiance’. Then, an hour later Chrest got a text from the Packers saying they want him on the roster just as training camp had gotten underway.
The Packer “owner” was now an employee.
Cody got emotional talking about how supportive his family has been on a journey filled with so many highs and lows but while many others in his position might have given up, he’s determined to see it through. To his credit, he’s made plays with the third stringers in camp and today’s highlight proved how much the rest of the team is rooting for him.
Here’s Cody detailing his journey with reporters after practice.
On the medical front, it was good to see David Bakhtiari back on the field, taking reps against New England’s top pass rusher Matthew Judon. Jaire Alexander took team reps and Tariq Carpenter returned from a back issue. In uniform but still not taking part in team work was Rashan Gary. THose sidelined included Eric Stokes, Innis Gaines, Corey Ballentine, Lew Nichols, Caleb Jones and Bo Melton.
It’s evident LaFleur has caught the joint practice vibe, despite today’s scuffles. He said before practice he plans on looking for at least two partners every summer moving forward.
Meetings and a walkthrough are scheduled before Saturday night’s contest at Lambeau Field which will kick off at 7:00 PM. General Manager Brian Gutekunst is scheduled to meet the media on Friday, along with all three coordinators, Adam Stenavich on offense, Joe Barry on defense and Rich Bisaccia with the special teams.
