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Name: BigE
Email: BigE@idatasports.com
Date: Mon May 13 7:39:26 2002

Headline: Green Bay Packers Post Mini Camp Info

It's almost hard to believe the Packers are already lacing up the spikes and buttoning their chinstraps. Due to the fine Wisconsin weather The Packers were forced to practice in the Don Hudson Center, but that didn't stop them from running a very crisp camp. There are certainly some questions that will have to be answered for The Packers, before they can improve on the good season they had last year. I saw things in this mini-camp that lead me to believe that The Packers could be on the verge of some big things.

The whole Green Bay Packer organization rides the arm of the three-time MVP Brett Favre, and the Packers quarterback looks like he's ready to go. Favre had a few of his trademark heaters over receiver's heads, but he also threw a few of his trademark bullets. One of Favre's passes was a 40-yard touchdown, lofted beautifully right into Robert Ferguson's hands. Ferguson has some serious skills, and will do well if he start's to learn the subtle nuances of the game at his position. There is absolutely no doubt Ferguson has great hands, and if The Packers staff can teach him how to react to NFL defenses, he will be a factor this season.

Ferguson and The Packers should be helped by the off season addition of Terry Glenn. Glenn and Favre seemed to be in sync with each other even though there's a long way before they will be completely in tune. But in this camp Terry Glenn showed he is going to rejuvenate his career. He displayed excellent hands in camp. In one of the WR drills receivers are told to run down the sidelines with one hand behind their back, and make a one handed, over the shoulder catch. While all the receivers made their respective catches, the ball thrown to Glenn was the poorest throw of the bunch. While the pass was led out a little too far towards the middle of the field, Glenn tracked it down and caught it with his hand only. In this drill receivers are being asked to do this because they might have one arm being held by a defender in a game, while the official might not see it. It is considered proper technique to trap the ball to your body, but in Glenn's pattern, with the ball being laid out too far all he could use was his outstretched hand. Glenn was the final receiver in this drill, and when he made this great catch, the other receivers hooted and hollered.

It was good to see that Donald Driver was leading the cheering section. This is a guy who didn't move into Bill Schroeder's starting spot, being passed over by a less experienced receiver in Ferguson. It is positive to see that Driver is not letting this affect his professionalism. Driver is not going to roll over and hand Ferguson the job. And Driver really seems to be a positive influence on the field and in the locker room. Competition brings out the best in everyone, and you can look for Driver to make some sort of impact.

Finally, lets not forget The Packers 2002 first round draft choice Javon Walker. I really don't see how Walker is going to make a big impact in his rookie season. The Packers brass is expecting big things from Walker, but the rookie will need to become much more polished to make a sizable impact. Don't get me wrong, I did like what I saw from this obviously gifted athlete. On one play in particular, Walker jacked up the corner when he was being jammed at the line of scrimmage. Walker is a big, physical receiver who can make exciting plays when he gets the ball in the open field.

It's way too early to get too excited about the upcoming season, but The Packers are hoping they have cured their problems at wide receiver. They also added a pass-rushing dimension in Joe Johnson during the off-season. These were the biggest deficiencies last year in a pretty good Packer team.

I was able to sit down with Favre after mini-camp at our private autograph session, and I asked him what he was thinking coming into this season. Favre said he felt as good as he's ever felt and he thought that the additions of Terry Glenn and Joe Johnson would put The Packers over the top. Only time will tell. That's the way I saw it - BigE




Related Links
04/27/02 - Brett Favre Private Autograph Session
04/27/02 - 2002 April Mini Camp Practice - Vets/Rookies
04/24/02 - 2002 April Mini Camp Practice - Vets

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