LATROBE, Pa. – Now there are just 4 practices left in this training camp that are open to the public, and Coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw on Tuesday.
“I like the way they approached it,” said Tomlin. “We didn’t warm up to it, and that was one of the things we talked about this morning, going in and out of off-days. We just can’t waste time, and I felt the energy and urgency in the group in terms of how we work. We had some really good competition. Got another shot at the 2-minute drill, which is important. We’ve just got to keep hitting situations, because at the end of the week, we’ll be in a stadium. There’s not enough time to cover all the scenarios, and so we better stay after it. But I like what we did today.”
7-Shots
The previous time this drill was conducted was on Sunday – the day before the team’s scheduled off day on Monday – and the defense was dominant in posting a 6-1 win. The offense turned the tables on Tuesday.
Aaron Rodgers was especially sharp on his 3 snaps. On the first he connected via a perfectly placed throw to DK Metcalf with a pass that buzzed past the cornerback’s ear.
On the second, he moved around in the pocket and then saw a wide-open Jonnu Smith for another touchdown.
On the third, the formation had 3 receivers to the right and Roman Wilson alone on the left. Rodgers’s pass to Wilson was put in a spot where only he could make the catch, which he did for a touchdown that gave the offense a 3-0 lead.
Mason Rudolph’s first play was a handoff to Kaleb Johnson who went over right guard and got into the end zone. Then Rudolph followed that with a quick slant to TE JJ Galbreath who looked to be stopped just short of the goal line.
The last 2 snaps went to Will Howard, whose first throw was a post pattern to WR Brandon Johnson that was thrown on time and on target for the touchdown. The final play of the drill was a botched exchange on a handoff to RB Evan Hull that resulted in a fumble.
Observations
This may have been Aaron Rodgers’ best practice at Saint Vincent College. He was accurate and on-time with his throws in all of the drills. In one period, he connected with Roman Wilson over the middle about 25 yards downfield; then rolling to his left he found Robert Woods; and then he fired a pass down the middle that hit Connor Heyward in the facemask as he turned to look for the ball, and the carom was intercepted by ILB Patrick Queen.
2-Minute
These were the parameters for the final period of the day: the offense had the ball at its 40-yard line, with 1:41 on the clock and 1 timeout, and it needed a touchdown.
Aaron Rodgers and the first-team offense were on the field first vs. the first-team defense. He completed 4 straight passes – to Pat Freiermuth, then Jaylen Warren, then Freiermuth again, and then Warren again. With the clock running, Rodgers tried to get the ball to Roman Wilson over the middle, but CB Brandin Echols reached around and got a hand on the ball to deflect it up into the air, and it was intercepted. In a regular season game, that probably would’ve drawn a flag for pass interference.
“He’s in complete command,” said Tomlin about Rodgers in the 2-minute drill. “I’ve seen some things that I’ve seen from the opposing sideline over the years in terms of his ability to take advantage of substitution changes and so forth. He’s been doing it at a high level for a long time, and so not surprised by any of that.”
Skylar Thompson got the second shot at 2-minute.
Because WR Calvin Austin III did not practice, rookie free agent Max Hurleman got a lot of reps at WR, and he teamed with Thompson on several plays to move the ball all the way down to the 1-yard line. Then on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Thompson hit RB Kenneth Gainwell in the stomach. He dropped the ball.
TOMLIN’S INJURY UPDATE
“No new news on a lot of those guys’ status that we’ve been talking about. A lot of people working their way back. Joey Porter Jr. was a partial participant today, for an example. I guess the big news is that Will Howard left (practice) with a hand injury that’s being evaluated. Jonnu Smith left with some knee soreness. We’ll evaluate him as well, but that appears to be less significant. I think (Howard’s injury) came on an exchange from center, but I didn’t have eyes on it. It was his right hand.” When asked about Alex Highsmith, Tomlin said, “He’s got a groin, but I don’t know the length of time. It’ll be a couple of days, at least, for sure. We’ll play it by ear.”
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