I can't wait to see 2nd year player Jeremy Thompson in his first action as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. From Greg Bedard's morning practice recap:
Jeremy Thompson showed his phenomenal athleticism during the deceptive period when he lept high into the air to nearly pull down a Brian Brohm screen pass. With his length and leaping ability, Thompson must have gotten the ball about 11 feet off ground. And he shot off the turf in a split second.
Also, backup TE Tory Humphrey broke his arm during the morning practice. He'll certainly miss the rest of training camp and he might be placed on I.R. because they can't wait and see. They'll need that roster spot. While his loss isn't a huge blow for the team, it's bad luck for Humphrey because it's his second major preseason injury in the last three years.
A big problem on defense last season that generally went unnoticed was the poor play of LB A.J. Hawk. He played through some injuries, so I've been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But injuries might not have been the problem. The No. 5 overall pick in 2006 draft might be just an ordinary player. From Greg Bedard's evening practice recap:
This may sound familiar, but the next big play A.J. Hawk makes in practice will be the first. While Desmond Bishop is constantly shooting gaps and trying to make plays, Hawk is still reading and reacting. He is seldom around the ball. He takes on blockers, but is easily turned around. It’s a repeat of last season when he was playing Mike after Barnett went down. On a DeShawn Wynn draw, Hawk could have exploded into the gap but took on Finley -- and lost. However, the coaches are still high on Hawk.
As far as I can tell, it's not DT B.J. Raji's fault he remains unsigned. There's a big gap between what the No. 7 overall pick and the No. 13 overall pick signed for. Normally slotting his contract between the two should get you the resulting contract. I pegged Raji, as the No. 9 overall pick, to receive $19 million guaranteed, but a Jags fan suggested the No. 8 overall pick, OT Eugene Monroe, should receive $22.8 million guaranteed. But all of them are frozen by the antics of the No. 10 overall pick, WR Michael Crabtree. If he manages to get as much as the No. 7 overall pick because they are both WRs, but Crabtree should have gone before WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (at least in Crabtree's mind), then Monroe and Raji might have made a mistake by signing before Crabtree.