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On Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers got a nice surprise: a day off from practice. At least, it was a surprise for some of the players on the team, who aren’t familiar with the Packers’ practice of taking a day off for teambuilding exercises. It was a nice day in Green Bay, and so Mike McCarthy and company headed out to the shooting range for a round of shooting practice, something that many of the team’s players were unfamiliar with.
As the Packers spent some time together off the field, media members are breaking down how the team will look on the field, particularly in two specific areas: the defensive line and the running back unit. The addition of a pair of new coordinators in Mike Pettine and Joe Philbin will spur some change in the scheme and approach on their respective units, and Packers fans should hope for some specific improvements to come along with those approaches.
On defense, the Packers are looking to build their pass rush not so much around their edge players but around a strong group of interior defensive linemen. Meanwhile, we don’t yet know how the team will split up the football across their trio of talented running backs, but with each player having a different skill set, a committee approach makes sense. There’s even a template for just how to do it, thanks to a team that just made an appearance in the Super Bowl.
The Packers will return to practice today for the last day of OTAs, then they’ll get a long weekend off before mandatory minicamp kicks off next Tuesday.
Packers take a break to focus on team-building | Packers.com
The Packers' annual team-building day came as a surprise to many of the team's rookies, as the team got a day off from practice to go clay shooting once again. This appears to be one of Mike McCarthy's favorite activities, as the team has done it several times in his tenure.
The inside story of Packers’ new pass-rush plan | Packersnews.com
It seemed surprising that the Packers didn’t select an edge rusher before the seventh round of this year’s draft, but Mike Pettine’s past experience and successes give some indications as to why. His defenses have generally generated more pass rush from the interior than off the edge, and the unit of Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, and Muhammad Wilkerson should be one of his best.
How should Packers split touches at RB in 2018? | Packers Wire
As our Peter Bukowski said prior to the Super Bowl this February, the Packers should look to the Patriots and Eagles to define roles and workloads for their running backs. New England used a committee more than any other team in the NFL last year, and they got over 2,600 yards out of their backfield.
Bears re-sign tight end Zach Miller, who won’t even play in 2018 - SBNation.com
This is a really classy move, so our hats are off to the Bears. Miller's knee is shredded after an injury he suffered last year, but Chicago signed him to a one-year deal and put him on the PUP list immediately.
Dalvin Cook cleared to take part in Vikings team drills - NFL.com
Cook is about eight months removed from tearing his ACL and he's ready to get back on the field and make things difficult for NFC North defenses.
Crying fowl: Surrey residents say peacocks now damaging cars | CTV Vancouver News
A pack of 150 wild peacocks in the Vancouver area are making life difficult for residents, and now they're causing damage to vehicles because they see their reflection in the cars' glossy paint.