Packers had really bad OTA player attendance

[Big Score 1]

Posted June 8, 2006

Dave Lubach column:

Absences at OTAs major concern for Green Bay

 

No doubt Packers fans — at least those who listen to talk radio — have heard the nugget about their friends to the south.

 

Bears head coach Lovie Smith demoted starters Thomas Jones and Lance Briggs for not attending the team's "voluntary" OTA sessions.

 

Meanwhile, the Packers are among the NFL teams with the worst attendance figures for their organized team activities (a.k.a. practice before training camp) and other than a few players nobody seems particularly concerned.

 

Fans are worried that new head coach Mike McCarthy might not be the disciplinarian he was advertised as.

 

After all, if he can't get his players in to learn a new system, how will he get their attention when they're 1-6, or 2-5?

 

It's a valid concern.

 

Dramas out of Green Bay are usually blown out of proportion, but this carries some weight.

 

Anyone who's followed the NFL knows there's little "voluntary" in the league. When coaches say this, it's probably with a wink and a smile.

 

McCarthy hasn't cracked the whip yet, and it will be interesting to see if he does.

 

Because it seems like the coach squaring off against the Packers in the Sept. 10 season opener is.

 

Reach Dave Lubach at dlubach@sheboygan-press.com

Link

New Coach + trying to install a new offense + poor attendance from the players = Disaster

[Yukon Cornelius]

hmm ill be in sheboygan fishen in a month

[Savage Beatings]

So, who are the players not attending?

[Outshined]

So, who are the players not attending?

 

 

 

The great one Brett Favre...

 

I think he missed a few practices.

[Yukon Cornelius]

so who will the packers take at number one in 2007.. another tony???

[Bronco Billy]

Because it seems like the coach squaring off against the Packers in the Sept. 10 season opener is.

 

 

Huh? Is what?

 

It's also interesting that the author did not mention how many players didn't attend workouts, include percentages or any comparison to other team's attendance, include league averages, or name any names.

 

In short - it's a pretty meaningless pieece of drivel. I won't even get to beginning a sentence with the word "Because" when not answering a question.

[Big Score 1]

So, who are the players not attending?

 

Apparently most of the vets, though some have shown sporadic attendance.

 

My understanding is that of the important offensive skill players, Driver, Rodgers & Gado have attended all OTA's.

 

I definitely understand Rodgers making sure he's there. If iron-man Favre were to go down, Rodgers would be the man.

 

I definitely understand Gado being there. With both Green & Davenport missing, Gado can get a big leg up on then for the starting RB gig.

 

Now Driver being there is a big to the guy. These are voluntary and a lots of vets skip them. Not Driver! Probably one of the most underrated WR's around.

 

No mouth.

 

No outrageous TD celebrations.

 

Just goes about his business as the consummate professional.

 

I love the guy

[Yukon Cornelius]

Huh? Is what?

 

It's also interesting that the author did not mention how many players didn't attend workouts, include percentages or any comparison to other team's attendance, include league averages, or name any names.

 

In short - it's a pretty meaningless pieece of drivel. I won't even get to beginning a sentence with the word "Because" when not answering a question.

 

who be that

[Fatman]

The great one Brett Favre...

 

I think he missed a few practices.

 

 

All were approved by the team...blown WAY out of proportion...

[Big Score 1]

All were approved by the team...blown WAY out of proportion...

 

Yeah...the way Favre's absences were approved, is that Favre called up McCarthy and said he'd show up to the OTA's if & when he felt like it...whereupon all of Favre's no shows to the OTA's, were immediately excused.

[Randall]

so who will the packers take at number one in 2007.. another tony???

 

 

 

Whoever the Vikings don't select first.

 

Another story-

 

Written by PackerChatters Staff

Saturday, 10 June 2006

Green Bay - As the Green Bay Packers reached the halfway mark of June’s organized team activities, cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had yet to make an appearance.

Harris is boycotting the workouts in hopes that the Packers redo his contract, but the absences of Woodson and Pickett are a little more curious. Other than re-signing defensive end Aaron Kampman, the free-agent acquisitions of Woodson and Pickett were the biggest moves the Packers made this offseason.

 

Other than at the mandatory first minicamp, attendance at the second minicamp and organized team activities has been spotty at best. While the workouts are optional, the Packers have been without several key players the majority of the time.

 

“The offseason program, as a whole I’ll never be satisfied until we have 100 percent (attendance),” coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s the goal, but I’m not naïve to the fact of the change we’re going through and we’ll continue to work through that. I’m not going to sit here and single out individuals and go through every single case. Nothing positive comes out of that, and I will deal with that directly on an individual basis like I have been.”

 

Throughout the June workouts, McCarthy’s only explanation for players’ absences has been that they were gone for “personal reasons.” On Friday, linebackers Nick Barnett and Abdul Hodge and fullback Vonta Leach were the latest to miss practices for personal reasons. Quarterback Brett Favre also did not practice.

 

“To me, they are voluntary sessions, and as an organization, we will adhere to that,” McCarthy said. “But as a football coach, we do want everybody here.”

 

Linebacker A.J. Hawk, whom the Packers selected with the fifth overall pick in April’s NFL draft, has been absent from practices since the first minicamp. Unlike the others, it is known what Hawk has been doing. McCarthy said Hawk was in the process of finishing up his studies at Ohio State and expected him at workouts soon.

 

“He’s supposed to finish up this weekend,” McCarthy said. “I would be shocked if he wasn’t here Monday.”

 

McCarthy said he wasn’t worried about Hawk having to play catch-up despite the time he missed.

 

“(The coaches) have been in contact,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to be fine there, I think.”

[Randall]

All were approved by the team...blown WAY out of proportion...

 

 

 

McCarthy says they are voluntary; he says he would like everyone there but isn't expecting it yet. Favre had been there some, gone some.

 

How many teams have great attendance in June?

[Big Score 1]

McCarthy says they are voluntary

No, it's the NFL who says that OTA's are voluntary, not McCarthy.

he says he would like everyone there

Of course he wants everyone there. He's trying to install a new offense.

but isn't expecting it yet.

When hardly any vets show up, what else do you expect him to say?

Favre had been there some, gone some.

Favre does what Favre wants to do.

How many teams have great attendance in June?.

Apparently most of the other NFL clubs had better attendance to their OTA's than the Pack and that's the point.

[Randall]

No, it's the NFL who says that OTA's are voluntary, not McCarthy.

 

QUOTE(Randall @ 6/11/06 12:59am)

but isn't expecting it yet.

 

When hardly any vets show up, what else do you expect him to say?

 

 

 

 

 

It's also McCarthy.

 

“To me, they are voluntary sessions, and as an organization, we will adhere to that,” McCarthy said. “But as a football coach, we do want everybody here.”

 

"Hardly any vets"? Make a list of them. You assume that because Favre didn't practice he wasn't there. Yes several vets were absent, but they will address that. Give them time.

 

By Rob Demovsky

PackersNews.com

 

Quarterback Brett Favre plans to stick around through June 21 for the rest of the Green Bay Packers’ organized team activities, though he might not practice every day.

 

Why would a three-time MVP entering his 16th NFL season (and his 15th with the Packers) stay for almost an entire month of voluntary workouts when a handful of other veteran players haven’t bothered to show up? Because he still isn’t comfortable with some of the nuances of first-year coach Mike McCarthy’s version of the West Coast offense.

 

Favre has taken part in five of the first six OTA workouts that began May 31. He missed Monday’s practice because he was working out in the weight room with strength coach Rock Gullickson’s staff. Favre attended the first of the two May minicamp weekends, so he’s had about two weeks to work with McCarthy and the new offensive coaching staff.

Edited June 11, 2006 by Randall

[Big Score 1]

It's also McCarthy.

 

“To me, they are voluntary sessions, and as an organization, we will adhere to that,” McCarthy said. “But as a football coach, we do want everybody here.”

McCarthy can't say anything else but that Randall. It is the NFL who has determined that OTA's are voluntary, not McCarthy. If McCarthy tried to make the OTA's mandatory, the NFL would shut them down.

[Randall]

McCarthy can't say anything else but that Randall. It is the NFL who has determined that OTA's are voluntary, not McCarthy. If McCarthy tried to make the OTA's mandatory, the NFL would shut them down.

 

 

 

McCarthy can say a lot of things about it. He can say he would like all his players to come in, but the rules prevent it. He doesn't have to say he agrees with it.

[Big Score 1]

Green Bay - As the Green Bay Packers reached the halfway mark of June’s organized team activities, cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had yet to make an appearance.

Harris is boycotting the workouts in hopes that the Packers redo his contract, but the absences of Woodson and Pickett are a little more curious. Other than re-signing defensive end Aaron Kampman, the free-agent acquisitions of Woodson and Pickett were the biggest moves the Packers made this offseason.

 

Other than at the mandatory first minicamp, attendance at the second minicamp and organized team activities has been spotty at best. While the workouts are optional, the Packers have been without several key players the majority of the time.

 

“The offseason program, as a whole I’ll never be satisfied until we have 100 percent (attendance),” coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s the goal, but I’m not naïve to the fact of the change we’re going through and we’ll continue to work through that. I’m not going to sit here and single out individuals and go through every single case. Nothing positive comes out of that, and I will deal with that directly on an individual basis like I have been.”

 

Throughout the June workouts, McCarthy’s only explanation for players’ absences has been that they were gone for “personal reasons.” On Friday, linebackers Nick Barnett and Abdul Hodge and fullback Vonta Leach were the latest to miss practices for personal reasons. Quarterback Brett Favre also did not practice.

 

“To me, they are voluntary sessions, and as an organization, we will adhere to that,” McCarthy said. “But as a football coach, we do want everybody here.”

[Chavez]

The Devil's Advocate version that I heard is that McCarthy ran this far more spread-out than your average 5-day/long-weekend type minicamp; thus it was more likely players would skip in and out.

 

Minus points to the Packer staff for failing to get the proper info out to the players - I believe it was Driver who got a phone call on a Wednesday night asking if he was going to be at the OTA on that Thursday - which shocked the hell out of him, because he thought it started on Friday.

[Big Score 1]

MONDAY, June 5, 2006, 0:04 a.m.

 

Large number of absentees a bad sign, says Schein

Fourteen players were elsewhere during a recent voluntary practice in Green Bay.

 

That seems like a beefy number of absentees for a team coming off a 4-12 season. Not to mention there’s a new sheriff in town in the form of Mike McCarthy, who has his own set of fresh ideas about the direction of the Packers’ offense, defense, and special teams. Ideas which most players will need to know before training camp.

 

But, the practices are voluntary.

 

Players are essentially free to participate (or not) as they choose.

 

So, is it worth panicking when 14 players don’t show up for a voluntary exercise?

 

There’s no debate about it for Adam Schein, who called the Packers a favorite to finish in the bottom five in the league this season.

 

Schein, the host of the Afternoon Blitz on Sirius NFL Radio, tells readers at FoxSports.com that if he had been asked on May 1 to name the NFL’s worst teams, Green Bay and Buffalo would have been on the list. The prediction hasn’t changed, he says, after noting all the missing faces in both camps.

 

“For two teams that were horrible last season and changed coaches for the 2006 campaign, the veteran attendance at the voluntary workouts is downright deplorable.

 

“Eleven signature Bills veterans missed workouts last week. And to add insult, Willis McGahee spent the time hanging out with Rich Eisen on NFL Network. Now I love Eisen and the folks at the NFL Network, but McGahee should place greater emphasis on his NFL career. And you would think that learning from and being around new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, who is putting in an entirely new system, would be a major priority.

 

“Plus, a whopping 14 Packers missed the Green Bay voluntary workouts. You might think it would be a pressing concern for these players to eradicate the horrendous taste left in everyone's mouth from a year ago.”

www.jsonline.com