In the first glimpse of live football in seven months of offseason recuperating and scheduled practices, both with and without pads, it's plausible to expect some poor fundamentals across the board on both sides.

For the Packers, head coach Mike McCarthy constantly stresses the importance of fundamentals, whether it be in ball security or in the tackling mechanics the Packers have put so much work into over the last few seasons. 

But last Thursday against the Eagles, the Packers lacked both.

"The ball security as a whole was not acceptable," McCarthy said Tuesday before practice. He knows just about as well as anyone that exhibition work doesn't necessarily translate into similar results during the season. That was even evidenced by the 2008 Detroit Lions, who finished the preseason 4-0 but became the only team in NFL history to lose all 16 games during the regular season.

However, these aren't the 2008 Lions. Nothing even remotely close. As a team with eight straight playoff appearances under its belt along with a Super Bowl title—and hopefully more in their sights—the practices are emphasized during the month of August. 

"We didn't tackle very well against Philly. We didn't break tackles, our run offense wasn't what it needed to be," McCarthy said. Even despite the missed tackles in several instances, including Clay Matthews' botched attempt on a third-and-long in which the Eagles netted a touchdown, the Packers outnumbered the Eagles in total tackles, 71-to-59.

Somewhere both teams shared a similarity is the fumbles department, where McCarthy clearly held disdain. Both teams fumbled the ball five times—each—and both teams recovered just two of them.

"We didn't improve the ball security and fundamentals," McCarthy continued. "We need to get better. These padded practices are important especially when you do it on back-to-back days. There's always a couple balls in the air this time of the year and you're just trying to get as much as you can done with your team."

One of those lost fumbles was via Ty Montgomery, whose busy offseason culminated in him entering the preseason as the Packers' lead tailback.

He was far from it against the Eagles, as his three carries netted a depressing total of zero yards. 

It wasn't all on Montgomery, though. The Packers' run game throughout the night was stagnant; a fact highlighted by quarterback Taysom Hill being the team's lead rusher with his 14 yards off of two carries.

Once again, the Eagles weren't far off in that respect as well. Their 19 carries as a team totaled 47 yards and averaged 2.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Packers racked up 47 yards, too, just with one less carry, giving them a slightly higher 2.6 average. Frighteningly similar totals that illuminated the deficiencies of both teams in their first preseason action.

Ball security and tackling is going to be a clear point of emphasis this week for the Packers, per McCarthy. The results of their labor will likely show—albeit in the slightest—on Saturday when they travel to Washington to face the Redskins in an exhibition bout.