Packers Daily Links: Flynn, Harrell Take Over For Rodgers

Given a night off by the coaches, Aaron Rodgers rested while Matt Flynn and Graham Harrell took over practice last night. That and more in today's Daily Links...

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers sitting out of last night's practice along with all veterans of seven years of experience or over, backups Matt Flynn and Graham Harrell were in charge of running the show. "Possibly Flynn's best throw was one tight-window deep out to wide receiver Jordy Nelson with cornerback Sam Shields in close coverage," writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He did throw one drive-killing interception to safety Morgan Burnett in a two-minute drill. Harrell wasn't bad, either, hooking up with undrafted rookie receiver Tori Gurley for a 50-yarder." It's good to see the younger, less experienced players getting a majority of the reps every once in a while. It will make them better prepared in the long run.

More on the backup quarterbacks comes from Vic Ketchman and Mike Spofford of the Packers official website and more in a practice report from Ty Dunne at JSOnline.

The rationale behind resting selected veterans is covered by Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.

The guy Matt Flynn and Graham Harrell replaced, Aaron Rodgers, got his share of attention yesterday during media availability by referencing basketball star Allen Iverson's infamous "We're talkin' about practice" interview. The comments came one day after a rough showing by the offense in Monday's practice. "While Aaron Rodgers can appreciate his coach’s concerns about the sloppiness of Monday night’s practice, the Green Bay Packers quarterback made it clear that he’s not overly worried," writes Jason Wilde. And he shouldn't be. It's training camp. He and the offense will be fine.

More on Aaron Rodgers' entertaining interview comes from PackersNews.com, the Associated Press and Packer Report (subscription required).

As it turn out, linebacker Clay Matthews had a stress fracture in his leg last season. "Everyone knows Matthews missed all four preseason games last season with his second hamstring injury in as many training camps, but few knew the Green Bay Packers’ star outside linebacker played the second half of the season with a stress fracture in his lower leg," writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "That would explain why Matthews was listed on every injury report from Week 9 through the NFC championship game as probable with a shin injury." Demovsky also talks to Matthews about an increased cardiovascular training program this past offseason that's designed to help minimize the risk of injuries that have plagued him in the past. Recommended reading.

Tight end Jermichael Finley's outspokenness got attention yesterday when he said the Packers should score every time they get the ball. "Finley has never had a confidence problem, and when it comes to the Green Bay Packers’ offense with him back in it, he believes the group could be the best ever," writes Jason Wilde. While there's a degree of hyperbole in Finley's comments, there's no doubt the offense should be prolific.

More on Jermichael Finley comes from Rob Demovsky and Mike Vandermause of the Press-Gazette.

As for one of the tight ends behind Finley on the depth chart, Andrew Quarless' fight for a roster spot is detailed by Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. "Jermichael Finley isn't going anywhere," writes Dunne. "The Packers probably didn't draft Arkansas' D.J. Williams and North Carolina's Ryan Taylor to release them. Unless general manager Ted Thompson decides to keep five tight ends, one roster spot could boil down to Quarless, Tom Crabtree and Spencer Havner." I don't think it's unreasonable to think the Packers could keep five tight ends, especially if they only keep one or two fullbacks. In a sense, Crabtree plays a lot of fullback as it is.

Offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga expressed satisfaction with being at right tackle for the Packers. "Though in the long run Bulaga could make more money if he made a successful transition to left tackle, where he played for most of his career in college, he says he’s fine with staying on the right side for the long run," according to an article posted at PackersNews.com. He looks comfortable there and he's seeing success. If there were an injury that would precipitate a move, the Packers might consider it. But barring that injury, there's no need to mess with what's working.

A feature on defensive lineman Mike Neal and his perfectionist attitude is written by Jason Wilde. "Neal would certainly prefer coach Mike McCarthy say good things about him than bad things, but the Green Bay Packers second-year defensive end didn’t quite agree with his boss’ kind assessment from the other night," writes Wilde. For the record, Neal was from upset. The article goes on to detail his comeback from injured reserve last season and his never-give-up viewpoint.

Wide receiver Chastin West received a vote of confidence from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which could indicate that West is closer to a roster spot than most realize. “I’m a big fan of Chastin West,” Rodgers is quoted as saying in an article by Jason Wilde. “I mean, he’s really come a long way. I love watching guys who grow up on the scout team and then have made the most of their opportunities."

The stellar play of the defense in last night's training camp practice was noted by Bill Huber of Packer Report. Eight sacks, with pressure coming from every which way as defensive coordinator Dom Capers turned loose blitzer after blitzer. On back-to-back plays, Pat Lee charged in untouched off the corner for sacks. On another play, rookie running back Alex Green saw two untouched blitzers coming his way. He picked the wrong guy — not that it mattered — and Tramon Williams wound up with the sack." The defense also forced some false starts and dropped passes, which can be viewed as a feather in their cap.

The struggles of the offense and how they're not a big concern is explained by Kareem Copeland of the Press-Gazette.

Special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum comments on the possibility of the Packers bringing in another kicker into camp.

General manager Ted Thompson's press conference is covered by Tyler Dunne and Mike Vandermause, while Kareem Copeland has Mike McCarthy's presser highlights.

Shaky Smithson and Tori Gurley had a good practice on Tuesday, according to Rob Demovsky.

Rob Francois' success in one-on-one drills is noted by Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel.

The pitfalls of assigning winners and losers to one-on-one drills is discussed by Clay Matthews.

Former Packers guard Mike Wahle is heading to England to purse an MBA degree.

Some betting props are listed at Packer Report.

Larry McCarren has a practice report at WFRV.com.

Video: Erik Walden talks to media, from PackersNews.com...

Brian Carriveau is the editor of the Maple Street Press Packers Annual. To contact Brian, email [email protected].

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