Highlights From Final Day of Packers Minicamp: ‘Super Bowl!’

Thursday wasn’t only the last practice of Green Bay Packers minicamp. It was the last practice as team president and CEO for Mark Murphy.

After Brandon McManus made a 58-yard field goal to eliminate a final 40-minute period, coach Matt LaFleur invited Murphy into the post-practice huddle. Murphy’s breakdown: “One, two, three, Super Bowl!”

LaFleur likes his team and the potential of competing for the Super Bowl. And for good reason following back-to-back playoff appearances. He’s happy with the work put in during the offseason program, which concluded with two weeks of organized team activities and this week’s three-day minicamp.

The six weeks between now and the first practice of training camp on July 23 will be just as important.

“Everybody feels good this time of the year,” LaFleur said. What was “most positive,” he said, was the attendance, with the “majority of our guys here for the duration” of the offseason program.

“But you’ve got to continue to work. Just because we’re done now, it goes on to the next phase, and now we have 40 days roughly before the start of training camp. You can’t take your foot off the gas for one second in this league, because if you do, people are going to bypass you. 

“We’ve got to keep pushing. These guys, they shoulder most of that responsibility in regards to how they go about training and taking care of their bodies and doing the things that they need to do to get ready to go when we get back here for the start of camp.”

As for Murphy, the players signed a helmet to give him as a parting gift to mark the end of his 18-year run atop the organization. His replacement, Ed Policy, also was at practice.

“I think I can speak for everybody within our football space just how appreciative we are of Mark, the kind of leader that he is,” LaFleur said. “I think as great of a leader he is, he’s an even better man.

“Just appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of this great organization. It’s certainly changed my life, my family’s life. I also love the way he leads. He’s going to let you do your job, but he’s also there and he’s very supportive all along the way, through the good times and the not-so-good times. He’s very special to all of us here.”

Minicamp Attendance

Cornerback Nate Hobbs, who did not practice on Wednesday, was back on the field for the final practice.

However, three additional players were out for the final day of the offseason, with receiver Jayden Reed, cornerback Kamal Hadden and safety Omar Brown joining the rehab group on the sideline. They joined a group of 10 players who missed the entire minicamp: linebacker Quay Walker, receiver Christian Watson, cornerback Micah Robinson, cornerback Kalen King, safety Zayne Anderson, defensive end Collin Oliver, offensive linemen Aaron Banks, John Williams and Elgton Jenkins, and receiver Julian Hicks.

Asked if there was any concern that Quay Walker, Rasheed Walker, Reed or Banks could miss the start of training camp, LaFleur said: “I would say hopefully not.”

Jenkins, who is being moved to center, skipped the voluntary part of the offseason and didn’t practice during the minicamp. During a field-goal period, he and general manager Brian Gutekunst talked for several minutes.

“I talked to Elgton about this,” LaFleur said. “I think since he’s been back here, the communication’s been great between him and I. I expect him to be ready to go when we come back. He’s a guy that I really respect how he works. The product, obviously, that he’s put out there from an individual standpoint has been pretty impressive. He’s fought through some adversity, but he’s going to be a big part of this thing.”

Second-year lineman Travis Glover, as was the case all week, did offensive line drills with a trainer rather than with the coaches.

Play of the Day

The seven-on-seven drill is as competitive as it gets for spring football. The receivers are running routes at full speed. The defensive backs are going full speed to keep up.

With the ball just inside the 20-yard line on the second play of a seven-on-seven red-zone period, Jordan Love went deep to receiver Matthew Golden. Nate Hobbs, who missed practice on Wednesday, made a leaping breakup in the end zone.

“Bringing a guy like Nate Hobbs in, who’s got experience, as well, we’ll see what he ends up doing, whether it’s nickel or corner, but he looks good so far,” Love said this week. “He’s a very physical corner, nickel, whatever they put him at. The more we get around him, the more we keep seeing him, the first start I’ve seen he looks pretty good.” 

Extra Points

- Throughout OTAs and the first two days of minicamp, practice ended with competitive 2-minute drills. Not on Thursday. After a half-speed 11-on-11 period, 40 minutes was put on the scoreboard for what appeared to be a special teams period.

However, LaFleur announced to the team, if kicker Brandon McManus could make a 58-yard field goal, that period would be canceled. The snap and hold were good, and McManus’ kick split the uprights with plenty of distance to spare. The team began to celebrate with the ball in midair.

- Including that kick, it appeared McManus made all nine field-goal attempts on a blustery Thursday. His two sets of four kicks ended with boots of 47 and 51 yards.

“I was obviously upset about my performance in that game,” McManus said on Wednesday, referencing his missed field goal in the playoff game at Philadelphia. “You kind of get away. I spent time with my wife and kids and then get right back into things here. I’m excited to be around the team and around everyone.”

- During his second set of seven-on-seven snaps in the red zone, Jordan Love started with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft against Xavier McKinney, Romeo Doubs against Kitan Oladapo and Matthew Golden.

The touchdowns to Kraft and Golden had wildly different velocities, with Love throwing a 100 mph fastball to Kraft and then using touch to get it over the defense and to Golden in the back of the end zone. On the touchdown to Doubs, Love looked to the left flat, which perhaps created an opening in the back of the end zone for Doubs.

“I think Jordan’s been more vocal, and we need him to be, quite honestly,” LaFleur said. “He’s got to take that upon himself. I just don’t know many quarterbacks in this league who aren’t the voice of not only the offense but their team. All the great ones do it.”

- The final three competitive plays of the summer were passes to Cornelius Johnson. After a productive 2-minute drill on Wednesday, the first-year player from Michigan caught touchdown passes from Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma. The pass by Elgersma was the most impressive of the offseason by the Canadian import, a rocket of a pass thrown with confidence and accuracy.

Lineup Notes

- After two days with Jordan Morgan at left guard and Donovan Jennings at left guard, the Packers rolled with Morgan at left tackle and Kadeem Telfort at left guard. Jennings worked with the backups, where he got some work at center.

- Bo Melton once again was a two-way player. More of his focus on Thursday was receiver. The first snap of the day had him with receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, tight end Tucker Kraft and running back Josh Jacobs.

- The first snap on defense: Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness as the defensive ends, Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt as the defensive tackles, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie as the linebackers, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as the corners, Nate Hobbs in the slot, and Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams as the safeties.

- Cornerback Gregory Junior, who was signed only a few weeks ago, got a little first-team action at corner.

What’s Next: Packers Training Camp

The first practice of training camp will be held on Wednesday, July 23. Most of the team will report a day earlier.

“Some of the guys will be coming in a few days early,” LaFleur said. “We’ll have the quarterbacks, the rookies and some of our injured players. It’s a pretty long list, so we’ll have half the team back here a little bit early.”

Quote of the Day?

What is the team capable of? Here’s what Devonte Wyatt said:

“The sky’s the limit. That’s all there is to say. Super Bowl. If we all just come together and do what you just said, the sky’s the limit for us. We’re all still young. I don’t know what everybody’s contract looks like but, for this year, for us to have what we have, we can make that happen, for sure.”a