01-18-2020, 06:37 AM
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The brief scuffle at Packers practice turned heads in the crowd. The dropped ball by a receiver during an offence vs. defence security drill drew roars from defenders. The team has grinded through off-season workouts with a work ethic that coach Mike McCarthy says is one of the best hes seen during his nine years as head coach in Green Bay. The energy is up. "Im not saying the other groups werent mature," McCarthy said. "It just seems like this group is further ahead than weve been, and you can sense the energy." Caveat: Its June, still more than six weeks from the start of training camp and three months from the start of the 2014 season. Almost every team feels good this time of year. The Packers, of course, have a championship pedigree. Confidence that comes with winning three straight NFC North titles, and just a few seasons removed from winning the Super Bowl. "The work ethic is very high. This group is really extremely competitive, in tune. Our new training environment has been unbelievable. It has put us so far ahead of where weve ever been, so I think with that brings more confidence so theres just a sense of maturity," McCarthy said. Changes on the coaching staff brought some new perspective. Quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo left to become the offensive co-ordinator of the New York Giants, while outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene left to spend more time with family. Sam Gash is the new running backs coach after Alex Van Pelt slid over to replace McAdoo. Winston Moss is the assistant in charge of all linebackers now, not just inside linebackers. Former Illinois and Florida head coach Ron Zook is now an assistant special teams coach. Green Bay hopes the defence will be improved this year with the addition of Julius Peppers and the anticipated healthy return of linebacker Clay Matthews from an injured thumb. Eddie Lacy has a full year of seasoning now as the lead rusher in a talented backfield that complements Rodgers. The 2011 NFL MVP, for one, likes the spunk hes seen on the practice field. "I love it. I love the energy, I love the passion. There will be those altercations in training camp. When guys remember this is a professional environment, not a personal environment, then you wont have any issues in the locker room," Rodgers said. "But every now and then you have to stir it up a little bit, you have to make some changes." Rodgers said he also likes the changes he has seen with new personnel and new coaches. "Its a natural progression. And when you have some new players theres always going to be stuff like that, guys getting used to this tempo," Rodgers said. "Sometimes guys dont like getting tossed down a little bit, and you need to work it out." Fringe players anxiously looking for a roster spot shouldnt get too overly worked up. Jobs arent won in June, McCarthy said, when practices are tailored to highlight agility and playing in space. But McCarthy likes some of the intangibles that he has seen so far. "I think youre seeing more player interaction as far as what goes on on the field. Guys self-correcting, and a lot more pro-active as far as sharing information," he said. "Those are good things. I see more of it this year." Note: The Packers signed rookie free agent Shaun Lewis on Tuesday. Lewis, a 5-foot-11 linebacker from Oklahoma State, tried out at Packers rookie minicamp in May. He had 73 tackles and three interceptions last season for the Cowboys. __ Online: AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ___ Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP Keith Hernandez . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Randy Arozarena . LA (SportsNetwork. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/...e-71q.html. The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Ken Boyer .Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton each homered and had an outfield assist, and the Braves held on for a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. Austin Gomber . Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an email Friday that the ban still holds. Euromeetings, the organization representing Europes top track events, "will continue to recommend that members do not invite athletes who we believe cause disrepute to our meetings and our sport.WINNIPEG -- The coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers say wins are the only thing that will show whether theyve assembled a better team this season. "I want to say our fans are going to see a team that theyre proud of, that regardless of the outcome on each particular game, that the fans are going to leave the stadium knowing that we gave it all," GM Kyle Walters said Friday on one of the conference calls CFL teams are having with the media as they prepare for the new season. But there were no bold predictions as to whether the Bombers are a better team yet than they were last season. "Its all words until we hit four wins," said Mike OShea, the former Toronto special teams co-ordinator preparing for his rookie season as a CFL head coach. Last season, the Bombers tied their worst record ever in the 18-game schedule as they finished in the CFL cellar at 3-15. "What does better mean?" asked Walters. "Thats the beauty I guess of our line of work that better is quantifiable with wins and losses." The teams on-field balance sheet shows additions and subtractions since that last troubled season ended. General manager Joe Mack got his pink slip well before the final game and coach Tim Burke was sacked after it was all over. Since then, the biggest loss was defensive star Henoc Muamba. The Canadian linebacker who was Winnipegs top defensive player, top Canadian player and top player overall in 2013 signed with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. And one possible import replacement, former Tennessee Titan Gerald McRath, didnt pan out. He went to the teams mini-camp in Florida and the defensive staff didnt see what they were looking for in the veteran. "Its not something were worried about," said OShea, pointing to players still on the roster who can fill the hole. The Bombers also lost Canadian speciial teams linebacker James Green and import receiver Wallace Miles to the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL expansion draft.dddddddddddd They lost receiver and 2012 CFL rookie of the year Chris Matthews to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL but picked up free agent Nick Moore from the B.C. Lions, the third leading receiver in the CFL in 2013. They traded Canadian receiver Kito Poblah to the Lions for defensive back and four-time CFL all-star Korey Banks. The Bombers lost free agent offensive lineman Justin Sorensen, last seasons starter at centre, to the Edmonton Eskimos and are looking to use their second overall pick next week to select someone in the CFL draft they hope can be a starting centre. Overall though, Walters says this years draft offers a diminished pool because of rule changes regarding the NFL draft and red-shirted freshmen. "Youre going to see some real good players drafted next week," he said. "Theres just not the depth." The Bombers also struck out in every bid to land a bona fide starting CFL quarterback, although they insist theyre thrilled with former Saskatchewan backup Drew Willy, who has been guaranteed the job even before training camp starts. Both Walters and OShea were emphatic Friday that nothing will change that. "He demonstrated down in Florida to be very accurate," said OShea. "Hes not afraid to go down field . . . He took risks in practice. He didnt try to play it safe. . . He absorbed the playbook very quick. He showed some leadership, I dont forsee that changing from the start of training camp to the end." OShea said theyre not going into camp with a wait-and-see attitude. "What weve done in the off-season I believe is showing that were not waiting to see whats going to happen next, were taking a real active step in creating what we want to happen next," he said. ' ' '