It didn’t take long for rookie
Blake Martinez to jump ahead of
Joe Thomas in the battle to be the starting linebacker in the dime package. After splitting reps the first two practices, the fourth-round pick from Stanford took most of the snaps on Thursday. Martinez didn’t stand out, but he also didn’t make any glaring mistakes, and that’s the most important thing for a young player at this point in camp.
Martinez isn’t particularly impressive physically. He’s one of the smaller inside linebackers on the roster and he’s not going to wow anyone with his athletic ability. But what stands out right away is his intelligence and his confidence. He’ll be in the right place at the right time and he’s not going to be intimidated. We’ll have to wait until September to find out whether that’ll be enough against savvy veteran tight ends like Jacksonville’s Julius Thomas and Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph.
Here are some other observations from Thursday’s practice, which was padded and lasted for 2 1/2 hours.
–I’ve been going to Packers training camp for almost 20 years and
Brett Hundley is the most impressive second-year quarterback I’ve seen. And that includes
Aaron Rodgers. The former UCLA star is big, athletic, poised and capable of making every throw. I’m not saying he’s going to be a 2-time MVP and a future Hall of Famer, but I’d be kinda surprised if he’s not a successful starter for some team in two or three years.
—It’s early, but so far so very good for corner
Quinten Rollins. It seems pretty clear the coaches like the idea of his size and toughness in the base. I’m sure
Damarious Randall isn’t thrilled, but even if he doesn’t start, last year’s No. 1 pick still figures to be on the field for about 70% of the snaps in the nickel and dime packages.
—
John Crockett should be feeling good about his chances of holding onto the No. 3 running back job. He’s off to a solid start while competitors
Brandon Burks and
Brandon Ross both put the ball on the ground today. It wouldn’t surprise me to see another player added at this position before the start of next week.
—It was a fairly quiet first day in pads for No. 1 draft pick
Kenny Clark, andconsidering he’s only 20 years old and missed most of the offseason workouts due to UCLA’s academic calendar, it might take him a while to get going. Fortunately, there are 20 practices and five preseason games left before the opener in Jacksonville.
—Rookie nose tackle
Tyler Kuder looks like more than just a camp body. The undrafted free agent from Idaho State isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but he’s very strong and very relentless. Those traits allowed him to flash against some of the third and fourth-string interior offensive linemen. Whether he’s talented enough to compete against the likes of
Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Corey Linsley and JC Tretter remains to be seen.
—Watching practice, you’d think
Aaron Rodgers and
Randall Cobb had never played together before this summer. There’s been a lot of miscommunication between the two veterans. This is why
Jordy Nelson is so valuable. Not only is he a very talented receiver, but he’s almost always on the same page as his quarterback.
Martinez Gets Quick Promotion – PACKERS NOTES
Man some of this shyt is not real to start the season.
