LATROBE, Pa. — It was the first padded practice of this training camp, and the largest weekday crowd of the summer showed up at Saint Vincent College on Monday to commemorate the occasion. But when it was over, what they had seen mostly was the players wearing the pads more than using them.
But that was by design.
"This is the first day [of] padded work, but we're still in a restricted mode," said Coach Mike McCarthy. "It's 105 minutes. Today is ramp-up, today and tomorrow will be limited time on the field, but definitely a chance to get into the pads, get the padded individual work, special teams work. A little bit of combination, then we'll stay with the team periods that we've been working. So I just want to get as much done as I can today in 105 minutes, but yes, everybody looks forward to today."
In the past, the first day of pads was an occasion, or as Chuck Noll was fond of saying, it set the tone. For Noll, the signature drill was the Oklahoma, and it was done on a regular basis because there was no such thing as a padless practice in his day, and the only occasion his players celebrated was when the schedule moved from two padded practices a day to just one.
For Bill Cowher and then Mike Tomlin, the signature drills were goal-line and backs-on-backers, and fans and players alike knew when to expect those and a crescendo of anticipation would build.
Mike McCarthy's training camp practices so far have been less about setting a physical tone and more about energy, tempo, and attention to detail.
"I think we checked every box from an operation standpoint," said McCarthy. "The energy of practice. I think their pace has been really good for us being in our first year together. So, the tempo, you see it on the clock. There's time periods, and there's not just the fact you're trying to get it done within that time. It's how fast you're getting in and out of the huddle. All those things. So yeah, this will be a big day in that area too. Because usually when the pads slow down, there's a little more conversation and we can't have any of that. We have to keep going."
TWO-MINUTE
Once again, practice concluded with two repetitions of two-minute. This time, the scenario was: ball on the 35-yard line, 1:46 on the clock, 1 timeout. And this time, it was a day for the defense.
As always, Aaron Rodgers was up first, and things got interesting once he directed the offense into the red zone by converting a second-and-10 with a 12-yard completion to DK Metcalf.
That gave the offense a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line with 26 seconds remaining. Rodgers' first-down pass was to the back of the end zone, where Roman Wilson made a leaping catch but couldn't get his feet down in-bounds.
On third down, Rodgers' pass was over the head of Michael Pittman Jr. and incomplete. And on fourth down, it appeared as though Rodgers was taking a shot at a back-shoulder throw, but Patrick Queen was in coverage and he got himself around in time to make the interception in the end zone.
Next up at quarterback was Will Howard, with the same situation. Ball on the 35-yard line; 1:46 on the clock; and 1 timeout.
On first down, Howard's pass was batted at the line of scrimmage by DT Esezi Otomewo. Then, an 8-yard completion to Pittman and an incomplete pass set up a fourth-and-2 from the 43-yard line. Jaylen Warren converted with a 4-yard burst up the middle, and then in hurry-up mode. Howard completed a 5-yard pass to TE Robert Tonyan.
A couple of plays later, the offense faced a second-and-5 from the 36-yard line, and Howard's pass again was batted at the line of scrimmage, this time by NT Gabriel Rubio.
On third-and-5 with 26 seconds left, Howard threw down the right sideline for WR A.T. Perry, and rookie CB Daylen Everette was flagged for pass interference.
On first down at the 14-yard line, Howard missed on a connection to Kaden Wetjen in the end zone, and then on what turned out to be the final play of Monday's practice, Howard's pass for Germie Bernard down by the goal line was broken up by Everette.
"We're getting the reps, as far as the boxes we're trying to check," said McCarthy. "We're getting the situations repped accordingly. The biggest stress point of our training camp will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, because Thursday and Friday will be the first time we really get to have what I would call a true training camp practice. Two-and-a-half hours in pads and be able to get through some of the one-on-one and a little more combination drill work, more run game work. It was our first day of pads (today) so we're doing OK."
