Packers coaches pleased with how young receivers have stepped up
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Having assessed the film of the Packers' 31-13 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, Green Bay's coordinators broke down the bigger topics from the game with the media.
Here are three question-and-answer highlights from each coordinator:
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DOM CAPERS
1. With as good as Jamari Lattimore has been in his two starts, did you see this coming from him at all?
CAPERS: "He's kind of taken the natural progression. He came in as a free agent. We put him outside (at outside linebacker). He really wasn't as big as we'd like out there, but we liked his athletic ability. He performed extremely well on special teams last year, which is kind of the step before you step out there on defense. If you kind of look at Brad Jones, he kind of went through the same progression. We had Brad outside and started all those games that first year I was here, and then Brad became one of our real bell cows on special teams. Last year, when we went through Desmond Bishop to D.J. Smith and then to Brad, and Brad performed very well. I think Jamari has kind of followed that same progression and he has played very well. Fortunately, he's going in and has done a nice job."
2. How has your defense been able to shut down the opposing team's top receiver in so many recent games? (A.J. Green in Week 3, Torrey Smith in Week 6, Josh Gordon in Week 7)
CAPERS: "I think our outside guys have really done a nice job and I think that they've progressed. I think a lot of the balls that you see caught on us now are contested balls, where we have people right there. There were three or four (on Sunday). Micah Hyde had two or three where it was a bam-bam play. Going in, I know we were concerned a little bit by their tight end (Jordan Cameron). He had been a very productive guy, a big guy that's talented (and) can run. And I think he had seven catches (Sunday) but there weren't any explosive catches. When he did catch the ball, there was somebody around him. There was not much yardage after the catch and that's what he had done; he made a lot of yards after the catch. So I like where our coverage unit is. I think that we're getting a little bit healthier. We'll see where Casey (Hayward) is this week, but I think it gives us a little more flexibility. Micah Hyde has played nickel for us. He played nickel against Baltimore, he played dime. Tramon (Williams) played nickel for us (Sunday), so Tramon can play either inside or outside. Micah can play either nickel or dime. And Casey obviously has a year's experience playing nickel. So it gives you some flexibility in terms of trying to match people up in different situations."
3. Do you take into account the youth at outside linebacker when game-planning, or do you just continue doing the same things you would with Clay Matthews and Nick Perry?
CAPERS: "We have our base scheme, but obviously you're going to adjust that based off of who's out there. I think a lot has to do with how much can they handle and execute efficiently. I think you make a big mistake if you try to throw it all at these young guys because they're going to get overwhelmed and then they aren't going to perform as fast and play as confident as you'd like for them to play."
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR SHAWN SLOCUM
1. What should Jake Stoneburner have done differently on the roughing-the-punter penalty?
SLOCUM: "Not rough the punter. He had great effort and great extension. I thought Chris Banjo should have blocked the ball and then it could have possibly been a score for us. We missed the block and then it was a wet day and Jake slid into the punter's plant leg and that's why they called roughing."
2. Why did you use Myles White on the hands team on Cleveland's initial onside-kick attempt? Was he ready for that role?
SLOCUM: "He should have handled that ball. He got his hands on it and he didn't put the ball away and get down. He should have handled it."
3. Given the injuries -- and therefore the need on offense and defense to use players who had been participating on special teams, were the special teams issues a trickle down from having to use new players in those situations?
SLOCUM: "You know, I think that it's important ... we're going to have change and it's part of playing special teams. Guys get into new roles but the expectations don't change and we need to play better. We made way too many mistakes (Sunday)."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TOM CLEMENTS
1. Did you think Jarrett Boykin was going to be capable of a 100-yard receiving game in his first NFL start?
CLEMENTS: "He's a very detailed guy. He does what you ask him to do, he tries to do it to the best of his ability, He has good size, he's always been a good blocker, he's become a good route runner, he has good hands. He's just a very solid and dependable guy. And he's gotten better the longer he's been here."
2. Does having Aaron Rodgers at quarterback help make it easier for a player like Boykin to transition into a bigger role?
CLEMENTS: "I think it helps it. I think (Rodgers) has obviously great ability and he can put the ball where he needs to in order to give the guys a chance to catch it, and he, along with the other veterans on the team on the offensive side of the ball, have to be at their best and help those young guys come along."
3. Does the offense need to get Myles White the ball more often in upcoming games?
CLEMENTS: "He played hard, he played fast, he ran good routes and just for one reason or another, the ball didn't go his way. Whether someone else was the No. 1 in the route or at times the quarterback's vision is blocked and doesn't really see it clearly, but what (White) did, he played well and he executed the things he needed to execute."
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