
Never draw conclusions from OTAs or minicamp. Repeat that three times before continuing to read.
Now that proper perspective has been achieved, which is to say we will succumb to neither excitement nor worry as we head into this week’s spring-ending, three-day minicamp, let’s make some observations about the “Underwear League,” better known as the spring practice season.
If we were to name an MVP, second-year cornerback ![]()
A fourth-round pick a year ago, House came to the Packers following a college season that was dogged by a significant ankle injury that kept him in a protective boot each week until game day. Just as he appeared to be making gains in last summer’s training camp, House went down with a significant hamstring injury that pretty much ended whatever chance he had of making a move on playing time.
House dedicated himself to a disciplined conditioning regimen through the winter, and it’s already paying dividends. OTAs, as Mike McCarthy has said, are best for evaluating movement skills, and House’s movement skills are noticeably improved.
His play of the spring is a break-on-the-ball beauty in which he broke up a pass for wide receiver ![]()
Another memorable play of the spring belongs to third-year cornerback ![]()
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The defensive backs overall might have been the most impressive group in OTAs. Of course, the “Underwear League” is made for movement players, so it usually follows that the “Boys of Spring” are likely to be wide receivers and defensive backs. This column gives the nod to the DBs.
Second-year safety ![]()
Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers is determined to fix a defensive ranking that is the only stain on his resume, and a decidedly more athletic group of defensive linemen and linebackers, combined with the young defensive backs, offer Capers hope.
Offensively, neither ![]()
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The “Underwear League” is not a stage on which linemen star, but the Packers’ cast of young offensive linemen is offering a strong sense of security at a place of traditional worry. You can never have enough big guys, the saying goes. The Packers, however, have several young big guys who have a down-the-road look to them.
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What about running back? That appears to be the question on everybody’s lips. Are the Packers content with what they have, which is to say ![]()
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Starks has shown flashes of brilliance through the first two years of his career. He needs to stay healthy and develop consistency. Green is recovering from a midseason ACL and hasn’t participated in practices. Will he make it all the way back in training camp? McCarthy referred to Saine as potentially the most consistent of the Packers’ backs. Might Saine, an undrafted player last year, come out of nowhere to seize the starting job?
Never draw conclusions from OTAs or minicamp. Take it all with the proverbial grain of salt.