5 things learned at Packers training camp – Aug. 19

GREEN BAY – The Packers were back in pads for Wednesday’s fourth practice of training camp at Ray Nitschke Field. Here are five things learned from practice and the media availability that followed: 1. Jamaal Williams isn’t worried about touches. He just loves football. The Packers’ fun-loving running back reacted exactly how you’d expect he might to the team drafting AJ Dillon in the second round this past April – sheer and utter excitement. The addition of Dillon raised some questions about how Green Bay would divvy up snaps among a talented and deep backfield that already returns Williams and Aaron Jones at the top of the depth chart. Williams doesn’t look at it like that, though. In a way, the situation unfolding reminds him of his days playing at Summit High School in Fontana, Calif. “It just feels like high school. You always have playmakers on your team so you have to take the reps you got and go score from there,” said Williams, who playfully wore a joker mask through his 10-minute Zoom call with Green Bay media.“I feel like that’s the mindset we like and we have. We just want to take the ball and score every time. It’s just that type of team to be on and make that big leap, and make it to the Super Bowl. We want to win a Super Bowl. We want that ring. It just gets me excited. It just gets me excited to play. I love football.” Williams has been a steady and reliable complement to Jones for the past three seasons, racking up 2,205 total yards and 15 touchdowns in 46 career regular-season games. In addition to being stout in pass protection, the 6-foot, 213-pound running back has yet to fumble in 472 NFL touches. Entering a contract year, Williams spent most of his offseason working out with personal trainer Luke Neal in Arizona. Due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Williams spent a lot of time doing personalized workouts outdoors. He documented some of his workouts on social media, from running gassers up mountains to catching passes from a close circle of friends and training partners. “I was working out on mountains with rattlesnakes and stuff like that,” Williams said. “Not a lot of people like rattlesnakes, not a lot of people like running hills at 12 o’clock in the afternoon when it’s like 110 (degrees).“I want to be great. I want to be great like ‘Sweetness’ (Walter Payton), like he was and his work ethic in the offseason. I want to be running hills and make sure that I’m making myself working hard like it’s training camp but even harder.” On a personal level, Williams was also thrilled for Jones and his girlfriend, Crystal Molina, on the birth of their first child, Aaron Jones Jr. Williams, who has a 2-year-old daughter himself, said he plans on buying “his nephew” a gift (perhaps a tricycle) but already provided some advice to Jones. “I told him to get the trampoline,” Williams said. “He got the trampoline so he could start working on his balance. I’ll tell you that’s the key toy you need for your baby is a trampoline, get that balance going.” 2. Adrian Amos grabbed another interception. Amos keeps making plays. The Packers’ sixth-year safety again stood out during practice Wednesday, intercepting Aaron Rodgers on a deep ball intended for Davante Adams during an early team period. Amos also had a diving interception in a red-zone period during Tuesday’s practice. The 27-year-old safety, now the elder statesman in the DB room with Tramon Williams still unsigned, had two picks during his first season with the Packers in 2019. “I’ve had a couple good balls thrown my way and I’ve just capitalized,” Amos said. “We’re just trying to sharpen up in the back end, and there’s an emphasis on getting turnovers, so I know Coach always likes to say just catch the ones that come your way.”3. Davante Adams is OK. Za'Darius Smith was held out as a precaution. While Adams came up limping following Amos’ interception, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver returned to practice after briefly going inside the Hutson Center with the Packers’ training staff. After jogging off to the side on his own, Adams participated in the final offensive walkthrough. After the 1-hour, 23-minute session, Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Adams was going to be “just fine.” Center Corey Linsley was back participating in team periods after sitting out of Tuesday’s practice. Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who dropped out Tuesday, also was back but sat out of the two padded team periods. The Packers held Smith, the Pro Bowl outside linebacker, Smith out of practice for precautionary reasons, according to LaFleur. Tight end Marcedes Lewis also had a veteran rest day.4. Dean Lowry is happy to see Kenny Clark stay in Green Bay. Clark and Lowry, the two longest-tenured players on the defensive side of the ball for the Packers, will be lining up next to each other for the foreseeable future after Clark agreed to a contract extension with the team last weekend. The 2016 draft picks have been the face of the Packers’ defensive line for the past two seasons, with Lowry agreeing to an extension himself at the start of training camp last year. “I’ve seen first-hand Kenny’s work ethic and his drive to be the best at what he does,” Lowry said. “Having two guys that have experience now going on five years … it’s always nice to share experiences of past games and now going into our third year of Coach Pettine’s system, a lot of stuff there we can fall back on and just talk football.”5. The Packers will practice inside Lambeau Field on Thursday. As part of LaFleur’s plans to acclimate the team to playing without fans this season, the Packers will hold their first practice inside Lambeau Field on Thursday morning. “It’s our first time being in Lambeau in a long time,” Lowry said. “I think just getting used to the field, getting used to the environment, and yeah also getting used to not having fans. … The main thing also we’re focusing on is bringing our own energy and juice to practice and to games. That’s a big part of our focus during training camp.” Additionally, LaFleur said he’s expecting to soon learn more about is what “ambient noise” the NFL is going to be incorporating into games this upcoming season.2020 Packers Training Camp

5 things learned at Packers training camp – Aug. 19

Notes on backfield depth, Jamaal Williams’ offseason and getting ready to practice inside Lambeau Field