GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators met with the media Tuesday. Here's a sampling of their key comments.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
On new LB Nick Niemann making four coverage tackles:
He got in the right place at the right time and wrapped them up, did a good job. He made a lot of tackles in space. That's what he's done his whole career.
On rookie WR Savion Williams trying kickoff returns:
It was fun to get him out there, first look at it. I think we have to do a little bit better job of not getting a penalty and see if we can get him a crease.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On DL Micah Parsons' impact:
For his limited snaps, the way he ran to the ball, the pressures, the sack, I mean, it's kind of what I was hoping he would do, and hopefully he'll do more and we'll be able to use him more the more we have him in practice and the more reps he can play, and the more comfortable he is with the guys in his room to play off each other, to run games together, to really learn the defense. So I thought he did an awesome job. The more I'm around him, the more I'm impressed with him not just as a player but as a person and the way he approaches it. The way he's trying to have relationships with his teammates. He's a fun guy to be around. He loves ball and he's smart. I respect him a ton and I'm glad he's on our team.
On the all-around defensive performance:
I told the guys after the game, just being up there and seeing how fast they played and seeing how hard they played, they ran to the ball and they tackled and they're punching at the ball and the excitement. And watching it on film the next day, that's probably one of my proudest moments as a coach. They were relentless for the entire game, and it was everybody. Everybody who stepped foot on that field, they just played so hard. I appreciate that so much as a coach and it's a credit to the staff, it's a credit to the players. We've got to do it again.
How can I explain this? When I'm watching film, when I hit the pause button at the end of the play and you see 11 guys all in the clip, that is like the greatest thing in the world for a coach. One, it shows they're bought in. Two, it shows they love each other because they're playing hard for each other and they're giving everything they have to each other. That's one of the greatest things as a coach. You find out a lot about your team when you hit the pause button.
On S Xavier McKinney:
Xavier McKinney didn't have an interception, so no one right now is talking about what Xavier McKinney did in that game. That's one of the best games I've seen him play. His disguise, his communication, there were some times – when Evan (Williams) intercepted the one pass, I didn't know if we were gonna be right (with the coverage) and all of a sudden he popped out and got to where he was supposed to – so it was X, it was the pressure and then it was Evan that were all involved in the interception. The other thing X did is he played the run about as well as I've seen him and the way we inserted him in different spots to do that and how physical he was, I mean I thought it was one of the best games that he played. It doesn't look like that from the stat line, but there's another chess piece, right?
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich
On the running backs in pass protection vs. Detroit:
They did a phenomenal job. What do I attribute that to? I mean, it was a big emphasis this week. Obviously stepping up against their pass rush and they did it. They answered the call. They were really physical inside. They kept the pockets nice and firm for Jordan. There was a lot of pick-stunts and things like that that they were trying to throw at us and I thought our running backs did a phenomenal job.
On spreading the ball around so much:
Just being around the guys that we have for the last couple years, I don't think that really bothers these guys. Obviously, they all want to feel involved in the game plan and we try and spread it around, for sure. It's just one of those things you'll see some games where a guy might score three touchdowns and then the next game a different guy scores a couple of touchdowns. In any game, one guy could go off compared to another guy. So, it's kind of the weird place that we're in as an offense, which is a good problem to have, but, yeah, being around these guys, we're a team. We play for each other and I think that's what's going to sustain us throughout the season and, hopefully, it will be special.
On getting WR Dontayvion Wicks back in the lineup:
He did a good job blocking and he's a pretty physical player in the run game. It was just good to see him out there running around again; he had some limited reps in camp for the last few weeks and it was good to see him out there making plays and playing fast.
On WR Jayden Reed's impact after missing time:
The good thing now is he's at the point of his career – it's his third year – so it's not like he's a rookie and you're like, OK, we have to get you reps, otherwise we don't know what you're going to do. He's been around, he's smart, he studies, he's helping coach guys on the sideline when he's not out there, being a leader with all that stuff. He's got a good mental side of the game now where you can tell him stuff and he'll just know what to do. So, that gives you a little comfort as a coach.
