One of the first passes thrown by Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay Packers camp was as noteworthy for who was competing for the ball as much as the play’s result.
Cornerback Kevin King Denzel Ward Browns Jersey , locked in coverage deep against receiver Randall Cobb, appeared to wrestle away an interception, though the ever-competitive quarterback disputed that call.
Coach Mike McCarthy took a diplomatic approach.
”Yeah, I’m a head coach so I thought it was an excellent play by both guys,” McCarthy said Friday, drawing laughs. ”I like the way Randall finished with the ball but I like the position that Kevin was in.”
Outcome aside, the most important takeaway might be that two players who could be pivotal to Green Bay’s success are healthy again.
Cobb revealed Friday that he had ankle surgery after offseason workouts. He was spotted at an airport with a walking boot on his right foot last month.
Doctors ”went in and pretty much just removed a piece of cartilage that was giving me some problems,” Cobb said . ”Obviously not that big of a deal. But feeling a lot better than I did before.”
Enough so that the senior member of the Packers receiving corps is a full go in camp .
”I think the first call, the first play … where the ball goes deep to Randall, I think that tells you the kind of shape (Cobb is in),” McCarthy said.
Cobb’s health is important for a receiving corps that lost Jordy Nelson after the respected veteran was cut in the offseason in a money-saving move. It left Cobb and Davante Adams as the Packers’ top wideouts, plus a bevy of young players competing for targets that once went to Nelson.
”At this point Authentic Tanner Lee Jersey , it’s just getting my conditioning back. I was here the entire offseason working with our strength and conditioning staff trying to get back and get right,” Cobb said.
King had left shoulder surgery after his injury-shortened rookie year. The shoulder maligned him for much of last season, and King was limited to individual workouts in the offseason as he recovered.
But King is a full go now, and his interception against Cobb in practice Thursday offered a glimpse of King’s full potential when healthy. He is talented enough to be the Packers’ top cornerback.
King wasn’t done. On the next play, he broke up a throw for receiver Geronimo Allison and ended up hitting the ground.
”I could have done that last year,” King said in the locker room.
Maybe, but he might have been in pain.
The shoulder no longer hurts, King said. The injury during his rookie season also sharpened his mental game.
”Mentally, it elevated me. It’s been positive for me,” King added.
A healthy King could do wonders at a cornerback position beleaguered by injuries the last couple of years. The 6-foot-3 King has the length to play effective press coverage for new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.
Now King just needs to stay on the field after making 31 tackles in nine games last season, including five starts.
”There’s no question about Kevin’s ability and his level of talent and the ability to play,” McCarthy said. ”Yes Dak Prescott Jersey , he made two competitive plays on the ball. … The biggest thing I’m happy about is Kevin’s healthy and he’s come back from the shoulder surgery and is off to a good start.”
NOTES: OLB Nick Perry, who is starting camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list, said he had no concerns about being ready for the opener on Sept. 9 against Chicago. Perry, who had offseason ankle surgery, and Clay Matthews are the veteran leaders at a position otherwise short on experience and production. ”We’re still going to take it one day at a time just to make sure that everything goes smoothly and I’m here for the long haul,” Perry said. … Rodgers and TE Jimmy Graham showed rapport in connecting for some tough pass plays during team drills. Graham was signed in the offseason as a free agent. … A pass from Rodgers over the middle during a two-minute drill was picked off at the goal line by ILB Blake Martinez. … Two backups, QB DeShone Kizer and TE Robert Tonyan, connected on a 15-yard scoring pass in coverage for the offense’s only score in two-minute drill work.
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Donte DiVincenzo’s dad can dust off the old Milwaukee Bucks jerseys he used wear as a fan while he was growing up.
DiVincenzo will be able to hook his father up with some new gear soon, too.
The Villanova guard was formally introduced Monday in Milwaukee at the Bucks’ downtown training facility. The team drafted him last week in the first round with the 17th overall pick.
The 6-foot-5 DiVincenzo gives the Bucks another 3-point shooter with size and toughness in the backcourt, skills that should fit well with All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game.
The No. 9 Bucks jersey with DiVincenzo’s name on the back will soon become the prized piece in the jersey collection belonging to his father, John. An old Ricky Pierce jersey was a favorite.
”I was seen in a Bucks jersey in Philly in my later years. I had mustard all over me. I don’t know if you’re familiar with how they roll there,” the elder DiVincenzo said with smile at the Bucks’ downtown training facility.
His son gets a clean start in the NBA following a distinguished college career.
DiVincenzo was a key member off the bench for Villanova’s national championship team Steelers Mason Rudolph Jersey , scoring 31 points and hitting 5 of 7 from 3-point territory in the title game against Michigan, along with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The Big East’s sixth man of the year also impressed at the combine with his 42-inch vertical leap, displaying athleticism that scouts crave.
A willingness to come off the bench and succeed in that role helped set him apart.
”It’s just something that’s pretty unique to have a young man who’s willing to do that and make those sacrifices,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. ”I think Donte will learn, whatever role it is, however it plays out.”
DiVincenzo said the adjustment to the pros should be easy after showing that he could thrive as a reserve in college.
”Just because I’m not coming in here with an ego. I’m not coming in here as the main guy on the national championship team,” he said. ”I’m just coming in here wanting to work, I just want to fit in. That’s my goal.”
That goal also includes fitting in with Antetokounmpo. DiVincenzo knows he must play hard and with energy with the high-flying forward, and knock down 3s to help open the floor.
”Just being able to knock down shots and him being able to look to his left and right and know I’m defending,” DiVincenzo said.
Playing defense will be the quickest way for DiVincenzo to earn time in a crowded backcourt rotation. After showing a willingness in college to hustle and dive for loose balls, that shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just the way that he learned to play Jessie Bates III Jersey Bengals , said his father, who also coached middle-school basketball.
”I watched the young man grow up,” John DiVincenzo said. ”Diving on the floor is a norm for him.”
The elder DiVincenzo was so fond of Milwaukee that he asked his son to bring home some Bucks gear after traveling to Wisconsin for a pre-draft workout. DiVincenzo brought home a white, long-sleeved Bucks shirt.
His excited and grateful father packed that same shirt with him as the family accompanied DiVincenzo for his first trip to Milwaukee as a member of the Bucks .
”I’m like, `Dad, you’re probably going to get gear,”’ DiVicenzo recounted. ”He’s like, `I don’t care.”’
Note: The team’s new arena is 98 percent completed, according to team and construction officials. The Bucks will start playing in the new arena this fall. ”This is all about the details now for the next few weeks,” team President Peter Feigin said.
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