Bears
Bears S Kevin Byard said there’s new energy in the building after the addition of HC Ben Johnson and the talent the team added in free agency and the draft.
“It’s been fun,” Byard said, via Bears Wire. “I don’t really like to get into comparisons and stuff like that, but the intensity level of Ben Johnson – I feel like it’s very evident. I think you guys can see that. A couple times where he’s stopping practice, you can definitely hear him out there. It’s been fun, a lot of competition, especially going with the offense. I really like the additions we made on offense and defense. I think those guys are going to help us out a lot this year.”
Lions
Lions GM Brad Holmes said identifying a new starting center is a complex issue, one that the team will have no choice but to tackle after C Frank Ragnow announced his retirement.
“First and foremost, it’s intelligence. It’s intelligence, it’s personality, communication. I mean you have to have that regardless of before you get into size and lateral quickness and all this and ability to get to the second level and picking up games and all that stuff because that you have to do so much from a communication and intelligence standpoint,” he said via Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s hard, man. It’s a complicated scheme. You have a veteran quarterback that has a lot of freedom to do a lot of different things. So, you have to stay up to speed, man. So, those are the first things I look for when it comes to the center position. But when you go past that, do you have the ability to anchor? Because you’re right there in the middle, man, and you have so much exotic games and dogs coming at you. And so you have to be able to anchor.
“And then even in the running game, there’s a level of quickness that you have to have, just in terms of, not only just at the snap, getting off the ball, but getting up to the second level. And I’ve always thought at the center position, I’ll even branch that out to the guards, too, to interior in general, there’s an understanding of geometry and body positioning when you have to play out in space. So, you can’t just say, like, snap it and just run out there to the second level as fast as you can. Well, that’s all for not. I don’t care how explosive and quick and fast you are getting to the second level, man; if the linebacker is just dipping right up under you and you just completely missed the blocks, that didn’t matter. So, you have to be able to kind of gear down instinctively.
“So, it’s a lot of traits, man. A lot of people say, ‘Well, just throw, throw somebody in that center.’ No man like you have to have a lot of the intangible qualities first, and mental aptitude first. And then there’s a level of physical qualities you’ve got to have.”
Packers
Packers QB Jordan Love answered questions from reporters about the release of veteran CB Jaire Alexander.
“It’s a tough one. Really tough losing a player of Jaire’s caliber,” Love said, via PackersWire.com. “Someone that has been here since I’ve gotten here, someone I was very close with. Definitely tough. That’s how the NFL goes. Tough decisions that are made. It’s all about how we move on and grow from that.”
“I’ve got nothing but love for Jaire,” Love added. “Loved my time playing with him, playing against him every day. He’s a guy who made me better going against him. It’s tough to see him go, I wish him nothing but the best.”
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