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Of course he does. It’s his plan.
But he also has some impressive numbers to back it up: Every player on the roster that could have participated in the organized team activity practices over the past month — only undrafted rookies Brennan Carvalho and Condrew Allen, who couldn’t attend because of Portland State’s academic schedule, missed — did.
So when the Packers kick off their mandatory minicamp this morning with the first of five practices (only three are open to the public), McCarthy said “clean up” will be the focus, with all of the offensive and defensive playbooks installed.
“I know the way it was in the past in Green Bay, (and) I don’t agree with that method. That is why we don’t do it that way,” McCarthy said when OTAs wrapped last week.
“I go back to (Kansas City in) 1993 — and I tell our players this all of the time — that was my first year of coaching and Joe Montana, (who) flew in for all of the OTAs. Rich Gannon flew in. We always had full participation for OTAs, and it was the same structure in New Orleans. This was the first place that I had ever worked, in 1999, where that wasn’t the case.
“I know it’s cold, but we pay the bills just like every other NFL team, so it’s important for our players to be here. It’s important.”
And because of that emphasis, this week’s minicamp should theoretically be McCarthy’s most productive, as new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran the offense all offseason and even veteran cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Al Harris showed up for OTA work.
Because they’re having the mandatory camp after OTAs instead of before them, McCarthy believes it is a logical progression toward the July 28 start of training camp.
“With that being said, we have to clean up a lot of things and that is normal this time of year,” McCarthy said. “(But) compared to the last two years, this is what the offseason program is supposed to look like, so I am very pleased with that.”
