GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Anyone who saw Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery on Thursday might have thought the Green Bay Packers receivers were goofing around during an organized team activity practice.
After all, their antics included juggling, playing with bricks and squeezing Nerf balls.
It looked more like the circus than football.
But this was no joke. The provided props were part of the new drills executed under the watchful eye of first-year receivers coach Luke Getsy.
The receivers first juggled tennis balls -- both in the air and against the Don Hutson Center wall -- then footballs. They dropped and caught bricks before they hit the ground (most of the time). They squeezed the foam balls.
“It helps with just hand-eye coordination,” Cobb said, “and continuing to work on different ways and keeping it fresh.”
Cobb said he taught himself to juggle last season and incorporated it into his workouts when he trains on his own in the offseason.
“I haven’t juggled four yet,” he said. “I’m working on off the wall with three. It’s a process.”
Montgomery, who still can’t fully practice because of ankle surgery last season, apparently is the most experienced juggler of the group.
“Random fact: I was in juggling club in middle school,” Montgomery said. “But I think all of our guys here knew how to already. Actually, I think it’s pretty normal for a receiver to see those drills.”
Not in Green Bay, it’s not. At least not until this season.
“New coach, new little instruments he had today,” Cobb said after Thursday’s practice. “It was cool. Luke has been great. He’s brought a lot of new things, a lot of new thoughts to us. Different ways to view what we’re trying to accomplish.”
For players such as Adams and Cobb, the drills should be welcome. According to ESPN Stats & Information, they each dropped six passes last season, which tied for the ninth most in the league. However, the Packers’ coaches likely graded them much tougher.
The Packers didn’t even have a dedicated receivers coach last season; they worked side by side with the quarterbacks all under one assistant coach, Alex Van Pelt (who now has only the QBs). But when Packers coach Mike McCarthy decided to split them up again, who knew Getsy would bring props with him?
“I think it’s like anything we do in the fundamentals -- it’s applicable to their position, to developing their skill set,” McCarthy said. “You have to be a little more creative in the CBA football environment that we’re in right now. It’s something as a coaching staff you look to be creative and keep it fresh for our players.”
The drills didn’t go off without a hitch. Tennis balls went astray. Footballs were dropped and bricks were broken.
“That’s actually what I’m going to do right now; I’m going to pick up another brick for tomorrow,” Cobb said on his way out the door Thursday. “But you didn’t see that. It wasn’t me, either. Don’t tell anybody.”