GREEN BAY, Wis. – Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and LaDarius Gunter weren’t even in the NFL the last time Davon House was with the Green Bay Packers. So the trio of third-year cornerbacks had no working relationship with House when he returned to Green Bay this offseason on a one-year, $2.85 million deal after two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Still, the 27-year-old House, who began his career with the Packers in 2011, instantly became the leader of the cornerback group.
Don’t think that wasn’t on House’s mind when he was trying to make it back to Green Bay for the final few OTAs this week. On his way back from Austin, Texas, he missed his connecting flight in Minneapolis and ended up soliciting a ride on Twitter from a pair of Packers fans who drove him through the night so he could get to Tuesday’s session on time.
“That played a part,” House said after Tuesday’s practice. “Because they [would be] all looking [and saying], ‘Where’s House at?’ ‘Oh, he missed again.’ Or, ‘He said he was stuck.’ Because sometimes when people say their flight was delayed, you’re like, ‘Right. Your flight was delayed. Right.’ I don’t want to be that guy.”
Part of it, too, was House’s appreciation for being back in Green Bay. That was part of the discussion House had with his drivers, brothers Chad and Mike Johnson, on their four-plus-hour ride from Minneapolis to Green Bay that ended at 3:30 a.m.
"He talked about how much he loves Green Bay and didn't really care for it in Jacksonville," Chad said of their conversation.
Said House: “Man, I was thinking to myself, I can pull the vet card and say, ‘Hey, my flight is delayed, I can’t make it.’ And some people are like, ‘Oh, you should’ve done this.’ But man, with the situation I was in last year, I would’ve died to be here. And now that I’m here, I’m not taking any days for granted. If I can make it, I’m going to come. So I’m glad I came. Got better, helped the young guys out. I didn’t want to be the guy who, whenever he could, he’d be gone. To me, that’s not real leadership. So that’s one of the reasons why.”
Speaking of real leadership, House has apparently taken extra steps to mentor the Packers’ young cornerbacks. Their position coach, Joe Whitt Jr., said recently that House has been making trips to the local hotel where young players without housing stay during offseason workouts.
“He’s trying to be — not trying to be — he’s being that leader that we need,” Whitt said. “He’s the most veteran player in the room, and we need him not only to be a voice of strength off the field but on the field as well. He’s doing that.”
Several players and coaches who worked with House in the past have taken note of his maturity and improved leadership skills. During his first go-round in Green Bay, he often deferred to the likes of Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields.
“It’s [about] giving back; we all need to do that both personally and professionally,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of House’s leadership. “And I think that’s a great example of being in tune with the big picture and it’s about the team and improving as a team.”
The Packers are searching for a No. 1 cornerback, a role Shields left behind when a Week 1 concussion last season ended his Packers career. Throughout OTAs, House has lined up with the starters along with Gunter on the other side, while Rollins and Randall have spent a good chunk of their time in the slot as the nickel defensive back. But the Packers' top draft pick, second-round cornerback Kevin King, has not been on the field yet because NFL rules prohibit rookies from practicing if their college is still in session; he’s expected to be available for next week’s minicamp after the University of Washington lets out.
“I think it’s a deeper group than we’ve had,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of the corners. “It will be interesting to see what happens when King comes in. I think there’s legitimately battles for first, second, third and fourth corners, which we really haven’t had that. You look at last year, Sam’s our guy. Sam’s our No. 1 and we’re kind of going from there. This year, there’s opportunity for guys to step up and take hold of that opportunity. The league is more of a sub league on defense, so you need three corners that can cover, and the best teams have three or four or five guys that can do it. We need a deep group over there.”