Quay Walker Just Flipped the Script — and the Packers Might Have Found Their Next Defensive Superstar.QQ
GREEN BAY – The Packers’ coordinators and offensive assistant coaches met with the media over the past couple of days. Here’s a sampling of their key comments.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
On K Brandon McManus kicking in practice Thursday:
Probably the big thing is how he feels tomorrow, and medically, when he talks to those guys, what it looked like. It was good to see him out there kicking and feeling like he can complete a practice. So that part was good.
On Pittsburgh’s special teams:
This will be our biggest challenge. They’ve got seven real, real coverage guys. Not only are they covering kicks, they’re playing a lot of defense for them as well. They have a lefty punter, I’ve had him before, you know. (Corliss) Waitman can put it over in the right corner, he can put it in the left corner, he hits multiple punts. They’ve been a really good return team for a long time, for as long as Danny’s (Smith) been there. They have multiple returners, and they’re getting their guy back. Going against Danny, I think we’ve gone against each other now between college and pro football, it’s been probably over 35 years. He’s one of my mentors in the National Football League, and he’s one of my dear friends. Playing against him is always a challenge. It’ll be a very physical donnybrook, to some degree, us against them.
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Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On facing QB Aaron Rodgers:
He’s a great player – obviously one of the best to ever play the game. What’s noticeable about him is it looks like he’s rejuvenated and he’s moving around extremely well, making all the throws and it looks like he’s having a lot of fun again out there. So, I’ve got a ton of respect for him, what he’s still able to do at this point in his career and it’ll be a challenge to go up against him, and it’s a cool challenge. I think as a coach or a player, anytime you go against a Hall of Famer, you look forward to that challenge.
On CB Nate Hobbs:
Nate’s had a really good week of practice. I’ve been around some of the best corners, whether it was (Darrelle) Revis or Ronde (Barber) or (Richard) Sherm(an). You have to have a short memory. I’m not going to lose confidence in a player; I’m just not going to do that. You’ve got to keep coaching those guys and you’ve got to keep talking to them and showing them how to improve, how to get better. But they can’t lose confidence and we can’t lose confidence. That’s not part of who we are or what we’re going to do. He is hard on himself, he’s extremely competitive, he’s talented. He’s getting into the swing of things after coming back from his knee (injury) that he had. I’m excited to see him because he’s a fighter and I believe in him and I believe he’s going to go out there and take a step forward this week.
On DL Micah Parsons:
That’s what closers do, in that game. I mean, he had a couple of opportunities 1-on-1 and he won ’em fast,. Our job as coaches is to continue to find ways to put him in position where he’s not lining up in the same place every single time, and maybe that causes some confusion and maybe he gets those 1-on-1 opportunities and when he does, I mean, he’ll tell ya. He doesn’t believe he can be blocked and I don’t believe he can be blocked either and he closed out the game for us. He should’ve had four. Four.
On LB Quay Walker:
I think Quay is playing at an elite level right now. His communication, the way he’s calling things out, the way he’s studying the game, the way he’s practicing, his leadership on our team, to me, is at a whole different level on the field and off the field. Then you see what he’s able to do in the run game and then last week, when he had an opportunity to go 1-on-1 with some of those backs and really do a nice job on the pressures … I think he’s taken a step and I believe there’s more room. I love being around the guy right now and I give him a ton of credit. He’s doing an awesome job.
