Packers notes: Kevin King shows his skills by staying glued to Davante Adams
GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King wasn’t about to anoint himself as the next Darrelle Revis after playing outstanding coverage on receiver Davante Adams three straight times in one-on-ones Saturday.
If he did, he’d have to accept the fact that he might be the worst cornerback in the NFL the next time Adams gets the best of him.
King has had a strong start to his second season with three solid training camp practices, including his impressive showing against Adams on Saturday afternoon. But he will be the first to tell you that it doesn’t mean much if he doesn’t do it repeatedly.
“You have to stack them and work on consistency,” King said. “You have to just keep getting better. Even if I did something good there’s something I could have done better.”
King, whose rookie season ended prematurely last year due to a shoulder injury, had the toughest assignment of any corner in the one-on-one drills and performed better than anyone else. All three times he and Adams matched up, King was tight with coverage and twice he broke up the pass.
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On one of them he nearly had an interception, which is almost impossible during that drill unless the receiver tips the ball in the air or falls. The receiver has the entire field with which to work, there’s no pass rush and the defensive back has no help.
“One on one is an offensive drill,” King said. “It’s not that realistic to where you’re saying, ‘I’ve got a linebacker (helping) here…’. We’ve got all kinds of things (in 11 on 11). They have all day to do what they want, something where the timing wouldn’t allow them to do in a regular game.”
Making a couple of plays like King did are even more gratifying given the enormous odds against him.
“It’s a better drill for us because it is so hard for us,” he said.
Adams worked extensively with King last year on improving his bump-and-run technique, showing him all the different ways NFL receivers would respond to his tactics. The two have picked up where they left off, only now King isn’t a rookie and Adams is determined to get the best of him.
The competition resumes Monday.
Pocket rocket
It’s not that rookie quarterback Tim Boyle doesn’t have the athletic ability to get out of the pocket and make plays on the run.
He just hasn’t found a need to do it yet.
While fellow backups Brett Hundley and DeShone Kizer have been more willing to buy time with their legs, Boyle, an undrafted rookie out of Eastern Kentucky, has stood tall in the pocket and relied on his rocket arm to push the ball down the field.
“I’m getting paid to stand in the pocket and throw the ball,” Boyle said.
“Especially at this level I’m learning you have to be decisive. You have to know what you see and make quick decisions because if you second guess yourself you’re going to be in a pickle a little."
Boyle is fourth string and he hasn’t received near as many snaps as Hundley and Kizer, but it has been hard not to notice him when he is on the field. Some of the throws he has made have had steam on them and been right on the money.
His best throw was a 1-yard touchdown shot down the middle to fellow rookie J’Mon Moore.
“As the fourth quarterback and the rookie I’m not going to get all the reps, but that’s kind of the mindset you have to have is do what you can with the few reps you have,” Boyle said. “As my comfort level progresses, hopefully they see that and give me some more reps as camp progresses.”
Hanging around
Rookie punter JK Scott punted for the first time with padded players coming after him.
On five attempts, he averaged 46.6 yards and 4.7 seconds hang time. It about matched what he did on the first day of camp punting while the players were in shorts and helmets.
His longest punt was 50 yards and his shortest was 40. His best hang time was 4.78 seconds and his worst was 4.25 seconds.
Fast riser
Receiver Jake Kumerow has picked up where he left off in OTAs and earned some significant playing time in camp.
Before the first padded practice, coach Mike McCarthy praised Kumerow but noted that two practices in shorts and helmets don’t constitute a successful career.
“He’s really stood out throughout the spring,” McCarthy said. “He’s been extremely productive with his opportunities. He’s still climbing and scratching. That’s really nothing new for us. I’ve seen what he’s done here.
“But like anything, practicing in helmets is a lot different than practicing in pads, so we want to see everybody make progress today.”
Kumerow did.
He followed up a strong performance the first two days with another productive day. His play earned him a few reps with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and both times the ball was thrown his way he caught it, including a 10-yard touchdown during a red-zone drills.