GREEN BAY, Wis. — Alex Van Pelt has been on both sides of the debate about whether to play a quarterback in the preseason.
As a former NFL quarterback, he liked playing in the preseason.
As Aaron Rodgers’ position coach, he’s not so fond of it.
“As an ex-player I think, yeah, you do want to take some hits just to get that ‘OK it’s over with,'” Van Pelt said this week as the Green Bay Packers prepare to start Rodgers in Friday’s preseason game at San Francisco, in what will be his first — and perhaps only — preseason appearance.
“I remember what that’s like. But as a coach, no I don’t want him to get hit. But that’s part of the game. He’s been hit before; he’ll be hit again.”
So Van Pelt, who played nine years with the Buffalo Bills, mostly as Jim Kelly’s backup, was happy to take his first hit of the year?
“I think he’s shown some really good signs on tape,” Payton said. “He’s really quick and explosive. I think he’s a pressure player, so when he rushes I think he can really get to QB pretty quickly. He has a good burst. He’s done a really good job.
Jones was asked if he could make the transition the other way and, like Bolt, run the 100 meters.
“I could do whatever I put my mind to,” Jones said with a smile.
A reporter asked Jones if his estimated 100-meter time would be around 10.5 seconds. Bolt ran a 9.81 in Rio and holds the world record at 9.58 seconds.
“That’s something if I train for it, who knows?” Jones said. “That was pretty high though, a 10.5.”
Siemian has taken the long way to the doorstep of being the starting quarterback for the defending Super Bowl champion. As a senior at Olympia (Florida) High School, he was the 31st-ranked player in the state and the 33rd-ranked quarterback nationally by SuperPrep. He also played baseball and was voted Mr. Olympia by his senior classmates (future nickname alert if all goes well).