Batch gets a workout with Packers
9:16 PM 6/11/02
Jason Wilde Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers aren't sure if former Detroit Lions quarterback Charlie Batch would be an improvement over Doug Pederson and Craig Nall, but they are intrigued enough to want to find out.
Packers vice president of football operations Mark Hatley said Tuesday afternoon that the team would bring in Batch, who was released by the Lions June 3, today for a workout Thursday.
"I think he's made enough plays through his career that he's worth a look to see how he compares to what we've got," said Hatley, who watched Batch beat his Chicago Bears in 1999 and 2000 while Hatley was the Bears' personnel chief. "He took a pretty good beating up in Detroit. I just think the kid's had a rough time, and he's a young guy that at times has shown some good ability."
Last Friday, Batch, 27, visited expansion Houston, where he could serve as a fill-in or backup for No. 1 overall pick David Carr. The Texans are unhappy with the offseason minicamp performances of veteran Kent Graham, who was supposed to keep the quarterback spot warm until Carr was ready to take over.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos are also interested in Batch, and Batch told reporters in Houston last week that he intended to visit both the Jaguars and Packers this week.
A 56 percent career passer with 49 career touchdowns and 40 interceptions, Batch was Detroit's second-round pick in 1998 and became the team's starting quarterback just three games into his rookie season. But when new head coach Marty Mornhinweg, a former Packers assistant, came in last year and installed the West Coast offense, he didn't think Batch fit the West Coast style and benched him in favor of veteran Ty Detmer.
Batch regained the starting job when Detmer failed but was benched again during a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers, with rookie Mike McMahon nearly rallying the then-winless Lions to victory. Batch then separated his right (throwing) shoulder against Chicago a week later and ended the season on injured reserve.
The Lions took Oregon's Joey Harrington with the No. 3 overall pick in the April draft, rendering Batch expendable.
"For what he got thrown into up there, it was tough for him," Hatley said. "I think there's a lot of quarterbacks that have struggled in different systems. Sometimes it's the system, sometimes it's the player's ability, sometimes it's the situation they get thrown into. He's a tough kid now, got a lot of pride. We just need to see his release and his mobility and how that compares with what we have."
Batch told reporters in Houston that his shoulder "is fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever. I'm doing everything I want to do with no pain. I don't even have to ice after throwing. That's definitely a positive, but I have a lot of work ahead of me. It's been awhile since I've been on the field, and I'm itching to get back on the field."
Packers offensive coordinator Tom Rossley and coach Mike Sherman have said they have been pleased with the progress of Nall and the solid play of Pederson in the team's two minicamps. With the team having spent a fifth-round draft pick on Nall, he is expected to be the No. 3 quarterback, so Batch would presumably compete with Pederson for the right to back up starter Brett Favre.
"I approach it the same way as when they brought in Billy Joe Tolliver last year," said Pederson, who beat out Tolliver in training camp. "I feel good about my offseason and good about my spring, but I don't ever feel secure, because there's always people breathing down your neck. I don't breathe a sigh of relief until the final cuts, and even then, after training camp, yeah, you can breathe a little easier, but you still have to continue at a certain level or they're going to get somebody else."
Nickerson watch
It seemed like a good sign for the Packers when director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie heard his cell phone ring in the middle of practice Tuesday. It was an even better sign when the voice at the other end of the line was linebacker Hardy Nickerson.
Nevertheless, Packers vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt said Tuesday evening that there was "nothing new" to report and that Nickerson had yet to make up his mind between the Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.
"So we're still waiting," Brandt said.
Both teams have offers to Nickerson on the table, although his agent, Eugene Parker, is a notoriously slow negotiator. Parker also represents Packers defensive end Joe Johnson and nose tackle Gilbert Brown.
Extra points
Starting cornerbacks Tyrone Williams (groin) and Mike McKenzie (back) were held out of practice, as was rookie linebacker Cornell Menafee (leg). ... The minicamp wraps up today with one final workout at 10 a.m. Training camp begins for rookies and selected veterans July 23, with the first full-team practice scheduled for July 27.
9:16 PM 6/11/02
Jason Wilde Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers aren't sure if former Detroit Lions quarterback Charlie Batch would be an improvement over Doug Pederson and Craig Nall, but they are intrigued enough to want to find out.
Packers vice president of football operations Mark Hatley said Tuesday afternoon that the team would bring in Batch, who was released by the Lions June 3, today for a workout Thursday.
"I think he's made enough plays through his career that he's worth a look to see how he compares to what we've got," said Hatley, who watched Batch beat his Chicago Bears in 1999 and 2000 while Hatley was the Bears' personnel chief. "He took a pretty good beating up in Detroit. I just think the kid's had a rough time, and he's a young guy that at times has shown some good ability."
Last Friday, Batch, 27, visited expansion Houston, where he could serve as a fill-in or backup for No. 1 overall pick David Carr. The Texans are unhappy with the offseason minicamp performances of veteran Kent Graham, who was supposed to keep the quarterback spot warm until Carr was ready to take over.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos are also interested in Batch, and Batch told reporters in Houston last week that he intended to visit both the Jaguars and Packers this week.
A 56 percent career passer with 49 career touchdowns and 40 interceptions, Batch was Detroit's second-round pick in 1998 and became the team's starting quarterback just three games into his rookie season. But when new head coach Marty Mornhinweg, a former Packers assistant, came in last year and installed the West Coast offense, he didn't think Batch fit the West Coast style and benched him in favor of veteran Ty Detmer.
Batch regained the starting job when Detmer failed but was benched again during a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers, with rookie Mike McMahon nearly rallying the then-winless Lions to victory. Batch then separated his right (throwing) shoulder against Chicago a week later and ended the season on injured reserve.
The Lions took Oregon's Joey Harrington with the No. 3 overall pick in the April draft, rendering Batch expendable.
"For what he got thrown into up there, it was tough for him," Hatley said. "I think there's a lot of quarterbacks that have struggled in different systems. Sometimes it's the system, sometimes it's the player's ability, sometimes it's the situation they get thrown into. He's a tough kid now, got a lot of pride. We just need to see his release and his mobility and how that compares with what we have."
Batch told reporters in Houston that his shoulder "is fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever. I'm doing everything I want to do with no pain. I don't even have to ice after throwing. That's definitely a positive, but I have a lot of work ahead of me. It's been awhile since I've been on the field, and I'm itching to get back on the field."
Packers offensive coordinator Tom Rossley and coach Mike Sherman have said they have been pleased with the progress of Nall and the solid play of Pederson in the team's two minicamps. With the team having spent a fifth-round draft pick on Nall, he is expected to be the No. 3 quarterback, so Batch would presumably compete with Pederson for the right to back up starter Brett Favre.
"I approach it the same way as when they brought in Billy Joe Tolliver last year," said Pederson, who beat out Tolliver in training camp. "I feel good about my offseason and good about my spring, but I don't ever feel secure, because there's always people breathing down your neck. I don't breathe a sigh of relief until the final cuts, and even then, after training camp, yeah, you can breathe a little easier, but you still have to continue at a certain level or they're going to get somebody else."
Nickerson watch
It seemed like a good sign for the Packers when director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie heard his cell phone ring in the middle of practice Tuesday. It was an even better sign when the voice at the other end of the line was linebacker Hardy Nickerson.
Nevertheless, Packers vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt said Tuesday evening that there was "nothing new" to report and that Nickerson had yet to make up his mind between the Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.
"So we're still waiting," Brandt said.
Both teams have offers to Nickerson on the table, although his agent, Eugene Parker, is a notoriously slow negotiator. Parker also represents Packers defensive end Joe Johnson and nose tackle Gilbert Brown.
Extra points
Starting cornerbacks Tyrone Williams (groin) and Mike McKenzie (back) were held out of practice, as was rookie linebacker Cornell Menafee (leg). ... The minicamp wraps up today with one final workout at 10 a.m. Training camp begins for rookies and selected veterans July 23, with the first full-team practice scheduled for July 27.
