Not every day will be a great day for a rookie attempting to replace an All-Pro player.
Green Bay Packers rookie center Josh Myers didn’t have one of his best days during Wednesday’s joint practice with the New York Jets, at least according to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“He had a rough day today,” Rodgers said.
In Rodgers’ estimation, the issues for Myers – a second-round pick who is attempting to replace first-team All-Pro Corey Linsley as the starting center – came more on the mental side. The bar at center has been set high, and Myers is still finding his way and attempting to get on the same page as his quarterback.
“This is a good learning experience for him. A new defense, not guys in similar spots, different numbers of IDs to make. But every one of these opportunities is definitely a good thing to lock away in the memory banks. Today, mentally, I don’t think he was as sharp as he’s been in the past, and I expect him to bounce back tomorrow,” Rodgers said.
Thursday’s final joint practice with the Jets might be the last time Myers gets to play with Rodgers in a competitive, live-game environment until the Packers open the season against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 12. While Myers will play in the final two preseason games, Rodgers isn’t expected to play.
A good test for any young player is bouncing back from adversity. A poor practice is certainly one form of adversity, especially for a first-year player tasked with getting the ball to the MVP quarterback on every play of every game.
Rodgers wants Myers playing and thinking faster.
“Overall, he’s done a really nice job, he really has. He’s comfortable in that position, but we need to see the consistency when I’m in there because things move a little bit quicker,” Rodgers explained. “It’s a quicker tempo just against our defense compared to bringing a team in for a practice like this, which is probably as fast as a preseason game, but the regular season gets picked up even more. We’ve got to get him thinking as fast as I can think.”
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