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Training Camp

Training Camp Buzz: Packers RB Aaron Jones says offense looks 'crisper' in Year 2 under Matt LaFleur

The 2020 regular season is just around the corner, and NFL Network has you covered with wall-to-wall training camp coverage each day starting at 1 p.m. ET. Follow along here for some of the best sights, sounds and moments from "Inside Training Camp Live" and around the NFL.

  • The Green Bay Packers turned in one of their best seasons in recent memory last year, and running back Aaron Jones was a big part of that success. A top-15 scoring offense, 13-3 finish and trip to the NFC Championship game were some of the highlights of Matt LaFleur's first season at the helm and, entering Year 2, the team has a high bar to clear. Fresh off his career year playing in an offense he classified as "dynamic", Jones said on Monday that he's sensed an improvement during camp. "You could just tell that the offense is crisper," Jones told NFL Network's Brian Baldinger and Kurt Warner. "I mean, coming in from Day 1 last year to Day 1 this year, guys are going full speed, they're not having to think about what their assignment is as they're playing and they can just go out there and play fast and I think you're going to see that translate to Week 1." As exciting as Jones' comments might be to the Green Bay faithful, the arrival of A.J. Dillon (and his quads) have earned a lot of attention all summer. Baldinger asked Jones what his first impressions of the rookie are. "You don't see that every day at all. I mean, this is really the first time I've seen it," he said. "My first thought is, 'How is he gonna pick up those big legs and put 'em down?' He does a really good job, he's a strong dude and those legs, I mean, they say everything."
  • It's pretty hard to rattle a QB who's seen as much as Tom Brady. But that didn't stop Bucs defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches from giving it a shot. "Oh yeah, I'm trash talking to Brady," he said, according to NFL Network's James Palmer. "I told him yesterday, 'I see you struggling back there 12'. The defense was getting after him but he responded well. He picked us apart in the red zone so I love him."
  • Happy birthday, Larry Fitzgerald! Check out the dime the all-time great recently hauled in from his QB Kyler Murray. Not sure how the Cardinals legend has managed to remain productive in the league this long but coach Kliff Kingsbury's theory behind Fitzgerald's longevity is of the otherwordly variety.
  • Many questions have surrounded the Patriots' QB situation but the WR corps is still looking to shore up some things in their own right. With that in mind, NFL Network's Mike Giardi dropped some intel on a name Pats fans should pay close attention to: second-year wideout Gunner Olszewski. "He's someone Stephon Gilmore said, "He's faster, he's quicker, he's got another step in the system,' and he said he's fearless. Gunner has shown that and I think he cleaned up some drops in the first part of camp and now looks to be a very clean receiver in that regard," Giardi said. "It's hard to compare guys but he does remind me of Danny Amendola and I know that Julian Edelman told Gunner, he said basically, 'Hey don't do me, do you,' but when I see Gunner, I see a little bit of Danny Amendola." Can Olszewski prove to be as reliable a No. 2 as Amendola was for five seasons in New England? Only time will tell.
  • In case you're wondering what the blur was on the Titans' practice field, coach Mike Vrabel is here to provide the answers. Vrabel said Monday that he's been surprised to discover after practice that defensive end Jeffery Simmons, who's listed at 305 pounds, clocked in at 18 miles per hour on his GPS tracker, per WKRN's Emily Proud. When asked later about his speed, Simmons said, "When a guy sees a defensive lineman that big running to the ball, they get worried." Who wouldn't be?
  • With all the talk surrounding the Jets' struggle to keep receivers on the practice field, the sight of Sam Darnold hitting Jamison Crowder on a few plays couldn't have been more timely.
  • It doesn't matter if the crowd is big, small or completely absent: Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is always going to hit the field full of energy. Save some for Week 1, Maniac.

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