Packers notes: Josh Jones ready if injury sidelines safety Kentrell Brice
GREEN BAY – Second-year safety Josh Jones stands to gain the most if fellow safety Kentrell Brice misses a substantial portion of time, but he expressed no joy after watching his teammate carted off the field during Monday’s practice.
“Oh, man. That was bad, man,” Jones said. “You hate to see that, especially as a player. That’s your brother. You don’t like to see an injury, period. I don’t care who it is – other teams, teammate, whatever. Everybody’s got a family to feed, everybody’s playing for something. You hate to see that.”
Brice was carted off the field with an injury during special-teams drills. His injury is unclear, but medical staff tended to him on the ground for several minutes before removing him from the practice area.
Brice, who had what he described as “ankle reconstruction” surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament in November, had been repping as the Packers' starting strong safety.
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If Brice’s injury is significant, Jones figures to elevate to the starting strong safety position. He took reps at that spot after Brice left the field Monday.
“Next man up,” Jones said. “That’s the mentality I feel like in all sports. You hate to see that. You hate to see one of your teammates go down, man, but the next guy should be prepared. That’s why you prepare. When it’s your time to be called upon, you’re ready.”
Daniels doing fine
It wasn’t all bad injury news for the Packers on Monday. Defensive tackle Mike Daniels limped off the field early in practice, but afterward he said he was doing fine.
Daniels left the field early in practice. He returned with his helmet in hand, but did not take team reps. Daniels cut up with teammates in the locker room for several minutes.
He declined to be interviewed, only saying he was OK.
'Sloppy' showing
Coach Mike McCarthy said his team had “excellent” competition in its first padded practice, but that’s where the positives ended.
McCarthy, who speaks with reporters before practice instead of afterward, said he was not pleased with execution when the Packers strapped their pads for the first time in camp Saturday. It’s unclear if he was more pleased with Monday’s work on the field.
“I thought it was sloppy,” McCarthy said. “Way too many guys on the ground. I thought the energy was terrific. We just had way too many guys on the ground, as high as I could recall.
“It’s just a reflection of being in pads for the first time. So we have a lot of work to do.”