The Packers are learning to practice in a hurry, in hopes of polishing an already good passing game.
Coach Mike McCarthy has installed what amounts to a shot clock for passing plays in practice, with a siren going off and lights flashing when a play goes beyond 2.5 seconds.
“For the offense and the protection unit, to have a clear indication when you’re potentially transitioning into a scrambling phase,” McCarthy said, via Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It’s something we always try to emphasize in practice in as many different ways as possible.
“And on the other side of the ball, it’s a time clock for the pass rush and the pressure unit.”
The Packers could certainly use the reminders for their pass rush, which was lacking last year. But the quick-trigger offense needs few reminders.
“Mike [McCarthy] always says listen to your feet,” backup quarterback Graham Harrell said. “Once you start hitching and your feet are out of whack, that’s kind of a time clock, too. Quarterbacks naturally develop a time clock, but to have that (siren) audible is good, too.”
McCarthy said most pass plays are designed to get the ball in 2.4 or 2.5 seconds, making it most useful in 7-on-7 drills, since the alert replaces a pass rush that would normally be there.