The Green Bay Packers have started mandatory mini camp, which means that Jaire Alexander is back with the team. He had previously skipped the team’s voluntary workouts, not because of any issues with the team, but because he feels like prepares and trains best on his own. In a recent interview with Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Alexander talked about his decision to skip OTA’s:
“I just like to do my own thing,” Alexander, 26, said. “Humans are weird, too, the majority of ’em. … I know what works for me at this point. I’m on Year 6, so two Pro Bowls, two All-Pros. I mean, I think I know what I got going on here.”
He did, however, spend his entire offseason in Green Bay up until April. When team activities started, he got out of town:
“When no one’s here and it’s quiet, I can go in Lambeau all day,” he said. “You have no choice but to find peace.”
Now that he is back for mandatory mini camp, Alexander is engaging with the young players in his usual manner: taunting them. It is not supposed to be mean, but it is meant to bring out their best. He also told Schneidman what four players have stuck out to him the most.
Jaire Alexander Is Impressed with 2 Green Bay Packers Wide Receivers: Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson
Everyone knows the Packers’ wide receiver situation: it is made up of a bunch of young football players with very little combined NFL experience. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are expected to be the team’s top two wide receivers after they both put up solid rookie seasons last year. Both of them have stuck out to Alexander, too:
One of his takeaways? Alexander said second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have been “standing out.”
“Literally, when I first got here, that’s the first thing I told Christian and Romeo, was ‘keep doing what you’re doing because we’re going to need you at the end of the day,’” Alexander added. “No one has egos here. There’s no ego with me because at this point, I want to see the best for the team.
“I just told ’em, ‘Just keep doing what y’all doing.’ Doubs caught a touchdown on me today … I gave him a hug almost. I was like, ‘Good stuff, man,’ because the year before, he didn’t catch anything on me.”
Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. While it just day one of mini camp, and his first time facing the pair of receivers this offseason, it is evident to him that they have made strides. That is certainly good news for Packers fans!
Rookie Cornerback Carrington Valentine Drew Praise from Jaire Alexander
Schneider reports that Alexander was also impressed with rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine, who was drafted in the seventh round (232nd overall pick) by the Packers this year. Valentine spent three years playing at Kentucky where he tallied 118 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and one interception. With 2021 first round pick Eric Stokes likely to miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from his horrendous ankle injury last year, Valentine could find himself a spot on the team.
Jordan Love Was the Target of Jaire Alexander’s Trash Talk
Schneidman notes that Alexander complimented several of the passes Love threw during practice without being prompted to do so. It really stands out when a player compliments another without being asked. That being said, Alexander wants to bring out the best in his teammates, and one of the ways he does that is by talking smack. It just so happened the Love was the target of his taunts on Day One:
“He was [the target] today, but I don’t know who it’ll be tomorrow,” Alexander said. “Probably him again. I want to challenge him, for sure.
If Love is practicing and honing his skills against one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, he will be more than ready for the regular season.
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