Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love tosses a ball while on the field before a preseason game against the Colts on Saturday in Indianapolis. (AP photo)
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love says the thumb on his non-throwing hand feels fine a week after he underwent surgery on it.
Love was limited to participating in 7-on-7 drills Thursday during a joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks, but said he’d be able to play if the Packers had a regular-season game this week. Love has been practicing all week with his left thumb heavily taped.
“It feels good right now,” Love said.
The health of his receiving group is a bit less certain with Jayden Reed (foot), Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and rookie third-round pick Savion Williams (hamstring) all limited to varying degrees as the Packers close training camp and prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions.
Green Bay’s injury issues at receiver may help explain why Love went just 3 of 12 in red zone drills against Seattle’s defense on Thursday.
“I think those guys have been doing a great job staying locked in on the side,” Love said. “Obviously, they’re missing a lot of reps, which isn’t great, but I think once they get back out there, we’ll be able to hit the ground running.”
As for the Seahawks’ quarterback situation, coach Mike Macdonald said rookie third-round pick Jalen Milroe will play the entire preseason game Saturday at Green Bay as Sam Darnold gets to rest for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think it’s just a great opportunity for him to get great experience,” Macdonald said. “All rookies, they need reps, they need experience. Jalen’s right there. He’s really excited for the opportunity. He’s going to do a great job. Go out, operate the offense and go play ball the way you know how.”
Multiple fights
Two fights took place in rapid-fire succession between Green Bay’s offense and Seattle’s defense during red zone drills. Some of the main participants included Packers right tackle Zach Tom, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Tom said afterward that he was kicked out of the joint practice for throwing a punch.
“They were in our huddle and I saw somebody to my left got hit, so I just reacted,” Tom said. “So, it’s really nothing more than that.”
The jawing between the two teams continued even after practice had ended, which annoyed Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams.
“I didn’t appreciate in general them coming to our sideline while practice is over and we already broke the huddle,” Williams said. “Our guys are on our side, their guys are on their side, and people were coming over. It’s hard with these joint practices because stuff like that always happens. You don’t want it to happen, but it just happens. We try to avoid it as much as possible. Yeah, I didn’t appreciate it.”
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon was one of the players doing some trash-talking at the end of the practice. Nixon said it shouldn’t be much of a surprise when fights occur during joint practices.
“I mean the coaches are not going to like it, but it just comes with the territory, for real,” Nixon said. “That’s just how it goes. It’s too many alphas on the field.”
NOTES: Packers S Evan Williams delivered one of the best plays of Thursday’s practice when he intercepted a long pass from Sam Darnold during two-minute drills. Other standouts included Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Packers TEs Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave. … Packers S Xavier McKinney participated in individual drills Thursday. The All-Pro selection has been dealing with a calf issue during training camp. “I feel good,” McKinney said.
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