October 2006 Archives
10/31/2006 Packers signed rookie RB P.J. Pope because Morency is going to miss the Buffalo game. Pope is from Bowling Green and spent the pre-season with the Bears. And Al Harris is complaining about his lack of money again even though he is the 9th highest paid player on the team and is signed through 2009**. ** Al Harris's numbers are from the "(Unofficial) Green Bay Packers Salary Cap" |
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10/30/2006 I know it's not Packer-related, but tonight's MNF game is the Patriots at the ViQueens and it made me think of a few things... 1. Brady and the Patriots are going to pick apart the Packers at Lambeau on November 19 (and I will be there with my Pats-loving cousins). We'll get a preview of the AFC east this weekend when the Pack plays in Buffalo. 2. The Vikings don't have much of an offense and not much of a pass defense. If the Oline can do what the Pats are doing, The Pack has a decent chance against the viQueens. |
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10/29/2006 Late news in Milwaukee ("Touch" WTMJ4) has Driver being ok. Also, Jennings should be ok next week vs. Buffalo. | ||
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| Pack over Arizona 31-14 for the first home win of the season and first multi game win streak since 2004. Box score here. PackerNews.com has an extensive photo gallery. Favre threw for only 180 yards but 2 TDs: one via his arm and one via his legs. Favre's running TD spawned his first Lambeau Leap. The running game was dominant for the first time all season. Ahman went for 106 yards/2 TDs, Morency added 101 yards. Offensive line gave up 0 sacks and Favre had no interceptions. McCarthy's post game presser revealed some interesting injuries: "Woodson with a left knee, he returned. Corey Williams with a right knee, he did return also. Donald (Driver) I think is fine - he had an ankle and did return. Miree we are looking at right now, his elbow. Morency is a lower back - that's a concern and we're looking at him. David Martin was in the x-ray room for his jaw. Nick Collins returned with cramps at the end." Local TV is reporting that Driver is worse off than McCarthy mentioned. I'll re-post an update after the 10pm news. | ||
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Speaking of Leroy, he co-hosted The Football Show on ESPN 1510 this morning with Homer. He was great. So, why isn't Butler our secondary coach? Wouldn't Woodson and Manuel be pretty pumped to hang with future hall of famer Leroy Butler? | ||
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Greg Jennings did not practice this week. But that doesn't mean he might not play today. According to FootballGuys.com (subscription req.):HC Mike McCarthy said on Friday that Jennings will be put through a pre-game workout on Sunday in order to determine his playing status for Week 8 and is considered to be a game time decision. He is currently listed as doubtful on the team's injury report. | ||
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10/25/2006 Game: Noon on Sunday in Green Bay on Fox. JSOnline's preview here Injuries: ARIZONA: OUT: CB Matt Ware DOUBTFUL: NT Kendrick Clancy, OLB Karlos Dansby, WR Larry Fitzgerald QUESTIONABLE: FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo GREEN BAY: OUT: Abdul Hodge, Cullen Jenkins, DOUBTFUL: Greg Jennings QUESTIONABLE: Daryn Colledge, Ben Taylor. Corey Williams On the Cardinals: Cardinals are a dreadful 1-6. They're 32 in rushing offense and 14th in passing offense. Their defense is decent, ranked 23rd overall but forced 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles and 5 sacks against Oakland last week (and they still lost). QB Matt Leinart missed practice Wednesday for the birth of his son (to his ex-girlfriend). Also, Coach Dennis Green is on thin ice. He canned his offensive coordinator last week. He shifted around the Oline this week. Now there are rumors that he'll be canned if the Cardinals lose on Sunday >> Update: In case you were wondering about Leinart's ex-girlfriend, she's USC hoops player Brynn Cameron |
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Great article by the Wisconsin State Journal/Madison.com's Jason Wilde about Chad Clifton. Read the full article here.Clifton spends 90 minutes to two hours every workday with assistant trainer Bryan Engel and intern Nate Weir. Clifton does a series of exercises and treatments that include pool range-of-motion work, weight training to strengthen his leg muscles, icing and massages to keep the swelling down, electric stimulation and what he calls "rehab- type exercises." The left tackle has become the second most important, and second highest paid, position in pro football. Yet, most people couldn't pick Clifton out of a crowd nor do they know what position he plays. (BTW, Moneyball author Michael Lewis has recently published a great book on left tackles called "Blindside".) |
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| Ferguson is out for the season, and may be done as a Packer. Driver was on the injury report twice this season, but has since recovered. Then on Sunday, Jennings missed the second half with a sprained ankle, and is currently questionable for the upcoming Cardinals game. That means that Ruvell Martin is now #2 receiver and Chris Francies is the #3 receiver. Oh boy. Sounds to me like Bubba and David Martin can expect a lot of balls coming their way. While Jennings might miss Sunday's game, his ankle does not look to be too serious. |
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10/23/2006 Some buzzkill: Harrington's receivers had 45 dropped balls (ok, probably more like 12), including two sure first downs on the last drive. When was the last time you saw a guy throw for 414 yards and two 2 TDs and lose? (Except for Favre). Miami's poor clock management on their last drive could have easily put them down by 7 and almost 2 minutes left. Enough time for a on-sides kick. After Jason Taylor DOMINATED Daryn Colledge during the first quarter, Miami moved him to the right side on veteran Mark Tauscher. Taylor was quiet the rest of the game. Also, Greg Jennings went out in the first half after an injury on another awesome catch. McCarthy reported that it was an ankle sprain in his post-game newsconference. Finally, Chad Clifton's sudden illness. Jason Wilde reported seeing him after the game looking pecid, but walking around. There are some rumors that maybe it was a cover for his knee injury. I guess we'll have to wait and see. |
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 Photo via the JSOnline.com Packer Plus homepage. |
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10/22/2006 Packers get a much needed win down in Miami, 34-24 and move to 2-4. Box score here. Ahman and the secondary had break out games. Ahman rushed for 18 times for 118 yards and a 70 yard TD run. Woodson's pick for a TD keyed the big 3rd quarter. Green Bay Post Gazette has a great photo gallery of the game. More links tomorrow. |
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| Uh oh. Chad Clifton is out. He's got the flu. Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz and Tony Moll are starting on the line. Could be a long day. |
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10/19/2006 Noon game, on Fox, from Dolphin Stadium. JSonline's preview. Injuries: NFL.com's report. Woodson is questionable. Ahman is feeling good. Audio from Brett Favre's Wednesday Presser where he ripped the NFL on the Robinson situation. Ruvell Martin is the #3 receiver and Chris Francies is the new #4 receiver. Jason Wilde adds more on the Pack's receiver woes. From the Miami Herald: Why is this Dolphins offense so bad? Marcus Vick to play as WR? That's Marcus Vick. |
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10/18/2006 Take a look at the Packers' active roster and what do you realize? Not only has it been overhauled by Ted Thompson, but there are actually more players still on the roster from the Ron Wolf era than Mike Sherman's. While Ron Wolf remained on as a consultant after his departure in June, 2001, Sherman was the GM until January, 2005. Ron Wolf's Acquisitions Chad Clifton Rob Davis Donald Driver Brett Favre Robert Ferguson (Done for the season) Bubba Franks Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila Ahman Green William Henderson David Martin Mark Tauscher Mike Sherman's Acquisitions Nick Barnett Colin Cole Al Harris Cullen Jenkins Aaron Kampman Scott Wells Corey Williams Throw in Kevin Berry, who is on injured reserve, into Mike Sherman's list, he still falls short of Ron Wolf. No "Sherman" skill position player remains. Needless to say, Ted Thompson has already put his mark on this team. However, Sherman has been gone not even two years, and his player decisions were obviously less than stellar. |
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| Our reciever situation just went from a strength to a weakness. Monday, Ferguson found out he could be out for the season with a "Lisfranc injury to his right foot". Then yesterday, Robinson's 1 year suspension was upheld, and his season is over. I haven't seen an injury update on Donald, but he was inactive for the week 5 game versus the Rams, so I assume he's still hurting. Who will replace these guys? Rookie #18 Ruvell Martin has 0 receptions this season. He's the new #3 receiver. Packers.com says either Calvin Russell or Chris Francies could be signed from the practice squad. Yikes. |
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10/17/2006 John Clayton says Favre is staying a Green Bay Packer as the trade deadline approaches at 3pm (Central) today. Clayton did say that the Patriots are trying to get Randy Moss out of the Raiders for some draft picks. That would mean we'd get Randy Moss at Lambeau on November 19. |
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10/16/2006 Staying on the anti-McCarthy theme for one more post, here. Sorry if that offends you. I wanted to compare the 2005 and 2006 seasons of the top coaches: McCarthy, Jagodzinski and Sanders. Sanders was the Packers' defensive end coach, so that doesn't really work. Jagodzinski was Oline coach in Atlanta, and they are virtually in the same spot as last year. We'll just have to compare McCarthy, who was San Francisco's offensive coordinator. The Pack vs. the 9ers through week 6:  The records haven't changed much. But, funny... San Fran's offense sure has taken off since Mike came to Packerland. To be fair, San Francisco had Alex Smith starting 9 games as a rookie last year. But, then again, we've got Brett Favre. |
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| It's Ernie Millard's dream come true. The Pack is playing the Fins during the regular season. Some folks actually picked the Dolphins to win the AFC East. But after Sunday's 17-20 loss to the Jets, Miami is 1-5, in AFC East last place. The fins are better than their record, however. They've lost 3 games by 3 points or less. Miami is 21st in the NFL for offense, but fourth overall on Defense. They're tenth in rushing yards allowed and 6th in passing yards allowed. Check out the Fins' stats via ESPN. |
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| Our links took a bye week, too. But we're back in business. Here's the round-up of recent Packer columns: Sorry, haters... Rodgers won't be taking over for Brett soon. Chris Havel's got Favre's back, too. Bob McGinn apologizes for his Drew Henson campaign. More on how Thompson is undoing Sherman's mistakes. And uhoh... Woodson and Koren Robinson didn't practice on Monday. |
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10/11/2006 In January of 2006, the Packer executive board hired San Francisco assistant Mike McCarthy to take control of the 4-12 Packers. Five days later, Cowboys assistant Sean Payton, the Packers' second choice, signed as head coach of the 3-13 New Orleans Saints. After 5 weeks of the 2006 season (and the Packers' bye week), Saints fans are celebrating while Packer fans are in a severe depression. The stats: Packers: 1-4 (Offense 9th, Defense 31st) Saints: 4-1 (Offense 7th, Defense 13th) That decision, McCarthy vs. Payton, is one that many NFL owners have had to make since 1982, when Bill Walsh's 49ers faced Bill Parcells's Giants in the NFC Championship game. It's the Walsh-Parcells conundrum. Since 1982, Parcells and Walsh disciples have head-coached a vast majority of NFL teams. In 2006, 12 of the 32 NFL teams have former Parcells or Walsh assistants at the helm. Current Ex-Parcells: Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Romeo Crennel, Mike Nolan, Eric Mangini, and Payton. Former Walsh: Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Dennis Green, Andy Reid, Jon Gruden, and Gary Kubiak. So, 24 years later, the Packer executive board decided to stay within the comforts of the Walsh-West Coast system, and go with McCarthy. And I'm sure the Parcells/Walsh conundrum contributed the mightily to their decision. The board also based its decision, in part, on Brett. They choose a coach that was connected to Favre: McCarthy served as quarterbacks coach in 1999. Brett was consulted, and may have even signed off on the decision for the board. What would Brett have done under Payton? With the steeper learning curve of the Parcells-inspired Payton system, would Brett be back? Or would Rodgers be the starter under Payton? The long term implications of that January 2006 decision are, obviously, to be determined. However, it's the perfect testbed for NFL owners: A three year test of the Walsh vs. Parcells conundrum. ** The chapter on Bill Walsh in Michael Lewis's wonderful book "Blind Side"  contributed to this post. |
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| We all know Koren Robinson's situation. Or do we? Background: Alcohol problems in Seattle. The high-speed police chase. His release from the Vikings. Last week he received 90-days of jail time that he'll serve after the season. So everyone has been talking about his upcoming NFL year suspension. But is Robinson going to be suspended? Here is the official NFL policy: The illegal use of drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol (hereinafter referred to as "substances of abuse") is prohibited [ftnt 1] for players in the National Football League ("NFL"). Moreover, the use of alcohol may be prohibited for individual players in certain situations where clinically indicated in accordance with the terms of this Policy. Robinson is in the above-described program. But because it's alcohol - not drugs - it's not clear if Robinson has violated the policy. (Bootleg Sports has a description of the program.) So we really don't know if/when the league will rule. But according to the AP, Robinson believes he'll be allowed to play the full season. I hope that cleared it all up for you! |
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| Sandy Sullivan is a Republican running for Wisconsin's Secretary of State, a position currently occupied by Democrat Doug LaFollette. She also happens to be the ex-lover of Packer greats Paul Hornung and Dan Currie. Sullivan's 2004 book "Green Bay Love Stories and Other Affairs" details her exploits with the 1960s Packer teams. The Chicago Tribune has the story: "Here he was, in the flesh! Oh! My God! He was soooo CUTE!" Sullivan wrote. She recounted an encounter with him during training camp in which Hornung picked her up at 5:30 a.m. and drove to a Green Bay hotel for sex. Some Packers coaches were in the lobby, so Hornung made her climb the fire escape to the fifth floor while he went in through the lobby, she wrote. Sullivan's campaign website has a large picture of her with Bart Starr. |
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10/8/2006 Majorly disappointing loss. How are the Rams 4-1 and the Pack is 1-4? Favre had a chance to win or tie with 50 seconds to go... right side of the line collapsed, throw was partially blocked. Game over. Box score here. Michael Hunt column here (Packer Insider). Quote: There was a time when you longed for such a situation: 2 minutes 46 seconds to go, the Green Bay Packers down by three points and the ball in Brett Favre's hands. |
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10/6/2006 RAMS: Out: FB Paul Smith (Eye) Questionable: T Orlando Pace (Concussion) Probable: CB Fakhir Brown (Ankle) PACKERS: Out: CB Will Blackmon (Foot) Doubtful: WR Robert Ferguson (Foot), MLB Abdul Hodge (Knee) Questionable: WR Donald Driver (Ribs), RB Ahman Green (Hamstring), TE Donald Lee (Knee), OLB Ben Taylor (Hamstring) Probable: QB Brett Favre (Head) From McCarthy's Friday press conference: > Ahman Green practiced. He's going to share time with Morency on Sunday. > Brett practiced but Rogers filled in for him at points. > Donald Driver practiced today. > Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz will start on the OLine. UPDATE: "Touch" TMJ4 is reporting that Driver is still hurting and might not play. That would mean Robinson starts in his place. |
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| We here in Wisconsin get Packers/Favre news about 23 of our 24 hours. So if you're from out-of-state, and not hooked up on the Pack-Favre-News-Wire, here are some links for you: Jason Wilde reports on Farve's Monday night injuries. Farve said he's got "a pinched nerve and maybe a slight concussion". More on Favre's injuries here. Koren Robinson's jailtime has been postponed till after the season. Why did Minnesota release him? Mike McCarthy's Wednesday news conference: Robinson in for Ferguson, Ahman and Favre didn't practice Wednesday, talks about Rams. Teamates surprised about Ahmad Carrol's release. Packer defensive coaches admit that big plays have caused problems. Packer/Rams preview from JSonline. |
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10/4/2006 Favre ruffled a few feathers this pre-season when he switched to addressing the media on a bi-weekly basis. Back in the "old" days, Favre would drop by the conference room regularly and seemed to enjoy the banter with the news-dorks. But times have changed and Favre seems to labor through his press conferences, even verbally attacking Madison.com's Jason Wilde (sorry, no link). Well, today we get to hear from Favre. He's set to address the media at 11. The audio and video can be heard/watched via this link. I hope we get an update on his injury. Maybe he'll even blow up at a reporter. What fun. |
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10/3/2006 After countless penalties and blown coverages, Ahmad Carroll has been released by the Green Bay Packers. While many will say it is about time, why now? After getting burned so many times in 2005, why was he released after the 4th game in 2006? Was it because the Eagles totally exposed him on national television, as opposed to the Packers' other opponents over the past 2 years? Was it to send a "message" to the other defensive backs or the team as a whole? Whose decision was it really, Thompson or McCarthy? Why not put him on the bench and/or place him on inactive status to see if a trade could be worked out? Or if they tried to trade him, what were they offered, if anything? One thing you can't say is the Packers didn't give him plenty of opportunities. |
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10/2/2006 McCarthy in post game press conference: [Question about Favre's 4th qtr injury] "It was his head and a stinger. He's going to be fine." [About offense] "We working hard to establish the run. Once we got behind we're playing up hill and that's not the situation we want to be in." |
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| 3rd quarter, Packers down 10-9. Robinson had a 20 yard kickoff return and Jennings had a 30 yard passing play. Pack rolling, then suddenly it was over. Driver dropped an easy pass on first down, and on fourth down, McCarthy elected to kick (another) 50 yarder. Kick missed and tide turned. McNabb rolled. Packers never had another shot at the game, lost 31-9. ESPN's boxscore and game summary. |
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| Morency will start for Ahman. Interesting. No Herron. For the Eagles... Buckhalter in place of Westbrook at RB, and Hanson instead of Sheppard at corner. All of this is from Game Day Blog. Check it out, it's good stuff. On my roster: Out: Hotdogs Questionable: Brats Probable: TBone, nachos |
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| He's still listed as questionable. If you see something about whether he's going to play, please link it in the comments for all to see. |
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 ** Since 2001, because no one seems to keep game stats online from before that. |
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10/1/2006 Ahman may not play now that both hamstrings are hurting him. I believe he's injured both in practices. Brandon Miree is going to start at fullback. Henderson might not even suit up. Phily Enquirer on Favre's almost-retirement: "He didn't see the danger in mixing golf and lightning, either." Phily Enquirer's game notes. Bob Mcginn breaks down the Eagles. (Packer Insider). Jason Wilde has a nice article on AJ Hawk. McCarthy's Saturday press conference transcript. In case you missed it (I did), Favre was named Fedex Air NFL player of the week. It's via a fan vote. |
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| If you watched tonight's Bears/Seahawks game on NBC, you probably couldn't help but notice how much Madden compared Rex Grossman to Brett Favre. "That was a Brett Favre thing to do," Madden said about a long, scrambling incomplete pass play to Mushin Muhammad. I was reminded of the 2003 draft, when Ron Wolf thought highly of then-Florida QB Grossman. Wolf said that Rex reminded him alot of guess who? Brett Favre. And remember that website, BenchRex.com? Funny, it's not available anymore. |
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| From www.NFL.com/Injuries PACKERS: OUT: DT Kenderick Allen (Foot) QUESTIONABLE: CB Will Blackmon (Foot) T Junius Coston (Knee) DT Ryan Pickett (Ankle) G Jason Spitz (Thigh) PROBABLE: RB Ahman Green (Rib) DE Aaron Kampman (Head) TE David Martin (Illness) EAGLES: DOUBTFUL: CB Roderick Hood (Heel) CB Lito Sheppard (Ankle) QUESTIONABLE: FS Brian Dawkins (Concussion) WR Donte' Stallworth (Hamstring) RB Brian Westbrook (Knee) PROBABLE: G Shawn Andrews (Shoulder) WR Reggie Brown (Shoulder) SS Sean Considine (Hip) DE Darren Howard (Knee) SS Michael Lewis (Quadricep) RB Reno Mahe (Ankle) OLB Matt McCoy (Stinger) TE L.J. Smith (Shoulder) T Tra Thomas (Foot) DT Darwin Walker (Quadricep) |
