Packers Bye Week Well-Timed

The Green Bay Packers have had this past week to rest their weary bones and prepare for a tough competition against an undefeated Tennessee Titans team. I suspect there will be a great deal of green and gold in the stands at LP Field, knowing the history of Packers fans willingness to travel. With a surprise win against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, the Packers are in a position to make their mark in this 2008 season with a win against the Titans.

This win was just what I needed to seal the deal with Rodgers. I should say this win coupled with the little telephone call Brett Favre made to Lions'-ex Matt Millen. While it may not be true that Favre discussed any Packers plays, it still keeps that sour taste in my mouth. Aaron Rodgers has put together some solid performances, even in the 3 losses, he has played well. Confidence is high.

With Al Harris' return from a spleen tear, this team is going places. To think my expectations were pitifully low early in the season. I should be ashamed. I do wish Favre well with the Jets, but have moved on to #12.

The Packers lost to the Titans in the preseason, though only by 2 points. And how much does the preseason even reflect the regular season? I think these teams will split their meetings this year, with the Packers winning the more important of the match-ups.

And so go the days of our lives...in Packerland

"Brett Favre has been placed on the Green Bay Packers' roster following his reinstatement by the National Football League."

Interesting developments over the weekend. The Minnesota Vikings don't want him. The Green Bay Packers are gonna make him duke it out with Aaron Rodgers for the position of starting quarterback. What? And have Favre play all the downs in the preseason games? That is interesting. Should make the availability of preseason Packers tickets a little light if you get Favre playing for $40!

I was giving my boy the COLD should for a month or so. I am ashamed of myself. All of this love and devotion turned sour with one little itch. Poor Brett. I will scratch your itch. Good luck at making Aaron run for the AFC.

Go Pack!

This isn't the Soap Opera I Anticipated

Since my last post, a lot of you-know-what has hit the fan. It is all rather unbelievable. Retired Green Bay Packers' quarterback Brett Favre wants an unconditional release from his contract with the Pack. Wow. This is terribly depressing. What once was a beautiful relationship filled with love and support has turned sour.

Favre who retired fair and square has said he changed his mind and wants to play football. Well, fella, you have had, as the Packers say, numerous chances to come back and play for the green and gold. Each time you said no, no, retirement is for me.

Some say for all the time and energy I have devoted to this guy, I have turned a cold shoulder quickly. If it turns out the Packers made him rush to retirement and the writing was on the wall, well then, maybe I side with Brett, but it appears as though the quarterback had a chance to change his mind and he didn't take it.

As of a few minutes ago, apparently Packers' General Manager Ted Thompson said maybe Favre could come back and play second string behind Aaron Rodgers. If it was ugly before, this statement is off the charts.

And these are the days of our lives....

Packers Family Night Tickets Still Available

Should we question why Packers Family Night Tickets haven't sold out yet or should we thank our lucky stars that so many tickets have sold? Packers fans are missing Favre, but interested in supporting new quarterback Aaron Rodgers. You can still buy end zone tickets for the Sunday, August 3 scrimmage for face value through the Packers ticket office at Lambeau Field or through Ticketmaster. Another point this brings up is the Sunday night aspect; in years' past the typically sold-out event is held on a Saturday evening. Usually a better night for families, especially those who may travel to Lambeau Field. Nonetheless, if you can get your kids in their best packers gear and spend some quality time with them introducing them to the game of football, you won't regret the $8 ticket price. That's right, Packers tickets for $8. You will blow three times that on a new hat for the game!

Rodgers: "Human Jugs Machine"

In a recent interview Greg Jennings said the following about his new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, "He has a cannon. We call him the 'Human Jugs Machine. He throws it like a Jugs machine every time." Only on ESPN would this statement not create a little giggle among readers.

Bottom line though for Green Bay Packers fans is the fact that this statement was made at all. Players are saying that they knew all along that Rodgers can throw the ball, even if he will always be compared to that pesty #4. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said that for the past 3 years they have been working to drop his ball carriage, a trait Rodgers picked up in college at Cal State.

One good thing to this transition is that Rodgers isn't brand new to the team, he has been Packer for years and is a familiar face in the locker room and at Lambeau Field.

Who is Pro Bowl Cornerback Al Harris?

The guy is more than just a Packers player with dreadlocks. He hasn't missed an NFL game since the 1998 NFL season. Voted to play and start in the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl, Packers fans are happy to have such a quality cornerback on board. That said, Harris did have a tough game on his hands in the NFC Championship loss at Lambeau this past January. Harris was matched up with New York Giants' Plaxico Burress in what became such a heartbreaking loss for the Packers players and fans. Burress just had the game of his life and Harris just couldn't get the elevation to beat him.

One team had to lose that game.

Moving on to the upcoming season, Al Harris is ready for action. Along with Charles Woodsen and a few other vets, Harris will be relied upon to help lead the rookies. Harris has played in every game since he came to the Packers in 2003. That alone sets a nice example of toughness, both mentally and physically. With his bump-and-run style, Harris ensured his place in the record books with the Packers in a Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2004 when in overtime, he intercepted Matt Hasselback's pass for a touchdown. Having been at that game, I will say that I will NEVER forget how great that moment was. The crowd was CRAZY!

Let's get to the good stuff. The muscles, dreads and tattoos. Share in a ton of great photos on his Al Harris' My Space page. He seems to be a good guy, dedicating time and energy to those in need.

Packers History Could Help in No-Cap Future

In 2010, the salary cap in the NFL, which had been in place since 1993, will be going bye-bye, allowing big time players to ask for some big time cash. The chatter with regard to this development and it's effect on the Packers chances to compete is bleak. With team owners like Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder, Bob Kraft, each with very deep pockets, it may be a challenge for the league's only community-owned, non profit team to compete.

The Green Bay Packers current roster and contracts already have an hint of the cap elimination. For example, Aaron Rodgers will have his shot this fall to step in to Brett Favre's shoes as the Packers quarterback, if all goes well, Rodgers' current contract is through 2009, allowing for some tough negotiations ahead for the team and a potential windfall for Rodgers. I have no argument with that. Rodgers has waited patiently for his shot and if he performs, he deserves to get paid. The question is, will the Packers be signing his paycheck in 2010, or will it be for a rival team with unlimited funds?

This is not to say the Packers organization hasn't planned for this day. For years, they have stayed under the cap, storing funds for such a "rainy" day.

My real point here is to address the one thing the Green Bay Packers can offer, other teams cannot. The mystique of the team, the field they play on, the Coach Lombardi factor and the rest of the storied history of the franchise. Sure players will end up living part of the year in the NFL's smallest market, but they will literally be THE biggest fish in the pond. Green Bay treats their Packers players like gold. Green Bay supports the team year round, showing up for all of the practices, scrimmages and related events with bells on. My bet is that there will still be a number of solid players who will sacrifice some cash to experience the opportunity to wear Packers' Green and Gold each Sunday.

Packers Give Favre His Old Locker

Rather than creating mass hysteria as to which Packers player would next use the locker once used by former Packers quarterback Brett Favre, the team has decided to just give it to #4. As players starting coming in to Green Bay and streaming in to the locker room this Spring, none touched Favre's old locker, in fact most took pictures. ESPN even created a build your own Favre Locker shrine on their site. The team is going to have a new locker built and installed by the end of July, by the time practices are in full swing for the fall NFL season.

I will now await the very special day, when Brett and Deanna invite me over to their pad for a cookout and a tour of their decked out rec room. They have to have some time on their hands now. I will bring a nice dish to pass.

Packers Tickets Around for Brown County Residents

The Green Bay Packers ticket office has offered up 4,000 Packers tickets to each home game at Lambeau Field to the local county residents via a lottery. This system has been in place since the renovation of Lambeau a few years ago, making many local fans very happy, but this year there is a change. The Packers may need to hold a third lottery to complete the sale of all the Brown County-designated seats. I wouldn't necessarily chalk this entirely up to the retirement of Quarterback Brett Favre, I think there are some additional factors like the cost of gas and milk these days. That along with with some gambling that ticket buyers may be able to score reasonably priced Packers tickets through friends or local ticket brokers. There are a lot of unknowns about the upcoming season. Expectations remain high even without Favre, but if the Packers get off to a 0-3 record, I can assure you Packers ticket prices will reach a decade low. I prefer the flip side, but now for the later games, as they are cheap, like $100 for end zone seats, and watch the Packers, lead by Aaron Rodgers clinch the NFC Central in an ice-cold December game at Lambeau. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Packers Herron Saves the Day

Noah Herron, Green Bay Packers running back, saved the day when some scumbags broke in his Green Bay home this past Friday night. After hearing glass break in the basement, Herron took a bedpost from his room and got the two guys. One of these dirtballs remains in the hospital and the other was caught by police. Noah Herron saves the day! There had been a string of burglaries in the area which now hopefully will come to an end. Thankfully the police got it right and had absolutely no reason to give Herron a hard time, saying his use of force was reasonable and justified given the intrusion. I will say that is was pretty crazy that he went wandering downstairs with a bedpost, which wouldn't hold up in a gun fight. I am glad the good guy won.

Packers' Green Machine

There is a group of Green Bay Packers players who call themselves the Green Machine, which has nothing to do with football. The Green Machine is a basketball team comprised of Packers players, organized by Packers' wide receiver Ruvell Martin, who received all-state and all-conference accolades in basketball while in high school. While fun is a high priority of the machine, raising money for various charities is the top priority for the guys. It appears that Martin is involved with many charities, donating time and money to the likes of the United Way and the American Red Cross. This type of character can also be seen on the football field.

Receivers Shaun Bodiford and James Jones, cornerback Tramon Williams, offensive tackle Orrin Thompson and running back Noah Herron are all regulars on the Green Machine team. It is to be commended that these guys take their own time to drive around the state to help raise money for those in need. During halftime, the players are happy to shake a few hands and sign a few autographs for the kids in attendance. Their opponents have ranged from school-age kids to former Wisconsin Badgers basketball players. With a solid record, the Green Machine best not think of quitting their day job!

Want to Stalk Favre?

If you want to head to the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, NV, you might get a glimpse of Brett playing at the celebrity golf tournament, the American Century Championship July 8-13. Considering I wouldn't have known a lick about this event if it weren't for Favre participating, organizers are on the right track having a guy like him attend. They are reporting that they anticipate selling more tickets than last year simply due to the retired quarterback's playing. A nice getaway in Tahoe? Count me in. I will meet you at the 19th hole, Brett!

Packers in top third of ESPN Power Rankings

From ESPN, the following is how they see the upcoming NFL season to shake out. At the end of the 2007 season, they had the Green Bay Packers sitting at 5, and beginning this season at 10. Given the retirement of Brett Favre, I will take a 10 any day. That is a good thing. The Packers were solid on both sides of the ball last season and new quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been pretty good the few times he has hit the field for the Packers, most noteably was against the Dallas Cowboys last season when Favre went out with an injury.

ESPN lists their ranking for 2008 first, then in parenthesis is where the team landed in the rankings at the end of last season. We still see the Patriots at the top of the list. I guess that videotaping stuff doesn't help afterall?

1 (1)
New England Patriots
16-0-0

2 (2)
Indianapolis Colts
13-3-0

3 (6)
San Diego Chargers
11-5-0

4 (3)
Dallas Cowboys
13-3-0

5 (4)
Jacksonville Jaguars
11-5-0

6 (9)
New York Giants
10-6-0

7 (8)
Pittsburgh Steelers
10-6-0

8 (7)
Seattle Seahawks
10-6-0

9 (13)
Cleveland Browns
10-6-0

10 (5)
Green Bay Packers
13-3-0

11 (18)
New Orleans Saints
7-9-0

12 (15)
Minnesota Vikings
8-8-0

13 (14)
Philadelphia Eagles
8-8-0

14 (10)
Washington Redskins
9-7-0

15 (12)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9-7-0

16 (11)
Tennessee Titans
10-6-0

17 (17)
Arizona Cardinals
8-8-0

18 (23)
Carolina Panthers
7-9-0

19 (19)
Buffalo Bills
7-9-0

20 (16)
Houston Texans
8-8-0

21 (30)
New York Jets
4-12-0

22 (25)
Baltimore Ravens
5-11-0

23 (21)
Denver Broncos
7-9-0

24 (20)
Chicago Bears
7-9-0

25 (22)
Cincinnati Bengals
7-9-0

26 (27)
Oakland Raiders
4-12-0

27 (26)
San Francisco 49ers
5-11-0

28 (29)
St. Louis Rams
3-13-0

29 (24)
Detroit Lions
7-9-0

30 (28)
Kansas City Chiefs
4-12-0

31 (32)
Miami Dolphins
1-15-0

32 (31)
Atlanta Falcons
4-12-0

There you have it. Now with the owners voting to go with out a salary cap two years earlier, we shall see if the playing field remains the same. All I care about is my Packers playing competitively and remining in Green Bay (which is a no brainer, I realize). The Packers

Packers Family Night 2008

Packers fans will get to enjoy the green and gold on this years' Family Night scrimmage at Lambeau Field Sunday, August 3, 2008. It is a great event to get ready for the regular NFL season. The Packers offense plays the defense to what usually is a sold out crowd. This is the NFL's most popular scrimmage. The nicely priced $8 Packers tickets for the Family Night event go on sale June 14th through Ticketmaster. Packers fans are limited to 8 tickets per person.

This will then mark the first stadium full of fans since 1992 without a Mr. Brett Favre in the building. Crazy.

Take your kids to Lambeau for this great Packers Family Night. You gotta start 'em young. Go Pack!

Current Green Bay Packers Roster

It always is fun watching the shuffling of big guys on an NFL teams' roster. I can't imagine the pressure the rookies feel and the excitement I suppose.

Quarterbacks
11 Brian Brohm
10 Matt Flynn
12 Aaron Rodgers
(I know Aaron Rodgers is set to start for the Packers this season, but isn't it a little fishy his name is last in alphabetical order? Is it a sign? The buzz is that this Louisville kid Brohm is pretty good. I am pulling for you Rodgers; you put in your time and deserve a shot)

Running Backs
35 Korey Hall FB
23 Noah Herron
32 Brandon Jackson
30 John Kuhn FB
28 Kregg Lumpkin
34 Vernand Morency
39 Ryan Powdrell FB
45 Corey White FB
42 DeShawn Wynn


Wide Receivers
13 Jake Allen
19 Shaun Bodiford
80 Donald Driver
83 Chris Francies
18 Rod Harper
85 Greg Jennings
89 James Jones
82 Ruvell Martin
87 Jordy Nelson
17 Johnny Quinn
6 Taj Smith
16 Brett Swain
(Should be another great year for veteran WR Donald Driver. He is such a great guy and caught the rockets thrown by Favre for years; he should be in good shape with Rodgers in the pocket. It always feels good though when the Packers have a long line of targets at wide receiver, helping to keep the defense guessing.)

Tight Ends
88 Jermichael Finley
49 Joey Haynos
84 Tory Humphrey
86 Donald Lee
47 Mike Peterson TE/FB
(We will have to keep an eye on Tory Humphrey who has had lots of injury issues thus far in to his career.)

Offensive Linemen
78 Allen Barbre G
64 Brennen Carvalho C
76 Chad Clifton T
73 Daryn Colledge G
60 Ryan Considine T
62 Junius Coston G/T
68 Breno Giacomini T
61 Ryan Keenan G
75 Tony Moll T
71 Josh Sitton T
72 Jason Spitz G/C
67 Cameron Stephenson G
65 Mark Tauscher T
69 Orrin Thompson T/G
70 Joe Toledo G/T
63 Scott Wells C


Defensive Linemen
93 Conrad Bolston DT
90 Colin Cole DT
94 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila DE
91 Justin Harrell DT
57 Jason Hunter DE
77 Cullen Jenkins DE
97 Johnny Jolly DT
74 Aaron Kampman DE
98 Alfred Malone DT
96 Michael Montgomery DE
95 Daniel Muir DT
79 Ryan Pickett DT
99 Jeremy Thompson DE


Linebackers
56 Nick Barnett ILB
55 Desmond Bishop ILB
54 Brandon Chillar OLB
53 Spencer Havner OLB
50 A. J. Hawk OLB
52 Abdul Hodge ILB
58 Danny Lansanah LB
51 Brady Poppinga OLB
44 Marcus Riley LB
59 Tracy White OLB
(Big competition here between Chillar and Poppinga. Will be interesting who gets the start, regardless though, more quality is better.)

Defensive Backs
43 Condrew Allen CB
20 Atari Bigby SS
27 Will Blackmon CB
24 Jarrett Bush CB
36 Nick Collins FS
29 Tyrone Culver S
31 Al Harris CB
22 Patrick Lee CB
26 Charlie Peprah SS
40 Joe Porter CB
37 Aaron Rouse FS
41 Kyle Ward CB
38 Tramon Williams CB/KR
21 Charles Woodson CB/PR
(The Green Bay Packers defense has been solid the last couple years. The mix of veteran experience and young talent have helped make the Packers defense a force to be reckened with.)


Special Teams
2 Mason Crosby K
7 Ken DeBauche P
48 Thomas Gafford LS
46 J. J. Jansen LS
9 Jon Ryan P
(We do like the Aussies.)

Favre Jersey for Years?

I like my Favre jersey, but wearing it every day for 1,581 days? This story hit elsewhere last week, but I didn't want it to go without mentioning it. This young boy from Connecticut wore his #4 jersey since receiving it as a gift Christmas 2003 up until April 23, 2008. Yes, it was washed and repaired regularly, but this young Green Bay Packers fan really took the extra step in showing his love. And to think some "tough guys" will poo-poo wearing gear even to a game!

Good for you David Whitthoft!

One Special Locker

So the story goes that weeks and weeks after Brett Favre retired from the Green Bay Packers, his locker sits as it did when he last was in Green Bay. No one wants to be the guy to take over a legend's locker. The Packers don't want to take his stuff down. Looks like Favre's locker will just become a bit of a shrine I guess. Word is that some of the rookies who came in for their minicamp were taking pictures of said locker. I certainly would and I don't play the game...Good for these new kids to come in with the understanding that they are coming to Green Bay at a pretty cool time. They respect what was and the years of history the team has compiled, but still know they have an opportunity to create the start of another great run. Maybe even a run to the post-season again. Wouldn't it be great if the Packers play host to another NFC Championship this coming January?

Favre on Fox?

It would be so simple to do a play on words with the rumor that former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is in talks with Fox to add his commentary to their Sunday morning studio show. I mean the guy is Foxy, right?

I guess this would be a fair compromise. If we can't enjoy Favre in his green and gold uniform each Sunday, we can get a dose of his casual attire and witty remarks on our local Fox affiliate. The news of these talks was leaked during a speech given by former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer. It is Switzer who may get the boot to make room for Favre. Interesting.

Packers Tickets Scam; Dude Busted

Last season, Ben Huettl screwed a bunch of Packers fans out of the Packers tickets they thought they purchased through his website, lambeautickets.com. In fact, these folks did purchase the tickets, Huettl just chose to take the money and never deliver on the tickets. Nice.

Lesson to people looking to buy Green Bay Packers tickets, or really any tickets to a sold out event; be certain you are buying from a reputable source. Ticket brokers who are reliable are members of the NATB, on Ebay be sure to buy only from sellers with high ratings and a large quantity of transactions. Another lesson is to do your homework. I heard a story of someone looking for Packers tickets on Craigslist, saw some he was interested in and the seller said for him to meet her where ever and she would give him his tickets, now, in May. This is impossible. Packers tickets, nor really any NFL tickets are printed by the teams yet for the upcoming 2008 season. This could have been a bad deal, but thankfully something caused this craigslist.com shopper to be suspicious.

Back to this nice chap Huettl. While he wasn't prosecuted, he has agreed to comply with a number of state sanctions including no options of running a website. He paid the money back to the Packers fans, who ended up buying tickets at a discount from a friendly local Wisconsin ticket broker. The discount was offered when this story was shared. Sounds like a nice deal in a bad situation.

The lesson is to do your homework, work with reputable resellers and understand the delivery on Packers tickets.

Packers Draft 2008

I will not claim to have any sort of original thought on the NFL draft picks made by Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers. For the first time in 22 years, the Packers did not pick in the first round. In later rounds, they picked two quarterbacks, Louisville's Brian Brohm in the second round and LSU's Matt Flynn in the seventh. The Packers haven't picked two QB's in a draft since years before Favre even came to the team. So like 1984 or something.

I would presume these two, along with starting Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, are each fantasising about becoming the "next Brett Favre". Anyone would I suppose, especially football players with all that machismo at play. I am not looking for another Favre, I am looking for a winning season following Favre's retirement and a decent price for my Packers tickets.

Who is this Brohm guy? It seems like buzz has surrounded him and his performance on the field since the guy was in high school. As far as his response to being drafted by the Packers, Brohm said, "It was a long wait, but I'm just excited to be in the NFL and to be with the Green Bay Packers. I'm just pumped up. I want to come in and compete and be the best player I can be. I know they have a good team and I just want to do what I can to help out."