|
|
October 2008 - Posts
-
Here’s numerous pieces of information so far from Green Bay;
It looked as if everyone was back at practice today. Al Harris was working with the first team defensive unit. Atari Bigby was running drills and agility while working with the first team at times as well. AJ Hawk was moving better than I’ve seen him in the recent past. Justin Harrell, while he did receive some attention from the trainers to try and stretch out his right hamstring, he was working with the defensive line rotation. He will be activated, barring a season ending setback, before Sunday’s game.
The best sight came when Aaron Rodgers, during offensive drills, was throwing the ball deep with a tight spiral. After the shoulder injury, Rodgers was limited to no passes at all or passes 10 yards or under at the very most. Today, he was airing it out to every receiver he could find. Talking with him for a moment before practice began, Rodgers said that he feels great and that the bye week was a “blessing”.
Kerry Collins, during his conference call this morning, attributed the Titans success to their solid defense, being able to run the ball and the fact that they’re not committing turnovers. Collins has taken his experience and turned that into, “Making better decisions and reading defenses a little better.” Collins is very impressed with Aaron Rodgers, “He handled the off-season stuff just great. He’s a very good decision maker and he’s accurate”.
Mike McCarthy stated, during his presser this afternoon:
Al Harris should be completely cleared to play, by the doctors, for the game this weekend.
Aaron Rodgers is on a “pitch count”, that particular number he didn’t specify but did say that the doctors continue to recommend rest, at least 48 hours ahead of the actual game.
Coach McCarthy was also impressed with Justin Harrell. “When he’s activated, he’ll be a part of the 4 tackle rotation. He’s in the best shape that I’ve seen him in since he’s been a Green Bay Packer.”
McCarthy calls the Packers / Titans match-up in the preseason a “different landscape”. While the strategy in the pre-season was vastly different (the Packers playing their starters only 1 series and the Titans played their starters for the 1st quarter) the initial thought the coach received from their top personnel was “quite impressive”. “They’re physical, fundamentally sound. They’ve got speed, get to their gaps and are sure tacklers”.
When asked about Titans head coach, Jeff Fischer and his longevity with one team for that long of time (14 seasons), could McCarthy ever envision himself lasting here in Green Bay that long, the coach said with a big smile, “I’d be all for it”.
I spoke with James Jones about his knee and he claims that the week off did him a world of wonder. His bye week activities, according to Jones were, “Treatment, treatment, treatment, treatment, treatment”.
When you look at the Titans record (7-0) they are, right now, the best team in football. Johnny Jolly proclaimed with a smile, “I was watching them on Monday and hoping they’d (Tenessee) win. I wanna be the one to knockem’ off. It’s our biggest test against the leagues best, we wanna show what we can do”.
Aaron Kampman was somewhat surprised at practice today. He said that this was the first time “for as long as I can remember” that he could catch his breath during practice. The fact that the Packers have their full compliment of d-linemen means that everyone is getting reps and everyone is getting rest. “Us three guys (Jolly, Cole and Kampman) have been taking almost of the snaps at practice. It’s good to catch your breath now. Hopefully, that little bit of rest will keep us a bit more fresh for the games as well”.
-
Brett Favre chatter, bye week aside, did you see what I saw last night? I saw exactly the kind of team that the Packers don’t fare well against, a tough, physical team in the trenches. The undefeated Tennessee Titans are awaiting the Packers in Nashville after running the table thus far. When you look at the stats and comparison, you see exactly what I mean;
Offensively
Yards Per Game Packers 328.9 (10th) Titans 309.7 (23rd)
Rush Yards P/G Packers 101.0 (23rd) Titans (145.0) (4th)
Pass Yards P/G Packers 227.9 (10th) Titans (164.7) (28th)
Defensively
Total Points Packers 159 (16th) Titans 87 (1st)
Points P/G Packers 22.7 (16th) Titans 12.4 (1st)
Sacks Packers 12 (24th) Titans 18 (8th)
Total Yds. P/G Packers 327.9 (17th) Titans 275.4 (4th)
Int’s Packers 13 (1st) Titans 12 (2T)
Forced Fumble Packers 5 (24th) Titans 8 (9t)
Notables
Penalties Packers 58 total (3rd) Titans 44 (19th)
Penalty Yds Packers 534 (1st) Titans 327 (21)
Turnover +/- Packers +6 (5th) Titans +8 (1st)
The Packers have returned 5 of their 13 defensive picks for touchdowns this season which means the defense has been a huge points contributor for Green Bay. The Titans on the other hand have forced 8 fumbles and recovered 4 of those where the Packers, up front, have forced 5 fumbles but only recovered 1 thus far.
If you look at the numbers, they’re evenly matched teams for the most part but it’s the physical play up front by the Titans, the run game the Titans offense possesses, the way the Titans’ defense swarms the line of scrimmage and the ball carrier and this one is being played on Tennessee’s home turf, prediction-wise, this match-up can be chalked up for a blemish in the “L” column for Mike McCarthy’s Packers…but wait.
The X-factor in all of this, the Packers are coming off of the bye week. Mike McCarthy has proven that given time to prepare, he’s a pretty good coach at getting his team ready to play especially on the road. Throw in the fact that the Packers are going to get a good dose of regulars back on the field as healthy as they can be (Bigby, Harris, Montgomery, Hunter, Hawk, Clifton, Jones, even Aaron Rodgers with a rested shoulder), this all should bode well for a Packers team that has been plagued by nagging injuries.
-
Brett Bielema’s Badgers got a big win and the monkey off of the coach’s back for the time being but unless Wisconsin runs the table and wins a bowl game, the sharks are out and there’s blood in the water. Losing Beckum for the season with a broken leg hurts and it’s certainly not going to get any easier. BUT….Unless things go south in a hurry and Bielema loses the team; Alvarez will do everything in his power to make sure his hand picked successor succeeds in the UW system. Don’t look for a firing any time soon.
The Penn State Nittnany Lions are a physical team but they looked eerily similar to the dominating Buckeyes of the last couple of years. I’m not convinced that Jo Pa’s team will succeed vs. the SEC or the PAC 10 where Ohio State has failed in the last few BCS Title Games.
The Philly fans calling, Tampa Bay Rays 3rd baseman, Evan Longoria, Eva….come on, is that the best you have? Even for Philly fans, that’s lame.
49ers new head coach, Mike Singletary, sending tight end Vernon Davis to the showers early for slapping a Seahawks defender in the head after a catch ad benching J.T. O’Sullivan for, well, stinking…..it was refreshing. If I’m in the San Fran lockerroom, I’m worried about MY job. Singletary means business. It’s about time!
Deanna Favre writing a blog defending Brett, come on. Bret had his say, and quite believably, on Wednesday of this past week. Deanna doesn’t need to speak out, the Favre don’t have the benefit of unquestioned credibility at this point. The more you say, the guiltier you look. Would someone close to them tell them to stop it? Less it more!
Does anyone else, besides me, wanna slap the heck out of the guy in the triple steak burrito Taco Bell commercial? You know who I mean, the guy whom the valet delivers the burrito to while his buddies are served miniature filets at a supposed-to-be fancy restaurant. Just sayin’!
Can Cincinnati and Detroit stink any worse? Nuff’ said!
The Steelers and Giants look very strong and that was one of the best defensive games that I’ve witnessed in a long time. On natural grass, in the wind, some mud on the unis….errrr, now that’s football.
Not to the Commish, Mr. Goodell, get out of London. No one wants to play there and it’s just not right. If Londoners want to watch the NFL, either do it on the Tele, as they call it, or hop a plane and buy a damn ticket. Stop taking away home games from fans whose tax dollars are paying for your stadiums.
The Bucks are about ready to tip off the 08-09 season. Does anyone care? There’s the hardcore basketball fan but is there enough interest to sustain attendance for the Bucks should the start out slow yet again this year? I think they’re going to be better than most people think and just might make the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference but I still think it’s an early end to the season for the Bucks with no real shot at a championship. 38-44 record at best.
-
Favre admits that there was a conversation with the Lions. The Jets quarterback admits talking to Matt Millen regarding the Green Bay Packers but not at length and not with a devious intent to sabotage the Green Bay Packers.
Favre stated today that Matt Millen called him and that he did discuss the Green Bay Packers offense to a minimal extent. The call lasted about 20 to 30 minutes and covered various topics; hunting, the Jets season, life in New York, the Packers, ect.
Favre emphatically denies the Jay Glazer report in which Glazer stated that Favre initiated the contact and spoke, at length, with the Lions coaches regarding strategy to beat the Green Bay Packers.Favre did make a few comments that were somewhat confusing though;“I haven’t played in that offense (Green Bay’s) in over a year” Brett, it’s been 9 months since you were eliminated from the playoffs, don’t try to blow smoke up Packers fans intelligent rear ends, come on.
“I wish them (Packers) nothing but the best. I’ve got a lot of friends there”.
Brett, you do have friends in Green Bay, the funny thing is, you never call them. Since the summertime saga, no one has heard from you including Aaron Rodgers, the man you claimed that you had no animosity towards yet you had the time to converse with Tony Romo over his injured pinkie. This leads one to ask, why wouldn't you call Aaron when he hurt his shoulder?
Brett did say, “Learning this Jets game plan has been difficult….spending time giving away another game plan is ahhh…is totally not true.”
When asked if Brett spoke to other coaches he responded by saying, “If someone was in there (Matt Millen’s office), I couldn’t tell ya.”Brett then went on to say, “Let me clarify this, I did not call the Lions, nor did I call Tony Romo.” Favre went on to say, “I don’t know what else to tell ya, I’m not going around calling people.”Brett stated to the media, “See, the stories not as good now is it?”Later in the presser, Brett referred to his conversation with Tony Romo, “When Tony called me, he asked me how I played with a broken thumb, anything in particular, any secrets I could give him? And I said that I just tried it, wore a splint on my thumb, it was worth a try. Next thing I know, I’m callin’ everyone in the league giving out secrets.”“I’m willing to help but it’s awfully ridiculous.”“Believe me, I’m trying my best to help this team win, the New York Jets. And spending NO TIME trying to make sure the Packers lose. I’ve got enough on my plate, believe me.”
Clearly Favre was irritated by the rumors and reports.
-
After making several phone calls today, it’s my understanding that Brett Favre did indeed speak with Matt Millen, then President / GM of the Detroit Lions. It was more of a “conversation in passing” as it was explained to me. It was NOT a deviant plot by Favre to attempt to sabotage the Green Bay Packers. The conversation was “brief”. There was a mention of the Green Bay Packers but, according to sources, it wasn’t a lengthy dissertation or the Packers schemes, tendencies nor playcalling. The conversation surrounded “catching up” and Brett’s comfort level in New York and how enjoyed playing for the Jets.
While the Detroit Lions remain silent with their “no comment” refrain, sources tell me that this was the only phone call that they had knowledge of. Other calls, to other teams was out of their “scope of knowledge”.
Jay Glazer, of FOX Sports, reported, “Favre earlier this year phoned the Detroit Lions prior to their battle versus Favre's old team, the Green Bay Packers, and gave them a rundown of the nuances of what Green Bay does on offense. According to the sources, Favre actually spent over an hour on the phone with Lions coaches, who were connected with Favre by then-team president Matt Millen.” Glazer’s article goes on to say, “Other teams the Packers have played had also heard about the Favre coaching clinic with Detroit. In addition, there have been rumors that Favre has spoken to other teams giving them information, but most of those teams insist they have not heard from the famed gunslinger.
However, another team says it has had casual talks in the past with Favre and talked about some of what Green Bay does, but it was nowhere near the details he let loose to the Lions.”
My sources have no knowledge of any other phone calls that Favre had either made or received to any additional teams. The name of the team, referred to in Glazer’s article, that confirms they did indeed speak with Favre regarding the Green Bay Packers has yet to be named.
More Posts Next page »
|
|