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The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. announced yesterday that cornerback Charles Woodson and wide receiver Jordy Nelson
will receive the Hall's awards for 'Most Valuable Player' and 'Rookie
of the Year,' respectively, at the 39th Packers Hall of Fame Induction
Banquet, to be held the evening of July 18, 2009, in the Lambeau Field
Atrium. I cannot thing of any players more deserving of that honor.
While we're on the topic of Charles Woodson, the team MVP made a large contribution to a children's hospital during a charity golf event near his alma mater of Ann Arbor, Michigan. "After raising an event-record $660,000 last weekend, including a huge financial boost from U-M's former Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, it will now be called the Griese/Hutchinson/Woodson golf outing," reports the Detroit News.
It looks like quarterback Aaron Rodgers is going to given the reigns of the offense moreso than last year. "Rodgers says that QB Coach Tom Clements is giving him a bigger voice with play calling and command of the team this year," according to Lance Allen of Milwaukee NBC affiliate WTMJ (hat tip: the Daily Drink). Rodgers has been a good soldier for a couple years now. He's earned that role.
The Packers official website has a nice story on undrafted rookies Carson Butler and Ronald Talley who attended the same high school. "Both players acknowledged the adjustment to life in the NFL is a little
easier with a familiar face around," writes Mike Spofford. "During rookie orientation, the two
caught up on some old times and partnered up for the nightly card games
of spades at the local hotel, ruling the table their fair share."
Tom Pelissero takes a look at the running backs in his position by position analysis in the run up to OTAs. Tyrell Sutton has been getting a lot of good publicity as one of the Packers' best signings of the undrafted players, but Pelissero points out some key factors, "Sutton, the undrafted rookie from Northwestern, is undersized
(5-foot-8, 211 pounds), hasn’t been durable, doesn’t have great speed
and needs to have a fantastic preseason to make the team." I get the feeling that some people have already penciled in Sutton as beating out guys like DeShawn Wynn and Kregg Lumpkin while Sutton still has a lot to prove, not to mention that he won't even be eligible to participate in OTAs.
Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more information on the Packers' decision not to opt out of the league's pension plan for assistant coaches.
Railbird endorsed video: Enjoy "Run Around" by Blues Traveler performed back during the '98 HORDE Tour. Man, I wish I would have went to that back then...