Social Networking: Follow both Railbird Central and me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

NFL teams were eligible to begin releasing players on their roster yesterday. While the Packers didn't release anyone, it got fans thinking if they could or should. Among the players who could possibly be a candidate for release, A.J. Hawk is at the top of the list. But as Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette found out, Hawk's likely not going anywhere. "If the Packers approach Hawk about a pay cut, he almost certainly would refuse and take his chances on the open market," writes Dougherty. "Hawk’s agent, Mike McCartney, on Monday said he’s spoken with Packers officials this offseason and the team has decided it’s better off paying the premium for quality depth." I would have to say, Brady Poppinga would probably be an even bigger candidate for release. Hawk is a much more serviceable inside linebacker than Poppinga is an outside linebacker.

Tom Pelissero of the Press-Gazette informs us that running back Ryan Grant is going to be a much more expensive player for the Packers next season. "Grant's base salary was scheduled to be $3 million, but his 2009 production triggered escalators that pushed that number to $4.5 million, according to NFL Players' Association salary data," writes Pelissero. "Grant is also due a $1.25 million roster bonus and a $250,000 workout bonus for a total of $6 million." Even with that high number, Grant is not a candidate for release. Pelissero also informs us that Charles Woodson, and to a lesser extent Mason Crosby, hit escalators that also raise their pay in 2010.

Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel throws out a hypothetical regarding Al Harris. "Packers cornerback Al Harris, who is coming off knee surgery, has a bonus in March," writes Bedard. "Expect the Packers to ask him to delay that bonus until he can prove he's healthy. If not, maybe the Packers think about cutting him." Considering the Packers' current lack of depth at the cornerback position, it's hard to fathom they'd cut Harris. Of course, that could change post-free agency and the draft.

In the Press-Gazette's series of Packers chats starting yesterday with running backs, Pelissero said that he thinks Kregg Lumpkin has a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster with the team next year. "They've thought enough of him to keep him around," writes Pelissero. "Depending what happens in the draft you'd have to think he's in the picture for the No. 3 job again, if he stays healthy." I think a more likely scenario has Lumpkin being squeezed out by a rookie, although not necessarily a high draft choice.

Bill Huber of Packer Report says the Packers showed "interest" in a quarterback while at the Senior Bowl. "The Packers showed interest in West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown at the Senior Bowl and have a history of investing in young signal-callers," writes Huber (subscription required). "Brown is an athletic player who was comfortable in the pocket during his week in Mobile." It's guaranteed the Packers bring in a rookie to fight for the No. 3 QB job this upcoming season, so it's not surprising they're examining their late round options in that area.

In addition to director of college scouting John Dorsey, Packers general manager Ted Thompson was reportedly in attendance at the Texas vs. the Nation collegiate all-star showcase. There were over 120 NFL scouts in El Paso for the Texas vs the Nation game including Packers GM Ted Thompson," writes Justin VanFulpen of  NEXT in the NFL & NFL Draft.

The Press-Gazette's Kelly McBride takes a look at students who visit Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame.

Acme Packing Company reviews Allen Barbre's 2009 season.

Alex Tallitsch of Packers Lounge debuts a new feature called The Morning Minute.

Social Networking: Follow both Railbird Central and me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

"Safety Darren Sharper was a rookie with the Green Bay Packers when he went to his first Super Bowl," write Bob McGinn and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sharper wasn't the only former Packer to win a Super Bowl ring last night. Backup quarterback Mark Brunell won one as well. So did the grandson of Vince Lombardi, Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi.

Did you enjoy our new LIVE blog experience last night at packer-world.com?

Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reminds us that it's been 12 years since the Packers have last been in the Super Bowl, but things aren't as bleak as that makes it sound. "The Packers’ 95-65 record spanning the last 10 seasons (2000-09) is second-best in the 16-team NFC trailing only Philadelphia (103-56-1)," writes Vandermause.

Gregg Rosenthal of NBC Sports is one person who thinks things are looking up for the Packers. He believes they'll be the second best team in the NFL heading into 2010. "The NFL’s youngest team four years running, the Packers are ready to grow up," writes Rosenthal. "Offense is more consistent year-to-year than defense in general, and there are few offenses that can match up with Aaron Rodgers and company."

Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel touches on the labor issues the NFL is facing and how it will impact the Packers. "If the cap is lifted next season, it's going to be very hard to get it back in the NFL," writes Hunt. "That means life would suddenly become more challenging for teams like the one up the road, where the stadium lights are higher than any building in town."

C.D. Angel of Tundra Vision feels much the same way. "Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder are probably weathering the storm, but downtrodden teams from small markets are likely faring worse than the Packers and their eternally-fervent fan base and perpetually sold-out stadium," writes Angeli. Both Angeli and Hunt feel there is a lot at stake for the NFL and fans are the centerpiece of whole ordeal.

Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette says that free agency will be more over-priced than usual this year. "That lowers the already small odds that Packers general manager Ted Thompson — who disdains the high cost of signing other teams’ players — will be active in the open market," writes Dougherty. "He figures, as usual, to sit out the bidding for the most coveted players and sift through the rest for relative bargains." Agreed. I can't see Thompson signing a top notch free agent.

Mike High Report reminds us something I totally forgot about. The Packers should have an extra seventh round draft choice this year. "In April, 2009, Carolina traded a future conditional draft pick (presumed to be a 2010, seventh-round selection) to the Green Bay Packers for LS J. J. Jansen," writes Jeremy Bolander of Mile High Report. "Jansen subsequently made the Panthers' roster, playing in every game of the 2009 season." That's a bonus.

Watch the Super Bowl from a Packers perspective with our LIVE blog. After all, it is the LOMBARDI trophy that's at stake.

We have a unique, cutting edge, interactive event planned for this evening when we unveil a new Cheesehead Nation toy we'll be using to cover tonight's big game.

All tweets with #cheeseheadnation will get through to the LIVE blog, so make sure to chip in your two cents and join us.

Social Networking: Follow both Railbird Central and me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

The leader in the clubhouse as the player most likely to be drafted by the Packers is USC offensive tackle Charles Brown. That's what I found out in a survey of 81 mock drafts. And if it's not Brown, it's still likely to be a tackle. "Among the first 81 mock draft that I looked at, 67 of them (or over 82 percent) have the Packers taking an offensive linemen with their first pick in the draft," I wrote yesterday. I like Brown, but I do think drafting him at No. 23 may be a stretch. I think that he's the type of player that could be available by trading back in the first round or trading up in second round.

Want to get a Packers perspective while watching the Super Bowl tomorrow? I'm teaming up with the folks from Cheesehead Nation to bring you a LIVE blog/chat tomorrow that is going to be pretty cutting edge. Aaron Nagler of CheeseheadTV says, "I can’t give away too much, other than to say, having seen it, I can pretty much guarantee it will become the industry standard for covering events, even more so than Cover It Live is at the moment." See you tomorrow. You won't want to miss it.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave his "State of the Union" address yesterday at a press conference in Miami. Bill Huber of Packer Report analyzes Goodell's comments, especially the labor negotiations and how it specifically impacts the Packers. "The Packers’ profit in the last fiscal-year, however, was $4 million, the team announced on June 20," writes Huber. "The $19 million decrease stemmed from rising player salaries — a $14 million increase, the team reported — as well investment losses and declining sales at the Packers Pro Shop." As the only NFL team that releases its financial records, the Packers are being held up as an example by the owners claiming a loss in revenue.

Huber also has information on a prospect the Packers spoke with at the Senior Bowl. "Tyson Alualu, the high-octane defensive lineman from California, could add some punch to the Packers' lackluster pass rush," writes Huber (subscription required). "Alualu talked to the Packers at the Senior Bowl, and he talked to us after a practice." At 6-3, 290, Alualu is no doubt being looked at as a 3-4 defensive end.

PackerChatters hosted a live chat with Matt McGuire of Walter Football last night, and McGuire had a pretty interesting perspective about the future of the Packers offensive line. "This is an overrated tackle draft from a DEPTH standpoint," writes McGuire. "Talent is great in the first round but outside of Vlad Ducasse and Charles Brown I don't see an immediate starter at the OT position. You can't bank on getting starters in the 3rd round and later on simply because you have a 33% probability of getting a starter in those mid to late rounds - and the later round you have the less probable chance of finding a starter. If the Packers don't go OT in the first 2 rounds I don't see much of an improvement up front for them." That's some pretty good analysis that I'll be keeping in the back of my mind until April.

Acme Packing Company takes a look back at Clay Matthews' season. "His impact goes beyond numbers," writes Mitchell_M. "Watch how he chased down Daunte Culpepper for a good 10 seconds at the end of the half on Thanksgiving.  Watch how he ripped the ball out of Adrian Peterson's hands and returned it for a score, tying the game at 14.  Watch how he layed out to break up the pass intended for Vernon Davis, which was thrown pretty well.  Watch how he absolutely blew up Joshua Cribbs when the Browns tried to run the Wildcat in his direction."

Alex Tallitsch at Packers Lounge has set up a series of polls taking the pulse of Packers Nation. Among the results, 62 percent of respondents said they don't want the Packers to keep Aaron Kampman. Make sure to take a peek at the rest of the results.

The guys at the Green Bay Press-Gazette are doing 10 straight days of live chats in the run-up to the NFL Combine.

Packers Hall of Famer Frank Winters will be signing autographs in Oak Creek tonight.

Railbird Central and yours truly was name-dropped by Joe Arrigo.

A survey of the first and most recent NFL mock drafts listed on WalterFootball.com's Mock Draft Database finds out that the large majority of football fans think the Green Bay Packers are going to draft an offensive lineman in the first round.

Among the first 81 mock draft that I looked at, 67 of them (or over 82 percent) have the Packers taking an offensive linemen with their first pick in the draft.

The player currently most likely to be drafted by the Packers? Charles Brown with 21 mock drafts choosing the USC tackle.

I found it interesting that a largest number of mocks come from a website called DraftDebacled.com, which allows users to easily post their own drafts. Not coincidentally, a majority of the Brown tallies came from users of DraftDebacled, and I wonder if users of that site influence each other to make similar choices.

The only other players to receiver more than 10 "tallies" were Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams with 18 and Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga with 13.

Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell received nine tallies and was the last offensive lineman before a player from another position came up more often. Next on the list was Clemson running back C.J. Spiller with 4 talliles.

In all, 17 players were listed. Eight of them were offensive linemen, five were cornerbacks, two were safeties, one was a running back and one was a linebacker. Here are the results of the brief survey:

1. USC tackle Charles Brown – 21
2. Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams – 18
3. Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga – 13
4. Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell – 9
5. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller – 4
6. USC safety Taylor Mays – 3
7. Idaho guard Mike Iupati – 2
8. Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis – 2
9. Michigan cornerback Donovan Warren – 1
10. Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson – 1
11. Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson – 1
12. UMass tackle Vladimir Ducasse – 1
13. Texas safety Earl Thomas – 1
14. Michigan linebacker Brandon Graham – 1
15. Oklahoma State tackle Russell Okung – 1
16. Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling – 1
17. Kentucky cornerback Trevard Lindley – 1