The Packer Pundit

FIGHTING PACKERS
Training camp is merely two weeks old and tempers were starting to flare on Thursday morning. Rookie offensive lineman Tony Moll and linebacker Nick Barnett got into a brief shoving match during team drills. Later, rookie defensive end Johnny Jolly and tackle Josh Bourke got into a more heated exchange and had to be pulled apart by teammates.

SOME VETS GET MORNING OFF
Several veterans got the morning off Thursday. Among the players not practicing were quarterback Brett Favre, receiver Donald Driver, defensive ends Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, running backs William Henderson, Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, and cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson.

PACKERS SIGN GUARD MICHAEL 'MOOKIE' MOORE
The Green Bay Packers Thursday signed free agent guard Michael 'Mookie Moore. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, announced the signing. Moore, a 6-foot-2, 318-pound player out of Troy State, is a sixth-year veteran who previously has spent time with three organizations. Originally selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Moore played in five games, including one start, during his rookie season. He spent the next two seasons with the Denver Broncos before signing with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003. Moore started the season opener in 2004 but was placed on I.R. on Sept. 4 with a shoulder injury. He subsequently was waived on Sept. 9. In 1999, the Fayette, Ala., native started all 11 games at left tackle at Troy State. He played three seasons at right guard at Alabama before the transfer. Moore has been assigned No. 57.

JENNINGS A GO
Highly regarded rookie receiver Greg Jennings has recovered from a hip flexor injury in time to play on Saturday. The second-round pick out of Western Michigan practiced on Thursday morning after sitting out earlier this week. Jennings has played his way onto the first-team offense in training camp - earning early praise from Favre - and will likely see time with the No. 1 offense on Saturday. "I've been rotating in with the ones all camp, so more than likely I'll be in there with the ones," Jennings said. But that doesn't necessarily mean Jennings will get to rest once McCarthy pulls his veteran starters out of the game. "I don't expect to be done after the first quarter," Jennings said, laughing. "So definitely, I expect to get my share of reps." Jennings said he's excited that the team has allowed him to work with the first team so quickly. "I'm excited about it, and I just want to continue to show progress and continue to get better," Jennings said. "And that way, I'll permanently be there."

FAVRE FOUNDATION GIVES $10,000 TO AID AREA CHILDREN
The Brett Favre Fourward Foundation recently contributed $10,000 to The Salvation Army of Hattiesburg to help the children it serves. The money will be used to help the children with school needs. The youth of the Boys and Girls Club program, School for Performing Arts, Sunbeams, Girl Guards, Rangers and Explorer youth groups will benefit by receiving uniforms and tutorial help. Favre, veteran quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, is a Kiln native with close ties to the Hattiesburg community.

INJURY UPDATE
G/T Will Whitticker said an MRI showed that he does not have a completely torn hamstring, but it is severe enough to keep him out for at least another week. Whitticker said the plan was to try to start running in the middle of next week. Coach Mike McCarthy said tackle Chad Clifton (knee) would definitely play against San Diego and receiver Greg Jennings (hip, groin) and running back Najeh Davenport (calf) were probable.

"The tradition here is unbelievable," Hawk says. "That's what's great about Green Bay. It's a sellout for a scrimmage. That doesn't happen anywhere else in the NFL. We're so embraced by Packers fans. And they all stayed right to the end. It's phenomenal."

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HAWK REFLECTS ON
COLLEGE TEAMMATE'S TROUBLES
By CHRIS JENKINS
Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. - A.J. Hawk and Maurice Clarett were two freshmen brimming with talent when they arrived at Ohio State in 2002. A few months later, they were national champions. Today, Hawk is on his way to becoming the next big star for the Green Bay Packers. Clarett is in jail. After hearing reports of a police chase, loaded guns and pepper spray, Hawk can only shake his head at the way a former teammate squandered his talent. After watching Clarett dominate college football for the Buckeyes, could Hawk ever have imagined that things would turn out like this?

"No," Hawk said. "Anyone that had been there his freshman year in that stadium, I mean, he was everything. To everybody. From game one. People chanted his name the whole time, and he had a great year." Clarett was the toast of college football after scoring a touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to clinch the 2002 national championship for Ohio State. Since then, his life has become a mess. "He was a great running back - great vision, size, speed, everything," Hawk said. "It's unfortunate when something like that happens to someone, that many instances that he had off the field that caused all these problems for him."

Clarett was arrested early Wednesday morning after police tried to pull him over for driving erratically. Police say they eventually stopped Clarett's SUV by spiking his tires, then tried to subdue him with a stun gun - but it didn't work because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, so they used pepper spray. He allegedly had four loaded guns in the SUV. Clarett was charged with carrying a concealed weapon on Thursday, and bond was set at $5 million.

McCARTHY AWAITS FIRST CHANCE TO RUN THE SHOW
Calling the plays just part of the game-day pressure
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com

Besides getting his first chance to scout his players against another team, coach Mike McCarthy will get a dry run in game-day logistics in the Green Bay Packers' preseason opener on Saturday. McCarthy has been a play-calling NFL offensive coordinator the past six years, but this is his first tenure as a head coach. So for the first time in his 14 years in the NFL, he'll be running an entire sideline and coaching operation when the Packers play at the San Diego Chargers.

McCarthy will continue calling plays. Unlike former coach Mike Sherman, who called the play to his quarterbacks coach, Darrell Bevell, who relayed the call to the quarterback, McCarthy will give the play directly to the quarterbacks via their helmet speakers. McCarthy said he might have offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski call some plays in the fourth quarter Saturday night, but the entire coaching staff needs to practice working their normal roles in a game setting, when countless observations, judgments and decisions have to made and communicated on the fly.

"I need to get back into it and call the game," McCarthy said after practice Thursday morning. "Just get the different mechanics, because there are different guys upstairs and different lines of communication, plus being coordinated with game management, defense, special teams. I'm doing it personally for experience, but also from a group standpoint."

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JAGODZINSKI SETS PACE FOR MENTAL TOUGHNESS
By Chris Havel
GBPressGazette.com

Jeff Jagodzinski is gaining a reputation for throwing tempo tantrums. The Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator wants players to practice at game speed in individual drills during training camp. There is a method to his madness. He wants the offense to go into the team period of practice feeling drained. The upside is that it conditions players to concentrate while they are catching their breath. The downside is that it may contribute to mental mistakes such as missed assignments and pre-snap penalties, and there has been a considerable amount of both. It can lead to some sloppy play in practices and preseason games, but with patience and diligence, the payoff can be significant. The exhaustive individual drills, followed by intense team sessions, should create a well-conditioned, mentally tough unit. The concentration level that is required to function when fatigued is multiplied, because the Packers are implementing a new scheme. If the offense appears sloppy and out of sync in the preseason opener at San Diego on Saturday night, it may be easy to assume the unit was poorly prepared. On the contrary, it may be because the offense is building toward the regular season opener, and today's sacrifices will become tomorrow's successes. Scott Wells sees the logic in it. "This year, our practices are a lot more up tempo as far as individual periods leading into the team periods," he said. "By the time we get to the team period, guys are more fatigued, definitely, but that's good, because you're fatigued during the game."

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HODGE BEGINS WORKING AT
STRONG-SIDE LINEBACKER
By CHRIS JENKINS
Associated Press Story Link

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Abdul Hodge has showed that he belongs on the field. Now the Green Bay Packers have to find the right place to put him. The rookie, who was a standout middle linebacker at Iowa, began getting practice time at strong side linebacker earlier this week. "If that's what it takes for me to get on the field, I'm up for it," Hodge said of the potential position switch. Moving Hodge to the strong side (or "sam") position could give the Packers a formidable crew of linebackers, with fellow rookie A.J. Hawk on the weak side ("will") and veteran Nick Barnett in the middle ("mike"). Hodge's move would keep Barnett happy, too. Hodge has been impressive in training camp so far, working mainly as the middle linebacker on the No. 2 defense. That led to speculation that coaches might keep Hodge in the middle and ask Barnett to switch to the outside. But Barnett has said several times that he wants to stay in the middle. "It doesn't matter," Barnett said Thursday. "Whatever they want me to do, I'll do. But I'm definitely more comfortable playing the mike, and I'm sure it'd be nice for (Hodge) to get on the field as well." Hodge will have to learn new coverage responsibilities to make the switch - particularly in the passing game, where he will be called on to cover tight ends. Although Hodge's college coach, Kirk Ferentz, has expressed doubts that Hodge can play outside, Barnett said Hodge can pull it off. "I definitely think so," Barnett said. "I think he's athletic enough, and he can run with any tight end in the league. So I think he has a good chance." Hodge said he still considers himself a middle linebacker but is willing to try the switch if it gets him more playing time.

"I think with repetition and just being out there every day, it should come easy to me," Hodge said. Packers general manager Ted Thompson, meanwhile, figures having two talented players at the same position is a good problem to have. "I wish we had a huge controversy because we had seven or eight who could start for us," Thompson said. "Maybe we will by the end of this. We'll always do what's best for the team and we'll put our best players out there like we always do. Nick's still the middle linebacker."

ONE-ON-ONES SERVE AS
PROVING GROUND FOR LINEMEN
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com

Ask any player, and he won't hesitate to confirm the monotony of position drills during training camp. Pushing the blocking sled, high-stepping through ropes, and drilling footwork and form are all necessary evils in an effort to prepare for the rigors of an NFL season. But if there's one drill that generates some excitement, or at least isn't dreaded as much as the others, it's the one-on-one pass rush/protection drill between defensive and offensive linemen. The competition can get pretty spirited for reasons that go beyond player evaluation. "I think it's pride," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. "You're out there on your own. It's either you or him, so you've got to show what you can do. Every snap becomes a one-on-one, especially pass pro(tection), so it shows up because it's right there in front of you. You can't hide, you can't run." In one-on-ones, a lineman lines up across from another (defensive tackles get matched with guards and centers, defensive ends with offensive tackles, etc.) with a flag placed 5 to 7 yards in the backfield to represent the quarterback. The defensive player's objective is to get the flag, and he'll try to run around, run through, or dive for it, any method he sees fit. The offensive player has to stop him, whatever it takes. And everybody is watching. "If you win you love it, and if you lose you hate it," defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "It's a good drill. It really isolates you, so it's a good chance to put pressure on yourself."

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STREANGTH IN NUMBERS
Defensive front solid from top to bottom
By BOB McGINN
journalsentinel.com

When it comes to having premier personnel, the NFC North Division must yield at most positions. Defensive tackle is the exception. By subjective count, four of the top 15 defensive tackles in the National Football League play for NFC North teams. Shaun Rogers in Detroit, Tommie Harris in Chicago and both Kevin Williams and Pat Williams in Minnesota all rank among the elite. The Green Bay Packers might not possess a defensive tackle of that magnitude but you won't hear coach Mike McCarthy or his defensive coaches complaining. What they do have is a blend of six massive, healthy and eager-to-please players averaging just 25.3 years of age and not looking for excuses. "Certainly those are very good players those teams have," general manager Ted Thompson said. "I don't know if it makes sense to say my dad can beat up your dad. But we kind of like our group. They all bring something different and they work hard."

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GREENVILLE, S.C. Some might wonder how Furman will fare this season with standout quarterback Ingle Martin off to the pros. Listen to the Paladins this summer, though, and it sounds like the team's best QB was on the sidelines all along. Receiver Justin Stepp and safety Jeremy Blocker can't stop glowing about Martin's replacement, Renaldo Gray. According to Stepp, Gray can "jump out of the gym" and is the "best athlete I've ever been around." Blocker, a high-school teammate of Gray, says Gray switched from tight end to quarterback his senior year and led Greenwood to the state semifinals, "showing unbelievable leadership skills."

Stepp said Gray can "throw it farther than Ingle could." Really? Farther than the school's all-time leader in career passing yards? Farther than the fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers? Leave it to Furman coach Bobby Lamb - a record-setting quarterback for the Paladins - to calm things down. No, Gray doesn't throw it farther than Martin. And there's no way Gray can step in right away and perform like Martin, the coach said. "What Ingle did better than anything for us was be a stabilizing factor," Lamb said. Lamb can't count the times that things went wrong and Martin, the former Steve Spurrier recruit at Florida, calmed the club down and got them back on track. Also, Lamb says, Martin was stellar at turning busted plays into game winners. Lamb spoke at a high school coaches clinic and showed film of a TD pass Martin threw against Georgia Southern - the result of the quarterback's sheer creativity in keeping the play alive until something good happened.

"It was all about the player," Lamb said. And the Paladins don't have that player anymore. Martin threw for more than 5,600 yards his two years with Furman, taking the team deep into the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs both seasons.

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The way Cory Rodgers caught the ball in practice on Thursday, there's no way coach Mike McCarthy can feel comfortable putting the rookie on the field as a punt returner. Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers' fourth-round draft pick who ranked eighth in the nation in punt return average (15.3 yards per return) last year as a junior at Texas Christian University, lined up to receive 13 punts in the non-pads, morning practice. He mishandled four of them. Two he dropped. One he juggled and one other he caught but fell in the process. Even some of the ones he caught, he looked shaky doing so. It was a continuation of what has been nearly two weeks worth of adventurous return opportunities — not a good sign for a player who was drafted to compete with cornerback Charles Woodson for the punt return job. The Packers saw nothing in Rodgers' college films to suggest he might have trouble catching the ball. Working behind Robert Ferguson as the 'X,' or split end, Rodgers has not had an inordinate number of drops. "If we were worried about it, I don't think we would have picked him," McCarthy said between practices. "He's young. Part of it, I'm not making excuses for the guy, but I can't tell you how many — those juniors — it just takes time with those guys. It's frustrating, but you have to be patient. Juniors are tough." McCarthy apparently has more patience than the fans who lined up along Oneida Street to watch Thursday morning's practice. "They were over there booing him," McCarthy said. "He's getting booed out at practice. That's not good. But that's all good for him. That's all part of playing in this league, because if he can't do it out here, there's no way he's going to do it up in that building (Lambeau Field)."

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In most National Football League cities, stories about the team's field-goal and extra-point holder generally appear about as often as results for the World Bocce League. Not so in Green Bay. Last year, you could pick up a newspaper almost any day of the week and read the latest development in the Ryan Longwell-B.J. Sander saga. As Longwell missed field goals, Sander became the scapegoat for his holds. It was no secret that Longwell, in the final year of his contract, was on a salary drive and feeling the pain of every miss during what turned out to be his second-worst season in field goal percentage (74.1). When Sander didn't have the ball placed exactly how the demanding Longwell wanted it, it generally resulted in a miss. It was unclear whether Sander's holding was that bad or Longwell's requirements were that inflexible, but it made for a lot of discussion after games. Longwell thought he was just being honest when he would blame the holds for his misses, but others took it a different way. "Don't you remember last year?" said new special teams coach Mike Stock, when asked about Sander's holding ability. "Somebody got thrown under the bus by the kicker."

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It's not surprising that Travis Jervey loves surfing and hanging out at the beach, having been born and raised in South Carolina. Needless to say, when Jervey served as a backup running back with the Packers' Super Bowl XXXI team, he didn't get a chance to catch any waves during the season. But once the offseason arrived, Jervey would head to his favorite vacation spot: Costa Rica. After four years with the Green and Gold, two with the San Francisco 49ers and three with the Atlanta Falcons, Jervey is now officially retired in South Carolina. But, he'd be the first to tell you that he's basically the same fun-loving extremist who loves to surf, work out, and spend time with his new wife Annie Vann Harlingen. He even has the same pet, Jaco, the Labrador he had in Green Bay. Clearly, he still has the same interests, but Jervey also now finds more time for his business called Fit Street Fitness. He was a part owner of the fitness center for four years, but as of December, he took over the business completely, which has been a rewarding experience for the 34-year old Jervey. "It's been really good for me so far," Jervey said. "I've been making some money and also interacting with people and helping them feel good, showing them how to work out, that sort of thing."

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