The Packer Pundit

Bears have decisive special-teams edge
The Packers' suspect return teams will open the 2006 season as part of an important special-teams matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Packers not only have two unproven kicking specialists in punter Jon Ryan and kicker Dave Rayner, but they also have failed to uncover a return man of note this year. The Bears, on the other hand, spent a valuable second-round draft pick on Devin Hester, and his average of 22.8 yards on six punt returns during the exhibition season suggests he has some game-changing potential.

Lights out
The Packers probably won't add permanent lights to their Clarke Hinkle practice field even though coach Mike McCarthy has said he'll hold regular night practices in training camp again next year. McCarthy scheduled eight night practices for that field for the recently completed camp and presumably will have about the same number next season. The Packers used portable lights for those practices and probably will continue to do so next year.






USS Green Bay Crew Members
Visiting Namesake City
Associated Press
Some of the members of the USS Green Bay are in the namesake city to connect with residents and bring the local flavor back to the rest of the crew. "We're trying to learn about the city of Green Bay, and not the stuff you can get in a book or go on online and find out," said Command Master Chief Ray Burrhus, the ship's senior enlisted crew member. "We want to meet the people and feel the atmosphere so we can bring some of that back to the ship." More --


What a way to open: The Bears at Lambeau
By Coach Mike McCarthy / GBPressGazette.com
Hello, everyone. This is my first crack at writing a newspaper column, and I hope you’ll find the topics engaging. When you step back and take a look at all that’s happening this week with our season opener, it’s incredibly inspiring. It’s my first game as a head coach, it’s against our biggest rival and it’s our first opportunity to re-establish the Lambeau advantage that has been such a big part of successful teams here. -- More


Q&A with A.J. Hawk
By Dylan B. Tomlinson / PackersNews.com
Each week, Packers preview stories include a question and answer with a Packers player. This week, the player is linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Question: What's the better stadium, Lambeau Field or the Horseshoe?

Answer: I definitely can't pick one. Honestly, they're both really similar with how much the people are into it and how loud they are. I can't pick one as of now. -- More






Armed with pressure
Grossman, Favre both face scrutiny
By Gary D'Amato / journalsentinel.com
When it comes to number of touchdown passes and completions, size of trophy case and paycheck, amount of respect and admiration - heck, when it comes to any and every way to measure a quarterback - Rex Grossman and Brett Favre are on opposite ends of the spectrum. -- More


Off-season additions
Makes the secondary a flush
By Lori Nickel
journalsentinel.com
As soon as the Green Bay Packers invested an additional $49 million in their defensive secondary in the off-season, the expectations of that unit climbed faster and higher than the price of gasoline this summer. Nine-year veteran and former Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson joined Al Harris for bookend coverage at cornerback, and Marquand Manuel was added at safety to complement the up-and-coming Nick Collins. -- More






McCarthy tries to corral
The Gunslinger
By Tom Silverstein
journalsentinel.com

"He's the most aggressive quarterback I've ever coached, bar none. But it's understanding his maturity and his place and the makeup of our football team today (that are important). I think we're on the same page. He needs to be productive, but where we are at in our football program, we can't go out and try to score 50 points every game.
We can't have a shootout mentality. It doesn't fit who we are." -- Mike McCarthy

As the man who has taken on the job of helping Favre become the quarterback he was before a horrendous 29-interception season in 2005, McCarthy is going to face a lot of gray area. He must both embrace and harness the aggressiveness with which the three-time National Football League MVP plays the game. -- More


By the Book
Mike McCarthy stays true
to the offense of his forefathers
By Bob McGinn
journalsentinel.com

"A lot of people run the same concepts per se, but the technique, the timing, the route running, the precision between the quarterback and the receiver, how you block a certain run, how you train are very important." -- Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy has experienced nothing other than the West Coast offense despite serving six head coaches in his 17 years as an offensive assistant coach. He is a dyed-in-the-wool West Coast practitioner largely because all nine of his formative years in coaching were spent at the knee of Paul Hackett, who assisted Bill Walsh with the San Francisco 49ers in the mid-1980s. -- More


Hockey failure
Kickstarted punter's career
Rob Vanstone / The Leader-Post

"I didn't think the football thing would really take off like it did. It seemed it just kept getting bigger and bigger as I kept on going." -- Jon Ryan

Jon Ryan's athletic resume is laden with achievements -- such as becoming the first National Football League player to hail from Regina. But a rare setback proved to be as important as any accomplishment. -- More


SOLID AS A ROCK:
Davis among NFL's
Top long-snappers
By Todd Rosiak
journalsentinel.com

"When I got (to the NFL), though I had good size, I wasn't quite your prototypical D-tackle and maybe not athletic enough to play D-end. I got sent home a few times and an old scout told me, 'Son, you'll be an out-of-work D-lineman, or you'll be a pretty good long-snapper. This off-season when you go home, work on that. And if you get invited to a camp, let them know that this is what you can do.' And that's what I did." -- Rob Davis

It took some time for Rob Davis to wrap his head around the idea he could make a living long-snapping in the National Football League. But after failing to make the cut with them that year and the next playing primarily on the defensive line, he found himself at a crossroads. -- More






McKinnie, Smoot fined by NFL for boat party
NFL opener attracts record TV audience
Portis to play backup role vs. Vikings
Vikings sign McKinnie to contract extension



Meet Michele
St. Louis Rams Cheerleader (Link)

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Communications from St. Louis University

Occupation: Full-time MBA Student

Dance Experience: 4 years (1 year Captain) on the Collinsville High School Dance Team; 2 years on the St. Louis University Dance Team

Favorites:
Restaurant: Landry’s

TV Show: Desperate Housewives

Musical Artist: Jason Mraz

Vacation Spot: Hilton Head Island

Book: Freakonomics

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Color: Yellow (They just asked a woman with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology what her favorite color is)

Quote or Saying: Sure, good things come to those who wait, but they come faster to those who want something so badly they can’t wait. It’s all about ambition.

Do you have any interesting hobbies? Tennis, swimming, biking and taking
pictures. I also bake amazing chocolate chip & oatmeal cookies! (Chocolate Chip Cookies??? She's the perfect woman!)