The Packer Pundit

Fans select Greg Jennings
as Week 3 Diet Pepsi
NFL Rookie of the Week
NEW YORK (Sept. 28, 2006) -- Voters on NFL.com and via Sprint wireless service have made their choice. Wide receiver GREG JENNINGS of the Green Bay Packers is the DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK for games played on September 24-25, the NFL announced today. Jennings caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ 31-24 victory over the NFC North division-rival Detroit Lions. His first reception of the game came on a short pass in the first quarter that he broke open for a 75-yard touchdown sprint down the right sideline. -- Story

(See Video hi-lights of Greg Jennings College and Pro-career in Video section below)





Lineup a work in progress / Part One
On Wednesday, the Packers promoted fullback Brandon Miree from the practice squad, and he said that he had a great opportunity to start. William Henderson is a 12-year veteran. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said the 6-foot, 236-pound Miree had the ideal frame for the Packers needs and that was the reason for the move.

Lineup a work in progress / Part Two
On Wednesday the Packers put Jason Spitz with the No. 1 offense at right guard. He lined up there again on Thursday for at least a portion of practice. But overall, the Packers rotated Spitz at left and right guard and also inserted Daryn Colledge at left guard and Tony Moll at right guard. It may not be known until later in the week or before the game Monday night at Philadelphia whom will get the nod.

What problem?
Green Bay cornerback Al Harris now says he has no problems with his coach. On Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy was asked about Harris' play and he said: "It just needs to be more consistent." When asked to react, Harris said: "If he feels that I'm the problem, then getting me out of here may be the way they need to go." On Thursday, Harris told the ABC affiliate in Green Bay, WBAY Channel 2, "There is no problem, I have no problem with Coach." He then told a handful of journalists he was given misinformation on McCarthy's statement. When finally asked if he was recanting his statement or if he received flak from the coaches for what he said, Harris was fed up with the topic. "You missed the boat, OK? . . . I don't want to be rude, so please, just don't ask me," he said.

No 'I' in Team
Donald Driver isn't envious that Michigan native Greg Jennings snagged quarterback Brett Favre's 400th career touchdown pass last week in Detroit. In fact, after the Lions linebacker and cornerback collided to free up Jennings on a slant route, it was Driver who made certain to throw the last block on Dre Bly so Jennings' could stiff arm him for space and run in the 75-yard catch and run touchdown. "When Greg caught the ball I knew it was only me, him and Dre' Bly away from a touchdown," said Driver. "So I felt there was no way for me not to block my guy. I made sure got Greg his wish, which was a 75-yarder, at home, in front of his crowd and it was Brett's 400th touchdown. So he'll go down in history." Driver ranks fourth on Favre's all-time touchdown list, behind Antonio Freeman, Sterling Sharpe and Robert Brooks. "I remember when he got his 250th," said Driver. "I was the one who got that ball. I remember thinking, this is Brett's 250th touchdown pass. I went to take it to him. I guess it wasn't a milestone for him. I tried to give him the 250 and he told me I could keep it. I have it at home. It's painted up, 'Brett's 250th'."







Four starters miss practice for Eagles
NFL.com wire reports
The Philadelphia Eagles were without four starters and a key backup when they returned to practice. Cornerback Lito Sheppard and backup Roderick Hood, running back Brian Westbrook, safety Brian Dawkins and wide receiver Donte' Stallworth sat out with various injuries. Sheppard, who missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, and Hood (heel strain) are doubtful for Monday night's game against the Green Bay Packers. Stallworth, a late scratch from the lineup in Week 3 against San Francisco because of a strained hamstring, Westbrook (knee) and Dawkins (concussion) are questionable. Coach Andy Reid indicated Sheppard, who has been sidelined since the first series of the season opener, could return to practice this week. -- More




Pass Protection Paramount Against Philadelphia
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
The Packers offensive line made considerable strides this past week when it did not allow quarterback Brett Favre to be sacked, or even hit for that matter, even once in Detroit. Anything approaching a similar effort will be a Herculean task this week at Philadelphia. The Eagles come into Monday night's game tied for the NFL lead in sacks with 16, or an average of 5-plus per game. Led by second-year defensive end Trent Cole, who is tied for tops in the league with five sacks, the Eagles' ability to put pressure on the quarterback hasn't dropped off any with the loss of former All-Pro Jevon Kearse, who had 31/2 sacks in the first two games before being lost for the season with a knee injury. Many of those sacks come from Philadelphia's well-executed blitz packages. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is known to bring pressure from anywhere at anytime, and it has resulted in seven different players recording sacks in the first three games. "His whole philosophy is 11 defensive players versus the quarterback," said cornerback Al Harris, who played under Johnson before joining the Packers in 2003. "You can see it in his scheme." -- More







Standing by their man:
Poppinga still a starter
despite mistakes
By LORI NICKEL
journalsentinel.com
General manager Ted Thompson has dumped familiar players in favor of young player with potential. The coaching staff has already made noticeable promotions and demotions with the offensive line. This week, a veteran fullback, William Henderson, may be asked to pass the baton to an up and coming player. Defensive lineman Colin Cole was the starter in Week 1 and inactive in Week 3. Such recent team history suggests the Packers are willing to bench anyone. And that says volumes about second-year linebacker Brady Poppinga. In three games, Poppinga has dropped an interception, missed a tackle or two, given up a 57-yard reception and has at times looked overwhelmed in pass coverage, especially when matched against a tight end. Yet he remains a starter. The bottom line is that the Packers see so much potential in Poppinga, have such great admiration for how he returned from an injury, and respect how he has handled himself under pressure, that they're going to keep him as the starting strong-side linebacker rather than bench him in favor of five-year veteran Ben Taylor. -- More







Veteran Clifton maintains a low profile
Tackle avoids media attention
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Green Bay center Scott Wells grabbed his bottle of Pert body wash one day recently. The cap was off, it was out of place in Wells' locker and he immediately knew the culprit.
"Cliffy keeps stealing this all the time," Wells said of teammate Chad Clifton. "I hide it from him, but he still finds it. He's slippery." That he is. Clifton - now in his seventh season - is one of the most tenured players on Green Bay's roster. But he's also one of the Packers' most unknown commodities. When Green Bay's locker room is open to the media each day, Clifton vanishes. Clifton turned down several requests through the Packers' media relations department for this story. And even though he recently turned 30 years old, Clifton remains uncomfortable with any media attention, even though he's extremely bright and articulate and would be a model spokesman for his team. "Chad's just not comfortable in that role," Green Bay offensive line coach Joe Philbin said. "Chad's not a real verbal guy. Not a real rah-rah person. He'd rather just lead by example." -- More




Blown coverage can't stir Harris
By Jason Wilde / wsj
Al Harris has only himself to blame, of course. He's the one who raised the bar, and now, even if he's not playing that poorly, he's not playing up to the expectations he's created - both with his play and with his words and actions. Harris spent all of last season matching up with the opponent's best wide receiver - and often shut him down. He welcomed the signing of Charles Woodson because he thought it would lead to more passes thrown his way - and, in turn, more interceptions - and give him a better chance at reaching his often talked-about goal of making the Pro Bowl. And this offseason, he threatened to hold out because he felt he was underpaid and wanted his contract restructured. Thus, the Green Bay Packers veteran cornerback's play during the season's first three weeks has raised some eyebrows. He's been part of a secondary that ranks 31st in the 32-team NFL against the pass and has permitted 20 pass plays of 16 yards or more. Against Chicago in the Sept. 10 season opener, Harris -- More




Top pick Hawk growing into his game
Linebacker making sudden impact
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus

"I just think he's really fired his gun," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Hawk. "He's more comfortable, he's not thinking, he's reacting. He's playing with the aggressiveness you saw him play with in college. He's a young player getting comfortable. That's a normal process in our business."

A.J. Hawk spent his summer largely unnoticed. Oh, it wasn't that the eyes of Packer Nation weren't on the Green Bay linebacker. Instead, Hawk, the Packers' first-round draft choice in April and the fifth overall selection in the draft, made almost no plays of note during a training camp that was frustrating at times. The dog days of summer seem long gone for Hawk right now. As each week goes by, Hawk seems more and more comfortable with his responsibilities. And as each game unfolds, Hawk is making more and more difference-making plays.
-- More




Nothing personal
By Jason Wilde / wsj
William Henderson bit his tongue Thursday afternoon, a proud man doing his best to be a company man and not make an uncomfortable situation even worse. The Green Bay Packers veteran fullback, after 10 years as the starter, isn't happy that the coaching staff has decided to give former practice-squad player Brandon Miree a chance to start Monday night's game at Philadelphia. Miree let the information slip during interviews Wednesday that the coaches had told him he might start against the Eagles. "They're always telling me I'm competing for my job, so it's nothing unusual, nothing different," a visibly bothered Henderson said Thursday. "As a professional, it's supposed to encourage you. And it does. It encourages you to get better - or find a way to meet their approval." -- More




His play's the thing for KGB
Critics don't bother defensive end
By RICK BRAUN / Packer Plus writer

"I'm getting to a point in my life now where I really don't care what people think," Gbaja-Biamila said. "I'm just going to go out there and do the very best I can do and trust in the Lord. I've done some good things here and it just goes to show that it's always about, 'What have you done for me lately?' I've picked up on that. You can do this, but they always find something to say about 'You could have done this,' or 'You could have done that.' "It's not about me anyway. I'm just going out there. Everything I do, whatever I'm able to do, whatever the result is, it's truly the work of God. And that's where I'm at right now."

For the past few seasons in the National Football League, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has lived with a couple of reputations: One good, one not so good. For four consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2004 the Green Bay Packers' defensive end registered double-digit sacks. He was reputed to be one of the league's top pass-rushers. A couple years into that span, Gbaja-Biamila cashed in as an unrestricted free agent and signed a huge six-year, $37.5-million contract. When he signed that deal in 2003, the logic said that at such a high salary Gbaja-Biamila had to be an every-down player. That's when Gbaja-Biamila picked up another reputation. At an undersized 255 pounds, KGB was said to be too small to stand up against NFL rushing attacks. -- More








Video Hi-lights of Gre Jennings (College and Pro)








Police: T.O. case 'accidental overdose'
Police: O.J. case 'accidental stabbing'
(okay I made that up... bite me)
Owners to discuss games outside of U.S.
Gradkowski poised to take over for Simms
Chiefs' Green out at least two more games




Meet Melissa
Denver Broncos Cheerleader

HomeTown: Thousand Oaks, California

Occupation/School: Student, University of Colorado @ Boulder

Years on Team Rookie

Best thing about being a Broncos Cheerleader?
The ability to interact with the fans on gameday and in the community.

Most memorable experience as a Cheerleader?
N/A

How do you spend your time off of the field?
Besides being a student, I try to stay active and enjoy the Colorado outdoors.

Most memorable game?
I have not participated in a game yet.

Occupation and how does Broncos cheerleading affect your work?
I am a student. Being on DBC requires a lot of organization, time management and responsibility. As a student I can use all of those things to maximize my production and get the most out of my education.