10/24/2006
Doubling up
Miami quarterback Joey Harrington passed for 414 yards to just 206 for Favre, or slightly more than double Favre's total.
Acting job
McCarthy didn't say it in so many words, but he indicated the facemask penalty on Michael Montgomery that wiped out a 40-yard field goal at the end of the first half Sunday was a quality acting job by Miami's Will Allen. Miami had just been called for unsportsmanlike conduct for simulating a snap count on the previous play, when Dave Rayner booted what would have been a franchise record 55-yard field goal. Because the penalty was pre-snap, the kick didn't count and the Packers moved 15 yards closer for another try. That's when Montgomery was called for a facemask, as he reached to get a hand on Allen rushing from the outside and made contact with the helmet. McCarthy said Montgomery was doing what he was taught to do, in not letting the rusher go free, but Allen played up the contact to look like a penalty. "They got the call, and if you see on the one before, it was close," McCarthy said. "It's probably something they anticipated and tried to re-enact, and they got it done. It's an unfortunate call at that time."Ferguson Placed On Injured Reserve;
Bodiford Claimed On Waivers
The Green Bay Packers Monday placed wide receiver Robert Ferguson on injured reserve and claimed wide receiver Shaun Bodiford on waivers from the Detroit Lions. Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson made the announcement. Bodiford, a 5-foot-11, 186-pound rookie out of Portland State, made his NFL debut at St. Louis Oct. 1. He played in three games, recording one tackle on special teams. During the preseason, Bodiford also returned kickoffs and punts for Detroit. A first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a 2005 senior at Portland State, Bodiford caught at least one pass in all 22 of his Division I games after transferring from junior college. Ferguson, in his sixth season out of Texas A&M, sustained a foot injury at Philadelphia, Oct. 2. The receiver had been inactive each of the Packers' last two games. On Green Bay's roster, Bodiford is listed as No. 19. Wide receiver Carlton Brewster now will wear No. 13.Injury update
Further tests were being done Monday on receiver Greg Jennings' injured ankle. McCarthy said the x-rays taken at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday indicated the ankle was not broken, and that the diagnosis was a sprain, but he didn't know if Jennings would be available to play on Sunday. Other injuries from Sunday's game being evaluated include offensive lineman Daryn Colledge's calf and defensive tackle Corey Williams' knee. More information will be available later in the week.First action
In addition to Francies, two other Packers rookies made their NFL debuts on Sunday. Cornerback and fourth-round draft pick Will Blackmon, inactive all season with a foot injury sustained in the spring, played on special teams and got some snaps at cornerback in place of Patrick Dendy when Dendy needed a rest. Defensive tackle and sixth-round pick Johnny Jolly played on special teams and on the defensive line. He recorded his first NFL tackle, taking down Miami running back Ronnie Brown after a 2-yard gain in the second quarter.
A pioneer has passed
Bob Mann, the Packers' first African-American player who played in Green Bay in the early 1950s, died on Saturday at age 82. Mann played college football at the University of Michigan and was part of the Wolverines' undefeated national championship team of 1947. After two seasons with the Detroit Lions and a partial season with the New York Yanks, Mann signed with the Packers as a free agent in 1950. He led Green Bay in receptions (50), receiving yards (696) and touchdowns (8) in 1951 and was the team's second-leading receiver in 1952 and 1953 behind Billy Howton. "He was on the small side. He wasn't a big receiver but he was a very nifty, productive receiver," Packers historian Lee Remmel said. "He was very professional in his approach to the game. He was a man of great dignity."
Blackmon finally makes debut
Will Blackmon made his NFL debut on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins and played on almost all of the special teams. He even got some work in the second half as the nickel defensive back in place of Patrick Dendy. It was Blackmon's first live football since the Senior Bowl in January. The fourth-round draft pick from Boston College broke a foot during a minicamp practice on May 21. He missed all of training camp and didn't play in any of the preseason games. "It felt pretty good," Blackmon said. "I was glad to be out there. I had fun. I got what I expected. I expected it to be fast, which it was. I expected to get knocked around, which I was. It was a good experience." Blackmon did not report any problems with his foot.
New look
Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders used a different look in his nickel defense throughout the second half. Instead of the traditional four linemen-two linebacker combination, he played a 3-3 alignment on several snaps. Several times he blitzed linebackers Nick Barnett or A.J. Hawk — and sometimes both — and put linebacker Brady Poppinga down as a rush end. Sanders played only base and nickel defenses. He did not use the dime (six defensive backs) grouping. "We've had that (3-3) all along," Sanders said. "We just threw a little different look at them. We blitzed out of it some, and we covered out of it some. It's another way to get another guy rushing. We just decided to use it a little more today."Favre's scramble
Quarterback Brett Favre has grown reluctant to take off running in the latter stages of his career, but he pulled off a 14-yard scramble to help set up a third-quarter field goal. On a first-and-10 play from the Packers' 48, Favre was pressured out of the pocket. He stayed behind the line of scrimmage for several seconds, still looking to throw, before he ran for a first down. "I was tired, but I probably should do more of that, to be honest with you," Favre said. Favre also caught one of his deflected passes in the first quarter, though statistically it was ruled incomplete because he was penalized for an illegal forward pass when he threw the ball again. The Dolphins declined the penalty.Throw the flag
When Donald Driver appeared to make a diving catch in the end zone during the third quarter, the two officials in the vicinity deemed the pass incomplete. As soon as Driver got up, he ran to the sideline to demand the team challenge the ruling. "I ran over to Mike and told him to throw the flag," Driver said. "I said, 'When I tell you something, believe it, because I caught the ball.'" McCarthy said he was a little skeptical of Driver's claim, but decided to trust his receiver. "I never saw a replay," McCarthy said. "A lot of times, there's emotion involved in those decisions, but Donald assured me he had it. I clearly went off his recommendation." Even Favre said he didn't think Driver had caught the ball. "I hate to be negative, but I said there's no way they're going to overturn this," Favre said. "I didn't know if he caught it or not, but (all receivers) swear that they caught the ball." The replay showed Driver caught the ball, and the Packers were awarded the touchdown to lead 20-10.Jennings injured
The Packers got a scare late in the second quarter when rookie receiver Greg Jennings sprained an ankle and was unable to return to the game. McCarthy said he didn't know the severity of the injury. Jennings was on crutches in the locker room after the game but said he didn't think the injury was serious. Further tests were to be done once the team arrived in Green Bay. "It's not broken," said Jennings, though he had not seen the X-rays. "I'm sure I'll be able to go Sunday."Young receivers
With Robert Ferguson on the inactive list with a foot injury and Jennings' sprained ankle, the Packers relied heavily on young receivers Ruvell Martin and Chris Francies. Both players entered Sunday's game without an NFL catch, but Martin had two grabs for 25 yards and Francies, who was signed off the practice squad on Wednesday, had one catch for 12 yards. "It seemed just like practice, no big deal," Francies said. "I felt comfortable out there, but it was pretty cool to get some playing time." Martin has been on the roster all season but had to wait until the sixth game to make his first catch. "I must admit, I was pretty excited," Martin said.Weathering the heat
With a game-time temperature of 86 and humidity of 59 percent, many Packers players said it was an adjustment to play in such warm weather. "I just took a cold shower, and I still feel hot," Packers safety and Miami native Marquand Manuel said. "It was pretty bad out there." Favre said it was important not to let the heat have an impact. "It only affects you if you let it," Favre said. "Was I tired? Absolutely. Was I cramping? Yes. I'm sure they were, too, but you prepare for it." McCarthy said the Packers took extra steps to make sure they were ready for the change in weather. "We went inside and turned on the heaters and everything, but I can assure you that it was nothing like what it was like out there today," McCarthy said. "Our guys did a great job taking care of their bodies and hydrating all week. It's a credit to their character the way they pushed through."Green's big day
Ahman Green's 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the 50th rushing touchdown of his NFL career. All but one have come with the Packers, and it was his first since Dec. 24, 2004, at Minnesota. Green tied James Lofton for most total yards in Packers history with 9,909. In the process, he passed Jim Taylor, who had 9,898.
Odds and ends
**Packers chief executive officer Bob Harlan and vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt remained in Miami on Sunday night and were scheduled to fly to New Orleans for the NFL's annual midseason meetings, which will be held today and Tuesday.
**The Packers brought practice-squad safety Atari Bigby on the trip because Bigby is from Miami.
**Fullback William Henderson, who was bothered by a calf injury last week but was upgraded to probable on Friday, was inactive. It was unclear whether it was related to his injury. Also inactive were safety Charlie Peprah, linebacker Abdul Hodge, linebacker Ben Taylor, left tackle Chad Clifton, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and Ferguson.
**The Packers are 9-2 in their last 11 games after a bye.
Steady at the helm
McCarthy has shown to be imperturbable
(Edit: Huh? Now I have to read this article just to find out what imperturbable means)
By Tom Silverstein / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 23, 2006
If there's one thing that Mike McCarthy has shown in his first season as a National Football League coach, it's that he's unflappable. Preparing his team to play in 90-degree heat on Sunday? Barely mentioned it. Lost his starting left tackle hours before the game? Didn't flinch at all. Needed to drive 80 yards for a touchdown to seal a victory? Brought it home. The Packers are 2-4 and their latest victory, a 34-24 defeat of the Miami Dolphins, came against perhaps one of the worst teams in the NFL at this point of the season. But in beating the Dolphins on the road, in the heat, facing a mismatch of gargantuan proportions on the offensive line, McCarthy allowed a glimpse into the way he operates. "In terms of him and the coaching staff's attitude, it's been constant," general manager Ted Thompson said Monday. "I think players have an appreciation of that. There's not this sense of panic or anything like that. There are going to be bad things that come along for the Packers. Somebody is going to be sick, somebody is going to be injured or something's going to happen where you have to make an adjustment, so you just do that. That's the way it is in the NFL." -- MoreRookie gives tackle the old Colledge try
Absence of sick Clifton throws the line in flux
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
Daryn Colledge found out just 20 minutes before Sunday's game that he would have to switch from left guard to left tackle against the Miami Dolphins. Regular starting left tackle Chad Clifton was suffering from the flu and couldn't play. "It was a little shocking," said Colledge, a rookie who started the previous four games at guard. "I'd only taken limited reps at tackle in practice, so I felt a bit overwhelmed." Early in the game, it showed. Colledge was matched against Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, a four-time Pro Bowl player. On the Packers' second drive, Taylor blew past Colledge and knocked the football out of Brett Favre's hands. David Bowens recovered, and one play later, the Dolphins were dancing in the end zone after Joey Harrington hit Marty Booker for an 8-yard touchdown. -- MoreDriver delivers again and again
By Steve Lawrence / packerreport.com
Donald Driver's incredible 34-yard touchdown catch was matched in importance by his incredible 6-yard run on fourth-and-1 late in the game. Unbelievable. It’s hard to say what part of Donald Driver’s day was more unbelievable during Green Bay's 34-24 victory at Miami on Sunday. Was it his diving third-quarter touchdown catch? It was so unbelievable that not only did two officials in the vicinity call the pass incomplete, but not even his quarterback, Brett Favre, thought he caught it. Was it that he convinced coach Mike McCarthy to challenge the ruling without the coach even getting the benefit of a replay? Was it that he was tossed over his shoulder by a grinning Favre after the officials overturned the ruling of an incomplete pass? Or was it that 6-yard run on fourth-and-1, when he left Vonnie Holliday eating grass when he should have been devouring Driver in the backfield? Let’s start with the touchdown. On third-and-6 from Miami’s 34-yard line, a pressured Favre uncorked a deep pass into double coverage. The pass was perfect, and Driver dove against two Dolphins defenders to make an incredible catch. The officials ruled it incomplete. Driver immediately protested, then ran to the bench to have McCarthy toss the red challenge flag. McCarthy wisely listened, and the ruling was overturned, giving the Packers a 20-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Said Driver: “Oh, yeah, I knew it was a touchdown. When I got up, I was already screaming, because I looked at the ref and he said it was incomplete. And I just ran towards Mike and told him to throw the flag! I already knew it was a touchdown. My elbow hit the ground, not the ball. Mike wanted to make sure I caught the ball, and I was telling him, ‘If I tell you something, believe me. I caught it.’ And he trusted in me, and threw the flag.” -- MoreDifference maker
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
Aloof. Enigmatic. Disinterested. A loner.At one time or another during the first six weeks of this NFL season, all of those terms were used to describe Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, who had done little during the Packers' 1-4 start to justify the $10 million the team is paying him this year as part of a seven-year, $39 million free-agent deal. But after his performance in Sunday's 34-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins - in which Woodson had a game-changing interception that he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, a sack on a blitz, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, one quarterback hurry and six tackles - there's a new word that you can use: Difference maker. "A lot of people were saying he wasn't this and that," Packers wide receiver Donald Driver said. "He showed he still has it." He needed to. Woodson counts $6.7 million against the Packers' salary cap, second only to Brett Favre at $12.6 million, and he'd hardly justified the investment before Sunday. "Yeah, Charles is a big-time player. That's what we brought him here for," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday when asked if Woodson proved worth the money Sunday. "He had an outstanding game. He's one of our candidates for (a) game ball." -- More
Woodson provides return on investment
High-priced vet's TD helps turn momentum
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
After Sunday's game, Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson stood at his locker in a wine-colored suit, flashing a smile that seemed to be absent through the first five games of this season. During that time, Woodson had flirted with mediocrity. He hadn't played badly, but he hadn't looked like the player the Packers thought they were getting when they signed the four-time Pro Bowl player to a seven-year, $39.034 million contract in April. On Sunday, Woodson became that player again. On Miami's first possession, Woodson sacked quarterback Joey Harrington and forced the Dolphins to punt. It was his first big play of the game. -- More
Packers Believing In Their Young Players
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
posted 10/23/2006
Head Coach Mike McCarthy has shown faith in the young players on his roster all season long, and he's starting to get the team's veteran players to share that faith as well. That was no more evident than on a key fourth quarter play on Sunday. With the Packers leading 27-24 and facing third-and-1 at the Miami 25-yard line, McCarthy called a play that gave quarterback Brett Favre a run or pass option, depending on what he saw at the line of scrimmage. Seeing the Dolphins stacking for a run and with single coverage outside on rookie wide receiver Chris Francies, Favre called for the pass and threw a quick slant to Francies, who made a tough catch against tight coverage for a critical 12-yard gain. Never mind that it was the first pass thrown Francies' way as an NFL player, or that an incompletion would have forced a field goal try and kept the Dolphins within one score. McCarthy insists that no matter a player's age or experience, the coaching staff and his teammates have to trust he'll do his job when called upon. "That's important as a head coach and as a play caller to emulate that when you go into football games," McCarthy said. "As a quarterback and for the other guys involved, they need to have the same belief in the system, in the game plan, and in the individual." -- More
For now, Packers' glass half-full
By Jeremy Reeves / Special to The Capital Times
The pessimist will point out that the Green Bay Packers have beaten two 1-6 teams this season. The optimist will argue that is a whole lot better than losing to such pathetic NFL squads. The pessimist will contend that defeating a team quarterbacked by Joey Harrington is about as difficult as spotting a Cadillac Escalade on Ocean Drive, the opulent main drag in these parts. The optimist will argue that a team can only play the opponents on its schedule -- no matter how talent-rich or poor their rosters. -- More
These kids are all right
Youngsters show they belong
By Mike Woods
An appeal like this always comes in times of duress, born out of desperation or circumstance. Would somebody, anybody, please — warning: cliché alert — step up? Packers rookie guard Daryn Colledge got his invitation 20 minutes before kickoff on Sunday, as did fellow rookie lineman Tony Moll. Ruvell Martin's came early in the week, when it was announced Koren Robinson would be suspended for the year, and practice squad promotion Chris Francies' came at halftime, after rookie Greg Jennings went down with an ankle injury. The amazing thing is, they all RSVP'd. All these young kids upon whom the Packers are hanging their future earned their first stripe, helping Green Bay come away with a much-needed 34-24 victory over Miami at a steamy Dolphin Stadium. "I think those guys have been the highlight of our season,'' quarterback Brett Favre said of the trainees. "We won the game for a lot of reasons but I think our young guys did as much to help us win as much as anyone.'' This was a day when starting left tackle Chad Clifton was scratched just before kickoff because he kept losing his lunch, which forced Colledge to move from left guard to left tackle, forced rookie right guard Jason Spitz to move to left guard and moved rookie right guard Moll into the starting lineup. Even so, "Dancing with the Rookies" drew good ratings. -- More
Packers / Dolphins game highlights (approx 9 1/2 minutes)
Meet Brittany
Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader
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Winchester, In
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Photographer Owner of Photos by Brittany
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Always treat others as you want to be treated!
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Dirty Dancing
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Roseanne
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Ultimate Feast from Red Lobster
Published by PackerPundit On Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 6:09 AM.
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