The Packer Pundit

Koren Robinson
will go to jail
for probation violation
Associated Press
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Koren Robinson was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days in jail for violating probation in a drunken driving case. Robinson appeared in Municipal Court in this Seattle suburb, where he pleaded guilty last year to drunken driving. At the time, he was given a five-year sentence that was suspended on condition that he not drink or have any other law violations. The former first-round draft pick was then released by the Seattle Seahawks and signed by the Minnesota Vikings. But Robinson was charged with drunken driving again after he was stopped for speeding in August in Minnesota near the Vikings' training camp, leading to Wednesday's hearing. He was released by the Vikings after that incident, and picked up by Green Bay last month. Judge Robert McSeveney, a visiting judge from nearby Kent, sentenced Robinson to 90 days in jail, and said he could spend half of it on work-release. Robinson must comply with the sentence by next March 1, when another court hearing is scheduled. -- Regretably More




Jail sentence won't sideline Robinson
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
Koren Robinson will go to jail for violating his probation in a drunk driving case, but based on the terms of the 90-day sentence he received Wednesday in suburban Seattle, the Green Bay Packers' wide receiver will be able to finish the season. Although he faces another court date in two weeks in Minnesota and could be subject to NFL sanctions, including a possible league suspension, Robinson will be able to play Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Robinson missed practice Wednesday to appear in Kirkland (Wash.) Municipal Court, where he had previously pleaded guilty to drunken driving following his arrest in May 2005 while with the Seattle Seahawks. Two months after his arrest, he was sentenced to one year in jail, with all but one day of the sentence suspended. -- More







Packers Make Three Roster Moves
The Green Bay Packers Wednesday promoted cornerback Patrick Dendy from the practice squad to the active roster and placed defensive tackle Kenderick Allen on injured reserve. Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson made the announcement. In addition Wednesday, the club signed linebacker Spencer Havner to replace Dendy on the practice squad. Dendy, a 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back, is in his second year out of Rice. In 2005, he spent the season's first 10 weeks on the practice squad before making his NFL debut on Nov. 13 at Atlanta and playing in four games. Green Bay originally signed Dendy as a non-drafted free agent in the spring of 2005. Havner (pronounced HEY-vner) is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound rookie from UCLA. Like Dendy, he signed as a non-drafted free agent out of college. The linebacker spent training camp with the Redskins before Washington released him in its final preseason roster reduction. Allen injured his foot Sept. 24 at Detroit. (See Related Articles in 'Feature Stories' section below)

Tough Talk
ESPN studio analysts Steve Young and Michael Irvin took differing views of Favre's performance Monday night in Philadelphia. Favre was 22 for 44 passing for 205 yards and two interceptions. He had a 44.2 quarterback rating. Young felt sorry for Favre. Irvin said he screwed up. "It was hard to watch," Young said after the game. "I played for a lot of years. Brett played for a lot of years. I know what that feels like when you don't have a running game to support you. I know what it feels like to drop back to pass and your guards are getting overrun. You have to drop the ball off before you want to. You can't set your feet the way that you want to. You overcompensate by making throws you don't want to make. "I think Brett was forced to do things he didn't want to do," Young said. "He's unprotected in so many different ways, by the organization, by the team. It's really a tough thing to watch, to be honest." Irvin was not as forgiving. "I respect Brett," Irvin said. "I've watched him play some great games. I played against him a lot of times. But let's be honest here. "First of all, I'm tired of people talking about how he's playing with a lot of young guys," Irvin said. "Hey man, these guys are in the pros. They will collect checks on Tuesday no matter what. Second of all, Brett made some bad throws. It wasn't that these guys were in the wrong place. He made some bad throws." Young then said to Irvin: "It's hard for me (to hear) a guy who hung out by the Gatorade to talk about a quarterback who is in the hashes for every down." Irvin responded: "I was one of those guys who Brett was hanging out (to dry), getting killed." Irvin was referring to the hit Donald Driver took in the second quarter when Favre was late delivering a pass on a slant over the middle and Driver was decked by safety Sean Considine.






Favre:
Offense Needs To Gain Identity, Finish Drives
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com



Like he said during the preseason, quarterback Brett Favre reiterated on Wednesday that the offense is still struggling to find its identity. But the Packers' leader believes once that identity defines itself, the offense will become more consistent at finishing drives. The Packers had a frustrating time on Monday night in Philadelphia getting points on the board despite moving the ball fairly consistently. Green Bay gained 35 yards or more on seven possessions yet came away with just three field goals. The other four substantial drives ended in a missed field goal, a punt, an interception, and a turnover on downs at the goal line. Factoring into that inconsistency is that the Packers haven't fully established what it is they do best on offense, Favre said, and finding something to rely on can help them take better advantage of their opportunities to score. "What do we go to in certain situations?" Favre asked. "If we're up can we pound the ball at people, are we good in third-and-1, are we a good third-and-long team? Red zone, we're questionable right now. "There's plays to be made. There are some good execution things that are happening, but we're not closing the deal." Favre said the offense's identity has changed with the different head coaches he has played for, so in that respect it's not entirely surprising Head Coach Mike McCarthy's offense isn't fully defined after just four games. "Under Mike Sherman, we developed a style of running like we had never had before," Favre said. "With Mike Holmgren it was more three- and five-step drops, movement passes, use the pass almost to open up the run, screen passes. "I think with Mike (McCarthy) now we're trying to find that. I think we're trying to do a little bit of both." -- More




Delay of game
Favre, Packers have been
limited on offense
By Tom Silverstein
journalsentinel.com
If he turned his head too far to the right Wednesday, the effects of being sandwiched between two defenders Monday night in Philadelphia could be felt shooting through Brett Favre's neck. The pain, however, didn't stop him from going through the motions on a series of plays early in practice and it probably won't keep him from playing Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. "I'll be fine," Favre said Wednesday morning, two days after suffering a neck stinger and slight head injury. "Tuesdays after a Sunday game are usually worse than any other days, and this is kind of like a Tuesday. Not to mention we got home late and all those things. (I'm) a little sore, but I'll be fine." -- More





Carroll's departure shocks secondary
Cornerback was popular teammate
By TODD ROSIAK / journalsentinel.com
Perceived as mouthy, immature and not nearly as good as he portrayed himself to be by many on the outside, cornerback Ahmad Carroll was nonetheless a popular player among many of his fellow defensive backs in the Green Bay Packers locker room. That much was evident on Wednesday, as many of them still were trying to coming to grips with the fact the former No. 1 pick had been sent packing not long after being picked apart in the team's 31-9 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. "It sucks that he had to go," said rookie cornerback Will Blackmon, one of the players now in line to replace Carroll. "It was just unfortunate. Everyone has a bad game once in a while." Carroll gave up receptions of 31, 45 and 23 yards in Philadelphia, with the 45-yarder going for a touchdown, committed a 14-yard pass interference penalty and also was flagged for a hold that was declined on the 23-yarder. It was the type of performance that seemed to typify Carroll's rocky two-plus-season stay in Green Bay, and for a team struggling across the board in the secondary, the final straw. -- More




Carroll is gone, so now what?
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers might not get any immediate improvement in their pass defense after releasing Ahmad Carroll this week. But General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have decided they won't be any worse off with either of two untested and unheralded players in the crucial nickel-back role — second-year pro Patrick Dendy and undrafted rookie Jarrett Bush — and that the surprising high-profile release of Carroll will help establish accountability and better chemistry in the long run. Dendy and Bush will share practice time at the nickel position this week competing for the job for Sunday's home game against St. Louis. Dendy would appear to have an edge, because even though he just got called up from the practice squad Wednesday, he also has been with the Packers since last year as either a member of the practice squad or regular roster, so he knows the defense much better than the recently acquired Bush. -- More







Shopping free-agent market not fruitful
Thompson's scorecard hasn't been a winner
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus

"Free agency's different every year. It depends on what you think you need and what you think the market is set for. It's completely different than even the draft. Sometimes in free agency, what you didn't do is the best thing." -- GM Ted Thompson

Ted Thompson wants to make one thing clear. He doesn't hate free agency. Green Bay's general manager admits he would much rather build his team through the draft each year. But playing the free-agent game isn't something Thompson despises, as many believe. What Thompson probably detests, though, are the results he's gotten via free agency during his 21 months on the job. Of the 10 unrestricted free agents Thompson has signed from other teams, only defensive tackle Ryan Pickett could be considered an above average starter. Cornerback Charles Woodson, who was given $9.9 million in guaranteed money this year, has been average, at best. Safety Marquand Manuel has been a disaster and linebacker Ben Taylor is a backup. Thompson's other six signings since March, 2005 - wide receiver Marc Boerigter, linebacker Raynoch Thompson, offensive guards Adrian Klemm and Matt O'Dwyer and safeties Earl Little and Arturo Freeman - are no longer with the team. With that kind of scorecard, it's hard to believe Thompson doesn't abhor free agency. -- More




Ryan gives Packers
a leg to stand on
Punter has been a bright spot
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus

"I wish I could have a few punts back, but I'm just going to keep trying to improve. And in the last (12) games, I don't know if I can put up better numbers than I have, but I'll hopefully hit the ball even better." -- Jon Ryan

Rob Davis has been a long-snapper in the National Football League for 11 years now, the last 10 coming in Green Bay. In Davis' time as a Packer, nine players have punted the football, the latest being rookie Jon Ryan. So when Davis offers the following assessment of Ryan, you pay close attention. "I think Jon Ryan's going to be one of the top punters in this league before he's done," Davis predicted. "I think he's come in here and done everything he's been asked to do." Davis isn't kidding. Through four games, Ryan's gross average is 47.1, which is tied for third in the NFL. Ryan is also on pace to break Craig Hentrich's club record of 45.0 yards per punt set in 1997, although Ryan has yet to kick in anything close to a bad weather game. Ryan's net average is a disappointing 34.6, which ranks 30th in the league. But that number is due largely to shoddy special teams coverage, a group that among other things allowed an 84-yard touchdown return by Chicago's Devin Hester in Week 1. As each day goes by, the Packers' decision to keep Ryan over B.J. Sander this summer looks better and better. "I'm happy," Ryan said. "If you told me this would be my (gross) average, I think I'd take it. I think I'm punting well, but I know it could be even better. You look at the stats sometimes and it's pretty good. But I think it could be even better. -- More




Bush, Dendy get their chance
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
Jarrett Bush isn't exactly plugged in. So when his big break happened Tuesday, with no high-speed Internet and no cable TV, he had no idea. As a result, just about everyone - his father, his agent, his teammates - knew about Ahmad Carroll's release before the guy most likely to replace him. It wasn't until the Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback was on his way home from picking up his girlfriend at the airport that Bush's cell phone rang and his agent filled him in. "I was like, 'What's going on?' He said there was an article on the Web site, and I was like, 'Huh?" said Bush, a sixth-round pick from Utah State by the Carolina Panthers whom the Packers picked up off waivers Sept. 3. "He said, 'They released Ahmad Carroll.' I was like, 'There's no way.'" But sure enough, when Bush arrived at fellow rookie Charlie Peprah's nearby apartment and fired up the computer, it was true. "This is my opportunity to rise," Bush said. "I have to make the best of it." -- More






Haynesworth apologizes to Gurode
Hartwig knows about Haynesworth's temper
Manning making impact on ground, too
Manning making impact on ground, too
Ravens' Sams charged again with DUI
Packers release Ahmad Carroll




Meet Nicole
Arizona Cardinals
Cheerleader

Name/Nickname: Nicole
Years on Team: 3
Birthday: April 28th
Birth Place: Flagstaff, Arizona
College/Major: Graceland University
Wellness Program Management
Occupation: Personal fitness trainer
Hobbies: Running, hiking, traveling, socializing
Most fulfilling accomplishment(s): Graduating Cum Laude from my university while acting as captain of my cheer squad. Also becoming an Academic All-American in track and field, and holding the role of House President!
One word to describe me: Charismatic



Favorites
Quote: “Inner beauty is true beauty!”-Dad
Food: Greek and Mexican
Restaurant: Fleming’s
Movie: Dangerous Beauty
TV Show: South Park
Color: Green