The Packer Pundit

Packers' Rodgers out for season;
Favre "not very worried" about elbow
The Green Bay Packers lost a quarterback for the season on Monday. It wasn't Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers broke his left foot during Sunday's game against New England and is out for the rest of 2006, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. Rodgers had replaced Favre, who hurt his elbow earlier in the game. Rodgers will need surgery. He broke his foot scrambling in the third quarter, but played the rest of the game, finishing 4-of-12 for 32 yards. "On a personal level, you feel terrible for him, because the first thing you think about is here's a guy who has been here since March 20, he's been here every day going through the quarterback school, getting ready to potentially be the starter for our football team," McCarthy said. "He finally gets the opportunity to play and that happens to him."

Favre, starting his 251st game including playoffs, injured a nerve in his elbow after getting sacked just before halftime in the Packers' 35-0 loss. He couldn't muster enough strength to adequately grip the football for the rest of the game. McCarthy said Monday that Favre has most of the strength back in his elbow, but he wasn't ready to say the three-time MVP would practice this week. "I think his elbow is going to be fine," the coach said. "He's been in for treatment for both the elbow and the groin and we'll re-evaluate him Wednesday, but he doesn't seem very concerned about it." The team's doctors were comfortable with Favre's ability to return for next Monday night's game against Seattle because of the quarterback's demeanor, McCarthy said. "He's not very worried about it, which to them is a clear indication because he's been through this so long. They trust his judgment based on their history with him," he said.

The Packers' No. 3 quarterback is rookie Ingle Martin, who was drafted in the fifth round. McCarthy said the team could elevate Martin or look for a more experienced quarterback to back up Favre "We're looking at every scenario right now," he said. Rodgers, selected with the 24th pick of last year's draft, was sacked three times in his first extensive action since he relieved Favre last year in a 48-3 loss to Baltimore.

QB Rodgers to have surgery this week
Aaron Rodgers said he will have surgery this week in Green Bay on his broken left foot and hopes to be able to return in time for the beginning of the Packers’ offseason program in March. The Packers' backup quarterback, who replaced starter Brett Favre late in the first half in Sunday’s 35-0 loss to New England after Favre injured his elbow, said he’s still not sure how he broke his foot or even on which play it happened. “Even after watching the film, I can’t really tell one play or the other, but it was on the first or second series,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t want to come out of the game. I knew it was bothering me, but I still felt like I could make some plays.” Rodgers said he broke the fifth metatarsal bone and likely must have a screw placed in the bone to help it heal. He is expected to be placed on injured reserve.







Favre's OK, Rodgers Out For Season
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
Posted 11/20/2006
Head Coach Mike McCarthy relayed good news and bad news with regards to the Packers' quarterbacks on Monday. Brett Favre appears to be OK after suffering an elbow injury in the second quarter Sunday that sidelined him for the rest of the game. But backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers is out for the season with a broken foot, and the Packers will be looking at signing a quarterback to the roster this week. McCarthy said during his news conference on Monday that Favre was getting the strength back in his hand and wasn't concerned about the injury, which occurred when he was sacked late in the second quarter and his elbow hit the ground. Favre couldn't return to the game because the shot to the elbow nerve took away the strength in his hand needed to hold and throw the ball properly. Favre will be evaluated further on Wednesday, but at this point it doesn't appear his NFL record streak of 231 consecutive starts at quarterback (251 including playoffs) is in jeopardy. "They (the doctors) think he's going to be fine," McCarthy said. "He's not very worried about it, which to them is a clear indication because he's been through this, and they trust his judgment based on their history with him." But unfortunately for Rodgers, his first extended action in 2006 turned out to be his last this season. Rodgers came into Sunday's game late in the second quarter in relief of Favre and finished the contest. He completed four of 12 passes for 32 yards. He also rushed for 11 yards, was sacked three times and lost a fumble. Rodgers said he doesn't even know what play he hurt his foot on, other than to say it was on the first or second series of the third quarter. He had his ankle re-taped on the sidelines after a series but essentially played the entire fourth quarter on a broken foot. "I didn't want to come out of the game," Rodgers said when he addressed reporters on Monday standing on crutches at his locker. "I knew it was bothering me, but I still felt like I could make some plays out there, and I wanted the opportunity to do so." -- More







3 veteran QBs to work out with Packers
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers scheduled workouts with three veteran quarterbacks Monday night and likely will sign one of them to replace injured backup Aaron Rodgers, an NFL source said. Two of the quarterbacks played for coach Mike McCarthy when he was the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator: J.T. O’Sullivan, who also played for the Packers in 2004; and Todd Bouman, who played for McCarthy with the Saints in 2003 and ’04. The other quarterback is former Denver backup Bradlee Van Pelt, who was cut by the Broncos at the end of training camp. O’Sullivan, 27, was on New England’s practice squad for a month but was cut in October. He played for McCarthy in 2002 and ’03. Bouman played for the Saints from 2003 until getting cut at the end of training camp this year. O’Sullivan and Bouman would appear to have a better shot at getting signed because they’ll be familiar with the language in McCarthy’s offense, and McCarthy also will know their strengths and weaknesses. Van Pelt has no obvious connection with McCarthy. Bouman has by far the most playing experience of the three — the ninth-year pro has started six NFL games, appeared in 42, and thrown 230 passes. Van Pelt was a seventh-round draft pick in 2004 who spent his rookie season on the Broncos’ practice squad and was their backup last year. -- Story







The breaks are good, bad
Ailing Favre is expected to play,
but broken foot ends Rodgers' season
By TOM SILVERSTEIN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 20, 2006

"In retrospect, I think, I hope, it shows my teammates how much I care about them and how I won't... put my personal health ahead of the team. I just hope it shows what kind of guy they're getting in the future, a guy who can play through pain and continue to try and lead the team." -- Aaron Rodgers

There was a lot of activity around the Green Bay Packers organization Monday, but one constant remains: Brett Favre is still the starting quarterback. Over the course of the day, the Packers announced that backup Aaron Rodgers would be lost for the season with a broken left foot, auditioned three free agent quarterbacks for Rodgers' position and began contemplating whether rookie Ingle Martin should get a crash course to get him ready for action, if necessary. Through it all, the Packers operated with the comfort that their shatterproof quarterback would be back under center Monday night in Seattle, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The elbow injury that knocked Favre out in the second quarter of the Packers' 35-0 loss to New England on Sunday at Lambeau Field isn't overly serious. The strength in the arm and hand that Favre lost after suffering a blow to the ulnar nerve in his elbow began to come back overnight and when Favre reported for work on Monday he was in much better shape than when he left Sunday night. Coach Mike McCarthy said there was no reason to think Favre's record starting streak wouldn't reach 252 games next week. "He took a shot on the elbow," McCarthy said. "They (the doctors) didn't go into the specifics of the nerve and everything, but they think he's going to be fine. He's not very worried about it, which to them is a clear indication because he's been through this so long and they trust his judgment based on their history with him." -- More

Other injuries
Linebacker Nick Barnett broke his hand in the fourth quarter on Sunday. McCarthy said the training staff will look into wrapping Barnett's hand so that he can play with what's often referred to as a "club." Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins re-aggravated the ankle injury that has been bothering him off and on the past several weeks. Tight end David Martin has quadriceps and rib injuries, linebacker Ben Taylor hurt his hamstring, and cornerback Charles Woodson injured his shoulder. The severity of the injuries would be known in the next day or so and the players' chances of playing Monday night at Seattle will be outlined on the injury report, which is released on Wednesday. McCarthy said he's also hoping to learn more about tackle Mark Tauscher's groin injury this week.

Almost clinched
With six games left in the season, the Chicago Bears at 9-1 are just one win away from clinching no worse than a tie for first place in the NFC North. The Packers and Vikings are in second place at 4-6. One more win by the Bears plus a loss or tie by the Packers and a loss or tie by the Vikings and the division will be clinched outright.

Do over
If he had the week to do over again, McCarthy said he probably would have prepared his team differently for the Patriots.The Packers weren't sharp at all in a 35-0 drubbing and McCarthy said Monday that the way he dealt with the excessive amount of injuries plaguing the team might have attributed to the way the players performed. "A lot of our things were technical and that's what happens to football teams at this point in the year," McCarthy said. "We've just got to get back to the fundamentals. All the things that went wrong yesterday, the good news is they're all fixable." On Wednesday of last week, 11 players, seven of them starters and two key role players, missed practice because of injury, so McCarthy had the rest of the team practice without pads. All but three players returned the next day, but McCarthy felt the rest of the players suffered by not practicing in pads.

Manuel faces music
After Sunday's game, veteran safety Marquand Manuel assessed the loss thusly to a handful of reporters: "We got outcoached and we got outplayed today. That's all that happened. That's all that happened, man. It was just an embarrassment all the way around." When the quote - particularly the "outcoached" portion - was brought up to McCarthy during his Monday news conference, McCarthy replied, "That's probably something (Manuel) and I need to talk about. ... If that's the way he feels, then we need to have a conversation. I don't converse through the media." Instead, McCarthy apparently spoke to Manuel directly, because after the team's film session Monday afternoon, Manuel came into the locker room and confronted a group of writers about what he'd said, saying that he had been called on the carpet for his remarks. "When they come to me like, 'Why are you throwing everybody under the bus?' I'm like, 'It's nothing like that,"' Manuel said. "I'm not pointing no fingers at nobody, we just need to go back to the drawing board," Manuel said. "I never throw anybody under the bus, regardless if I play well or anybody played bad." Manuel refused to discuss how he has played this season after receiving a $2 million signing bonus as part of a five-year, $10 million deal. He was beaten Sunday by New England wide receiver Reche Caldwell for a 54-yard touchdown.

My Take... Just Shut Up
Packer Pundit / Patrick Stuckey
Confucius say: Man who remains silent may be thought a fool, but a man who opens his mouth removes all doubt. Marquand Manuel has zero... zip... zilch and nadda credibility when calling out Mike McCarthy and staff on being 'out couched'. McCarthy didn't under throw and over throw his recievers. McCarthy didn't get faked out of his jock by a rookie running back. McCarthy didn't miss his assignment and allow a future hall of famer to take, what could have been, a season ending injury. And... McCarthy didn't get burnt over the middle for a long touchdown for the umteenth time this year. Quite frankly... Manuel's steller play this year has left this fan... to long for the days of Mark Roman.





Need To Remain Even-Keeled
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
Posted 11/20/2006
The Green Bay Packers have had their share of ups and downs, just like any NFL team this season. To go from discussing wildcard playoff possibilities to getting shut out 35-0 at home is almost as extreme as those ups and downs can get, but Head Coach Mike McCarthy isn't going to let his players ride that emotional roller coaster. "We're not getting on it," McCarthy said. Staying emotionally somewhere near the middle will be needed this week to focus on preparing for Monday night's game at Seattle. As much as the team was hoping a win and 5-5 record would get them seriously into the NFC playoff picture, the players can't feel as though all is now lost after a humbling defeat that leaves them 4-6. "I'm disappointed and we need to learn from it," McCarthy said. "No one ever wants to go through this, especially this late in the season, but this is something that we can learn from, this is something that we can build off of, and I think anytime you encounter situations like that, a lot of good things will come out of it." The Packers certainly have shown their resiliency this season, coming back from a 1-4 start to get within a game of .500 two times. McCarthy said the team was deservedly upbeat after last week's big win over Minnesota at the Metrodome, and if that led to a possible emotional letdown against New England, he said they have to make sure that doesn't happen again. He also said he will be preaching accountability to his team this week, much like he's holding himself accountable for Sunday's disappointment. -- More







Meet Onya
Washington Redskins
Cheerleader

Dance/Cheerleading Experience: Two years of dance and two years of cheerleading at Hampton University; four years of cheerleading in high school.

Why did you become a cheerleader? I love to perform and travel.

What do you like about being a cheerleader? Being able to do what I love most from the best seats in the house.

What was your most exciting moment as a Cheerleader? Performing for our troops stationed in the Middle East and being named Rookie of the Year in 2002-03.

Countries visited as a Washington Redskins Cheerleader? Dominican Republic, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Bahrain, Djibouti (Africa), United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Education: B.S. in Business Management, Hampton University

Hobbies: Hanging out with friends and family, traveling and trying new things.

Future Goals: Travel the world and find true happiness.

Favorites!

Food: Seafood
Music: R&B, Hip Hop, Rap
Band/Singer: Stevie Wonder
Book: "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
Redskins Player: Santana Moss
Movie: Love Jones, Tommy Boy, Office Space
TV Show: "Lost," "A Different World"
Cartoon: Scooby Doo
Saying/Quote: "God will never give you more than you can handle."

Describe your perfect date: I'm flexible as long as it includes quality time, honesty and laughter.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not at practice? Catch up on sleep, unless something better comes up.

Who is your role model and why? My entire family. I am the person I am today because I have a really strong foundation. Thank you all so much.