The Packer Pundit

Packers Sign Williams,
Fill Out Practice Squad
The Green Bay Packers Wednesday signed cornerback Tramon Williams to return their practice squad to eight players. Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson announced the signing. Williams, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound rookie out of Louisiana Tech, originally signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Texans before Houston released him in its final preseason roster reduction. His first name is pronounced trah-MAHN.

Jenkins Did What He's Taught
To Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the most frustrating part about the critical roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins in the fourth quarter Monday night in Seattle was that Jenkins was playing exactly the way he's coached. With Seattle leading 27-24 and facing third-and-9 from midfield, Jenkins was called for roughing Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck with a blow to the head. Replays showed Jenkins actually trying to pull his arms back as he tackled Hasselbeck, who had just released the pass, so as not to cause undue contact. But Jenkins was flagged anyway, giving the Seahawks an automatic first down that they eventually turned into the game-clinching touchdown. "When something like that happens in the game, what do you tell the player?" McCarthy said at his news conference on Tuesday after having no comment on the call immediately after the game. "When the player does exactly what he's told or taught to do and he's penalized, that's when it's tough. That's kind of the never-ending challenge between coaching, officiating and playing." McCarthy indicated that play would be part of the team's weekly submission to the league office of officiating decisions to be reviewed. Teams have regular contact with the league that way, as well as about concerns heading into a given game. "The communication part of it, everybody wants to get it right," McCarthy said. "But it's tough when things like that happen."

Missing link
After an impressive four-game stretch with the ground game, the Packers rushing attack has stalled of late, gaining a total of just 141 yards in the past three games combined. McCarthy said one of the key factors may be the absence of right tackle Mark Tauscher, who has missed the last 2 1/4 games since injuring his groin in the third quarter against Minnesota on Nov. 12. Rookie Tony Moll has taken Tauscher's spot in the starting lineup, but prior to Tauscher's injury, all of Moll's game snaps had come at guard, and a seven-year veteran like Tauscher is proving difficult to replace. McCarthy said Tauscher would be doubtful again on this week's injury report. "I thought Mark was playing extremely well when he got hurt," McCarthy said. "For a couple weeks there he had the best performance up front, so you take that out of the equation, that part factors. And frankly his leadership, and the way he plays the game. He plays the game the right way. He's tough, no-nonsense, does it right. So that's a part of it." Against Seattle on Monday night, running back Ahman Green did have his first rushing touchdown since Oct. 29 vs. Arizona, but overall McCarthy said the blocking fundamentals weren't there to establish any consistency on the ground. "We just were not in sync like we should have been," he said. "We had a number of good looks as far as the (defensive) fronts we were getting. In hindsight, I really feel good about the plan and how we went about it, but our execution was not there last night."

Playing it safe
As he noted on Monday night after the game, McCarthy re-affirmed that he was playing it safe with the weather conditions when he called a basic running play on third-and-goal from the 11-yard line in the second quarter. McCarthy said he was concerned about ball security because of the snow and with the Packers leading 7-3 was content to take the short field goal to extend the lead. Unfortunately, the field goal was blocked because of what McCarthy said was a combination of a slightly low kick and penetration by the Seattle defensive front. "I thought it was lower in the game than when I saw it on film," McCarthy said. "But also our pad level was too high in the protection part of it."

Injury update
The Packers had a number of injuries from the Seattle game as well as some still lingering from previous weeks. In addition to Tauscher, linebacker Ben Taylor (hamstring) will be doubtful on this week's injury report, which will be released on Wednesday. A handful of players will be questionable, including safety Nick Collins (hamstring), tight end David Martin (ribs), running backs P.J. Pope (hamstring) and Noah Herron (quad), and linebacker Nick Barnett (hand). Barnett's situation is an upgrade over last week, when he was doubtful coming off the fracture in the New England game. Three players are probable with very minor injuries - receiver Greg Jennings (knee), safety Marquand Manuel (quad) and center Scott Wells (elbow, hamstring).



Culver likely to start at safety
By Rob Demovsky / greenbaypressgazette.com
Other than a couple of quarters in a backup role, rookie safety Tyrone Culver hasn't gotten much work in the Green Bay Packers' secondary. That likely will change Sunday because Culver looks like a good bet to start against the New York Jets in place of the injured Nick Collins, who sustained a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of Monday night's loss at Seattle. The Packers listed Collins as doubtful on Wednesday's injury report, meaning there's a 75 percent chance he won't play. Culver finished Monday's game in Collins' place and played for Collins briefly in the second half at Buffalo on Nov. 5. But Culver's role was greatly diminished after the Oct. 15 bye, when defensive coordinator Bob Sanders shelved the dime package, which uses six defensive backs. The rookie sixth-round draft pick from Fresno State was the dime back against New Orleans in Week 2, but the Packers haven't played a snap of dime in the six games since the bye. Instead, Sanders has used either the regular nickel (four linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs) or the 3-3 package (three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs) on passing downs. "I'll have to draw on my preseason (playing time), the Buffalo game and then the last game," Culver said Wednesday. "It's just a matter right now of making sure I know my job and what's asked of me if I'm the one who goes out there." Culver has been active for all 11 games this season and is one of the Packers' regulars on almost every special teams unit, but never has had the kind of role he will against the Jets. "(Culver is a) very, very knowledgeable player," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "He does an excellent job keeping his head in the game. He clearly does a great job in his preparation. Special teams, he's been a little up and down. You'd like to see more productivity there, but he's definitely prepared himself if he does get the opportunity." -- More






Driver has carried the big-play load
By TOM SILVERSTEIN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 29, 2006
Right now, the only hope the Green Bay Packers have of scoring a touchdown from outside the opposition's 5-yard line is if Donald Driver catches a short pass and takes it the distance. It might seem like an exaggeration, but with the Packers' running game stalled, rookie Greg Jennings in a five-game touchdown drought, tight end David Martin on the shelf with a rib injury and tight end Bubba Franks a non-factor, it's a reality. In the last four games - three of them losses - Driver has three of the team's five touchdowns and is the only player to score on what would be considered a big play. In fact, if you go back six games, to the 34-24 victory over Miami, the only touchdown of any significant length other than a Driver catch was Ahman Green's 70-yard run. It's almost as though the Packers are back to being the one-dimensional team they were last year under former coach Mike Sherman when it was Driver or nothing. "I don't feel that way," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I think Greg Jennings has that ability. I think Ahman Green has shown he has that ability. David Martin and really any of our tight ends, particularly schematically. No, I don't feel that way." If McCarthy is right, then the others need to show themselves quickly because the Packers have slipped from seventh in total offense to 11th in the NFL and from 13th to 16th in scoring in just the past couple of weeks. Driver continues to be productive, scoring two of the team's last three touchdowns on catch-and-run plays of 48 (vs. Seattle) and 82 yards (vs. Minnesota).

Jennings has solid numbers and averages a sturdy 15.6 yards per reception, but since injuring his ankle against Miami he has not had a catch longer than 26 yards. In his defense, he might have had several big catches against New England two weeks ago, but quarterback Brett Favre threw off target at least three times when Jennings was open. That was one of the cases when Jennings was benefiting from the extra attention Driver receives from opposing defenses. Lining up on the same side as Driver in a number of situations, he was able to get single coverage. Against Seattle, he also lined up on the same side as Driver, but the Seahawks played a zone coverage that accounted for Driver but also made it so Jennings wasn't exactly one-on-one. "Against New England we were able to get single coverage, but we couldn't hook up, we couldn't connect," Jennings said. "This game I was on the side with him and it was like we were both getting doubled on the same side." The Packers have had very little success throwing the ball deep, which is a reflection of the catch-and-run style of receivers they're playing with. When general manager Ted Thompson took a chance on troubled receiver Koren Robinson, he was all but announcing that he was in need of a deep threat. Favre has made note of the lack of a big receiver with high-end speed in previous interviews and rarely gets away with heaving the ball downfield with the expectation his receiver will separate himself from the defensive back or win a jump ball. Both Driver and Jennings are better at catching the ball in traffic and making something happen afterward. As a result, the Packers have to be technically perfect much of the time to get a big play. If their running game were producing, they'd be able to run more effective play action and draw linebackers and safeties near the line of scrimmage so their receivers could get deep. "Our big-play opportunities, as far as how many we're getting a game, is probably not as high as you'd like, but they're there," McCarthy said. "It isn't like we're just 3 yards and a cloud of dust, trying to drive the ball 18 plays every time. That's not what we're about. But I do think we have players who can score outside the 5-yard line." -- More



Packers missed Barnett against Seahawks
By Pete Dougherty / greenbaypressgazette.com
Nick Barnett's broken right hand has strengthened his argument for a contract extension. The Green Bay Packers' middle linebacker didn't play in Monday night's 34-24 loss in Seattle because of his injury, and it turned out to be no coincidence that the Seahawks' Shaun Alexander rushed for 201 yards on 40 carries. Rookie Abdul Hodge proved to be a liability in the run game in Barnett's place. It was the third-round draft pick's first NFL start and only his second game back since missing five weeks because of a sprained knee. On Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy was asked how Hodge could start at middle linebacker and make only one solo tackle (and five assists) and have none of them within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage on Alexander's 40 carries. McCarthy went out of his way to spread the responsibility around the entire defense and to defend his rookie linebacker, whom the Packers have liked since early in training camp. Even so, Alexander's performance hammered home Barnett's value to the Packers after four years as their starting middle linebacker. "It was Abdul's first game," McCarthy said. "To sit here and think he's going to make 20 tackles — that would have been great, but it didn't happen. I'm not going to swing to the extreme. Nick has played very well for us all year, and based on conversations with our personnel people, this is the best year. He's clearly having a better year this year than he did last year." Barnett is a candidate for a contract extension this year even though his contract runs through 2007 because it would allow the Packers to use some of their remaining salary-cap space in 2006 and save money on future caps. He also could be a candidate for an offseason extension. -- More






Ryan sent on a mission of mercy
He goes home, where father is dying of cancer
By Rob Demovsky / greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers not only excused punter Jon Ryan from practice on Wednesday so that he could spend perhaps one last day with his dying father, but they also helped arrange his last-minute trip home to Canada. Ryan and his girlfriend, Dani, flew on a private jet to Regina, Saskatchewan, on Tuesday, shortly after the Packers returned from Monday night's game in Seattle. He was to return to Green Bay late Wednesday night and is expected to be at practice today. Ryan got to spend about 18 hours with his father, Bob, who was diagnosed with cancer in August. This fall, doctors determined the cancer was terminal. Bob Ryan was given the option of having surgery to amputate both of his legs in an effort to stop the spread of the cancer, which had reached his lungs. Instead, he chose to stop treatments and go home to spend the time he had left with his family. Jon Ryan was allowed to leave the Packers during the Oct. 15 bye week to spend time his father. Upon his return, he said he didn't know whether he would get to see his father alive again. Friends in Canada helped arrange for a private plane to bring Bob Ryan to Lambeau Field to watch his son punt in the Packers' victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 29. Bob Ryan's health has deteriorated over the last couple of weeks, and he might be in his final days. "It's really classy that the team flew him home so he could see his dad again," Packers kicker Dave Rayner said. "I'm pretty sure the team arranged it for him. That really shows me the organization's priorities are in place." Rayner said he didn't know Ryan had made another trip home until he noticed he wasn't at the team meeting on Wednesday. "It sounds like it's not going so well," Rayner said. "He's handling it really well. I can't even imagine what he's going through. I ask him every now and then how things are going, and he's been really strong." -- More




Packers' Hawk, Jets' Mangold Go Back ... Way Back
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
Posted 11/29/2006
Long before they were first-round NFL draft picks last April, and long before they were All-Big Ten standouts and Ohio State University teammates, the Green Bay Packers' A.J. Hawk and the New York Jets' Nick Mangold shared a smaller football stage together. Smaller helmets and shoulder pads, too. Much smaller. Back in grade school, Hawk and Mangold strapped on the uniforms of the Centerville Wee Elks, the pee-wee team in their hometown of Centerville, Ohio. Two-way standouts back then, of course, Hawk and Mangold are now focused on their specialties of linebacker and center, respectively, and they'll begin yet another chapter in the story of their forever-connected football lives when they line up opposing one another at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Which boyhood friend will get the best of the other when Mangold pulls on a running play to throw a block against Hawk on the weak side, or when Hawk blitzes on a pass play and has to somehow get past Mangold, is anyone's guess. Even theirs. "I have to come up with a good idea how to go about it," Mangold said in a phone interview this week. "I'm still working on how to do that." Hawk hasn't given it much thought yet, either. "It will be interesting," he said. "We'll run into each other a couple times for sure." The last time Hawk and Mangold knocked helmets for opposing teams was actually in eighth grade. Beginning in junior high, Mangold switched to Catholic school and his team played against the public school Hawk attended just once. Neither player remembers much about the encounter (except Hawk says his team won), and then in high school the public and private schools were in different divisions so they never clashed on the field. -- More






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