The Packer Pundit

McCarthy praises injured players
Highlights from Mike McCarthy’s Monday afternoon press conference:

-- At halftime of Sunday’s victory over the 49ers, McCarthy said he wasn’t sure he would have the services of Donald Driver, Greg Jennings or Charles Woodson for the final two quarters. “We were in the process of maybe losing all three of those guys,” said McCarthy. “It speaks volumes of all three of those guys returning, because they had significant injuries in the game.” Driver (shoulder), Jennings (ankle) and Woodson (shoulder) suffered injuries in the first half but returned to play and contributed to the Packers’ 30-19 victory. Driver is expected to miss practice on Wednesday but return by Thursday, according to McCarthy, while Jennings and Woodson should be ready for Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions.

-- Receiver Ruvell Martin stayed in San Francisco after suffering a chest bruise. “It’s just precautionary, with a chest bruise, we’re just playing it safe,” said McCarthy.

-- Mark Tauscher has missed four straight games with a groin injury and McCarthy isn’t sure he will be ready to play against the Lions. “I hope so, I think it will be close,” McCarthy said. “If he doesn’t make if for Detroit I think it’d be safe to say he will be there for Minnesota (on Thursday, Dec. 21).”

KGB says new role different,
But a win's a win
Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila called his experience "different" on Sunday after the Green Bay Packers coaching staff decided to dramatically reduce his role in Sunday's 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The seventh-year veteran, who has struggled at times against the run, was used primarily when the 49ers were in obvious passing situations. The change was already in the works before Gbaja-Biamila missed a tackle on running back Frank Gore's 72-yard run in the first quarter, but the Packers elected to start Gbaja-Biamila. "That's the starting lineup we've been going with so we just went with that," Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. Gbaja-Biamila has been a full-time player since he became a starter in 2002. "It's different, but I just tried to use the opportunity to cheer my teammates on, pat them on the back when they came out and wait for my opportunity," Gbaja-Biamila said. "It is different but if it produces a win, it's a good thing. It's a good thing if it works."

Successful challenge
The 49ers won a pair of significant instant-replay challenges. Coach Mike Nolan got a 33-yard completion from Brett Favre to Jennings on a third-and-9 play on the game's opening drive overturned. Jennings was credited with a catch that would have given the Packers a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, but the replay showed he got only one foot down in bounds. The Packers had to punt, and Jon Ryan's kick went into the end zone for a touchback. On the opening drive of the second half, Nolan successfully challenged the spot of the ball on quarterback Alex Smith's run on third-and-goal from the 6. The initial spot left Smith a yard short but after the replay, the officials credited Smith with a 5-yard run. The 49ers scored a touchdown on Frank Gore's 1-yard run on the next play.

Kickoff alignment
Special teams coach Mike Stock changed his kickoff-return alignment because of 49ers kicker Joe Nedney's ability to surprise onside kick. Stock moved running back Noah Herron from a deep back to just behind the front line of blockers on one side, and had linebacker Jason Hunter just behind the five-man front line on the left side. That left Vernand Morency as a lone deep return man, with William Henderson aligned in front of him as part of the wedge. "(Nedney) has made two surprise ones against people this year and I wasn't going to let that happen," Stock said. "So we put the extra safety up there and kind of nullified it, we put four and four together so that if he tried it we had enough people to match up with them. "He does it at any time. He's got a perfect one. He's got a 10-yard start like he kicks it deep, so you never know when he's going to do it."

Road warriors
The Packers' win Sunday gives them a 4-3 record on the road and only a 1-5 record at home. Last year the Packers were 1-7 on the road. "We've played better on the road for whatever reason than we have at home," quarterback Brett Favre said. "That's different from what I'm used to. But I think in some ways that's a plus that we are able to play on the road the way we have. We can turn it around back home. It's encouraging. It's one game, but it's encouraging. I think we see what we can do.
But we know next week we could feel just as bad."

Sympathy aside,
team expects more of Ryan
Just because the San Francisco 49ers couldn't take advantage of a poor performance by Jon Ryan doesn't mean the Green Bay Packers aren't concerned about their punter. Ryan had one of his worst outings in Sunday's 30-19 victory at San Francisco. His net average of 30.6 yards was his third-lowest of the season, and even that was aided by a fortunate bounce on a kick that Ryan partially shanked. Several times during Sunday's game, special-teams coordinator Mike Stock and even coach Mike McCarthy talked to Ryan on the sideline after poor punts. It's been a difficult time for the first-year punter, who lost his father to cancer less than two weeks ago. "I'm not trying to belittle what he's gone through, please don't misunderstand that," Stock said on Monday, "but he knows as well as anybody that this is a game of production. Everything else, you've got to put aside. That's the way it is. He knows what his responsibilities are."

Receivers receive first aid
With their top three pass-catchers present and ailing, the Green Bay Packers could have held a wide receiver position meeting inside the visitors training room of Monster Park at halftime of Sunday's 30-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Donald Driver (shoulder), Greg Jennings (ankle) and Ruvell Martin (chest) all suffered injuries during the first half - in Jennings' case, it was an aggravation of his previously sprained right ankle - and all received treatment. As a result, all three will need to be monitored in practice this week in preparation for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Fortunately for the Packers, all three were able to play through their pain. "It was a (possibility) of maybe losing all three of those guys," Packers coach Mike McCarthy revealed Monday. "So I think it speaks volumes of all three of those guys, because they had significant injuries."

Working ahead
With the short turnaround between games - the game against the Vikings is just four days after game against the Lions - McCarthy and his staff are working on the practice structure and plans for each opponent. One benefit is that the Packers already have played each team this season. The offense is also fortunate in that both the Lions, under head coach Rod Marinelli, and the Vikings, under defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, run the same Tampa-2 version of the Cover-2 defense. Marinelli was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive line coach and Tomlin the Bucs secondary coach last year, and both implemented the scheme in their new jobs. "The thing we've got going for us is we're playing the same defense the next three weeks, the old Tampa-2," said offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, including the Packers' Dec. 31 opponent, Chicago. "We're familiar with them because we already played them. That's really going to help us in our preparation." McCarthy said he'll have his team go through "a normal week" this week, then give the players off next Monday, practice Dec. 19 with extended meetings and do a walk-through the day before the Minnesota game.

Game balls
McCarthy mentioned two defensive players possibly in line to receive game balls for their performances on Sunday. The first is defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, who moved from tackle to end on several early run downs and was a factor in limiting San Francisco's Frank Gore to just 52 yards in his last 17 carries (3.1 avg.) Jenkins also played inside at defensive tackle on some passing downs and had a half-sack. The other was cornerback Al Harris, who made one of the biggest hustle plays of the season for the Packers. On Gore's 72-yard run in the first quarter, Harris raced from the opposite side of the field and was able to push Gore out of bounds at the 2-yard line. After an offensive pre-snap penalty moved the 49ers back 5 yards, they had to settle for a field goal for the game's first score. "I think we had three broken tackles on the run, and Al saves four points," McCarthy said. "Huge play." Harris was also a big reason San Francisco's top two receivers, Antonio Bryant and Battle, combined for just two catches for 50 yards.

Stats and such
Kicker Dave Rayner recorded his 11th touchback this season after his second-quarter field goal. His 11 touchbacks are the most by a Packers kicker since Ryan Longwell had 11 in 1997. With his second-quarter touchdown run, Ahman Green surpassed No. 3 Sterling Sharpe (66) on Green Bay's all-time overall TDs list. Green now has 67 in a Packers uniform, having earlier surpassed No. 4 Paul Hornung (62) this season. On the same play, Green surpassed No. 8 Sharpe (396) on the team's all-time scoring list. Green now has 402 points, having already surpassed No. 10 Clarke Hinkle (379) and No. 9 Ted Fritsch (380) this season.






Changes pay dividends
By Jason Wilde / wsj.com
Not everything worked to perfection Sunday. There were still some breakdowns, still some missed assignments, still some mistakes in coverage, still some missed blocks and missed tackles. But in just about every case, the players who saw increased roles as part of coach Mike McCarthy's create-some-opportunities program delivered just as the coach hoped they would during the Green Bay Packers' 30-19 victory at San Francisco. As a result, McCarthy said you can expect to see more new faces in new places in the final three weeks of the season, including Sunday when the Packers (5-8) play the Detroit Lions (2-11) at Lambeau Field because they'll face the Minnesota Vikings (6-7) four days later in a rare Thursday night game. "I wasn't trying to send signals, I was trying to win a football game," McCarthy said Monday of his seemingly minor lineup changes. The alterations didn't result in any changes to the starting lineup, but did result in an offense that put up 420 total yards, a defense that forced three turnovers and special teams units that chipped in with a 40-yard punt return by Charles Woodson. "We're trying to utilize our players and create healthy competition within the course of the season - there's nothing wrong with that. It's going to be very evident when we go into this Detroit game because we're going to play two games in five days. (It's) really something for us to take advantage of this week, too, because we need to play more guys going into the Detroit game." -- More



Trouble at home
Record at Lambeau Field perplexes McCarthy's club
By LORI NICKEL / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 11, 2006
Poor blocking? They can work on that. Miscommunication in the secondary? They can fix it. Injuries? They'll deal with them. Win on the road but not at home? Uh.. any suggestions? The Green Bay Packers are 4-3 on the road and 1-5 at Lambeau Field. Coach Mike McCarthy welcomes the topic the way Archie Bunker did his son-in-law, with a painful grimace and a dismissal. But only because McCarthy has already turned over everything around Lambeau Field except the Lambeau and Lombardi statues in search of answers. He consulted his coaches. Talked to Packers staff. Front office people. Players themselves. There were a lot of theories. "The conversations have traveled from one side of the spectrum to the other," McCarthy said Monday. "The anxiety of a young team, of knowing the history of Lambeau Field, to maybe being a little spoiled. You think you can almost go out there and just play and, OK, still win the games. I think it's probably a combination of everything... The pressure to play at home, to uphold the tradition." And with that, McCarthy had had enough. "So, we need to get over that," he said.
-- More



More changes are in the works
Schedule and injuries dictate
expanded roles for more players
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
With two games in five days coming up, coach Mike McCarthy plans to expand the player rotations he added for the Green Bay Packers' win over San Francisco on Sunday. McCarthy got plenty of mileage using Cullen Jenkins at right defensive end on running downs in place of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila for the first time. He also debuted an occasional three-back offensive set, among other changes, in the Packers' 30-19 win over the 49ers. Now, with starting receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings slowed by injuries that might limit but not sideline them, McCarthy probably will expand his receivers rotation. Two rookies on the defensive line, tackle Johnny Jolly and perhaps end Jason Hunter, also could win more playing time. McCarthy made the changes against San Francisco to upgrade the Packers' run defense and give other players a chance to show they deserved playing time after three straight losses. A factor this week against Detroit is that the Packers play again next Thursday night against Minnesota, so they'll have limited time to recover from Sunday's game. "We need to play more guys," McCarthy said. -- More






Packers' McCarthy produces motivational moment
By Tom Oates / wsj.com

"It just feels good to win. It's unfortunately part of our business. Losing is total misery and winning has almost become a relief. But it feels very good to win because it's what you look for as you go through the week. And to be able to bounce back from the last few weeks we've had, it just feels great to win." -- Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy didn't leave his heart in San Francisco. His playbook maybe, but definitely not his heart. Still, last week couldn't have been much fun for McCarthy, the Green Bay Packers' first-year coach. Here he was, going back to San Francisco, where he was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers last year, and the team he was taking there - his team - had played three awful games in a row. McCarthy wanted to show his old colleagues he was alive and well, but his team was anything but that. The Packers had regressed so badly, especially the previous week against the New York Jets, some thought they had packed it in for the season. No wonder McCarthy looked so relieved after the Packers rebounded to put a 30-19 hurt on the 49ers Sunday at Monster Park. "It was very gratifying," McCarthy said. "I have a lot of respect for a lot of men in that (49ers) locker room, players and coaches alike. Any time you have an opportunity to compete against your former family, it's special." You can debate how special this victory was because all Green Bay did was beat another struggling team that, like it, has realistically squandered any playoff hopes it once had. Considering where the Packers were coming from, though, their response was admirable. And while the Packers didn't win this one for McCarthy, they might have won it because of him. For the first time, McCarthy got emotional with his players, talking to them Wednesday and again Saturday about not giving up on the season, about taking it upon themselves to make plays, about playing for pride and, yes, their future in Green Bay. "I think he wanted this one," wide receiver Donald Driver said. "(Coaching) here and leaving to come to us, I think he really wanted this game and that was something that was in his heart. For a guy to let a team know how he feels, you build off that. ... Everybody's attitude changed in that meeting room and guys knew we had to go out and make a play, and we did." As promised, McCarthy changed a few roles on the field Sunday. But his contribution had less to do with strategy and more to do with getting his players to regroup and perform to their abilities. As a rookie coach, he must learn to push the correct emotional buttons because he sets the tone for the team. Bringing the Packers back from wherever it was they had sunk to after the Jets game was a significant step for McCarthy. He challenged his players and they responded by turning their performance around. -- More



Driver makes 49ers pay
By Jason Wilde / wsj.com
Donald Driver isn't going to send the San Francisco 49ers a thank-you note, but he should. It was their decision to cover the Green Bay Packers' go-to wide receiver man-to-man Sunday that allowed Driver to break out of his three-game slump. "Coming into this game, I was really expecting these guys to double me and really take me out of the game. But they went man-to-man," Driver said after he caught nine passes for 160 yards - including a 68-yard touchdown - in Green Bay's 30-19 victory over the 49ers at Monster Park. "They played the game the way they wanted to play it." Foolish as that was. The New England Patriots had seemingly provided a blueprint on how to shut down Driver, double- and triple-teaming him as they held him to two catches for 42 yards in the Packers' 35-0 loss Nov. 19. Including that game, Driver had caught just eight passes during the Packers' three-game losing streak after catching 56 in the first nine games. To combat that, Packers coach Mike McCarthy tried to move Driver around in the offensive formations. The 49ers played right into it. "He's the primary focus in our passing game, and we just keep trying to put him in positions where he is one-on-one and (can) take advantage," McCarthy said. "He's our primary receiver, so we need to make a conscious effort to get him the ball week in and week out."
-- More






Coaches develop winning plan for defense
By Pete Dougherty
Whether it will be enough to save defensive coordinator Bob Sanders' job over the final month of the season is up to Mike McCarthy. That's a cold, hard decision the Packers' coach will make in early January. But give Sanders and the beleaguered Packers' defense their due for at least this week. It may have taken a disastrous three-game run to compel the move, but Sanders' and McCarthy's decision to replace Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila with the stouter Cullen Jenkins on most run downs during Sunday's 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers helped stop the hemorrhaging in the Packers' run defense. Gbaja-Biamila started at right end, and the 49ers, who came into the game ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing yards and third in average yards per carry, went at him. They ran Frank Gore to his left, the defense's right, on the first two plays. The first picked up 6 yards and the second gained 72, when Gore ran through a Gbaja-Biamila tackle and didn't stop until Al Harris pushed him out of bounds at the Packers' 2-yard line. From then on, Jenkins played most of the early downs at right defensive end. From then on, the 49ers rushed for 68 yards. Hardly a coincidence. Not that the move will cure all that ails the Packers' defense, but it helped, and was a change that had to be, and should have been made earlier. Getting a handle on Gore was one of the biggest reasons the Packers beat the 49ers. That put the game in the quarterbacks' hands, and that's where the Packers had a major edge. For anyone looking to push Brett Favre out the door, take note of what happened Sunday. The 49ers think highly of Alex Smith and project him to be a great leader and quality NFL quarterback. -- More

Meet Arlene
Washington Redskins
Cheerleader

Dance/Cheerleading Experience: I danced in high school for two years and I cheered in High School for two years. I also performed at the 1998 Macy's Day Parade as part of the UDA squad.

Acting Experience: None.

Pageant/modeling Experience: Modeled for George Mason University's Web site.

Why did you become a cheerleader? Because I love to perform! I love the excitement and the thrill that takes over when you go out in front of everyone.

What do you like about being a cheerleader? Being a cheerleader allows you to become a role model to so many kids and that's something you can always be proud of!

What was your most exciting moment as a Cheerleader? Arriving in Cancun, Mexico for the 2005-2006 calendar shoot and realizing that this was only the beginning of a year full of wonderful opportunities!

Countries visited as a Washington Redskins Cheerleader? Mexico

Education: B.S. degree in International Business

Hobbies: Listening to music.

Future Goals: Looking forward to expanding my education and obtaining my Master's degree.

Food: My mom's cooking, Thai food or anything with rice!
Music: Hip-Hop, R&B, slow jams
Band/Singer: John Legend, J-Lo
Book: "The Joy Luck Club"
Redskins Player: Charles Mann
Movie: "Dirty Dancing," "The Sandlot"
TV Show: "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Will and Grace," "Fear Factor"
Cartoon: "Tom and Jerry," "Inspector Gadget"
Saying/Quote: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Describe your perfect date: The perfect date for me would be anything romantic and low key. Romantic dinners where you can spend some alone time with your significant other. Being surprised with dinner when you walk in the door after work is the best move!

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not at practice? Spending time with family, friends and my boyfriend. I especially love spending time with my "chunky monkey" nephew!

Who is your role model and why? My mother. She has managed to raise three successful and beautiful women as a single mother. We are a reflection of her hard work. She has dedicated her life to us and has taught us the true meaning of sacrifice. I am who I am today because of my mother and everything good in my life I owe to her.