The Packer Pundit

Seattle (8-7) beats Tampa Bay (4-11)

The Packers will be eliminated if they lose tonight, but they can qualify for the playoffs if they tie the Bears. In that case, the four other NFC teams with 7-8 records must lose.

No practice, no problem for Driver
Though receiver Donald Driver didn't practice all week, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy expects him to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. Driver has been bothered by a shoulder injury for about the last month but hasn't missed any games. He's occasionally aggravated the injury during games but always has returned. McCarthy listed Driver as probable (a virtual certainty he'll be available for normal duty) this week on the Packers' injury report. That didn't change even though Driver sat out practice again on Friday. McCarthy said he wasn't concerned about Driver getting knocked out of the game if he takes a hit to the shoulder. "I'm not," McCarthy said. "He's fought through it for a month now. As we all know Donald, we all anticipate him going and playing well and finishing the game."

Scoreboard watching?
McCarthy said he won't deviate from his normal night-before-the-game routine to watch the New York Giants play at Washington on Saturday night in a game that will go a long way toward determining whether the Packers can get into the playoffs with a win Sunday night. Though other games factor in, the Packers' chances of playing for a playoff spot increase dramatically if the Redskins defeat the Giants. "I may check in on the score," McCarthy said. "(But) I have things I routinely do Saturday night before the game as far as preparing to call the game, so no, I won't sit there and watch it. I really don't want to be bouncing off the walls cheering (against) the Giants. But I'll be aware of what the score is." The Packers also face a decent possibility that they can't get into the playoffs even if they beat Chicago. They'll know before kickoff, and McCarthy wouldn't assess the team's chances on Friday. "You sit there last week and you watch the way it unfolded, I don't have any control over it," he said. "Today's NFL, particularly the last eight to 10 years, anything can happen. We're really just trying to stay focused as best we can on the Bears. Let's just see what happens."

Injury update
The Bears downgraded fullback Jason McKie (ankle) to doubtful (at least a 75 percent chance he won't play) from questionable (a 50-50 chance of playing). They also removed three regulars from their injury list, meaning they will play: starting left tackle John Tait (ankle), starting running back Thomas Jones (ankle) and defensive tackle Alfonso Boone (toe).






Have Packers closed gap on Bears?
By Pete Dougherty / greenbaypressgazette.com
The Chicago Bears aren't quite the overwhelming defense they were in Week 1 of the regular season because of two key injuries, though the unit remains among the NFL's elite. The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, have grown considerably on offense as they've worked into their zone-blocking run game and started three and often four rookies for a full season. The Bears probably won't play their key starters for the entire game because they have the NFC's best record wrapped up and want to ensure full health when they play their first playoff game in two weeks. Whether that adds up to the Packers giving a competitive offensive effort, let alone a winning one, at Chicago's Soldier Field will be answered Sunday. In the teams' first meeting this year, the Packers were anything but competitive in a 26-0 loss in which they did almost nothing offensively until garbage time in the second half. "It just seemed like we were outmatched, not only from a physical but a mental (standpoint)," right tackle Mark Tauscher said. The Bears (13-2) have taken two personnel hits defensively since then, but that by no means made them weak. Chicago ranks No. 5 in the NFL in yards allowed and third in points allowed. The first loss was safety Mike Brown in Week 6 against Arizona. He's the quarterback of the defense and played in the Pro Bowl two seasons ago. Chicago sustained an even more crucial loss when defensive tackle Tommie Harris' season ended Dec. 3 against Minnesota because of a torn hamstring. He's one of the Bears' top two or three defensive players, manned the three-technique defensive tackle position that's key to the Bears' Cover 2 scheme, and was an important cog in their pass defense because of the pressure he put on quarterbacks from the middle of the line. -- More






Healthy Packers avoid key injuries
After tough 2005, Green Bay stands strong
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Dec. 27, 2006
When the Green Bay Packers head to Chicago Sunday, they'll face a Bears team without three preferred starters on defense. Among those will be current Pro Bowl tackle Tommie Harris and former Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown. The Minnesota Vikings were without three defensive starters of their own last Thursday during the Packers' 9-7 victory. Included were Minnesota's last two No. 1 draft picks, linebacker Chad Greenway and defensive end Erasmus James. Detroit was a ravaged team playing without eight preferred starters in Green Bay's 17-9 victory on Dec. 17. And San Francisco was without three starters - including its top linebacker and cornerback - when the Packers notched a 30-19 victory there on Dec. 10. Through the course of those games, Green Bay has missed a total of one preferred starter: right tackle Mark Tauscher. And after sitting out five games with a groin injury, Tauscher returned last week against Minnesota. A year after being decimated by injury, the Packers have been as fortuitous as any team in the NFL in 2006. And their good fortune in avoiding critical injuries is a big reason they're gunning for a fourth consecutive victory Sunday and a chance to finish the season 8-8."It's big," defensive end Aaron Kampman said of Green Bay's good luck in that area. "Injuries play a huge part in how teams do every year. And I guess compared to a lot of people, we've been pretty healthy."Of Green Bay's 22 preferred starters, Tauscher has missed the most starts with five. Running back Ahman Green missed two. Middle linebacker Nick Barnett, left tackle Chad Clifton and wide receiver Greg Jennings all missed one. -- More






Kick boosts Rayner
By Jason Wilde / wsj.com
Posted: 12/30/2006

"Now, I got that game-winner out of the way; it had been kind of elusive to me my whole career. And it was on a big stage, a big game for us. I think I'm ready for it. It was probably the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life, but it worked out well." -- Dave Rayner

Dave Rayner can see it now. The New York Giants lose to the Washington Redskins tonight, (article written before Giants won) and the Green Bay Packers get the additional help they need Sunday, making their Sunday night game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field a win-and-we're-in proposition. Trailing by two points with less than a minute to play, Brett Favre leads the Green Bay offense into the red zone, where, as usual, it bogs down. With 3 seconds to go, the Packers call timeout, and out trots Rayner for the potential winning field goal. If he makes it, the Packers make the playoffs. If he misses, season's over. So would the Packers' second-year kicker like to see it come down to his right foot Sunday night? "I'm . . . not going to say that," Rayner said with a smile. "If it comes down to that, I'll do my best to hit it, but if we win convincingly, so be it. Either way, if we can get into the playoffs, it's great." There you go. If you thought Rayner's 44-yard field goal to give the Packers a 9-7 victory over Minnesota Dec. 21 was going to give the kid a big head, that's obviously not the case. While the kick boosted Rayner's confidence - and showed his mettle after he missed two earlier kicks, slipping on a 38-yarder that was blocked and clanking a 34-yarder off the left upright - he hasn't gotten cocky. -- More



Back to the future
Experts say Favre able to continue playing
By TOM SILVERSTEIN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 30, 2006
There are more than a few factors Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will consider when deciding whether to return next season. His tender right ankle, the state of the team, the monotony of another training camp, the mental strain of a 17-week regular season - they're all in play. But if Favre's decision comes down to whether he still has the goods to be a productive quarterback and whether he runs the risk of embarrassing himself like an over-the-hill boxer, the opinion of five personnel executives is that physically there's no evidence he's washed up. Favre goes into tonight's regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears poised to finish with a passer rating far lower than Hall of Famers Troy Aikman (81.1), Steve Young (101.1) and Joe Montana (83.5) did in their last full season as starters. Among recent quarterback icons, only Dan Marino's 67.4 rating in his injury-filled last season in 1999 is lower than Favre's current 72.9. What's more, Favre, 37, will finish with his lowest completion percentage in 15 years as a starter and may break a string of 12 straight seasons in which he has thrown at least 20 touchdown passes. If the Packers don't beat the Bears, it will mark his second straight losing season after 13 straight non-losing ones. Yet when various NFL personnel officials were asked to try to take an objective view of Favre's skills - some personnel men tend to revere him the way fans do because of his competitiveness and daring - they all said they saw nothing that would indicate he can't play anymore. -- More



Thompson: No doubts about McCarthy
GM likes how rookie coach has kept Packers resilient
By Rob Demovsky
greenbaypressgazette.com
Ted Thompson never wondered whether he had made a mistake on hiring Mike McCarthy as the Green Bay Packers' coach Not when Thompson, the Packers' GM, watched his rookie coach get shut out in Week 1 by the rival Chicago Bears. Not when he watched McCarthy's team start 0-2 at home, or fall to 1-4 or sink to 4-8 and seemingly headed for a losing season. No, Thompson, the even-keeled head of the Packers' football operations, chose to take the season as a collective body of work rather than a series of individual battles. As Thompson took time this week to offer his thoughts on McCarthy's first season, the overriding theme of his remarks probably is best summed up in the following line: "I never had any real doubts about Mike." That was Thompson's answer when asked whether at any point this season he wondered whether he'd erred by hiring McCarthy. "Some people prefer to ride the roller coaster, but I don't," he added. "I don't think it's the proper way to do it. I don't keep score from day to day or game to game." -- More






Meet Janelle
Oakland Raiders
Cheerleader

As a new Raiderette there are many things to look forward to. For Janelle, being at an NFL football game stood out among them all. "The thing I was most looking forward to during my first year as a Raiderette was the first game. I have never gotten the opportunity to go to a real NFL football game before this season," Janelle said. "I couldn't wait to perform in front of all those fans, feeling and being part of the adrenaline rush." Currently, Janelle is working on earning her Associate's of Arts degree and cosmetology license from Evergreen Valley College and Gavilan College. She then plans to earn her degree in Business so that she can open her own salon. She also aspires to be a performer, either as a backup dancer for a singer or she would like to star in a movie or commercial. "Janelle is an outstanding dancer. She has strong technique and just lights up in front of a crowd. We enjoy working with her on all levels including her work in the community. She is doing an amazing job at her personal appearances," Raiderette Director Karen Kovac said. "Clients continuously send their compliments regarding her friendly personality, professional presence and great people skills. As a team member she gives 100 percent and is a delight to have on our squad." Janelle has a great deal of experience as a dancer and performer. While in high school, she was the captain of her cheerleading and song teams. She has been named "Well-Rounded Dancer of the Year" and has been featured in three different dance magazines. Janelle was also an honor student and recognized for her academic achievements, as well as her work planning events and choreographing school rallies for her high school's Associated Student Body. Though Janelle has had many years of experience in dance, she feels being a Raiderette is much different. "I feel I've had many great experiences in dance. Something that makes this one so much different for me is because it's always been a huge dream of mine to be a Raiderette," Janelle said. "When I made the team I was in shock. My dream had come true. I've been dancing for 17 years and I feel this is my biggest accomplishment yet."