Monday, April 30, 2012

So, What’s Next?

Now that the NFL Draft is history, what football-related action can we look forward to in the coming weeks and months? The Ray Nitschke Field (above) may be empty now, but soon there will be periods of activity upon the part grass-part artificial surface along Armed Forces Drive. Here is the schedule of upcoming mini-camps, or OTA’s, or whatever you want to call them:

May 11-13: Rookie Orientation Camp: This is for all draft choices and undrafted free agents, and others who are invited who are still looking to catch on with a team. They will be oriented to the off-season workout schedule, the playbook, etc.

May 14-21: Off-season Conditioning: Rookies should remain in Green Bay to work on conditioning with the veterans, who will have been doing so for two weeks by this time. Limited on-field action with no helmets, no offense vs. defense, and no one-on-one drills.

May 21-June 11: (OTA’s — Organized Team Activities): This is a 10-session period for rookies. On-field training, offense vs. defense, but no individual pass rush or pass-coverage drills. Coaches bring new elements to the playbook and get the rookies up to the veterans’ knowledge level of the system. Helmets allowed in these sessions.

June 12-14: Mandatory Mini-Camp: All players (rookies and veterans) are required to attend. Same activities as OTA’s, but includes some two-a-day practices. No contact in any of the off-season programs.

June 14-July 24: Mandatory Off-Time. No team activities allowed. Players work out on their own; coaches take vacations.

July 24: Annual Shareholders Meeting. A capacity crowd is expected with all of the new shareholders from the 2011 stock sale.

July 25: Players report to Green Bay for Training Camp. Physicals conducted and the players are made ready for the long haul ahead.

July 26: Training Camp practices Begin. The full camp schedule has not been released.

What is noticeable this year is the reduction of practice time (which also will be enforced in Training Camp), and the lack of contact in practices. This all came from the recent labor negotiations, and is also part of the whole safety issue that is sweeping the sport. On the fan level, all this really means is that there will be fewer practices to see during Training Camp, if that is part of your summer vacation. The word we’ve received so far is that many or most of the night practices may be eliminated as well. Stay tuned.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

2012 Draft — Final Rounds

The 2012 NFL Draft is history with the completion of the final rounds on Saturday. The first of the Packers’ fourth-round picks was DT Mike Daniels from the University of Iowa.
Also chosen in the fourth round was SS Jerron McMillian from the University of Maine.
With only one pick in the fifth round, Green Bay picked OLB Terrell Manning from N.C. State University.
They traded away any picks in the sixth round, and ended up with two in the seventh. The first of these picks was T Andrew Datko from Florida State University.
The second seventh round choice, and their final one of the 2012 Draft was QB B.J. Coleman from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
We welcome all of these new members of the Green Bay Packers. All of them may not make the team ultimately, but we hope they enjoy their stay in Titletown.
VIDEO: Head Coach Mike McCarthy keeping expectations in tune. Watch here.
VIDEO: GM Ted Thompson: “This group has great speed.” Watch here.
VIDEO: Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers talks about how “the game’s changed.” Watch here
 VIDEO: Secondary-Safeties Coach Darren Perry: “We need to eliminate big plays.” Watch here.
VIDEO: Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Winston Moss on the selection of Terrell Manning. Watch here.
VIDEO: NFC North draft grades, on the NFL Network. Watch here.
UPDATED NEWS LINKS:
• The Packers’ rookie free agent signings
• Packers Post-Draft Team Report
• Packers got what they needed
Ready for action?
Offensive line update
EXISTING NEWS LINKS:
• Packers draft for defense, developmental QB
• Current defense put on notice
• Coleman had some help from Favre
• Two Green Bay natives happy
• Draft Notebook
• GM Thompson on trading picks
• Meet the 2012 Draft Class
• Thompson did what he had to do
• Tackle, QB give offense two for the road
• Manning believes he belonged at top
• Daniels uses hustle to reach higher
• Maine safety addresses need for a tackler
• The Packers defense rests with Hayward
• Packers address defense; is it fixed?
• Packers favored Worthy's quickness
• Thompson gets defensive
• Driver faces uncertain future in Green Bay
• Packers load up on defense with first six picks
• 2012 NFL Team-by-Team Draft

Friday, April 27, 2012

2012 Second Round Picks

The second and third rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft are history, and defense was the focus for the team from Titletown. The Green Bay Packers worked a trade to get two picks in the second, and wound up selecting DT Jerel Worthy from Michigan State (above) with the 51st overall pick.
VIDEO: Here is the coverage from the NFL Network for Worthy’s selection.
The Packers gave up their third-round pick, No. 90, and their fifth-rounder, No. 163, to move up to No. 62 near the bottom of the second round to draft CB Casey Hayward from Vanderbilt.
VIDEO: To watch the coverage of Hayward’s selection, please click here.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

2012 First Round is Done

Welcome to Green Bay, Mr. Nick Perry! We hope our opponents have fits trying to figure out how to stop you and Clay Matthews. The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft brought the Packers’ a top player for their top need on defense. We wish him well in his new world of professional football.
CAREER: He has 49 career tackles, including 16.5 for losses (with 12 sacks). He has 10 career starts.
2011: Perry, one of USC's quickest defensive linemen, returns for his second season as a starting defensive end as a junior in 2011.2010: Perry started 9 games at defensive end as a sophomore in 2010 and played often as the backup in the other contests. Overall in 2010 while appearing in 12 games (he missed the Hawaii opener with a sprained ankle), he had 25 tackles, including 7.5 for losses (with 4 sacks), plus 3 deflections, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery...He had 1 tackle each against Virginia and Minnesota, 2 tackles (with a sack) at Washington State, 3 tackles and a deflection against Washington. He then had 2 tackles (with a sack) and a forced fumble at Stanford, 2 tackles (with a sack) against California, 3 tackles against Oregon and 3 tackles (2 for a loss) against Arizona State. He added 2 tackles at Oregon State, then a sack, a deflection and forced a fumble that he recovered and returned 8 yards to set up a USC TD against Notre Dame and 5 tackles (1.5 for losses) and a deflection at UCLA.
2009: Perry was an often-used backup defensive end as a redshirt freshman in 2009, playing often in passing situations. Overall while appearing in all 13 games (he started against Stanford), he had 24 tackles, including 9 for losses (with a team-best 8 sacks). He made the 2009 Football Writers Freshman All-American first team, Sporting News Freshman All-American first team, Phil Steele's Freshman All-American first team, CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American first team, ESPN.com Pac-10 All-Freshman first team and Sporting News Pac-10 All-Freshman first team...Three of his 4 tackles were for losses (with 2 sacks) against San Jose State. He had 2 tackles at Ohio State, 2 of his 4 tackles were sacks at Washington, he had 2 sacks among his 4 tackles against Washington State and he had 3 tackles (with a sack) at Notre Dame. He added 3 tackles at Oregon and 2 against Stanford. He had 2 tackles, including a sack, against Boston College.
2008: Perry redshirted as a freshman defensive end in 2008, his first year at USC.
HIGH SCHOOL: His 2007 honors included USA Today All-USA first team, Parade All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, EA Sports All-American first team, Scout.com All-American second team, Super Prep All-Midwest, Prep Star All-Midwest, All-State, Detroit News All-Metro, Detroit News All-Detroit and Detroit News Dream Team MVP as a senior defensive lineman, linebacker and tight end at King High in Detroit (Mich.). He had 147 tackles and a state record 36 sacks in 2007, plus caught 14 passes for 310 yards (22.1 avg.) with 8 TDs, as King went 14-0 and won the state title... As a junior in 2006 at McKenzie High in Detroit, he made All-Metro and All-City while getting 75 tackles and 11 sacks... He also played basketball at King.
PERSONAL: He's a social sciences economics major at USC.

VIDEO: Nick Perry is the Packers’ pick in the 2012 first round. Watch it here.
VIDEO: GM Ted Thompson speaks on picking Nick Perry here.
VIDEO: Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers is excited about Perry’s addition to his side of the ball. View it here.
VIDEO: The first round summed up after the Packers’ draft party in Curly’s Pub. Watch here.
• Packers get speedy pass rusher
• Packers move to boost defense
• Inside the Green Bay Packers war room
• Packers team report
• Perry: Another Matthews? Transition awaits
• Scouts’ take on Nick Perry
• Packers viewed LB Perry as quality pass-rush threat
• Packers hope Perry adds pop to OLB’s
• Packers turn to USC, again for pass rusher
• Perry ready for next level
• Packers turning to Browns' McCoy?
Tom Oates: Thompson deviates from master plan
• Packers hope Perry can follow in Matthews' footsteps
• The Nick Perry file
• Transcript of Perry’s first news conference
• Ted Thompson and Dom Capers news conferences

It’s Getting Drafty in Here!

It’s here! The season “officially” starts tonight, as each team selects their first-round draft choice in New York. TV coverage has already started on both ESPN and the NFL Network with “pre-Draft” shows, and the real selections begin at 7:00 p.m. Green Bay Time (GBT). The Packers do not pick until 28th in the lineup, unless some sort of trade is made. They also could trade down to the second round and gather up some more picks. It will be interesting to see how they choose, but we’re guessing they stick with the proven (for them at least) “best available player” method instead of reaching for “need.” We’ll provide some coverage as we see it, so come on back as the draft moves on to the later rounds.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New Aaron Rodgers Commercial

To view the new Aaron Rodgers commercial for the Milwaukee Brewers, please click here.

Monday, April 23, 2012

1948 Packer Pictorial — Complete

Here’s another look back at a complete game program, this time from the October 10, 1948 Packer Pictorial, when the opponent was again the Chicago Cardinals. Team founder and head coach Curly Lambeau graces the cover, and Milwaukee’s State Fair Park is again the site of this regular season contest. This time, Green Bay would lose to Chicago by a 17-7 score. Their final season record was an ugly 3-9-0, bad enough for fourth in the NFL Western Division. It had been four seasons since their last NFL title, and it would be another 13 seasons before they would win another. Lambeau himself would be forced out of Green Bay after the 1949 season. But enough bad news — happy retro-reading!