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2011 Packers Yearbook: Most disappointing player

(Be sure to place your vote in the poll below.)

Adam: Tramon Williams went from one of the most promising CBs in the NFL to givng up record numbers in passing yards. A shoulder injury and little support from the pass rush didn’t help Williams, but he still gets my vote for most disappointing.

Al: For me it has to be Mike Neal.  Based on his play early in 2010, I fully expected him to really come on and be a handful for offensive lineman to contain. Of course, he never got the chance and when he did come back, you could see he wasn’t the same guy. And now he’s suspended for four games. Ugh. I haven’t given up on him, though. I still want to see what he can do if healthy. Still holding out hope…

Chad: Perhaps the “underrated” tag fits better here, but I just can’t get over the disappointment of Mike Neal. The most unfortuante part is that this disappoint extends from his rookie year all the way into next season. His injuries, while pretty much out of his control, have been the biggest disappointment for Mike Neal and a large source of frustration to boot. But his latest four-game suspension for 2012 is his most recent disappointment. This kid could have been doomed from the beginning.  Read more... (628 words, estimated 2:31 mins reading time)

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Today is the day – the day when Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins should receive his medical recommendation on whether he can play again the NFL.  After going through a battery of tests in New York this past week, he will finally have the information to start making a decision about his future.

It was Week 2 of last season when Packers fans held their breath as Nick Collins lay still on the turf. The injury seemed minor at first. Collins had stretched himself out to tackle an oncoming Jonathan Stewart when his head collided with the running back’s leg. He felt some numbness in his limbs but fortunately did not suffer any level of paralysis.

Tests would later show that he had a herniated disk between the C-3 and C-4 vertebrae. Collins underwent cervical fusion surgery on Sep. 29, a procedure where the disk is removed and replaced with a bone graft that fuses the vertebrae together over time.

Quarterback Peyton Manning underwent the same surgery less than a month earlier.

Regardless of what information Nick Collins receives today, Mike McCarthy made it apparent that this would just be the start of the decision to return or retire, not the conclusion.  Read more... (1486 words + 1 image, estimated 5:57 mins reading time)

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2011 Packers Yearbook:  Most Valuable Player (not named Aaron Rodgers or Clay Matthews))

(Be sure to place your vote in the poll below.)

Adam: Greg Jennings. This one would be more obvious if Jennings didn’t get hurt, but he gets the nod because of how powerful the Packers passing game was.

Al: I can’t pick on anyone on offense besides Rodgers, sooooooo, I’ll go with  Ryan Pickett. In the two games that Pickett missed, the Packers gave up 344 rushing yards. Playing the majority of the time in a two-man front, Pickett is just an immovable force on the line of scrimmage. Dom Capers always says his defensive philosophy starts with stopping the run, so that makes Pickett my choice. My second choice would be Desmond Bishop, for similar reasons.

Chad: It’s hard to compare offense to defense, but since the defensive unit was so bad this year, I think I’ll have to go with an offensive player. That being said, I can’t get past the performance that Jordy Nelson had this season. True, Greg Jennings is the better receiver, yet Nelson was putting up numbers all year. I can’t fault Jennings for the injury, but it’s hard to dismiss how well Nelson filled in for him and consistently delivered. And according to ProFootballFocus, Jordy was second only to Victor Cruz in yards per route run among wide receivers.  Read more... (568 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

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2011 Packers Yearbook: Most photogenic

(Be sure to place your vote in the poll below.)

Adam: Donald Driver. People will always love the smile.

Al: Clay Matthews. It’s all about the hair and image. So Cal Clay can give you multiple looks, tied back in a pony tail for public  appearances, loose and flowing when he’s just chilling around town. Whatever he does with it, he takes a hell of a  picture and the women love him.

Chad: It’s hard to get past the charisma of Donald Driver. From his pearly whites to his shiny bald head and diamond earrings, there’s no bad angle one could find with a camera. (Okay, floating back down to Earth now . . .)

Kris:  Aaron Rodgers.  That s**t-eating grin of his cracks me up every time whether it is part of a photo bomb endeavor or just on TV.

Michael: Greg Jennings. While Rodgers has more fame and Driver has the unbeatable smile, Jennings shines in front a camera. You can almost see his personality bursting through. Although not the level of Driver’s, Jennings also has a pretty notable smile.  Read more... (304 words + 1 image, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)

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2011 Packers Yearbook: Most likely to become a Packers coach

(Be sure to place your vote in the poll below.)

Adam: Jarrett Bush. I could see Bush as a future special teams coach. On the field, Bush is obnoxious, passionate and a little goofy — the perfect recipe for a future in coaching special teams.

Al: If he was still around, I would pick Mark Tauscher. I always think offensive line when it comes to who would make a good coach,  and of the current packers group, Jeff Saturday is the logical choice. But I don’t feel like being logical today, so I’m thinking out of the box here and saying Nick Collins. Collins may soon find out his playing career is over, yet is probably not ready to let go of the game. there’s only one solution: become a coach.

Chad: Call me crazy, but I think A.J. Hawk could fit the bill. The Packers don’t seem to want to get rid of him, and he’s been more of a cerebral player than a physical one. Maybe they’ll offer him a coaching position as an alternative to cutting him in the future . . .  Read more... (521 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

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The NFL has finally announced the awarding of compensatory picks for the 2012 draft. A total of 32 compensatory selections were given to 15 teams, with the Green Bay Packers receiving the maximum four picks. Also earning the maximum amount were the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.

Two of Green Bay’s four selections come in the fourth round (no. 132 and 133), while the other two come in the seventh (no. 241 and 243). Combined with the seventh-round pick earned from the Jets through trading OL Caleb Schlauderaff, this takes them up to 12 total picks for the 2012 draft.

Information about compensatory selections and this year’s full list are provided by NFL.com:

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 221 choices in the seven rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft (April 26-28), which will kick off in primetime for the third consecutive year.  Read more... (505 words + 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

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DT Daniel Muir is the latest free agent signing by the Green Bay Packers.

The Green Bay Packers have just announced their second free agent signing of the season – defensive tackle Daniel Muir. Here is the information as reported by Packers.com:

Muir, a 6-foot-2, 312-pound fifth-year player out of Kent State, played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2008-11, appearing in 40 games with 26 starts. He posted a career-high 66 tackles (54 solo) and a half-sack for the Colts in 2009.

Muir originally entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Packers in 2007. He appeared in three games for Green Bay as a rookie in ’07 and recorded eight tackles (four solo). Muir was a four-year letterman (2003-06) at Kent State, playing in 46 games with 45 starts.

It’s clear Ted Thompson has identified the same holes in the team as just about everyone else. With the replacement of center Scott Wells by former Colts player Jeff Saturday, Thompson has now moved onto addressing the gaps in the defensive line. The departure of Cullen Jenkins last season coupled with the disappointing play and four-game suspension of Mike Neal have made the unit rather thin.  Read more... (285 words + 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

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