AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers throws a pass against the New Orleans Saints in last season's opening game.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came down hard on the New Orleans Saints for paying bounties on opposing players. The punishment:

• Indefinite suspension of former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams
• One-year suspension of coach Sean Payton
• Eight-game suspension of general manager Mickey Loomis
• Six-game suspension of assistant-head coach Joe Vitt
• A $500,000 franchise fine
• Forfeiture of second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013
• Future discipline of individual players to be determined

The NFL also confirmed that the Saints had a bounty on Vikings QB Brett Favre in the NFC championship game and on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in the 2011 season opener.

Here’s more on the Rodgers’ bounty:

“Further, prior to the Saints’ opening game in 2011, Coach Payton received an email from a close associate that stated in part, “PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).” When shown the email during the course of the investigation, Coach Payton stated that it referred to a “bounty” on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.”  Read more... (346 words + 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

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In week 2, starting safety Nick Collins was lost for the year with a neck injury, and yesterday it was announced that Collins underwent neck surgery. Head coach Mike McCarthy was completely devastated when announcing the news to the media and insisted that there is a 0% chance that Collins will play another down in 2011.  And yet, nearly two weeks later, Collins remains on the team and is still listed on the team’s weekly injury report.

This is especially odd when you consider how precious a roster spot truly is.  Here at AllGreenBayPackers.com, the staff each predicted the 53 “starting” opening day roster, and each of us had to cut players who we felt deserved a spot on the roster.  Obviously, none of us were really remotely close (I think we all had 6 wide receivers on the roster for one), but the fact remains, I think we all wish that we had 54 roster spots to work with.

The Packers, however, seem to be going about it from a completely opposite approach.  The Packers are essentially playing with 50 players at the moment; Collins is out for the year, defensive end Mike Neal looks to be out at least until after the bye week if not entirely with a knee injury and outside linebacker Frank Zombo is out with another long injury with a broken shoulder blade.  Read more... (1349 words + 1 image, estimated 5:24 mins reading time)

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As a staff writer at AllGreenBayPackers.com, I did my own 53 man roster prediction and as I said at the beginning of that article, I am wondering what the hell I was thinking now.

I thought Chastin West and Tori Gurley had too good of a preseason and one of them would make it onto the team as the 6^th wide receiver; neither made the team (but both were signed to the practice squad).  I thought Caleb Schlauderaff would make the team based on his draft status and the lack of depth of the interior offensive line; he was traded to the Jets, but not before being informed that he was going to get cut anyways. Finally I thought Graham Harrell would definitely make the team.

With West, Gurley, Schlauderaff, I wasn’t all that surprised that thing hadn’t turned out the way I predicted; but with Harrell it just didn’t make any sense.  Harrell was supposed to be the insurance policy for an Aaron Rodgers concussion and a Matt Flynn trade.  He had a memorable win against the Colts in week 3 of the preseason and had a good enough training camp that many (including myself) assumed he was good enough to be a backup with the majority of teams.  Read more... (1480 words + 1 image, estimated 5:55 mins reading time)

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The news filtering out of the NFL Meetings today is all good for a team like the Packers.  What’s that? You don’t have a good kick returner? Not a problem!

As reported by Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, The NFL Competition Committee is proposing some major rules changes for next season. Two of them are yet another round of rules changes to kickoffs in an attempt to prevent more serious injuries.

Last season, the NFL prohibited anything more than a two-man wedge on returns. This year, they are strongly considering “eliminating all wedge blocks and shortening the field.” Kickoffs would be moved up to the 35 -yard line and coverage players would be limited to 5 yard running starts. To compensate the return teams, a touchback would be brought out to the 25 yard line instead of the 20.

Committee Chairman Rich McKay explained that the average kickoff was fielded at the 5.5-yard line last year. He also said the average starting position for receiving teams was the 27.6-yard line. “The idea was to change the play, but not to disadvantage either side. We tried to even out the effect to both the kicking team and receiving team,” McKay said.  Read more... (340 words + 1 image, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

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