AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Overview: To kick off the next series of evaluations on AllGreenBayPackers.com, the ALLGBP staff are going to be analyzing each position group starting off with the specialists.  Overall, the specialists did a pretty good job keeping their names off the papers and blogs, outside of about 6 weeks of utter CROSBPOCALYPSE.

Where We Are Now

Here are the current suspects;

• LS Brett Goode (Undrafted, 2008)
• P Tim Masthay aka Ginger Wolverine (Undrafted, 2010)
• K Mason Crosby (6th round, 2007)

Listen to expanded coverage of this topic using the player below or download the podcast from the Packers Talk Radio Network on Itunes.

So that’s where we are.  Not much to report here; specialists are often drafted in the later rounds or not at all, and the Packers are no different, only using a 6th round pick on Crosby and picking up both Goode and Masthay off the free agent street.

• Goode: Goode again finished the season without a bad snap and even recorded a tackle in week 9 against the Cardinals, a pretty hard feat considering Goode has the least idea of what’s going on on the field since his head is between his legs at the beginning of the play.  Goode was also not responsible for any blocked or batted kicks which overall for a long snapper basically is a job well done

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Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football

As I was observing the buzz created this week by the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage, I couldn’t help but think about former Packers great Reggie White.

Most Packers fan who are old enough probably remember this speech by White in front of the Wisconsin state legislature in March of 1998. White was scheduled to talk about some of his community service work. Instead the Minister of Defense went off about the sins of homosexuality and how being gay is a “decision.”

White also appeared in a few newspaper ads run by Christian organizations wearing his Packers jersey and promoting his opposition to homosexuality.

Can you imagine if White did these things in 2013 instead of 1998? Twitter would spontaneously combust. The comments section at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel would turn into even more of a cesspool than it already is. Collin Cowherd, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless would reach new levels of intolerable. Activist organizations would storm Lambeau Field.

White’s legacy would probably be damaged beyond repair.

Or would it?

I freely admit that I always think of White the former Packer. The image of White burned into my brain is this one, Super-Bowl trophy held high, a sense of accomplishment on his face.

I never think of this image of White, the one of White in a suit and tie, condemning homosexuality and making other disparaging remarks.  Read more... (1021 words + 1 image, estimated 4:05 mins reading time)

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Forza Tavecchio?

According to an Italian Web site and a tweet from current Packer Jeremy Ross, the Packers have signed former Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio. The left-footed Tavecchio was in camp with the 49ers last year, but was cut in favor of David Akers. Additional sources have reported the same news.

As a California Golden Bear, Tavechhio made 48 of 64 field goals (75%) and also missed 9 extra points (six in his Senior year).

According to the article (I can read Italian, but you can use google translate), Giorgo got a call from the Packers a week ago and went to Lambeau Field for a workout. He impressed there and then participated in what was described as a “Pro day” in Boca Raton (could have been the FAU Pro Day on March 19th?). He said he didn’t have his best day there, but still received positive comments from NFL coaches and scouts in attendance.

Tavecchio, born in Milan, Italy, claims to have signed a three-year contract, but tells his interviewer how there are no guarantees and he could easily be cut. He vows to give his all and ends the interview with a “Go Packers!”

My Reaction: In a word, disappointment. I’ve been waiting (and screaming) the last five years for the Packers to bring in some competition for Mason Crosby. Now that they finally bite the bullet and do so, it’s not exactly what I had in mind.  Read more... (449 words + 3 images, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

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March-Madness-Packers

As the NCAA Basketball Tournament is being played out across the land, I wanted to do something Packers-related with a “March Madness” theme. So here’s the idea:

We’re going to pick the 16 BEST players on the Packers roster.  And by we, I mean me and YOU – the readers. To make it simpler, I’ll pick the first 12. Then you will get to choose the last four from a group of 10 in the poll below.

This isn’t necessarily the Sweet Sixteen in terms of importance to the team (for example, Brett Goode might be in that group), simply the 16 best football players on the roster.

We’ll let the voting run through the weekend and announce the results on Monday? Sound good?

Disclaimer:  My top 12 are not necessarily ranked in order, they’re  just in the order in which they came to mind.

Green Bay Packers Sweet 16 – Best Football Players

1) Aaron Rodgers

2) Clay Matthews

3) Josh Sitton

4) BJ Raji

5) Ryan Pickett

6) Tramon Williams

7) Randall Cobb

8) Desmond Bishop

9) Morgan Burnett

10) Jordy Nelson

11) James Jones

12) Sam Shields

That last one was tough. I could have gone with Bryan Bulaga or Jermichael Finley, for example, but I’m still amazed Shields did not get drafted, with all the athletic ability he’s shown.  Read more... (326 words + 3 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

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It’s back, one of the best NFL Draft Guide values out there and the only one geared to Packers fans. Brought to you by the fine folks at CheeseheadTV, with contributions from yours truly and other more talented writers and draftniks, this Packers-centric guide to the 2013 NFL Draft is a must-have for any Packers fan.

You’ll get 100 pages of feature articles, interviews, predictions and most importantly, player profiles and rankings. Even better, it’s all catered to Packers fans and how each player would fit into Green Bay’s schemes, including their 3-4 defense. We also have a Packers-specific mock draft (note who predicted Nick Perry as the Packers’ first pick) and a breakdown of every position on the roster.

But don’t take my word for it, check out the 2012 guide in it’s entirety below.

Pretty cool, huh? Can you believe it’s only $5.99 if you pre-order order now? Just visit the  Cheesehead TV shop to order and ensure your copy gets delivered to your inbox by March 29 and you don’t have to pay full price after our release date.

Here’s what the cover of the 2013 Guide looks like:

PACKERS NFL DRAFT GUIDE

On Sale Here – Only $5.99

Follow Jersey Al:

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Jersey Al Bracco is the founder and editor of AllGreenBayPackers.com, and the co-founder of Packers Talk Radio Network. He can be heard as one of the Co-Hosts on Cheesehead Radio and is the Green Bay Packers Draft Analyst for Drafttek.com.

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Surviving Sundays With No Packers Football

The only thing you need to survive this Sunday without Packers football is Tom Silverstein’s story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on the Packers front office and scouting operation.

Once again, the Packers were shorthanded at the NFL combine thanks to the departure of John Dorsey for Kansas City. In 2011, John Schneider left for Seattle and Reggie McKenzie departed for Oakland in 2012. All three of Ted Thompson’s right-hand men took general manager jobs.

You want your favorite NFL team to have as much talent as possible, both on the field and in the front office. It’s never a good thing to lose a talented player, just like it’s never a good thing to lose a talented executive. Silverstein’s story does a nice job of showing just how much of a team sport scouting, player evaluation and draft day can be.

However, every team has a star. On the field, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers. In the front office, they have Thompson.

As long as Rodgers is playing, the Packers should be good. As long as Thompson is the general manager, the front office should be fine.

I don’t get overly worried when Packers executives start making their annual exit from Green Bay for opportunities elsewhere. As long as Thompson is around, the Packers should remain on the right track. He’s the star. He’s the one that makes everything go.  Read more... (754 words + 1 image, estimated 3:01 mins reading time)

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1) Introduction: If there’s one thing to be said about long snappers it’s that you only notice them when something goes horribly wrong.  No one ever noticed Brett Goode, which makes him a fine long snapper indeed, to the point that general manager Ted Thompson thought it wise to resign Goode mid-season to the tune of a 3-year deal $2.715 million, something that typically only happens to the player that the Packers want to keep the most.  Goode again showed his worth by not botching up a snap the entire season (nor has he ever in his entire career) and continues to be perhaps the most consistent player on special teams.

2) Profile:

Brett Jackson Goode

• Age: 28
• Born: 11/02/1984, in Fort Smith, AR
• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 255
• College: Arkansas
• Rookie Year: 2007
• NFL Experience: 5 years

Career Stats and more:

3) Expectations coming into the season: Goode hasn’t botched a snap in his entire career and it nothing less than perfection was expected from him.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: With long snappers living in relative anonymity, Goode’s highlight of the season was probably being a part of the Aaron Rodgers’ cream pie-in face prank that’s probably the biggest prank pulled on Rodger’s to date.  Other than that it was a relatively quiet year for Goode, no in game highlights nor lowlights to mention

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Again, people only notice long snappers when they botch a snap, so overall, while Goode certainly didn’t win the Packers any games, he more importantly didn’t lose any.  Read more... (305 words + 1 image, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)

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