AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football.

If I was creating my own perfect media universe to feed me information on the Green Bay Packers, here’s what it would look like:

Play-by-play announcer: Wayne Larrivee. No explanation needed. I could listen to Wayne all day — even if the Packers were losing by seven touchdowns — and still get enjoyment out of the game.

Color commentator: Mike Mayock. I used to have Cris Collinsworth ahead of Mayock, but not any more. Mayock made those boring Thursday night games on NFL Network tolerable last season. I’ll take substance over style from my color commentary each and every time.

Sideline reporter: Doris Burke. Ok, I’m cheating a little bit. Those of you who watch Burke work the sideline and conduct in-game interviews with coaches during NBA games know why I choose her, however. She takes the job seriously and actually tries to tell the viewer something that doesn’t insult his/her intelligence. Her questions are always light on fluff and high on substance.

Studio host: Trey Wingo. Doesn’t need catch phrases or tired schtick to be effective.

Studio analysts: LeRoy Butler and Mark Tauscher. Both guys have ties to the Packers, are extremely engaging and provide good insight.

Main beat writer: Tom Silverstein. Hard working. In-depth. No frills. Smart. Insightful. Gets a little snarky on Twitter. Everything you want out of a beat guy.

Secondary beat writer: Rob Demovsky. Doesn’t get enough credit because the talent pool of Packers reporters is deep. He’s one of the better ones.  Read more... (921 words + 1 image, estimated 3:41 mins reading time)

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Packers WR Randall Cobb.

Breakout WR/HB/KR/PR Randall Cobb touched the ball 159 times and amassed a Packers franchise record 2,342 all-purpose yards in 2012.

It was quite the season for the second-year talent out of Kentucky, and very necessary. Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson all missed significant time with injuries. Cobb, along with James Jones, stepped up to fill the void left by Jennings and Nelson and helped negate the Packers struggles running the ball.

But 159 touches is a lot for a player who is 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds. Cobb injured his ankle and missed the season finale against the Vikings. He also managed just six catches for 31 yards in two playoff games and was taken off of punt returns against the 49ers, only to see rookie Jeremy Ross muff one deep in Green Bay territory that led to a San Francisco touchdown.

I was at the wild-card win over the Vikings and watched Cobb limp around on that ankle. He was hurting. The explosion wasn’t there.

With Jennings gone, it’s assumed Cobb will have an even bigger role in the offense. His role probably will be bigger, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll touch the ball 159 times again.

Cobb was targeted 104 times in 2012, the most since Jennings’ 125 targets in 2010. If Nelson stays healthy, and Jones repeats his stellar 2012 season, perhaps that number will come down a bit.  Read more... (632 words + 1 image, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

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TCU WR Josh Boyce

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: WR Josh Boyce, TCU

Player Information:

Josh Boyce, WR TCU
5-11, 206 pounds
Hometown: Copperas Cove, TX

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 time: 4.38
Bench press: 22 reps
Broad jump: 131 inches
3-cone drill: 6.68 seconds
60 TD shuttle: 11.26 seconds

News and Notes:

Teammate of Robert Griffith in high school. … Impressive at the NFL combine. … Discovered that he had a broken pinkie toe soon after the combine. … First-team All Mountain West WR as a sophomore. … Caught 66 passes and seven TDs as a junior in nine games. … Average height and weight, but very quick. … Not much of a blocker. … Looks like a prototypical NFL slot receiver.

 What they’re saying about him:  Read more... (544 words + 1 image, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

• CBS Sports: “The 5-foot-11, 206-pound Boyce is a natural playmaker who emerged as a standout once given the opportunity to play as a redshirt freshman in 2010. He played in every game that year, emerging as a big play threat for Andy Dalton with 646 yards receiving and six touchdowns. He enjoyed his best statistical season in 2011, leading the team with 61 catches for 998 yards and nine scores. His numbers dropped a bit in 2012, though much of this can be attributed to the fact the team’s incumbent starting quarterback, Casey Pachall, only played four games before substance-abuse issues made him unavailable. Boyce ranks as the No. 20 wide receiver on NFLDraftScout.com’s board and is currently projected as a fifth-round pick. His stock has been rising due to the impressive workout and his solid tape and league sources characterized him as a potential day two prospect.“

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After a two days of voting, the fans have had their say and the Packers’ Final Four players have been chosen. As a reminder this was a vote for the Packers’ BEST pure football players, not those with the most value to them.

I’ve also listed the top 20 vote getters along the way, in order – so these represent the players our readers consider the best 20 on the Packers roster.

1.  Aaron Rodgers
2. Clay Matthews
3. Randall Cobb
4. Josh Sitton
5. Casey Hayward
6. Jordy Nelson
7. James Jones
8. BJ Raji
9. Bryan Bulaga
10. Sam Shields
11. Desmond Bishop
12. Ryan Pickett
13. Tim Masthay
14. Jermichael Finley
15. Tramon Williams
16. Morgan Burnett
17. T.J. Lang
18. A.J. Hawk
19. C.J. Wilson
20. John Kuhn

Close but didn’t quite get there: Brad Jones, Jarrett Bush, Mason Crosby, Davon House, DuJuan Harris.

Any surprises for you?

Follow Jersey Al:

          Follow @JerseyAlGBP           Add to Circleson

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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Last weekend, we picked our “Packers Players Elite Eight.” As March Madness continues, we will parallel the NCAA Basketball tournament and have you vote for the four BEST Packers on the roster; the “Packers Players Final Four.”

The players you selected fore the Elite Eight (in no particular order) were:

• James Jones
• Aaron Rodgers
• Casey Hayward
• Randall Cobb
• B.J. Raji
• Jordy Nelson
• Clay Matthews
• Josh Sitton

This time around, you get to vote for the Final Four. So select who you think are the Packers’ BEST four football players from the list. As a reminder, this isn’t a vote for the player’s value to the Packers, but rather who are the BEST football players on the roster.

The poll will be up through Sunday Night and the results will be posted on Monday.  Enjoy!

Follow Jersey Al:

          Follow @JerseyAlGBP           Add to Circleson

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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Pick the Packers’ Elite Eight

After a few days of voting, the fans have had their say and the Packers’ Elite Eight players have been chosen. As a reminder this was a vote for the Packers’ BEST pure football players, not those with the most value to them.

I’m holding back the order and percentages of the top eight (for now), so as not to influence our Final Four voting. Don’t fret, when this is all over, I’ll publish all of the results at each stage for your perusal and discussion.

I will show you the order and percentages of the eight that didn’t make it. And here’s a little nugget: the last player to make the Elite Eight was a full 14% higher that Bryan Bulaga, so there was no real battle for that last spot.

These are your Packers Elite Eight ( in random order):

VOTING RESULTS:

• James Jones
• Aaron Rodgers
• Casey Hayward
• Randall Cobb
• B.J. Raji
• Jordy Nelson
• Clay Matthews
• Josh Sitton

THOSE ELIMINATED:

• Bryan Bulaga  (34.49%)
• Sam Shields (31.02%)
• Desmond Bishop  (26.77%)
• Ryan Pickett  (24.20%)
• Tim Masthay (23.42%)
• Jermichael Finley  (23.17%)
• Tramon Williams  (22.65%)
• Morgan Burnett  (13.77%

The biggest surprises for me are Morgan Burnett being last (shouldn’t Masthay be last?) and Ryan Pickett not being higher on the list. Personally, I’d rate Pickett higher than Raji.

What do you think?  Read more... (280 words + 3 images, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)

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Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson

There may not be a Julio Jones or A.J. Green at the top of this year’s wide receiver crop, but the position is among the deepest in the 2013 NFL Draft.

This year’s classes is led by former JUCO transfer Cordarrelle Patterson, who played at Tennessee in 2012. Patterson, although raw, is a freakish athlete with seemingly limitless potential. He’s the No. 1 receiver on my board, and his college teammate, Justin Hunter, isn’t too far behind.

Along with Patterson, West Virginia speedster Tavon Austin also appears to be a surefire first-round pick. Austin is more of a Percy Harvin-type matchup nightmare than a true perimeter wide receiver, but he may be the most explosive offensive prospect in the entire draft.

Many have Calfornia’s Keenan Allen as a first-round pick as well, but I’m not 100 percent sold. To me, Patterson and Austin are clearly the top two guys at the position, and after them, Allen is one of a handful of guys that could sneak into the end of round one or fall to the middle of round two.

Louisiana Tech’s Quinton Patton, Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins and Southern Cal’s Robert Woods fall into the same boat as Allen.

The Packers certainly have a need at wide receiver. On top of Greg Jennings leaving Green Bay for Minnesota, the team faces uncertainty with Jordy Nelson, whose contract is set to expire after 2014, and James Jones, who is scheduled to be a free agent after this season.  Read more... (1732 words + 1 image, estimated 6:56 mins reading time)

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