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Have Packer fans seen the last of Driver's trademark smile?

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver learned a brutal lesson last week on the power of social media.

Driver, whose place on the Packers’ 2012 roster is most certainly up in the air, sent out the following message on Twitter this past Thursday:

“Hello everyone: I’m a packer for life. It will never change. Go Pack Go!!!!”

With that comment, Packer Nation immediately awoke from its post-draft slumber. Had the Packers decided to hang onto one of the most beloved players in franchise history or was this a way for Driver to cryptically inform Cheeseheads all over the world that his time in green and gold was indeed up?

Even after clarifications issued by Driver and his agent, Jordon Woy, it’s currently the hot topic around the water cooler for Packer fans everywhere. Some see things through the eyes of GM Ted Thompson and say that while they will always love Driver, the Packers are so deep at the wide receiver position that Driver has to be a casualty to keep players like Tori Gurley on the roster.  Read more... (1009 words + 1 image, estimated 4:02 mins reading time)

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Donald Driver: Packer for life?

When Donald Driver tweeted that he’d be a “packer for life”, speculation around the Internet and Twitter grew rampant.  Did Driver just re-work his contract?  Had he been released and will be retiring at the end of the year?

Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com spoke to Driver’s agent, Jordan Woy, who stated that, “the Packers have always wanted Driver back.”

He went on to add,

“He has been busy with the DWTS show and the team knows that.  I discussed deal structure with the team a while ago and we will work out the details once Donald returns to Green Bay.”

This clearly doesn’t put an end to the questions surrounding Driver and Green Bay’s plan for him in 2012.  However, upon first glance, it definitely appears as if Driver could be back for another year with the Packers.

This is certainly a bit puzzling because of the depth at wide receiver that Green Bay is already blessed with.  Without Driver, the Packers still have Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, James Jones and youngsters like Dale Moss and Tori Gurley.  So, with all this younger talent, where does Driver exactly fit in?  Read more... (255 words + 1 image, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)

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Jordy Nelson makes the NFL Top 100 at No. 80

After posting 68 receptions, 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns (all which happened to lead the team), Jordy Nelson is starting to get respect from everyone, including the NFL Network.

During last night’s broadcast of the Top 100 Players of 2012, Nelson came in at No. 80, right ahead of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and behind cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.  While being considered the 80th best football in the NFL by the NFL Network is definitely quite the honor, there is certainly a reason for him to feel he was shortchanged.

Of the 30 players that have been revealed so far, two receivers currently rank ahead of Nelson.  Cincinnati Bengals’ receiver A.J. Green came in at No. 77 and Philadelphia Eagles’ receiver came in at No. 71.  There is little doubt that both Green and Jackson are extremely talented receivers, but neither comes close to what Nelson did in 2011 or what he’s likely to in 2012.

Both Green and Jackson had less yards, receptions and touchdowns than Nelson.  When you combine that with the fact that Nelson was playing next to receivers like Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley, it makes Nelson’s numbers even more impressive.  Read more... (356 words + 1 image, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

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Kris with Tom Crabtree

Tom Crabtree stood on stage and told all of us he hoped never to see us again.

No, the Green Bay Packers tight end didn’t go all “Jay Cutler emo” on us.  What he meant was that he didn’t want to see us at the 2013 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes because he wanted a cure to be found by then and therefore nullifying the need for a walk.   People in attendance, including yours truly, applauded.

That’s why we were there. We weren’t there to talk football (although I sheepishly admit I asked a few football questions), we were there to spend time together and hear stories of people’s heroic battles against Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) of which there obviously is no known cure.

This cause means a great deal to Crabtree personally.  His wife Chelsea was diagnosed with T1D when she was four years old. He lives the disease every single day of his life, and so do many others.  More than 80 people are diagnosed with T1 each day and more than 3 million Americans currently have the disease.  Read more... (1012 words + 1 image, estimated 4:03 mins reading time)

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Could the Packers keep six WRs to retain Donald Driver?

Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke highly of Donald Driver this week, giving no indication that the team plans to cut the 37-year-old any time soon. Of course, McCarthy wasn’t going to come out and say that Driver will be off the team shortly, so take the coach’s praise for Driver with a grain of salt.

Actually, McCarthy had a general quote about the Packers WR philosphy that I think actually hurts Driver’s chances of being a Packer in 2012. McCarthy said:

“We don’t just try to get four receivers or five receivers and stop there. You want to get as many as you can.”

This is bad news for Driver because it tells me that the Packers won’t hesitate to draft a WR if they see one they like. No, WR isn’t a position of immediate need, but Ted Thompson doesn’t draft strictly based on need. If there’s a WR he likes and feels is a good value for the round he’s drafting in, he’ll take him.  Read more... (520 words + 1 image, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

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Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey

Green Bay Packers draft prospect profile: Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey

Player information:

• Chris Rainey, RB/WR, Florida
• 5-foot-8, 180 lbs.
• A world-class track athlete who can do far more on a football field than just run.

NFL Combine:

• 4.45 40-yard dash*
• 3.93 20-yard shuttle*
• 11.06 60-yard shuttle*
• 6.50 3-cone drill*
• 120″ broad jump
• 36.5″ vertical jump
• 16 bench press reps

* =Top performer

News & Notes:

Won two straight USA Today high school National Championships while at Lakeland (Fl.) High School…Played in four games his freshman season but received a medical hardship waiver after hurting his shoulder…Ran for 682 yards and four scores during his redshirt-freshman year, earning SEC All-Freshman honors…Finished his college career with 2,393 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, plus 66 catches for 764 yards and six more scores…Returned 25 punts and 18 kickoffs…Lost seven fumbles during his four years…Was charged with aggravated stalking in 2010 after sending his ex-girlfriend a threatening text message, later suspended by the school…Those charges were dropped when he completed a program of community service and anger management…Has experience playing running back, receiver and special teams…He’s been one of the nation’s most productive punt blockers over the last four years, as his six blocked punts set a SEC record…Struggles blocking out of the backfield but has a solid, compact frame…Most compare him to Percy Harvin, his former teammate at Florida and current Minnesota Viking…If used right at the next level, could have Darren Sproles like impact…Given his versatility and rare athleticism, the Packers could realistically afford to use a roster spot on him as another Swiss Army knife type player.  Read more... (672 words + 1 image, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)

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The Bears traded two third-round picks for WR Brandon Marshall.

It’s 11:30 p.m. central time on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. I’m going to read a few pages in my book and go to bed. By the time this publishes around 7 a.m. central time on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, a bunch of other stuff might have happened and the news contained in this post might feel like it’s 10 years old.

Welcome to the start of NFL free agency.

A lot went down on Tuesday when 532 NFL players hit the open market. Let’s take a look at the developments that concern the Green Bay Packers:  Read more... (525 words + 1 image, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

• Packers center Scott Wells is as good as gone according Packer Report. I was a big advocate for bringing Wells back, even if it meant overspending a little. Maybe it’s me accepting the fact that Wells is probably leaving, but I started changing my mind a couple days ago. Is it wise to overspend for a 31-year-old center that’s undersized and isn’t that great of a run blocker? Probably not, especially when there’s extensions for Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Clay Matthews coming up in the near future. The Packers will miss Wells’s pass blocking. They’ll miss his command of the pre-snap calls just as much. But it’s not a devastating loss…I don’t think.

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