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Weekly Green Bay Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 12/16/10 )

Packer News 12/10/10 – 12/16/10

AL:  Well, the big news in cheesehead nation this week is, of course, Aaron Rodgers’ condition and his availability for Sunday’s game versus the Patriots. According to Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee, Rodgers is behind the schedule set the week after his concussion against the Redskins. Rodgers was cleared to practice on Thursday that week. This time around, he won’t be able to practice until Saturday, at best.

Holly: But wait, it gets worse. it seems that as part of the recovery and evaluation process, Rodgers has not even been allowed to participate in meetings, game planning or film study. So it would be hard to see how he could be prepared to play, even if he is cleared by the medical staff on Saturday. And that’s a medical staff that is very conservative and always errs on the side of caution. Right now the odds are not very good of seeing Rodgers on the field on Sunday.

AL: If those are bad odds, what do you suppose the odds are of a Matt Flynn led Packers team beating the red-hot Patriots in New England, where they have won 26 straight regular season games? Mike McCarthy, for one, doesn’t buy that line of thinking. “We’re nobody’s underdog,” said McCarthy in Wednesday’s presser. “We have all the confidence in our abilities.” Fortunately, he stopped there. The last two guys to show any verbal disrespect to the Patriots got their heads handed to them on a platter.  Read more... (810 words + 3 images, estimated 3:14 mins reading time)

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Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has a blurb about Clay Matthews’ recent drop in production and a possible correlation with a shin injury that severely limits his practice time.

On Monday I wrote about how I am done criticizing Aaron Rodgers this season, and I probably could write basically the same piece about Matthews. When examining problem areas for the Gren Bay Packers, Matthews is nowhere near the top of the list.

But Matthews has only 10 tackles and one sack his last two games. That one sack was given to him after Brett Favre slid behind the line of scrimmage early in the Vikings game. Matthews has only practiced once a week since the beginning of November and maybe that is starting to catch up with him. Despite what Allen Iverson says, practice is important – especially in the NFL and especially for a young player like Matthews.

It would have been unrealistic to expect Matthews to continue the torrid pace he set early in the season. He is a great talent, but nobody is talented enough to notch over 35 sacks. After his fast start, teams are now ready for Matthews. They are game-planning for him. They are forcing him to make adjustments, which is tough without practice time.

Most coaches will tell you that half the battle in football is lining up correctly and getting to the right spot once the ball is snapped. It is difficult to experiment and make necessary adjustments without practicing them first. The less Matthews practices, the more difficult it is for him to work on new stunts or schemes to get favorable matchups on Sunday.  Read more... (359 words + 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

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Weekly Green Bay Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 12/2/10 )

Packer News 11/26/10 – 12/2/10

AL: Well, the man known around these parts as simply, “Tramon” got his big payday from the Packers this week. Unlike Atari Bigby, Tramon chose to come to camp in shape, sign his tender,  and let his play on the field do his talking for him. I think that’s worked out pretty well for all involved. And by the way, that’s the way a real man handles such a situation, Mr. Bigby.

Holly: Well, Al, there’s no shortage of real men on the Packer’s injured reserve list. The gaudy number is now up to 13, rather appropriate considering how unlucky the Packers have been in that department. Any more additions, and the Packers will be fund-raising for a new medical wing at the Hutson Center.

Al: The Atlanta Falcons know just how the Packers feel. Bill Huber of PackerReport.com points out that last year, the Falcons had 11 players on injured reserve, including significant starters, just like the Packers. They still managed a respectable 9-7 record, and this year, with the injury bug gone, have shown this season how good they are.. How the Packers have withstood the injury onslaught during this year is pretty impressive. I hope they get the chance to play with a healthy team next season, so they can answer the question of how good they really are.  Read more... (767 words + 3 images, estimated 3:04 mins reading time)

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Weekly Green Bay Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 11/23/10 )

Packer News 11/19/10 – 11/23/10

AL: Well, the 2010 Green Bay Packers have solidified their new reputation as NFL coach killers. After getting Wade Phillips sacked by the Cowboys, they turned their attention to embarrassing the Minnesota Vikings Organization. The Packers did such a thorough job, even Zigi Wilf couldn’t screw this one up. He did what had to be done and fired Brad Childress.

Holly: Well there was also buzz about the Packers coaches , but there won’t be anyone getting fired. On the contrary, there’s a growing movement for Mike McCarthy to be considered for coach of the year. He’s won the respect of a lot of NFL experts for the job he’s done holding the team together despite the Packers’ massive injury situation.

AL: And another subject of coaching kudos is Dom Capers. In two separate press conferences, now, Mike McCarthy has been quoted as saying Capers is worthy of a head coaching position. Of course, he’d rather keep Capers, but wouldn’t stand in his way. Capers’ contract happens to expire after this season, also. Personally, I just want whomever is asking McCarthy about Capers to shut up. Lets just keep this under our hat…  Read more... (795 words + 3 images, estimated 3:11 mins reading time)

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Weekly Green Bay Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 11/18/10 )

Packer News 11/08/10 – 11/18/10

AL: After a week off for rest and relaxation, the Packers returned to the practice field this week. Curiously, with two Dome games coming up, Mike McCarthy had the team practicing outside in 35 degree weather. Is he looking ahead to the Pats, Giants and Bears games? Or is he just being Mike McCarthy? As Aaron Nagler wrote in a blog post, one of these years, he’ll figure this all out…

Holly: One thing he did figure out was that there was a game worth watching on TV Sunday Night. According to McCarthy, the only game he watched on his off weekend was the Bears – Vikings game. McCarthy said he always make a point of watching Sunday or Monday Night games featuring their next opponent. It gives him a bit of a head start before the game film arrives.

Al: There was some good news for Cullen Jenkins this week. Jenkins practiced for the first time since week 1 without the club cast on his hand. Sporting just a small pad on the hand, Jenkins worked on getting some flexibility and strength back to his wrist and fingers. Jenkins thinks he lost 4 or 5 sacks because of the club  Read more... (877 words + 3 images, estimated 3:30 mins reading time)

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Weekly Green Bay Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 10/28/10 )

Packer News 10/22/10 – 10/28/10

Al: Well, there was much rejoicing in the town of Green Bay last Sunday night, as former hero Brett Favre was battered and beaten, as was his team, the hated Minnesota Vikings. I would imagine the Packers bars were hopping late into the night, and Monday morning became an unofficial holiday as legions of Packers fans called in sick to work.

Holly: There were many eventful moments in this game, from the Packers defense denying Favre’s bid for a last minute win, to Donald Driver’s consecutive catch streak coming to an end. But most important of all, the Packers showed tremendous resiliency to get their season back on track with an all-important Division win. The Packers once again find themselves tied for first with the Bear this week.

AL: It wouldn’t be a typical  week in Green Bay without more players being added to Injured Reserve, so now Mike Neal , Brady Poppinga and Brad Jones became the latest members of the Packers Parade of Pain. I believe that makes 10 players on injured reserve, that is unless, someone else is getting hurt right now and we just don’t know it yet.  Read more... (730 words + 3 images, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

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