AllGreenBayPackers.Com

The partnership of Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy has reaped Super benefits for the Green Bay Packers and their fans.

Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren once said he told a young and out of control Brett Favre the following to help buck up his raw but up-and-coming quarterback: “You and I are joined at the hip.”

It was that joining of the hip that led the Holmgren-Favre partnership to the top of the NFL in 1996.  Unfortunately, two years after winning Super Bowl XXXI, that partnership came to a close as Holmgren left for the Seattle Seahawks.

Luckily for Packers fans, the same can’t be said of the current quarterback/head coach tandem in Green Bay–that of head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.   Like Holmgren/Favre, they’ve won one title and are in position to win more.  McCarthy and Rodgers also plan to stick together for a much longer time than Favre and Holmgren did when the coach left for more roster control in Seattle. Rodgers just signed a contract extension and it’s clear McCarthy has no interest in becoming a general manager.

With their partnership being so secure as well as fruitful, the question beckons: Is the McCarthy/Rodgers duo the best head coach and quarterback combination in the NFL today?  Read more... (907 words + 1 image, estimated 3:38 mins reading time)

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“We’ll be better; I promise you. You can write that down.”

That’s what Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy decreed in regards to the running game during a press conference on Tuesday. Whether the offense is successful in carrying out this objective is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, the commitment is being made, and it’s clear the Packers offense will have a different identity than it did in 2012.

We’ve seen a number of major changes occur so far in this offseason. First and foremost, the wide receiver corps will look significantly different with Greg Jennings out of the line-up. Fans can say what they will about his injury history, but his performance history speaks volumes. Not having him on the field isn’t insurmountable – they’ve handled things without him already – but it will change the nature of the offense. Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and James Jones will now be the primary nucleus of the wide receivers.

Next, the Packers have two new ground weapons courtesy of Ted Thompson and the 2013 NFL Draft. Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin were a couple of big value picks and should add some much-needed “oomph” to the running game. Additionally, DuJuan Harris will be riding some of his rookie momentum while Alex Green looks to get healthy. (James Starks is still in the wings, but it’s hard to put much stock into him at this point.)  Read more... (708 words + 1 image, estimated 2:50 mins reading time)

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Bye Bye Bishop?

While nothing has been officially announced yet, by many accounts Desmond Bishop’s days as a Green Bay Packer appear to be over.

Speculation is rampant as to whether it’s strictly a “numbers” decision or if the Packers don’t believe he’ll ever be the same after a very serious injury. Bishop claims to be 100%, but has not participated in the Packers OTAs or mini camp.

Whatever the real reason, the big question is, now what?

I’ve seen a lot of  fans asking, “are we supposed to be happy with AJ Hawk and Brad Jones as our starting linebackers?”

My answer to that is, you won’t have to be. What you are likely to see is a lot of situational substitutions at the ILB spots. The Packers have a cadre of linebackers with complimentary skills. Dom Capers’ task will be to pick the right player/scheme for the specific situation.

Also remember the experimentation you’re seeing with Mike Neil and Mike Daniels being used in more of a linebacker role. The Packers suddenly find themselves very deep on the defensive line, and I would not be surprised to see some brand new defensive packages with fewer linebackers and more DL & DBs in the game.

We really won’t know until they line up against San Francisco in the first game that really matters, but you can bet they will have some new looks for Colin Kaepernick.  Read more... (850 words + 3 images, estimated 3:24 mins reading time)

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Ultimate Packer Fan Connection

“The Ultimate Packer Fan Connection” began as just a thought three years ago by Super Fan Wayne “The Ultimate Fan” Sargent and Steve “The Owner” Tate. Fans from all over the world brought them to realize there was a need to host an event reuniting unity amongst Packer Fans. With the cooperation of The Stadium View Bar and Grill “The Ultimate Packer Fan Connection” was founded. This annual Event will feature a Packer Player as host to raise money for his cause or charity.

On Saturday, June 15th Packer Fan’s from all over the country will be heading to “The Stadium View Bar and Grill” in Green Bay to participate in the 2nd annual “Ultimate Packer Fan Connection”. This year’s event is hosted by Pro Bowler and Packer Hall of Famer William Henderson on behalf of the Kiwanis Organization and Children’s Autism. Together they have set a goal to raise 1.5 Million Dollars to purchase and donate iPads with special apps that assist and enable Autistic Children to learn and communicate with these newly found tools. 100% of the proceeds will go to Children’s Autism.

This star struck event has players of both past and present are scheduled to appear. Packer HOF William Henderson, 2013 Packer Hall of Fame Inductee Chris Jacke, 6 Time World Champion Fuzzy Thurston, Pro Football HOF and Packer HOF Willie Davis, Randall Cobb, Dujuan Harris, Mason Crosby, Santana Dotson, Packer HOF Frank Winters are just some of the players scheduled to appear. Come join in on a daylong event featuring Meet and greets, live Music, Raffles, Unique memorabilia, Food, Beverage and much, much more. This is a FREE EVENT and the public is invited.  Read more... (341 words + 3 images, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

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Selected by the Packers in the fourth round of last April’s draft, UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin is the subject of a UCLA video series that will document his transition from college player to professional athlete with the Green Bay Packers. Below is the first installment, Page One.

Franklin also happens to be our special guest on this week’s All Packers Talk Live show. Tune in Thursday night, 8:30PM Central, to hear Jason, Marques and Kris break down the latest Packers news and speak with Johnathan on a variety of topics.

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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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Former Packers LB Dave Robinson

At the 14th Lee Remmel Sports Awards Banquet on June 11–what would have been Vince Lombardi’s 100th birthday–Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk and Lombardi-era star Dave Robinson each received an award for their achievements on and off the field.

Hawk was the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award. Since being selected No. 5 overall by the Packers in 2006, Hawk has proven to be a reliable piece of the defense, playing in 110 of a possible 112 regular season games in seven seasons.

“From the very first step off the plane, we realized that there’s something special here,” Hawk said. “Something is different, and it’s so unique.”

Off the field, Hawk has remained active in the community, serving as the spokesman for the Wisconsin Special Olympics. Hawk has also supported the Donald Driver Foundation, the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer, the Greg Jennings Foundation, the Al Harris Outreach Program, and the 2nd & 7 Foundation, which is fellow Ohio State alum Mike Vrabel’s charity.

“I love being able to play football here, and I hope to do it for as long as possible,” Hawk said. “I hope to bring many more Super Bowls back to Green Bay. I got one, but sitting next to a guy like Dave, that’s nothing. He laughs at that.”

Hawk was a starter on the Packers’ Super Bowl XLV championship team, whereas Robinson started for the Packers in Super Bowls I and II, which capped off an historic run of three consecutive World Championships.  Read more... (543 words + 1 image, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

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Packers LB Desmond Bishop might be staring down offenses for another team if reports of his pending release are true.

If the reports are true, another member of the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl XLV-winning team is on his way out of Titletown.

Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee tweeted Tuesday evening that, barring a trade or a restructured deal, that the Packers will likely be parting ways with ILB Desmond Bishop. It’s not clear what is propelling Green Bay to release Bishop, but Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted that the release is part of a “numbers game.”

Packer Nation immediately went into an uproar, judging by fans’ reactions on Twitter. Cheeseheads everywhere were stunned the Packers would release arguably their best inside linebacker. Their argument was that if Green Bay really wanted to become more tough and physical, especially on defense, cutting ties with Bishop sends the opposite signal.

It’s a valid point. The Packers were missing Bishop’s physical presence last year when he went down or the year after tearing his hamstring in the preseason. He’s also a fan favorite on defense and releasing him makes little sense to many of the Packer faithful.

That said, releasing Bishop may actually be a much better move than many think.  Read more... (1056 words + 1 image, estimated 4:13 mins reading time)

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