From: Scott Crevier <scott@crevier.org>
Here is today's Green Bay Update from Jeff Ash. If you have any questions
or comments about the update, contact Jeff (mailto:jeffash@netnet.net).
--------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Green Bay on a sunny, cool morning on which Evan prefers
cheese crackers and chocolate milk for breakfast:
Just another quick update after Monday's busy news day:
-- The funeral mass for former defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur will be
at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on South Monroe Avenue in
downtown Green Bay. Shurmur, 67, died Monday at his rural Suamico home of
esophageal and liver cancer. The visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m.
Thursday at Schauer and Schumacher Funeral Home, also on South Monroe
Avenue just a couple of blocks south of the cathedral. The family asks that
cards or donations to the American Cancer Society in Fritz's name be sent
to the funeral home at 340 S. Monroe Ave., Green Bay, WI 54301.
-- The Packers traded WR Derrick Mayes to the Seahawks for a 7th-round pick
in next year's draft. Mayes wore out his welcome in Green Bay, believing he
was the best WR behind Antonio Freeman but never showing it on the field.
The move means Bill Schroeder will be the starter at split end opposite
Freeman, with Corey Bradford, Jahine Arnold, rookie Donald Driver and
occasionally Desmond Howard the backups at WR. The Packers went with speed
over Mayes' sure hands. The solid play of Schroeder, Arnold and Driver in
camp and preseason games made the move easy.
-- The Packers got down to the NFL roster limit of 65 players by cutting 5
players and putting rookie C Mike Newell on the reserve non-football injury
list. The move with Newell is no surprise. He hasn't been able to practice
since offseason back surgery.
No surprises among the cuts, either. The biggest name is LB Lamont
Hollinquest, who couldn't break into the improved rotation at LB and
couldn't be kept solely as a special teams player. GM Ron Wolf said
Hollinquest's 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse
policy wasn't a factor in his release. The others released are LB Louis
Adams, DT Howard Burns and WRs Dee Miller and Zola Adams. Burns and Miller
were let go with injury settlements, meaning they were paid based on the
time it likely would have taken them to return to the team healthy. The
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported that S Kerry Cooks was released.
If so, the Packers didn't announce it Monday.
The Packers technically are still over the 65-man limit, but have 4
exemptions for the players sent to NFL Europe. The final cut to 53 players
comes Sunday. To see who's still around, or whether players' numbers have
changed, check the Packers' roster at
packers.com
-- Joining Schroeder in the starting lineup are rookie Mike McKenzie at
LCB, replacing Craig Newsome and 2nd-year man Mike Wahle at LG, replacing
Raleigh McKenzie. Mike McKenzie has had a great camp and has been coming on
steadily. It's obvious that Newsome, while still a tough competitor, has
never regained the speed he had before blowing out his left knee in the
1997 opener and missing all of that season. Wahle also has had a great
camp, showing talent at several positions on the line. He started at RT
against the Saints, filling in for Earl Dotson, who'd missed practice all
week with a sore back and the birth of his 3rd child. The Packers said all
along that they'd start their 5 best linemen. Raleigh McKenzie struggled
throughout camp to come back from offseason shoulder surgery. While still a
solid backup at G and C, sort of this year's Jeff Dellenbach, he's not up
to starting.
- The Packers are 3-0 in the preseason, having beaten the Saints 38-17 in
New Orleans on Saturday night. A detailed recaps of the game is available
at all the usual web sites listed below.
-- The Packers finish the preseason on Thursday night against the Dolphins
at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2 at Lambeau Field. The forecast, from Keith, our
longtime Update meteorologist in Norman, Okla.: Partly cloudy, with a
slight chance of showers. Temperatures in the upper 70s after a high in the
low 80s. Southwest wind 10 mph. For updated forecasts (and possible
satellite coordinates), check Keith's web site at
galstar.com.
The game will be telecast only on the Packers network in Wisconsin, with
Kevin Harlan and Brian Noble on the call. The Packer Radio Network
play-by-play of the game will be available via Internet from the Packers'
web site (http://www.packers.com). The latter is a tease, with the Packers
hoping fans outside Wisconsin will plunk down $30 to get the games via
Internet radio for the season.
-- Finally, an update on Lambeau Field. Packers president Bob Harlan said
last week that renovating the stadium might be possible after all. It could
be done during the offseason over a 2- to 3-year period, starting with an
expanded concourse, then adding 5 new rows at the top of the bowl and
renovating the existing skyboxes. He said such a project could be done by
2003 and could increase the capacity by 5,000 to 6,000 to about 66,000 or
67,000. Most importantly, it would bring the extra revenue the Packers so
urgently need. The Packers don't care for any renovation option that would
force them to move to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison or to Milwaukee
County Stadium for part or all of a season.
Keep in mind, though, that no decision on renovation or replacement has
been made. Regardless of what is decided, tax money will be needed for the
project and season ticket holders likely will pay a one-time seat license
fee.
That's it for now. As always, your comments and questions are welcome at
jeffash@netnet.net
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette
(http://www.greenbaypressgazette.packersnews.com), Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/) and Packers
(http://www.packers.com) web pages.
As usual, if you wish to show your appreciation for these Packers updates,
volunteer or make a donation to the charity of your choice. Thanks as
always to Janet for saving the papers and to Scott for providing the mail
service and the web space on South End Zone.
Thanks, Jeff
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