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).
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Greetings from Green Bay on a muggy, rainy summer night:
-- The Packers open the preseason against the Jets at Lambeau Field at 7
p.m. Saturday. It's a national telecast on CBS, and we'll hear the debut of
Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren on the Packer Radio Network. The extended
forecast from Keith, our longtime Update meteorologist in Norman, Okla.:
Fair skies. Temps in upper 60s after a high around 75. Light wind. As
always updated forecasts are at galstar.com
-- WR Antonio Freeman will be in camp today, having signed the Packers'
1-year, $3.153 million tender offer. That's the average of the 5 top WR
salaries. Freeman's agent and the Packers will continue to work toward a
long-term deal, expected to be done soon, perhaps within a week. There are
reports that it may be up to a 7-year deal, averaging just $5.5 million a
year but with a signing bonus of at least $10 million. The move also allows
the Packers to keep the franchise player tag for next year.
Freeman says he's "real antsy to get in there." He won't play Saturday
night, but will practice Monday and will need to learn some of the new
plays offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis has installed. He's expected to
play later in the preseason, but no one is saying when. A quote from a
relieved coach Ray Rhodes: "Antonio wants to be here. I'm just happy they
worked something out. We're going to take our time getting him ready to
play and go from there."
-- Thus far, Rhodes' camp has been much like Mike Holmgren's camps. The
players do many of the same drills, and the hitting has been comparable.
Where Rhodes seems to differ, though, is in his toughness behind closed
doors. A quote from QB Brett Favre: "If you don't like it, Ray will be the
first one to kick you out. That's just the way it is. That's a hard camp.
He's not going to keep guys around who don't want to play and do the things
he's asking us to do."
-- Rhodes also is emphasizing unity, and you see plenty of huddles in
practice, with the offense, defense and special teams getting together
before workouts. A quote from C Frank Winters: "In the past, I think the
guys have been close on this team. I think it will continue with Ray, and
it might be even closer. Everybody's hungry again, and that's important."
-- The big picture: The Packers have been working on the blitz every day,
with the defense blitzing more, particularly SS LeRoy Butler and the LBs,
and with the offense working on picking up blitzes. ... Look for the
Packers to use 6 DBs much more, especially on 3rd down and against teams
that pass a lot, with Butler lining up as at LB, allowing him to blitz,
play the run, cover a WR, cover an RB or drop back in a zone. It also means
the Packers can switch from nickel to dime pass defenses (5 to 6 DBs)
without having to substitute players. The 6-DB alignment will have Brian
Williams as the only true LB, then Butler, FS Darren Sharper and CBs Tyrone
Williams, Craig Newsome, Antuan Edwards and Mike McKenzie. When Butler goes
to LB, Newsome or Edwards will be the SS. ... In the conventional nickel
pass defense, look for Bernardo Harris or Jude Waddy to join Williams at
LB. ... On offense, the Packers are working with the shotgun formation only
in 7-on-7 drills thus far, not in full-squad drills.
-- The SportGrass surface at Lambeau Field was slippery during Saturday
night's intrasquad scrimmage after only a light rain earlier in the day.
The turf is a high-tech hybrid natural-artificial surface designed to drain
quickly. The natural grass grows up through and knits with an artificial
surface sitting on top of a sand base. The company's experts determined
that the natural grass was too thick to let the light rain through, so they
aerated, or punched small holes in it to help it dry faster. The Packers'
patience with SportGrass has about run out, after the turf failing to take
in 1997, then becoming thin and sandy last year. If it isn't better
Saturday, the Packers may rip it out and put in conventional sod.
-- QB: Favre, who doesn't throw much during the offseason to preserve his
arm for late in the season, said it took him about a week to get up to his
usual speed and accuracy once he reported to camp. He'll start Saturday,
but it'll be a cameo appearance. Rick Mirer, Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron
Brooks will get most of the work. ... Still no clear leader between Mirer
and Hasselbeck for the No. 2 job. ... Ronnie McAda hasn't been getting much
work in practice, so he's staying after for extra work. He also has such
tendinitis in the biceps of his right arm that he occasionally can't throw.
Neither is a good sign.
-- RB: Neither De'Mond Parker nor Basil Mitchell did much in the scrimmage
to show whether he could be Dorsey Levens' backup. Parker has the edge, and
good speed, but is like LeShon Johnson in that he has to learn to be
patient and pick his spots. ... Edwin Watson, another possible backup,
tried to come back too soon from a sprained ankle and has been sidelined.
-- WR: Veterans Derrick Mayes, Bill Schroeder and Corey Bradford all played
well in the scrimmage, particularly Bradford, who may be making it a 3-way
race for the starting job opposite Freeman. In any case, Bradford is a lock
to make the team. ... 7th-round pick Donald Driver continues to wow people
with nice catches seemingly every day, particularly on deep routes. All
this with a right shoulder so sore he can't lift his arm over it. A quote
from Sharper, who was burned twice for deep TDs last week: "He has game
speed, good enough speed to get behind you and beat you." ... Offensive
coordinator Sherman Lewis is trying to find ways to get the ball to Desmond
Howard short and in the open, so he can go 1-on-1 with a defender and try
to break one much as he does on kick returns. That might mean running
underneath against zones or getting matched up against LBs. ... 6th-round
pick Dee Miller has struggled and hasn't shown much. ... Undrafted rookie
Michael Vaughn, slowed by a nagging groin injury, was cut Monday.
-- TE: Mark Chmura has practiced on and off, bothered first by a sore
Achilles tendon and then by neck spasms. He won't play Saturday.
-- OL: C Mike Flanagan is having a good camp, showing strength and
quickness, and is pushing Frank Winters for the starting job. Winters,
coming back from a broken lower left leg, hasn't missed any practices, and
almost everyone believes he will remain the starter. For now. A quote from
line coach Larry Beightol: "I don't want to say we're going to make a move
right now, because if they're equal I'm going with the veteran." ... Joe
Andruzzi, who was making a run at a starting job at LG, last week tore the
medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and is out for about a month.
He hopes to be back for the last preseason game. A quote from Beightol last
week: "I mean, he was just killing people. Just putting people on their
back, bringing the wood to it. Yesterday, he came out and hit a LB and
turned him over like a cockroach." ... Andruzzi's injury hurt because
15-year veteran Raleigh McKenzie is struggling at LG, having a slow 1st
week and still rehabbing a shoulder that had arthroscopic surgery during
the offseason. If Andruzzi can start, McKenzie can be a swing backup at G
and C. ... With Andruzzi out, rookie Craig Heimburger is the top backup at
G. ... RT Earl Dotson missed a couple of days with a sore lower back. ... T
John Michels took a deep pay cut, from $787,500 to the $375,000 minimum for
a 4th-year player, and he still isn't certain to make the team. He's
experienced, but has been slowed by swelling in his right knee, which he
blew out last year. He finally returned to practice this week. ... Hello,
goodbye: The Packers cut T Jamie Wilson just 5 days after getting him from
the Panthers conditionally for a 7th-round draft pick in 2001. Wilson
didn't make the team, so the Packers don't owe Carolina.
-- DL: Rookie Cletidus Hunt, drafted as a DT, has been seeing most of his
action as a backup at right DE. He's still learning, but the Packers like
his progress. ... NT Gilbert Brown continues to have a good camp, though he
is still large. ... DE Keith McKenzie is playing at 260, down from 275 last
year and says he feels much more comfortable doing so.
-- LB: No more worries about depth. The Packers are delighted with Waddy's
play, even though he weighs just 220. His speed, intelligence and technique
make up for his slight build. GM Ron Wolf is high on Waddy, saying he can
be better than the Steelers' Mike Merriweather and the 49ers' Keena Turner
if his progress continues. ... Anthony Davis, the former Chiefs LB, also
has played well and is the top backup at all 3 positions. He's worked most
often at MLB. ... Waddy and Davis have done so well that Lamont Hollinquest
might be hard-pressed to make the team. Hollinquest will miss the 1st 4
games of the season after being suspended for violating the NFL's substance
abuse policy. No word on what was involved, but it likely was the reason he
was cut by the Chiefs, who'd signed him as a free agent.
-- DB: Antuan Edwards is giving starter Craig Newsome a strong run for his
money at LCB, but don't write off Newsome yet. If he's able to regain the
speed and confidence he seemingly lost last year, Edwards will have to wait
until next year to crack the starting lineup. If Newsome can't, and his
left knee bothers him, look for Edwards to take over at some point. In any
case, this may be Newsome's last year with the Packers, given Edwards as
the heir apparent and Newsome as an unrestricted free agent after the
season. ... S Rodney Artmore has had a good camp and calls the signals for
the No. 2 defense. It's tough, though. His mom is home in Galveston, Texas,
recovering from a stroke. He was briefly on the practice squad last season.
... No. 2 pick Fred Vinson aggravated the arch of his sore left foot on
Wednesday and isn't expected back until next week. He's lagging behind
Edwards and Mike McKenzie, who've been playing regularly. ... S Kerry Cooks
hasn't played since breaking a hand a couple of weeks ago.
-- Specialists: KR Desmond Howard will sit out the 1st 2 preseason games to
rest a pulled hamstring. Look for Jahine Arnold, Basil Mitchell and De'Mond
Parker to do most of the returns in the meantime. ... The punting battle
between Will Brice and rookie Josh Bidwell starts for real on Saturday.
Brice has the stronger leg, but Bidwell has the quicker release.
-- Dates to remember: The Packers don't have to make the 1st round of cuts
until Tuesday, Aug. 31, when they have to get down to 60 players from the
85-man training camp roster. The final cut to 53 will be on Sunday, Sept.
5.
-- The intrasquad scrimmage drew 46,420 to Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
The Packers sold 50,061 tickets at $6 each.
-- Wolf said he'd wouldn't mind having another scrimmage next year, but
would really rather have a 5th preseason game. A quote from him: "I think
you get a better look at the players" in a preseason game.
-- Wolf is steamed that the NFL earlier this year banned trades for past,
future or unspecified considerations, a type of deal he has made 12 times
since 1995. Blame it on the new Browns, who according to the NFL's Greg
Aiello "were a team with no past trading for past considerations." So Wolf
is getting around it by making conditions on trades. You saw the condition
on the Jamie Wilson trade with the Panthers. The Rams owe the Packers a
7th-round pick in 2001 only if LB Mike Morton is active for all 16
regular-season games.
-- Just 7 people came off the waiting list for season tickets. Just 5 came
off last year. There has apparenly been some discussion, but none serious,
of charging people to be kept on the waiting list. To put your name on the
ridiculously long list (it's at almost 50,000), write to the Packers'
ticket office at P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI 54307-0628, then keep your
address current with them.
-- A reminder if you still want to visit for training camp: You have until
next Saturday, Aug. 21, to catch practice. That's 5 days earlier than
originally scheduled. Workouts are at 8:45 a.m. and 2:15 or 2:45 p.m. most
days. In bad weather, practice will be inside the Don Hutson Center and
closed to the public. For a complete list of open practice dates and times,
check the Packers' web site at packers.com
Camp is free, but the Packers are selling $10 and $15 ticket packages that
offer a choice of 1 admission to 2 of the following 3 attractions: the
Packers Experience, the Packer Hall of Fame or the Lambeau Field stadium
tour. All of the packages include a reserved bleacher seat at one practice
session. The ticket packages are available in Packer Park, the concessions
area next to the practice field, and at the Packers ticket office, the
Packer Hall of Fame and the Brown County Arena box office. The Packers
ticket office is (920) 496-5719. The Hall of Fame is (920) 499-4281. The
box office is (920) 434-3401 or (800) 895-0071.
-- The September issue of Vanity Fair, with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on the
cover, has a long excerpt from David Maraniss' excellent biography of Vince
Lombardi, due out in October from Simon and Schuster. This is not your
usual dreadful sports book. Maraniss, a Madison native who works at the
Washington Post, also is the author of an award-winning biography of Bill
Clinton.
Before the viewer mail, a housekeeping note:
-- If you resend these updates to friends, please encourage them to get
their own free subscription.
Here's why: If you're forwarding to an outdated or invalid e-mail address,
or to someone who doesn't want the updates, those messages bounce back to
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That, I assure you, is irritating.
Help us out by encouraging your friends to get their own free subscription.
Instructions are listed at the end of every update.
Now, the viewer mail:
-- More on finding Green Bay or Milwaukee sports talk radio stations on the
Internet.
Dave in Chandler, Ariz., checked broadcast.com and
webradio.com but found nothing.
Jeff in the Detroit area says he "went to the Packers web site, printed the
list of radio affiliates and started looking for their web sites," if any.
-- Finally, my brother Jim is finally online in Waupaca, and he sends his
take on the Packers, having seen a recent practice. He played on state high
school and national college champion teams, and coaches high school
football, so he should know. He says as the offensive line goes, so will go
the Packers. He also says the defense will be better because all the
coaches are excellent teachers and motivators (than the previous regime, I
presume).
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. If you are seeking the Packers' current
roster, it's on the Packers' web site at
packers.com
-- Recent adventures with Evan: Just as I finished this, a little after
midnight, Evan walked up into the office. He woke up, startled but not
scared, when thundershowers started to roll through town. So we watched the
lightning for a while, and I tucked him back in a couple of times. He fell
back asleep when the thunder started to become more distant. ... We had
something to celebrate Tuesday, when Evan graduated into the Starfish class
of kids learning to swim at the Y. He's halfway through the learn-to-swim
program and loves the water. He's been going ever since he was a toddler.
... Evan also was delighted to learn that many of his friends from last
year's 4-year-old preschool are moving into junior kindergarten with him
this year. He'll go twice a week for 3 hours in the morning.
That's it.
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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