For the Packer fans out there.....
Subject:
Offseason update, Monday 4/14
Date:
Sun, 13 Apr 1997 22:46:17 -0400 (EDT)
From:
JeffAshGB@aol.com
To:
JeffAshGB@aol.com
Greetings from Green Bay, where we sure would like spring to stay for more
than a couple of days at a time. It would help me get rid of a nasty cold
I've had since last week.
-- GM Ron Wolf has had his contract extended through 2002. He's getting $1.3
million to $1.4 million a year with incentives. His old deal, which paid
about $800,000 a year, was to expire after the 1999 season.
A quote from Packers president Bob Harlan: "Pretty important day. I really
believe he rescued the franchise. He just changed the way everybody thinks
about football around here. ... The franchise was not making any progress.
There were no signs there was going to be any progress. He came in and every
department that was related to football was changed and upgraded
dramatically. College scouting. Pro scouting. Video. Equipment. Medical.
Those people (like Wolf) aren't easy to find."
Wolf has an escape clause in his deal. If Harlan should leave the Packers,
Wolf can go elsewhere, too. Until then, the Packers also will pay for life
insurance policies for Wolf's wife and 2 teen-age sons, who enjoy living in
Green Bay.
Wolf insisted he wasn't going anywhere, even to the Seahawks, whose
owner-in-waiting, Paul Allen, reportedly had his aides let Wolf know he was
interested in hiring him for at least $2 million a year.
Wolf, 58, expects to stay in Green Bay for the life of the deal, but doesn't
expect coach Mike Holmgren to do the same. Wolf figures Holmgren eventually
will get an offer to be the coach and GM of another team, and won't stand in
his way if that happens. A quote from Wolf, on Holmgren: I think at some
point he may relish the opportunity to, in fact, run his own show. I would
think he's too gifted an individual not to have an opportunity to go
somewhere else ... and maybe have one of those owners with deep pockets."
-- Mike Reinfeldt, the Packers' chief financial officer, decided not to sign
a new contract. He'll work on a salaried basis. At 43, he wants to leave
himself the option of moving on if something better comes along. A quote from
Harlan: "It's probably a better deal for both sides. ... At his age it's,
'Hey, Mike, if you get something better, we're not going to pin you down.'"
-- The Packers expect to set another record for net income for the fiscal
year ended March 31. Their net income (some folks incorrectly call this the
profit) last year was a record $5.44 million. The annual meeting is May 28.
-- Even so, the Packers are still trying to come up with a way to sell more
stock to increase their cash reserves, now about $21 million or $22 million.
They hope to do so before the end of the year.
-- The recent minicamp was pretty quiet. Attendance was good. Coaches checked
on offseason conditioning and gave specific instructions for work to be done
before the only mandatory minicamp, April 25-27.
-- Brett Favre and Doug Pederson were the only QBs in camp, so they got lots
of work. A quote from Favre: "You'd think you win a Super Bowl and a couple
of MVPs, they'd get a couple of camp arms to come in and work it. They're
killing me. The 1st day I had to ice down. People were laughing. Heck, I
guess I'm getting old."
-- On the offensive line: LT John Michels and RT Earl Dotson are looking
good, with Michels up to 300 pounds and Dotson having built up his upper body
and trimmed his waistline. ... Backup G Gary Brown is way over his target
weight of 315 pounds, but no one seems too worried. ... The Packers are
taking a look at T Marcus Spears, a former Bears 2nd-rounder, and Eugene
Chung, a former Patriots 1st-rounder being converted to C from T, as backups.
... C Mike Flanagan, coming back from a badly broken lower right leg, is
coming along slowly and looks iffy for the start of training camp.
-- Among the receivers: QB-turned-TE Kyle Wachholtz is getting the routes
down, but has lots to learn about blocking. ... WR Robert Brooks, recovering
from a serious right knee injury, did some light running at the minicamp and
is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July. ... WR
Antonio Freeman's broken left forearm has healed, and he practiced without a
cast. ... A quote from Favre, on the release of WR Andre Rison: "There was no
way he would beat Robert or Antonio out."
-- In the offensive backfield: RB Chris Darkins' shoulder is healed, but he
missed the minicamp to continue classes at the University of Minnesota. ...
RB James Bostic, who had knee surgery last August, worked out lightly at the
minicamp and is expected back for training camp.
-- On the defensive line: DT Santana Dotson worked out despite having
arthroscopic surgery on a knee just 3 weeks ago.
-- Among the LBs: Bernardo Harris, one of the leading candidates to replace
the injured George Koonce at MLB, worked at both the middle and outside LB
slots at the minicamp. Ron Cox was excused because of personal business. ...
Looks like Koonce might miss the early part of the regular season as he comes
back from knee surgery. ... Lamont Hollinquest and Keith McKenzie seem to be
the leading candidates to replace Wayne Simmons on the outside.
-- In the defensive backfield: Roderick Mullen has been moved to RCB from S.
The Packers like his size (6-1, 204) and want to get him more playing time.
He's likely competing with Matthew Dorsett, Buster Owens, Ron Davis and any
draft pick for 2 spots. Dorsett is almost fully healed after having knee
surgery last August. ... Davis, acquired from the Falcons last season, won't
be available until during training camp, when his suspension for violating
the NFL's substance abuse policy is expected to be lifted.
-- The Packers have signed former Falcons TE Harper Le Bel as a long snapper.
He's 33, 6-4, 250, out of Colorado State. He last played TE with the Chiefs
in 1985, but the Packers will look at him there, too.
-- As expected, the Packers have cut WR Rob Carpenter, who blew out a knee in
last year's training camp.
-- Looks like the Chiefs' Steve Bono will be the Packers' No. 2 QB this
season. They've reached a verbal agreement and likely will get about $600,000
to $800,000 a year. The Chiefs won't cut him until June 1, allowing them to
count only $800,000 of his prorated bonuses against the salary cap, rather
than $2 million. The Packers reportedly wanted to sign Boomer Esiason on the
spot when he visited, but he put them off a day and re-signed with the
Bengals. Heath Shuler apparently is going to the Saints, but they haven't
worked out a trade yet.
-- DE Sean Jones says he wouldn't mind being a backup in Green Bay if he
can't find a starting job for another contender. Holmgren has decided to go
with Gabe Wilkins as the starter, and has told Jones so. Jones visited the
minicamp, but didn't work out.
A quote from Holmgren: "I think Sean had a wonderful career. It's just one of
those tough situations where you have this young player who you think can be
pretty good. So maybe you milk it another year, but it doesn't do him any
good. I think it's time. ... I don't see him in a backup role, being a DE
emeritus type. He's either a starter or he isn't, in my opinion."
Jones had his college number, 77, retired by Northeastern University in
Boston. Only 2 others have gotten that honor: the late basketball star Reggie
Lewis and former Bengals TE Dan Ross.
-- Looks iffy for C Jeff Dellenbach's return. Several teams are reportedly
offering him a chance to start.
-- S Mike Prior has signed a 2-year, $725,000 deal. He gets a $135,000
signing bonus and a $230,000 salary this year. If he makes the team next
year, he gets a $100,000 bonus and a $260,000 salary.
-- G Gary Brown has signed a 1-year, $361,000 deal with no signing bonus.
-- The numbers on C Frank Winters' new 3-year, $4.25 million deal: A $1.5
million signing bonus and salaries of $700,000 this year, $900,000 in 1998
and $1.15 million in 1999.
-- The Packers are working on a contract extension for CB Doug Evans. Still
no word on Favre's extension.
-- Today's the deadline for restricted free agents to sign offers with other
teams. Doesn't look as if HB Dorsey Levens will be getting any offers, so
expect him to sign the Packers' 1-year, $785,000 tender offer and work out a
longer-term deal.
-- The Packers are reportedly $3.3 million below the salary cap.
-- Just a reminder that the NFL draft is next Saturday and Sunday in New
York. The Packers have 8 picks, 1 in each of the 1st 6 rounds, and 2 in the
7th round, with the extra one at the very end of the draft as compensation
for free agents lost last year. They lost QB Ty Detmer, NT John Jurkovic and
LB Fred Strickland, and signed Dotson and Cox. Barring trades, the Packers
will draft 30th, 60th, 90th, 126th, 160th, 193rd, 231st and 240th.
If you're watching on ESPN, they'll have a crew in the Packers' draft room,
with Gary Danielson reporting.
Wolf will take part tonight in an online chat at 7:15 p.m. Central,
accessible at either http//www.nfl.com or espnet.sportszone.com.
This is the time of year for all kinds of draft previews and mock drafts in
the papers and on TV. They are a waste of time. Only the folks at Packers
headquarters know what and whom they're going after, and they certainly
aren't going to tip their hand to the media.
That said, take the following with a grain of salt. Bob McGinn of the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sat down with Wolf and went over the Packers'
draft needs position by position. Judging by Wolf's comments, the Packers
would like to draft, in no particular order:
WR ("You'd always like to be able to get a young one to bring along.")
TE ("Would like to find one.")
T ("Like to find one. There's no indication that John Michels won't be able
to play there. We're not concerned with that at the moment.")
QB ("We have a huge interest. We think there's some guys there that can make
a significant improvement to our team.")
FB ("Yes, if we could find a viable backup.")
DE ("We would like to have one more. I think we're OK with the starters. It'd
be nice to add somebody else to the mix.")
Strong outside LB ("It would be a prime need. We have so many combinations
and five games to work them out.")
MLB ("We think we're OK there, but we would look into it.")
CB ("Would like to add another one to the mix. Never have enough of those.")
K ("That depends on what presents itself to us. We'd like to see the (Chris)
Jacke situation resolved."
Kick returner ("Would like to find one of those.")
If you're scoring along, that's 11 positions with only 8 picks. And, as
McGinn points out, the Packers insisted LB was their top priority last year,
and didn't get around to drafting McKenzie until the 7th round.
-- The Lambeau Field playing surface is all torn up, with work under way on
the installation of the new heating and drainage systems. The new field will
be bluegrass on top, a protective woven synthetic layer for the grass roots
to grow through and bind to, a soil blend of 80% sand and 20% Dakota peat and
a gravel drainage system on the bottom. It's the same field as at Mile High
Stadium in Denver and at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
Proof, though, that Lambeau Field souvenir mania has gone way too far: A
friend of mine brought to work a foot-long piece of the old electric blanket
wiring that used to be under the field.
-- Favre will be part-owner of the Brett Favre Steakhouse, which will open in
downtown Milwaukee this fall. The upscale restaurant will be at 500 N. Water
St., the former home of Nitro, a nightclub that closed last year. It'll have
banquet and meeting rooms, and seating for 480 people.
-- Look for a new book on the Bears-Packers rivalry by late July. Cliff
Christl and Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have interviewed
more than 150 players, coaches and others for "Mud Baths and Blood Baths."
Jim McMahon and Dick Butkus are the only ones to decline interviews. It'll be
published by Prairie Oak Press of Madison.
-- I've been forgetting to note this year's inductees into the Packer Hall of
Fame. DE Ezra Johnson (still the Packers career sack leader with 84), scout
John "Red" Cochran and the late Travis Williams went in this year. Three of
Williams' 8 children came to Green Bay for last month's ceremonies. Williams,
the kick returner on the Packers' Super Bowl II team, died in 1991.
-- The waiting list for season tickets is up to 31,600 names.
-- If you get the fX network on cable or satellite, they're carrying World
League games from Europe. There are 3 Packers on World League teams this
spring: WR Bill Schroeder is with the Rhein Fire, G Marco Rivera is with the
Scottish Claymores and LB John Solomon is with the London Monarchs. I caught
a glimpse of Schroeder in Saturday's game.
Now, the viewer mail
-- It's time to move forward, so this is the last time I'll list requests for
Super Bowl-related video or audiotapes.
Tom in West Allis is seeking a video copy of the Super Bowl with or without
commercials. He's at tomr0475@execpc.com
Rich in Ann Arbor, Mich., is seeking a copy of the Packer Radio Network
broadcast of the Super Bowl. He's at warosh@ann-arbor.applicon.com
Some of you have asked about the Packers' greatest hits CD, a compilation of
music played at Lambeau Field and sound bites from press conferences and
radio broadcasts from 1992 to 1996. It's available at all ShopKo stores in
Wisconsin, or can be ordered from ShopKo. It's $10 on CD and $8 on cassette,
both plus tax, shipping and handling. Call ShopKo at (888) 811-8989 or check
their web page with sound bites at shopko.com
-- Dace in Seattle asks that we clarify the address for the NFL Super Bowl
XXXII ticket lottery. With pleasure. Send a certified or registered letter by
June 1 to NFL Super Bowl Tickets, 280 Park Ave., New York, NY 10017. Only 1
request per address is accepted. If it's not a certified or registered
letter, or if more than 1 request comes from your house, they'll throw it
away. If your name is drawn, they'll let you know by October and you'll get
an invoice for 2 tickets. Ticket prices will be set by then.
-- Ron in Oklahoma City wants to know what a complete set of Packer yearbooks
is worth. If you can help, he's at jennsen@ionet.net
-- Dave in New Brighton, Minn., wants information on getting tickets to the
Packers' preseason game in Toronto. If you can help, he's at
djolson@PioneerPlanet.infi.net
-- Paul in Naples, Fla., would like to form an official Packers fan club and
is looking for suggestions. If you can help, he's at
Paul_Tronnier/Walden.WALDEN@noteswin.waldenu.edu
That's it.
As always, your questions, comments and e-mail address changes (new and old
addresses, please) are welcome at jeffash@netnet.net
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to forward the updates to other folks.
It helps plenty not to have to spend all my time maintaining the mailing
list.
Thanks also to all those who have expressed their appreciation for the free
Packers updates by volunteering or making a donation to charity. Keep up the
good work all year round.
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette, Packer Plus home page
(http://www.onwis.com/packer/news/, with draft preview at
onwis.com, Green Bay TV reports.
This week's soundtrack: "Partners" by Flaco Jimenez; "The Healer" by John Lee
Hooker; "The Essential Fabulous Thunderbirds Collection."
What Evan is up to: At 2 years and 2.5 months, he's starting to enjoy
watching "Sesame Street." He's long known all the characters from his books,
but only now is getting into seeing them live, more or less. That's about all
he watches, though. If we're watching TV and he wants to read a book, he'll
grab the remote and flick off the set, so you can give him your full
attention. His fave books of the moment: "Is Your Mama A Llama?" and "Fish
Eyes."
A shameless plug: If you have kids from 2 to 10, and you're in the Green Bay
area, take 'em to the Big Event for Little Kids at the Expo Centre on
Saturday. There's lots of fun stuff for them to do all day long. It's a
fundraiser for Encompass Child Care, which Evan attends, and is Janet's big
volunteer project every year.
Thanks, Jeff
Scott |
