Time for another Green Bay up-date straight from the big city itself.
============================
Greetings from Green Bay, where now that I'm over what turned out to be a
nasty case of the flu, I've spent the last week out in the yard. I got the
last part of our yard raked Wednesday morning, just as the last of our nice
weather left. On Tuesday, it was in the low 70s. As I came home from work
Wednesday night, it was snowing. Since then, we've had cool, cloudy, rainy
days in the 50s.
Here's how your 1997 Packers are shaping up after the late April minicamp and
the draft. It's hard to gauge progress because the players didn't wear pads
and had only light contact drills. Because most of the starting jobs are
filled, most of the attention went to the players competing for backup spots.
The current roster is listed below, with numbers on all of the new players.
-- QB: Brett Favre missed the minicamp because his wife, Deanna, was having
minor exploratory surgery at home in Hattiesburg, Miss. She's fine, and the
coaches aren't worried about his conditioning. That left all the work for
Doug Pederson and 7th-round draft pick Ronnie McAda of Army. McAda, who was a
wishbone and option QB in college, quickly picked up the Packers' offense,
but his passes lacked zip and accuracy. He needs to gain strength and weight.
-- RB: No real standouts so far. HB Travis Jervey ran a 4.5 40-yard dash,
much slower than last year's 4.3, but the coaches don't seem worried. ... HB
Chris Darkins, who missed all last season with a shoulder injury, looked
good. He'll be tried as a kick returner. ... 7th-round draft pick Jerald
Sowell of Tulane is listed at FB, but has played HB and needs to work on his
blocking. ... Rookie free-agent FB Adam Salina, who was a TE at Stanford,
showed he could be a strong blocker. ... Rookie free-agent FB Emory Smith of
Clemson needs work on his receiving skills. ... Rookie free agent Randy
Kinder of Notre Dame got a look at HB, but also might be tried at DB. ... HB
James Bostic, recovering from knee surgery, sat out the minicamp. ... HB
Calvin Jones was cut after the minicamp.
-- WR: Derrick Mayes and Terry Mickens looked good. Mayes was sharp on
medium-length routes out of the slot. ... 7th-round draft pick Chris Miller
of USC ran the fastest 40 at 4.38 seconds, but dropped plenty of passes. A
quote from coach Mike Holmgren: "But he needs to concentrate on the ball a
little more." Look for Miller to be tried on kickoff returns. ... Don Beebe
ran a 4.4 40, but said it felt "terrible" and was worried that he's trained
too much during the offseason. ... Robert Brooks was at the minicamp, but
didn't work out. His recovery from knee surgery is going well, and he says
he'll be ready for next month's minicamp. ... Bill Schroeder was excused
because he's playing in the World League. He's said to be playing well for
the Rhein Fire.
-- TE: Jeff Thomason looked sharp, showing the best hands. ... Kyle Wachholtz
was out with a thigh injury. ... Rookie free agent Jay Pettigrew of DePauw,
showed good speed on the 1st day, then pulled a hamstring muscle and missed
the rest of the minicamp. ... Free agent Lovell Pinkney showed good speed,
but dropped some balls and is struggling with blocking. He played WR in
college.
-- Offensive line: 1st-round draft pick Ross Verba of Iowa worked as the
backup to LT John Michels. He'll work there in next month's minicamp, too,
but may move to another position by training camp. He's expected to give
either Michels or RG Adam Timmerman a run for their money, and may even get
some work at C. The Packers might even use him as a TE in short-yardage
situations; he was recruited to Iowa as a TE. Lots of people liked Verba's
strength, athleticism and work ethic. He wears big knee braces on both legs
as a precaution. ... Michels has bulked up to 302 from 275, and has been
doing lots of weight work to strengthen his legs. He's working out 1-on-1
with Bills LB Bryce Paup, who still lives in Green Bay in the offseason.
They're also taking a martial arts class together. ... Free agent Eugene
Chung is working at C, and free agent Marcus Spears is working at RT. ...
Rookie free-agent G Joe Andruzzi from Southern Connecticut State looked good.
... C Jeff Dellenbach worked out despite being unsigned. He'd like to return,
and expects to finish a deal soon. ... G Lindsay Knapp, who had arthroscopic
surgery on his right knee in early April, sat out the minicamp. ... C Mike
Flanagan did some light snapping in passing drills, but otherwise didn't work
out. He still is hobbled by his lower right leg, which was broken in 2 places
last August. It has left minor nerve damage in his right foot. He needs to
build strength and coordination in the leg, but he might be ready sometime
during the regular season.
-- Defensive line: DE Gabe Wilkins showed good speed on the rush against
Michels and Verba, and the Packers believe he can do it consistently on the
right side. ... DEs Shannon Clavelle and Walter Scott showed improvement,
too. ... 4th-round draft pick Jermaine Smith of Georgia showed good quickness
at DT, but needs to get stronger. He used his hands well, which steamed
Timmerman. They got into a brief fight one day. ... NT Gilbert Brown weighed
around 350 but still showed good speed. ... DT Darius Holland sat out with an
ankle injury. ... DE Sean Jones was at the minicamp but didn't work out. He
still might return as a backup. They're talking about a minimum-wage $275,000
contract with incentives.
-- LB: Look for Brian Williams to play almost every down next season. He'll
be the LB in the dime package on pass coverage. ... Ron Cox looked good as
the other outside LB, and Bernardo Harris looked good as the middle LB. They
may be the early starters. The Packers won't keep Cox unless he's the
starter. He counts $1.25 million against the salary cap. ... Keith McKenzie
has bulked up to 255 from 242, but still showed good speed at outside LB. ...
5th-round draft pick Anthony Hicks of Arkansas is athletic, but was
struggling to learn all the details of the Packers' defense. He's a middle
LB. ... MLB George Koonce sat out the minicamp. He may not be back from his
knee injury until October.
-- Defensive backfield: SS LeRoy Butler looked sharp early in the minicamp
but got worn down by the end. No one's worried. A quote from DB coach Bob
Valesente: "I think LeRoy's probably working himself back into shape now.
Last year, LeRoy started to peak at the start of training camp." ...
2nd-round draft pick Darren Sharper, a safety at William & Mary, worked at
CB. The Packers like his size, instincts, range and athleticism. Roderick
Mullen also got lots of work at CB. Both players need work on technique. ...
CB Tyrone Williams is still in jail in Nebraska and CB Matthew Dorsett is
still recovering from knee surgery. ... The Packers have cut S Monty Grow and
CB Buster Owens.
-- Special teams: K Chris Jacke is gone, replaced by 3rd-round draft pick
Brett Conway of Penn State. Everyone had their eyes on Conway, who didn't
disappoint them. He made 24 of 25 FG tries from 42 yards and closer. The
speed and elevation of his kicks were better than Jacke's. Conway showed a
strong leg and plenty of confidence. He made a point of saying he lifts
weights with the rest of the team, as if to differentiate himself from Jacke.
He understands he's under a lot of pressure, but is used to that from
college. On the 1st day of minicamp, Holmgren told Conway: "Don't be nervous,
but every available camera in Green Bay is now focused on you for this 1st
kick." The Packers hope Conway also will kick off, but special teams coach
Nolan Cromwell hasn't ruled out again using P Craig Hentrich. ... Dellenbach,
TE Harper LeBel and DT Bob Kuberski worked as long snappers. ... Sharper
looked smooth and sure-handed on punt returns.
-- Here's the current roster. Save it for your reference.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Age Exp. College
2 Eric Matthews WR 5-11 170 24 1 Indiana
4 Brett Favre QB 6-2 225 27 7 Southern Mississippi
7 Ronnie McAda QB 6-3 205 23 R Army
8 Jim Richter K 6-5 209 22 1 Furman
9 John Krueger P 6-5 226 21 R Duke
10 Brett Conway K 6-2 191 22 R Penn State
12 Ronnie Anderson WR 6-1 190 22 R Allegheny Coll.
17 Craig Hentrich P 6-3 200 25 4 Notre Dame
18 Doug Pederson QB 6-3 215 28 5 N.E. Louisiana
20 Ryan Yarborough WR 6-2 195 25 3 Wyoming
21 Craig Newsome CB 6-0 188 25 3 Arizona State
22 Emory Smith FB 6-0 248 22 R Clemson
23 Matthew Dorsett CB 5-11 190 23 4 Southern
24 Randy Kinder RB 6-1 213 22 R Notre Dame
25 Dorsey Levens RB 6-1 235 26 4 Georgia Tech
28 Roderick Mullen DB 6-1 204 24 3 Grambling
29 Adam Salina FB 6-3 257 22 R Stanford
30 William Henderson RB 6-2 248 25 3 North Carolina
32 Travis Jervey RB 5-11 225 24 3 Citadel
33 Doug Evans CB 6-0 190 26 5 Louisiana Tech
34 Edgar Bennett RB 6-0 217 27 6 Florida State
35 Jerald Sowell FB 6-0 248 23 R Tulane
36 LeRoy Butler S 6-0 200 28 8 Florida State
37 Tyrone Williams CB 5-11 195 23 2 Nebraska
38 Jay Pettigrew TE 6-3 240 21 R Depauw
39 Mike Prior S 6-0 208 33 12 Illinois State
40 Chris Hayes S 6-0 200 24 1 Washington State
41 Eugene Robinson S 6-0 195 33 13 Colgate
42 Darren Sharper CB 6-2 206 21 R William & Mary
43 James Bostic RB 5-11 225 24 3 Auburn
44 Chris Darkins RB 6-0 215 22 2 Minnesota
45 Brad Edwards S 6-2 208 31 9 South Carolina
46 Lovell Pinkney TE 6-5 255 24 2 Texas
47 Kyle Wachholtz TE 6-4 235 24 1 USC
48 Reggie Clark LB 6-2 240 29 3 North Carolina
49 Dion Foxx LB 6-3 245 25 3 James Madison
50 Anthony Hicks LB 6-1 242 23 R Arkansas
51 Brian Williams LB 6-2 235 24 3 Southern California
52 Frank Winters C 6-3 285 32 11 Western Illinois
53 George Koonce LB 6-1 243 28 6 East Carolina
54 Ron Cox LB 6-2 235 28 8 Fresno State
55 Bernardo Harris LB 6-2 243 25 3 North Carolina
56 Lamont Hollinquest LB 6-3 243 26 4 Southern California
57 John Solomon LB 6-3 225 24 1 Sam Houston State
58 Mike Flanagan C 6-5 290 23 2 UCLA
60 Andrew Peterson T 6-5 300 24 2 Washington
61 Kevin Jefferson LB 6-2 240 23 3 Lehigh
62 Marco Rivera G 6-4 295 24 2 Penn State
63 Adam Timmerman G 6-4 295 25 3 South Dakota State
64 Bruce Wilkerson T 6-5 305 32 11 Tennessee
65 Lindsay Knapp G 6-6 300 26 5 Notre Dame
67 Jeff Dellenbach C 6-6 300 33 12 Wisconsin
68 Gary Brown T 6-4 315 25 4 Georgia Tech
69 Eugene Chung G 6-5 295 27 5 Virginia Tech
70 Joe Andruzzi G 6-3 313 21 R S. Connecticut St.
71 Santana Dotson DT 6-5 285 27 6 Baylor
72 Earl Dotson T 6-3 315 26 5 Texas A&I
73 Aaron Taylor G 6-4 305 24 4 Notre Dame
74 Walter Scott DE 6-3 285 23 2 East Carolina
76 Marcus Spears T 6-4 302 25 4 Northwestern (La.) St.
77 John Michels T 6-7 290 23 2 Southern California
78 Ross Verba T 6-4 299 23 R Iowa
79 Eric Johnson DE 6-5 260 24 1 Texas Southern
80 Derrick Mayes WR 6-1 200 22 2 Notre Dame
81 Chris Miller WR 5-10 192 23 R USC
82 Don Beebe WR 5-11 185 32 9 Chadron, Neb.
83 Jeff Thomason TE 6-4 250 27 5 Oregon
84 Bill Schroeder WR 6-2 198 26 2 UW-La Crosse
85 Terry Mickens WR 6-1 198 25 4 Florida A&M
86 Antonio Freeman WR 6-0 187 24 3 Virginia Tech
87 Robert Brooks WR 6-0 180 26 6 South Carolina
88 Harper Le Bel TE-LS 6-4 250 33 9 Colorado State
89 Mark Chmura TE 6-5 250 27 6 Boston College
90 Darius Holland DT 6-5 310 23 3 Colorado
91 Shannon Clavelle DT 6-2 287 23 3 Colorado
92 Reggie White DE 6-5 300 35 13 Tennessee
93 Gilbert Brown DT 6-2 325 25 5 Kansas
94 Bob Kuberski DT 6-5 295 25 3 Navy
95 Keith McKenzie DE-LB 6-3 242 23 2 Ball State
97 Mike Thompson DT 6-4 290 25 2 Wisconsin
98 Gabe Wilkins DE 6-4 305 25 4 Gardner-Webb
99 Jermaine Smith DT 6-3 289 25 R Georgia
-- The draft picks: 1. Ross Verba, T, Iowa; 2. Darren Sharper, FS, William &
Mary; 3. Brett Conway, Penn State; 4. Jermaine Smith, DT, Georgia; 5. Anthony
Hicks, LB, Arkansas; 7a. Chris Miller, WR, Southern California; 7b. Jerald
Sowell, FB, Tulane; 7c. Ronnie McAda, QB, Army.
-- The rookie free agents: Jay Pettigrew, TE, DePauw; Emory Smith, FB,
Clemson; Adam Salina, FB, Stanford; Ronnie Anderson, TE, Allegheny (Pa.)
College; Joe Andruzzi, G, Southern Connecticut State; Jim Richter, K, Furman;
John Krueger, P, Duke; Randy Kinder, HB, Notre Dame.
-- On draft day, Packers GM Ron Wolf made a trade just for the sake of doing
so. The Packers sent their 6th-round pick (the 193rd overall) to the Raiders
for their 7th-rounder (213rd overall). No past or future considerations, no
favors, just a trade for fun. Wolf had hoped to trade the Packers' 2 original
7th-round picks to someone for an extra pick in the 1998 draft, but that
didn't happen.
The Packers' strategy appeared to be choosing the best available athlete to
build depth. Here's how the Press-Gazette's Chris Havel saw it: "(Wolf's)
selection of Iowa offensive lineman Ross Verba with the 30th pick ... was
shrewd on so many levels, it bordered on genius. ... First, the versatile
Verba will act as a human torch, lighting a fire under LT John Michels and RG
Adam Timmerman. Competition is a great motivator. Verba's presence should
keep Michels hungry and Timmerman wary. ... Second, Verba represents cheap
labor in the offensive line. That is critical in a salary cap era where the
price of a top free-agent LT is roughly equivalent to the national debt.
Furthermore, it lessens the chance of 1 injury ruining an entire season. Now
if a key blocker goes down, neither offensive line coach Tom Lovat nor MVP QB
Brett Favre will be forced to scramble. ... They needed a DE, but took
Georgia's Jermaine Smith, a DT. With any luck, Smith's presence will light a
fire under Darius Holland. Or, at the least, stir up a pulse. ... In the
latter rounds, Wolf swapped a 6th-round pick for a 7th-rounder and selected a
QB (McAda) who likely won't be able to play for 2 years at the outset. Those
are luxuries only a powerhouse can afford. A powerhouse called the Packers."
-- Other draft odds and ends: Emory Smith is the younger brother of the
Cowboys' Emmitt Smith. ... Miller is a devout Muslim and the cousin of Jets
WR Keyshawn Johnson, but insists he isn't as outspoken. ... Sharper is the
younger brother of Virginia LB Jamie Sharper, who was drafted early in 2nd
round by the Ravens.
-- The Shoulda Woulda Coulda Dept. of the draft: Had Verba been taken by the
time the Packers drafted, they might have taken Jamie Sharper or Colorado WR
Rae Carruth, who went 27th to the Panthers. ... The Packers tried to trade up
in the 1st round to pick Virginia LB James Farrior, who went 8th to the Jets.
... They also made a modest try to trade up in the 1st round to pick Alabama
LB Dwayne Rudd, who went 20th to the Vikings. ... The Packers also liked
Virginia DE Jon Harris, who went 25th to the Eagles, Houston RB Antowain
Smith, who went 23rd to the Bills and Florida State HB Warrick Dunn, who went
12th to the Buccaneers. ... Among the players in whom the Packers had no
interest: Wisconsin T Jerry Wunsch, Akron DE Jason Taylor, Indiana DE Nathan
Davis, Columbia DE Marcellus Wiley, Washington RB Corey Dillon, Texas Tech RB
Byron Hanspard, West Virginia DB Mike Logan, Louisville DB Sam Madison,
Clemson DB Dexter McCleon or Colorado DE Greg Jones.
-- Salaries for the rookies will be about the same as last year, and contract
talks shouldn't be difficult. The Packers' rookie salary pool is $2.26
million. McAda has signed a deal that will kick in when his 2-year Army
commitment is over. He'll use his leave to attend the June minicamp and the
1st 2 weeks of training camp. He reports to Fort Sill, Okla., for active duty
on July 23. He'll miss this season, but he hopes for a reduction in his
active duty time to allow him to play in 1998.
Other news and notes
-- The Packers, still seeking NFL approval of a new stock sale, say they'd
use that money to create a trust fund for construction of a new stadium to
replace Lambeau Field some day. Lambeau Field is 40 years old, but has been
upgraded considerably in the last 10 years. A new stadium probably won't be
needed for at least 20 years, maybe even 50 years, but the Packers want to
start saving now. They hope to be able to start selling new stock by fall.
They won't say how many shares they would sell, or how much money they hope
to raise. The Packers know they will have to pay for part of a new stadium,
but also would need state or local help.
A quote from team president Bob Harlan: "One thing I'd like to do is start
... putting money away and letting it accumulate interest, so when we reach
the time -- whether it's 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, who knows when it's
going to be -- when this stadium does become obsolete, that whoever is here
running this team will have some money to proceed with that project. ...
Maybe it's going to be that (Lambeau Field) is too small. Maybe it will be
that someday we'll absolutely have to put a top on it. If we're in a division
and everybody else has a roof, maybe we're going to be forced to have one.
All I'm saying is, I think we have to be ready for whatever might confront us
in the future."
Though the Packers could add a few more seats by renovating the press box
area, Lambeau Field is essentially at capacity. They can't add an upper deck,
nor is it feasible to put a dome on it.
-- The playing surface at Lambeau Field is nothing but dirt these days.
Construction is under way on the new heating system and turf. The new heating
system will use natural gas to keep the field at 65 degrees year-round.
That'll be half as expensive to operate than the old electric system, down to
about $71,000 a year.
-- Reserved parking at Lambeau Field will cost you $13 next season, up from
$10. Unreserved parking at the stadium goes up to $10 from $7. Most of the
folks who park cars in their yards or lots near the stadium say they'll raise
their prices, too. Most will go up to $10. The Green Bay Press-Gazette
started its story this way: "Just about everything but the Super Bowl XXXI
flag has now been raised at Lambeau Field."
-- Jacke's departure, while no surprise, still stunned a few people.
Including Jacke. Apparently, the Packers never called to let him know his
time with them was over. Conway was drafted on Sunday. Jacke cleaned out his
locker on Monday, and chatted with Cromwell on Tuesday. That was it. How
Jacke saw it: "The only disappointing thing is (the Packers) lied to me. They
told me and they told the media they weren't going to draft a kicker. They
could've told me to my face. But this? ... I wish (Conway) the best of luck
up here. I hope the fans embrace him the same way they embraced me. ... For 8
years I came in, did my job and went home. I didn't hang around the locker
room. I had 2 priorities in my life and football wasn't the top one." Even
so, Jacke expects to sign with another team and continue his career.
-- The Packers' on-again, off-again relationship with LB Wayne Simmons seems
to be on again. The 2 sides are talking, but are far apart on money, and the
Packers are in no hurry. Simmons reportedly wants $2 million a year, and
neither the Packers nor any other NFL team is offering that. Simmons was
convicted Thursday of drunk driving in Hilton Head, S.C.
-- Looks as if retired LT Ken Ruettgers won't get a Super Bowl ring. The
Packers have completed the list of recipients, having gotten everyone's ring
size. Ruettgers said Wednesday that no one's gotten his ring size. The
Packers won't comment. The rings are proving to be a minor headache for the
Packers. The wife of a member of the Executive Committee reportedly believes
she, too, ought to get a ring.
-- After rolling his eyes, Holmgren's only comment on DE Reggie White's May
18 pro wrestling match against ex-teammate Steve McMichael: "My goodness. I
hope he wins. We all know it's for real." The WCW apparently wanted White
because McMichael has had some trouble getting the hang of pro rassling, and
they need a match to make him look good. It's a pay-per-view gig, and White
is being paid handsomely for it.
-- Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur will receive an honorary doctorate
from his alma mater, Albion College of Michigan, next Saturday.
-- Dates to remember: The Packers will visit the White House on Tuesday, May
20. The stockholders meeting is Wednesday, May 28. The last minicamp is June
2-5 and 9-10. Training camp opens about July 12.
-- One of the goal posts from Super Bowl XXXI now stands outside the Damon's
restaurant in Ashwaubenon, about a mile south of Lambeau Field. Gary
Tauscher, a Green Bay native who lives in New Orleans, bought both goal posts
from the Louisiana Superdome. He won't say how much he paid for them. He was
selling pieces of the 2nd goal post for $200 (the uprights) and $300 (the
crossbar and main post), but I don't know whether he's still doing so.
Tauscher donated to the Packer Hall of Fame the part of the crossbar where WR
Antonio Freeman dunked the ball after his TD.
-- The Packers statue outside the Hall of Fame was moved Thursday as part of
the hall's expansion project. It moved closer to the corner of Lombardi
Avenue and Oneida Street and was turned so it looks like the receiver is
catching a ball thrown from Lambeau Field.
-- We've helped the Packers set another record: $130 million in Super Bowl
merchandise. ... The old record was $100 million in Super Bowl XXX between
the Cowboys and Steelers. Logo Athletic sold more than 650,000 of the black
locker room hats; the old record was 400,000 Chicago Bulls championship hats
last year. ... NFL Films sold 65,000 copies of the Packers Super Bowl video
in the 1st 5 days of release, the fastest-selling sports video ever. It sold
70,000 copies in Green Bay, which has only 200,000 people in the metropolitan
area. ... The NFL sold 950,000 Super Bowl programs; the old record was
700,000 when the Bears played the Patriots in Super Bowl XX in 1986. ... A
quote from the NFL's Chris Widmaier: "Either every single resident of
Wisconsin owns a dozen pieces of Packers merchandise or there's something
compelling going on across the country."
-- The Packers plan to set up their own Web page, probably late this summer.
No other information available yet.
That's it. Evan insists on being outside as often as possible these days, so
we soon will be getting a wagon, a toy mower and a toy rake.
As always, your questions, comments and e-mail address changes (new and old
addresses, please) are welcome at jeffash@netnet.net
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette, Packer Plus home page
(http://www.onwis.com/packer/news/, with draft coverage at
onwis.com, Green Bay TV reports.
Thanks, Jeff
===================================
Scott |
