I guess it is up to me to singlehandedly keep this thread alive. Time for another Packer up-date......
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Greetings from Green Bay on the first truly muggy, stormy weekend of summer:
Once the minicamps end, June is the quietest month for Packers news, with all
the coaches on vacation. Even so, this is the time for signings and other
minor deals.
-- We're 3 weeks away from training camp. Two-a-day practices with all
players start Sunday, July 13, with everyone reporting over the previous
week. Practice sessions will be roughly 8:45-11 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m. at
the Oneida Street practice field. The morning practices are usually the best
to watch. Afternoon sessions are special teams practices twice a week.
-- HB Dorsey Levens has signed the Packers' 1-year, $785,000 tender offer.
They're working on a 3-year deal averaging more than $1 million a year. If he
stays on the 1-year deal, he'll be an unrestricted free agent after next
season. The coaches worked during the minicamps on ways to get Levens and HB
Edgar Bennett on the field at the same time. Look also for the Packers to use
Levens more than they did last year.
-- Bennett doesn't sound optimistic about his future, partly because the
Packers still haven't offered to extend his contract, which expires after the
season. Here's how Bennett sees his chances of remaining with the Packers
after this season: "I would think they're pretty slim." Even so, he remains
optimistic about this season: "I'll give the Packers everything I've got,
just like always."
-- QB Steve Bono also has signed, but no details on his deal. Bono wasn't
released by the Chiefs until after the Packers' June minicamp was over, and
that probably wasn't a coincidence. The Chiefs probably are looking for every
competitive edge, no matter which team they're dealing with. By the way, the
Chiefs have signed former Packers WR Andre Rison to a 2-year deal.
-- The Packers signed former Raiders S Derrick Hoskins, who was a college
teammate of QB Brett Favre. The 6-2, 207-pound Hoskins was cut recently by
the Saints. The Packers like his size. He wears No. 45.
-- The Packers acquired CB Carl Greenwood from the Jets for S Chris Hayes.
Greenwood is 25, 5-11, 186, a 3rd-year man out of UCLA who started 2 games
and had 2 interceptions for the Jets last year. He also played on special
teams. He wears No. 26.
-- LB Brian Williams and G Gary Brown had minor arthroscopic knee surgery in
the past month, and both should be ready for training camp.
-- A quick look at some of the rookies: T Ross Verba worked behind John
Michels at LT in the minicamp and likely will stay there in training camp,
but also will get a look at G. ... WR Chris Miller looked especially good
during the June minicamp, showing much improvement over the post-draft
minicamp. He ran sharper routes and made smoother catches. He's now wearing
No. 88. ... DT Jermaine Smith has to get stronger. ... LB Anthony Hicks needs
to learn the defense. ... FB Jerald Sowell showed good hands, but must prove
he can block with the pads on.
-- C Jeff Dellenbach participated in the minicamp but hasn't signed. He hopes
to return as a backup.
-- HB James Bostic, who blew out his right knee in training camp, says he's
much improved but still has some tendonitis. He may not be fully ready for
training camp.
-- Long snapper Harper LeBel wasn't thrilled that his number was changed to
54 from 88. He considers himself a TE, but hasn't played there in the last 3
years. The Packers see him as a long snapper only.
-- Possible punt returners are WRs Derrick Mayes, Antonio Freeman and Ryan
Yarborough and CB Darren Sharper. WR Qadry Ismail will be the main kickoff
returner, with WRs Don Beebe and Chris Miller and HB Chris Darkins getting
some action.
-- WR Bill Schroeder made it to the World Bowl with the Rhein Fire, but they
lost to the Barcelona Dragons, 36-24, on Sunday. Schroeder had 43 catches for
702 yards and 6 TDs during the regular season. A quote from Packers WR coach
Gil Haskell: "When he comes to training camp, the question will be, 'Is he
more aware?' We'll have to wait and see. He has all the tools." A quote from
Schroeder: "Now that I came over here and now that I have the experience to
play, I hope that I'll show them I have gotten better physically and mentally
as a football player."
Indeed, Schroeder needed the seasoning offered by the World League. He played
just 1 year of college ball at UW-La Crosse and has spent parts of 2 seasons
with the Patriots and on the Packers' practice squad. His practice squad
eligibility is used up, so he'll have to make the final roster to stay.
-- G Marco Rivera played well at LG and C for the Scottish Claymores of the
World League. A quote from Packers offensive line coach Tom Lovat: "(The
Claymores) feel like he's 1 of the 2 best linemen in the league. They like
the fact that he is improving. ... Just having played there will be a big
benefit. He only got maybe 20 snaps, and that was in the preseason, while he
was here last year. That's not enough to look at a guy. The 10, 11 games
he'll get in the World League is exactly what he needs."
-- LB Lamont Hollinquest has signed a 1-year, $361,000 deal. Ismail signed a
1-year, $850,000 deal. LB Wayne Simmons signed a 1-year, $500,000 deal with a
$500,000 signing bonus. LeBel signed a 1-year, $275,000 deal with a $25,000
signing bonus.
-- The new field has been installed at Lambeau Field. It's a SportGrass
field, which has Kentucky bluegrass on top of a 1.5-inch layer of sand, with
a base of woven plastic and synthetic grass. The real grass grows down and
its roots knit with the synthetic base to provide a field resistant to
shredding. It isn't artificial turf. The Packers played on such a field in
Baltimore during the last preseason, in a driving rainstorm, and liked how
the field held up. Underneath the new surface is a new natural gas heating
system to keep the roots at 70 degrees all year around.
-- Fox so enjoyed doing its pregame show live from Lambeau Field at the NFC
championship game that they'll do it 4 times this season, twice in Green Bay.
Look for J.B., Howie, Terry and Ronnie on the field before the Vikings game
on Sept. 21 and, of course, the Cowboys game on Nov. 23.
-- Some guys have all the luck. While filming promotional spots for a line of
insect repellents near Minocqua in northern Wisconsin, Favre caught a 36-inch
muskie on only his 2nd cast.
-- Curious about the Super Bowl rings? They have the Packers' G raised above
a background of diamonds; the words "World Champions" surrounded by more
diamonds; the words "Packers" over "1996" over "Tradition"; the person's
name; the season record; the helmet and logo; and the person's number or
position with the team. The rings have 40 to 115 diamonds, the latter (2.5
carats) being the most Josten's has ever put on a championship ring.
G Gary Brown has the largest ring, a size 17; S Chris Hayes has the smallest,
a size 9.5 (and was traded to the Jets the day after receiving his). The
Packers handed out 247 rings, 164 for men and 83 slightly smaller rings for
women. Rings went to all the players and their wives, all the coaches and
their wives, all full-time employees, and members of the board of directors
and the Executive Committee. The men's rings are valued at $4,000 each; no
word on the value of the women's rings. The rings are tall, not wide,
allowing the fingers to close normally.
-- Ever wonder how the Packers use computers? They digitally store all their
game videotape, and have it broken down many different ways, then call it up
to view on screen as needed. Within 5 years, that'll probably be done by the
NFL and sent to each team. The scouts still use lots of videotape, but file
all their reports and cross-checks via laptop. Skyline Technologies, a local
company, creates and customizes the Packers' software.
-- After selling a record number of Super Bowl highlight videos, NFL Films
has come out with the Packers' 1996 highlight video. "Titletown Once Again"
is 24 minutes long as usual. I suspect it is available from the Pro Shop. To
order stuff from the Pro Shop, call (800) 992-5750.
And now, the viewer mail:
-- Make a note of this: In mid-July, the area code for Green Bay and most of
northeastern Wisconsin changes to 920 from 414. You'll be able to use either
until October.
-- Lots of folks ask about autographs. They're a long shot unless you get
them in person. Write to players in care of Green Bay Packers, P.O. Box
10628, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, WI 54307-0628. At training camp,
players may be accessible as they go to and from practice. Some willingly
sign before practice, but not after; others after practice, but not before;
others not at all. Special requests should go to the Packers' public
relations staff at the same address.
-- Lots of folks ask about the Packer Hall of Fame. It's right across the
street from Lambeau Field and just north of the practice field. Its address
is 1901 S. Oneida St., Green Bay, WI 54304. Phone (414) 499-4281. It's open 9
a.m. to 6 p.m. every day during the summer. It's undergoing an expansion
that's expected to be done by the beginning of training camp. It's open
during construction.
-- Lots of folks ask about stadium tours. Tours of Lambeau Field are
available only from early June to late August. Stadium tours are popular, so
be sure to buy your tickets at the Hall of Fame early in the day to ensure
that you'll get on a tour when you want.
-- Pete, who works for a Brookfield marketing firm, sends word of Titletown
Transit, an interactive Packers exhibit his company is developing in a
70-foot semi-trailer for the Packers. You'll be able to compare your body to
TE Mark Chmura's outline, compare your passing ability to Favre's, and do the
Lambeau Leap. There also will be video and memorabilia exhibits. Look for it
at the Monday night season opener at Lambeau Field, and at stores, events and
the like. For more information, contact Pete at PeteyLew@aol.com.
-- Mike in Machesney Park, Ill., asks when other NFL teams put their tickets
on sale, in the hopes of getting tickets to a Packers road game. It varies
from team to team.
-- Dave in Minneapolis asks how the Packers uniforms are changing. Look for a
small Nike swoosh on the shoulder. The Packers are 1 of 8 teams sponsored by
Nike this season. Otherwise, I haven't heard of any other changes.
-- Steve in Findlay, Ohio, asks whether a replica Super Bowl ring or other
commemorative ring will be available for fans. Balfour was supposedly
creating such a ring, but I haven't heard when or whether it will be out.
-- Jeff in Rockford, Ill., wonders why it took the White House so long to
invite the Packers. As I understand it, the White House visit is an open
invitation arranged at the convenience of both parties. If memory serves, the
Chicago Bulls' last visit took place almost a year after their 4th NBA
championship.
-- Andy in Berkeley, Calif., wonders why the Packers signed QB Ronnie McAda
to a 2-year deal when he'll be in the Army during that time. He'll be with
them in training camp this year, and during his leaves, and he must be under
contract to do so. It's almost certainly a minimum-wage rookie contract.
-- Dick in Severn, Md., invites fans in the Baltimore area to join a new
Packers club at the Champions sports bar at the BWI Marriott Hotel near BWI
Airport. They started with 4 people last October, and by season's end had the
most fans of any team, much to the bar's delight. Every NFL game is shown.
Game days have featured a tailgate party near the hotel's loading dock. For
more information, drop Dick a line at DickAamodt@aol.com
-- Ann in the Milwaukee area will be in Sebring, Fla., over Labor Day
weekend, and is seeking a "Packer-friendly sports bar" to watch the
Packers-Bears opener on Monday night. If you can help, she's at
cariggs@execpc.com
-- Judy in Columbus, Ohio, is seeking a video tape of the Mud Bowl playoff
against the 49ers. She'll supply the tape for dubbing and pay postage. If you
can help, she's at wagner.6@osu.edu
-- Rob in Madison is looking for Packers logos or graphics available on the
Web. If you can help, he's at jolin@sva.com
-- If you're looking for back copies of these updates, Christine in Colorado
Springs, Colo., points out another Web site that keeps them
(http://www.ims.net/stew/packers/). It's a compilation of messages from a
Packers e-mail discussion list, so you'll have to weed through it all to find
the updates. Instructions for joining that group also are on that page.
-- John in Madison also has the 1995 and 1996 updates archived in .zip file
format (http://www.fullfeed.com/~heim/jeffash.html) and the current year's
updates in a searchable format (http://www.fullfeed.com/~heim/search.html).
That's it.
Coming next are your suggestions on how to make the most of your visits to
Green Bay, aside from Lambeau Field and the Hall of Fame. If you still want
to send me a list of the places you always stop at, drop me a line at
jeffash@netnet.net
And as always, your questions, comments and e-mail address changes (new and
old addresses, please) also are welcome at jeffash@netnet.net
If you know someone who'd like to receive the updates, they won't get on the
list until they send me a message with 3 things: their real 1st name, the
city and state in which they live, and the e-mail address to which they want
the updates sent. These are the rules.
If you wish to show your appreciation for these Packers updates, volunteer or
make a donation to the charity of your choice. We've had many people doing so
for 3 years now.
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette, Packer Plus home page
(http://www.onwis.com/packer/news/)
This week's soundtrack: "The Complete Tom Jones"; "Back to the Future Now" by
Asleep at the Wheel; and the "Superfly" soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield.
This week's adventures with Evan: He's growing tall and agile (he's finally
grown into his Syracuse Crunch T-shirt), and loves to be outside or at the Y.
His favorite stunt of the moment is sliding facefirst down the steps of his
little backyard slide, then doing a somersault when his head hits the ground.
He's also learning how to pedal his 3-wheeled bike, albeit slowly. He's also
chattering away constantly, sometimes making perfect sense, sometimes showing
a remarkable imagination. Any large yard or green space is "a baseball
field," and he told Janet and I that he wanted to go to a baseball game and
see the Packers play. As Evan, his grandpa and I drove past the stadium last
week, Evan loudly pointed out "Lambeau Field," then quietly chanted "Go Pack
Go" as we drove on. He's into those quiet chants. As we drive up our street,
Evan looks out the window at each house and says "Not our house, not our
house, not our house, not our house, not our house, Mr. Morrison's house,
that's our house!" Speaking of the neighbors, we went to our 1st block party
on Sunday, and Evan made friends with another little guy of about 2 who lives
down the street. When Janet brought Evan home, she decided to let him cool
off in his wading pool. Evan insisted on no diaper, so he went skinny
dipping.
Thanks, Jeff
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There you have it. All the news that is coming out of GB.
-scott |
