Sorry...thought I posted this a couple days ago, but when I went to find it, I couldn't, so here is the Jeff Ash update.
-scott
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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, where our pleasant summer weather has finally arrived:
-- Training camp is under way. You have until 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.
Autographs again are being offered after morning practices to those holding
tickets handed out at random during the early part of practice. There will
be no autograph sessions Aug. 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15.
-- If you want to see Saturday night's intrasquad scrimmage at Lambeau
Field, there's still room. More than 47,000 tickets have been sold, though.
Tickets are $6, available at the Packers ticket office, or by phone at
(920) 494-3401 or (800) 895-0071, with a $4 handling charge on phone sales.
-- WR Robert Brooks retired Monday, confirming what many have long
suspected: That his body could no longer take the punishment of the NFL.
After blowing out his right knee and breaking a big piece of his thigh bone
in 1996, back problems developed in 1997. A quote from Brooks: "I think it
was solely because my stride changed so much from the knee injury that it
started to injure my back." But the knee remained troublesome, too. Coach
Mike Holmgren wouldn't let Brooks talk about it, but Brooks nonetheless
asked offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis in 1997 to change his routes so
he wouldn't have to run to the right.
Brooks himself said it best: "I can't put up the facade anymore of being a
tough guy. ... It's time. I'm 29 years old and after practice I feel like
I'm 50. ... Even during practice I felt bad. ... I get up in the morning
and I'm hurting, and mentally I block it out and go to practice. ... But it
gets to the point where you don't want to break a certain way because of
the knee, or not coming back on breaks when I run to the right. ... The
pain is overtaking my concentration, I'm dropping balls. ... I went to
practice (Friday afternoon) and I gave it everything I had to block
everything out. I'm to the point where I'm tired of taking medication."
Brooks plans to spend time with his young son, and work with his record
label and with a new ministry, Men of God, formed with LT Ross Verba, T
John Michels and retired DE Reggie White.
Brooks' retirement has a mixed impact on the Packers' salary cap. It frees
$700,000, of which the Packers used about $400,000 to re-sign LB Lamont
Hollinquest on Tuesday. But $700,000 stays on the cap as the prorated
portion of Brooks' $3.5 million signing bonus from last year. The bad news
is that the last 3 years of the prorated signing bonus, $2.1 million, count
against next year's cap.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn contends that the Packers made
a huge mistake in signing Brooks to the 5-year, $15 million deal in
February 1998 because Brooks was so injury-prone and because it took money
the Packers could have used to try to re-sign CB Doug Evans and P Craig
Hentrich. McGinn also contends the Packers should have kept Andre Rison
after the 1996 season, given Brooks' knee injury. You be the judge.
Now, news and notes from camp, position by position. Remember, please, that
it's early, with 4 preseason games to go.
-- New coach Ray Rhodes is promising "a hard, tough training camp" with
plenty of hitting in full pads. In the 1st week, though, he routinely cut
short practices by 10 to 15 minutes. He seems to understand when to be
tough, and that certainly isn't the 1st week. Even so, a quote from Rhodes:
"I'm not going to beat this football team up, but when you have questions
that need to be answered, you have to answer them. And you can't answer
them in shorts. ... I believe in a physical brand of football. I believe in
punishing people with the way you play." Rhodes also expects the veterans
to help bring along the younger players. He also surprised players hoping
for a break from Holmgren's restrictive rules. There are still plenty of
rules, and Rhodes' fines are higher, too.
-- WR: With Brooks gone, Derrick Mayes and Bill Schroeder are the leading
candidates to start at split end. Mayes has better hands and size, but
Schroeder may be the better all-around player. More pressure on Mayes than
Schroeder, though. It's likely now or never for Mayes. Look for him to be
used most often on possession-type plays, not down-the-field stuff. ...
Antonio Freeman, still not close to being signed, likely will again become
the flanker, as he did when Brooks was hurt in 1996. ... Corey Bradford
likely will be the No. 4 WR. He goes long well, but needs work on other
routes. ... Brooks' exit may help Jahine Arnold, who looked good at
minicamps. ... Rookie Donald Driver continues to impress with good hands on
all kinds of routes, especially the long ones. ... Pat Palmer and Brian
Manning were cut in late June.
-- QB: Brett Favre reported in terrific shape, down to 214 from 236 at the
end of last season. A quote from him: "Just hard work and being on a good
protein diet. I get up every morning and it's 110 degrees. I get on my bike
and I ride, and I run. ... I'm drinking nothing but water. I don't even
drink juice."... Favre also has lighter hair. A quote from him: "My
daughter made me put lemon juice in my hair. We're going blond this year.
My wife wasn't too happy about it." ... Favre and his wife Deanna welcomed
their 2nd daughter, Breleigh Ann (say BREE-lee), last month, 5 weeks
premature. All are fine. ... Looks like it will be between Rick Mirer and
Matt Hasselbeck for the No. 2 job. ... Rookie Aaron Brooks might win the
No. 3 job. He is wowing folks with his strong arm and mobility as a
dropback passer, and his running skills. He's raw but is really hitting the
books and hanging close to Favre to pick up whatever he can. He spent 2
weeks before camp in a Green Bay hotel and watched film alone for up to 8
hours a day at the Packers' offices. A quote from offensive coordinator
Sherman Lewis: "It's early, but I think we hit one here. How good, I don't
know, but we hit on one. His potential is really unbelievable." ... Ronnie
McAda has tendinitis in the biceps of his throwing arm and hasn't thrown
much in the last month. He got hurt while changing his throwing motion in
NFL Europe.
-- RB: They're doing lots of work on blitz pickups. ... Dorsey Levens has
been terrific. ... Looks like it's between Edwin Watson and rookie De'Mond
Parker to be the backup to Levens, but Watson has been slowed by a sprained
ankle. ... Parker changed the spelling of his name back to De'Mond after
being DeMonn for a while after the draft. ... Chris McCoy was in camp for
about a week before returning to the Navy to fulfill his service
commitment. ... The Packers picked up FB Chris Gall on waivers from the
Colts. He's 23, 6-0, 231, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana. He wears No.
39. ... They also picked up FB Matt Snider, who'd been cut by the Panthers.
He's 23, 6-2, 243, an undrafted rookie out of Richmond. He wears No. 38.
-- TE: Mark Chmura has been slowed by a sore Achilles tendon but seems to
be OK. ... Alphonso Collins, a free agent from East Carolina, left camp. He
had good hands, but was overweight. ... The Packers signed Lamont Hall.
He's 24, 6-4, 260, out of Clemson and wears No. 49. He was on the
Buccaneers' practice squad for part of last season. ... Rod Lewis was cut
in late June.
-- OL: T John Michels' rebuilt right knee continues to bother him, and he
may be becoming a long shot to make the team. ... Rookie T Scott Curry
might be a keeper for the future. ... C Frank Winters looks fine after his
broken lower leg of late last year. ... C Mike Flanagan has played well, 3
long years after a broken right leg and subsequent nerve damage in the
foot. He's the guy to beat as the backup. ... Rookie C Mike Newell, who had
back surgery, likely will go on the physically unable to perform list
because he's in too much pain to practice. ... The Packers would have liked
to have brought back veteran backup C-G Jeff Dellenbach, but couldn't
afford the $400,000 minimum.
-- LB: A couple of veteran additions have nicely shored up the depth.
Lamont Hollinquest is back, having been cut by the Chiefs. He'll have to
learn the new defense and will play on special teams. He again wears No.
56. ... The Packers also signed former Chiefs LB Anthony Davis to be the
top backup. He's 30, 6-0, 235, a 7-year vet out of Utah and wears No. 50.
Though he has been a weakside LB, the versatile Davis has been working at
MLB with the Packers. To make room for Davis, the Packers traded Mike
Morton to the Rams for an undisclosed draft pick, likely a 6th- or
7th-rounder. ... The Packers signed OLB Louis Adams, an NFL Europe backup
and former Oilers practice squad guy out of Oklahoma State. He's 25, 6-1,
244 and wears No. 65. ... Former Wisconsin LB Daryl Carter was the 1st cut
of camp.
-- DB: Rookie CB Antuan Edwards' sore toe still bothers him from time to
time, but he'll play in the scrimmage. He's the likely nickel back. Rookie
CB Fred Vinson, the likely dime back, aggravated his sore left foot last
week. Both had offseason surgery for their injuries, but Rhodes is dogging
both, particularly Vinson, to deal with the pain and play. ... Rookie CB
Mike McKenzie has been doing well in their absence. ... CB Craig Newsome
says he has no pain in his left knee, blown out in 1997. ... SS LeRoy
Butler is taking it easy on his left ankle. ... FS Kerry Cooks broke a bone
in his left hand when CB Tyrone Williams stepped on it during a drill. ...
CB Keith Williams was cut in early July. ... The Packers signed CB Tod
McBride, who'd been cut by the Seahawks. He's 23, 6-1, 208, an undrafted
rookie who played WR and S at UCLA. He wears No. 27.
-- DL: NT Gilbert Brown's weight is about the same as last year (still an
unlisted number) or maybe a little less, but his conditioning is said to be
much better. ... DT Billy Lyon worked out in Green Bay all winter, reported
in great shape and is likely to be the top backup. ... DT Santana Dotson
also reported in great shape.
-- Specialists: Rookie P Josh Bidwell has been up and down, and P Will
Brice has been solid, with some nice high, long boomers. ... Bidwell,
Brice, Mirer and Hasselbeck all have worked as holders for K Ryan Longwell,
who says the uncertainty makes it tougher for him. ... K Jeff Sauve was
signed to keep Longwell busy during camp. He's 26, 6-1, 195, out of Clemson
and wears No. 6. He was 6-of-12 on FGs with Rhein in NFL Europe this year.
... KR Desmond Howard wears No. 82 this time around. He was No. 81 back in
1996.
Details on veterans' deals: CB Tyrone Williams, 5 years, $20.2 million with
$3.5 million signing bonus and salaries and roster bonuses of $500,000 this
year, $2.6 million in 2000, $3 million in 2001, $3.6 million in 2002 and $7
million in 2003. It's little deceiving because the voidable 5th year is
just to spread out the signing bonus and is not likely to be realized.
Thus, it's really 4 years, $13.2 million.... KR Desmond Howard, 4 years,
$5.71 million with $290,000 signing bonus and salaries and roster bonuses
of $400,000 this year, $525,000 in 2000, $2 million in 2001 and $2.5
million in 2002. Again, really a 2-year, $1.21 million deal because of the
unlikely big bucks on the back end. ... LB Lamont Hollinquest, 1 year,
$400,000. ... LB Anthony Davis, 1 year, $400,000 with $300,000 signing
bonus.
Details on the rookies' deals (all are signed): P Josh Bidwell, 3 years,
$935,000 with $185,000 signing bonus and salaries of $175,000 this year,
$250,000 in 2000 and $325,000 in 2001. ... QB Aaron Brooks, 4 years, $1.325
million with $225,000 signing bonus. ... DE Cletidus Hunt, 3 years, $1.07
million with $320,000 signing bonus. ... WR Dee Miller, 3 years, $45,000
signing bonus. ... CB Fred Vinson, 4 years, $2.25 million with $825,000
signing bonus.
And some other odds and ends: The Aug. 28 preseason game against the Saints
at the Louisiana Superdome will be played on grass brought in just for that
game. The NFL is experimenting with the removable sod field for one-time
use, perhaps at a Super Bowl. ... Former USFL and Jets lineman Irv Eatman
is helping coach the offensive line during camp. It's sort of an
internship. He'd like to become a coach. ... A group of Green Bay East High
School students and community members want to recreate the
stone-and-wrought-iron entrance gate that stood at old City Stadium, now
East's football field. The only thing left from the old stadium is a red
sandstone building now used as a school garage. Fund-raising may start in
the fall. ... Green Bay's other football team, the Bombers, won the
championship of the minor-league Indoor Football League. They're coached by
Bud Keyes, who played QB at Wisconsin and was a 10th-round pick of the
Packers in 1988. Former Packers CB Sammy Walker signed with them at
midseason and promptly tore an Achilles tendon, the same injury that all
but ended his NFL career after the 1994 season.
-- Notes from the stockholders meeting: Don't expect a decision on the fate
of Lambeau Field until early next year. Still no official word, but it
still seems unlikely that Lambeau can be effectively renovated to provide
all the revenue the Packers will need over the next 10 to 25 years. The
Packers seem to be leaning toward a new, $300 million open-air stadium
seating about 67,500, with season-ticket holders being charged a one-time
seat license fee of up to $2,000 per seat. ... The Packers were much more
savvy in defusing potentially embarrassing questions than last year,
addressing most hot-button items in remarks president Bob Harlan and GM Ron
Wolf. ... The meeting drew 7,064 people to Lambeau Field, down sharply from
18,707 last year, raising the possibility that it might move inside to the
Brown County Arena next year.
That's it.
Now, the viewer mail:
-- I would be remiss if I didn't pass along the so-called "putrid poetry"
from the stockholders' meeting, provided as usual by Keith, our longtime
Update meteorologist in Norman, Okla.
Bonuses have taken a toll,
So a sponsor is sought to cajole?
But those naming rights,
Could lead to some fights,
If Lambeau becomes "Kohler Bowl."
-- Frank in San Diego wonders whether any sports talk radio stations from
Green Bay or Milwaukee are broadcasting on the Internet. If you know, drop
me a line, too, so I can share it here. He's at Frank_Timinsky@sat-inc.com
-- Dan in Minneapolis wonders where he can find Packers wallpaper or screen
savers for his computer. He's at Dan_Dorst@adc.com
-- Jill in Miami Beach has convinced the folks at Jimmy Johnson's Sports
Bar (downstairs at the Eden Roc Hotel, 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach) to
show Packers games this season. She invites other locals, snowbirds and
Miami visitors to come along, and she'd like the locals to contact her so
she'll know how many to expect. Jill is primed. Consider this, from her
note: "The manager says that if the group is small, we can start off in a
corner until we grow, at which time we can take over the restaurant
portion. Screw that! I want the big-screen TV right off the bat starting
with the very first kickoff." She's at Jill.Krynicki@kornferry.com
-- Gary and Linda, up north in Wisconsin, are seeking a place to watch the
Packers in Antigo, Crandon, Rhinelander, or Pelican Lake. They're at
ceol@email.msn.com
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
This week's soundtrack: "Fight Songs" by the Old 97s; and swing and blues
on "The Mighty Blue Kings Live from Chicago"; "The Deluxtone Rockets"; and
"Round Every Corner" by Debbie Davies.
-- Recent adventures with Evan: He is reading everything in sight, and
reading most of it well. Janet and I can no longer spell things in his
presence. He knows. ... It has been a summer with lots of swimming and
occasional get-togethers with his beloved cousins and our usual, much
anticipated summer visitors. David and Daniel, his pals from Eau Claire,
were here a couple of weeks ago. Dan, Tim and Jessie, his pals from
Mosinee, are due later this week. ... We took a short trip to Michigan last
week so I could take a tour of Tiger Stadium (I'd never been, and this is
its last season), and Evan loved being in the clubhouse, dugout and on the
warning track in front of the dugout. When we got up to the broadcast
booth, Evan hopped right up into a chair used by Al Kaline or Kirk Gibson
and checked out the grounds crew working on the field. ... Now if we can
only get Evan to poop on the potty with any regularity and independence.
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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