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).
--------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Green Bay on a muggy, rumbly night following our 1st and
perhaps only 90-degree day of the summer:
-- The season is finally at hand, with the Packers hosting the Jets at 3:15
p.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field. It'll be televised on CBS, with Greg Gumbel
and Phil Simms on the call. It'll also be on the Packer Radio Network, with
Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren on the call, and on the Westwood One
national radio network with Tony Roberts and Jack Ham on the call.
-- This year, radio coverage is available for free on the Internet, with
the game broadcasts offered via the Packers' web site
(http://www.packers.com) and 3 hours each of pregame and postgame
programming offered via WTMJ radio in Milwaukee (http://www.wtmj.com or
620wtmj.com). The WTMJ webcasts use Windows Media Player, not
Real Audio. Thanks to John in Lodi for the information on WTMJ. He says the
audio quality is good.
-- Here's the early forecast from Keith, our longtime Update meteorologist
in Norman, Okla.: Mostly sunny and warm. High near 80. South wind 5-10 mph.
For updates, check Keith's web site
(http://www.galstar.com/~kbrews/packwx). And, as always, Keith's take on
the game:
The engines sputter with starting cranks,
Munitions are set, replacing the blanks;
When the Jets do alight,
We'll cause them some fright,
When the Packers roll out as Sherman's tanks.
-- QB Brett Favre will start Sunday, having practiced as usual this week.
He's rested for 3 weeks, and says the tendinitis in his right elbow isn't
bothering him as much as before. He threw about 50 balls each Wednesday and
Thursday, but no hardballs. If his mood is any indication, he's ready to
go. Favre noted at his Wednesday press conference that he hadn't been hit
since last season's finale against the Cardinals in early January. A quote
from him: "The 1st hit of the game I used to wet my pants. This is back in
the early stages of my career. So I may have to bring that back."
-- The rest of the injury update: RB Dorsey Levens is out, still rehabbing
from having his left knee scoped. ... RB Ahman Green has had a couple of
good practices and is expected to play Sunday. If Green can't go, look for
Basil Mitchell to start and Herbert Goodman to see some time. ... RT Earl
Dotson's sore lower back flared up again when he took a head-to-head hit on
Wednesday. He's expected to play Sunday, but rookie Mark Tauscher will be
ready if needed. ... MLB Bernardo Harris remains bothered by a bruised
knee, so look for Mike Morton to fill in if Harris can't go. ... DE John
Thierry continues to play despite a partial cartilage tear in a knee. ...
Perhaps the only good news is that DT Santana Dotson's sore knee is better,
and he is expected to start as usual.
-- The situation at LB remains rocky, with weak-side LB Brian Williams at
least 3 weeks away from returning. The Packers left Williams on the roster,
figuring he'll be back before the 6 weeks required if they were to put him
on the physically unable to perform list. Nate Wayne will start in his
place. ... Rookie Na'il Diggs is the starter on the strong side. ... The
only backups are K.D. Williams, more of a special teams player, and Chris
Gizzi, a 6-0, 230-pounder picked up Monday after being cut by the Broncos.
He, like Wayne, is a guy with experience in the new defensive scheme. Gizzi
had been in minicamps and training camp with the Broncos while finishing
his Air Force commitment. He, too, is a likely special teams contributor.
... Jude Waddy was so lost in the new defense, particularly on coverage,
that he was cut Monday after the Packers picked up Gizzi.
-- As they did with Brian Williams, the Packers kept WR Corey Bradford on
the roster rather than put him on the PUP list. He has a broken left leg,
but is expected back in 4 to 6 weeks. In the meantime, Donald Driver will
be the No. 3 WR, and don't be surprised to see rookie Charles Lee in there,
too.
-- Tyrone Davis will start at TE, but look for rookie Bubba Franks to get
plenty of playing time.
-- The starters' injuries forced the Packers to keep an extra player at RB
and LB, so they briefly had just 2 TEs. But after a trade with the Raiders
fell through when DT Chuck Osborne flunked his physical with a lingering
groin injury, the Packers added TE Chris Eitzmann, a 6-5, 255-pound rookie
who'd been cut by the Patriots. Eitzmann may simply be getting an extended
tryout. If so, don't be surprised to see the Packers re-sign TE Kaseem
Sinceno, who was cut Sunday.
-- The Packers seemed to have solved their kick and punt return problems by
acquiring Allen Rossum from the Eagles a week ago. He's 5-8, 178 pounds and
can fly. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard return seasons for the Eagles in
the last 2 years. He played for the Eagles on Thursday night, got traded on
Friday and played for the Packers against the Browns on Saturday night. The
Packers owe the Eagles a 4th- or 5th-round pick, depending on how many
snaps LB Nate Wayne plays. Follow closely: If Wayne plays the 2nd-most
snaps among the Packers' LBs, they owe the Broncos the 4th-rounder, with
the Eagles getting the 5th-rounder. If he plays fewer snaps, the picks are
reversed. The Eagles figure they'll get the 4th-rounder.
-- NT Gilbert Brown called the Packers early last week to say he'd take
their offer. They passed. It's over. He's expected to sign with the
Seahawks.
-- The Packers wound up the preseason with a 34-33 win over the Cleveland
Browns last Saturday night. Joe, a longtime reader from Playa Del Rey,
Calif., was going to make the trip back for the game, but he reports that
his pal from Door County "came out here instead and happened to bring a
pound of Steve's Cheese aged white cheddar and a box of Johnsonville brats!
I made sure we biked down to the Packer bar in Hermosa Beach called Besties
where they had the final preseason game against the Browns on the satellite
big screen. He was impressed. ... We had fun at the bar with all the
displaced Packer fans." All that and a win. Ah, life is good.
-- The Packers' final cuts bring to mind the visit of some other longtime
readers. When John, Sarah, Joe and Katya visited 2 years ago, Joe was
thrilled to get the autograph of G Joe Andruzzi, a fellow New Yorker, and
meet Andruzzi's family. And now Andruzzi has been cut. Andruzzi said he was
"just shocked," but he didn't move well anymore after 3 knee injuries in 4
seasons. The Packers kept only 9 offensive linemen instead of the usual 10.
Barry Stokes can play T and G, and Mike Flanagan also will be a backup at
G, even though he's never played there in a game.
-- Of the 18 players cut, 3 have already rejoined the Packers' practice
squad: G Craig Heimburger, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and LB Eugene McCaslin.
Also added to the practice squad is WR Gerald Williams, who briefly was on
the squad late last season.
-- The rest are gone, though. A sign of the Packers' declining talent is
that only 4 of them have signed with other teams: LB Jim Nelson with the
Vikings, WR Bobby Brown with the Browns' practice squad, CB Tyrone Bell
with the Seahawks' practice squad and CB Jason Suttle with the Broncos'
practice squad. The other cuts: Sinceno, C Mike Newell, DT Jermaine Smith,
DE Tim Beauchamp, RB Rafael Cooper, QB Marcus Crandell, CB Tony Francis, WR
Junior Lord, DT Ron Moore and TE Adam Newman.
-- It's great to have 3 of our regulars check in with tidbits for the
Update. This follows summer visits by longtime readers Mark and Erica from
Oklahoma and Chris, Susan, Nathan and Alex from Cincinnati. When we started
the Update way back in the summer of 1994, the Internet Stone Age, Chris
was one of the 1st 7 subscribers, Always good to hear from our regular
correspondents, including Bob in Moline, Ill., and the folks in Camarillo,
Calif.
That's it. A relatively short one because this has been a busy week with
Evan off to kindergarten and me up with him at 7:30 a.m. (after working
nights) and working 7 days to get Packers preview sections and postgame
sections ready to go for the season. No complaints, though. That's just the
way it is.
As always, your viewer mail, questions and comments are welcome at
jeffash@netnet.net
Adventures with Evan: Though not thrilled with walking barely 4 blocks to
school, Evan is loving kindergarten. Mrs. Fay and her 2 aides are keeping
them busy, and Evan is getting to meet lots of new friends. Today, Evan
will have hot lunch for the 1st time. He seems intrigued by the notion,
perhaps because he's taken a bag lunch to most of his preschool classes.
Judging by the menu, perhaps a few hot lunches will have him back on the
bag lunches.
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette
(http://www.greenbaypressgazette.packersnews.com or
pressgazettenews.com), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/) and Packers (http://www.packers.com)
web pages. Check the Packers' current roster at
packers.com
-- 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
To get these free updates via e-mail, subscribe by sending an empty e-mail
message to SouthEndZone-subscribe@egroups.com. More details and
instructions are available at the South End Zone:
southendzone.com
Look for the most recent update at
southendzone.com
Be sure to check out all the other features of the South End Zone at
southendzone.com
---------------------------( ADVERTISEMENT )---------------------------
Get your sports tickets (yes even Packer tickets) from OpenSeats.com
southendzone.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
South End Zone Mailing List
southendzone.com
SouthEndZone-subscribe@egroups.com
SouthEndZone-unsubscribe@egroups.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=*= Over 2,600 subscribers in 14 countries. Tell all your friends! =*= |
