November 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Right guard Josh Sitton, one of six players to make starts at tackle and guard for the Green Bay Packers this season, could be classified as the only one having a good year. On an offensive line buffeted by injury and guilty of shoddy play, Sitton's performance has shown that the Packers really can draft a capable offensive lineman and then develop him into a competent player. Nobody, least of all the coaching staff, is saying any of the team's offensive linemen has been outstanding. Sitton, who has not given up any of the league-leading total of 31 sacks, probably has been the most solid. "He's playing pretty well," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "For a first-year starter, he's ..."
November 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Green Bay Packers came close to reacquiring safety Anthony Smith on Friday but lost out to the Jacksonville Jaguars because of the National Football League waiver system. An executive in personnel for an AFC team confirmed what had been reported on nationalfootballpost.com, that Jacksonville was awarded Smith over a claim put in by Green Bay. The waiver system at this time of year is based on inverse order of the standings. At 3-4, the Jaguars had claiming priority over the Packers, 4-3. If Smith had been awarded to the Packers, they would have had to remove a player from the 53-man roster. A good guess is that the club would have released one of three backup safeties: Matt Giordano, ..."
November 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Cullen Jenkins felt much better about his place in the Green Bay Packers' defense Wednesday after he emerged from lengthy meetings with the coaching staff. A frustrated Jenkins said after Sunday's 38-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that he felt "handcuffed" in the new defense and that the coaches weren't putting the players in the position to be successful. Jenkins met separately with coach Mike McCarthy, defensive coordinator Dom Capers and line coach Mike Trgovac on Monday and said everyone is now on the same page. "We talked out a lot of stuff, got a lot of stuff settled," Jenkins said. "We got a lot of positives out of the talks." Jenkins also emerged conciliatory about the manner in ..."
November 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's a safe bet that fantasy football owners everywhere love Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback is fifth in the NFL in touchdown passes (14), sixth in passing yards (1,989) and has just two interceptions. While Rodgers might be winning games for fantasy owners, he's not posting any big wins for the Packers. And right now, he's quickly gaining a reputation for being a stats guy but not a winning quarterback. In 23 starts, Rodgers has compiled a disappointing 10-13 record (.435). And good luck finding a signature win, as only two of Rodgers' victories have come against teams with a winning record when they played Green Bay. Meanwhile, the consistent theme in Rodgers' losses has ..."
November 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Just when it might seem a break is on the way, a new challenge emerges. Tampa Bay has only 11 quarterback sacks this season, third lowest in the NFL. But Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has taken 31 sacks, more than anyone else in the NFL. And he missed practice Wednesday with injuries to both feet. So while the 0-7 Buccaneers may not present much of a pass-rush threat, there is still some concern inside the locker room that with injured feet Rodgers might look like a sitting duck Sunday. And with the rate the Packers are giving up sacks, that's not a good thing. "We feel like we need to block as long as we can no matter what but knowing that he may be a little hobbled, boy, we've ..."
November 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob McGinn
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It will be Throwback Day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, in more ways than one. For the first time, the Bucs will wear their original orange and white "creamsicle" uniforms and helmets. They date to 1976-'77, when under coach John McKay and general manager Ron Wolf, the Bucs lost a National Football League-record 26 straight games. Now the franchise is mired in an 11-game skid, its longest since then. As the NFL's only winless team (0-7), the Bucs have turned back the clock to their futile beginning and could threaten Detroit's single-season mark of 0-16 a year ago. "I think Green Bay will just have too much offense for them," an executive in personnel ..."
November 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Considering Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher were the primary tackles in practice Wednesday, it would almost seem a given that both would be in the starting lineup when the Green Bay Packers play at Tampa Bay Sunday. If it isn't, it's clearly moving that way. Clifton returned from a two-game absence due to a sprained right ankle and played a considerable amount of the snaps with the No. 1 offense ahead of rookie T.J. Lang. It was only the second time since injuring his ankle against Cincinnati in Week 2 that he was listed as a full participant in practice. Tauscher, meanwhile, took the majority of snaps at right tackle ahead of starter Allen Barbre and appeared to be close to his old self. ..."
November 4
Green Bay Press Gazette
columnist Mike Vandermause
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In a somber locker room following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a handful of reporters waited for defensive lineman Johnny Jolly to explain his puzzling first-quarter, momentum-changing personal foul penalty. Jolly's head-butt of running back Chester Taylor was an ill-conceived, dimwitted infraction that seemed to give the Vikings the spark they needed in running off 24 consecutive points on their way to a 38-26 victory. Packers linebacker Nick Barnett had just stuffed Taylor for a 5-yard loss on a third-down pass, and the Vikings were going to settle for a 32-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. It was a momentous event for the defense, until Jolly arrived on ..."
November 4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In the National Football League, a premium is put on the opening offensive drives of each half. It's an opportunity to set the tone to start the game, and the all-important second half. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Green Bay Packers, with a 10-13 record the past two seasons, have been a big disappointment in both categories. In their past 23 games, the Packers have been outscored a combined 102 to 38 on the opening drives of each half (2.22 points per drive to 0.83), including 38-16 this season. Sluggish starts beget sluggish returns, apparently. "No, we're not happy with those numbers," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. "I've got a little folder in my book on the ..."
November 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Eight weeks into the National Football League season there is one thing you can say with certainty: The Minnesota Vikings are a better football team than the Green Bay Packers. The 38-26 loss the Packers suffered at the hands of the Vikings Sunday at Lambeau Field closed the argument. It also may force the Packers to accept that the Vikings have more talent and have done a better job building their team for a Super Bowl run. Most people who witnessed the game would find that hard to dispute. "I'm not going to compare us to the Vikings other than to say that they beat us yesterday and a few weeks ago," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said Monday. "We have to do some things to improve a ..."
November 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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fore the week is out, the Green Bay Packers will have a new nickel linebacker. Who that is has not yet been determined. Brandon Chillar broke his hand in the Packers' 38-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, leaving a void in the pass defense. Chillar had surgery Monday and will be out at least several weeks before being allowed to play with heavy padding around his hand. Chillar plays two big roles for the defense: inside linebacker in the nickel and the fifth linebacker in the team's "Big Oakie" defense. The latter was designed specifically with Chillar in mind and will probably be abandoned while he's out, but the nickel is a staple of coordinator Dom Capers' defense and will require a ..."
November 2
Green Bay Press Gazette
columnist Mike Vandermause
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Brett Favre had no interest in gloating after the Minnesota Vikings completed a season sweep over his old team Sunday at Lambeau Field. Favre threw four touchdown passes to lead the Vikings to a convincing 38-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers, and that was satisfaction enough for him. The loud boos from the regular-season record crowd of 71,213 that cascaded down on Favre at a once friendly venue didn't rattle him. And neither did the Packers defense, which for the second time this season failed to record a sack or interception against him. Favre showed exactly why Packers General Manager Ted Thompson refused to trade him to the Vikings last season. The 40-year-old gunslinger still ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In the days leading up to his mega-hyped return to 1265 Lombardi Ave., Brett Favre said he received countless pats on the back, text messages and words of encouragement from his Minnesota Vikings teammates. "They said, 'Hey, you're going to play great. We know you're nervous,' " Favre said. "I'm like, 'That's easy for you to say.' " He steeled himself for the boos and catcalls he knew he'd hear from fans who once worshipped him as the iconic leader of the Green Bay Packers. He was the enemy now. He understood that. He was booed when he trotted onto the field for the pregame warm-up Sunday, booed when the Vikings came back out before the opening kickoff, booed every time he stepped into the ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Michael Hunt
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Just before the game began, most of those who had made possible the largest regular-season crowd in Lambeau Field history booed Brett Favre like the narcissistic rat they perceived him to be for willfully exacting revenge in the most traitorous way possible. By the time it was over, nothing much about the macabre homecoming was about No. 4, no matter how gleefully he jumped about in an end zone he once frequented in less divisive times. It was about coaching decisions so strange that they made Brad Childress look Lombardi-esque by comparison. It was about penalties so inane that you wonder why some guys are still cashing a Green Bay-issued paycheck. It was about not playing to the best ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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For all that happened in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, the offensive performance of the Green Bay Packers came down to and was summarized by two crucial plays in the fourth quarter. After a furious comeback, the Packers trailed, 31-26, and faced second and 3 at the Minnesota 28 with 6:26 left. The game was there for taking. On the first play, rookie left tackle T.J. Lang had an assignment error that let defensive end Jared Allen rush free, and he sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers in less than 1.5 seconds. On third and 8, Rodgers was very well-protected. Instead of hitting open receivers James Jones short or Greg Jennings to the left, Rodgers went deep down the left sideline ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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As well as tight end Spencer Havner played Sunday, catching two of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' three touchdown passes, the offense clearly missed Jermichael Finley, who was out with a knee injury. The Green Bay Packers' 38-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings featured fewer of the two-tight end formations the Packers use so often with Donald Lee and Finley and might have been the reason the offense struggled out of the gate. In the first meeting between the two teams, Finley created a match-up problem for the Vikings and torched them for 128 yards and a touchdown on six catches. His ability to run up the middle of the field would have helped attack Minnesota's two-deep coverage and given the ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In a game that was supposed to be largely about Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, it was taken over by a rookie whose availability was questionable for the game. The Vikings listed Percy Harvin as a 50-50 shot to play in the Green Bay-Minnesota rematch after he battled illness during the week, but it was his returns that made the Packers sick by Sunday night. Harvin's 77-yard kickoff return in the first half put the Vikings in to position to score a Peterson touchdown. And his 48-yard kickoff return in the second half gave the Vikings favorable field position again, with the result a Favre-to-Jeff Dugan touchdown. "It's huge. You can't do that and expect to win," said Packers special teams ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If you're the Green Bay Packers, you probably can kiss the NFC North Division away, right? Well, the Packers weren't quite ready to admit they'd be playing for a wild-card playoff berth the rest of the way after the 38-26 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. "Nope," nose tackle Ryan Pickett said. "Way too much ball left, way too much time. Nobody's talking about we're out of the race. We win all our games, we'll be straight." With a victory, the Packers could have moved into a virtual tie atop the NFC North. By losing, the Packers fell to 4-3 and 2 1/2 games behind the Vikings (7-1). Not only that but they would lose every tiebreaker to Minnesota by virtue of being swept ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Quarterback Brett Favre has frustrated his share of players, coaches and fans over the years and so it was no surprise that he was at it again Sunday. For the second time in four weeks, Favre frustrated the Green Bay Packers defense so much that one of its members spoke in less than glowing terms about the way players are being used in first-year defensive coordinator Dom Capers' 3-4 system. Defensive end Cullen Jenkins spoke out after the Packers' 38-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, saying he felt "handcuffed" in the new defense and that the coaches weren't putting the players in the positions where they can be most successful. Jenkins' complaint comes on the heels of cornerback Charles ..."
November 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob McGinn
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Brett Favre did what he set out to do. He has hurt the Green Bay Packers, grievously, twice within a month. With the 40-year-old Favre sticking it to general manager Ted Thompson and everyone else in Packers gear, the Minnesota Vikings swatted aside their hated border rival, 38-26, in a litmus test for both teams Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Vikings, coming off brutal tests against Baltimore and Pittsburgh, rallied around Favre in his personal quest to prove that the Packers never should have traded him during the tempestuous summer of 2008. The Packers, refreshed from a bye and a pair of breathers against Detroit and Cleveland, had every physical and motivational advantage going for them ..."
November 1
Green Bay Press Gazette
columnist Mike Vandermause
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The specter of Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field dressed in purple has so dominated the local landscape that one important fact has been overlooked. Sunday marks the Green Bay Packers' most significant regular-season game in more than a decade. If the buildup to the Packers' showdown with the Minnesota Vikings has the feel of a playoff game, maybe that's because it's as close as you can possibly get to the postseason in early November. "There's more at stake here than one person coming back to a stadium," Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman said. "This is huge for both organizations in terms of the NFC North, not for any other story line. Who's going to take control of the NFC North? ..."
November 1
St. Paul Pioneer Press
columnist Charley Walters
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For 16 years, Mike Eayrs was the brainy numbers guy for the Vikings. Eayrs fed statistics, variants and formulas into sophisticated computers that would digest the information, then spit out tendencies that could be used by his team to win football games. For the past 10 years, Eayrs has been doing the same as director of research for the Green Bay Packers, who this afternoon play Minnesota in an epic game that features storied former Packers quarterback Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field as the 40-year-old star QB of the division-leading Vikings. "Basically, the way we're approaching it over here, it's probably going to be who scores last," Eayrs said from Green Bay. What does the ..."
November 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When the Green Bay Packers host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the energy flowing through the seats and over the playing surface at Lambeau Field may be strong enough to travel clear into living rooms across the entire country. Brett Favre is coming back to the place he once called home and everyone will be watching. This is not news to cornerback Charles Woodson, arguably the defensive equivalent of Favre for the Packers and a guy who may be looking forward to this game more than any player on either team. Betrayal? Animosity? Revenge? No, those reasons ring hollow for Woodson, a teammate of Favre's for two seasons, including one in which they made it all the way to the NFC ..."
November 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Bob Harlan cannot bear to witness this family drama. Thirty-seven years with the Packers, another year as the team's emeritus chairman, and Harlan cannot recall missing a single home game at Lambeau Field. Until this one, Sunday's game between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, the game that marks the return of quarterback Brett Favre to Green Bay. While Packers fans mass at Lambeau Field, Harlan says he will be somewhere else far from the roar of the crowd. He will avoid the television broadcast just like he did last month when the Packers went north to play Favre and the Vikings in Minnesota. For a few hours, he will cut himself off from the team he loves and the player he respects. ..."