Packers News

Woodson enjoys giving jitters to offenses
Comment
November 20
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"Charles Woodson doesn't take it personally that opposing quarterbacks keep pointing him out on the field. On the contrary, he considers it a compliment. The Green Bay Packers cornerback would like to think he has become his opponents' obsession every time they line up, wondering where he's at, where he's going and what are his plans. It was especially so in the Packers' victory over Dallas on Sunday when defensive coordinator Dom Capers had him playing four different positions, sometimes blitzing, sometimes covering wide receivers, sometimes covering tight ends and sometimes playing the run. "As much as Dom has blitzed me, a lot of times they're turning the protection to me," Woodson said. ..."
Jackson thrives as blitz-killer
Comment
November 20
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"On those occasions when Green Bay Packers running back Brandon Jackson would get run over during training camp pass-rushing drills, there would be snickers from those who were wondering what a 5-foot-10, 210-pounder was doing trying to block the likes of Nick Barnett and Desmond Bishop. Nobody is laughing now, least of all Dallas defensive end Anthony Spencer, who had the misfortune of getting chip-blocked all the way to the seat of his pants during the Packers' 17-7 victory at Lambeau Field Sunday. "That was probably one of the best chips I've seen in a long time - a long time," running backs coach Edgar Bennett said. "It was picture perfect. Spencer is a good player, a really good ..."
Packers get back 2 injured starters: OLB Aaron Kampman, RT Mark Tauscher
Comment
November 19
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"The Green Bay Packers are about as healthy as they could hope to be at this point of the season and returned two starters to the practice field on Wednesday — outside linebacker Aaron Kampman and right tackle Mark Tauscher. Kampman missed last week's game against Dallas because of a concussion and Tauscher because of a sprained knee. Both had full participation in team drills on Wednesday and were regularly working with the starters during the portion of practice open to reporters. "I feel good about where Aaron is medically, and he looked like he moved around fine today," coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. "I'll know more once we see the tape. But, yeah, I thought he bounced back ..."
Packers have learned how to stuff the run
Comment
November 19
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"Coach Mike McCarthy's switch to a 3-4 defense with coordinator Dom Capers has shored up one of the great deficiencies for the Green Bay Packers last season — their run defense. Last January, McCarthy fired defensive coordinator Bob Sanders because the 2008 Packers didn't stop the run (No. 26 in the NFL in yards allowed and yards allowed per carry) or rush the passer (No. 25 in sacks percentage). Capers this season has made a modest gain getting after the quarterback — the Packers rank No. 18 in sacks percentage a little past the halfway point. But with essentially the same personnel, he has turned one of the NFL's worst run defenses into among its best. The Packers rank No. 4 in yards ..."
Smith's, Rodgers' paths provide study in contrasts
Comment
November 19
San Jose Mercury News
 
"For a brief time on April 23, 2005, Alex Smith felt sorry for Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers — after much speculation — took Smith over the Cal quarterback with the No. 1 draft choice. Smith headed to the podium to smile and hold up his 49ers jersey. Rodgers sat and waited "... and waited. Smith sympathized. "No question," Smith said last week. "To be back there in the green room is uncomfortable. Every single pick, there is a camera sitting on you to get your reaction. To have to sit there that long would be really difficult I would imagine." As it turns out, all that waiting might not have been so bad. When the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, quarterbacks linked by ..."
For 5-4 team, Pack sure draws
Comment
November 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Bob Wolfley
"For a team that is 5-4, one whose chances for a division title appear to be out of reach, some of Green Bay's games this season have generated huge national television audiences. Of course there is a Favre Factor here - Brett Favre's presence on the Minnesota Vikings fueled interest in the two Packers-Vikings games, which were played in the first half of the season on a national stage. But Favre didn't play in last Sunday's Dallas Cowboys at Packers game on Fox, which went to most of the country, and there was a bigger national audience for that game than for the much anticipated prime-time game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts on NBC-TV. Through 10 weeks of the ..."
Certain look in their eyes
Comment
November 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The San Francisco 49ers are a team without a franchise quarterback, go-to receiver, Pro Bowl defensive lineman and probably without hope when they're down by 14 points. But they've got Samurai Mike. Whatever the result Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers know they'd better have their chin straps buckled and mouth guards in place when the 49ers come to town. They might not be the most talented team, but their head coach, Mike Singletary, will try to get them to match the passion and fury with which he played middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. "I think he definitely brings that to them as a head coach; he definitely brings that attitude," guard Josh Sitton said. "And it ..."
Rodgers' shining moment
Comment
November 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"Let's just get this out of the way: Aaron Rodgers has done a lot more right than wrong in his 25 games as starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. His statistics are gaudy. He's fourth in the National Football League with a 101.8 passer rating. Rodgers' 134.9 rating on third downs is far and away the best in the league. He has thrown 17 touchdowns against just five interceptions. And he certainly has the smarts and the physical tools needed at the position. But has Rodgers really made the throws or the plays when the team needed him to? You know what we're referring to: tough throws into impossible spots in gotta-have-it moments? The kinds of plays that separate the good quarterbacks ..."
Buffalo signs Brohm
Comment
November 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"Quarterback Brian Brohm is no longer a member of the Green Bay Packers' organization. And this time that was his choice. On the practice squad since being cut by the Packers at the final roster trim before the regular season, Brohm was signed Wednesday night by the Buffalo Bills to their active roster, a source said. The Packers had an open roster spot after waiving wide receiver Jake Allen and attempted to retain Brohm by offering the same two-year deal as the Bills did. But in the end, the Packers' second-round pick in 2008 thought it best to go to a team searching for a quarterback, not stay on one that has its long-term answer at the position in Aaron Rodgers. Brohm also gets a chance ..."
49ers' Alex Smith, Packers' Aaron Rodgers forever linked
Comment
November 19
Oakland Tribune
 
"For a brief time on April 23, 2005, Alex Smith felt sorry for Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers - after much speculation - took Smith with the first pick of the NFL draft instead of Rodgers, the Cal quarterback. Smith headed to the podium to smile and hold up his 49ers jersey. Rodgers sat and waited "... and waited. Smith sympathized. "No question," Smith said last week. "To be back there in the green room is uncomfortable. Every single pick, there is a camera sitting on you to get your reaction. To have to sit there that long would be really difficult, I would imagine." As it turns out, all that waiting might not have been so bad. When the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on ..."
Green Bay Packers' Ahman Green has plenty of football left in him
Comment
November 18
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Mike Vandermause
"Ahman Green wasn't ready to give up his career in the National Football League. But by the middle of October, 11 months had passed since the 32-year-old running back's last game, and Green admits he was starting to think about another line of work. "It was tough," he said. "But in the back of my head was always (the thought), 'Stay in shape, be ready to go at the drop of a dime and a phone call.' " Nothing materialized following a tryout with the St. Louis Rams in August, but Green continued to work out while maintaining his residence in De Pere. When the phone finally rang again, Green Bay Packers director of football operations Reggie McKenzie was on the line offering a tryout. "My ..."
49ers' Vernon Davis eclipses fellow '06 draftee A.J. Hawk
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November 18
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Pete Dougherty
"The verdict is on whether the Green Bay Packers should have drafted A.J. Hawk or Vernon Davis with the fifth pick of the 2006 draft: Davis. After three seasons of poor production and immature behavior, Davis this season has blossomed into a playmaking tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. Hawk, whom the Packers chose at No. 5 overall, hasn't been much more than an average starting linebacker since his rookie season. Davis (6-feet-3 ½ and 250 pounds) finally is performing at a level approaching the stunning talent he showed as star of the '06 NFL scouting combine. He's the 49ers' leading receiver (45 catches), leads all tight ends in the NFL in touchdown receptions (seven) and is a player ..."
Harris defends against disease
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November 18
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"Alshinard Harris Jr. was almost 2 when his father began his NFL career in 1997. He wouldn't remember his father rising from Tampa Bay's practice squad and moving on to become a reliable nickel back and emerging starter in Philadelphia. But he certainly saw Al Harris become the starter and respected shutdown cornerback in Green Bay in 2003. That season he watched his father intercept Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck in an NFC playoff game and return it for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. And near the end of the 2007 season, at long last, the 12-year-old shared the joy as his dad was named to his first Pro Bowl. It was just one of the bonds between the two - the love of football. Though ..."
Rodgers finally delivers a big win
Comment
November 18
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Bud Lea
"He is a lonely man. He cannot hide his mistakes in the huddle or in the locker room. He comes out each week, naked to his critics and vulnerable to his opponents. He is Aaron Rodgers. The only thing you knew about Sunday's game at Lambeau Field was that Rodgers was going to be under a microscope. All week long the talk had been about how the Green Bay Packer quarterback was leading the NFL in sacks and had played poorly in a shocking 38-28 loss to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You wondered how much more of a beating he could take. You wondered how well he could stand up against a Dallas defense that treats quarterbacks the way vicious dogs treat the mailman. You wondered when he will ..."
Defense delivers in moment of need
Comment
November 18
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"In one corner stood Dallas' Jason Garrett, the proud coordinator of the NFL's fifth-ranked scoring offense. In the other was Green Bay's Dom Capers, who oversees a defense that had allowed 76 points in its previous two games. Mismatch, right? You bet - just not the way most people expected. Green Bay's struggling defense played its finest game of the season Sunday, limiting Dallas' high-powered offense to 278 total yards and just 61 yards on the ground. The result was a 17-7 Packer win in what many considered a make-or-break game for the team. "We knew our backs were against the wall and we came out swinging, and I think we caught them in the chin a little bit," said linebacker Nick ..."
Finally, Green Bay gets back on track
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November 18
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"One-game wonder or season-saver? That's what the Green Bay Packers will find out over the next seven weeks. The Packers entered last Sunday's game with Dallas left for dead in many circles. But after Green Bay played perhaps its most complete game of the year and prevailed, 17-7, its back in the playoff picture of a wide-open NFC. The Packers improved to 5-4 and are in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference. The top six teams in each conference qualify for the postseason. "It was a big win for us, definitely," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "We knew (being) 4-4 (and) playing a very good team, it was an important time in our season to get back in this race." The question now is ..."
Right circumstances unleash Green Bay Packers pass rush
Comment
November 17
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"Nick Barnett is a realist. As much as he enjoyed going hog wild after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Sunday and sacking him twice, the Green Bay Packers linebacker knows the stars have to align just right for defensive coordinator Dom Capers to use a similar plan game in and game out. After the Packers battered the Cowboys with an array of inside cross blitzes and outside pressures, the simple solution seemingly would be to throw the same thing at the San Francisco 49ers this week, the Detroit Lions the following week and so on until they're riding right into the playoffs. That can happen, but only if the rest of the game plan works, too. Getting help from the special teams and ..."
Short passes take pressure off Green Bay Packers offensive line
Comment
November 17
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"The Green Bay Packers aren't ready to concede they'll have to commit to the quick-hitting, short passing game they used to defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. They employed that plan in Sunday's 17-7 victory in part because they started a rookie, T.J. Lang, at right tackle for the first time and in part because they feared the Cowboys' pass rush out of their 3-4 defense. It worked, to a degree. The Packers gave up four sacks to run their season total to 41, but pass protection wasn't the crippling problem it had been in the first half of the season because Rodgers was getting the ball out of his hand quicker. The Packers might have the same concerns Sunday when they play the San Francisco ..."
Illegal third challenge should've cost Green Bay Packers
Comment
November 17
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"According to the NFL rules on replay challenges, Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy should have been penalized when he threw the challenge flag for the third time in the second half of Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips plans to ask the NFL why that didn't happen, and he has a few other questions for the league as well. McCarthy was prohibited from challenging a fourth-quarter catch by Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton because he didn't win both of his previous challenges in the second half. Teams are allowed two challenges per half but can get another if they win their previous two. McCarthy won only one of the two challenges. The Packers should have been ..."
Jones creates new dilemma
Comment
November 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The emergence of rookie outside linebacker Brad Jones has created a delicate situation for Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy. Jones, a seventh-round pick who played in a 3-4 system at Colorado, fared extremely well in the Packers' 17-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Making his first career start in place of the injured Aaron Kampman (concussion), Jones gave the Packers just about everything they were looking for from the position. He had seven tackles, including one for loss, and did a reasonably good job in coverage. "I thought he played very well for a young man playing in his first game, against that opponent, and the number of defensive calls that were called in the ..."
Unleashing the hounds
Comment
November 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"When the Green Bay Packers' defensive coaches met to review their smashing performance in a 17-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, a good part of the discussion wasn't about Xs and Os. It was about Es - as in emotion, energy, enthusiasm. "Guys were excited," safeties coach Darren Perry said. "We talked about it postgame and this morning about just the feeling, the look in the guys' eyes. They were having fun. And a big game like that, when you can take the edge off by having a lot of fun, it makes it that much easier for guys to go out and play loose. "That's kind of what we had yesterday." The Packers' near shutout of the Cowboys - they held them to 131 yards until midway through ..."
Packers give QB Aaron Rodgers more responsibility
Comment
November 16
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"Though Aaron Rodgers didn't have one of his more productive games on Sunday, coach Mike McCarthy said he gave his quarterback more responsibility at the line of scrimmage than he ever has in an effort to help the Packers' problems in pass protection. Rodgers finished Sunday's 17-7 win over Dallas with a passer rating of 91.1 points, his third-lowest in nine games this season, and 189 yards passing, his second-lowest total of the season. But the Packers came into the game with a league-most 37 sacks allowed. McCarthy started rookie T.J. Lang at right tackle in place of Allen Barbre in one effort to improve the protection and also made some major, unidentified changes in his protection ..."
Packers' only long drive pays off against Dallas Cowboys
Comment
November 16
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"The Green Bay Packers sustained only one offensive drive on Sunday, but it was the one they needed. Punchless and mistake-prone for the better part of three quarters against the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers had generated only three points and 144 net yards before embarking on a 15-play, 80-yard touchdown march that pushed their lead to 10-0 with 13 minutes, 14 seconds to go. Those 15 plays didn't erase the ugliness that preceded them — seven penalties enforced for a net loss of 64 yards, three sacks, four other plays that lost yardage, six punts and two field-goal attempts in eight drives. But by the time Aaron Rodgers plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown, the Packers had chewed more than 8½ ..."
Packers linebackers lead dominant effort by defense
Comment
November 16
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"When the Green Bay Packers' linebackers — the lifeblood of any good 3-4 defense — play like they did on Sunday, there might be no way to effectively move the ball against them. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers turned his linebackers loose, blitzing them from all angles, and it crippled the Dallas Cowboys' high-powered offense. It helped the Packers match their season high with five sacks, three of which came from their linebacking corps. Combine that with safety Charles Woodson's near dominating performance, and the Packers' defense was perhaps the overriding reason they stunned the Cowboys 17-7 at Lambeau Field. Capers' play calling was heavy on the blitz in part because the Cowboys ..."
Packers get win they needed
Comment
November 16
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Mike Vandermause
"This was the kind of victory the Green Bay Packers desperately needed. Their 17-7 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on Sunday carries huge significance. It puts the Packers in the thick of the NFC wild-card playoff chase, provides a king-size shot of confidence and could serve as a springboard to bigger and better things in the second half of the season. How could the same Packers team that played so poorly in a numbing defeat against the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week turn in such an inspired effort against the highly touted Cowboys, who own the third-best record in the NFC? The Packers rebounded from their worst defeat in more than a decade by handing ..."
Packers defeat Dallas Cowboys 17-7
Comment
November 16
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"The Green Bay Packers live to fight another day. With their season on the line at this unusually early point in the season Sunday, the Packers shut down a Dallas Cowboys team that leads the NFC East Division and has one of the most talented and balanced offenses in the NFL. The 17-7 final score at Lambeau Field probably doesn't do justice to the degree to which defensive coordinator Dom Capers' crew controlled a Tony Romo-led offense that came into the game ranked No. 3 in total yards, rushing yards and passing yards, plus tied for No. 5 in points. But control the Cowboys they did in a win that puts the Packers into the thick of the playoff race just as they were precariously close to ..."
Cowboysthe ball
Comment
November 16
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The unseasonably mild weather was the lone exception. Everything else about the Dallas Cowboys' experience at Lambeau Field on Sunday screamed that it was already December for the NFC East leaders. In a performance reminiscent of some of their recent late-season meltdowns, the Cowboys lost 17-7 to the desperate Green Bay Packers before 70,894 fans. "We had everything today," said Tony Romo, who oversaw a wretched offense. "We had breakdowns in protection. We had penalties. We had drops and me throwing an interception. We had different areas throughout the game where we all had things we wanted back." One week after grabbing the division lead with a fourth straight win, a stirring 20-16 ..."
Dallas Cowboys' offense derailed in 17-7 loss
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November 16
Dallas Morning News
 
"Assistant head coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo have combined to run the Cowboys offense from start to finish in 38 games. Their performance during Sunday's loss to Green Bay will be ranked as No. 37. The Cowboys produced only one score and a season-low 278 total yards, with 147 of the yards coming after Green Bay had gone ahead 17-0 in the fourth quarter. In their time together, Garrett-Romo has had fewer yards and points only once: six points and 240 yards in a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 16, 2007. The common theme to the fizzles? Garrett-Romo was outmaneuvered each time by a savvy and blitz-happy defensive coordinator. The late Jim Johnson ran the Philadelphia ..."
Dallas Cowboys' secondary lacking on key drive of 17-10 loss
Comment
November 16
Dallas Morning News
 
"Through 2 ½ quarters, the Dallas Cowboys' secondary held strong against Green Bay's quick-throw offense. Then the roof caved in on Dallas' defenders. The Packers went 80 yards in 15 plays on a chaotic drive that included all sorts of craziness. At one point, only one starter was in Dallas' defensive backfield. The drive ended with the Packers leading, 10-0, with 13:14 left in the game. The crumbling of Dallas' secondary began when cornerback Mike Jenkins injured his arm trying to tackle Donald Driver after a 10-yard gain on the second play of the drive. Cornerback Terence Newman went off briefly with cramps. And safety Ken Hamlin was injured five plays after Jenkins, tackling Ryan Grant ..."
Road isn't so easy for Dallas Cowboys after 17-7 loss
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November 16
Dallas Morning News
 columnist Tim Cowlishaw
"Losing at Lambeau Field isn't necessarily the end of the world, even if you sometimes feel you can see it from here. The Cowboys' four-game winning streak is over. Not only did they lose to the Green Bay Packers, a team that just lost to what had been a winless Tampa Bay team, but the Cowboys barely scored. What we thought had grown into one of the NFL's most prolific offenses was stopped in its tracks here Sunday afternoon. What some thought was an easy path to a 9-2 record by the end of Thanksgiving Day disappeared faster than you can say "play not reviewable" in a 17-7 loss to Green Bay. As losses go, this was a bad one for Dallas. I wouldn't say that their cloak of invincibility was ..."
Call that hurt Dallas Cowboys in 17-7 loss was correct
Comment
November 16
Dallas Morning News
 
"Trailing 10-0 in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys needed some breaks to go their way, especially after Green Bay recovered a Tony Romo fumble after a sack at the Dallas 3. From the looks of replays, Felix Jones had possession of the loose ball before Johnny Jolly ripped it free while he was on the ground. Wade Phillips threw the red challenge flag to make sure the Cowboys would get the ball back because of the down by contact rule. Then referee Jeff Triplette remembered the play cannot be challenged. "My mistake," Triplette said told a pool reporter after the game. "That's not a reviewable aspect of a play. A recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable by rule, so we ..."
Williams has big day in Dallas Cowboys' 17-7 loss
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November 16
Dallas Morning News
 
"Roy Williams had his first 100-yard receiving game since coming to the Cowboys. "I'd rather have my usual two for 27 with a win, know what I mean?" said Williams, who had gone 18 games since his last 100-yard receiving game. Williams caught a 9-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left on a perfect fade pass over cornerback Tramon Williams, something that he and Tony Romo have had difficulty connecting on this season and last. It helped the Cowboys avoid their first shutout since 2003, but there was no celebration. "Yeah, who cares?" Williams said. Williams did not care about his five catches for 105 yards. Nor did he give much thought to his third touchdown reception of the season. All ..."
Dallas Cowboys take a step backward with 17-7 loss
Comment
November 16
Dallas Morning News
 
"This loss had nothing to do with the Cowboys being a little too full of themselves. It had nothing to do with eating the cheese, a phrase former coach Bill Parcells loved to use whenever he felt his team was in danger of a mental letdown. The Cowboys lost in the land of cheese Sunday because they ran into a desperate Green Bay team that rose to the occasion. They left Lambeau Field with a 17-7 loss because their normally prolific offense fell flat against an inspired Packers defense led by cornerback Charles Woodson. The Cowboys remain alone in first place in the NFC East thanks to San Diego's dismissal of Philadelphia. But the momentum this team built with a four-game winning streak is ..."
There can be an ugly win
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys have played many compelling games in their venerable rivalry, but what took place late Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised game was not one of them This game was so ugly you actually looked forward to hearing referee Jeff Triplette explain another ruling on a challenge. If you like your football with no rhythm, tons of penalties, injury delays, few big plays on offense, coaches' challenges and confused officials, then this was the greatest game played this season. "That sounded like an infomercial from Jeff Triplette," Fox game analyst Troy Aikman said after one detailed explanation. "Good god," Aikman said in the fourth quarter after ..."
Knocked off their high horse
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"It's been a long time since a top-tier, all-but-certain playoff team with a Pro Bowl roster and high-profile talent came into Lambeau Field as the favorite, met the Green Bay defense and rolled out like this. Confused. Dazed. Humbled. But that's how the Dallas Cowboys' offensive players looked and felt before they made the hastiest of exits out of the once again inhospitable Lambeau on Sunday night, their four-game winning streak halted and their quarterback sacked more - that's right, more - than Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay's 3-4 defense lived up to its ranking more than the Packers did their uncertain reputation and whipped Burlington's Tony Romo and the Cowboys, 17-7. "I don't ..."
Line makes some gains
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The Green Bay Packers started Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys with their sixth combination along the offensive line. There were still plenty of sacks (four), hits on quarterback Aaron Rodgers and penalties related to the offensive line (five), but the unit that started the 17-7 victory might garner a longer look. Mostly because rookie T.J. Lang might be able to find a home at right tackle. "Yeah, that'd be nice," Lang said when asked if he'd like to stay in one spot. "Seems like every time I kind of settle into one spot I'm kind of bumping around. But that's part of the game; you've got to be ready to play anything. It'd be nice to stay over there, but I don't know what the plan ..."
In the nick of time
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Bob McGinn
"This is why that hoary old cliché, "On any given Sunday," still has meaning in the National Football League. It's also what 53 players, 20 assistant coaches and one head coach can do with clear minds and big hearts. Performances as unified and inspired as the Green Bay Packers turned in Sunday don't come along more than every few years. They need to be counted out by just about everyone in the state, they need to be ripped from stem to stern all week long and they need to be playing a powerful opponent no one expects them to defeat. The Packers didn't just whip the Dallas Cowboys, 17-7, on a 47-degree afternoon at Lambeau Field. After taking responsibility early in the week for their ..."
A pair of fresh outside forces
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The Green Bay Packers caught a glimpse of their future on defense and undoubtedly liked what they saw. Starting two rookies at outside linebacker, the Packers played one of their finest games of the season, holding the Dallas Cowboys to seven points and a season-low 278 yards. They allowed the Cowboys to convert just 3 of 12 third downs and forced three turnovers. There's no question it was a group effort, but it came with two rookies in the lineup, one of whom was making his first start. Together, Clay Matthews and Brad Jones had eight tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Matthews, who was starting for the sixth time, played like a man on fire, attacking his assignment with even more ..."
What comes next?
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Michael Hunt
"You could say the Green Bay Packers are back. You could also say the economy has recovered, world peace is at hand, the Mayans are right about 2012 and the Rolling Stones will tour into a sixth decade. Except for the part about the Stones, only a person with Warren Buffett-type disposable income should be allowed to gamble on any of life's great unknowables, up to and including the Packers, whose duality remains as immeasurable as the pile of cash atop which Jerry Jones sits. Who are these guys, anyway? The outfit that lost the week before to the NFL's worst team, or the one that came within 38 seconds of pitching a shutout against the league's third-best offense? "You know what? I don't ..."
Woodson has his hand in everything
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November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"If there was a team meeting on defense this past week to talk about the importance of the Green Bay Packers' game against the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Charles Woodson missed it. On purpose. "I believe in self-motivation," he said Sunday night, shortly after he motivated the Cowboys to get out of town as quickly as possible. It's no secret that Woodson is on a mission to get a Super Bowl ring before his clock strikes midnight, and backed into a wall with the rest of his teammates, he decided to live another day. Devising a game plan that seemed almost completely centered on Woodson, defensive coordinator Dom Capers rode his star cornerback to a near shutout. "It was one of the better ..."
Stats flat, but Rodgers sparkles
Comment
November 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"Aaron Rodgers has forged higher passer ratings than he did Sunday a total of 15 times in his brief career as a starting quarterback. Seldom, however, has Rodgers been a more effective player than he was in his 25th start as the Green Bay Packers turned back the Dallas Cowboys, 17-7, at Lambeau Field. Rodgers hasn't always demonstrated what it takes to defeat an opponent. This time, he most assuredly did, and with it took a step in his development as the successor to Brett Favre in the National Football League's smallest city. "From a management standpoint, I thought he did a very good job," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I told him that this was the most comprehensive game plan I think we ever ..."
Let's get a grip; Green Bay Packers season isn't lost yet
Comment
November 15
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Mike Vandermause
"The vultures will be circling Lambeau Field Sunday, ready to gorge themselves if the Green Bay Packers lose to the Dallas Cowboys. The cries of discontent this season started in hushed tones last month when the Packers lost to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. They grew louder and more pronounced a few weeks later when Favre returned to Lambeau and stuck it to his old team again. Then came the thunderous roar of outrage after the Packers slipped on a banana peel in Tampa against the previously winless Buccaneers last week. Now, all most Packers fans want to discuss are the firings of General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy. Can everyone step back, take a ..."
Packers present another challenge for Dallas Cowboys
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November 15
Dallas Morning News
 columnist Tim Cowlishaw
"If you missed Wednesday's point-counterpoint between Todd Archer and David Moore, you have only yourselves and an understandable lack of faith in two veteran beat writers to blame. Just to review, Archer thinks the Cowboys are elite, but as a lifelong soccer fan, he's overly impressed with the Cowboys' ability to score more than once a game. Moore denies the Cowboys elite status, but then there are few things that really excite the wily Moore other than the 'I' key on his laptop. Anyway, Archer and Moore were somewhat limited in the space they were given to discuss this topic. Fortunately, I have recovered nicely from Thursday's examination of a torn rotator cuff (would I make that up?) ..."
All is not lost just yet
Comment
November 15
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"It's not too late for coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson, just like it's not too late for the Green Bay Packers' playoff chances this season. McCarthy's expertise coaching quarterbacks and the passing game is respected by his peers, and he has fostered an environment in which his teams have forged superlative numbers in all-important turnover differential. Thompson's steady hand and seasoning as an evaluator restored morale in the football department. With about half the starters procured during his draft-driven administration, the 2007 Packers were an overtime from the Super Bowl in what would have been one of the most surprising and satisfying seasons in franchise ..."
Dallas Cowboys are tough to rein in
Comment
November 14
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Eric Goska
"Everything is bigger in Texas.

Scoreboards are bigger. The new Cowboys Stadium boasts a video board |60 yards long. Offensive lines are bigger. The five starters for Dallas weigh an average of 326 pounds and stand |6-foot-6. Plays result in bigger gains. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has his unit averaging better than 6½ yards per snap, the only group in the NFL to be so productive. This is the team that will hitch up their horses in front of Lambeau Field for three hours Sunday. The Cowboys' offense might singlehandedly have the Packers circling the wagons come sundown. Dallas is one of four teams averaging better than 400 yards a game: New Orleans (426.9), New ..."

Packers finally give T.J. Lang shot at right tackle
Comment
November 14
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"The Packers are finally doing what they should have done months ago. They're giving the starting right tackle job to T.J. Lang. Better late than never. Lang, the rookie fourth-round draft pick, will start Sunday's game against the Cowboys. It will be his first start at right tackle after starting twice at left tackle earlier in the season. Lang spent most of the offseason working at right tackle and seemed poised to put up a good fight for the job in training camp and in the preseason. But when August rolled around, the Packers never gave Lang an opportunity to compete with Allen Barbre and Breno Giacomini for the job. Barbre beat out Giacomini but struggled in pass protection in his seven ..."
'I have faith' in Packers, says GM Thompson
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November 14
Green Bay Press Gazette
 
"A year ago, the Green Bay Packers reached the halfway point of the season with a 4-4 record and their season at a crossroads. They crumbled in the second half and won just two more games. They're at the same point this season heading into their ninth game. Beginning with Sunday's game against the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field, the Packers face a much tougher second-half schedule, which has many wondering how they can avoid the same fate as last season, when they finished 6-10 a year after playing in the NFC championship game. "Because I have faith," Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said Friday when asked why this year would be different. "I have faith in these ..."
Cowboys' defense to focus on run first
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November 14
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Despite the fact Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 37 times, the sack-happy Dallas Cowboys won't enter Sunday's game thinking it's a sure thing they'll get to him. Rodgers has excellent mobility and the Packers have a strong ground game, two factors that could offset a Cowboys defense that has recorded at least three sacks in the last six games. "We've got to play the run tough and win first down," defensive end Igor Olshansky said Friday. "If we can get them in third and long, DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff can get their sacks and make their dances." The Cowboys always have been tough on first down under Wade Phillips. This season, they're yielding 4.5 yards, good for ..."
Rodgers' pain not lost on Dallas Cowboys' Romo
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November 14
Dallas Morning News
 columnist David Moore
"Forget about Brett Favre for a moment. Aaron Rodgers is in danger of being reduced to the chalk outline that was David Carr's rookie season. Fail Sunday, and the Green Bay quarterback will also become lost in the shadow of one of Wisconsin's favorite sons. Rodgers and the Cowboys' Tony Romo are similar. Both have Favre's improvisational flair. Both are mobile quarterbacks who buy time with their feet to make plays with their arm. Both followed legends. The difference is that Rodgers replaced a legend that resurfaced in the same division and has already beaten the Packers twice this season. Romo started his first game for the Cowboys more than six years after Troy Aikman retired. Still, ..."
Defensive line ready for battle of the bulk
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November 14
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"It'll be bulk on bulk Sunday at Lambeau Field when the Green Bay Packers' defensive line tries to muscle up and make amends against the offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Last season, the Cowboys basically manhandled the Packers up front en route to 217 yards on the ground and a 27-16 victory in Green Bay. To win, the Packers can't let that happen again. "There were a couple plays where they got off and got the best of some people sometimes," defensive end Cullen Jenkins said. "Controlling the run has to be No. 1, and it starts up front with the D-line. We've got to make sure we control the line of scrimmage. They've got some great backs. We can't let them get after us." Based on the ..."
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