Packers News

3 Packers fined $5,000 each for actions against Minnesota Vikings
"The NFL fined Green Bay Packers Johnny Jolly, Al Harris and rookie B.J. Raji $5,000 each for actions in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Defensive tackle Jolly was fined today for unnecessary roughness for head-butting running back Chester Taylor. Cornerback Harris was fined for unnecessary roughness for grabbing a helmet opening to make a tackle. Defensive tackle Raji was fined for a major facemask violation. As for Jolly, Packers coach Mike McCarthy expressed his displeasure with the play earlier in the week. Taylor was tackled for a 5-yard loss on a third-down pass play. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Vikings had an automatic first down at the Packers 7 and scored a ..."
Once again, Packers their own worst enemy against Vikings
"Just before the game began, most of those who were a part of 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 ..."
Antonio Bryant is questionable
"Bucs WR Antonio Bryant is questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers because of a setback with the left knee injury that has lingered since preseason arthroscopic surgery. Bryant believes the nine-hour flight home from the game in London two weeks ago against the Patriots caused extensive swelling. The swelling has subsided, but he did not feel well enough to practice Thursday or Friday. The Bucs had a bye week last week. "That plane ride, that didn't help me," Bryant said. "I was good for, like, two weeks. My knee looked the same, and I probably ran the best I had ran all season. Then, next thing I know, I get on that plane coming back, I get up to use the bathroom, and it's like, ..."
Sitton shaping up as o-line's strongest link
"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 ..."
Jaguars nab safety Smith
"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, ..."
In a down economy, NFL viewership is up
"When this NFL season began with some franchises struggling to sell tickets, there were concerns about the impact that the uncertain U.S. economy would have on the nation's most prosperous sport. While those concerns have turned out to be justified in a few NFL cities and unfounded in others, there has been an unforeseen development: The NFL's television ratings are soaring this season, and some analysts say it appears to be the result of consumers cutting back on other, more costly leisure activities in favor of watching pro football on TV. "I think there's only one answer and that is the NFL and television are actually getting the so-called 'benefit' of the recession," said Neal Pilson, ..."
Packers C Jason Spitz 'not making progress' with lower back injury
"Green Bay Packers center Jason Spitz might be reaching a critical point with his lingering back problem. The Packers' opening-day starter hasn't played since Oct. 5 and doesn't appear to be getting healthier. Coach Mike McCarthy said the Packers are willing to wait for Spitz to get healthy, but for how long? His lower back injury, described only as spasms, is not getting better. Spitz sought a second medical opinion last week and said at the time it confirmed the diagnosis made by team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie. "Just kind of not making progress," McCarthy said of Spitz's condition. "Hopefully we can continue with his treatment and rehab and hopefully make some progress. I know he is ..."
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers misses practice with sore feet
"One of Aaron Rodgers' best plays in Sunday's loss to Minnesota was his 35-yard scramble down the right sideline early in the fourth quarter. There's reason to wonder whether the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers could pull off such a play this Sunday at Tampa Bay. Sometime after that play, Rodgers sprained the big toe on his left foot — the same foot he broke in 2006 — to go along with his already sore right foot, which has bothered him the last two weeks. "Thankfully, there's this little thing called adrenaline that kicked in last week," Rodgers said. "So I'm hoping it kicks in early and won't be an issue." Rodgers didn't practice on Wednesday, making it the first time he was held out ..."
Packers likely to start Mark Tauscher at right tackle vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
"It's looking more and more like the Green Bay Packers will turn to Mark Tauscher to steady their play at right tackle after giving him three weeks for an in-season training camp. Coach Mike McCarthy says he'll wait until the end of the week to decide whether Tauscher or Allen Barbre will start against Tampa Bay on Sunday. But considering he gave Tauscher more snaps than Barbre with the starting offense in practice on Wednesday, McCarthy appears inclined to make the change as long as Tauscher's reconstructed knee holds up to the increased work load. If McCarthy goes with Tauscher, it means the Packers will have their starting tackle duo of the previous nine seasons together for the first ..."
Jenkins regrets going public over frustrations with defense
"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 ..."
Numbers are lost in translation
"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 ..."
Trouble afoot for Rodgers
"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 ..."
Like the bad old days
"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 ..."
Tauscher, Clifton look like starters
"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. ..."
Packers DT Johnny Jolly just doesn't get it
"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 ..."
Packers are a wild-card playoff team at best
"Almost halfway through the season, the 2009 Green Bay Packers are just another NFL team. It's not just their 4-3 record. It's how they got there as well. Their wins are over teams that are a combined 7-23, including three (Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis) that have won only one game each. They've had two big games, against Minnesota, and lost both. In the post-Brett Favre era, they have but one high-quality win, in Week 6 last year, when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts. Even that was over a team that staggered to a 3-4 start while quarterback Peyton Manning struggled through recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp before finishing with nine straight wins. The ..."
Waning on the parade
"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 ..."
Vikings have outperformed Packers in off-season, too
"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 ..."
Hawk, Bishop could replace injured Chillar
"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 ..."
Vikings' Percy Harvin burns Green Bay Packers on returns
"The Packers didn't have an answer for the dynamic Percy Harvin on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings' outstanding rookie playmaker is a leading candidate for rookie of the year at the halfway point of the season and was a major factor in this game as kickoff returner alone in the Vikings' 38-26 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field. Harvin had two long returns that set up the Vikings for short touchdown drives – a 77-yard return in the first quarter that set up their first score, and a 48-yarder in the third quarter that answered a Packers touchdown and put the Vikings in position to increase their lead to 31-20 after the Packers had pulled to within four points. The Packers tried a couple of ..."
Packers' Aaron Rodgers rebounds from ugly first half, but it's not enough
"His predecessor on the opposite sideline and an incredible comeback victory within reach, Aaron Rodgers had the Green Bay Packers 28 yards away from a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. But as has happened all too many times in the 23 games since Rodgers replaced Brett Favre, whose Minnesota Vikings held on for a 38-26 victory in Sunday's showdown at Lambeau Field, the Packers came up a little short. A blown protection call gave Jared Allen an uncontested sack — his third and the Vikings' sixth, giving them 14 in two games against the Packers this season — on second down. Then, on third, the Vikings brought a five-man rush and Rodgers put a little too much air under a deep ball down ..."
Vikings' Brett Favre enjoys 'satisfying' return to Lambeau Field
"On the bus ride — the long, strange bus ride for Brett Favre — to Lambeau Field on Sunday, Ryan Longwell noticed a sign in store window a few blocks from the stadium. It read: "Welcome back Ryan Longwell." The Minnesota Vikings kicker, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1997-2005, leaned over to Favre, who was about to walk into the same stadium where he was cheered as the Packers' quarterback for 16 seasons, and said: "Just think, time heals all wounds. You'll get a sign in four years." Based on the reaction Favre received Sunday afternoon, it might take a little longer. When Favre walked through the tunnel in the south end zone wearing his Vikings' purple and white about 45 ..."
Talent gap puts heat on Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy
"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 ..."
Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings beat Green Bay Packers 38-26 at Lambeau Field
"Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings really stuck it to the Green Bay Packers this time. They came into an electric Lambeau Field, where the legendary former Packers quarterback was loudly booed every time he took the field, not only with reputations at stake but also a major swing in the NFC North Division race in the balance. Favre and Vikings conquered with a sharp, explosive offensive performance in a 38-26 win that had to be a hard shot to the solar plexus for General Manager Ted Thompson, coach Mike McCarthy and their team. Not even halfway through the season, the 4-3 Packers have been swept by their bitter border rival, which because of tiebreakers in effect puts them three games ..."
On an emotional day, Favre once again plays it cool
"Vikings quarterback Brett Favre approached most of his offensive teammates during pregame warm-ups Sunday. "He said, 'Do I need to say anything to you guys?' " tight end Visanthe Shiancoe recalled. Shiancoe said he told Favre "there's nothing to say," noting that they recognized the significance of the game and the hostility of the environment. "We know what to expect and we know what to do," Shiancoe said. Favre said his emotions were "worse than I thought it would be" but better than before the Oct. 5 game against his former team at the Metrodome, which he said, at the time, was about as nervous as he'd ever been heading into a game. Yet Favre was brilliant, completing 17 of 28 passes ..."
Once again, Packers their own worst enemy against Vikings
"Just before the game began, most of those who were a part of 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 ..."
Word of the day describes Vikings speedster Percy Harvin: He's electrifying
"One word. That's all I was looking for from Percy Harvin. Just one word to describe the way he plays the game. No answer came right away. So I tossed out a word for his consideration. Harvin smiled. Apparently, he liked the word. "Electrifying," the Vikings rookie said, nodding. "You can stick with that one." If he keeps playing as he did Sunday, that description will stick. In a game that included four touchdown passes by Brett Favre and a 97-yard rushing performance by Adrian Peterson, Harvin was the most electrifying player in the Vikings' 38-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers. He accounted for 261 yards — 175 on five kickoff returns, 84 on five receptions and a couple of yards on a ..."
Vikings' gambles in draft paying off
"The Vikings have landed two great players in the draft over the past three years by taking gambles that teams ahead of them apparently didn't want to take. Superstar running back Adrian Peterson was the seventh choice in the first round in 2007, and wide receiver Percy Harvin was the 22nd pick in the first round this year. The 38-26 victory over the Packers on Sunday was a perfect example of what those two young players mean to the Vikings. Harvin was responsible for 261 yards -- five kickoff returns for 175 yards, 84 receiving yards and 2 rushing yards. By the end of the first half, Peterson had already exceeded the 55 yards he got in the first Packers' game -- a 30-23 Vikings' victory on ..."
Having nothing to prove, Favre plays it his way against Packers
"As a Packer, Brett Favre always felt sympathy for opposing teams required to take the half-hour bus ride from Appleton to Lambeau Field. And those players didn't have to face the gantlet Favre did on Sunday, as Packer fans lined the bus route and offered specific and sometimes vulgar signals to their former quarterback. "It was long," Favre said Sunday night of the bus ride. "I had always thought, man, the visiting team, that's a long way to have to come. I had to drive a mile when I played here. "It didn't seem weird until I got into around the pier, then everything was real familiar to me. ... All the Packer fans were there, and there was some purple, and I saw a mixture of everything. ..."
Defense sputters in second half
"The Vikings entered halftime of Sunday's game at Lambeau Field with a 17-3 lead based largely on the play of a defense that made life miserable for Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. The quarterback had completed five of 11 passes for only 38 yards and been sacked four times. The Packers had 47 yards of total offense, including only 18 net yards passing when the sack yardage was figured into the equation. There appeared little chance Green Bay would finish with anything close to the 424 yards of offense it accumulated in a 30-23 loss to the Vikings on Oct. 5. However, the Vikings defense wasn't able to continue what it started. The Packers totaled 304 yards of offense in the second half, including ..."
Harvin unleashes more lightning bolts
"Percy Harvin has heard a lot of different adjectives and superlatives used to describe his talent, but he thinks "electrifying" might be the most appropriate. "Just stick with that one," he said, laughing. The Green Bay Packers won't argue. While the spotlight shined brightest on Brett Favre in his return to Lambeau Field on Sunday, Harvin's performance in a 38-26 victory also deserved top billing. The rookie finished with 261 total yards, on the strength of a long touchdown catch and two momentum-changing kickoff returns. Not bad for a guy who was listed as questionable on the injury report after missing one day of practice because of an undisclosed illness. Harvin declined to give ..."
Vikings again make sack battle lopsided
"The Vikings sacked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers six times Sunday while Brett Favre was not sacked in a 38-26 victory at Lambeau Field. Favre was also not sacked in the teams' first meeting Oct. 5. Vikings defensive end Jared Allen had three more sacks and three quarterbacks hurries after collecting a career-high 4 1/2 sacks in the first meeting. Allen, who faced rookie left tackle T.J. Lang, has an NFL-leading 10 1/2 sacks in eight games. Defensive end Ray Edwards dominated right tackle Allen Barbre at times and had his best performance of the season. Edwards finished with two sacks, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. He also drew a holding penalty against Barbre. Edwards ..."
Homecoming king: Favre reigns at Lambeau
"Brett Favre wasn't sure he agreed with the sentiment, but he heard the same message on multiple occasions over the weekend as he prepared to play his first game in Lambeau Field as a visitor. "I can't tell you how many text messages or guys just in passing today and yesterday [said], 'Hey, you're going to play great. I know you're nervous,' " Favre said. "I'm like, 'It's easy for you to say.' But they were right again." Indeed, they were. Favre, whose Hall of Fame résumé has been built on winning some pressure-filled games, did it again Sunday, throwing four touchdown passes with no interceptions in a 38-26 victory over the Packers. In doing so Favre helped the Vikings complete a series ..."
Favre Still Knows How to Win Big at Lambeau
"For Brett Favre, revenge is a dish best served with a side of denial. Favre raised his arms to celebrate another victory at Lambeau Field - just as he had done many times over 16 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Only this Sunday, he threw four touchdown passes to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 38-26 victory that resonated painfully with Packer die-hards."
He came, he threw, he conquered
"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 ..."
Favre the least of Packers' problems
"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 ..."
Consistency is lacking
"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 ..."
Finley's loss felt in loss
"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 ..."
Returner Harvin steals spotlight
"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 ..."
Not throwing in the towel quite yet
"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 ..."
Defense vents frustration again
"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 ..."
Unhappy returns
"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 ..."
Favre met with boos in return to Lambeau Field
"Vikings quarterback Brett Favre ran into a half-full Lambeau Field at 2:37 local time for warmups and was met predominantly with boos by the Packers faithful, who once cheered him for the better part of his 16 seasons here. There were a smattering of cheers, but he was hit mainly with a negative vibe right out of the tunnel. The chiding didn't last for long, though. Once he settled in around the 35-yard line near the Vikings' sideline and began throwing passes with Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson, most of the reaction turned toward the home team."
Brett Favre ducks fans as Minnesota Vikings arrive at Appleton hotel
"For a gaggle of interested fans, it appeared as though Brett Favre was a no-show as Minnesota Vikings players and coaching staff arrived at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel on Saturday afternoon. Appleton police, however, said Saturday night that Favre made a fast exit off the first bus with some large linemen shielding him. It happened shortly after 4 p.m. when the Vikings team buses arrived via police escort. About 120 diehard fans — some shouting, "Where is Brett?" — braved the 40-degree weather to greet the team and try to catch a glimpse of the Vikings' star quarterback. "Yeah, he was in," Appleton police Lt. Jay Steinke said. "There was no deviating from the team rules. He came in on ..."
Stakes are high for Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
"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? ..."
Switch to 3-4 causing problems for two Packers
"Making the switch from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4 defense comes with a lot of collateral damage, and it's not a one-year process. It's hard for a lot of players who fit the 4-3 scheme to adapt to the three-man front, as is being evidenced in Green Bay this season. Packers coach Mike McCarthy decided after a subpar defensive season last year that the 3-4 was his long-term preference. The defense of coach Dom Capers is off to a pretty good start. It ranks eighth in yards allowed, although the offensive competition has not been too tough through five games. The downside so far is two of the Pack's better defenders look out of their element in the 3-4. Elite pass rusher Aaron Kampman and ..."
Favre's teammates want to win this one for Brett, and themselves, too
"Listen to all the hype surrounding Brett Favre's return to Green Bay, and you half-expect him to enter Lambeau Field trying to dodge pitchforks, rotten tomatoes and flaming No. 4 jerseys. "It's going to be like 'Gladiator,' man," Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. Favre's teammates have his back. It's important to get a win for Favre in his first game at Green Bay as an opponent after he built a record-breaking career there over 16 years. He's been a Viking for just 2 1/2 months, but Favre and his teammates are tight already, bonded further by knowing they're going into a hostile environment — especially for their quarterback. "He knows I've got the brass knuckles and I carry a lot ..."
Vikings-Packers insider foresees a close game
"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 ..."
These days, the ring is the thing for Woodson
"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 ..."
Their prodigal neighbor
"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. ..."