June 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Green Bay Packers are in contract negotiations with Greg Jennings and are close to agreeing to a new deal, the veteran wide receiver said Monday after minicamp practice. Jennings warned that a breakdown was still possible. Nevertheless, this was the first time he had publicly been so optimistic about a potential new contract with the team since he began seeking a new deal at the conclusion of the 2008 season. "We've been working on some things. We're coming pretty close, as far as my understanding is, to some type of a deal," Jennings said. "But when I say close, we could still be far . . . if that makes sense. But I think we're coming close. You just never know how long 'close' can ..."
May 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Wide receiver Donald Driver has joined safety Nick Collins in taking issue with his contract, according to sources. Both joined cornerback Charles Woodson, who has never been a regular to off-season practices, in being the only veteran players absent for the start of organized team activities. But in an email, Driver's agent, Jordan Woy, said Driver's contract is not at issue. "Donald is training in Texas," Woy wrote. "It is not a mandatory camp and the Packers understand this." Driver, after having his contract reworked in '06 and '07, is due to make $6.1 million this season and $7 million in 2010, the final year of his contract, between base salary and bonuses. Driver's average salary ..."
May 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Defensive end Jason Hunter, who three years ago made the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent, has lost his position on the team to another undrafted free agent. The Packers needed a roster spot to make room for four tryout players they deemed worthy of signing after their rookie orientation camp last weekend, so Hunter was released Monday. Signing deals with the club were: 6-foot-1, 188-pound cornerback Trevor Ford; 6-5, 300-pound offensive tackle Dane Randolph; 6-3, 295-pound defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi; and 6-4, 232-pound punter Adam Graessle. Before the camp, the Packers had 77 signed players on their roster, so they needed to cut one in order to sign the four newcomers. It ..."
May 4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If the Green Bay Packers are going to bring the tight end position back to prominence as it was when Mark Chmura and Keith Jackson chewed up defenses, they're going to have to do it the hard way. Last year, they had a shot at Purdue tight end Dustin Keller in the first round of the draft but traded back into the second round towide receiver Jordy Nelson. This year, they passed on the draft's only legitimate tight end prospect, Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew, in order to take highly rated nose tackle B.J. Raji. Returning starter Donald Lee gives coach Mike McCarthy solid insurance at tight end and 2008 third-round pick Jermichael Finley gives him someone who in a year or two could ..."
April 26
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's unclear whether anyone has told veteran Ryan Pickett about it, but there's a very good chance he could be playing some defensive end for the Green Bay Packers this season. The 330-pound Pickett isn't any smaller than the Packers' first-round pick, Boston College nose tackle B.J. Raji, but general manager Ted Thompson and defensive coordinator Dom Capers think he's athletic enough to play end in their defense. Pickett has been a nose tackle only with the Packers, but in Capers' 3-4 defense the ends line up over the tackle and focus on playing the run. "I am excited about Ryan Pickett being able to play more than one position," Capers said. "The first thing you learn is if you run out ..."
April 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Green Bay Packers already have two punters on their roster but that might not stop them from adding a third in the next 48 hours. Shawn Slocum, their new special-teams coordinator, left the distinct impression on two of the top three punters in the draft that the Packers aren't necessarily satisfied with holdover Jeremy Kapinos and free agent Durant Brooks. On April 8, Slocum was in Dallas for a 1-hour 15-minute workout with Southern Methodist's Thomas Morstead. Earlier, he had a telephone conversation with Texas A"
April 24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob McGinn
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LeRoy Butler, one of the two greatest safeties in the history of the Green Bay Packers, actually was a cornerback as a senior at Florida State and in his first two National Football League seasons. Some personnel people see an eerie resemblance between Butler and Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins, the top-rated cornerback in this draft, as well as Oregon's Jairus Byrd, another so-called tweener. Jerry Angelo, general manager of the Chicago Bears, said the comparison between Butler and Jenkins was on the mark. "He's like a LeRoy Butler," Angelo said. "Kind of tough like that. Good athlete. What kind of speed did Butler have?" At the 1990 combine, Butler measured 5 feet 11 inches, weighed 193 ..."
April 22
Green Bay Press Gazette
columnist Mike Vandermause
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Who should the Green Bay Packers take with their first-round draft choice on Saturday? If Boston College nose tackle B.J. Raji is still on the board, it's a no-brainer. The Packers need a big bruiser in the middle of their 3-4 defense, and the 337-pound Raji fills the bill. But there's one problem for the Packers. Questions about Raji's character have been answered, which reduces the chance he will be available when they use the No. 9 overall pick in the first round. Raji is by far the best defensive tackle among a thin crop of college prospects and could get snatched in the first five picks. If that happens, the Packers will settle for their backup plan, which in all likelihood involves ..."
April 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ted Thompson's two biggest days of the year are just a week away. "He's a draft-driven guy and he does a good job doing it," an executive in personnel for another National Football League team said at midweek. "They're a pretty solid team and they've got a bunch of picks. Why do you need to be aggressive in free agency when you don't have a lot of needs?" The personnel man views the Packers as a team without many holes entering the draft next weekend. "Their No. 1 need is an outside linebacker who can rush the passer," the scout said. "The 3-4 is going to be good for them. It's a nice changeup, especially for the NFC North and the NFC where you don't see a lot of 3-4 teams. Then I think ..."
March 21
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Green Bay Packers defensive backs Nick Collins and Tramon Williams are both waiting for the club to make them financial offers they think are worthy of their signatures. Collins is waiting at home in Florida and Williams is in town working out with the rest of his teammates. Collins is absent as he and his wife await the birth of their third child, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. But he and his agent are frustrated with the lack of attention Collins has received heading into the last year of his contract, the source said. The Packers have made it known that they have other players they have to address first before they get to Collins, and before that they want to ..."
March 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If the Green Bay Packers are able to lure former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Anthony Smith to their organization, they will be adding a strong, athletic player whose biggest shortcoming might be his lack of maturity. Smith, 25, visited the team's facilities Wednesday and expressed interest in being a part of the Packers' transition to a Steelers-like 3-4 defense, a pair of NFL sources said Thursday morning. The Packers have had talks with Smith's agent about a contract, but other teams were interested and no deal had been reached as of Thursday evening. The Packers have shown a recent interest in safeties, bringing in Cleveland unrestricted free agent Mike Adams and Smith over a two-day ..."
March 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Green Bay Packers have set up a tentative visit Saturday for free agent linebacker Kevin Burnett, but it's possible the Dallas Cowboys veteran will have a new home before that. Burnett's agent, Ricky Lefft, said Wednesday night that he did not know if his client would still be unsigned by the weekend given interest shown by other teams. But he was leaving open the possibility of a meeting with the Packers, who have shown some interest in the free agent. From the look of things, it appears the Packers are not willing to rush into anything and aren't interested in going to extremes to get Burnett signed. Given Burnett is built somewhere between a middle and outside linebacker the Packers ..."
March 4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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As thin as the Green Bay Packers are on the defensive line, it should never be forgotten that their priority in building a successful 3-4 defensive scheme is to find playmakers at the outside linebacker positions. It is there where 3-4 teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers have stocked up on well-rounded athletes who can both rush the passer andinto coverage. To that end, the Packers are eyeing a couple of free agents who could offer instant help, the most notable being Dallas linebacker Kevin Burnett, a former second-round draft choice who will be entering his fifth season in 2009. Of all the remaining linebackers, Burnett might have the most potential because of his athleticism and untapped ..."
March 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In just a matter of days, the NFL free-agent defensive line field has been whittled down to its ordinary core, leaving the Green Bay Packers to sift through the remains and decide whether they can find a bargain. The leftovers are slim enough that the Packers will make a play for a safety before they take on the task of building up a rather thin defensive-line group. In the next day or two, they will visit with Cleveland unrestricted free-agent safety Mike Adams, a part-time starter last year whose strength is coverage. According to an NFL source, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Adams is scheduled to meet with Packers officials to discuss the possibility of joining their organization. Adams came ..."
March 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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One of the reasons the Green Bay Packers are $30 million under the salary cap is that they refuse to set the market in free agency and prefer to let the market establish itself. It means that sometimes the object of the Packers' desire is at the bank cashing a check from somebody else before they even have their checkbook out of their pocket. But that strategy has kept them from overpaying players. The Packers very well could be left in the dust again this year with their own free agent, Colin Cole, and someone else's, Dallas' Chris Canty. Both free agents appear to have at least two suitors with as much or more interest than Green Bay, and it will be up to the Packers to decide whether ..."
February 21
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The top three left tackles in the National Football League draft won't be available for the Green Bay Packers to take with the No. 9 selection based on a Journal Sentinel poll of executives representing 25% of the league. The cross section of eight scouts, four from NFC teams and four from AFC teams, painted a picture in which the Packers might well be looking at Boston College nose tackle B.J. Raji to buttress their new 3-4 base defense. "I haven't even started working on that," general manager Ted Thompson said Friday at the NFL combine. "When you're picking at 9 your draft board's a little bit different than when you're picking at 30. But I feel pretty strongly . . . there's going to be ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist
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In 2004, the Green Bay Packers went through a soap opera with Mike McKenzie as the leading man. The 2003 Packers had a real shot at the Super Bowl. They were playing as well as anyone in the NFC when they closed the season on a 6-1 rush to win the NFC North with a 10-6 record. The regular season ended with the incredible moment at Lambeau Field where fans went nuts because of something that happened a couple thousand miles away in the Arizona desert when the Cardinals knocked the Minnesota Vikings out of the playoffs with a last-play touchdown. Had that not happened, the Packers still would have missed the playoffs even with their 10-6 mark. The idea that the Packers were a team of destiny ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Keith Jackson or Tyrone Davis? Paul Coffman or David Martin? That's the question the Green Bay Packers are anxious to find out when it comes to Jermichael Finley. Finley, an incredibly raw 21-year-old who would be entering his senior year at Texas if he hadn't left school early, just completed a largely unfulfilling rookie season. But the multitalented Finley just might be the key to where the Packer tight end position is headed. Will Finley eventually develop into a solid contributor that can put up big numbers, ala Jackson and Coffman? Or will he spend his career teasing, frustrating, and then breaking your heart, like Davis and Martin? "I don't plan to break anybody's heart," Finley ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Mike McCarthy is going old school to get his weight room back up to speed. McCarthy chose National Football League coaching veteran Dave Redding to replace strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson, a league source said Wednesday. Gullickson was fired along with five defensive coaches on Jan. 5. Redding will be 58 by the time training camp starts in August. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who will be 59, is the only assistant older than Redding. Redding was coach Marty Schottenheimer's strength coach for all but two years from 1982-'06, serving in Cleveland ('82-'88), Kansas City ('89-'98), Washington (2001) and San Diego ('02-'06). McCarthy was a quality control assistant and ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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During his laughable years as the Detroit Lions' general manager, one reason Matt Millen became a punch line was his love affair with wide receivers. On three occasions, Millen grabbed a wideout with a top-10 pick and two failed miserably. Packer general manager Ted Thompson isn't quite as affectionate when it comes to wide receivers. But he's close. In all four of his drafts, Thompson used first-day picks on a wide receiver. Jordy Nelson (2008), Greg Jennings (2006) and Terrence Murphy (2005) were all taken in the second round, while James Jones was a third-rounder in 2007. Altogether, Thompson has selected eight receivers. The good news for Packer fans is Thompson has fared awfully well ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Dom Capers, the Green Bay Packers' new defensive coordinator, made his mark in the National Football League as the coach of the Carolina Panthers. His staff of position coaches is now taking on a Carolina flavor, also. Although the Packers have yet to officially announce the new hirings, Mike Trgovac and Kevin Greene have been added to the defensive staff, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Trgovac was the Carolina defensive coordinator for the past six seasons but decided he needed a change of scenery. He had been offered a contract to return as the Panthers' defensive coordinator but instead will join the Packers as defensive line coach. Trgovac was the Packer defensive line ..."
January 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When the Green Bay Packers began their 2008 season, one thing to watch was whether or not age would start to show in the cornerback corps. How was the question answered? For the most part, quite nicely. Charles Woodson was voted a starter in the Pro Bowl (but will not play because of an injury), and Al Harris has been added to the roster as an injury replacement after being voted as an alternate. Woodson, who played with a broken big toe much of the first half of the season, was replaced by Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber. And when Philadelphia's Asante Samuel later was removed because of an injury, Harris was named as his replacement. In other words, the Packers appear to be in good hands with ..."
January 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Personal reasons kept the Green Bay Packers from adding another member to their coaching staff. Much like Gregg Williams, who turned down Mike McCarthy's offer to be the Packers' defensive coordinator to take the same job with the New Orleans Saints, veteran defensive line coach Bill Johnson said Wednesday he chose the Saints over the Packers for family reasons. "It was as simple as that, really it was," Johnson said at the Senior Bowl. "I can't tell you how impressed I was with the entire operation they have up there in Green Bay. But in the end, New Orleans was a better fit." Johnson said that both his grown children live in Atlanta. He also is a Louisiana native (Neville) and graduated ..."