May 24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver had a point-blank message for Antonio Freeman. And he made himself very clear. It was 2003. Fresh off his first 1,000-yard season - a breakout season for the former seventh-round pick - Driver suffered a wincing neck injury in the Green Bay Packers' season opener. He was expected to miss multiple weeks. With two other receivers also injured, Packers' coach/general manager Mike Sherman buried the hatchet and brought Freeman back. So, in the locker room, Driver was sure to get Freeman's attention right away. "His exact words to me were, 'Uh-uh, sweet dog. I have to get back on the field. I can't let you come back and take what I worked so hard to earn,' " Freeman said. "One"
May 18
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver has been pretty busy with "Dancing With the Stars," advancing week after week in the television competition. So a lot of people took notice when he sent out this tweet Thursday afternoon: Hello everyone: I'm a packer for life. It will never change. Go Pack Go!!!! Speculation on Driver's NFL and Packers future is nothing new, but it has grown recently. Here's why: It looks as if Driver will miss at least the start of the Packers' off-season practices, which begin next week, and that has prompted some fans to question his future in Green Bay."
May 15
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Michael Hunt
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A couple of weeks ago at the NFL draft, Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy danced around questions of a 14th season for Donald Driver in Green Bay. Anticipating they would be asked about the future of the Packers' all-time leading receiver, the general manager and the coach apparently had ready-made deflection lines about Driver's successful appearances on "Dancing With the Stars." But neither would commit to another year for one of the team's most popular players. Of course, it wasn't easy for either guy."
March 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The status of left tackle Chad Clifton and wide receiver Donald Driver has not changed since the end of the season. Both are still on the Green Bay Packers roster. On Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy gave every indication that Clifton and Driver were still in the team's plans despite their advancing age and high salaries and that only medical issues would prevent them from returning for another season. When asked whether Clifton would be back, McCarthy seemed surprised the question was asked. "Definitely," he said. "There's definitely a possibility. We haven't taken him off (the roster), so he's someone we'll continue to talk about and get the reports. He's down in Tennessee now, so we'll"
January 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The end may be near for Donald Driver in Green Bay. And he knows it. He's not living in delusion, not getting desperate. No, when the Green Bay Packers wide receiver stood at his locker Monday morning - the hangover from a 37-20 loss to the New York Giants still throbbing for all players - he was honest, practical. Does he plan to retire? No. Do the Packers want him back? Not sure. Is he willing to play elsewhere? You bet. "If the Packers don't want me, I've got to go somewhere else and play," Driver said. "I don't have a choice. I'm not ready to hang the cleats up. My wife feels like I still got it. I feel like I still got it. If my family feels that way, then I'm going to continue to"
November 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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For the longest time, Donald Driver didn't even want to talk about it. He couldn't even consider it. Absolutely consumed with winning a Super Bowl, he would shake his head at anyone broaching the topic of his post-football life. But lately he's been thinking about it a lot. In his 13th season, 36 years old, with that cherished ring, he's watching his numbers recede as these younger receivers fly on the field. His role has changed. And with the tiny crinkles around the eyes and the sore joints every morning, Driver can't help but sense an aging transition and wonder where it will take him next. "I come to work happy. But sometimes I think, why am I still doing this?" Driver said. "I've got"
November 22
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If anyone knows Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings, it's teammate Donald Driver. And Driver said Monday that Jennings would play Thursday against Detroit. Jennings suffered a knee bruise against Tampa Bay on Sunday, and while it did not knock him out of the game, it did cause a lot of pain. Had the Packers practiced Monday, Jennings would have been out. But Driver is sure that won't be the case Thanksgiving Day. "I don't see why he wouldn't play," Driver said. "I don't think he would ever not play." Coach Mike McCarthy said the plan was to get Jennings out for some work in the only practice of the week Tuesday. How much he'll be able to do will be dictated by how he feels, but"
October 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Hands gripping the lectern, Mike McCarthy had enough. His voice sped up. His temper rose. He doesn't want to have this conversation again. Donald Driver's declining number of snaps was brought up during Wednesday's press conference. And the Green Bay Packers coach boiled over. "What are we doing here?" McCarthy said. "Those are positive things about your team. I'm not going to continue to sit here and answer this thing every week. I think it's a bunch of garbage." Snaps are bound to fluctuate in this offense. There are too many weapons, a problem the talent-starved St. Louis Rams would die for on Sunday."
October 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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There are no excuses. Greg Jennings refuses to give the rookie a pass. Oh, it's great that all five wide receivers made the highlight reel for the first game all season. One ball - in fact - can be spread around to everyone. But that 61-yarder from Randall Cobb? Not good enough. "It's like an ultimate fulfillment when everyone can get in on it," Jennings said. "(But) you have to get on Randall Cobb because he blew his opportunity." Four of the Green Bay Packers' five wideouts scored touchdowns in Sunday's 49-23 rout. Cobb, accelerating upfield in a flash, was tripped up on his long gain. "Come on now," Jennings said. "That's the standard we hold.""
October 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Wide receiver Donald Driver knows his body pretty well, but he doesn't know what's wrong with his left knee. And for a while there, he didn't care. The venerable Green Bay Packers receiver looked done for the game - if not the season - when Denver safety Brian Dawkins ran into his left leg just as it planted into the turf in the Packers' end zone. Driver went down hard and in pain and several teammates thought the injury was so bad that they knelt in the end zone and prayed for him. But with 12 minutes, 18 seconds left in the first half of the Packers' 49-23 victory, Driver was not finished. He came back and played the entire second half with his knee tightly wrapped and no clue of the"
September 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Receiver Donald Driver was 1 yard away from breaking James Lofton's franchise record for receiving yards in front of the home crowd and couldn't do it. So the crowd at Bank of America Stadium got the pleasure of seeing it. With 2 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third quarter, Driver caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, pushing him past Lofton to 9,666 yards. "It feels good, " Driver said. "It's something you dream of for a while. I didn't expect this to happen. Now to be the all-time (leader) in all categories (receptions and yards), that's something."
September 9
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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What a week for Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver. His wife, Tina, welcomed baby Charity Danette Driver - the couple's third child - into the world at 5:39 p.m. Wednesday night. The stats: 7 pounds, 3 ounces. A day later against the Saints, Driver got his 700th career reception in the first quarter, on the Packers second drive to the end zone. He is just the 33rd player in NFL history to join the 700 club. And all he needed for a perfect week was 42 yards to become Green Bay's all-time leading receiver. He didn't get it. A 9-yard catch in the fourth quarter gave Driver 9,656 career receiving yards, tying the all-time record by James Lofton. He trotted off the field with the"
July 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver has been bulletproof throughout his 12-year career with the Green Bay Packers, and for good reason. Driver was fearless, acrobatic, sure-handed, charismatic, clutch and resourceful, forever in tip-top shape and forever a fan favorite. He was the consummate pro. They say all good things must come to an end. Almost no one is saying that about Driver, but if he doesn't perform appreciably better than a year ago football will be over for him much sooner than later. Age has never been an issue for Driver because few National Football League players have remained in more magnificent condition than him. Early in Driver's career, a personnel man said of him, "Most women would kill to"
July 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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There are three Donald Drivers in 2011. The one consumed with winning the Super Bowl. The one who took advantage of the extra long off-season from the lockout to relax, heal and rehabilitate. And the one who now expects to resume his starting role with the Green Bay Packers as soon as the labor situation is settled. He knows that last notion might come with some questions - and doubts - which he is grateful he hasn't had to address for the last five months. "The lockout gave me the opportunity to heal and not try to rush back to prove to people or prove to the media I'm not done yet," Driver said. "If I didn't show up for OTAs, and I'm hurt and everything, people would say I may be winding"
July 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In an interview today on ESPN Radio, Packers wide receiver Donald Driver declined to blame National Football League owners or the management of his own team for the league-wide lockout. Instead, the veteran wide receiver (left) chose to emphasize that the owners and players were in discussions that will eventually lead to a new collective bargaining agreement. Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio mentioned to Driver that polling showed NFL fans blame owners more than the players for the current lockout impasse. "Do you categorize the owners as greedy like fans do?" Cowherd asked Driver."
June 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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For an afternoon, Time Warner Field became an oasis of sorts. For approximately 25 members of the Green Bay Packers, there was an opportunity to reunite with teammates for a cause: the Donald Driver Charity Softball Game. Typically, the annual softball game serves as a welcome respite from the monotony of the Packers' early June minicamp. With the National Football League's lockout in full force, the softball game gave the Packers the chance to connect with each other and their fans Sunday. For the sellout crowd of 8,349, it was a chance to soak up the sun on a perfect afternoon and watch the defending Super Bowl champions engage in a friendly game that benefits the Donald Driver"
May 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver will hold his charity softball game on Sunday, June 5 at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute no matter what. "The game is 100% taking place, not contingent on lockout at all," said Driver's marketing agent, Brian Lammi. This will be the fourth year Driver has organized the long-running event. Offensive players from the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers roster will match up against the defensive players. Tight end Jermichael Finley and receiver James Jones are just two of dozens of Packers players and assistant coaches expected to attend."
February 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In the middle of the hugs, the delirious Green Bay Packers fans, the wives trying to get down from the stands and onto the field. . . In the middle of raining confetti and moments that were going by much too fast even to snap a few pictures, Donald Driver knew he had to find one man: Charles Woodson. Driver made it to the locker room, pushed through the shoulder pads of his teammates and limped onward with a high ankle sprain. When he found Woodson, wincing from a broken collarbone and his arm in a sling, he saw he wasn't the only one with tears falling down smudged black eye paint. "They can't take this from us," Driver and Woodson said almost at the same time. "We played. "And now we can"
February 4
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Green Bay Packers practiced without wide receiver Donald Driver and linebacker Erik Walden Thursday, but only one of them is in danger of missing Super Bowl XLV. Driver only took part in the early portion of practice Thursday after aggravating a thigh injury that bothered him for the better part November. He experienced soreness after practicing in full on Wednesday. "He's fine," coach Mike McCarthy told a pool reporter at the conclusion of the 1-hour, 45-minute, no-pads workout at Highland Park High School's indoor facility. "He wants to practice and all that, but I'm not taking any chances with him. I'll probably hold him out tomorrow, as well." Not having Driver could be a problem"
January 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob McGinn
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Donald Driver played so well and so consistently for so many years that his age was never even mentioned by those who are paid to evaluate him across the National Football League. Now it is. Two executives in personnel for teams in the NFC North Division this week said Driver hasn't been the same player in 2010 that he was as a 1,000-yard receiver for the Green Bay Packers in seven of the last eight seasons. "He's showing his age," one of the personnel men said. "He doesn't look like the threat he did a couple years ago." "Not as good," another personnel man said. "Injuries set him back a little bit. Not as productive. Had some drops. I think he's declining." The first scout, an ardent"
December 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." - Vince Lombardi The great Vince Lombardi uttered these words nearly five decades ago, and they still ring true in 2010. Today's Green Bay Packers are a perfect example. The Packers have leaders in all shapes and sizes. Some quietly go about their business like wideout Donald Driver and cornerback Charles Woodson. Others, like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, are more vocal and expressive. There are no right or wrong ways to lead, only different ways. Packer Plus talked to 16 players last week: eight on offense, seven on defense and one that"
December 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver had to be patient at the beginning of his career; now he has to be patient toward the end of it. It took the Green Bay Packers' 35-year-old wide receiver three years in the NFL to become a starter and one of the team's featured offensive players, but eventually he ripped off six straight 1,000-yard seasons. That streak will end this year because Driver (40 catches) simply is not getting the same number of balls thrown in his direction. Greg Jennings (61 catches) is the team's featured receiver, and James Jones (40 catches) and Jordy Nelson (38 ) are regulars in the team's pass-oriented offense. To reach 1,000 yards this season, Driver would need to average a little more than"
December 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It had been a long time - more than two months - since Donald Driver scored a touchdown. It had been a lot longer since Driver, or any other member of the Green Bay Packers, for that matter, scored on a more sensational play. Displaying extraordinary effort and some shake-and-bake moves, the 35-year-old Driver drove a stake in the hearts of the San Francisco 49ers with his 61-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter of a game that was still very much in doubt. The touchdown gave the Packers a 21-13 lead and they went on to win, 34-16. "I thought Donald Driver's touchdown was the biggest play in the game," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. "I thought it ignited our football team. We"
August 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When he's 37 years old, Donald Driver might not be the same receiver he is now, but the Green Bay Packers know for sure that for the next three years he'll give them everything he has on the field and never offend anybody off it. For those reasons, general manager Ted Thompson faced a no-brainer in extending Driver's contract for two years, thus taking the 35-year-old receiver off the free-agent market in 2011 and setting up the possibility that he would be able to retire having played for just one team. The Packers don't usually announce contract extensions, but given Driver's lofty station in the organization and vast popularity in the community, the public relations department kept"
August 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When Donald Driver and team physician Patrick McKenzie met a few days after the season, their discussion centered on how Driver wanted the remainder of his career to play out. At issue was the condition of Driver's left knee, which unknown to reporters, fans and most of his Green Bay Packers teammates had been causing him persistent sharp pain for the past three or four seasons. "He said, 'If you can play through it the next couple years, then do it. You don't have to do it,' " Driver said of McKenzie's advice. Play a couple years? Uh, not quite. Driver intends to be going strong for a lot longer than that. So given the fact he was still a month shy of his 35th birthday, the decision was"
July 26
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(scroll down)
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Since being drafted in the second round in 2006, Greg Jennings has played 3,069 snaps alongside Donald Driver, who has played 3,420. Together, they join Boyd Dowler-Max McGee, Carroll Dale-Dowler, James Lofton-John Jefferson, Sterling Sharpe-Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman-Brooks and Javon Walker-Driver on the club's list of all-time receiving tandems. After Jordy Nelson came along in the second round in 2008, he and James Jones essentially have split time as the No. 3 and No. 4 receivers. In the last two seasons, Jones has played 780 snaps compared with 718 for Nelson. For two years, Aaron Rodgers has been throwing to a corps with fairly defined roles: Jennings at split end and Driver at"
June 12
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver not only feels great after he had arthroscopic surgery on both knees in January, but the Green Bay Packers wide receiver wishes he had the procedure years ago. Driver was in the Milwaukee area Thursday and Friday to support Packers teammate Greg Jennings in his fund-raising efforts for Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity and the Greg Jennings Foundation. Driver said he hadn't told anyone other than the Packers staff that he was playing with limited range and flexibility as well as pain last year. It wasn't until last Wednesday, when Packers coach Mike McCarthy admitted that Driver and linebacker Nick Barnett had both had knee scopes. Both players had been held out of off-season"
June 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Donald Driver has always been so appreciative. For the slimmest of chances, 11 years ago, when then-Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf drafted him in the seventh round, the 213th of 253 picks overall. For his children, Cristian and Christina, after he had once vowed to never have kids so no one would experience homelessness like he did. For what's on the horizon, the pursuit of receiving records and, he hopes, a Super Bowl. At 35 years old, Driver is a made man - the most productive Packers receiver of the last decade. Yet gratitude is what keeps pushing him to school classrooms, business luncheons and charity fund-raisers. Or on this Sunday, to the Packers' annual charity softball game in"
December 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Without being asked or prodded, Donald Driver came right out and admitted it was just one of those days. It seemed it was cathartic for him to express his frustration as he walked through an otherwise deserted locker room a day after the Green Bay Packers suffered a one-point loss at Pittsburgh. Green Bay's veteran receiver dropped three passes - let's not count what was just out of reach - against the Steelers. Though he did what he could to make up for his lapses with his three catches, including a 49-yarder that should have led to a field goal in the second quarter, Driver knows how it goes. Win that game and the emphasis is on the great plays. Lose it and let the criticism rain. "You"
December 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Let's snowplow this myth before it gets any deeper: There is no such thing as "Packers weather." The players under the employ of the Green Bay professional football club are no more or less immune to the elements than those invited to resist at Lambeau Field when the calendar flips to winter. Two things assure us this. One, despite modern advancements in heated outdoor practice fields and such, the Packers have warm air in their cars and homes and use it unless otherwise compelled. And two, fairly recent regular-season opponents such as Jacksonville and Houston, as well as Atlanta, Minnesota and the New York Giants in the playoffs, have demonstrated that the cold is not the Packers' loyal"
November 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The pass quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw 68 yards was pretty impressive, but the ones that were vitally important traveled a lot less distance. In the Green Bay Packers' 34-12 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Rodgers set the tone early with precision passes that took the bite out of the typical energy wave that flows through Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day. The Packers' opening drive didn't result in any points, but it traveled 64 yards in 15 plays and served notice to the Lions that Rodgers was willing to be patient to win this game. The Lions seeing the Packers move the ball may have opened the door for Rodgers to heave the missile he threw to Donald Driver on the second"