Jersey Al's Packers Blog

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 9/9/10 )

Packer News 9/2/10 – 9/9/10

Al: The big news this week, of course, were the cuts made to bring the Packers roster down to 53. Spencer Havner and Will Blackmon were the biggest names let go, which elicited a range of emotions form Packers fans. Many had trouble understanding the Havner move, but not this packer fan. I have said all along the Packers would not risk losing Quarless and Crabtree. It was going to be either Lee or Havner, and the Packers just had more faith in Lee to be a starter if something were to happen to Jermichael Finley.  Read more... (888 words + 6 images, estimated 3:33 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio 9/1/10 )

Packer News 8/27/10 – 9/1/10

Al: Charles Woodson had a few choice words about the Packers defense this week. When asked by Bill Huber of Packer Report if the defense was better than what they’ve shown this preseason, Woodson replied: I think we’re as good as what we’ve shown, and I don’t think it’s all that great.” Woodson went on to discuss the need for players to step up and help out the offense. This was obviously a call to arms by the the Packer’s defensive leader.

Holly: One Packers player that answered a call to arms was Daryn Colledge. The Packers somewhat-maligned lineman beat back all preseason challengers to his starting left guard spot. According to Colledge, he reported to training camp in the best shape of his life and ready to go to war with all comers. That he did and Colledge held onto his starting spot – at least for right now.  Read more... (754 words + 6 images, estimated 3:01 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio. 8/25/10 )

Packers News – 8/19/10 – 8/25/10

Al: The Packers Monday Night practice was their final one of their training camp phase. Starting with Tuesday morning’s workout, the Packers moved to their regular season practice schedule. According to Mike McCarthy, he was very pleased with this year’s camp, especially the fan support, but now it’s time to start getting into that routine for the games that count.

Holly: Well Al, tomorrow night’s game doesn’t count from a results standpoint, but it should be a good measuring stick for the Packers defense. Can the front seven create a pass rush minus Clay Matthews, or will they get lit up  by another veteran quarterback? This “dress rehearsal” game should generate a lot of good film for the coaches, who will hopefully make the right decision about players on the bubble.  Read more... (790 words + 6 images, estimated 3:10 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other sources by Al Bracco and Jayme Joers. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio. 8/19/10 )

Packers News – 8/13/10 – 8/19/10

AL: Rumors were swirling this week that Al Harris could be cleared to start practicing with the team this upcoming Monday. Although no one from the Packers or the NFL would confirm that, Harris was seen working out on his own during practice for the first time.

Jayme: That’s sure a good sign Al…   And another good sign was the return to practice of the only real punt returner the Packers have, Will Blackmon. After resting his knee for the last week, Blackmon said his knee felt better so he decided to get back out there to work on his transition to safety. Blackmon also worked on catching punts, which everyone agreed, he looked very good at. Afterwards, Blackmon remarked that he can return punts “in his sleep.”  Read more... (702 words + 6 images, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio. 8/12/10 )

Packers News – 8/5/10 – 8/12/10

Al: Packers coach Mike McCarthy was pretty vocal this week in giving out both praise and criticism. He talked up AJ Hawk for his scrimmage performance and for having an excellent camp in general. At the same time, he was unusually candid about Jarius Wynn, saying Wynn has just been OK and needs to step it up. Not surprisingly, Wynn was seen winning a lot of his one-on-one matchups during the next practice. And thanks to Greg Bedard, you can watch it after the show on jsonline.com, including Wynn’s pancake of Chris Campbell.

{Holly:I guess he got the message.}

Holly: And speaking of motivational factors, Donald Driver has a lot more to play for these days, as in another two years on his contract. The Packers extended Driver’s deal through the 2012 season, prompting Driver to say he wants to prove the Packers right and then retire as a Green Bay Packer.  Read more... (865 words + 6 images, estimated 3:28 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers News from Twitter and other Sources by Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio. 8/5/10 )

Packers News – 7/30/10 – 8/5/10

AL: As I predicted on last week’s show, the Packers signed Bryan Bulaga the day after the shareholders meeting. Bulaga signed a 5-year contract, 15 million dollar contract, with almost 9 million in guaranteed money.  To make room for Bulaga, the Packers cut linebacker John Russell.

{Holly: Great to see that the Packers have all their ducks in a row.}

HOLLY: Not all smooth sailing as the Packers opened their first day of training camp, though — three players failed their required physicals.  As expected, Al Harris is not ready yet but getting close.  Also surprisingly, rookie James Starks is still suffering from the hamstring issue that bothered him during OTAs.  The big shocker, of course, was safety Atari Bigby.  After refusing to sign his (reduced) tender until the day before camp, Bigby shows up on day one with an ankle injury.  Bigby claims it was fine all summer and that he hurt it during the conditioning test.  We should note that, after seeing a doctor in North Carolina, Atari’s scheduled for surgery, again, and will likely be out at least a few weeks.  Read more... (1182 words + 10 images, estimated 4:44 mins reading time)

Weekly Packers news with a bonus rant, from Al Bracco and Holly Phelps. (As heard on Cheesehead Radio. 7/29/10 )

Al: The Packers made continued progress in the area of player signings this week. With Mike Neal agreeing to a 4-year contract and Atari Bigby finally signing his tender offer, the Packers are only a Bryan Bulaga signature away from having every player ready for camp. Bulaga has indicated that he plans to be in camp on time, but then again, so did BJ Raji last year. This one feels different, however. Bulaga was not as high a pick as Raji was and Dez Bryant, the player selected right after Bulaga is under contract, so there’s little else to wait for. All the pieces are in place and I believe as soon as the Packers put this shareholders meeting day behind them, Bulaga will be signed on Friday or Saturday. That would be like going back in time – first day of training camp and nobody’s holding out.  Read more... (1594 words + 7 images, estimated 6:23 mins reading time)