Is Drafting Datone Jones Deja Vu All Over Again?

Over at Packers.com they have a section called "Ask Vic" where seasoned reporter Vic Ketchman fields questions from the Packer faithful. Now I'm sure Vic has forgotten more about football then I'll ever know. He's been covering the NFL for 41 years, according to his bio. I was reading his Q&A where Vic fielded the following question from a fan...

Vic, do you get the feeling the Packers’ choices were driven by thoughts of playing the 49ers?

Vic replied...

Yes, I do. The game is evolving and the Packers clearly acknowledged as much when they sent their coaching staff to Texas A&M to get a tutorial on the read-option. Spread offense and its concepts are making their way into the NFL and everybody is reacting to them in an aggressive manner. Everybody is looking for players of length, which is to say players that resemble basketball players; those are the kinds of players you need to stop the read-option. Hey, Datone Jones is a former basketball player. Ziggy Ansah, the fifth pick of the draft, went to BYU to play basketball. The 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC. How are you going to beat them if your thoughts aren’t driven by them?

This reminded me of 2003 when the Packers selected Nick Barnett in the first round. An undersized Middle Linebacker who was drafted for his speed and ability to cover from sideline to sideline. Now why is this significant? Let's remember what happened in 2002.

Michael Vick brought his Atlanta Falcons to the frozen tundra of Lambeau for a playoff game. The Pack was heavily favored having never lost a home playoff game in their storied franchise history. Brett Favre was the quarterback and his record in games under 35 degrees was equally impressive. I don't recall the exact temperature but it was well below freezing. In any case. The Packer's lost 27-7 and Michael Vick ran rampant all over and through the Packer's defense.

Sound familiar?
Colin Kaepernick did the same thing to us last year so now we go out and draft players specifically to stop one player... or more precisely... the "Read Offense"?

So how did that work back in 2003?
The Packer's didn't face Michael Vick in any game of significance, let alone a playoff game, until we beat him in the 2010 playoff game in Philly. Ironically, Nick Barnett had a season ending injury that October and didn't even play in the game that launched the Pack on their Super Bowl run. Fortunately, Barnett was still a good draft pick, being the team leader on defense for most of the 2000's. We can only hope to Datone Jones has a similar effect on our defense and become a stand out D-lineman for the next decade or so.

We can only hope.

We're in the money.....

Once again Ted Thompson's vision of how to run a professional franchise is paying off. Not only were we able to sign our best two players (Aaron Rodgers and Clay Mathews, Jr.) to long term contract extensions, we also have plenty of cap money to keep the players on our roster, that we covet the most.

I say players on our own roster because we know Thompson's vision does NOT include signing high price/ high risk free agents... you all remember the Dream Team 2011 Eagles and how well that worked out.

From The Packer Report...

Packers Have Ability To Extend Some Contracts
Aaron Rodgers' new deal didn't take up all the cap space but there's a lengthy list of free agents on the horizon. Plus, the team has set its offseason practices and it released a backup lineman.

Aaron Rodgers’ new contract gives the Green Bay Packers some flexibility.

According to league data published by Pro Football Talk last week, the Packers had the sixth-most cap space in the league at $15.6 million. With Rodgers’ extension increasing his 2013 cap charge from $9.75 million to $12 million, as reported Scout.com’s, the deal only eats up an additional $2.25 million.

That means Green Bay is about $13.35 million of cap space. Of that, somewhere between $4.5 million and $5 million will go toward the Packers’ 11 draft picks and college free agents. At the high end of the spectrum, that would leave Green Bay about $8.35 million, which could be rolled over for 2014 or used to strike extensions with some of their upcoming free agents. Among those playing their last season under contract are Morgan Burnett, Jermichael Finley James, Jones, John Kuhn, Mike Neal, Marshall Newhouse, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji and Sam Shields.

FULL STORY

Occupy Lambeau - We are the 99.999%

So just who is America’s Team?

The Cowboys just staked that claim by themselves so it’s braggadocio and validity are rarely questioned. I live in the heart of Pennsylvania and deeply entrenched betwixt Steeler Nation with a sprinkling of Eagle fans. I know for a fact the Steeler fans claim they’re America’s Team and take great pride in how well they travel.

As Packer fans, we certainly have our right to claim, NFL’s favorite team status. I’ve watched many games were the "Green and Gold" dominates whole sections of some away stadiums we’ve played at. I’ve heard the Packer mating call of "Kuuuuuuuuuhn!" whenever a certain fullback gets the ball. But in my 45 years of following the Packers, I have never seen another team’s fans dominate any part of hallowed Lambeau.


Ironically, the Steelers travel to Green Bay this December. My neighbor... let’s call him Tom... cause that is his name... anyway this Tom guy, a die hard terrible towel waving Steeler fan, is taking his son Justin, who... wait for it... is a Packer fan. (You can’t make this stuff up) to Titletown (see paragraph 2) and I can guarantee him two things.

1) Wisconsin winters are a lot colder than Pennyslvania winters so dress warm.

2) When you enter Packer country for a game, leave your weep ass Steeler gear back home cause WE ARE THE 99.999%

Is Ted Thompson God?

Evidently not because Teddy doesn't take Sundays off.

Well at least that seems to be the conclusion of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a web article named...

Draft could be repeat of GM's 2009 success
Ted Thompson has had some excellent drafts in Green Bay over the years, but it could be argued that 2009 was his finest. Yes, 2009, when the gnashing of teeth from National Football League general managers over the paucity of top-rated players was almost exactly what was universally being said in the weeks leading up to the three-day draft that concluded Saturday night. The scouts were right. That was a bad draft.

Linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth pick overall and winner of the annual Journal Sentinel poll for best player in the draft, is out of football.

Tackle Jason Smith (No. 2) and pass rusher Aaron Maybin (No. 11) are with their third teams on minimum contracts. Defensive end Tyson Jackson (No. 3) has been just average in Kansas City. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (No. 5) and tackle Andre Smith (No. 6) remain nominal starters.
How did Thompson fare in that inferior first round? Amazingly well, thank you.
Full Article

OTA and Minicamp Schedule

From the Grenn Bay Post Gazette


Packers announce dates of offseason schedule
The Green Bay Packers announced the remainder of their offseason schedule on Monday with five of the team’s offseason practices being open to the public, weather permitting.

It starts with the team's rookie orientation and tryout camp that runs May 10-12, but is closed to the public.

A little more than a week later, the Packers will start their voluntary organized team activities that run May 20-22, May 28-30 and June 11-14 while holding their mandatory minicamp June 4-6.

The open OTA practices are slated for three Tuesdays — May 21, May 28 and June 11 — and will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT. The two mandatory minicamp practices are scheduled for June 4 and 5 with a yet to be determined start time.

All practices will be held at Clarke Hinkle Field instead of Ray Nitschke Field because of field preparations for training camp with standing-room only seating only available along the Oneida Street side of Hinkle Field.

Players will report for training camp July 25 with the first practice on Friday, July 26.

About Those 7th Round Wide Receivers

The Green Bay Post Gazette has a good web article about the Packers two 7th round draft choices, Charles Johnson of Grand Valley State and Kevin Dorsey of Maryland. Basically, both NFL hopefuls had a "rough" path to the Draft.

There were plenty of good reasons Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey were available to the Green Bay Packers in the final hour of the NFL draft this past weekend. There are also enough good reasons to think the pair of receivers the Packers took in the seventh round just might be able to make an impact.

Johnson, has taken 6 years from High School to get here. He transferred 3 times and took off a year to stay home with his ill father. He's Big (6'2" - 215 lbs) and has lightning speed running a 4:35 his pro day. Dorsey endurred a brutal Terapin senior year when ALL 4 of their starting QB's went down with injuries and finished out the season with a converted Linebacker and a converted Tight End finishing up. Because of this he only had 18 receptions his senior year but did snag 45 his junior year.

Full Article
Charles Johnson BIO
Kevin Dorsey BIO

Jordan Rodgers a Jag

Aaron Rodgers' Brother Lands with Jaguars
By Jack Zelberman
Helmet 2 Helmet (Hat Tip)

Despite having their pick of the litter, the Jaguars chose not to draft any quarterbacks from this year’s class.

But they did take a certain flier. According to NFL.com, the Jags signed Aaron Rodgers‘ little brother, Jordan, as a priority undrafted free agent.

The 6-foot-1 Rodgers, a JUCO transfer, capped off a two-year career at Vanderbilt in which he completed 55.9 percent of his passes, threw 24 touchdowns, 19 touchdowns, and rushed for six scores.

Although Rodgers has the obvious bloodline connection, there’s a reason (or two) he went undrafted. His decision making and arm strength are reportedly considered subpar by scouts, making him, as of now, nothing more than a developmental prospect.

Rodgers is no lock to make the team with fellow undrafted signal-caller Matt Scott also coming aboard. However, he’ll be given every opportunity to earn a roster spot, and is an intriguing project for Jacksonville offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch to work with.

Grading the 2013 Draft

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a nice article in their Packer Blog on how other sports analyst graded this years Packer Draft picks. The consensus is very high. Most scoring the Packers (cumulative) with a solid B+. Not bad considering how late we drafted in round one. I'm sure most of it is helped by Picking up lacy in round 2, a player most had going to Green Bay in the first round. I would also note that teams like the Vikings, who have mulitple picks in the first round, often get the benefit of a high grade simply because of the quanity of their picks and not necessarily the quality.

With Appologies to all you Brewers Fans

What's this I see?














My Beloved Buco's are in 1st Place in the National League Central. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know it's only April and the Pirates tend to start their slide late in the summer... but c'mon!!!!

Let me enjoy it for the moment.

#Respect
#BucoPride
#ChokeByAugust

Football Memes on Facebook

Has anybody else checked out this  Humorous Facebook NFL fan page?




The Group is called Memes of the NFL
It's a fan content sponsored web site so I wont vouch for "everything" that appears on it's pages. I would use caution if you have young eyes reading. Some content has some "rough" language. Tip of the Hat to my bud and bro Brock "Turtle" Neir for the find.

Here are a couple of my favs...

Pack Makes a Run at Running the Ball

Well paint me red and call me a barn. It looks like the Packers are going to take, "Running the Ball", a little more serious then they have in the last....... decade or so. Okay.... it's only been 43 games. It just seems like a decade.

A Bruiser and a Bruin

With the additions of Notre Dame killer, Eddie Lacy of Alabama, in the 2nd round and trading UP to take Johnathan Franklin, UCLA, with the 125th pick in the 4th round. The Packers are showing they may have some other formatiuons to run on 3rd and one other than a 5 Receiver spread offense.

Now don't take me wrong... Aaron converted plenty of 1st downs with his passing but it sure would be nice to have a regular Running back 'tote the rock' rather than handing the ball to a slow Fullback for a dive up the middle. (Insert Kuuuuuuuuuuhn Cheer here)

Throw in a couple BIG Offensive Linemen in this year's Shopping List...

4th Round -- OT-- David Bakhtiari, Colorado -- 6'4" / 310 lbs.
4th Round -- OG/C -- J. C. Tretter, Cornel -- 6'3" / 304 lbs.

And I like our chance a bit better in short yardage.
Heck... I like our chances in Long yardage as well.


Eddie Lacy
From Roll Tide Roll



2012 (JUNIOR): Assumed the role of the Tide's feature running back en route to earning first team All-SEC honors ... has started all 13 games while rushing for a team-high 1,182 yards on 184 carries ... his 16 rushing touchdowns are tied for fifth in the Alabama single-season record books ... averaging 6.4 yards per carry ... has 20 receptions for 172 yards and a score ... ranks 42nd nationally in rushing with 90.9 yards per game (fourth in the SEC) ... has a team-best 73 runs that have resulted in a first down or a touchdown ... averaging 121.8 all-purpose yards over past 10 games (104.2 for season) ... has 26 "explosive" rushes (12-plus yards) ... Alabama offensive player of the week six times (Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia). Michigan: Started his first career game, rushing for 35 yards and one touchdown ... long rush went for 25 ... converted three rushing first downs and caught one pass for 10 yards. Western Kentucky: Carried the ball nine times for 36 yards ... broke free on an 18-yard run on the first drive of the game. Arkansas: Named one of the offensive players of the week by the Alabama coaching staff ... set a career high with three rushing touchdowns ... carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards. Florida Atlantic: Got loose for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against the Owls ... ran for 106 yards on only 15 carries, all in the first half ... averaged 7.1 yards per carry ... converted first downs on five carries ... earned offensive player of the week honors from the Alabama coaching staff. Mississippi: Carried the ball a career-high 19 times for 82 yards ... also caught three passes for 15 yards ... converted three first downs rushing. Missouri: Set a career high with 177 yards on 18 carries ... also equaled his career-best with three rushing touchdowns while averaging 9.8 yards per carry ... on the second play of the game, broke free for a career-long run of 73 yards ... caught two passes for 17 yards ... converted six first downs rushing and one passing. Tennessee: Rushed a team-high 17 times for 79 yards, with a long of 14 yards ... converted five rushing first downs and one receiving for a new set of downs ... matched his career high with three catches for 18 yards ... had 97 all-purpose yards. Mississippi State: Totaled 77 all-purpose yards with one receiving touchdown ... caught a career-best four passes for 51 yards (27-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Ely) ... ran 10 times for 26 yards. LSU: Rushed for a team-high 83 yards before leaving in the second half with a tweaked ankle ... averaged 7.5 yards on 11 carries ... opened the scoring for the Tide with a seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Texas A&M: Gained 92 yards on 16 carries for a 5.8 yards per carry average ... scored one touchdown and converted four first downs ... had two runs of 12-plus yards (long of 18) ... equaled his career high with four receptions for 35 yards (long of 21). Western Carolina: Averaged 9.9 yards per carry (10 rushed for 99), with three touchdowns ... scored on runs of seven, seven and three yards ... had four explosive rushes of 12 yards or more (long of 21) ... six of his rushes converted first downs. Auburn: Named Alabama offensive player of the week after rushing for 131 yards on 18 carries in only of a half of action ... scored two touchdowns ... had seven rushes that converted a first down ... long rush was 32 yards. Georgia: Turned in a career game to help the Crimson Tide win the 2012 SEC Championship Game ... named the game's MVP after rushing for a career-high 181 yards in the 32-28 victory ... carried a career-high 20 times ... scored two touchdowns on runs of one and 41 yards ... had six runs of 12-plus yards and nine that resulted in a first down or touchdown ... also named an Alabama offensive player of the week.

2011 (SOPHOMORE): Lacy was the first running back off the bench for Alabama in 2011 ... second on the team with 674 yards on 95 carries ... ... ranked ninth in the SEC and just outside the top 100 nationally with 56.2 yards per game ... had 16 rushes of 12 yards or longer ... had 27 first down rushes along with six first downs receiving along with seven rushing touchdowns ... caught 11 passes for 131 yards ... was named the Offensive Player of the Week three times by the UA coaching staff ... battled turf toe throughout the second half of the season, missing the Vanderbilt game. Kent State: Ran eight times for 58 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run ... averaged 7.25 yards per carry ... caught three passes for 76 yards with a long of 48. Penn State: Averaged 7.73 yards per carry on 11 totes vs. the No. 23 Nittany Lions for 85 yards in the 27-11 victory ... caught one pass for six yards. North Texas: Recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with a career-best 161 yards on nine carries for an impressive 17.89 yards per carry ... broke free for runs of 67, 43 and 35 yards with the 67- and 43-yard runs going for touchdowns. Arkansas: Equaled his career high with 13 carries ... rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown ... converted two first downs on the ground ... caught one pass for four yards in the Tide's 38-14 win. Florida: Saw limited action with a foot injury ... carried the ball five times vs. the Gators for 32 yards and a touchdown ... long carry was 20 yards in the Tide win. Vanderbilt: Missed the game against the Commodores to rest an injured foot. Mississippi: Returned to the field but only got five carries in the Crimson Tide's big win ... ran for 22 yards with a long rush of 15 yards. Tennessee: Rushed seven times for 46 yards with a long of 19 yards ... had two carries for first downs ... also caught two passes for 14 yards with one first down. LSU: Carried the ball five times for 19 yards ... long rush was a 20-yard burst for a first down ... also caught one pass for 11 yards. Mississippi State: One of the Alabama Offensive Players of the Week following his 96-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Bulldogs ... converted three first downs and had three runs of more than 12 yards ... had touchdown runs of two and 32 yards ... averaged 8.7 yards per carry. Georgia Southern: Ran six times for 45 yards for 7.5 yards per carry ... caught one pass for 13 yards ... had two explosive runs of 12 yards or more ... converted two first downs rushing and one receiving.Auburn: Rushed four times for six yards ... caught one pass for four yards. LSU (BCS National Championship Game): Ran hard against the Tigers with 43 yards ... converted four first downs for the Tide, including a spinning 11-yarder.

2010 (FRESHMAN): Lacy came off the bench and gave the Tide an added dimension in the running game ... played a significant role on special teams for the Tide, starting on the kickoff coverage unit ... rushed 56 times for 406 yards and six touchdowns ... added two catches for 18 yards and registered four tackles on kickoff coverage ... 19 of his 56 carries went for a first down or a touchdown. San Jose State: In his first career game he rushed the ball 13 times for 111 yards and added two touchdowns ... caught one pass for three yards ... tallied one tackle on special teams. Penn State: Carried the ball six times for 21 yards. Duke: Rushed the ball seven times for 52 yards and scored a touchdown ... caught one pass for 15 yards ... assisted on one tackle on special teams. Arkansas: Played on special teams but did not record any statistics. Florida: Came off the bench and tallied 20 yards on four carries with a long run of eight yards. Mississippi: Assisted on a tackle on kickoff coverage. Mississippi State: Was named one of the Special Teams Players of the Week by the coaching staff ... came off the bench to rush the ball eight times for 35 yards with a long run of 15 yards ... registered one tackle on special teams. Georgia State: Carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and added a touchdown ... scored his touchdown in the second quarter on a three-yard run. Michigan State: Averaged 17.2 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in a commanding 49-7 victory in the Capital One Bowl ... finished with 86 yards on five carries, including touchdowns runs of 62 and 12 yards.

2009 (REDSHIRT): He redshirted during his initial season at Alabama.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Lacy was Rivals.com's No. 13 running back nationally and No. 116 on the Rivals250 ... in the ESPNU150 and the 17th-best running back ... Scout.com lists Lacy as the No. 24 running back nationally and No. 61 on the Southeast 150 ... a SuperPrep All-American and the publications No. 28 running back ... a four-star recruit according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... an All-American by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report ... garnered first-team 5A All-State honors from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association ... No. 54 on The Mobile Press-Register's Super Southeast 120 ... member of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100 ... played only seven games during his senior year due to injuries, but still managed 1,046 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns ... earned LSWA 5A All-State honors after rushing for 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior in 2007 ... rushed for 1,207 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2006 ... coached by Benny Saia ... chose Alabama over Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State and LSU.

Johnathan Franklin
From UCLABruins.com



UCLA - Established himself as one of the top running backs in the nation ... Doak Walker Award finalist in 2012 ... Possesses fine speed, quickness and explosiveness ... 45 career starts ... Three career 200-yard plus rushing games, two in 2012 ... Became UCLA's all-time leading rusher during the 2012 Arizona game ... 19 career 100-yard rushing games, one shy of Gaston Green's school record ... Fifth on the all-time Pac-12 rushing list ... Became UCLA's all-time single-season rusher and all-time leader in all-purpose yards in the Pac-12 Championship Game at Stanford; all while setting a school record with his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the season.
2012 - Starter in 13 of the 14 games ... Doak Walker Award finalist ... Maxwell Award semifinalist ... Served as an offensive co-captain ... Named second-team All-America by Associated Press, sportsillustrated.com, Walter Camp and FoxSports Next ... First-team All-America selection by CBSSports.com and the Football Writers Association of America ... Second-team all-conference pick by the league coaches ... Established new school single-season records for rushing yards, all-purpose yards and career records for rushing, all-purpose yards ... Finished third in the Pac-12 in rushing (123.9 yds/g) and fourth in all-purpose yardage (147.3/g)... Earned the Bruin Force Award, the UCLA Captains Award, the N.N. Sugarman Award for Best Leadership on Offense, the George W. Dickerson Award for Outstanding Offensive Player Against USC at the team's annual awards banquet ... Franklin moved past Gaston Green's 25-year old rushing record and became UCLA's all-time leading rusher on his third carry of the game against Arizona, a 37-yard scoring burst ... In the Pac-12 Championship Game at Stanford, Franklin ran for 194 yards, his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the season which established a new school record (old record held by Karim Abdul-Jabbar-1995, Gaston Green-1986, Freeman McNeil-1980, 1979 and Wendell Tyler-1975)... His 171 yards rushing against USC was the most by a Bruin against the Trojans since Green ran for 224 in 1986 ... He kicked off the 2012 season with a pair of 200-yard plus performances against Rice (214) and Nebraska (217) ... His 214-yard effort at Rice included two 70-plus yard runs for touchdowns ... He raced 74 yards midway through the first quarter and then navigated 78 yards for a score last in the second quarter to become the first Bruin to have two runs of over 72 yards in a game ... He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week ... Against Nebraska, he compiled a career-best 217 yards and caught a nine-yard scoring pass ... For the second week in a row, he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week, a first for a Bruin offensive player during the Pac-12/10 era ... Selected to play in the Senior Bowl collegiate all-star game. 2011 - Starter in all 14 games ... Ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing (69.71) and earned honorable mention all-conference honors ... Led the team with 976 yards rushing, coming up just short of being the first Bruin to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since DeShaun Foster in 2000 and 2001 ... Averaged a career-best 5.9 yards per carry ... Ran for 128 yards (16 carries) and a touchdown at Houston ... Had 81 yards vs. San Jose State and a touchdown ... Totaled 58 yards on 15 carries against Texas ... Had 36 yards on six rushes at Oregon State ... Rushed for 96 yards at Stanford ... Rushed for 11 yards at Arizona and caught two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown ... Went for 45 yards against Cal, including an 11-yard scoring dash ... Ran for 41 yards and a touchdown against Arizona State ... Ran 17 times for 89 yards at Utah ... Compiled his 10th career 100-yard rushing game against Colorado with 162 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown ... Rushed eight times for 55 yards at USC ... Had 35 yards on the ground at Oregon ... Rushed for 29 yards against Illinois. 2010 - Offensive winner of UCLA's Henry R. "Red" Sanders Award for Most Valuable Player ... Appeared in all 12 games and made 10 starts ... Led Bruins in rushing with 1,127 yards, the 10th-best season mark in school history (No. 2 mark among sophomores and first Bruin 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Markey in 2006) ... His 1,127 yards is highest total by a Bruin since Skip Hicks ran for 1,282 in 1997 ... Fifth in Pac-10 and 27th in NCAA (93.92 yds/g) ... Led team with eight touchdowns, the highest total since Kahlil Bell also had eight in 2008 ... Ninth in Pac-10 in all-purpose yards (99.17) and 14th in total offense (93.92) ... Second-team All-Conference by league's coaches ... Rushed for 100 or more yards five times in 2010 ... Had three-straight 100-yard games versus Houston, Texas and WSU ... The last time a Bruin rushed for 100 yards in three straight contests was Marurice Jones-Drew in 2004 (Ill., Wash., SDSU) ... Came off bench at Kansas State to lead Bruins with 60 yards rushing ... Led team against Stanford with 73 yards ... Ran for 158 yards (26 carries) versus Houston (most since Chris Markey 193 v. Wash., 2007) ... Scored three rushing touchdowns versus Cougars (11,1,12 yds - first Bruin to do so since Chane Moline, 2009 at WSU) ... 13 of his runs gained at least five yards ... Led Bruins at Texas with 118 yards (19) and one touchdown ... His 11-yard scoring run capped an 80-yard drive to open second half (had 56 yards on four carries during drive) ... Had nine carries for at least five yards ... Rushed for 216 yards (most since Jones-Drew ran for 322 at Wash., 2004) and one touchdown (3) on 30 carries against Washington State ... Sixteen of his rushes measured at least five yards and seven were for double figures ... Led Bruins at Cal with 54 yards (13) ... Rushed for 69 yards (21) at Oregon and caught two passes (17 yds) ... Netted 44 yards (13) against Arizona ... Ran for 100 yards (23) against Oregon State ... Scored the lone touchdown on 31-yard burst at Washington and finished with 53 yards ... Rushed for team-high 73 yards at Arizona State, including a season-long 55-yard run to set up UCLA's first touchdown ... Ran for 109 yards against USC (13) and scored one touchdown ... First Bruin back to register at least 100 yards against the Trojans since DeShaun Foster in 1998 ... Winner of UCLA's George W. Dickerson Award for Outstanding Offensive Player vs. USC. 2009 - Saw action in all 13 games and started in eight contests ... Two 100-yard rushing games (Kansas St. and Cal) ... Only one player in school history has totaled more than two 100-yard games in a freshman season (Tyler Ebell, six in 2002) ... Led team with 566 yards rushing, sixth-best total by a Bruin freshman ... Average of 43.54 yards per game was 12th in the Pac-10 ... Made first career start against San Diego St. and scored on his first carry (12 yards) ... Carried 12 times for 43 yards ... Started at Tennessee and rushed for 80 yards) ... Led the Bruins with 119 yards on 23 carries against Kansas St. ... Scored UCLA's first touchdown (three-yard run) and had a long run of 36 yards ... Became first Bruin to rush for 100 yards in a game since Chris Markey (vs. BYU, 2007 bowl) ... Led team at Stanford with 58 yards and scored the team's only touchdown (one-yard run) ... Led team with 32 yards against Oregon ... Totaled 101 yards and two touchdowns against Cal ... His 74-yard touchdown dash in the second quarter was longest run by a Bruin since 2003 (Maurice Drew 83-yard score vs. Arizona St.) ... Also scored on a seven-yard run ... Off the bench at Arizona to lead team with 36 yards; two catches for 17 yards ... Started at Oregon St. and gained 37 yards ... Caught a two-point conversion pass to tie the game with 2:06 remaining ... Netted four yards on seven attempts against Washington ... Off the bench at Washington St. to gain 22 yards ... Did not carry the ball against Arizona St., but caught two passes (26 yds) ... Came off the bench at USC to gain 28 yards ... Ran three times for six yards in bowl win over Temple.

2008 - Did not see game action in his first season in the program ... Offensive co-winner of UCLA's Charles Pike Memorial Award for Outstanding Scout Team Player.

HIGH SCHOOL - Lettered three seasons at Dorsey HS in Los Angeles, CA for coach Paul Knox ... Played running back and linebacker ... Earned four stars from rivals.com ... Rated No. 16 athlete nationally by rivals.com ... Named All-State third team by Cal-Hi Sports ... Rushed for 1,732 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior ... Rushed for over 200 yards in five games in his senior season ... Had 40 tackles and six sacks on defense ... Named first-team All-City as a running back ... Was a third-team selection as a linebacker ... Named Coliseum League Player of the Year ... Inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame high school registry for excellence in academics and football ... Totaled 510 yards rushing as a junior ... Ran for 150 yards as a sophomore back and recorded 70 tackles, with six sacks on defense ... Also lettered in track and field (sprints, relays) for two years ... As a junior, he was a member of third-place 4 x 400 relay team at State meet ... His 4x400 relay team won City championship ... As a freshman, he won the 100m City sprint championship.

PERSONAL - Full Name: Johnathan A. Franklin ... Born: October 23, 1989 in Los Angeles, CA ... Parent: Pamela Andrews ... Has one sister, Tierra ... Lists his biggest thrill in sports as stepping on the field each week ... Lists NFL star Ray Lewis as the athlete he admires the most ... Hobbies include writing poetry and acting ... Named to the academic honor roll at his high school his last three school years ... Former Bruin running back Raymond Carter's dad was his first youth football coach ... Has appeared on the teen reality show "Baldwin Hills" ... Served an internship in the Los Angeles mayor's office ... Career objectives include becoming a psychologist, teen mentor and motivational speaker ... Political Science major.

Aaron Gets Paid / Ka-ching

Aaron Rodgers big pay day is finally here. According to NFL.com

While the rest of the NFL was concentrating on the 2013 NFL Draft, the Packers announced a contract extension with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Friday.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that Rodgers shattered Joe Flacco's six-year, $120.6 million contract as the highest-paid player in football. The new contract, which runs through the 2019 season, is for $110 million over five years, according to Rapoport, with $62 million in the first three years and a whopping $40 million in the first year. Rodgers' $22 million average beats Flacco's annual salary of $20.1 million.

Aaron sounded very appreciative of Teddy and the Packer Front Office.

"I'm very thankful to the organization for making this happen," Rodgers said Friday on NFL Network. "I'm excited about the opportunity they've given me to finish out my career in Green Bay -- seven more years left on my deal -- and excited about the prospects we have here in Green Bay."

As a Packer Fan...
I'd be even more appreciative if he studied a little more game film and made a few less Pizza Hut and Discount Double Check Commercials.

Day After Draft Day Blues

I guess I've got a case of the "Day After Draft Day" Blues. That same feeling I used to get on December 26th when I knew it was going to be a whole year until I got to open up all my new presents. The NFL Draft is kinda like that as well. Weeks of anticpation. Visiting web sites and listening to every prognosticator from Mel Kiper, Jr. down to Todd McShay the Only.

And now.......
Now it's December 26th and I've got a whole year of anticipating to go through again.