Weekly Update

PACK WR TRIO ON PACE FOR 1,000 YARD SEASONS
Evidently Missers Cobb, Jones and Nelson are all on pace to gain over 1,000 yards receiving this year. They also had the 2nd most yards after catch (YAC) in a single game (295). The 1992 Houston Oilers hold the record.

LACY ON SIDELINES, STARKS TO START
Double M has already stated that James Starks (coming off his 132 yard outing last week) will be the starter. ESPN has been running the crawl that Lacy is still undergoing treatment for concussions. I saw a couple news articles that said he was on the sideline today and they seemed to infer that, that was a good thing. And possibly a sign he may even be ready to play this weekend... just not start.

INJURIES
Kuhn may not be able to go this week so they are prepping Andrew Quarles just in case he can't make it.

LIVING RENT FREE IN JENNINGS HEAD

How else do you explain his obsessive behavior? I wouldn't be surprised to hear Aaron Rodger's came home and there was a dead rabbit boiling on his stove. It seems instagram has a pic of an autograph Jennings signed on a Viking Helmet that says... wait for it... "Packers Suck". Now Jennings did not deny writing it but tried to blow it off when questioned. He said a fan requested the vulgarity and he simply obliged. I thought Jennings was some sort of religious man? Is that how he speaks in front of his lovely daughters we fell in love with after the Super Bowl? And remember... his coach asked him to knock it off. He was distracting from the team and quite frankly... was getting old.

Washington 20 - GB 38

AGAIN WITH THE REFS
I certainly hope this isn't going to be a theme for my Post this year but.... C'mon Man? Give me a Break on the Refereeing already! Seriously... a guy LAUNCHES HIMSELF through the air like a missle... Makes NO ATTEMPT to wrap up on the tackle with his arms... it's all Helmet! Hits Eddie Lacy square on on the chin and NOBODY wearing stripes sees it?

Evidently Karma saw it because not 5 minutes (game time) later, the same player launches himself Helmet first in an attempt to tackle James Starks... this time instead of knocking out the ball carrier he knocked himself out.

Hopefully Lacy wont suffer any long term effects from such a blatent illegal hit. Concussions are tricky... being a Pittsburgh Penguins fan I can't help but think of Sydney Crosby and his storied history with concussions. Get well Ed.

RODGERS IS A PAIN IN THE NECK
Aaron Rodgers woke up Gameday with a sore neck that needed "adjustment" from the training staff. Aaron creditied the trainor for making him feel better by game time. I hope Aaron gets the same pain every week if he's gunna throw for 480 yards and 4 touches.

Rodgers downplayed his performance afterwards saying, "I don't think this was my best game. I'm very happy with the accuracy and the way things went in the passing game, but we definitely have things to work on."

OVERVIEW
All in all, as a Packer fan you can't but feel great about how things are going so far. We're 1-1 and got past the two best read/run offesnses that torched us so badly last year. I'm loving the kicking game with Mastay doing the kickoffs. The comittment to the run is paying off and uh..... remind me again... Gregg Jennings who?

FOR THE RECORD
The Green Bay Packers set multiple team records in Sunday’s 38-20 victory over the Washington Redskins.

* Aaron Rodgers and James Starks became the first players in Packers history to combine for 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. The Packers also set a record and gave me the answer to tomorrows trivia question I'll be asking at work... "Who is the ONLY NFL team to have a Quarterback over 450 yards passing and a running back with over 125 yards rushing?"

* Rodgers passed for 480 yards and four touchdowns, tying Matt Flynn for an all-time Packers record for yards passing in a regular-season game.

San Francisco 34 - GB 28

Overview
All in all I can't say I'm completely disappointed with the teams opening day loss. There were alot of positives to take from the game... as well as quite a few negatives.

The Main Positive was the fact we escaped the opener without any serious injuries and with our heads held high. The Pack took the lead late in the 4th but couldn't maintain it. That's a positive because in their past 2 meetings with the 49ers, the game's outcome was long over before the 4th quarter.

Another Positive was the defense being able to stop the 49ers running game. A much much better outcome that the humiliating playoff loss last year.

However... Shutting down the ground game left our defensive backfield exposed... and it wasn't pretty. Rookie Michah Hyde is still looking for Antoine Bolden like Eric Walden seemed to be searching for "Slappy-Pappy" Kappy (My nickname for that Gangsta Wannabe... goat boy... the Niners QB) last year. Freakin' Bolden was WIDE OPEN the entire game. As seemed Vernon Davis.

The safeties were completely exposed. Yeah we shut down Slappy-Pappy Kappy's running lanes... but we left the secondary uncovered. I think San fran's 3rd down conversion rate was like 118% or something. Well at least it seemed like it.

Bring back the Replacement Refs
Yeah they blew that "dead play" penalty thingie were it should have been 4th and 2 instead of 3rd and 6 again, leading to the 49ers score late in the 2nd period. First off, Clay had no business hitting him out of bounds like that.
*whispering* Nice job though Clay... he deserved it.

About that Late Hit Out of Bounds
Yeah that was a no brainer. Clearly "Slappy" was well out of bounds. But damn! We've needed a little fire and anger in that Defense. I'm tired of getting walked on all over every year. Ever since Moss did the Moon Walk in the endzone, we've lacked that certain aggressive play.

And cry baby Harbaugh tried playing the refs right up to kick off. Listen James, it's simple. If it acts like a duck and quakes like a duck... it better duck when Mathews is coming!

But it was out of play and late...soooo... Bad Clay, Bad!

The Running Game
I was quite pleased with Eddie Lacy. Yes he had the costly fumble that led to the Mathews out of bounds hit, which led to a touchdown. But Eddie showed some real grit in the 4th quarter drive. And he set up our first score with a nice run on the screen pass. Give me More Please!

Matthews to headline Campbell's Chunky soup ads

Whether it be the "Discount Double Check" with State Farm or "One Call That's All" for Gruber Law, Aaron Rodgers dominates the Packers when it comes to headlining ad campaigns.

Not for long, though as Rodgers is about to be sacked by his own teammate Clay Matthews. Matthews will be headlining the historic Campbell's Chunky soup ads as this season's "Mama's Boy."

"Throughout the history of the campaign, Campbell has brought passionate football fans delicious and hearty soups in flavors they love, paired with a 'Mama's Boy' they can relate to," Mark Materacky, Campbell's senior brand manager, said. "Our new 'Mama's Boy' Clay Matthews and our new pub-inspired soups will get fans fired up for football season."

Packers fans will no doubt remember the original "Mama's Boy," the late Reggie White, who appeared in commercials in 1996 and 1997 with his mother disguised as a cheerleader making sure her boy was eating properly. The previous two "Mama's Boys" were Demarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys and Victor Cruz of the New York Giants.

Besides appearing in three separate commercials with teammates Casey Hayward and John Kuhn, Matthews will partner with Campbell to make a donation for every sack this season in the "Sacks for Soup" program. For each Matthews sack, Campbell will donate 1,000 cans of soup to a local food bank in the opposing team's city and 1,000 cans to a food bank in Green Bay. In addition, Campbell will also make a $1,000 donation to Matthew's charity CM3 Charitable Fund for every quarterback takedown this season

Aaron Rodgers brushes off critics

According to ESPN

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn't plan to change his leadership style just because he received some criticism from a couple of former teammates this offseason.

On the first installment of his in-season weekly radio show on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee, Rodgers gave one of his most in-depth answers on the subject.

When asked whether the criticism from former Packers receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver made him consider changing his leadership style, Rodgers said: "Not at all; I don't feel like I need to."

"I feel like I'm going to continue to lead the way I've been leading, and I think guys respond very positively to that and appreciate my style of leadership," Rodgers said on his radio show. "There's a reason I'm on the leadership council. There's a reason I'm voted a captain. I stand by those things, and you learn all the time about leadership. It's a constant educational process to gather information about your teammates and try and find the best ways to inspire those guys and push those guys and get the most out of them.

"But I'm very confident in the way I lead. I think [coach] Mike [McCarthy] believes in my style of leadership, and I think the guys respond favorably to that. It's not going to change. I enjoy what I'm doing. I love my job. I love the game of football and put a lot into it and expect to get a lot out of it as well."

Jennings, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, first questioned Rodgers' leadership in a July interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"Don't get me wrong, '12' is a great person," Jennings said, referring to Rodgers by his uniform number. "But when you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, it's hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says, 'Man, come on, you've got to hold yourself accountable for this.' It's hard for someone to see that now because all they've heard is I'm doing it the right way. I'm perfect. In actuality, we all have flaws."

In August, Driver appeared on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" and tried to explain Jennings' comments.

"We've always said that the quarterback is the one that needs to take the pressure off everyone else," Driver said. "If a guy runs the wrong route, it's easy for the quarterback to say, 'Hey, I told him to run that route' than for the guy to be like, 'Well, I ran the wrong route.' Sometimes you ask Aaron to take the pressure off the guys so we won't look bad, but he didn't want to do that. He felt like if you did something bad, you do it.

"I think that's the difference. You want that leadership, and I think sometimes you may not feel like you got it. You have to earn that respect at the end of the day, and I think that's what Greg was probably referring to."

Notes 9-2-13: Casey Hayward Sits

It took Casey Hayward a month to return from the pulled hamstring he sustained while working out shortly before training camp.

If it takes that long to return from the recurrence of it, which happened in the Aug. 23 preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, then the Green Bay Packers cornerback would not be available for Sunday’s regular-season opener at San Francisco.

Hayward was the only player who did not practice on Monday.

Coach Mike McCarthy said he would not discuss injuries until Wednesday, when the first official injury report for this week is due.

Safety Morgan Burnett and linebacker Brad Jones, both of whom missed the preseason finale at Kansas City because of hamstring injuries, returned to practice.


In other notes from practice:

• Don Barclay took the starter’s reps at right tackle, but McCarthy stopped short of naming him the full-time starter over Marshall Newhouse. “Don started today at right tackle,” McCarthy said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Marshall plays in the game.”

• McCarthy also would not say who would return kicks against the 49ers. “We have some decisions to make in the return game but obviously feel good about Jeremy [Ross]. Also, Micah [Hyde], I’m very impressed with him. Johnathan Franklin’s doing a good job.”

Veteran QB Wallace Signs With Packers

ACCORDING TO ESPN

The Green Bay Packers on Monday signed veteran quarterback Seneca Wallace to be the backup to Aaron Rodgers. To make room for Wallace on the roster, the Packers released quarterback B.J. Coleman.

Wallace is expected to practice with the team Monday. The San Francisco 49ers released him last week after he reportedly informed coach Jim Harbaugh that he planned to retire. The Packers wanted a veteran capable of helping them win if Rodgers is injured. They released Vince Young among their final roster cuts. In discussing the roster moves on Sunday, Packers general manager Ted Thompson placed the blame on himself for not acting sooner to bring in the former first-round draft pick.

"Quite frankly, it probably wasn't fair to Vince," Thompson said. "We threw a lot on his plate, and the fault is probably mine. I probably should have had him in here earlier."

The Packers open at San Francisco and now have two quarterbacks on their roster who spent training camp with the 49ers -- Wallace and Scott Tolzien, who was signed to the Packers' practice squad. Both could assist the Packers in preparations throughout the week.

Packers add five players to practice squad

A year ago, the Green Bay Packers had the pick of the litter when it came to establishing an eight-man practice squad after none of their roster cuts were claimed by other NFL teams.

This year, no such luck.

After handing out 22 pink slips during Saturday’s NFL-mandated roster reduction to 53 players, the Packers watched five of those recently released players land elsewhere through the league’s waiver wire.

Three were veterans — outside linebacker Dezman Moses (Kansas City), running back Alex Green (New York Jets) and tight end D.J. Williams (Jacksonville) — but two others — rookie center Patrick Lewis (Cleveland) and second-year linebacker Terrell Manning (San Diego) — would’ve been practice-squad eligible had they cleared. In each of the past two seasons, the Packers have filled their eight-man scout team with seven players who went to camp in Green Bay, but Press-Gazette Media confirmed only four through Sunday evening.

That list included tight end Jake Stoneburner, cornerback James Nixon, and receivers Myles White and Charles Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 216-pound product of Grand Valley State who was a seventh-round pick in April’s NFL draft.

An NFL source also confirmed the Packers signed former Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien to the practice squad following a workout. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound signal-caller spent the past two seasons with the San Francisco, whom the Packers open the regular season against next Sunday.

“I think for the most part it’s been our history to do what we’ve probably done with the guys who were here,” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. “We usually have a few guys every year that were somewhere else. Some sort of mix like that.”

5 ex-Packers claimed off waivers

A total of five ex-Packers have now been claimed off waivers a day after receiving their release from Green Bay.

Press-Gazette reporter Pete Dougherty has confirmed running back Alex Green (New York Jets), tight end D.J. Williams (Jacksonville), center Patrick Lewis (Cleveland), outside linebacker Dezman Moses (Kansas City) and inside linebacker Terrell Manning

As it turned out, the Chargers claiming Manning resulted in the release of former Packers linebacker D.J. Smith, who was cut by Green Bay earlier this offseason.

Green, a former third-round pick out of Hawaii, was the Packers’ leading rusher last season, but averaged only 3.4-yards per carry on 135 attempts for 464 yards. He’s still trying to regain the explosiveness and durability from tearing anterior cruciate ligament in his knee four games into his rookie season.

Williams, an athletic but undersized 6-feet-2, 238 pounds, showed flashes of the play-making ability he showcased during his record-setting run at Arkansas, but caught only nine passes for 70 yards in 26 regular-season games.

PACKERS 2013: Preview From ESPN

WEB ARTICLE FROM ESPN

Intelligence Report

Five things you need to know about the Packers:

1. Commitment to the run: Last season, opposing defenses often sat back in a two-deep safety look and dared the Packers to run, but they still couldn't run with much success. The Packers enter the season with the NFL's longest active streak without a 100-yard rusher in the regular season (43 games). After finishing 20th in the league in rushing yards per game last season, they drafted Eddie Lacy of Alabama in the second round and Johnathan Franklin of UCLA in the fourth with the hope that they can take some of the pressure off the passing game.

2. A new go-to guy: Injuries to Greg Jennings last season forced Rodgers to find a new go-to receiver, Randall Cobb. With Jennings now in Minnesota, expect Cobb to make a run at breaking the 80-catch mark he hit last season. Cobb can play any of the receiver positions and even lines up in the backfield at times, but he does his best work from the slot.

3. Defending the read option: Defensive coordinator Dom Capers dedicated at least a portion of almost every practice this offseason to working against the read-option offense that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick used to knock Green Bay out of the playoffs last season. The number 579 -- the 49ers' total yards in the playoff game -- is burned on the Packers' brains. With games against the 49ers and Washington Redskins to open the season, their work against the read option will be put to the test early.

4. Help for Matthews: Outside linebacker Clay Matthews posted 13 sacks last season despite missing four games because of a hamstring injury, but no other Packers player had more than 4½ sacks. That's part of the reason they drafted defensive end Datone Jones in the first round, but they also hope the return of outside linebacker Nick Perry, their 2012 first-round pick who played in only six games last season, will take some of the double-teams away from Matthews.

5. Friendly schedule: Last season, the Packers were one of only two teams with three straight road games (Houston being the other). This year, although the Packers have the sixth-most difficult schedule in the NFL based on their opponents' records from last season, they do not play consecutive road games all season. Other than back-to-back home games against Chicago in Week 9 and Philadelphia in Week 10, they have a road-home-road-home schedule throughout.

-- Rob Demovsky, ESPN.com


Inside The Numbers

Bryan Bulaga was slated to start at left tackle for the Packers this season, but a season-ending ACL injury may force fourth-round pick David Bakhtiari to start in his place. If Bakhtiari can't adjust to the NFL game quickly enough, Aaron Rodgers may find himself on the run this season.

In the NFL last season, quarterbacks were either sacked or put under duress on 22.0 percent of their total drop-backs. The Packers were below that average (20.5 percent) in their first nine games, all played with Bulaga. Following Bulaga's season-ending injury in Week 9, however, the Packers allowed pressure on 26.4 percent of their drop-backs.

The increase in pressure occurred even with opponents dialing back on the number of pass-rushers. The Packers faced four or fewer rushers on 72.5 percent of their drop-backs with Bulaga, but that rate increased to 82.5 percent after his injury. For comparison, that rate was the equivalent of the team that used such pressure most frequently last season.

Although Rodgers and the Packers found themselves under more pressure without Bulaga last season, the running game did benefit. The Packers averaged nearly a half a yard more per rush without Bulaga. On rushes to the right -- Bulaga's side last season -- the Packers averaged 3.9 yards with him and 4.4 yards without him.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Packers make cuts to finalize 53-man roster

ANALYSIS By Paul Imig
Fox Sports Wisconsin

The Green Bay Packers finalized their 53-man roster for the 2013 season. Here's a position-by-position analysis of which players made it and who was cut. Note: Eight players released Saturday will be signed to the eight-man practice squad Sunday.

Quarterbacks (2)
In: Aaron Rodgers, B.J. Coleman
Cut: Vince Young

Analysis: The backup quarterback position is subject to change. Young was released Saturday, but Coleman isn't necessarily going to be Rodgers' top backup. Coleman could still be headed to the practice squad if the Packers find a good option on the waiver wire. But, at least for now, it's Rodgers and Coleman.

Running Backs (4)
In: Eddie Lacy, John Kuhn, Johnathan Franklin, James Starks
Cut: Alex Green, Jonathan Amosa
IR: DuJuan Harris

Analysis: Releasing Green was a bit of a surprise. Green showed some promise as a kick returner and played ahead of Starks for most of training camp. Amosa could be added to the practice squad on Sunday. With Harris on injured reserve, Lacy will be the featured running back. The question is whether Lacy will be an every-down player or if Starks or Franklin become a part of the rotation. Otherwise, Kuhn might once again be the third-down back.

Wide Receivers (5)
In: Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Jarrett Boykin, Jeremy Ross
Cut: Charles Johnson, Tyrone Walker, Myles White

Analysis: Ross made the team over Walker, Johnson and White. All three of those released receivers could be practice-squad candidates. Ross' ability as a returner helped him, but his performance as a receiver in the preseason finale made him more valuable.

Tight Ends (4)
In: Jermichael Finley, Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick, Ryan Taylor
Cut: Jake Stoneburner, D.J. Williams, Matthew Mulligan

Analysis: Mulligan was a surprise due to his skills as a run blocker. Coach Mike McCarthy's promise to improve Green Bay's running game this season would be easier to accomplish with Mulligan on the roster. Williams didn't show enough improvement over the past two seasons to stick around for a third year. Quarless, even after a severe knee injury in December 2011, is too talented and still young (24) for the Packers to give up on him. Stoneburner would be a nice addition to the practice squad. Bostick's value was growing across the league, and, instead of dealing him, the Packers elevated him from last year's practice squad to this year's active roster.

Offensive Line (8)
In: David Bakhtiari, T.J. Lang, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Josh Sitton, Don Barclay, Marshall Newhouse, Greg Van Roten, Lane Taylor
Cut: Patrick Lewis, Kevin Hughes, Andrew Datko, Garth Gerhart
PUP: Derek Sherrod, JC Tretter
IR: Bryan Bulaga

Analysis: Even with Bulaga on injured reserve, and Sherrod and Tretter on the physically unable to perform list, the Packers still kept eight offensive linemen. If Sherrod and Tretter are cleared after Week 6, it will be interesting to see how Green Bay's front office responds with the spots that currently belong to Van Roten, Taylor and Newhouse. Lewis would be a good addition to the practice squad.

Defensive Line (7)
In: B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, Datone Jones, C.J. Wilson, Mike Daniels, Johnny Jolly, Josh Boyd
Cut: Jordan Miller
PUP: Jerel Worthy

Analysis: Jolly's comeback is complete. Three years away from football and a six-month prison stay didn't stop the 30-year-old Jolly from making an impact in training camp and earning his spot on the team. Boyd, a fifth-round pick, might have made the team -- at least in part -- due to the Packers' fear that they couldn't get him through to the practice squad. Seven defensive linemen (plus Mike Neal, see below in the outside linebackers category) is a lot for a team that will often be in nickel packages.

Inside Linebackers (5)
In: A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Robert Francois, Sam Barrington, Jamari Lattimore
Cut: Terrell Manning

Analysis: Manning was likely the last cut to make. Barrington, a seventh-round pick, made Manning somewhat expendable. It's surprising, though, given that Manning was a fifth-round pick in 2012 and only 23 years old, and was let go. The top three players at the position (Hawk, Jones, Francois) are all veterans.

Outside Linebackers (5)
In: Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Mike Neal, Andy Mulumba, Nate Palmer
Cut: Dezman Moses, Donte Savage

Analysis: Mulumba -- an undrafted rookie -- and Palmer -- a sixth-round pick -- both made it over Moses. Based on the results of training camp and preseason, that's not much of a surprise, as Mulumba and Palmer outperformed Moses. Neal will get the majority of his snaps at outside linebacker, especially now that Green Bay kept seven defensive lineman.

Cornerbacks (6)
In: Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Davon House, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, Jarrett Bush
Cut: Brandon Smith, Loyce Means, James Nixon

Analysis: No surprises here. Bush's value as a special teams player is still too great to get rid of him. Means and Smith could both be considered for the practice squad. From Nos. 1-5 on the depth chart, this is a very talented group. The possibility that there might not be many snaps for two of these three players (Hayward, House, Hyde) is an indication of how deep this spot on the roster is.

Safeties (4)
In: Morgan Burnett, M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian, Chris Banjo
Cut: Chaz Powell, David Fulton
PUP: Sean Richardson

Analysis: Banjo made it, and deservedly so. Signed a few days after training camp had started, Banjo made up for his lack of height (5-foot-10) with consistent work in the secondary. Richardson's recovery from neck surgery still has his future up in the air.

Special Teams (3)
In: Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, Brett Goode

Analysis: The big question with Crosby was answered earlier in the week when the Packers released Giorgio Tavecchio and Zach Ramirez and followed it up by restructuring Crosby's contract from a base salary of $2.4 million down to $800,000. It's still possible that Crosby doesn't finish the season as Green Bay's kicker, but at this point it would likely take a repeat performance of his 2012 season (NFL-worst 63.6 percent field-goal accuracy rate) to get released.