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Packers Fan Memories

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:50:40 CST

Read the 'Packers Fan Memories' archives or Submit your own favorite memory

This Week's Photos

Hey Packers fans, here's your chance to share your favorite memories of the Green and Gold with other fans from around the world! This week's edition includes an eager fan meeting Greg Jennings, a family reuniting in Green Bay, and a Green Bay family taking some Oregonians under their wing.

Each week, Packers.com will post a feature called 'Packers Fan Memories.'

Hall Of Fame Hosts Black History Month Discussion

Duke Bobber, Packers.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:36:12 CST

To commemorate Black History Month, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame held a panel discussion Thursday night broaching African-American issues and their contributions to the league, the community and beyond.

Defensive tackle Colin Cole, long snapper Rob Davis, defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, offensive quality control coach Ty Knott, director of player development/pro personnel assistant Tim Terry, and strength & conditioning assistant Brandon Johnson participated in the hour-long discussion, which included an open dialogue of personal experiences and life lessons that could benefit children of any race, creed or color in living a virtuous life.

Education and hard work were two of the most talked about topics during the discussion, as panelists recalled stories from their formative years to show how they've been so successful.

Terry told a story which took place before his senior year in high school, when his father woke him up daily at 6:30 a.m. for..

'Favorite Fives' of 2007: Top Defensive Plays

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:51:21 CST

In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.

Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.

After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.

The fifth installment is the Top 5 defensive plays. In chronological order, they are:

Nick Barnett, INT and 38-yard return, vs. San Diego (Sept. 23)
The Packers had just taken a 24-21 lead late in the fourth quarter and needed to hold off the Chargers in t..

A Day At The Combine: Behind The Scenes

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:08:12 CST

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL Scouting Combine is both a mega-event and a well-oiled machine.

There are a myriad of stations, tests, drills and interviews the players must go through, with personnel from all 32 teams watching them every step of the way. And there's very little wasted time, as players are shuttled from one station to the next very efficiently, forcing clubs to have their personnel spread out to properly cover and document all that goes on.

This past weekend, Packers.com tagged along with some of the team's personnel for a day as they executed their assignments at the RCA Dome and its adjacent convention center and nearby hotels. Here's a snapshot of some of the behind the scenes happenings...

The Weigh-In
No, it's not for a prize fight, but this particular morning began with a group of defensive linemen getting their heights, weights, hand widths and arm lengths measured in an oversized ballroom in front of hundreds of NFL personnel sit..

Thompson's Approach To Remain Steady

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:47:25 CST

INDIANAPOLIS -- With General Manager Ted Thompson spending his first three drafts in Green Bay re-tooling the roster and re-stocking its depth, he helped the Packers recover from a 4-12 record in 2005 to reach the NFC Championship just two years later.

And with the Packers ending 2007 on the cusp of advancing to the ultimate stage, one school of thought is that Thompson might take a different approach in this year's draft. Meaning, rather than focus on taking the "best player available" with each pick, he might target certain needs and see if he can find a draft pick or two to fill them and help put the Packers over the top.

But don't bet on it.

That's not to say need won't be considered when the Packers make their first selection, at No. 30 overall, in the first round in late April. If the talent of available players is relatively equal, the team's need could influence the final call.

But Thompson isn't about to sacrifice the overall talent of his..

Favre's Decision Not So Simple, McCarthy Says

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:24:29 CST

INDIANAPOLIS -- Head Coach Mike McCarthy said on Friday he doesn't know when Brett Favre will make his decision on whether to continue playing or retire.

But he did indicate that, though his weekly conversations with Favre, he's aware there's more to the decision than the obvious elements talked about in public circles.

With Favre's 16th season in Green Bay in 2007 one of his best, and the team coming within an overtime score of advancing to the Super Bowl, some have considered it a no-brainer that Favre will return. He's playing well, and the team is having success, so what's there to think about?

"But that really has nothing to do with it," McCarthy said during his press conference from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "It's not the fact that he knows he still can play. He had a great time this year.

"It's just the fact that he's played a lot of football, and he's had to fully commit himself and his family year in and year out. When you ..

Packers Fan Memories

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:19:41 CST

Read the 'Packers Fan Memories' archives or Submit your own favorite memory

This Week's Photos

Hey Packers fans, here's your chance to share your favorite memories of the Green and Gold with other fans from around the world! This week's edition includes a father/daughter road trip from California, a green and gold floral wake-up, and a 16-hour trek to Lambeau Field for the first time.

Each week, Packers.com will post a feature called 'Packers Fan Memories.'

'Favorite Fives' of 2007: Top Pass Plays On The Road

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:45:09 CST

In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.

Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.

After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.

The fourth installment is the Top 5 pass plays in road games. In chronological order, they are:

Greg Jennings, 16-yard TD, at Minnesota (Sept. 30)
The record-breaker. Tied with Dan Marino for the NFL record for touchdown passes with 420 heading into the Vi..

NFL Scouting Combine Begins Thursday

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:56:14 CST

The annual NFL Scouting Combine begins Thursday in Indianapolis, and the Green Bay Packers will have their usual contingent in attendance.

That includes General Manager Ted Thompson along with his entire pro personnel and college scouting staffs, who will be evaluating and interviewing many of the roughly 300 prospective draft picks throughout the weekend-long event.

The college scouts will be following up on players from their geographical areas, some of whom they've already seen within the last couple of months at college all-star games. Meanwhile many of the pro personnel staff members will be getting their first live look at draft prospects they've only seen on film thus far.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his entire coaching staff will also be on hand, with the assistant coaches scouting players for their specific position groups and conducting interviews with potential draftees.

In addition, the medical personnel (including team physicians and ..

Kuhn, Morency Entering Business Program

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:11:40 CST

In the prime of their careers, professional football players don't like to think about life after the game. But it's inevitably coming, and there's no better time than now to take steps to be as prepared as possible.

That's why two Green Bay players, running backs John Kuhn and Vernand Morency, are taking advantage of the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program this offseason.

A total of 114 players have signed up to participate in one to two weekend sessions at either The Harvard Business School, the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), the Stanford Graduate School of Business, or the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kuhn and Morency will both attend The Wharton School, from Feb. 24-27 and from March 25-27, for a series of programs on a broad range of business topics, including entrepreneurship, real estate development and stock market investing, just to name a few.

For Kuhn, he's hoping to begin get..

Special Teams Q&A: Stock, Slocum Presided Over Improved Units

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:06:08 CST

In his annual special teams rankings released last week, Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Rick Gosselin ranked the Packers seventh in the league in 2007, a dramatic jump of 25 spots from their last-place finish the previous two years.

Packers.com sat down with special teams coordinator Mike Stock and assistant special teams coach Shawn Slocum to get their take on the marked improvement, and what lies ahead for 2008. The following is a transcript of that conversation:

What would you say were the one or two biggest reasons for the jump in the special teams ranking this year?
STOCK: Another year's experience with the guys we had the year before, the improvement of the kicking situation, and the improvement of the punter. The coverage elements were better, all of those things.

SLOCUM: The personnel improved. The core guys that we had, as in Tracy White, Jason Hunter, were another year into our system, and they played better. Then addin..

'Favorite Fives' of 2007: Top Run Plays On The Road

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:07:28 CST

In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.

Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.

After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.

The third installment is the Top 5 run plays in road games. In chronological order, they are:

DeShawn Wynn, 38-yard TD, at N.Y. Giants (Sept. 16)
The Packers had just 47 rushing yards on the day and 93 through their first two games when Wynn broke off the ..

Wisconsin Food Banks Receive Soup-er Donation

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:01:24 CST

The Packers have won this contest for six years running, and food pantries in Wisconsin certainly appreciate it.

More than 13,000 cans of Campbell's Chunky soup were distributed to 15 Wisconsin area food banks in the parking lot of Lambeau Field on Thursday, the result of Packers' fans registering more than 2.5 million votes in the annual "Click For Cans" online food drive.

Food pantries came from as far as a couple hundred miles away to collect approximately 880 cans apiece. Their trucks and transport vehicles were loaded by Packers players Brady Poppinga, Cullen Jenkins and Noah Herron, along with strength and conditioning coaches Rock Gullickson, Mark Lovat and Brandon Johnson.

The full donation represented the weight of the official Green Bay Packers' roster in soup cans, which will benefit those in need in Wisconsin. An additional 1,000 cans were split between two Brown County pantries.

"This means we'll be able to give a greater variety of fo..

TE Humphrey Working His Way Back

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:00:16 CST

As the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff emphasized "improvement from within" during the last offseason, players such as defensive backs Atari Bigby and Tramon Williams, and tight end Donald Lee, emerged as starters or key contributors in 2007.

Tight end Tory Humphrey might have qualified for that list, too, only Humphrey never got to show anyone how much he had improved.

After spending a full spring in the Packers' offseason program, and displaying promise during mini-camps and OTAs that he could be an athletic tight end with the ability to stretch the middle of the field, Humphrey sustained a horrible leg injury during the very first training camp practice on July 28.

"I was running a route, and the ball was thrown backside," Humphrey recalled last week, before leaving Green Bay for a training facility in Arizona. "I think it was one of the linebackers who hit me, and my foot kind of stuck in the ground the wrong way. I felt the snap right then and there,..

Joe Philbin Pro Bowl Diary - Part III

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:39:25 CST

The Green Bay Packers entire coaching staff was in Hawaii last week to coach the NFC squad to a 42-30 victory in the Pro Bowl. Including Head Coach Mike McCarthy, only four members of the coaching staff had coached at the Pro Bowl before.

Among those new to the experience was offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and he chronicled some of the happenings in Honolulu in this Packers.com diary. Here is the third and final installment:

Scoring 42 points and winning the game was fun to see. Obviously there's a lot of talented players on that roster, so it certainly wasn't hard dialing up a couple of plays. Anywhere you turn, if you ran the ball you had pretty good options, and if you threw the ball you had good options. Obviously the running back (Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, the game MVP) was outstanding.

I thought the three quarterbacks all did a good job running the offense. We had a tipped pass here or an interception there, but all in all I thought thos..

Special Teams Units See Dramatic Rise In Annual Rankings

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:08:45 CST

The reasons for the Green Bay Packers' rise from an 8-8 team that just missed the playoffs in 2006 to a 13-3 one that just missed a trip to the Super Bowl in 2007 are numerous.

The return of quarterback Brett Favre to his MVP level of a decade ago, the emergence of Ryan Grant as a true feature back, and the steady play of a defense settling into its second year under coordinator Bob Sanders' scheme are just a few.

But don't forget about the improved special teams play. Two fumble recoveries in Week 1 against Philadelphia, one for a touchdown and another to set up the game-winning field goal, jump-started the 2007 season. And the special teams' impact continued throughout the season with Tramon Williams' long punt return for a score against Carolina, and Will Blackmon's two special teams TDs against Oakland.

In his annual rankings of special teams play that were released this past weekend, Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Rick Gosselin ranked the Pac..

Packers Contribute To NFC's Pro Bowl Win

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:58:48 CST

Technically, the first one wasn't a sack. But the second one certainly was.

Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman, playing in his second straight Pro Bowl, made two significant defensive plays in the NFC's victory over the AFC on Sunday in Honolulu, where he, three other Packers teammates, and the entire Green Bay coaching staff contributed to the NFC's 42-30 triumph over the AFC.

On the game's opening series, it appeared Kampman had a sack when a bad shotgun snap eluded Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning scooped up the ball on the run, and Kampman chased him down for a 20-yard loss.

Officially, the play went only as a tackle for Kampman and not a sack, though. The bad snap made it an aborted play, so statistically speaking it was one of Kampman's three tackles on the day.

His last tackle was a sack, however. With the AFC trying to rally from the 12-point deficit on its final drive of the fourth quarter, Kampman knifed through the def..

AP Story: NFC Rallies To Defeat AFC, 42-30, In 2008 Pro Bowl

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:14:31 CST

They could have played this Pro Bowl on the beach with flag football rules. All of which was to the liking of Terrell Owens and Adrian Peterson.

Making up for early sloppiness, Owens caught two touchdowns passes, including a 6-yarder from Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia for the winning points in the NFC's comeback 42-30 victory over the AFC on Sunday.

Owens was aided by Offensive Rookie of the Year Peterson, whose 129 yards rushing was the first performance of more than 100 yards since Marshall Faulk had 180 and Chris Warren added 127 in 1995. The Minnesota running back scored twice as the NFC rallied from a 24-7 deficit, earning himself MVP honors.

Faulk is the only other rookie to be voted MVP of the Pro Bowl.

Neither side held back the tricks, to the delight of the sellout crowd of 50,044 at Aloha Stadium. There was a fake punt, a throwback kickoff return and a handful of fourth-down gambles.

One of those was a 34-yard pass to Owens from f..

Al Harris Pro Bowl Diary - Part II

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:42:47 CST

In his 10th NFL season and fifth with the Packers, cornerback Al Harris received a long-awaited Pro Bowl invitation this year. He had been a Pro Bowl alternate each of the past three seasons, but had never made the trip to Hawaii.

But Harris is there this year, joined by teammates Donald Driver, Chad Clifton and Aaron Kampman (quarterback Brett Favre declined), along with the entire Green Bay coaching staff. The NFC squad takes on the AFC on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT on FOX.

Harris is chronicling parts of his trip in this online diary for Packers.com. Here is the second installment:

Everything here has been great, just the whole experience. Everybody has their family here, so guys are spending time with their family. My wife and boys got here Wednesday night, a little delayed but they got here around 11 at night.

Yesterday we went surfing, and I went to take lessons. I stood up a couple times. It was fun, man. We got rained..

Joe Philbin Pro Bowl Diary - Part II

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:45:32 CST

The Green Bay Packers entire coaching staff is in Hawaii this week to coach the NFC squad in the Pro Bowl. Including Head Coach Mike McCarthy, only four members of the coaching staff have coached at the Pro Bowl before.

Among those new to the experience is offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and he is chronicling some of the happenings in Honolulu in this Packers.com diary. Here is the second installment:

The weather has been great. On Thursday, we went to the Dole plantation, and we went to the North Shore to watch surfing. Today we're going to go snorkeling at a bay about a half-hour away from here. It's supposed to be the best on the island.

My boys actually went fishing yesterday with Matt Birk, because he's a kid I coached at Harvard 10 years ago. They caught us some fish for dinner. They actually brought it back and the chefs served it up for us. The boys caught enough for everybody and we had some leftover too. They caught about 17 tunas and a ..

Packers Fan Memories

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:05:23 CST

Read the 'Packers Fan Memories' archives or Submit your own favorite memory

This Week's Photos

Hey Packers fans, here's your chance to share your favorite memories of the Green and Gold with other fans from around the world! This week's edition includes a Packers-inspired superhero, a chocolate cake rendition of Lambeau Field, a cheesehead-wearing Zamboni driver, a cheerful autograph signing and devoted fans from the west coast.

Each week, Packers.com will post a feature called 'Packers Fan Memories.'

'Favorite Fives' of 2007: Top Pass Plays At Home

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:30:39 CST

In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.

Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.

After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.

The second installment is the Top 5 pass plays in home games. In chronological order, they are:

Greg Jennings, 57-yard TD, vs. San Diego (Sept. 23)
Trailing 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, one series after a goal-to-go possession came up empty, the Packe..

Joe Philbin Pro Bowl Diary - Part I

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:01:34 CST

The Green Bay Packers entire coaching staff is in Hawaii this week to coach the NFC squad in the Pro Bowl. Including Head Coach Mike McCarthy, only four members of the coaching staff have coached at the Pro Bowl before.

Among those new to the experience is offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and he will chronicle some of the happenings in Honolulu in this Packers.com diary. Here is the first installment:

We had a long travel day getting out here. We drove from Green Bay about 5 in the morning on Saturday to Chicago, left Chicago about 10:00, and got out to L.A. about 2:00. We were supposed to leave at 4, but there was a mechanical problem or something, so we probably didn't leave L.A. until about 8:00 West Coast time, and I think we got into the airport here in Hawaii about 1 in the morning on Sunday. It was a long day, but it was well worth it. We were a haul going through the airports - my wife and five of my six children (ages 6 to 17) - but we didn't lose ..

Al Harris Pro Bowl Diary - Part I

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:05:04 CST

In his 10th NFL season and fifth with the Packers, cornerback Al Harris received a long-awaited Pro Bowl invitation this year. He had been a Pro Bowl alternate each of the past three seasons, but had never made the trip to Hawaii.

But Harris is there this year, joined by teammates Donald Driver, Chad Clifton and Aaron Kampman (quarterback Brett Favre declined), along with the entire Green Bay coaching staff. The NFC squad takes on the AFC on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT on FOX.

Harris will be chronicling parts of his trip in this online diary for Packers.com. Here is the first installment:

I haven't had a chance to do too much out here yet after traveling all day Monday. I left from my home in Florida, and I ended up on a flight with Darren Sharper, Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne, so that was pretty cool. I talked to those guys a little bit, and we talked about the Super Bowl briefly. It was a good game.

We had team meetings ..

Football Leadership Firmly In Place

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:44:49 CST

McCARTHY'S NEW CONTRACT MATCHES THOMPSON'S FIVE-YEAR DEAL

Recently retired Packers Chairman Bob Harlan has said many times he feels the tandem of General Manager Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy is the best the Packers have had leading the football operations since Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren.

And now the organization will have that tandem in place for the foreseeable future.

McCarthy signed a new five-year contract this week that replaces the final season of the three-year deal he signed upon becoming the head coach in January 2006 and extends the franchise's commitment to him through 2012.

This comes just one month after Thompson also signed a new five-year deal, and having them in lock-step contractually only reinforces the partnership the two have formed as the football leaders.

"The five-year deal I think is a reflection of the commitment to our football program and the direction that we're headed," McCarthy said in a c..

'Favorite Fives' of 2007: Top Run Plays At Home

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:56:39 CST

In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.

Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.

After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.

The first installment is the Top 5 running plays in home games. In chronological order, they are:

DeShawn Wynn, 44 yards, vs. Chicago (Oct. 7)
In a prime-time contest against their NFC North arch-rivals, the Packers got off to a rousing start when Wynn, a ..