Game Notes: Defense Potentially Dealt A Blow With Injuries

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:55:09 CST

The excitement over the Packers' second straight win was tempered a bit by the loss of two veteran leaders on the defense as linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris were both carted off the field in the second half with knee injuries.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy said the team would know more about the players' status on Monday, but said both injuries "did not look very good" and that "there is some concern."

Kampman injured his knee midway through the third quarter. With the 49ers facing a 2nd-and-20 from the Green Bay 38, Kampman was rushing the passer against San Francisco tackle Adam Snyder when his knee seemed to give out on him.

Harris sustained his injury with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game. On first-and-10 at the Green Bay 24, Harris was covering wide receiver Michael Crabtree down near the goal line on quarterback Alex Smith's incomplete pass to Frank Gore. Television replays did not have a good angle on Harris as he went down, b..

Jennings Making Big Plays Again

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:55:44 CST

Receiver Greg Jennings hadn't topped 100 yards in a game since Week 3, and he had found the end zone only once this season since catching that dramatic 50-yard touchdown pass to beat the Bears back in the season opener.

So Sunday's big game for the fourth-year wideout had been a while in coming. His five-catch, 126-yard outing, which included a 64-yard touchdown, played a huge role in the Packers' 30-24 victory over the 49ers.

"It felt good," Jennings said. "Felt good just to get the ball in my hands and make a play afterwards."

Despite the lack of highlight reel performances, Jennings had still been productive this season. But his 543 yards and two touchdowns through the first nine games were well off the pace that saw him post 1,292 yards and nine scores a year ago, a monster season that earned him a lucrative contract extension.

His big season in 2008 naturally led to more attention from opposing defenses, however, and that has had an impact on ..

Grant Takes It Right At 49ers

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:55:25 CST

Coming into Sunday's game, the San Francisco 49ers' defense was ranked an impressive third in the league against the run but an alarming 29th against the pass.

That didn't mean the Packers were going to attack in one-dimensional fashion, however. Far from it.

Green Bay tried to and succeeded in establishing the run early with feature back Ryan Grant, and the third-year pro was pretty darn effective all day long, churning out 129 yards on 21 carries in the Packers' 30-24 victory at Lambeau Field.

Grant, who also had a 1-yard touchdown run, topped 100 yards for the second time this season. But more importantly, he let the 49ers know right away he would be a factor in the game, and the ground attack remained a key all the way to the end when the offense killed the final five minutes, 50 seconds on the clock to seal the win.

"We did a good job of executing," Grant said of the ground game, which produced 158 yards in all, well above the average of 87.7 ..

Game Review: Packers Start Fast, Close Out Victory

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:54:49 CST

The Packers played one of their most impressive halves of football this season on the way to a 20-point halftime lead over San Francisco, and withheld a second-half rally by the 49ers to post a 30-24 victory and stay in the thick of the NFC playoff race.

Green Bay's second straight win improved the Packers to 6-4 on the season, which ties them with the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles for fifth in the NFC and the top wild-card spot.

The Packers dominated the 49ers in every statistical category in the opening half, outgaining them by over 300 yards, 362 to 57, posting 17 first downs to San Francisco's one, and controlling the ball for 22:32 to 7:28 for the 49ers. The 362 yards were the most in a half since the Packers put up the same number at Oakland on Dec. 22, 2003, in the opening half.

"I thought we played an extremely productive first half as a football team, you know, in all three phases," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. "I thought the defens..

AP Game Summary: Packers Hold On, Defeat 49ers 30-24

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:33:44 CST

Sure, Aaron Rodgers enjoyed beating the San Francisco 49ers. It's the team he grew up rooting for, and the team that snubbed him on draft day in 2005.

But Rodgers wasn't gloating after Sunday's 30-24 victory, and neither were the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay (6-4) nearly blew a big lead in the second half, and now might have to hang in the playoff race without two key cogs in the defense: outside linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris, who sustained potentially serious knee injuries.

Kampman and Harris both were carted to the locker room in the second half, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged there is "some concern" about the severity of their injuries.

"Hopefully, these two injuries aren't as serious as we may think," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said the Packers should know more about Kampman and Harris on Monday. For now, they'll try to carry all the things they did right in the first half into Thursday's game at Detroit.

Packers Lead 49ers 23-3 At Halftime

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:28:31 CST

The Packers have outgained the 49ers, 362 yards to 57, on their way to a 23-3 halftime lead at Lambeau Field.

The Packers moved the ball well on their first two possessions, driving inside San Francisco's 10-yard line both times with the help of some big plays, a season-long 26-yard run from running back Ryan Grant on the first series and a 37-yard reception from wide receiver Greg Jennings on the second. But each time they were forced to settle for field goals from Mason Crosby.

Green Bay's offense was able to break through midway through the second quarter. On first down from their own 36, Rodgers found Jennings over the middle, who put a nice move on safety Dashon Goldson and cornerback Tarell Brown at the San Francisco 45, before taking it the rest of the way for a 64-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead.

The Packers added to their lead when Rodgers led the offense on a 10-play, 81-yard drive that included two passes to wide receiver Donald Driver for a combi..

Off The Field: T.J. Lang

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:25:54 CST

Favorite TV show...Dexter is my No. 1 show. Seinfeld too, going old-school on you.

Favorite movies...The best movie I have seen lately is Law Abiding Citizen. I'm also big into comedies, so Dumb and Dumber is a classic.

Favorite music group/artist...I'm starting to grow into country these past few years. Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts are my top three.

Hobbies...sleeping and watching Food Network. I like to think I am somewhat of a cook, so I like to learn new things.

First car...A 1992 Ford Crown Victoria when I was a senior in high school. The thing was a big boat and I loved it, but I had to retire it last year.

First job...Before my senior year of high school, I went door-to-door passing out fliers for a construction company. It wasn't bad. I was making $10 an hour and I worked five hours a day. I pulled in some nice cash during the summer...

Tough Against TEs, Packers Face Another Challenge In 49ers' Davis

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:46:42 CST

So far in 2009, the Green Bay Packers have managed to keep opposing tight ends from having a major impact on gameday.

But that task gets perhaps as difficult as it's been all season on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers and Vernon Davis.

Davis, a fourth-year athletic freak whose 6-foot-3, 250-pound listing doesn't do him justice, is a player that Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers calls not only the fastest tight end in the NFL, but maybe the fastest pass-catcher in the 49ers' offensive arsenal.

This year Davis is having the kind of breakout season the 49ers envisioned when they drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick back in 2006. After two decent though unspectacular seasons, and then a rocky start last year under new coach Mike Singletary, Davis is now leading San Francisco with 45 receptions for 493 yards (11.0 avg.) and seven touchdowns.

He combines a ruggedness in traffic over the middle with breakaway speed on vertical routes, all ..

Notebook: Wells Returns, Expected To Start

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:38 CST

The Packers' offensive line has had to deal with more than its share of injuries already this season, but the unit received some good news on Friday when starting center Scott Wells returned to the practice field.

Wells had missed Thursday's padded practice after reporting concussion symptoms following Wednesday's practice. He said he thinks he sustained the concussion against Dallas, but passed a concussion test during the game and did not have any symptoms until Wednesday when he physically exerted himself for the first time since the game.

"They told me that when you have symptoms three days later, they want to be cautious with it," Wells said. "I was kind of thrown off that I felt pretty good Tuesday and then Wednesday I had some symptoms. They said it's rare but it happens, which obviously it did. Concussions are a serious thing. You can't mess around.

"Monday, yeah, you're sore but it's hard to tell what normal soreness is. I was a little cloudy, but ..

Watch 'The Colledge Experience' With Ahman Green!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:04:58 CST

Green Bay Packers guard Daryn Colledge takes fans to locations throughout Lambeau Field, interviewing his teammates one-on-one in 'The Colledge Experience.' Fans are able to participate in the webisodes by submitting questions for Colledge to ask his guests of the week. Topics covered on the program, now in its second season, will range from personal to football, and anything else fans come up with.

In last week's webisode, Colledge interviewed guard Josh Sitton. From the coaches' equipment room, Sitton discussed mowing lawns, working with children, and his previous experience in telemarketing.

This week, 'The Colledge Experience' welcomes the Packers' all-time leading rusher, Ahman Green. Interviewed in the Curly's Pub game room, Green talks about winning four straight Little League championships, breaking the all-time rushing record, and switching to #34.

Check back next week for a brand new webisode of 'The Colledge Experience!'

Ask A Questi..

Packers Fan Memories

Packers Fan Memories — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:03:04 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 golf tournament, a Minnesota Packers fan, and a drawing of quarterback Matt Flynn.

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

Notebook: Former Bear Singletary Returns To Lambeau

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:45:04 CST
The last time Mike Singletary set foot in Lambeau Field was a little more than 17 years ago, when his Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers by a score of 30-10 on Oct. 25, 1992.

But that's not what Singletary, the Hall of Fame middle linebacker who's now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, remembers most about Lambeau.

Singletary said this week that his last memory of Green Bay is the famous "Instant Replay" game between the Bears and Packers, which took place on Nov. 5, 1989. In that game, Packers quarterback Don Majkowski threw a game-winning 14-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe on fourth down for a 14-13 Green Bay victory.

Initially, the touchdown didn't count because the officials had ruled that Majkowski crossed the line of scrimmage before releasing the pass. But the call was overturned by a replay review, and the touchdown was good.

"That's a memory that I'll never forget," Singletary said. "It wasn't so much whether he was pa..

Year Removed From Injury, Barnett Back To His Old Self

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:46:24 CST
Nick Barnett admits to being frustrated early this season when his snaps were limited as he came back from ACL reconstruction surgery, but with the veteran linebacker performing at a high level a year after the injury, he now sees why the team took the cautious approach.

Barnett sustained the season-ending knee injury last season in Week 10 at Minnesota, and was sidelined for most of the preseason as well. He made his return in the preseason finale at Tennessee, but saw his time at Mack linebacker limited to around 35-40 snaps for the first three games of the season before going back to a full workload in Week 4 at Minnesota.

For a player that was used to being on the field nearly all of the time in his first six seasons with the Packers, being patient during those opening three games was a challenge.

"I've never been faced with an injury of that sort, an ACL," said Barnett, who had missed just two games due to injury in six-plus seasons. "This coaching sta..

Notebook: Finley Itching To Get Back On The Field

Tom Fanning, Packers.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:44:39 CST
Tight end Jermichael Finley said Wednesday he had never missed a football game in his life due to an injury prior to sustaining a knee sprain in Week 7 at Cleveland, so after being sidelined for three games, he is more than ready to return this Sunday against San Francisco.

Finley suffered the injury on the opening drive of the game against the Browns on a 16-yard reception, and had yet to participate fully in practice since then until Wednesday. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said Finley took his normal number of reps for a Wednesday practice.

"I feel pretty good," Finley said. "A little rusty out there today, the first day back. I'm just excited to be back.

"It's just a great thing to be back in the lineup and helping my team win."

After a strong showing in the preseason, the second-year tight end got off to a slow start in the regular season, catching just five passes for 62 yards in the first three games.

But Finley's coming-out party came i..

Contrasting Careers Thus Far For QBs Smith, Rodgers

Mike Spofford, Packers.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:46:01 CST
The divergent paths taken by quarterbacks Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers since draft day in April 2005 are unavoidably in the spotlight this week as the San Francisco 49ers come to Green Bay to take on the Packers.

But to draw any grand conclusions from the analysis is a dicey proposition at best. Probably better just to look at it as the principals involved do, that everything happens for a reason.

To review, Smith and Rodgers were the top two quarterback prospects in the 2005 draft, and both were considered strong candidates to be taken No. 1 overall by the 49ers. Ultimately San Francisco chose Smith to revive the franchise, leaving Rodgers to unexpectedly fall all the way to No. 24, where the Packers grabbed him as the heir apparent to Brett Favre.

Fast forward nearly five years and the two careers are at very different stages. Smith was thrust into the starting role right away and endured a tumultuous first 2 seasons in San Francisco, then missed a year ..