Wide receiver Koren Robinson was added to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, but Head Coach Mike McCarthy said he would be limited in practice this week with soreness in the knee that was operated on during the offseason.
Robinson experienced soreness in his knee in the middle of last week and wasn't fully healthy by the end of the week. That, combined with the rustiness from not having played football for a year, kept him from being activated for Monday night's game in Denver. McCarthy said it would again be an end-of-the-week decision on whether he will be active this Sunday in Kansas City.
"That's as close to live action that he's had, the ability to practice," McCarthy said. "We had five practices last week. That's a lot of work for someone that's just coming here for the first time. Maybe take a couple weeks to get that under control. It's just something you have to watch and see."
To make room for Robinson on the roster, the Packers placed rookie running back DeShawn Wynn on injured reserve. Wynn injured a shoulder early in Monday night's game and did not return.
The injury is yet another in a long string of maladies that has befallen the seventh-round pick from Florida since coming to Green Bay. He recovered from calf and quad strains, a stomach virus, dehydration and a neck spasm to start four games, rushing for 203 yards on 50 carries (4.1 avg.) with four touchdowns.
McCarthy said Wynn's shoulder injury is similar to, though worse than, the nerve-stinger problem offensive lineman Tony Moll suffered in training camp, and Moll wasn't back to full health for several weeks, so the decision was made to put Wynn on IR.
"I think he has a very bright future," McCarthy said. "It's unfortunate that he has to go down on IR, but we're excited about DeShawn's future here. Because he has all the ability. He can be as good as he wants to be."
Injury update
In addition to Robinson, center Scott Wells also will be limited in practice this week while still recovering from the sinus infection that forced him to miss Monday night's game.
Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett's knee injury from the game isn't considered serious but he could be limited in practice as well. Pickett left Monday's game briefly but returned and made a key tackle on Jay Cutler's quarterback draw inside the 5-yard line in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, forcing the Broncos to settle for the game-tying field goal.
Good call
Just before catching the game-winning 82-yard touchdown pass in overtime on Monday night, receiver Greg Jennings was the one who called "heads" to win the overtime coin toss, giving the Packers the ball first in the extra period.
{sportsad300}Considering how exhausted the Packers' defense was, having just spent the end of the fourth quarter on the field as Denver drove 89 yards for the game-tying field goal, it's questionable whether the offense even would have had a chance to get the ball if not for winning the toss.
"That was probably about as big a decision that was made all night, Greg Jennings calling heads on the coin toss," McCarthy said. "I think you should go tails, and he told me he was going heads, and I'm glad I didn't say what I wanted to say."
Big audience
Monday night's game was not only the highest-rated Monday Night Football game of the season on ESPN, but it also drew the largest audience for any cable television show in 2007.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that the game produced a 10.5 rating, representing an average of 10,163,000 homes.
Butler, Wolf, Harlan on preliminary Hall list
Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler, former general manager Ron Wolf, and outgoing Chairman and CEO Bob Harlan are among the 124 names on the preliminary list of nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2008.
Butler and Wolf were on the preliminary list last year but did not advance to the semi-finalist or finalist stage. Harlan, who along with Wolf is one of 19 "contributors" (nominees who have made outstanding career contributions to football other than playing or coaching), is a preliminary nominee for the first time.
The list of 124 will be whittled down to 25 semi-finalists and 15 finalists. From that group of finalists, plus two previously selected senior nominees, anywhere from four to seven new Hall inductees will be chosen.
PRELIMINARY LIST OF NOMINEES FOR THE CLASS OF 2008
Nominees in First Year of Eligibility
Wide receivers - Cris Carter, Herman Moore
Running back - Eric Metcalf (also WR/KR/PR)
Offensive linemen - Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Richmond Webb (T)
Linebackers - Levon Kirkland, Hardy Nickerson
Defensive back - Darrell Green (CB)
Additional Nominees for the Class of 2008
Quarterbacks - Ken Anderson, Randall Cunningham, Boomer Esiason, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Ken Stabler, Joe Theismann, Danny White, Doug Williams
Running backs - Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis, Herschel Walker, Ricky Watters
Wide receivers - Cliff Branch, Harold Carmichael, Dwight Clark, Gary Clark, Isaac Curtis, Henry Ellard, Roy Green, *Art Monk, Drew Pearson, *Andre Reed
Tight ends - Mark Bavaro, Todd Christensen, Ben Coates, Russ Francis, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek
Offensive linemen - Jim Covert (T), Dermontti Dawson (C), *Russ Grimm (G), Jay Hilgenberg (C), Kent Hill (G/T), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), *Bob Kuechenberg (G), Jim Lachey (T), Mark May (T/G/C), Randall McDaniel (G), Jeff Van Note (C), Steve Wisniewski (G), *Gary Zimmerman (T)
Defensive linemen - Ray Childress (DT/DE), *Fred Dean (DE), *Richard Dent (DE), Chris Doleman (DE/LB), Jacob Green (DE), Charles Haley (DE/LB), Jim Jeffcoat (DE), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (DE), Cortez Kennedy (DT), Joe Klecko (DE/DT/NT), Fred Smerlas (NT)
Linebackers - Cornelius Bennett, Matt Blair, Robert Brazile, Randy Gradishar, Kevin Greene (LB/DE), Ken Harvey, Rickey Jackson, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, Darryl Talley, *Derrick Thomas, *Andre Tippett
Defensive backs - Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Raymond Clayborn (CB), Nolan Cromwell (S), Kenny Easley (S), Lester Hayes (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), Ken Riley (CB), Donnie Shell (S), Louis Wright (CB)
Kicker/Punters - *Ray Guy (P), Nick Lowery (K), Reggie Roby (P)
Special teams - Elbert Shelley (S), Steve Tasker (WR)
Coaches - Don Coryell, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Clark Shaughnessy, Ernie Zampese
Contributors - K. S. "Bud" Adams, Jr., Gil Brandt, C. O. Brocato, Leo Carlin, Ed DeBartolo, Jr., Pat Haggerty, Bob Harlan, Jerry Jones, Bucko Kilroy, Art McNally, Art Modell, Art Rooney, Jr., Ed Sabol, Steve Sabol, *Paul Tagliabue, Jim Tunney, Ralph Wilson, Jr., Ron Wolf, George Young
*On 2007 17 finalists list
