<!-- <headline>A confident Pack mentality</headline> <source>Boston Globe</source> <teasetext>Joe Philbin scans the "needs improvement" checklist for his Packers offense and begins at the top. Better production on third down . . . more punch in the red zone . . . a more consistent rushing attack.</teasetext> <byline>Mike Reiss</byline> <date>June 22, 2008</date> -->
<INPUT type=hidden value="Globe Story" name=logotype>
MIKE REISS | FOOTBALL NOTES
A confident Pack mentality
They expect Rodgers to snap right into place
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | June 22, 2008
Joe Philbin scans the "needs improvement" checklist for his Packers offense and begins at the top. Better production on third down . . . more punch in the red zone . . . a more consistent rushing attack.
Most telling, it turns out, is what isn't on Philbin's list.
There is no immediate mention of quarterback, no talk of how the Packers will manage without Brett Favre, who retired after 16 unforgettable seasons in Green Bay.
Philbin, entering his second season as Packers offensive coordinator, is not slighting one of the game's all-time competitors. Far from it. His thoughts reflect more of a vote of confidence for fourth-year man Aaron Rodgers, who faces the challenge of following up Favre's remarkable iron-man streak of 253 regular-season starts.
Can Rodgers get it done?
It just might be the top question in the NFL entering the 2008 season.
Philbin, a Longmeadow native, returned to his Bay State roots when touching on the promise he has seen from Rodgers.
"It's sort of like when you went to watch Roger Clemens pitch in the late '80s, you knew he could throw the ball - and this guy can, too," Philbin said. "That's probably the first thing that excites you about him, and that's a great place to start.
"I think people are going to be impressed with his arm strength and accuracy. Ultimately, at some point in time, in a tight situation, or a tight coverage, you're going to have to put the ball in the right spot, at the right time, with the right velocity. I think he has the qualities to get that done."
To this point, however, Rodgers hasn't had much of a chance to showcase his arm in the NFL, a result of playing behind Favre for the past three seasons and also sustaining foot and hamstring injuries. He has 59 pass attempts over seven regular-season games, hardly any of them coming in pressure situations.
Naturally, the pressure is already on to see if Rodgers can fill the void, but Philbin and the coaching staff have been proceeding as if it's business as usual.
"A lot has been made of the pressure that is on him to perform and produce," said Philbin, "but my response would be that if you asked every coordinator on every team in the league, I think they'd say similar things about what they're looking for in their quarterback.
"They're looking for a guy to make good decisions, they're looking for a guy to manage the game well, they're looking for a guy who has good leadership and the guys can rally behind, and they're looking for a guy who can make some plays.
"So in that regard, I don't know if Aaron is in any different position as anybody else, because I think good teams, winning teams, have quarterbacks that do that. Certainly our expectations are that he is going to do some of those things."
Realizing he is now in a position of leadership, the 24-year-old Rodgers has invited teammates to his house on Wednesday nights to promote unity. He has also given his cellphone number to rookie quarterbacks Brian Brohm (second round) and Matt Flynn (seventh round), because he remembered all the questions he had as a rookie in 2005, when he was projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick but slipped to No. 24.
Like any successful team, the Packers - who don't currently have a veteran backup - will attempt to be diverse enough so that not all of the burden falls on the quarterback.
In the surprising Ryan Grant, the club appears to have found a decisive, physical, one-cut runner who nicely fits their zone-based scheme. The receiving corps is especially deep, with third-year man Greg Jennings a rising star and dependable veteran Donald Driver one of the game's steadiest performers. The offensive line has been solid in protection, and with some improvements on the interior could be a top unit. Donald Lee elevates to the No. 1 tight end role, leading a young group that Philbin is counting on for promising development.
But for now, if you talk about the Packers, it seems most everyone puts the attention squarely on one spot: quarterback.
"There might be some growing pains along the way, that's quite possible," said Philbin. "He doesn't have the experience of a 15-year veteran, and the only way you can get that is by going out and playing.
"But as far as the pressure of who he is replacing, that's not something we're focused on. We're focused on how our quarterback needs to play well in this system for this team to be productive on offense, and we have the confidence he can do that."
<INPUT type=hidden value="Globe Story" name=logotype> MIKE REISS | FOOTBALL NOTES
A confident Pack mentality
They expect Rodgers to snap right into place
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | June 22, 2008
Joe Philbin scans the "needs improvement" checklist for his Packers offense and begins at the top. Better production on third down . . . more punch in the red zone . . . a more consistent rushing attack.
Most telling, it turns out, is what isn't on Philbin's list.
There is no immediate mention of quarterback, no talk of how the Packers will manage without Brett Favre, who retired after 16 unforgettable seasons in Green Bay.
Philbin, entering his second season as Packers offensive coordinator, is not slighting one of the game's all-time competitors. Far from it. His thoughts reflect more of a vote of confidence for fourth-year man Aaron Rodgers, who faces the challenge of following up Favre's remarkable iron-man streak of 253 regular-season starts.
Can Rodgers get it done?
It just might be the top question in the NFL entering the 2008 season.
Philbin, a Longmeadow native, returned to his Bay State roots when touching on the promise he has seen from Rodgers.
"It's sort of like when you went to watch Roger Clemens pitch in the late '80s, you knew he could throw the ball - and this guy can, too," Philbin said. "That's probably the first thing that excites you about him, and that's a great place to start.
"I think people are going to be impressed with his arm strength and accuracy. Ultimately, at some point in time, in a tight situation, or a tight coverage, you're going to have to put the ball in the right spot, at the right time, with the right velocity. I think he has the qualities to get that done."
To this point, however, Rodgers hasn't had much of a chance to showcase his arm in the NFL, a result of playing behind Favre for the past three seasons and also sustaining foot and hamstring injuries. He has 59 pass attempts over seven regular-season games, hardly any of them coming in pressure situations.
Naturally, the pressure is already on to see if Rodgers can fill the void, but Philbin and the coaching staff have been proceeding as if it's business as usual.
"A lot has been made of the pressure that is on him to perform and produce," said Philbin, "but my response would be that if you asked every coordinator on every team in the league, I think they'd say similar things about what they're looking for in their quarterback.
"They're looking for a guy to make good decisions, they're looking for a guy to manage the game well, they're looking for a guy who has good leadership and the guys can rally behind, and they're looking for a guy who can make some plays.
"So in that regard, I don't know if Aaron is in any different position as anybody else, because I think good teams, winning teams, have quarterbacks that do that. Certainly our expectations are that he is going to do some of those things."
Realizing he is now in a position of leadership, the 24-year-old Rodgers has invited teammates to his house on Wednesday nights to promote unity. He has also given his cellphone number to rookie quarterbacks Brian Brohm (second round) and Matt Flynn (seventh round), because he remembered all the questions he had as a rookie in 2005, when he was projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick but slipped to No. 24.
Like any successful team, the Packers - who don't currently have a veteran backup - will attempt to be diverse enough so that not all of the burden falls on the quarterback.
In the surprising Ryan Grant, the club appears to have found a decisive, physical, one-cut runner who nicely fits their zone-based scheme. The receiving corps is especially deep, with third-year man Greg Jennings a rising star and dependable veteran Donald Driver one of the game's steadiest performers. The offensive line has been solid in protection, and with some improvements on the interior could be a top unit. Donald Lee elevates to the No. 1 tight end role, leading a young group that Philbin is counting on for promising development.
But for now, if you talk about the Packers, it seems most everyone puts the attention squarely on one spot: quarterback.
"There might be some growing pains along the way, that's quite possible," said Philbin. "He doesn't have the experience of a 15-year veteran, and the only way you can get that is by going out and playing.
"But as far as the pressure of who he is replacing, that's not something we're focused on. We're focused on how our quarterback needs to play well in this system for this team to be productive on offense, and we have the confidence he can do that."
They will go under, but not because of Rodgers. He's got talent and is probably just as good as Favre at this point in Favre's career.
They will go under because last year's record was deceiving of the talent they have. They aren't a top tier team, and they aren't even close. They have Kampman who is an absolute stud, they have a pretty good RB in Grant, and have above average WR's in Driver and Jennings. Their OL still isn't great, their secondary is too old, and their LB's and DT's are nothing special.
The Vikings have more talent and I could easily see the Packers going something like 2-4 inside the division.
They will go under because last year's record was deceiving of the talent they have. They aren't a top tier team, and they aren't even close. They have Kampman who is an absolute stud, they have a pretty good RB in Grant, and have above average WR's in Driver and Jennings. Their OL still isn't great, their secondary is too old, and their LB's and DT's are nothing special.
The Vikings have more talent and I could easily see the Packers going something like 2-4 inside the division.
I SEE THE LINE IS DOWN AT MANY PLACES, we will see if this changes if anything happens:
Team mum on Favre situation
Rumblings of QB’s return surface on television station, Web site
By LORI NICKEL
lnickel@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 7, 2008
Several days after ESPN.com broke the story that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre wanted to reverse his March 4 decision to retire; the issue remained relatively silent Monday, at least from the team’s perspective.
General manager Ted Thompson was not in the office and has not returned messages seeking comment.
Also, Favre has not yet publicly stated that he wants to return for an 18th season in the NFL.
However, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported Monday that Favre sent a text message to Thompson on Saturday. The station reported that Thompson’s reply to Favre was that he was on vacation, and the two would have to talk later.
Furthermore, Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King reported on SI.com Monday that Thompson has ignored the phone calls from Favre’s agent, James “Bus” Cook and that the team has sent an intermediary down to talk to Favre in Mississippi. The article also states it was likely that Cook would request that Favre be taken off the NFL’s reserve/retired list within the next 10 days.
The lack of open communication lines between Favre and Thompson is essential, considering that SI.com reported that it was Thompson who convinced Favre to come back after the 2005 season. Favre thought he was done then, but Thompson visited Favre in Hattiesburg, Miss., and urged him to play one more year to give coach Mike McCarthy — then in his first year — a chance. Thompson told Favre the Packers needed him, and Favre decided to return for the 2006 season.
This time, however, it seems the Packers have moved on. The article also said Favre notified McCarthy that he wanted to return within the last couple of weeks and that “an edgy McCarthy told Favre, in their most recent phone conversation a couple of weeks ago, the legendary quarterback would put the Packers in a tough spot by reneging on his March 6 retirement.”
Team mum on Favre situation
Rumblings of QB’s return surface on television station, Web site
By LORI NICKEL
lnickel@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 7, 2008
Several days after ESPN.com broke the story that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre wanted to reverse his March 4 decision to retire; the issue remained relatively silent Monday, at least from the team’s perspective.
General manager Ted Thompson was not in the office and has not returned messages seeking comment.
Also, Favre has not yet publicly stated that he wants to return for an 18th season in the NFL.
However, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported Monday that Favre sent a text message to Thompson on Saturday. The station reported that Thompson’s reply to Favre was that he was on vacation, and the two would have to talk later.
Furthermore, Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King reported on SI.com Monday that Thompson has ignored the phone calls from Favre’s agent, James “Bus” Cook and that the team has sent an intermediary down to talk to Favre in Mississippi. The article also states it was likely that Cook would request that Favre be taken off the NFL’s reserve/retired list within the next 10 days.
The lack of open communication lines between Favre and Thompson is essential, considering that SI.com reported that it was Thompson who convinced Favre to come back after the 2005 season. Favre thought he was done then, but Thompson visited Favre in Hattiesburg, Miss., and urged him to play one more year to give coach Mike McCarthy — then in his first year — a chance. Thompson told Favre the Packers needed him, and Favre decided to return for the 2006 season.
This time, however, it seems the Packers have moved on. The article also said Favre notified McCarthy that he wanted to return within the last couple of weeks and that “an edgy McCarthy told Favre, in their most recent phone conversation a couple of weeks ago, the legendary quarterback would put the Packers in a tough spot by reneging on his March 6 retirement.”
Line has moved up slightly:
Superbook line:
<TABLE class=border id=wagerTable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY id=betOdds><TR class=even vAlign=center><TD class=left noWrap>Green Bay Packers</TD><TD class=overUnder noWrap align=right>Over 8.5
</TD><TD class=overUnder><INPUT onclick=checkFutureLine(this) type=checkbox value=F510-GreenBayPackers-122808|FO|1|100|110|17|-110 name=selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FO] lf="BET.selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FO]"> </TD><TD width="25%"></TD></TR><TR class=even vAlign=center><TD class=left width="25%"></TD><TD class=left noWrap></TD><TD class=overUnder noWrap align=right>Under 8.5 (-120)
</TD><TD class=overUnder><INPUT onclick=checkFutureLine(this) type=checkbox value=F510-GreenBayPackers-122808|FU|1|100|120|17|-120 name=selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FU] lf="BET.selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FU]"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Superbook line:
<TABLE class=border id=wagerTable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY id=betOdds><TR class=even vAlign=center><TD class=left noWrap>Green Bay Packers</TD><TD class=overUnder noWrap align=right>Over 8.5
</TD><TD class=overUnder><INPUT onclick=checkFutureLine(this) type=checkbox value=F510-GreenBayPackers-122808|FO|1|100|110|17|-110 name=selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FO] lf="BET.selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FO]"> </TD><TD width="25%"></TD></TR><TR class=even vAlign=center><TD class=left width="25%"></TD><TD class=left noWrap></TD><TD class=overUnder noWrap align=right>Under 8.5 (-120)
</TD><TD class=overUnder><INPUT onclick=checkFutureLine(this) type=checkbox value=F510-GreenBayPackers-122808|FU|1|100|120|17|-120 name=selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FU] lf="BET.selection[F510-GreenBayPackers-122808FU]"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Pack currently at 2-3
<TABLE class=shsTable cellSpacing=0><TBODY><TR class=shsTableTtlRow><TD class=shsTotD colSpan=5>NFC North Division</TD></TR><TR class=shsColTtlRow><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" width="23%">Team</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">W</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">L</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">T</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">Pct</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam03" noWrap>Chicago </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">.600</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam09" noWrap>Green Bay </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">.400</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam16" noWrap>Minnesota </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">.400</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam08" noWrap>Detroit </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">4</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">.000</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE class=shsTable cellSpacing=0><TBODY><TR class=shsTableTtlRow><TD class=shsTotD colSpan=5>NFC North Division</TD></TR><TR class=shsColTtlRow><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" width="23%">Team</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">W</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">L</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">T</TD><TD class=shsNamD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right">Pct</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam03" noWrap>Chicago </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam03">.600</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam09" noWrap>Green Bay </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam09">.400</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam16" noWrap>Minnesota </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">2</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">3</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam16">.400</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row vAlign=top><TD class="shsNamD shsNFLTeam08" noWrap>Detroit </TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">4</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">0</TD><TD class="shsNumD shsNFLTeam08">.000</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
