Green Bay Railbird Central

Favre wanting to play GM

2008-07-17T17:38:00.003-05:00

There's so many bits and pieces coming out on the whole Brett Favre story that's it's almost hard to keep track of.

To me, it feels like just a big chess match. Except that all anyone is doing is experimenting with their pawns. No one's brought out their big pieces yet.

In the whole Greta Van Susteren interview, one thing (or a couple of things depending on how you look at it) caught my eye.

Favre is quoted as saying, "And, you know, Ted and I, I thought, have always had a good relationship. We don't talk a whole lot, we don't go out and eat and shoot the bull. But on three different occasions -- I don't want to say lied, I think that's kind of a harsh word, but I think untruth or whatever is better."

Those three occasions Favre spoke about have been discussed ad nauseum. The first was the Packers failure to trade for Randy Moss after Favre supposedly offered to restructure his contract to help get Moss to Green Bay. The second was the failure to re-sign offensive linemen Mike Whale and Marco Rivera. And the third was asking Thompson to interview Steve Mariucci for the then vacant coaching position.

As far as Moss and the offensive linemen, I'm not really sure what Favre is referring to as "untruths." He never really goes onto explain what Thompson told him regarding those situations. Did Thompson tell Favre the Packers were going to do one thing regarding those players and then do another? It's not really clear.

But more troubling is, since when did Favre want to become general manager of the Green Bay Packers? I'm sure he has an opinion, but shouldn't he worry about quarterbacking the Packers and not worry about personnel moves?

Personally, the only thing I fault Thompson for is not re-signing guard Mike Whale. And there are people who likely disagree with me considering Whale's injury history. It's my own personal opinion that Whale was at the height of his career and was one of the most dominating offensive linemen in the NFL when he left the Packers even if Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors didn't indicate it (On a side note, I believe things like Pro Bowl nods come years after players deserve them as if it is a thank you for years of service. Certainly not all cases are like that, but many are, especially offensive linemen). The offense line in Green Bay certainly regressed once he left, and I think almost anyone can agree with that.

I'm glad that Thompson didn't resign Rivera who's career and health only went downhill since leaving the Packers. And I'm even more glad he didn't trade for Randy Moss. Sure Moss went on to have a dominating year in New England. But with the depth the Packers have at receiver, who needs Randy Moss? They got to the Final Four of NFL teams without him, and who's to say the Packers wouldn't have beaten the Patriots in the Super Bowl had they made it? And once again, there's plenty of people who disagree with that viewpoint, but those are my feelings on the situation.

As far as Steve Mariucci goes, the following are Favre's comments as he told Greta Van Susteren:

"So, the next year Mike Sherman is let go, and - I said, 'Ted, will you do me a favor and -- Steve Mariucci had been released probably four weeks previous with a few games left in the season. A close friend of mine, everyone knows that. And he and I talked occasionally and I said, 'Hey, how is it?' He said, 'I have to admit, I get time to spend with my kids, I've got four kids, and I miss it, but' - a lot of small talk.

"And so when our season is over and we don't have a coach, I said, 'Ted, will you do me a favor, would you interview Steve Mariucci?' Not would you sign him, or I'm not coming back, or anything else. I said, 'Would you interview him? And his exact words to me were, 'Well, from what I understand he doesn't want to coach again right now.' And I said, 'That's true, but I talked to him two days ago, a day ago, whatever.' And I said, 'Would you be interested in coaching Green Bay?' He's from Iron Mountain, Michigan, hour and a half north. And he said, 'That's always been a dream, sure I would.'

"So I tell Ted that. And he says, 'OK.' So I go home and I'm down here and the next thing I know Mike McCarthy is hired as head coach, which - so what? He may do a fine job. Whatever, no problem. I thought, that's a little odd. So I called Steve. I said, 'How did the interview go?' 'What interview?' He said there was no interview. I said, 'Did Ted talk to you? He said, 'Yes.' He said a couple of days after McCarthy was hired he called me and just wanted to know if everything was OK, how are you doing, and all that stuff. And I thought, OK.'"

And once again, it's hard to blame Thompson for doing anything wrong. As far as Favre knows, maybe Thompson had already entered negotiations with McCarthy to join the Green Bay Packers, but didn't have anything finalized. And it's also hard to argue with the results. Coming off the worst season in Packers history since 1991, McCarthy led the Packers to an 8-8 and within an opponent loss of the playoffs in '06 and to the NFC Championship game in '07. I love Steve Mariucci too (on a side note, I personally know Mariucci's uncle very well, but that's irrelevant). You just can't argue with Thompson's decision on coaching personnel given the results.

I'm still torn on the issue. It's hard to not want Favre quarterbacking the Packers given his performance last season. I really think what it's going to come down to is Favre is going to have to force the Packers' hand by reporting to camp. Only then will the wheels start turning. Maybe the the Packers will trade Favre, maybe they'll even trade Rodgers, but nothing's going to happen until Favre reports. I can't forsee the Packers releasing Favre. And either Favre's or Rodger's trade value is going to be at its highest once Favre commits to playing.

We were just talking about the weather, I swear!

2008-07-16T22:25:00.002-05:00

More from Favre-gate 08. Those dirty Vikings might be in trouble. Former Wisconsin Badger QB and Packer coach Darrell Bevell was reportedly talking to Brett. The Packers believe this is enough to register a formal complaint with the league for tampering. Becasue, Lord knows the Vikings haven't had a history of gathering former Packer players or coaches.

Also according to the Star Tribune, Brett's agent, Bus Cook, said his client has "no definite plans to ask for reinstatement." So at least that clears up the whole situation.

Hopefully, more news to come.
(And soon I'll learn to include pictures in my posts. Sorry.)

An unfortunate break from the Favre news

2008-07-13T10:53:00.004-05:00

Before I begin, since I'm a new contributor to Railbird, I thought I'd introduce myself. Hi, I'm Dan. Now onto the Packer news.

Unfortunately, the defensive line may have just taken another hit. DT Johnny Jolly was arrested July 8 in Houston for possession of at least 200 grams of codeine. He's scheduled to appear in court on July 22 to face possible felony drug possession charges.

According to the Houston Chronicle:
Late Saturday, a Packers official provided a statement to the Houston Chronicle that read: "The Packers are aware of the report involving Johnny Jolly. This is a legal matter and we still are in the process of gathering information. We have no further comment at this time.''
The spokeswoman declined to elaborate on possible disciplinary action for Jolly, if any.

Jolly, a former Texas A&M star, was drafted by the Packers in 2006. Recently, he, along with A.J. Hawk and Brandon Jackson, was listed as among the the NFL's top 30 players to "break out" for the 2008 season (h/t: JSonline). Hopefully they didn't mean "break out" of jail.

Commentary: hold Favre for ransom

2008-07-12T09:23:00.005-05:00

If Brett Favre truly wants to be released, hold him hostage instead. Let the team willing to pay the most for him win.

Now that we know Favre has waffled, he no longer deserves the right to be released. And that's especially if the rumors from anonymous sources are true about the Packers welcoming him back in late March before Favre deciding (again) that he wants to stay retired.

Favre decided to retire on his terms, which is fine. It's hard to blame the Packers for moving on. You have to trust someone on their word, but when they come back and bite you (like Favre has done), it's time to bite back.

I would likely welcome Favre back on one condition: he plays only one year, and they give Aaron Rodgers a contract extension. Let the world know that this is Favre's last hurrah. But that's it. If Favre wants to come back in '09, the Packers should definitely move on. Trade him then.

But if Favre really and truly wants to be released NOW, too bad. He gave up that right when he reversed his decision to retire. The Packers can trade him to the highest bidder to help ensure the future well-being of the franchise.

That way the Packers can also decide where Favre plays. They don't have to let him play in Minnesota or Chicago. People may blame Ted Thompson and the Packers for not granting Favre's wish all they want. But simply letting him sign with the Vikings, in my opinion, would be the biggest faux pas the Packers could make. That definitely wouldn't be in the Packers' best interests. And no one could blame Thompson for that.

Photo credit: Flickr.com

Thinking out loud

2008-07-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

There could be one scenario where Brett Favre can peaceably come back to the Packers.

Of course, the biggest obstacle to that possibility is the development of Aaron Rodgers. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

According to one of the sources, if Favre comes back, the Packers will lose Aaron Rodgers, Favre's presumptive successor, for good. There is no way after three years as a backup and a fourth as a spurned starter, that he will re-sign with the Packers when his contract is up after 2009. His spirit will be broken and his bitterness will be hard to deny.

What if the Packers agree to a long term extension with Rodgers right now? Before the season begins, give him a nice reasonable contract extension that would make him happy to play back up for one more season. It would show the Packers' faith in him, but it also lets Favre play quarterback for one more year. The key stipulation would have to be one more year maximum probably.

The Packers could also do a little college-style juggling of quarterbacks to give Rodgers a little experience. No one here is advocating a true 50/50 platoon of the quarterback position, but the Packers could conceivably let Rodgers play a series here and a series there. Let's say Rodgers gets to play one series in each half. For example, Rodgers will get to play late in the first quarter and late in the third quarter of every game.

He's not starting, so he doesn't break Favre's streak. Favre holds almost every record known to man, so he's not preventing him from breaking some huge record. And Rodgers gets some P.T. in the process.

Let's just chalk this whole scenario up to thinking out loud. These are just a few things that went through my mind in the wake of yesterday's news. I'm not necessarily pushing for Favre to come back to Green Bay just yet. I want to let things sink in a little bit more first.

But it's an interesting idea, isn't it?

Get your links here

2008-07-10T08:32:00.003-05:00

We've got so many links, Railbird Central is like a meat market. Get caught up on the Brett Favre saga. The links are ready to consume:

Peter King of Sports Illustrated has been a central figure in the Favre story. As of Monday, he thought Brett Favre would ask the Packers for re-instatement.
Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette details all four options the Packers have: welcome Favre back, cut him, trade him, or convince him to stay retired.
Gene Wojciehowski of ESPN doesn't think the Packers and Ted Thompson want Favre back. They've moved onto the Aaron Rodgers era.
Head coach Mike McCarthy got tougher questions from 11-year-old kids than he did from seasoned journalists regarding the will he or won't he Favre situation.
Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal looks into the rumors regarding Favre's supposed text message to Ted Thompson requesting they talk, and Thompson's response that Favre'll have to wait until the G.M.'s vacation was over.
The Packers' annual Tailgate Tour is out on the road. Former and current Packer presidents Bob Harlan and Mark Murphy deal with Favre questions on a daily basis.
Packergeeks points out that even Brett Favre's official website is linking to a Thompson bashing article.
Aaron Rodgers commented publicly for the first time on the new Favre situation while promoting the celebrity golf tournament he's playing in. He didn't say much, though.
CheesheadTV braces us for the media firestorm that's about to unleash in Green Bay in a little more than a week when Favre inducts Frank Winters into the Packers Hall of Fame.
Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler thinks Favre wants to play.
After his original advice to Favre to play two more years once you think it's over, former Pro Bowl quarterback and current broadcaster Phil Simms thinks Favre should stay retired.
Packer Update says that many current Packers don't want Favre back but only quotes anonymous sources.
ProFootballTalk, meanwhile, says that many current Packers are responding with "hell yes" to Favre's possible return. They quote anoymous sources as well, so who the hell knows.
Former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf bought a house in Green Bay and plans on returning.

For what it's worth

2008-07-07T10:11:00.004-05:00

Brett Favre is scheduled to appear via satellite as a motivational speaker at the Get Motivated seminar at the Resch Center in Green Bay on Wednesday August 13.

The Green Bay Packers currently have a training camp practice scheduled on the same day starting at 6:30 p.m.

The seminar is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. on August 13, and while they don't have an exact schedule of speakers, Favre is listed as appearing by satellite making it sound like he doesn't plan on actually being in Green Bay at the time.

Favre is supposed to give a speech entitled "How to Lead Your Team to Victory."

Q&A with Joey Haynos

2008-07-05T10:06:00.005-05:00

Joey Haynos is a rookie tight end for the Green Bay Packers. Railbird Central recently had a chance to do a quick little question and answer session with the former Maryland product before training camp gets underway.

RC: The Packers took all their rookies on a trip to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in June. What was something unique you saw while you were there?

JH: One thing I liked was the military display and the special tribute to Pat Tillman.

RC: The Packers invited the families of all the rookies to attend a minicamp practice. What happened on that day and what did your family think about it?

JH: Actually they weren't able to come but planning on coming in early August.

RC: Following all the Organized Team Activity practices and minicamp, how much have you learned so far?

JH: A TON!! I've learned a lot of new techniques... like blocking techniques. Obviously just learning the system.

RC: There are a three undrafted rookie tight ends on the Packers' roster right now. Where do you stand?

JH: I plan on being on the final roster.

RC: If the Packers offered you a spot on the practice squad, would you accept it or would you look for a better opportunity elsewhere?

JH: Right now I'm just focused on making the 53 man roster.

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun

Oh, the frustration

2008-07-03T07:58:00.004-05:00

The whole Brett Favre situation is really, really frustrating. There's no other way to put it. No one knows how it's going to play out. And until it finally does, be prepared for more and more frustration.

Maybe the most irritating part about it all is the inconsistent comments coming from Brett Favre and his family.

In what might be the text message heard 'round the world, Favre texted three simple words to friend and Biloxi Sun Herald sports reporter Al Jones: "It's all rumor."

I personally wonder if Favre actually bothered to put that apostrophe in a text message, but that's a story for another day.

If there's one group of people that really, really, really are looking out for the best interests of Favre, it's his family. One would think they'd convey a unified message, something that really expressed Favre's true feelings whatever they are.

But instead we're receiving mixed message. Favre says, "It's all rumor." But then Favre's brother Scott came out and told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, "I think it's 50-50. There's no doubt he can play. He's in good shape, he's working out, we know he can still play, he's healthy, so, if he did, it wouldn't surprise me."

And then Favre's mother, Bonita, came out and told WITI-TV the following: "He's felt like that for the last couple of years, that the Packers didn't really want him back. But nothing's been said. You know it's just been bits and pieces throughout the last couple of years, things that would come up, and it just didn't seem like they went out of their way to keep him. It was kind of like, 'You're done.' "

With messages like that, they're the ones that are going out and creating the media firestorm. Is that what they really want? Is that in Favre's best interest?

Then to add to all the mind boggling experiences, Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette writes, "Thompson visited Favre at his Hattiesburg, Miss., home in May and, according to sources, Favre would have un-retired at that point had Thompson asked him to come back. But Thompson never broached the subject with him."

Why is it Thompsons job to ask Favre to unretire? It's not. (And that's not to suggest that Demovsky thinks so) Is it just me, or is the ball pretty much in Favre's court? If he wants to play, fine. It's his call. If he un-retires, then the Packers will have to deal with it, no matter how unfortunate a situation they might be forced to deal with.

Now add in the Aaron Rodgers aspect, and it's enough to make a person go bonkers.

Should Favre come back, it will boil down to two things. He'll play for the Packers, or they'll trade him.

If he's traded, "Thompson would have to accept that he will forever be known as the GM who let an icon leave Green Bay," writes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"Fans would never forgive General Manager Ted Thompson for trading Favre," writes the Press-Gazette's Mike Vandermause.

And that brings up another unfortunate situation for Thompson. He can't win. He'll either be ostracized for trading Favre or, if he didn't trade him, for stunting Aaron Rodgers' growth.

And there will be no majority. Fans will hear both sides of the story. Print articles, television stories, talk radio and Internet debate will rage with absolute vigor no matter what direction the Packers decide to take.

Vandermause writes in his article that if Favre comes back, that they should open up the competition between him and Rodgers. But it's not that simple. What if Rodgers wins? And at Favre's age, I believe he very possibly could (and, of course, I'm sure many people would debate that point as well). What would the Packers do then? Would they waste an entire preseason playing out a battle between Favre and Rodgers while letting Brian Brohm get just a fraction of the snaps? And what about Matt Flynn too?

Another option would be to trade Rodgers, which would put the future of the Packers squarely on the shoulders of Brohm. Are the Packers ready to do that yet? I'm not sure.

I'm not sure about anything right now. All I know is that it's all very frustrating.

Get your links here!

2008-07-02T09:34:00.002-05:00

Is there anything more American than some good old-fashioned links cooking on the grill for the Fourth of July? Get your pre-holiday links right here...

Pro Football Talk is trying to create some news based upon an assumption that agent Bus Cook is pressuring Brett Favre to play in 2008. Whether it's true or not is debatable ... and questionable.
It seems that the Green Bay Packers are content to wait to sign their new 2008 draft choices until after the Fourth of July weekend. At least that's what several of the agents are saying. Expect a flurry of activity starting next week and in the weeks leading up to training camp.
Aaron Rodgers has created a mini-stir when he was quoted in a recent Sports Illustrated article as saying, "I don't feel I need to sell myself to fans. They need to get on board now or keep their mouths shut." He's even felt the need to clarify his remarks to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rodgers shouldn't have anything to apologize for. He may have been too blunt for most people's liking, but he's right on the money. If you're a real Packers fan, get on board!
A.J. Hawk, Johnny Jolly and Brandon Jackson are listed among the the NFL's top 30 players to "break out" for the 2008 season (h/t: JSonline).
July 11th is the court date for the burglars who entered running back Noah Herron's home.
A Chicago man convicted of selling counterfeit Packers tickets was sentenced to both jail and probation in Brown County Circuit Court.
Rookie guard Josh Sitton sits down with the Packers official website to tell them about "The Game I'll Never Forget," a good story about his ride with the Central Florida team that went on to win the Conference USA championship last season.
Packer Update cites an unnamed source that the Packers are concerned about Will Blackmon's injury status. As usual, Packer Update presents what seems like good, logical information, but until they names their sources, be wary of their truthfulness. Generic "scouts" and "a person familiar with the situation" litter their articles.

Your helping of links

2008-06-30T09:31:00.003-05:00

It's that dead time of year between minicamp and training camp. While there's not a lot going on in the world of the Packers, there's been a few noteworthy items over the last week or so. Here's your serving of links:

The Packers were one of four NFL teams to attend a workout for free agent running back Kevin Jones.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert expects the Packers linebacking corps to blitz more often than they have in the past. Nearly 90 percent of their sacks last year came from defensive lineman. Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Brady Poppinga and Brandon Chillar should get into the action more often than in years past (hat tip: JSonline).

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy lets the media in on a glimpse into his private, married life to the former Jessica Kress. Both the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel get the inside scoop. USA Today sticks to football in an aricle about McCarthy (h/t: packergeeks).

There's still plenty of tickets availble for Family Night being held at Lambeau Field on a Sunday night in early August.

FOX's Adam Schien thinks the Packers shouldn't be put off by Jason Taylor supposedly not wanting to come to Green Bay. He also thinks adding Taylor would make the Packers Super Bowl contenders (h/t: JSonline).

The Minnesota Vikings are requiring that fans wanting to buy tickets for the regular season game versus the Packers also buy tickets to a preseason game as well.

The intruders breaking into running back Noah Herron's house have officially been charged.

New contributors

2008-06-26T16:35:00.002-05:00

I'd like to introduce the Railbird community to two new contributors that will be joining us and entertaining you.

Jordan Koch and Dan Haddinger will be writing for us here on the Railbird shortly.

According to Jordan, "Make no mistake about it, I am a Packer fan, but I do not sugarcoat anything."

Dan, meanwhile, is a Packer fan transplant in Arkansas. His full-time job employs him a senior copywriter and should be a valuable contributor to the Railbird.

Cuts are coming

2008-06-24T08:57:00.004-05:00

The Green Bay Packers have recently cut undrafted rookie wide receiver Rod Harper shortly after minicamp practices.

In the view of the Packers, Harper probably wasn't cutting it. Add that to the wealth of wide receiver the team already has, and there was dead weight that needed to be cut.

But Harper's release brings to light another issue that the Packers are going to have to deal with shortly.

NFL rules state that teams may only have 80 players on their roster under contract. The Packers currently have 77 players under contract, but none of their nine draft choices nor Ryan Grant have yet to sign.

Now that mincamp has concluded, there is a little more than a month of dead time where teams will start to sign their draft choices. It's the perfect time to get deals done with nothing else going on. Within the next couple of weeks, the draft choices will start signing one by one.

With 77 players signed right now, the Packers have room for three more rookies or Grant to sign on the dotted line without having to cut anyone, but they'll have to start making room shortly after that.

In the past there were roster exemptions for players who had played on NFL Europe rosters, but with the dissolution of that league, the exemptions are no longer in place.

At one point (I think it was during the NFL's owners meetings, although I could be mistaken) owners wanted to petition the league for an expansion of rosters to 86 (I think) players. There has been no update if that will happen, but if doesn't happen soon, some players are going to be street free agents pretty quick.

If the Packers have to start cutting players the most likely option are undrafted free agents like Harper who are viewed as not having a shot in the NFL. For example, the Packers currently have three undrafted tight ends and one of them could be let go without much consequence.

Another option might be first year players who aren't rookies - players who weren't good enough to make the roster last year, but showed enough be given another chance. Players like guard Cameron Stephenson, cornerback Joe Porter and wide receiver Johnny Quinn comprise that fraction of the Packers' current roster.

Only time will tell who'll be cut, but expect the trimming to happen soon.

Allen stands out at minicamp

2008-06-23T09:22:00.004-05:00

Every year there's a rookie or two that goes undrafted yet beats all odds and makes the Green Bay Packers' 53 man roster.

Last year that player was defensive tackle Daniel Muir. Another notable Packer that went undrafted was Tony Fisher who became the team's third down back in his first season.

This year the early favorite to make the team as an undrafted rookie free agent is wide receiver Jake Allen. So who is this relatively unknown player...?

Allen earned first team All-American honors in Division III while playing at Mississippi College. While there, he set school records in receptions (152), receiving yards (2,867) and receiving touchdowns (26) despite playing for only three seasons.

During the 2007 season alone he caught 61 passes for 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns.

It looks like Allen has already made his mark with the Packers. During the recently concluded minicamp, he caught the eye of a couple of journalists.

According to Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jake Allen was the fifth WR in the Packers' Big Five formation at one point ... he's really impressive getting off the line of scrimmage. He's also smooth and can kick it into another gear to get under passes."

Considering the top four wide recievers were Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson, that's really impressive. That means that Allen is already in the rotation ahead of Brett Swain whom the Packers had thought highly enough of to spend a draft choice on. He's also ahead of players like Shaun Bodiford and Chris Francies who have spent time on the regular season 53 man roster in the past.

Allen also caught the eye of the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Tom Pelissero during minicamp.

"Undrafted rookie WR Jake Allen had a nifty, toe-dragging catch along the sideline on a pass from Matt Flynn during the blitz period," wrote Pelissero during one of the team's practices.

There's certainly a long way to for Allen, but he's putting himself in the right position for the moment being.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to get this chance", said Allen. "It's a long way from home, but that's not a concern right now. I have an opportunity to prove that I belong there and I'm gonna make the most of it."

Talk of the town

2008-06-19T06:18:00.003-05:00

Green Bay Packers news has recently centered around the possibility of the trading for Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor.

General manager Ted Thompson has apparently been in contact with the Miami Dolphins about their interest in dealing the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

"Packers general manager Ted Thompson recently discussed Taylor with defensive coordinator Bob Sanders and defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn, who both coached Taylor with the Dolphins," reports Greg Bedard for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Both assistants have a fondness for Taylor and would undoubtedly be in favor of acquiring the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year."

It's been an interesting offseason for Taylor and the Dolphins. After reports the contrary, the Dolphins have more recently said they're interested in having Taylor play for them in 2008. However, all signs point to the Dolphins having interest in trading him despite a recent press conference in which Taylor denied making trade demands. And none of the craziness even touches on Taylor's appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

The Dolphins were reportedly asking for a first round draft choice before April's draft, but reports seem to indicate that they're willing to trade Taylor for a second round choice now.

But will the Packers be willing to part with such a high draft choice?

"Thompson wouldn’t offer Oakland any more than a fifth-round pick last offseason for receiver Randy Moss, so it’s probably a long shot that he’d be willing to offer much more than that for a one-year player with a high salary," suggests Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

The Packers do have a little bit more need at the position now that Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is injured and Cullen Jenkins has been working more at defensive tackle due to injuries on the interior of the defensive line.

Perhaps the best case scenario for the Packers would be a mid-round draft choice and a player. With great depth, the Packers could afford to trade away one of their fringe players, but who could help the Miami Dolphins.

Packer paintball

2008-06-19T06:11:00.003-05:00

The Green Bay Packers took off from their regularly scheduled minicamp practice on Wednesday in place of a team building exercise. Paintball.

The team went to nearby Commando Paintball in Abrams where they conducted an eight team tournament.

"The winning team consisted of running backs coach Edgar Bennett, defensive end Aaron Kampman, safety Tyrone Culver, fullback Korey Hall, running back Vernand Morency, receiver Brett Swain, and Ricky Brumfield, a minority coaching intern from Fairmont State," reports Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

It's not uncommon for a team to take off a scheduled practice every once in a blue moon to do some sort of activity. In the past, the Packers have gone bowling or golfing as well.

Photo of the day

2008-06-18T07:19:00.004-05:00

Aaron Rodgers made this gesture during the Green Bay Packers' minicamp practice on Tuesday making reference to the rumor that he had gotten married this past weekend: There's no ring there.

The story started when WLUK-TV in Green Bay erroneously reported on Sunday that Rodgers had gotten married. Rodgers did, indeed, attend a marriage recently, but it was not his own.

Rodgers is starting to get more and more attention now that he's the starting quarterback for the Packers and has taken over for living-legend Brett Favre. For example: "Rodgers has done some national interviews," reports Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette," and his name popped up once recently on a Las Vegas celebrity-sightings blog, but he said he doesn't feel his life has changed much since Favre's retirement in March. About the highest-profile appearance he'll make will be at a celebrity golf tournament next month at Lake Tahoe in Nevada."

Rodgers' new haircut got some attention too. Gone are the long locks that fans had been accustomed to seeing. Rodgers' hair is much shorter now.

Photo credit: Evan Siegle for the Green Bay Press-Gazette

Defense tests helmet radios

2008-06-18T07:07:00.003-05:00

One of the more interesting developments coming out of the Green Bay Packers' minicamp practices on Tuesday was that the defense was using helmets with wireless radios in them for the first time.

Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, "This year, the helmets of two defensive players per team will feature the same dots, now that the NFL is allowing one defensive player on the field at a time to have the same wireless communication with coaches."

Both middle linebacker Nick Barnett and safety Nick Collins tried out the device on Tuesday, although it would seem that Barnett would be the front-runner to receive most of the communication.

Barnett not only received defensive signals from coaches in the past, but he also rarely leaves the field even when the Packers go into their nickel and dime packages.

Barnett even gave a little jab to the New England Patriots when he was quoted in the Journal Sentinel as saying, "It will take some time to see how this will benefit us. The biggest thing is that you also won't have coaches stealing signals from the sideline, and that will help a lot."

Collins, meanwhile, knows the defense particularly well, and safety is sometimes referred to as the quarterback of the defense. But he's entrenched in a battle with Aaron Rouse for the starting job at free safety and there's a possibility that he may not even become the starter this season.

Referring to the fight for the starting safety position, head coach Mike McCarthy told the Journal Sentinel, "I think there's competition throughout our whole football team, and that's one position you could point out where it's evident."

So while Barnett and Collins got the first work at using the helmet radios, it's likely other defensive players will also experiment with using the device in the future as well. In case of injury and other eventualities, the Packers will likely want to be prepared.

Shifts along the line

2008-06-18T06:52:00.002-05:00

Injuries forced some shuffling of the offensive line during Tuesday's minicamp practices for the Green Bay Packers.

First of all, guard Junius Coston sat out with an injury. "(Head coach Mike) McCarthy said Coston is fine and would be practicing if it was a game week," reports Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Add on top of that Chad Clifton taking precautionary measures by sitting out both of yesterday's practices and center Scott Wells sitting out only the afternoon practice. Wells was seen riding a stationary bike during workouts instead. "Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said he didn't know what was wrong with Wells, but it couldn't have been too serious," writes Bedard.

Those injuries had the Packers doing some shifting. Perhaps the most noteworthy was Tony Moll getting in some work at left tackle. He has spent most of his Packers' career on the right side of the line at both guard and tackle, but he seems content to focus on left tackle for the time being.

"They really want to see me at left tackle," Moll is quoted as saying in today's Green Bay Press-Gazette. "I'm leaving that guard position in my back pocket right now and trying to focus on playing some tackle and getting my footwork down. I missed a couple of OTAs, so I'm a little behind on my footwork and my precision."

Injuries to both Wells and Coston left the team a little short-handed at center. So while it seemed the team didn't want to move Jason Spitz to center unless necessary, they had to do so in the afternoon practice where Spitz worked with the first team offense.

As the Packers have been doing all offseason long, they've been switching the first string left guard on and off between Daryn Colledge and Allen Barbre. Colledge worked with the first team in the morning and Barbre in the afternoon.

However, with Spitz sliding over to center, Colledge actually got some time in at right guard with the first string as well. Colledge was busy on Tuesday. He also occassionally worked in a left tackle too, which allowed rookie Josh Sitton sub in with first string offense at right guard as well.

So it was a busy day in the trenches, but at least none of the injuries seemed serious.

Minicamp begins today

2008-06-17T09:06:00.003-05:00

The Green Bay Packers' three day minicamp is about to commence at 10:15 today run through Thursday.

The minicamp is basically an extension of the Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which concluded last week. About the only difference is that the Packers will conduct two practices today and tomorrow. There will be only one practice on Thursday.

Another difference is that this minicamp is mandatory. Players must attend or be subject to fine. It hardly affects the Packers, though, as all of their players were in attendance in the last two weeks of OTAs.

All three morning practices at 10:15 are open to the public for about an hour. Fans will be allowed to go inside the Don Hutson Center where all practices will be held.

Tuesday's and Wednesday's afternoon sessions will be open to the media only.

Enjoy it railbirds. It will be your last chance to see the Packers in action for 38 days until they report for training camp.

Rookies visit Hall of Fame

2008-06-17T07:53:00.002-05:00

Former long snapper and current director of player development Rob Davis took all of the Green Bay Packers rookies on a trip to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as part of the league's rookie orientation program.

All nine Packers draft picks plus their free agents made the trip to the ol' Orange Squeezer to get a feel for the history and tradition of the NFL. It's part of an on-going program to help first year players get acclimated to what they're about to experience.

"Davis hopes in future years the league will continue the Hall of Fame trips as part of its rookie orientation program, which continued on Monday with the first NFL Player Brand University and also includes the annual Rookie Symposium in San Diego from June 29-July 2," reports Mike Spofford of the Packers official website.

Click on the above link to find out more about their trip including the reactions of the first two Packers draft choices, Jordy Nelson and Brian Brohm.

KGB on Forbes list

2008-06-17T07:42:00.002-05:00

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila isn't a billionaire, but he made mention in Forbes.com article for the highest paid bench-warmers in all of sports.

"With a tight salary cap playing a big role in setting NFL salaries and bonuses, players were measured by how much cap space they took on their teams' payrolls," writes Tom Van Riper of Forbes.com. "High salaried vets relegated to part-time duty include Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Raiders running back LaMont Jordan."

KGB plays a valuable role in providing a pass rush, but just how valuable is he? Is he worth the money the Packers are paying him even though he's probably playing less than 50% of the defensive snaps?

The Packers hold very little leverage if they want KGB to play. They can ask him to re-work his contract and take a pay cut, but they risk alienating a productive player that could result in a hold out instead.

And with all the salary cap space the Packers currently have, it's not like they're breaking the bank keeping him on their roster.

The general line of think must go something like this: as long as KGB remains productive, the Packers will be happy to pay him a high salary. Until is sack output drops, the issue is moot.

Ex-Packer found unconscious in Las Vegas

2008-06-17T07:36:00.002-05:00

Former Green Bay Packer wide receiver Javon Walker was found unconscious on a Las Vegas street, the victim of a possible robbery.

Walker was taken to a hospital and has what's been described as "significant injuries" including a fractured orbital bone.

It's been mostly downhill for Walker ever since leaving the Packers after threatening to hold out prior to the 2005 season. He enjoyed one good season with the Denver Broncos since, but has been injury-plagued for the most part.

He's now a member of the Oakland Raiders, and his status is unclear until more reports begin to trickle in regarding his incident in Las Vegas.

HD owners rejoice

2008-06-17T06:37:00.002-05:00

In what has been a convoluted and complicated matter, an agreement has been reached that will allow Green Bay Packers games to be broadcast in high definition.

In the past, what has happened according to Warren Gerds of the Green Bay Press-Gazette is that, "Most Packers games are carried on WLUK by way of the Fox network. High-definition signals of WLUK have not run on cable and satellite systems, upsetting HD set owners."

But the situation is now resolved and fans will be able to watch their favorite players such as Donald Driver and A.J. Hawk in all their HD glory.

"LIN TV, which owns WLUK, Channel 11, has reached agreements with Comcast cable and the DISH Network and DirecTV satellite companies for retransmission of the station's signals in analog and high definition," writes Gerds.

Driver kick starts softball game

2008-06-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's a good thing Donald Driver took up the game of football instead of baseball or softball or any other sport for that matter.

He's a Pro Bowler on the gridiron, but Driver had a lifeless day on the softball diamond yesterday as his offensive team lost to the defense 23-21 in the charity game Driver took over from Brett Favre in Fox Cities Stadium.

But even though Driver's team lost, he helped create a lot of winners including the 5,000 plus fans that went to the event. It was the first time Driver hosted the event since Favre retired in a game where the money went to Driver's foundation.

Brett Christopherson of PackersNews.com reports, "Driver's foundation, launched in the spring of 2001, primarily assists homeless families and those lacking in sound educational opportunities throughout Wisconsin, Mississippi and his hometown of Houston."

As far as the on-field exploits go, cornerback Charles Woodson and long snapper Thomas Gafford led all players with five hits apiece. But the hero of the day was safety Tyrone Culver who hit a game winning two run homerun in the bottom of the eight that scored the winning runs.

Unfortunately for fans, new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unable to attend the game due to travel problems.

The above photo of Driver and friends dousing Packers center Scott Wells is from a much larger gallery hosted over at PackersNews.com. Click this link to check out more photo from the game.

Photo credit: Kirk Wagner for the Appleton Post-Crescent