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The Punting Showdown in Green Bay


With training camp fast approaching I wanted to touch base with one of the more fascinating positional battles for the Green Bay Packers.  Tim Masthay and Chris Bryan will duel for the right to punt for the 2010 edition of the Green Bay Packers.  Masthay has gone thru a training camp previously with the Colts.  The 23-year old excelled at the University of Kentucky.  As a senior Masthay was a first-team All-SEC selection by both the media and the league’s coaches. A 45.2-yard average on his 53 punts is the second-highest single-season mark in school history.  Masthay had a good average and displayed the ability to pin teams deep as 13 of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard-line.  The ability to kickoff is another selling point as his 23 touchbacks were good for 2nd in the SEC Conference.

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Packers induct trio into Hall of Fame


Tight ends Mark Chmura and Marv Fleming along with offensive lineman Greg Koch were inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.  Chmura was with the Packers from 1992-1999, Fleming 1963-1969, and Koch 1977-1985. 

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Jolly suspended indefinitely


Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly was suspended without pay indefinitely for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.  He’ll miss the entire 2010 season and is eligible for reinstatement following the Super Bowl.  The fact that the suspension is under not under the player conduct policy, leads me to believe this is due to failed drug tests.  Confidentiality permits the league from releasing specific details of the suspension.  The Packers covered themselves with the drafting of Mike Neal and C.J. Wilson.  The reps Ryan Pickett received at defensive end during OTA’s may be more than just playing around.  Jolly was also excused from offseason activities to focus on his trial.  Sounds to me like they knew some sort of suspension was coming for Jolly.  The highly publicized drug trial is scheduled to start on July 30th.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Jolly didn’t already play his last NFL game.  Justin Harrell has been injured for much of his NFL career, but this may give him more time to prove his worth.

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Woodson not hurt in house fire


Packers All-Pro cornerback Charles Woodson was among a large group of people that escaped a house fire early Saturday morning in Bay Harbor, Michigan.  The fundraiser was held at a house owned by Gwen Haggerty to celebrate a $15 million donation to the University of Michigan Women’s Hospital.  The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.  Everyone was able to get out of the house.

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Packers report a profit


The Packers released their annual report with 2009-2010 bringing in $258 million in revenue, with a net income-profit of $5.2 million.  Players costs are going up 11% annually, while the revenue is growing at 5%.  Operation expenses were $248 million which is up from $228 million the previous year.  Profit operations were at $9.8 million down from $20.1 million in 2008-09.

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Do Packers bid in Supplemental Draft?


The Packers were among 20 teams to watch a workout for former BYU RB Harvey Unga.  The 6-1 244 pound back withdrew from BYU in April after an honor-code violation.  His girlfriend, Keilani Moeaki withdrew from the BYU women’s basketball team due to an honor-code violation as well.  Unga is BYU’s all-time leading rusher.  His punishing running style would mesh well with Ryan Grant.  The supplemental draft takes place as teams bid on eligible players.  A pick in the upcoming draft is forfeited with the selection. Unga may be able to generate a 3rd bid.  The Packers used a 2nd round pick on Mike Wahle back in 1998.  Other notable supplemental picks around the NFL are Bernie Kosar by the Browns in 1985, while in 1987 the Seahawks selected Brian Bosworth and the Eagles grabbed Cris Carter.  The supplemental draft takes place on July 15th.

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Driver to drop-off in 2010?


Donald Driver will play the 2010 season at the age of 35.  Let’s take a look at some of the best receivers of the last decade to see what they did at age 35 and when the train came off the track. At age 35, Jerry Rice played 2 games before getting hurt as a member of the 49ers.  As a 40-year old with the Raiders, Rice caught 92 balls for 1211 yards and 7 scores.  His numbers didn’t significantly drop off until age 41.  Tim Brown caught 91 balls for 1165 yards and 9 scores at age 35 with the Raiders.  Brown fell off the table at age 37 with the Buccaneers.  The Vikings Cris Carter caught 96 balls for 1274 yards and 9 scores, then had a little slide the following year.  After retiring and coming back with the Dolphins the talent was gone.  Andre Reed was in decline before age 35 with the Bills and was out of the game at 36 as a member of the Redskins.  The Jaguars Jimmy Smith put up numbers on par with his career totals at age 36 with 70 catches for 1023 yards and 6 scores before walking away.  Keenan McCardell had 70 catches and 917 yards with 9 scores as a Charger before dropping off.  Marvin Harrison was injured at age 35 and returned to be a shadow of his former self with the Colts.  Isaac Bruce was already in decline with the Rams and spent a few years as a possession receiver with the 49ers. The train went off the tracks for the Broncos Rod Smith at age 36 as he lost 3.2 yards off his yard per catch average from the previous season.          

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Innovative Coryell passes away


Don Coryell one of the godfathers of the modern passing game has died at age 85.  The Green Bay Packers offense is known for spreading the ball around as they march down the field with their vaunted passing attack.  Mike McCarthy’s scheme is based off principles of the west coast offense.  Really how much of a difference was there between the west coast offense and Air Coryell?  This Packers team has a striking resemblance to Coryell’s Chargers teams.  Let’s take a look:  Aaron Rodgers-Dan Fouts, Greg Jennings-John Jefferson as the deep threat, Donald Driver-Charlie Joiner doing the dirty work underneath, and Jermichael Finley-Kellen Winslow as the freakishly gifted tight-end that is a matchup nightmare.  3 of these Chargers are in the Hall of Fame.  These Packers have a long way to go to reach that level.  The Packers rushing with Ryan Grant is better than that of Coryell’s Chargers.  The emphasis on defensive backs in today’s game makes it tough to compare these two units statistically.  The game has evolved since Air Coryell and his mark is all over today’s game.  It’s a shame Coryell hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves in Canton.

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Does James Jones take a step forward in 2010?


Each team has players that haven’t produced up to par in their young careers.  Their talent shines in preseason, however when the games matter they go missing in action.  I’ve heard all about the talents of 4th year wide receiver James Jones.  The former 3rd rounder has shown flashes in his time in Green Bay scoring 8 touchdowns.  The 79-yard touchdown in Denver during the 2007 campaign was awesome.  2008’s highlight was a game against the Jaguars where Jones hauled in 4 balls for 132 yards.  His ability to stretch the field and run after the catch is intriguing.  He played all 16 games in 2009 catching 32 balls for 440 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The Packers offense spreads the ball around so much that one receiver isn’t going to put up monster stats.  However, Jones hasn’t taken a stranglehold of a more significant role.  There are durability concerns for the San Jose State product despite being active for 42 of 48 games in his 3-year career.  One of the things I’ll watch for in training camp is if Jordy Nelson or James Jones can assert themselves to gain a more prominent spot in the offense.     

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Packers sign 3 draft choices


The Packers have come to terms with offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse (fifth round), running back James Starks (sixth round) and defensive end C.J. Wilson (seventh round).  I’d like to see Newhouse have some time to grow into the NFL.  James Starks has been injured for much of this offseason.  I’m intrigued with his ability to catch balls out of the backfield, but hopefully he’s healthy enough for training camp.  Wilson has a chance to make an impact with Justin Harrell’s health and Johnny Jolly’s legal troubles coming into play.

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