VOL. XI; NO. 12 GREEN BAY, OCT. 7, 2009 BYE WEEK

Transcription

1 Packers Public Relations Lambeau Field Atrium 1265 Lombardi Avenue Green Bay, WI / / fax Jeff Blumb, Sarah Quick, Adam Woullard, Aaron Popkey, Rob Crane, Tom Fanning, Mike Spofford, Duke Bobber VOL. XI; NO. 12 GREEN BAY, OCT. 7, 2009 BYE WEEK GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-2) BYE WEEK GREEN BAY ARRIVES AT THE BYE The Week 5 off week is the earliest bye for the Packers since 1999, when the team had its bye in Week 4. Though nearly all coaches say their bye weeks come at a good time, this is one for the Packers. They had a hard-fought division game on Monday night in Minnesota and now get to heal the majority of their football team an extra weekend. An early bye week also is offset by the team s Week 12 matchup in Detroit on Thanksgiving. After playing on just three days rest for the Thursday game, it will give the team another weekend off before it heads into the final four-game stretch of the season. This week, the Packers had morning meetings Wednesday before breaking for some time off. The team had film sessions and meetings to correct its mistakes from Monday night, in which it dropped a highlycontested game to the rival Vikings, Thanks to the off-the-field storylines, and a compelling back-and-forth battle on the field, the Packers-Vikings contest became the biggest audience in the history of cable television with a 15.3 rating. The loss left the Packers at 1-1 in the NFC North with another division battle looming. The Lions travel to Lambeau for an Oct. 18 matchup. I think we re right where our record is, 2-2, Head Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. I think the things that we haven t done at a consistent level has factored into the outcome of our games and that s what our focus will be on from a self-scout standpoint. We ll make sure that we apply those corrections into our practice plan. We ve got to get ready for Detroit. Lots of football is still left to be played, with 12 games remaining on the schedule. They are split evenly between home and away contests (six apiece), while four of those will come against division opponents. REST AND RECOVERY In games immediately following their bye week, the Packers have won nine of their last 13 games. Under McCarthy, the team is 2-1. In 2006, Green Bay got a hard-earned victory at Miami in scorching temperatures. McCarthy called the game a clear turning point in the season as the team collected seven of its eight wins after the bye. The next season, it enjoyed one of its more memorable victories in the week following the bye. In a Monday night contest, WR Greg Jennings hauled in an 82-yard TD pass on the first play of overtime to beat the Broncos in Denver. Last season, it fought hard and forced overtime against previously unbeaten Tennessee in Nashville. The Packers eventually dropped the game, Green Bay finished a disappointing 2-7 (.222) after the bye week in 2008, a stark contrast to the previous two seasons under McCarthy. In 2007, the team finished 8-2 (.800) after the bye which helped wrap up a first-round playoff bye. In McCarthy s first season, the team was 7-4 (.636) after the week off. Since 2000, the Packers over the balance of their season after the bye are a combined (.616). 11 DRIVER ON THE VERGE OF HISTORY Already the holder of a number of franchise receiving records, WR Donald Driver is on the cusp of perhaps his most important. The 11-year veteran needs one more catch to become the Packers all-time leader in receptions. Driver will resume play after the bye week with 595 career catches, matching the mark established by WR Sterling Sharpe ( ). Though he is the second-oldest player on the roster at age 34, Driver has shown no signs of slowing down in He leads the team in catches (18), receiving yards (288) and touchdown catches (2). It s safe to assume Driver will surpass Sharpe s mark against the Lions. Driver has at least one reception in 115 consecutive games, also a Green Bay franchise record. And he s not slowing down, literally, either. Driver had one of the best catches of his career in Week 3 against the Rams, beating a defender for a sensational 46-yard one-handed catch. PRESEASON Date Opponent Time TV Sat., Aug. 15 CLEVELAND BROWNS (Gold Pkg.).....W, 17-0 (69.091) (Midwest Shrine Game) Sat., Aug. 22 BUFFALO BILLS W, (68,908) (Bishop s Charities Game) Fri., Aug. 28 at Arizona Cardinals W, (61,753) Thur., Sept. 3 at Tennessee Titans L, (69,143) REGULAR SEASON Date Opponent Time TV Sun., Sept. 13 CHICAGO BEARS W, (70,920) Sun., Sept. 20 CINCINNATI BENGALS (Gold Pkg.).... L, (70,678) Sun., Sept. 27 at St. Louis Rams W, (60,234) Mon., Oct. 5 at Minnesota Vikings L, (63,846) Sun., Oct. 11 Open Date Sun., Oct. 18 DETROIT LIONS noon FOX Sun., Oct. 25 at Cleveland Browns noon FOX Sun., Nov. 1 MINNESOTA VIKINGS noon FOX Sun., Nov. 8 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers noon FOX Sun., Nov. 15 DALLAS COWBOYS (Gold Pkg.) :15 p.m. FOX Sun., Nov. 22 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS noon FOX Thurs., Nov. 26 at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving) :30 a.m. FOX Mon., Dec. 7 BALTIMORE RAVENS :30 p.m. ESPN Sun., Dec. 13 at Chicago Bears *12 noon FOX Sun., Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh Steelers *12 noon FOX Sun., Dec. 27 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS *12 noon FOX Sun., Jan. 3 at Arizona Cardinals *3:15 p.m. FOX * Start time and broadcast may shift due to NFL flexible scheduling NFL POSTSEASON DATES Jan AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoffs Jan AFC and NFC Divisional Playoffs Jan AFC and NFC Championship Games Jan AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Feb Super Bowl XLIV at Land Shark Stadium, Miami

2 THIS WEEK AT 1265 LOMBARDI AVENUE BLACKMON DONE FOR SEASON The team s primary kick and punt returner, CB Will Blackmon, was lost for the season with an ACL tear at the Metrodome on Monday. Last season, the team lost LB Nick Barnett to the same injury at the Metrodome. Though Blackmon hadn t hit for any big returns yet in 2009, he provided a constant threat to make a big play every time he touched the ball. Twice he scored on punt returns in 2008 and once in Blackmon also played on some of the team s coverage units, leading the team in special teams stops in 2008 with 18, and saw time in some of the sub packages on defense. A foot injury had limited Blackmon to 13 games over his first two seasons, but the fourth year pro had been healthy since. The team will now go about the job of replacing him, and early indications show that those duties will most likely fall to someone already on the squad. On kickoff returns, the team will turn to second-year WR Jordy Nelson, who ranks fourth in the NFC with a 29.3-yard average on six kick returns in Nelson had 11 kickoff returns last season as a rookie. Nelson will also get a chance to earn the team s punt return job, though he may have more competition for that. CB Tramon Williams and CB Charles Woodson both have experience at the job, while WR Brett Swain has also returned punts in preseason action the last two years. For Blackmon s job on coverage units and from scrimmage, it may mean the first NFL action for rookie CB Brandon Underwood. A sixthround pick who impressed enough this preseason to make the roster, Underwood has been a healthy scratch the first four weeks. THIS WEEK AROUND THE DIVISION At 2-2, Green Bay stands two games behind Minnesota (4-0), one behind Chicago (3-1) and one ahead of Detroit (1-3) in the race for the NFC North division crown. In division play, Minnesota is off to a 2-0 start, while the Packers and Bears are 1-1. Detroit is 0-2. Should there be a tie at the end of the season, head-to-head records are the first tiebreaker. Like the Packers, the Bears have their bye in Week 5. They will return to action in Week 6 in a Sunday night game in Atlanta. Minnesota travels to St. Louis this weekend and hosts Baltimore in Week 6. The Vikings bye comes in Week 9, one week after their Lambeau Field appearance. Detroit will host Pittsburgh this weekend before traveling to Green Bay in Week 6. The Lions get their bye in Week 7 after the Packers game. HEALTH WATCH A number of players suffered injuries at Minnesota, most of whom the coaching and medical staffs are confident about returning after the bye. S Derrick Martin suffered a throat contusion and spent the night in a Minneapolis hospital. He returned to Green Bay Tuesday morning and all signs indicated he will be fine for the Lions matchup. LB Desmond Bishop (rib bruise), G Daryn Colledge (knee sprain) and RB DeShawn Wynn (wrist sprain) will all benefit from the extra rest. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said the prognosis for all three looked good after having the weekend off. Perhaps most encouraging is the potential return of T Chad Clifton. The team has struggled in pass protection all season, but most notably in his absence. Clifton was close to returning for the Minnesota game, so an extra 10 days should allow him to return to the practice field and prove his ankle is strong enough to hold up against the Lions. LB Jeremy Thompson could also return after the bye from his knee injury after missing the last two games. Though he didn t register any statistics in the first two contests, Thompson provides valuable depth at the outside linebacker spot and a big, athletic body for the special teams coverage units. RB Brandon Jackson could make his 2009 debut after he suffered an ankle injury in the third preseason contest. Jackson would give the team another threat out of the backfield and compete with Wynn for reps on third down. His 5.5-yards per carry from last season (248 yards, 45 carries) would be a nice boost to the Packers' running game. S Atari Bigby injured his knee in the season opener and the team will evaluate his chances after the bye. The team has opted for both Martin and CB/S Jarrett Bush in his absence, as well as going to the Big Okie package with LB Brandon Chillar. Should Bigby be unable to return, the team also will have the option of placing S Matt Giordano back in the secondary as he becomes increasingly familiar with the playbook. Having Atari back would definitely give us the experience there in the communication aspect of it, McCarthy said of the struggles at safety. The ability to have Nick Collins playing more in the back end is definitely a strength of our safety play. We re still working with Derrick and Matt, but that s something that we need to clean up. It s definitely factored in our first four games. PACKERS IN WEEKLY 2009 TEAM RANKINGS NFL Offense NFL Defense After Week Opp. Total Rush Pass Total Rush Pass 1 CHI T 23 2 CIN at StL at Min (bye) 6 DET 7 at Cle 8 MIN 9 at TB 10 DAL 11 SF 12 at Det 13 BAL 14 at Chi 15 at Pit 16 SEA 17 at Ari Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in Packers in

3 PACKERS TEAM NOTES THE NEXT FOUR The 16-game NFL schedule allows teams to break down their season into quarters, with the Packers having recently completed their first. After the bye week, the Packers will embark upon their second quarter with the Oct. 18 kickoff against Detroit (1-3). Head Coach Mike McCarthy is 6-0 all-time against the Lions and has continued the domination of Detroit in the state of Wisconsin. Green Bay has won 18 games in a row over Detroit played in the state of Wisconsin (including the 1994 NFC Wild Card playoff). Next up, the Packers will take a trip to Cleveland (0-4). It will be Green Bay s first visit to Cleveland since 1995, the only league city the Packers haven t traveled to in that span. The two teams met in the preseason opener, so the Packers played against both QBs Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Green Bay then hosts Minnesota (4-0) to complete the season series, a game which will receive much fanfare as Brett Favre makes his return to Lambeau Field in Week 8. The Packers have defeated the Vikings in four of the last five regularseason matchups at Lambeau Field. The team wraps up the second quarter of the season with a trip to Tampa to play the Buccaneers (0-4). Though Tampa Bay stands winless thus far, the Packers are unlikely to overlook the road trip given the team s loss at Raymond James Stadium last season. Plus, the Packers have won only once in Tampa in their last seven attempts, that coming in 2003, when the Bucs were coming off their Super Bowl triumph. FINLEY ENJOYS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE The largest television audience in cable television history got to see what many Packers fans had seen glimpses of this preseason: TE Jermichael Finley s ability to stretch the field. Finley established new career highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (128). His 62-yard scoring pass was the Packers longest play from scrimmage on the season and the longest reception by a Green Bay tight end since Jackie Harris caught a 66-yard scoring pass against Denver on Oct. 10, Finley s 128 yards matched Harris output from that Broncos contest, tying the franchise high for most receiving yards by a tight end. Finley led the team in receptions in the preseason and also caught two touchdown passes, leading many to forecast him as a breakout player this season. There s no doubting Finley s athleticism. As a high school standout, he was committed to play both basketball and football at Arizona before giving his pledge to Mack Brown to play tight end at Texas. 0-LINE A BYE-WEEK FOCUS Green Bay s coaching staff will do all the necessary self-scout work during the team s time off and assuredly it will be looking for ways to help solve the woes on the offensive line. Through four games, the team has allowed 20 sacks. The team allowed 34 sacks last year in QB Aaron Rodgers first year under center. The return of Chad Clifton should help, but as McCarthy said following the Vikings game, his return is not the ultimate solution. It would definitely help. That s the strength of Chad Clifton. He s our starting left tackle, has been here for a long time, and just the way we re designed on offense, he falls into a category as a skill position. Your left tackle has to block the Jared Allens of the world. That s the way we re designed. I think it will definitely help. But it s just not one guy. It s really the combination of some of the things in the protection unit that we need to do a better job of, and frankly, some of it falls on the quarterback decision and his time clock. He s making a lot of good plays with his feet, but it also has caught us sometimes. That s the thing with this extra time and the self-scout we need to go through. MATTHEWS BIG PLAY MAKES HISTORY Rookie LB Clay Matthews has a ways to go before entering the stratosphere of his father s exceptional 19-year NFL playing career. But in last Monday night s loss to the Vikings, just his fourth professional contest, he accomplished something it took his dad nine-plus seasons to cross off his own checklist. Matthews second quarter strip of All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson and subsequent 42-yard sprint to the end zone marked the first touchdown of his young career. A four-time Pro Bowler, the elder Matthews didn t find the end zone until his 127th pro game, when as a member of the Cleveland Browns, he returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown on Sept. 20, 1987, in a win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Through the first four games, Matthews is seeing increasingly more playing time at the outside linebacker position. He has eight tackles from scrimmage and has also seen considerable time on the Packers coverage units. He is already beginning to fill out the stat sheet too with his forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown. The USC product also has a sack and two passes defensed. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Matthews touchdown in Minnesota made him the fifth player in the NFL this season whose father has also scored in a league game. A look at the names on the list: Father Clay Matthews Jr. Danny Bradley Marion Barber Kellen Winslow Son Clay Matthews III Mark Bradley Marion and Dominique Barber Kellen Winslow II IN THE LEAGUE RANKINGS, 2009 GREEN BAY (Team) Category NFC NFL Turnover Margin (+7)...1T 1T Total Offense (340.8) Rushing (99.8) Passing (241.0) Total Defense (335.3) vs. Rush (112.3) vs. Pass (223.0) Third-Down Offense (38.8%) Third-Down Defense (43.9%) Red-Zone Offense (50.0%)...9T 18T Red-Zone Defense (75.0%) GREEN BAY (Individual) Category NFC NFL Rushing: Grant (257) Passing: Rodgers (101.1) Receptions: Driver (18)...10T 23T Rec. Yds.: Driver (288) Sacks: Jenkins (2.0)...11T 25T Interceptions: Woodson (3)...2T 2T 3

4 2009 OPPONENTS TOO MANY FLAGS ON THE FIELD NFL Rank Record Offense Defense at Arizona Cardinals...(1-2) Baltimore Ravens...(3-1) 3 8 Chicago Bears...(3-1) PACKERS TEAM NOTES Head Coach Mike McCarthy wasn t happy about the penalty difference Monday night against the Vikings. Though they only trailed at the half, the Packers had six penalties at the break while the Vikings had none. Green Bay finished with seven, while Minnesota was tagged for two in the second half. The Packers have been flagged 34 times thus far, tied with Kansas City and Oakland for the second-highest total in the NFL. Buffalo and St. Louis lead the league with 36 penalties called against them. That s a high number for a team that wanted to put an emphasis on reducing penalties in Last season, it was flagged for 125 penalties tied for third most in the NFL. Of those, 110 of the Packers penalties were accepted, resulting in a league-high 984 penalty yards. Dallas (952), Tennessee (855), Tampa Bay (834) and Oakland (823) rounded out the top 5. The Packers drew penalties against their opponents, too. Eighty-nine opponent penalties were accepted by Green Bay, resulting in 721 penalty yards. That yardage total ranked No. 15. Cincinnati Bengals...(3-1) at Cleveland Browns...(0-4) Dallas Cowboys...(2-2) 4T 26 Detroit Lions...(1-3) Minnesota Vikings...(4-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers...(2-2) 6 5 San Francisco 49ers...(3-1) 28 6 Seattle Seahawks...(1-3) at St. Louis Rams...(0-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers..(0-4) PROTECTING THE FOOTBALL It took QB Aaron Rodgers until his fourth game of the season to record his first interception, a second-quarter pass intended for WR Greg Jennings that was picked off by Vikings CB Antoine Winfield. Even under heavy duress through the first four games, Rodgers has been careful with the football and in his decision-making. Prior to that second-quarter throw, his last interception came in Week 16 of last season, a streak that stretched 159 consecutive attempts. Rodgers streak had been the second-longest streak among active quarterbacks (Todd Collins, WAS, 203) and longest among starting signalcallers. The streak of 159 passes without an interception is a new personal best for Rodgers, topping a record established last year, when it wasn t until the fourth game of the season that he threw an interception. That snapped a streak of 157 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak that began in 2005 and is now the fourth-longest in team history. Rodgers new career high (159) ranks third all-time among Green Bay signal callers for consecutive passes without an interception. Bart Starr holds the franchise record with an astounding 294 straight passes without an interception, second-most in NFL history. Brett Favre stands at No. 2 on the team s all-time list with 163 consecutive passes without an interception. The interception-free streaks have come in bunches in the Mike McCarthy tenure. Much credit must be given to McCarthy, who works closely with those under center, and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. In addition to Rodgers two long streaks (159 and 157) over the past two seasons, Favre had two of the longest streaks of his career under the duo in Early in the season, he had a 142-pass streak (third longest of his career) and followed up with a 139-pass streak (fourth) later in the season. 44

5 MIKE McCARTHY TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTS FROM THE COACH TUESDAY, OCT. 6 (How confident are you that you could have Bigby back?) It s tough. Atari, he s such an ambitious individual, and he gives you everything he can. I think Dr. Pat McKenzie is a little more hesitant, so this bye week will really help him. (Have you talked any about moving Woodson to safety?) Well, certain aspects of our defense, because of the way we do play, there are characteristics that he actually plays that responsibility. (Woodson wondered about things with the defense last night and the decision not to keep Anthony Smith. Do you think you have a problem on your hands?) I don t think I have a problem at all. Actually I was just made aware of it. But also I have talked to Charles about Anthony Smith, and I ll say this about Charles Woodson. He s as competitive as a player that we have not only on our football team but probably in the National Football League. I m sure that a lot of that was emotional, emotionally driven. These are things that are talked about. I don t ever shy away from an opinion that does not agree with mine. Every decision we do make here is obviously with a lot of thought. I don t think we have an issue. (Was it the right decision to sit back in zone against Brett instead of blitzing more?) I just watched the tape, and I don t feel we sat back in zone all the time. There were times. Frankly, watching it with Dom and the defensive staff, we had made some mistakes there, particularly with some of our pressure calls that occurred in the game, particularly in the first half, that created big-play opportunities for them, and they hit them. So Dom was hesitant at times to probably go back to that. But I don t think we sat there all day and played zone. I don t think that would be accurate. (Were there coverage errors then?) Just a combination. I ll say this. I haven t corrected the film with the players, and I m not going to do that here today. I ll talk in generalities. But I don t correct the individuals in the paper. (Because of the pressure, has Aaron s time clock been altered?) Just in this particular contest last night in Minnesota, Aaron Rodgers had a ton of positive production. I think that was obvious to anybody who saw the game. He had some plays that he s gonna wish he had back. We didn t call a lot of plays where we were holding the ball. That was part of the design. When you play up there in that noise, they re playing a little bit downhill on you when they know it s a pass. I think that s evident to everybody. Holding the ball sometimes is not what we want to do. (What happens in that situation, when you have a 3-step or 5-step drop and he does hold it, is it because no one is open?) Well, I ll give you an example. When you can design plays, whether it s a 3-step drop or a 5-step drop, really the quarterback s decision-making is clear in our offense. He only has three reads in the whole offense. He has what we refer to as a pure progression read, where you create a triangle with the pass concept, and I tell him exactly who 1, 2 and 3 are. You either throw it to 1, 2 or 3. The second read is the progression or an option. You throw it to 1, 2 or 3, or there s an option built in based on the coverage. And the third read is what we refer to as a PSL, pre-snap look, that tells you to work one side or the other. So when you stay in tune with that, the time clock fits, and it s tied to the protection. Those are the types of things that are very basic, and sometimes you get in a game you see something. There s a lot more disguising going on in today s NFL. We re seeing more than ever because of our double and triple counts at the line of scrimmage, plus even moreso in a dome up there. They did some different things with their coverage as far as holding their safeties and things. But you have to trust the read, trust the read, and that didn t happen all the time. There s a few plays I m sure he ll wish he had back. (Are you going to bring Tauscher back?) That s something that we re looking at. We actually had Mark in here today for a workout, and I know he s going through the medical aspect of it. It s something that Ted has been in contact with Mark, and October 1st is the date that Dr. McKenzie has always felt that his rehab would be completed. That s definitely something that we are visting. (If it were to happen, what would he give you guys given the way the offensive line has functioned?) Number one, a good football player. I think he definitely adds to our offensive line group and more importantly to our 53-man roster, just from a pure personnel standpoint. Obviously Mark s history here; he s played a ton of football for us in this scheme from day one. So just to have his experience and everything back in the room I think is definitely an asset. (You ve dealt with penalties a lot. How frustrated are you with that? Does it get to you?) Well, get to me? It s something that is addressed. I don t like the way we have more penalties than them. That has happened way too much. As far as the penalty and what it s happening and the field position and the magnitude of the penalties is the thing that is really hurting us, particulary in our return game. Then obviously with the offense with the long down-and-distances, or the first downs with the defense it generates. Those are the types of things that are frustrating. Now, definitely, I say it all of the time, pre-snap penalties, there is no excuse to line up offsides or to have a false start. But when you ve got hand placement and things like that, they re going to call some penalties. But we re definitely having more than the other guy right now and we have to get that fixed. (Did you alter the bye week schedule based on these first few weeks?) I ve always usually had two plans, so this was pretty much the plan all along. Having a bye week coming off a Monday night game, just to be honest, to have a practice on Wednesday, their bodies are not ready for that, especially coming out of a division game. The ability to travel (from) Green Bay, Wisconsin, that factors. I always try to give them an extra half a day or a full day for travel. Those are types of things to look at. Ultimately just from a pure work standpoint and the things that we need to get done, today and tomorrow coaches work on self-scout and Detroit, so we ll be ready Sunday when the players get back. (Are you happy with the pressure you re getting on the quarterback?) Once again, football, and God bless the video games, but just because you dial pressure doesn t mean you win the down. Football is always going to be about fundamentals, whether you have a pressure call or a coverage call, whether you throw the ball or run the ball. How much pressure, when we call pressure, those are opinions. Dom Capers and his staff, they put a lot of time into it. I fully trust their judgments. It s a lot more fun to pressure, it s a lot more fun to throw the ball. That s the facts of football, no doubt about it, but it all fits together. The things that we need to do a better job of are the fundamentals, whether it s a pressure call or a coverage call. (On offense, what do you want to focus on as you selfscout?) Number one, you go back and look at all of the problem areas. Just frankly with today s technology and everything, we have Mike Eayrs up there, the director of research and development, I m very comfortable with our weekly self-scout. It s a lot more in-depth than it was 10 years ago. In the past with bye weeks we have this big self-scout project and so forth. To me it s an ongoing process I know here in our program. Just make sure you identify the things you need to work on, but you ve also got to identify the things that you need to work on and apply it to your next opponent. It s important to keep cleaning your own house, and I feel we do that every week. But we need to get ready for these upcoming opponents. 5

6 PACKERS TEAM NOTES JOLLY RECORDS RARE TRIFECTA Just four games into the season, DE Johnny Jolly has filled up the stat sheet in a number of categories. Making the transition from an inside tackle in the old scheme to an end this season, Jolly leads all defensive linemen with 22 tackles. Displaying rare athleticism for a 6-foot-3, 320-pound man, he made a highlight-reel one-handed interception in the red zone against Jay Cutler and the Bears in Week 1. Jolly also plucked another ball out of the air on a dive against St. Louis, though the ball was ruled a fumble because of a strip by LB Aaron Kampman. That play came just minutes after Jolly blocked a field-goal attempt on the Rams opening drive. It was the second of his career. It had been awhile since a Packers player recorded an interception, fumble recovery and blocked kick in the same season. That was CB Doug Evans in Jolly s athleticism isn t new to his teammates. To a man, they all credit him with being one of the best basketball players on the team. TAKEAWAYS A PLUS While many football statistics don t have far-reaching implications through the season s first four weeks, turnover ratio is always a telling statistic. The Packers are tied for second with Denver in takeaways with 10. New Orleans leads all NFL clubs with 13. Thanks also in part to an offense that has turned the ball over just three times, Green Bay s plusseven turnover ratio is tied with Denver and New Orleans atop the league standings. Every single Packers practice, be it during OTAs, training camp or the regular season, has a period devoted to ball security. Headed by assistant head coach/inside linebackers Winston Moss, the drill has offensive skill players carry the ball while two defenders (linebackers and defensive backs) try to strip the ball. Once free, the offensive player then must run through a gauntlet of offensive and defensive linemen attempting to strip the ball loose. The drill puts an emphasis on ball security to offensive players. For defensive players, the drill keeps the focus on stripping the ball from opposing players. The team has four forced fumbles on the year, three of which it has recovered. The defense s seven interceptions is only behind New Orleans (10) for the highest number in the league. While the Packers can be proud of their hold atop the turnover margin league standing at plus-seven, the statistic isn t always as telling as some may portend it to be. Green Bay finished with a plus-seven margin a year ago, No. 6 among all teams and the franchise s best mark since 2002 (+17). STARTING FAST Mike McCarthy, like all NFL coaches, stresses the importance of getting out to a quick start in the early portions of the 2009 schedule in order to springboard the team to greater successes. This offseason, one of the main goals was an added emphasis on starting fast literally in the first quarter through an increased tempo at the line of scrimmage and ultimately more point production. The Packers produced a total of 13 points (one TD, two FGs) on their first offensive possessions a year ago, second fewest among all NFL teams (Detroit, 10). Despite ranking No. 5 in total scoring (419 points) in 2008, the Packers produced their lowest output (61 points) in the first quarter. That total ranked tied for 20th. That emphasis appeared to be paying off in the preseason, as QB Aaron Rodgers led an offense that scored touchdowns on nine of 13 possessions as he registered an NFL-best quarterback rating. Not to be outdone, the defense finished its preseason action with 13 takeaways (eight interceptions, five fumbles) and 12 sacks. With the third preseason game being as close to a dress rehearsal as there is in the NFL, Green Bay s starters stormed out of the gates in a road contest against defending NFC champion Arizona, building a halftime advantage. All told, Green Bay s starters outscored opponents in just over six quarters of play. Thus far, only the defense seems to be translating to the regular season. Eight of its 10 takeaways have come in the first half, while it has allowed just 14 first-quarter points. Thanks to opportunities created in part by their ballhawking defense, the Packers have scored 68 first-half points, including 30 in the first quarter. Still, the offense has failed to find its consistent rhythm in the early going of both halves. Of the eight possessions at the beginning of each half, the team has scored just three points. GETTING OUT TO A QUICK START It s no secret that early success dramatically increases a team s chances to make the postseason. Though statistics can only tell so much in the National Football League, they are on the side of teams who start fast. Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, 442 teams won their opener. Of those teams, 233 went to the playoffs and 136 won division crowns. Now, compare those numbers to the 442 teams that lost the first game of the season. Of that group, only 103 went to the playoffs and only 58 captured their division. Coaches typically break the season into four-game quarters, and success in the first quarter greatly enhances a team s chances of making the postseason. Under McCarthy, Green Bay started 1-3 (2006) and 2-2 (2008) in seasons in which it did not make the playoffs. In 2007, the Packers started 4-0 when they ultimately played in the NFC Championship Game. Teams rebounding from slow starts isn t unheard of, especially with earning a wild-card berth being an alternate route to the postseason. Still, the stats bear out that early-season success goes a long way in determining who will play in January and February. A look at how important fast starts have become to an eventual playoff berth, compiled from : Record through 4 games % of teams in playoffs % % % % % 66

7 GAME REVIEW - VIKINGS 30, PACKERS 23 TOO MUCH TO OVERCOME IN MINNESOTA It s hard enough to beat a division rival in a noisy road venue when an emotionally charged opposing quarterback turns in an impressive performance. But it s even harder when the self-inflicted miscues pile up and happen at such inopportune times. In addition to Brett Favre s big night, the Packers had too much to overcome in the way of blown opportunities and shoddy pass protection and fell to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at the Metrodome. We made way too many mistakes this evening, Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. You have a hard time beating any football team let alone that football team. The loss drops the Packers at their bye week to 2-2, two games behind unbeaten and first-place Minnesota in the NFC North. The Vikings looked every bit like the division favorite with Favre performing like he did in the much-anticipated first showdown with his former team. While the Packers were bottling up running back Adrian Peterson (25 carries, 55 yards), Favre was tearing apart the secondary to the tune of 24 completions in 31 attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns for a rating, his highest this season. Favre was particularly hard to handle on third down. Over one second-quarter stretch, Favre was 4-for-4 on third down for 70 yards, leading to two touchdowns that gave the Vikings a halftime lead. The Packers kept it close with two big plays early - a 62-yard TD pass to Jermichael Finley and a 42-yard strip-and-return of a Peterson fumble by rookie Clay Matthews - but when Favre came out firing again on the opening drive of the third quarter, Minnesota took control for good. Favre, who wasn t sacked and absorbed only one hit according to the post-game stats, took advantage of what seemed like forever in the pocket to hit Jeff Dugan for 25 yards. He followed it up on the next snap with a 31-yard heave to Bernard Berrian for a touchdown, making it early in the third and leaving the Packers little margin for error the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the missed opportunities that hurt the Packers in the first half - they had two possessions that reached field-goal range, only to see them end with a sack-fumble and an interception - only foreshadowed the most critical chance that got away. Trailing 28-14, the Packers drove 81 yards to the Minnesota 1-yard line, where they had second-and-goal. But a failed fullback dive, a short pass to Finley that only reached the line of scrimmage, and a fourth-down throw that tight end Donald Lee dropped in the end zone sent the Packers away with nothing when they had a golden opportunity to get back into the game. It was more what we didn t do, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. We had the ball down inside the 10 and weren t able to score. Had it twice (other times) on their side... I think we moved the ball pretty well, we just didn t cap off those three drives and lost by seven. The other repeated theme was the constant pressure on Rodgers, who was sacked an unthinkable eight times while his counterpart Favre wasn t sacked once. Minnesota s All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen, going against Chad Clifton s replacement at left tackle in Daryn Colledge (Clifton was out with an ankle injury), and then Colledge s replacement in rookie T.J. Lang when Colledge left with a knee injury in the fourth quarter, racked up 4½ of those sacks. One of those sacks by Allen produced a safety midway through the fourth quarter, two points that proved critical as the Packers rallied late from a hole. Rodgers, who threw for a career-high 384 yards and posted a rating (26-of-37, 2 TD, 1 INT), hit Jordy Nelson for a 33-yard touchdown with 4:40 left. But the safety forced the Packers to go for two to get back within one score, and the attempt failed, making it One last-ditch effort produced a 31-yard field goal with 55 seconds left and gave the Packers a shot at another onside kick, but Sidney Rice recovered for Minnesota to wrap it up. We have to be able to put points on the board, stop turning the ball over, and finish drives when we re on the one-yard line, Colledge said. The fact of the matter is we shot ourselves in the foot too much. GAME NOTES For all the hard work the Packers did to stop Peterson, they were certainly hoping for better defensive results overall. Peterson, the NFL s leading rusher coming into Week 4 and the defending league rushing champion, gained just 55 yards on 25 carries, an average of 2.2 yards per rush that ranks as by far the best the Packers have done against him in his five career games against Green Bay. It was also the third-lowest per-carry average for Peterson in his pro career. Unlike in his previous three 100-yard games against the Packers, Peterson didn t have any real explosive runs, recording a long gain of 12 on the night. Among the many things that went wrong for the Packers in the first half, the penalties didn t help. Green Bay was flagged six times for 47 yards in the first two quarters while Minnesota didn t have a single penalty. The offense was able to overcome some of the infractions and keep drives alive, but the most damaging was probably a 15-yard taunting call on linebacker Brandon Chillar after he had tackled Peterson for a 2-yard gain on Minnesota s first drive. Instead of having second-and-8 at the Green Bay 34, the flag gave the Vikings first-and-10 on the 19, and they eventually scored the game s opening touchdown. The Packers had just one penalty in the second half, finishing with seven penalties for 57 yards. The Vikings had two penalties for 10 yards. The Packers lost kick returner Will Blackmon and offensive lineman Colledge to knee injuries in the game. Neither player returned to action. Blackmon was replaced on kick and punt returns by Jordy Nelson, while Colledge - who was already filling in at left tackle for an injured Chad Clifton (ankle) - was replaced by rookie T.J. Lang in the fourth quarter. Lang had to work against defensive end Jared Allen the remainder of the game, which was no small task. Defensive end Cullen Jenkins came out of the game a couple of times with an ankle tweak and cramps, but he returned. McCarthy also mentioned injuries to running back DeShawn Wynn (wrist) and linebacker Desmond Bishop (rib bruise). The Packers eight inactives were S Atari Bigby, T Chad Clifton, T Breno Giacomini, RB Brandon Jackson, FB Quinn Johnson, DE Michael Montgomery, LB Jeremy Thompson, CB Brandon Underwood. 7

8 INDIVIDUAL NOTES & STREAKS 76 CHAD CLIFTON Has played in 133 career games, including 128 starts. Has started 96 of last 100 games since returning from a serious pelvic injury that ended his 2002 season. Has missed two games due to illness ( 06 at Miami, 08 at Tennessee) and missed two this season (Weeks 3-4) with an ankle injury. 36 NICK COLLINS With four interception returns for scores in his career, matches No. 5 Johnny (Blood) McNally on Green Bay s all-time career list. With another, would match No. 2 Bobby Dillon, Darren Sharper and Charles Woodson, each of whom returned five. 2 MASON CROSBY His 268 points from is the most ever by a Green Bay kicker over a two-season span. Needs 121 points this season to set the NFL record for most points scored by a player in his first three seasons (Stephen Gostkowski, NE, 388, ). Has 30 points in For his career, has hit 42-of-46 field goals from 39 yards-and-closer. Has hit 16-of-23 field goals from yards. Has hit 7-of-13 field goals from 50-plus yards. 80 DONALD DRIVER Needs one reception to surpass No. 1 Sterling Sharpe (595) on the team s all-time catches list. Driver enters with 595 career catches. Surpassed No. 3 Sharpe (8,134) on the franchise s all-time receiving yards list in Week 3. James Lofton (9,656) ranks No. 1. Driver is No. 2 with 8,277 career receiving yards. Has a reception in 115 consecutive games, besting the franchise s previous long streak of Sharpe s 103 ( ). In 2008, became the first player in franchise history with 1,000 receiving yards in a sixth overall season. Lofton and Sharpe each had five 1,000- yard campaigns. Extended another Packers record by recording his fifth consecutive season ( ) with 1,000 receiving yards. Driver had 1,012 yards. For the seventh time had 50-plus receptions in 2008, tying a franchise record. Lofton and Sharpe each had seven seasons with 50-plus catches. Is the all-time leading receiver at Lambeau Field, surpassing Antonio Freeman (3,477 yards). Driver has 3,961 career receiving yards at the stadium. Also is Lambeau Field s all-time leader in receptions with 283. Freeman (213) also ranks No. 2. Stands at No. 3 with 18 touchdown receptions at Lambeau Field. Freeman (36) ranks first in the stadium s history, while Sharpe (20) is No. 2. Has 20 career 100-yard receiving games, which ties him with Freeman for No. 4 in team history. Needs four more games to equal No. 3 Don Hutson on the all-time list. With 45 career TD receptions, joins Hutson (99), Sharpe (65), Freeman (57), Max McGee (50), Lofton (49), Billy Howton (43) and Boyd Dowler (40) as the only Packers with 40 career TD catches. Ranks fourth all-time in yards from scrimmage with 8,494. Driver needs 1,219 yards to move past No. 3 Jim Taylor (9,712). 88 JERMICHAEL FINLEY Tied a franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end (Jackie Harris, 128, Oct. 10, 1993, vs. Denver) with 128 receiving yards in Week 4. His 62-yard touchdown was the longest reception by a tight end since 1993 (Jackie Harris, 66t, Oct. 10). 25 RYAN GRANT With 1,200 yards this season, would become only the third player in franchise history to post back-toback seasons of 1,200-plus rushing yards (Ahman Green, ; Jim Taylor, ). Became the eighth back in franchise history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season in 2008, making it the 20th such season by a running back in Packers history. Enters with 2,416 career rushing yards. In his first two NFL seasons, totaled 2,159 rushing yards. That ranked eighth among all NFL players over that period. Has nine 100-yard games in his career. Established a new career-high at Minnesota in Week 4 with 50 receiving yards. 31 AL HARRIS Has 116 career starts. Needs to return one interception for a touchdown to tie No. 7 Charley Brock, Doug Hart and Ken Ellis (all with three) on Green Bay s all-time career list. With a second TD on an interception, would match No. 5 Johnny (Blood) McNally and Nick Collins (4). 50 A.J. HAWK Has tallied over 120 tackles in each of his first three seasons. 85 GREG JENNINGS His 15 catches of 40-plus yards from was tops in the NFL. His three in 2009 is tied for the NFL lead. Did not catch a pass in Week 2, snapping a streak of 44 straight games with at least one catch. With 1,200 yards receiving, would Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from

9 INDIVIDUAL NOTES & STREAKS become just the fourth player in franchise history to post 1,200 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons (Sterling Sharpe, ; Antonio Freeman, ; Donald Driver, ). Had 103 receiving yards in Week 3, his 11th career 100-yard game. In Week 3, surpassed 3,000 career receiving yards in his 46th career game. Surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards in 2008 at Tampa Bay, his 31st career game. Surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards on the 82-yard, game-winning touchdown catch in OT vs. Denver in 2007, his 19th career game. 74 AARON KAMPMAN His 37 sacks over the last three seasons ( ) ranked third among all NFL players. With 51½ career sacks, is No. 4 on the team s alltime sacks list. Needs four more to move past No. 3 Tim Harris (55). In 2008, became the fourth player to record 50 sacks with the Packers, joining Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (74½), Reggie White (68½) and Harris (55). Has made 85-plus tackles for four straight seasons. Has started 93 of the last 94 games, only missing the 2007 regular-season finale to rest for the playoffs. 86 DONALD LEE With 15 career touchdowns, matches No. 5 Ron Kramer (15) on the franchise s all-time tight ends list. His 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons ranked tied for fourth among all tight ends over that time behind Dallas Clark (17), Antonio Gates (17) and Tony Gonzalez (15). Jason Witten also had 11 touchdowns. 12 AARON RODGERS In 2008, became only the second player in NFL history to surpass 4,000 yards passing in the same season in which he made his first career start. Kurt Warner (4,353) accomplished the feat during his MVP season in With another 4,000-yard season, would become the first player in NFL history to post 4,000 yards passing in each of his first two seasons as PRONUNCIATION GUIDE PLAYERS Allen Barbre BAR-ber Atari Bigby ah-TARR-ee BIG-bee Brandon Chillar CHILL-er Breno Giacomini BREH-no GEE-ah-coh-MEE-knee Matt Giordano G-or-DAHN-0 Brett Goode GEWD Spencer Havner HAY-vner Cullen Jenkins KULL-en Aaron Kampman CAMP-man Jeremy Kapinos CAP-eh-nos John Kuhn KOON Ryan Pickett PICK-ett a starter. Became the fourth player in Packers history to surpass the 4,000-yard mark, joining Lynn Dickey (1), Brett Favre (5) and Don Majkowski (1). Among quarterbacks in the NFL in 2008, ranked fourth in passing yards (4,038), fourth in touchdowns (28), sixth in QB rating (93.8), 10th in completion percentage (63.6%), tied for fifth in 20-plus yard passes (48) and tied for first in 40-plus yard passes (16). Has five career 300-yard games and four 3-TD games. Had a passer rating over in eight games in His four rushing touchdowns in 2008 were the most by a Packers quarterback since Don Majkowski (5) in Became the first quarterback other than Brett Favre to start a Packers game since Don Majkowski, Sept. 20, TRAMON WILLIAMS Established career highs in 2008 in nearly every statistical category, including tackles (52), interceptions (5) and passes defensed (14). 21 CHARLES WOODSON Has 39 career interceptions, 22 in 50 games since coming to Green Bay in Woodson had 17 interceptions in 106 games with Oakland. Is tied for the most interceptions in the NFL since 2006 with 22 (Ed Reed, Baltimore). With five interception returns for scores, matches No. 2 Bobby Dillon and Darren Sharper on Green Bay s all-time career list. Needs two more to match No. 1 Herb Adderley (seven). With six defensive touchdowns as a member of the Packers (five interceptions, one fumble return), is No. 3 on the team s all-time list. Needs one more to match Adderley and Sharper with seven atop the list. His five interception-return TDs since 2006 is the most in the league during that span. With seven interceptions in 2009, would become only the second player in franchise history to post at least seven interceptions in three different seasons (Dillon, ). With two interceptions against Cincinnati, recorded the fourth multiinterception game of his career. Three have come with Green Bay. Brady Poppinga puh-PING-ah B.J. Raji RAH-jee Josh Sitton SITT-en Jason Spitz SPITTS Tramon Williams trah-mahn COACHES James Campen KAMP-en Tom Clements KLEMM-ints Jerry Fontenot FON-tin-oh Ben McAdoo MACK-ah-doo Shawn Slocum SLOW-kumm Mike Trgovac TUR-go-vac 9