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Could the defensive line be this year's achilles heel?
2008-05-24 22:37:00
Well, we all know about the injury to Justin Harrell's back, and thank God it was not anything more severe. That is the difference between a regime of free weights and station weights. Free weights force you to balance the weight equally so someone does not get lazy. If someone does not stay focused on what he is doing, back issues become the normal situation.Boy, are they going to have to take baby steps with Harrell when he comes back. Again we as fans probably will not see any positive athletic movement from Justin until halfway through the season. Now the Packers have to cross their fingers and hope that Johnny Jolly will be alright for most, if not all, of the season.Mike McCarthy stated that he was concerned with the defensive line health issues but then the team brings in another TE in Evan Moore instead of another defensive lineman. McCarthy also stated that he only wanted to take 13 defensive lineman to training camp, which is the number that they are at right now. So much...
More About: Line , Heel , Achilles

The newest Packer
2008-05-23 13:00:00
The Green Bay Packer s have signed rookie tight end Evan Moore.Moore (pictured) was an undrafted free agent out of Stanford. He had 103 catches for 1,555 yards and 12 touchdowns in his four year career with the Cardinal.Moore was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints right after the draft but has since been cut. It's curious that Moore had been cut so quickly.This roster addition gives the Packers plenty of competition at the tight end position.Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports, "The move gives the Packers six tight ends, including four rookies -- third-round draft pick Jermichael Finley and undrafted rookies Moore, Joey Haynos and Mike Peterson."The Packers have assigned No. 8 to Moore. Photo credit: Paul Sakuma for the Associated PressWelcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.

Harrell held back
2008-05-22 13:09:00
It was learned that defensive tackle and former first round draft pick Justin Harrell had offseason surgery on his back, which is the reason he's not participating in the Green Bay Packers' Organized Team Activities (OTAs).Harrell reportedly injured himself while weightlifting this offseason and had minor surgery about a month or so ago to repair it. The Packers never reported the injury until now, and it became known that the injury was to a disc in Harrell's back, a potentially serious issue.That's why Harrell won't be participating in either the OTAs or mandatory minicamp in mid-June either."I'll be ready training camp," Harrell is quoted as saying in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "This is the most important time, right here, to get yourself better, get more accustomed to the system. But I just have to do what I can, and what they let me do. Being frustrated is not going to change the situation."Harrell's injury has left the Packers a little thin along the defensive line...
More About: Back , Held

Nelson makes early impact
2008-05-22 13:04:00
Wide receiver Jordy Nelson , the first draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in the '08 draft, has already made on contribution on the field and as a teammate.Nelson had one of the highlights of the day when he made a nice leaping catch over talented rookie cornerback Patrick Lee."Wide receiver Jordy Nelson made a spectacular leaping catch in tight coverage Wednesday at the Don Hutson Center, and the first teammate to greet the rookie with a congratulatory chest bump was veteran Donald Driver," reports Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.On top of the catch, it's nice to see Nelson fit in. On one hand, he could be viewed as a threat to this deep receiving corps. On the other hand, he's only going to make the group better so he might as well be embraced.Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
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Giacomini impresses
2008-05-22 03:17:00
Perhaps one of the best stories coming out of the first open practice of the OTAs was the performance of rookie tackle Breno Giacomini.Both the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel took notice.According to reports, Giacomini knocked defensive end Jeremy Thompson to the ground time after time in one on one pass rush drills.Apparently the coaches have already worked hard with Giacomini on his technique since joining the Packers mere weeks ago.According to Tom Pelissero of the Press-Gazette, "Three times, fourth-rounder Jeremy Thompson ended up on the ground when going against Giacomini, who said coaches made significant adjustments to his technique during rookie orientation camp in an effort to get him playing lower and with better leverage."Sounds like a good idea. Standing 6-7, Giacomini will have to get low so as not to get blown by in pass protection by those cat-quick defensive ends.Of course, at the other end of the stick, rookie defensive end Jeremy Thompson w...

No rails for the railbirds
2008-05-22 03:01:00
Sorry, railbirds. Apparently there will be no perch for you during the OTAs.Head coach Mike McCarthy moved practice indoors today and will do so for the remaining three practices over the next three weeks that were scheduled to be open to the public.That doesn't mean the fans have been ousted from watching their beloved Green Bay Packers, though. Fans were let inside the Don Hutson Center for a portion of the practice today and also will be allowed inside for the remaining open practices as well.It was a curious move, however. It was a nice spring day in northeastern Wisconsin. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Greg Bedard was left scratching his head.According to Bedard, "For the record, it was 60 degrees up here with winds at 12 mph. It was a little windy but really a nice day."McCarthy took some heat for not having his team practice outdoors during the playoff run, and he was especially second guessed after the loss in the NFC Championship game to the New York Giants.Bedard...
More About: Rails

Railbird season starts today
2008-05-21 13:09:00
Fans will be able to watch the Green Bay Packers practice today in the first session of the year that's open to the public.The Packers will be practicing on Ray Nitschke Field on the east side of the Don Hutson Center at 11:15 a.m. today weather permitting.The Packers will be able to get their first glimpse of the post-Favre era Packers and the brand new draft choices including Jordy Nelson and Brian Brohm.Enjoy!Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Today , Season

Harrell sits on sideline
2008-05-21 01:55:00
Last year's first round draft pick, defensive tackle Justin Harrell, will be viewing the Organized Team Activities (OTAs) from the sidelines as he recovers from injury.You'll remember that the same thing happened last year with Harrell as well. Due to his torn biceps, he had to sit out of the offseason workouts during his rookie year. This year it's his back that's ailing him.Harrell has company, though. Both defensive tackle Johnnny Jolly and cornerback Will Blackmon will be sitting out all of the OTAs as well. None will practice at all during the next four weeks, but according to the Packers official website, they should all be ready for training camp.And to make things even thinner along the defensive line, Colin Cole and Daniel Muir are also sitting out of OTAs to begin with, although they could return in the upcoming days and weeks.They're joined by John Kuhn, Cameron Stephenson, Tory Humphrey, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Abdul Hodge as players who will be sitting out initial...

Nelson & Brohm go to Smog City
2008-05-20 13:01:00
The first and second round draft picks of the Green Bay Packers, Jordy Nelson and Brian Brohm, spent this past weekend in Los Angeles.According to the NFL Players Association, "Top players from the 2008 rookie class will gather in Los Angeles for the Reebok NFL Players Rookie Premiere Presented by EA Sports beginning Thursday, May 15. This unique event provides trading card companies Donruss Playoff, Topps and Upper Deck with the opportunity to photograph rookie players for the first time in their official team jerseys. In conjunction with The NFL Network, NFL Players produces an in-depth one hour television special featuring the event that will broadcast on the network this summer."The Packers were able to schedule their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) nicely this season in that it didn't conflict with the event.You may remember a year ago at this time when running back Brandon Jackson was invited to attend the event and ended up missing valuable practice time.On a related note, ...
More About: City , Smog

Nice job
2008-05-20 12:57:00
I just want to say how pleased I am to be able to enable comments on this blog and within days we already have 22 comments on the "Tight ends battle" story below.It's great to have an forum like this where people can discuss ideas freely and openly. Talk even led to the trials and tribulations of the Maryland football program.Better luck next year, Terps fans.Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Nice

Offensive Line battles
2008-05-20 02:17:00
Why would Green Bay draft two players like Josh Sitton and Breno Giacomini? Now when I went back into pre-draft billing on both these players and the positions where they were drafted, I was scratching my head a little bit.Pro Football Weekly had Josh Sitton at the 46th position out of 72 players and yet Sitton was drafted in the 4th round of this year's draft. But if you look at PFW rating of Breno Giacomini, who was rated much higher than Sitton, Giacomini was rated 15th out of 83 players but was drafted in the 5th round of this year's draft below Josh Sitton.So whatever happened on Josh Sitton's Pro Day for the scouts before this draft really turned on the lights for the Packers as to Sitton's potential as a possible right guard. James Campen was quoted as saying that Josh was able to play both guard positions and some right tackle along with the possibility to be able to play the center position, even though he never did in college.What could make an immediate upgrade to the...
More About: Line , Battles

4000 posts
2008-05-19 17:37:00
I ran out of fingers trying to count, so I had to break out the calculator, but today we hit the 4,000th post since the inception of Railbird Central!I wonder what I'd do with all that time spent blogging if I had it all back again...Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Posts

OTAs start today
2008-05-19 13:16:00
The Green Bay Packers officially start their organized team activities (OTAs) today.Mandatory minicamp isn't until mid-June, but the players are starting to practice right now. Four of the fourteen practices are open to the public.Start ing this Wednesday, the railbirds can line up along fence at Ray Nitschke Field to watch the Packers begin preparations for the 2008 season. The rest of the practices open to the public are as follows: May 29, June 4 and June 11.The OTA run until June 12th with the minicamp starting June 17.According to Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Under the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the players' union, each team can conduct 14 days of organized team activities. No session can last longer than six hours, with a maximum of two hours on the field. No pads except for helmets, and live contact is prohibited. The sessions are voluntary but nearly all of the players are expected to attend."Welcome to the Ra...
More About: Today

Making an impression
2008-02-08 12:57:00
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is making a favorable first impression at the Pro Bowl among the players he's coaching this week.As losers of the NFC Championship game, the Packer staff is coaching the NFC squad in Honolulu on Sunday.And just like how his players in Green Bay have responded to his coaching style, his players in the NFC seem to have taken a liking to him too.“I actually never knew McCarthy had been with the 49ers since that was right before me,” said 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis on his team's website. “He’s a cool and collected coach. He tells you how it’s going to be and then he comes out and does what he said he would. I thought he was so laid back in the first meeting that he’d come out and be different, but I guess he really just is that laid back.”The Green Bay Press-Gazette's Mike Vandermause says it best when he talks about the lasting impression that McCarthy is leaving players with in Hawaii."Maybe if McCarthy leaves a favorabl...
More About: Impression

Packers prepare for Pro Bowl
2008-02-07 12:59:00
The Pro Bowl is this Sunday and several members of the Green Bay Packers are at work trying to win one for the NFC.The Packer coaching staff was chosen to lead the squad after losing the NFC Championship game, and they're currently trying to get the players all on the same page.Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is keeping sort of a mini-diary of the experience over at the Green Bay Packers official website.Of the experience, Philbin writes, "The fun part is you're getting guys from 15, 16 different teams. Football is not that complicated, but sometimes the language is, and you have to work through some of that stuff. What they think is a '6 route' we may call a 'hook route.' There's some of that you have to correlate between the systems. We're just working through some of that stuff, but overall they did a pretty good job for Day 1."Cornerback Al Harris is keeping a diary as well, and it sounds as if he'll be pretty well prepared for Sunday."Practice was pretty laid-back," ...
More About: Pro Bowl

Tauscher helps out
2008-02-07 12:52:00
Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Mark Tauscher has donated money to a Marshfield, Wis. middle school to improve their literacy program."Tauscher's Trifecta Foundation, which focuses on enhancing education and literacy for children, donated $750 Tuesday to the middle school's Read 180 program," reports Adam Rodewald of the Marshfield News-Herald. "Tauscher's dad, Denny of Auburndale, presented the check at the school."Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.

Packers show interest in quarterback
2008-02-06 01:59:00
It's confirmed that the Green Bay Packers have their eye on at least one quarterback prospect for this year's NFL draft.Southern Illinois quarterback Nick Hill says that the Packers were one of six teams he met with this past week at the Texas vs. The Nation Challenge in El Paso, Tex.Hill, himself, wrote in a column for Southern Illinois' student newspaper, The Daily Egyptian. According to Hill, "I had meetings with six NFL teams including the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers. Each NFL team is allowed to bring in 25 players it is interested in and considering drafting and the Bears have informed me that I will be one of the 25, which is good news."Unfortunately, Hill didn't exactly have a stellar game this past weekend. He ended up completing only two of six passes for 14 yards, and he was sacked four times.The Packers won't have to spend a high draft pick to get Hill, should they decide to pursue him. ...
More About: Show , Interest , Quarterback

A recruiting trip to Hawaii
2008-02-06 01:50:00
The Green Bay Packer coaches may have an unterior motive when they head to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl this Sunday. It's possible that they do a little bit of recruiting of star players so they get a leg up when free agency hits in month or so.The pitch: Come win a Super Bowl in Titletown. Plant the seed, ya know?This whole recruiting idea is the brainchild of Todd Mishler of RealFootball365.com. Mishler writes, "They could use depth and/or upgrades in the offensive line and secondary, and there are several intriguing options who'll be at practicing this week, including Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant and Dallas safety Ken Hamlin. If the Packers want to replace Brady Poppinga at linebacker, Chicago's Lance Briggs might be available."And they probably could conveniently run into members of the AFC squad in the hotel lobby, such as Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca."The Packers have $25 million is expected salary cap room this upcoming season. There's no need to sit on it.There's a li...
More About: Recruiting , Hawaii , Trip

Davis expected back next season
2008-02-06 01:27:00
It looks as if long snapper Rob Davis will be spending another season with the green and gold.Despite concerns about age and interest in Canadian League snapper Taylor Inglis, the Packers appear comfortable with Davis for at least one more year."Davis, who will turn 40 in December, has signed a series of one-year contract extensions in recent years," reports Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "Kevin Gold, Davis' agent, said this morning he expects a deal for 2008 to be done soon."There's always a fallback plan in putting Davis in the Packers' front office. All things point to Davis becoming the team's director of player programs once his playing career is done.The fact that Davis didn't register a single special teams tackle in 2007 has raised doubts about his speed to get downfield and cover punts. Although there is very little to complain about as far as his snaps go. Maybe the added incentive of a Super Bowl run has given Davis renewed enthusiasm to give it one la...
More About: Season , Back

McCarthy finalizes new contract
2008-02-06 01:20:00
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy inked a new five year contract that will keep him in Titletown through the 2012 season."I thank the Green Bay Packers, especially Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy, for this commitment and the confidence they have shown in me," McCarthy said."We have accomplished some of our goals over the past two seasons, but there remains much left to be done. I am excited by the opportunity to meet those challenges and someday return another Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay."McCarthy's contract is said to average about $4 million per season, which just about doubles his old pay that would have paid him in the ballpark of $2 million next season.The nice thing about coaches is that their salaries don't count against the salary cap.Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Contract

Looking to upgrade at guard
2008-02-05 12:53:00
The Green Bay Packers might be looking at free agent-to-be Justin Smiley of the San Francisco 49ers."The Packers could be interested in 49ers guard Justin Smiley should the ex-Alabama star make it to the open market in March," reports Packer Update. "Athletic, young and familiar with Mike McCarthy, Smiley would appear to be a nice fit in Green Bay."I'm hesitant to give you information from Packer Update as there in never any author given, and they never name their sources. However, given McCarthy's familiarity with Smiley, the rumor at least seems plausible.It's no secret that the Packers will be looking to improve along the offensive line this offseason. The Packers have around $25 million in available space under the salary cap and are poised to make a run at the Super Bowl. They'll want to be clicking on all cylinders up front from week one next season in both the pass and run game.It's been argued on here before that the Packers should make a run at Pittsburgh Pro Bowler Al...
More About: Guard

Place a bet in Vegas
2008-02-05 00:48:00
In what has pretty much become a yearly tradition, we release to you the Packers odds for the Super Bowl next year.There's very little Packers news the day after the Super Bowl because the entire known world is talking about the Giants and the Patriots. But the one thing we can count on is next year's odds.The Packers currently are tied for the NFL's sixth best odds to win next year's crown at 15-1 according to http://www.bodoglife.com/.The Patriots are the odds on favorites next year at 4-1 followed by the Chargers at 6-1, the Colts at 8-1, and the Cowboys and Giants tied at 10-1.Why no love for our current Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants? With the young team they've assembled, the scare the bejesus out of me in the NFC next season.The Packers are tied with the Jaguars at 15-1. The Falcons, Chiefs, Dolphins and Raiders bring up the rear at 100-1.Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Place , Vegas

Time to cool off
2008-02-04 13:01:00
Most people were probably happy with the outcome of yesterday's Super Bowl, but it was hard to swallow knowing that it could have been the Green Bay Packers.Anyway, we hope people have had time to cool off following the NFC Championship game loss to the New York Giants. Green Bay Press-Gazette sports editor Mike Vandermause says as much in column.There's no need for fans to call for drastic changes within the Packers' organization despite the heart breaking loss.During Super Bowl week when head coach Mike McCarthy was in Arizona to pick his fan's choice Coach of the Year award, he answered a question about whether defensive coordinator Bob Sanders would be fired.He won't be. He'll be back, and that's the right decision.Vandermause writes, "Sanders has been scrutinized for his conservative blitzing strategy and so-called vanilla schemes. During his time as coach, Mike Sherman installed a revolving door outside the defensive coordinator's office, an ineffective approach consid...
More About: Time , Cool

El Paso finds a few stars
2008-02-03 14:14:00
With the exception of a couple kick returns from NC State's Darrell Blackman, the Texas team romped the rest of the Nation in the final collegiate all-star game on Saturday in El Paso , Tex.Blackman had six returns for 232 yards and a touchdown. That's a 38.7 yard average!Other than that, most of the stars were on defense. A lot of these players were out to prove that they were draft worthy, and perhaps a few showed that they were.Fresno State defensive tackle Jason Shirley improved his stock with a good game. In an interview with a sideline reporter, the massive Shirley said he understood that his job is to clog lanes and stop the run. He not only did that, but he showed some versatility by providing some pass rush as well. Shirley recorded a sack and had a quarterback pressure in his own personal coming-out party.Also along the defensive line, but for the Nation team, Rutgers defensive lineman Eric Foster showed some hustle by applying some big hits and hustling down running back...
More About: Stars

Future Packer Adam Spieker?
2008-02-02 15:51:00
The Texas vs. The Nation Challenge is today (4 p.m. CST on CSTV), and the Green Bay Packer s will likely have their eyes on Missouri center Adam Spieker.Spieker was one reason the resurgent Tigers had such a good season including being ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point and winning a New Year's Day game in the historic Cotton Bowl. He was a first team all-conference center on a lot of people's lists.And the Packers have a need for a backup center. This has been mentioned before, but the current backup is current starting right guard Jason Spitz. It would be nice if the Packers didn't have to rely on a backup that is a starter to begin with. At the very least, they'll be signing a center as an undrafted free agent. Although it's possible that they may select a center with second day draft pick.Spieker is kind of an unknown quantity at this point. WalterFootball.com has Spieker ranked as the third best center prospect in this year's draft and as high as a third round draft c...
More About: Future

Packers special teams report card
2008-02-02 15:24:00
This is it. Here's the report card for the special teams and basically the wrap-up to the 2007 season. From here on out, it's all about moving ahead: free agency, the Combine, the draft, etc. Without further ado, here you are:Mason Crosby (A-): You couldn't expect more from a rookie. Crosby led the entire NFL in scoring. He was the NFL's special teams player of the month for November. He won the season opener in his first ever NFL regular season game on a field goal. He was perfect in all attempts during the playoffs. Those are some pretty darn good accolades. So where can he improve? Just on being a little more consistent. A field goal percentage over 80 percent next season would be a good starting point. Also, a little more depth to go with his nice loft on kickoffs would be nice.Jon Ryan (B-): Because of one horrendous game, Ryan is taking more heat than he deserves. What fans really should be focusing on is that Ryan had the best net punting average for a Packers punter sinc...
More About: Card , Report , Teams , Special

Packer cornerbacks report card
2008-02-02 01:24:00
We finish off the secondary, and the defense for that matter, with our cornerback report card. We're almost done. Check back tomorrow for our special teams analysis that will wrap things up.Charles Woodson (A): I'm not sure why Woodson has been so underappreciated lately. His game changing touchdowns against Washington and Kansas City this year were unbelievable plays that probably should have landed him in the Pro Bowl. His turnover production diminished as the season wore on, but he was still a beast in coverage. The fact that he didn't play against Dallas or Detroit due to injury didn't help his cause.Al Harris (B+): Frankly, Harris has had better seasons. His berth in the Pro Bowl was more of a lifetime achievement award more than anything. But it's not as if Harris had a poor year, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that he was probably more deserving of the Pro Bowl in either of the previous two years than in 2008. He consistently lined up against the every...
More About: Card , Report , Packer

Is Williams a "franchise" player?
2008-02-02 01:05:00
The Green Bay Packers have quite a decision ahead of themselves as to whether apply a franchise or transition tag to free agent defensive tackle Corey Williams .Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did a little research on the subject, and he found out "this is what it's going to cost: $6.363 million if the Packers use the franchise tag, the average of the top five defensive tackles from last year (team signing Williams has to give up two first-round draft picks). $5.654 million if the transition tag is used. That's the average of the top 10 DTs last year. The Packers can match any offer Williams gets."It's possible that the Packers could use either one of the tags.Welcome to the Railbird feed. Eat up.
More About: Player , Franchise

Packer safeties report card
2008-02-01 13:09:00
We're breaking up our report card on the secondary today. Right now you'll get the safety evaluations with the cornerback report card coming later in the day. And don't forget to check back tomorrow as we finish things up with the specialists. Remember to scroll down anytime to check out our previous positional report cards.Atari Bigby (B+): The Packer s finally found a replacement at safety for the years of futility that they put in with Mark Roman and Marquand Manuel. Bigby stepped up big-time for the Packers in 2008, and he was part of the reason the team saw an improved defense this year. He was NFC Defensive Player of the Month for December when he had four interceptions. His coverage has come a long way from the beginning of the year when he was criticized for not being able to cover tight ends. Is he perfect yet? No. But he will improve in coverage even more with time. He also has started to get a reputation as one of the game's hardest hitters as he put some good licks on...
More About: Card , Report

Scouts are putting in overtime
2008-02-01 12:52:00
If you're wondering why Railbird Central is wasting its time writing previews of the least prestigious of all the college all-star games, you may want to reconsider.The Texas vs. the Nation Challenge is on Saturday, and there's several of late round draft picks to be had at the game. Despite the low profile, the Packers have sent their scouting staff to El Paso, Tex. in force.According to the Packers' official website, "(Scout Jon-Eric) Sullivan is in El Paso this week along with General Manager Ted Thompson and director of college scouting John Dorsey to watch all the practices, conduct interviews with prospects, and see the game, which kicks off at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday (CSTV)."There's a reason the Packers are well-represented at the game. There may not be many top-notch prospects at the game, but many of these players are guys that fill out a team's roster. The article goes onto mention that out of 108 players in last year's inaugural game, 79 went on to sign with pro teams...
More About: Putting , Overtime