Packers Daily Links: Hall of Famers in Lake Geneva for Weekend
LeRoy Butler, Jerry Kramer, Paul Hornung and Fuzzy Thurston will sign autographs at the Lake Geneva Home Improvement Expo. That and more in today's Daily Links...
A quartet of former Packers greats will be in attendance at the annual Lake Geneva Home Improvement Expo in southern Wisconsin this weekend. "Green Bay Packers greats LeRoy Butler, Fuzzy Thurston, Paul Hornung and Jerry Kramer are featured guests at the expo," according to Walworth County Today. "Butler and Thurston will be available from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday for autographs and photos. Hornung and Kramer will be at the expo from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday for autographs and photos. For every autograph purchased, you will get a raffle ticket, which is your chance to win a personally autographed Paul Hornung canvas. The winner will be announced at 2 p.m. on Sunday and you must be present to win."
The tight ends are the position of choice in the daily breakdown series at ESPNMilwaukee.com. "Coach Mike McCarthy seems to have a soft spot in his heart for (Jermichael) Finley, and based on the coach’s comments in his annual season-ending news conference, Finley seems like a better bet to return, even though he apparently believes it’s a '50/50' proposition," writes Jason Wilde. Even though I'm not necessarily in favor of retaining Finley, I think there's a good chance he does return to Green Bay for the 2013 season. I think the Packers should accept any offer of a second day draft choice for Finley, but I am realistic enough to realize that not a ton of teams will be lining up to trade for a player with only one year remaining on his contract.
Wisconsin running backs coach Thomas Hammock is interviewed by Tyler Dunne of JSOnline about Montee Ball in an NFL Combine preview piece while tying the Packers into the article. "He could be a realistic option for the Packers," writes Dunne. "A year ago, Green Bay bypassed Doug Martin and David Wilson at the end of the first round. This year, Ted Thompson has some tough decisions to make at the position. This off-season, the Packers G.M. has promising youth (DuJuan Harris, Alex Green, James Starks, Brandon Saine) and a pair of veterans (Cedric Benson, Ryan Grant) to sort through. If Thompson decides to turn a new leaf, maybe Ball, Alabama's Eddie Lacy or another back is an option in the first couple rounds." Hammock made a comparison to Ball with former Patriots Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. I like that comparison a lot.
Acme Packing Company takes a look at the potential of the Packers pursuing either linebackers Victor Butler or Antwan Barnes in free agency. "The best part about targeting players like Butler and Barnes is that they should come at a reduced cost with bigger names like Anthony Spencer, Paul Kruger, and Connor Barwin available," writes Devin Shanley. "Yet both Barnes and Butler would be a huge upgrade over the likes of (Frank) Zombo or (Erik) Walden, and provide the rotation needed to help keep Clay Matthews healthy and give (Nick) Perry the time needed to develop." I don't think it's likely the Packers land either Butler or Barnes, but I wouldn't rule it out either.
The annual checkup series at Fox Sport Wisconsin continues with linebacker A.J. Hawk.
A listing of free agent wide receivers passed on by the Green Bay Press-Gazette lists Greg Jennings at the very top.
The defensive line is analyzed at the Packers official website.
Report cards grades are handed out to Jermichael Finley, Josh Sitton and Evan Dietrich-Smith at AllGreenBayPackers.com.
Video: Donald Driver talks about his marriage proposal with Katie Couric when he appeared as the co-host on the Valentine's Day episode of Katie...
Brian Carriveau is the author of "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor of Cheesehead TV's "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].
Comments (2)
February 15, 2013 at 10:23 am
People seeing the twitter feed on the home page. Looking like Woodson has been released.
February 15, 2013 at 10:48 am
Accorsing to nfl.com he "will" be