I think I speak for all of us, that while ecstatic with the undefeated record, yesterday’s game was the kind of game that we’ve been waiting for.

I mean, on the surface there’s so many things to be excited about:

A 31-0 half time lead.

The fact that AJ Hawk was active, but not NEEDED and got more rest and time to heal.

Tim Masthay had 1, ONE, punt!

The Packers rushed for over 100 yards! They out rushed a team with Michael Bush, who was supposed to run similarly to Blount and just barrel through guys. Think about it, Ryan Grant had more rushing yards that Michael Bush. Ryan. Grant.

4 Interceptions by 4 different people.

For all those people concerned with yardage, the Packers did outgain their opponent. The total yards were close, but if you look at the stat by the half: the Packers had nearly double the Raiders yardage in the first half. Most of the Raiders yardage came in “garbage” time.

The Packers had more single player tackles on defense, than the Raiders had in total tackles!

Matt Flynn came in, not due to injury, in the THIRD quarter.

You basically didn’t even have to watch the fourth quarter. Frankly, I have NO idea what happened during it .

It would have been the most relaxing Packers game in a long time. But it wasn’t. The realization of late season, cold weather football, became apparent as player after player seemed to walk away from yesterday’s game with an injury. The most substantial being that of Greg Jennings. Jennings left the game after making a catch where he possibly twisted his ankle, having to be helped to the sideline. Fellow receivers Randall Cobb and Donald Driver helped move him to the trainer’s table. After initial workups, the doctor’s sent for the cart. And in perhaps the most heart wrenching scene, Jennings sat alone on the bench, towel over his head, his head clearly down. Jennings tried to cheer up the shaken crowd with the token thumbs up on the way to the locker room, but few good things happen when a player leaves the field on a cart.

Speculation has since run rampant. We won’t know the official diagnosis, or whatever McCarthy chooses to share, until the Packers press conference at 4 Lambeau time today. Yet, doctors, real and imaginary, have diagnosed Jennings with anything from a minor bruise to a completely ruptured MCL. Will he be back next week? Will he be back this regular season? Will he be back into for the Packers first playoff game? Will he be back for the Super Bowl?

Once all the M.D.s have decided that, even though they’re not sure how long he’ll be out, Jennings will indeed miss time, the discussion has morphed into two separate discussions. 1. Will the Packers be okay without Jennings? And 2. How long should Packers starters play?

First off, the Packers will most certainly “be okay” without Jennings, but their offense will change. As fans, and I think it has been sold to us this way all year, we tend to believe that all the receivers are almost equal; they guy who gets the ball is simply the guy who’s open. No one’s the favorite and no one’s more special. While yeah I’m pretty sure the open guy gets the ball more often than not, there are favorites. There is a level of trust, of unspoken communication and understanding that Rodgers has with each of his receivers, and to think that this level is the same for all of them is unrealistic. In a tight situation, who do you think Rodgers looks for more? Donald and Greg? Or James and Randall? (we’re on a first name basis here). And in a tight situation, who do you think the defense focuses more on? If it’s a must convert 3^rd and 18, the defense figures that Rodgers will go to his veterans and they double or play those players closer. That in turn, occasionally leaves receivers like Nelson, Jones and Cobb open. With Jennings gone, Rodgers is losing a valuable safety net, the Packers are losing a weapon, and the opposing defense is losing someone that they have to double cover.

Also, think back to the Super Bowl. I’m sure by now most of us have seen it (and if you haven’t, fly to Cincinnati, and we’ll have a viewing party), Greg Jennings on the sideline, telling his coaches what he’s seeing on the field. He’s there, pumped with emotion and adrenaline, not only cheering his team on, but helping to tailor the offense to catch the weaknesses that the opposing defense is showing. Nelson, Jones and Cobb are all great receivers in their own right, but I don’t think any of them have Jennings knowledge of the game.

Will the team die without Jennings, no. But I do think they will miss him. We will simply have to wait and see how long we’ll miss him for and how the team adjusts. Luckily this weekend the Packers are playing a team without a coach, so it looks like it will be a rest week either way.

But that brings me to my next point. Resting players. We’re getting to that point in the season, with the Packers having nearly everything locked up, when do they start resting their players? Do they rest them at all? Yesterday, Rodgers played long into the game. Many people, my best friend included, were screaming for MM to sit Rodgers. I was not one of those people. It was the third quarter, and while the Packers had been dominating, I still felt it was too early to sit him. I thought Flynn came into the game at the perfect time. But my heart did stop with every hit that Rodgers took. When, if ever, do we sit players? I have many thoughts on this. And hope to post them later this week. So if you read this whole article and have an opinion, post it below, I will include in my post later this week.

Today’s Subject: Genealogy

I have always been interested in the subject of family history, so I took some time to dig through the national archives to see what I could find on the origins of some of our past and present Packers and their mothers.

Although hospital records are hard to come by, I was able to obtain some documentation, including the reactions of several mothers as their future Packers met face-to-face with the world for the first time. Enjoy this Packers Lounge exclusive.

Mrs. Hawk

“What the hell?”

Mrs. Jolly

“Where’s that damn codeine button? I said, WHERE THE HELL’S THE CODEINE.”

Mrs. Bush

“Dammit, wrong angle again.”

Mrs. Thompson

“I’ll let you go first Sally. Just give me two Jell-O’s and your turkey loaf, and we can talk about an orange juice next year.”

Mrs. Rodgers

“Oh honey, he’s going to have dark hair just like you. Look at that little brown mustache.”

Mrs. Favre

“Irv, should I have this baby now? Never mind, I’m not having a baby. Well… maybe I should have it. Is there any way to skip this whole labor part?”

Mrs. Pickett

“Ouch”

Mrs. Barnett

“I think I just sharted. LOL LOL”

Mrs. Butler

“Ten bucks and you can hold him.”

Mrs. Chmura

“Let’s put him right here next this adorable little preemie.”

Mrs. Grant

“That would have been a lot easier if the kid could have found the hole.”

Mrs. Jennings

“If one more frickin’ person brings me Frankincense…”

Happy Mother’s Day

Got any more?

The Packers’ roster contains more than its share of big-play guys.

As recently as last year, there were complaints that the Packers did not have enough playmakers to be a contending team. Whether or not that was true at the time, it is no longer true. The Packers now have several players who are capable of making big plays on a regular basis. And just as importantly, during this five-game winning streak the Packers have consistently won the line-of-scrimmage battle, allowing their playmakers on both sides of the ball to do what they do best. 

I divide playmakers into two categories: Top-notch playmakers, who can consistently deliver big plays, and occasional playmakers, who are normally just very good but will occasionally make that jaw-droppingly great play. Let’s take a look at them now, in order of importance. 

TOP-NOTCH PLAYMAKERS

Aaron Rodgers: Chris Collinsworth made a very good point a couple weeks ago, when he said that the difference between the very best NFL QB’s and all of the rest is that the best ones can complete passes to receivers who are not open. He was referring to Kurt Warner, but Aaron Rodgers is one of a handful of QB’s who can do this on a regular basis. He also throws a good deep ball, he can extend plays by avoiding pressure, and he can scramble for long gains when he gets the chance. He leads the league in QB rushing yards. A great playmaking QB is the single best asset any team can have. And we’ve got one.

Charles Woodson: There’s not much more that can be said about this guy. Interceptions, forced fumbles, tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and sacks. He does it all. He is easily the best player on the team, and he can find a way to impact a game even when opposing QB’s are avoiding him like he plague, as they well should.

Clay Matthews: His demolition of the Bears’ left tackle on Sunday was a joy to watch. One sack and two penalties drawn—one for holding and one for a facemask. Also, he more than held his own against the run. And this has become a typical game for the rookie. This guy lives to play football. He reminds me of some of those great Oakland Raider players of the 70s.

Jermichael Finley: Maybe I’m a little early with this one, but Finley is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams, and he is only going to get better. He has a size-speed-skill combo that is very rare, and he is on the verge of becoming a TE who can be mentioned in the same sentences as TE’s like Antonio Gates and Jeremy Shockey. He is the future. And luckily for the 2009 Packers, he is also the present.

Nick Collins: After finally coming into his own last season, Collins continues to be a ballhawk, with six interceptions, and he seems to get them at the very best times. He is also capable of chasing down ballcarriers from behind, preventing TD’s on big plays.  In addition, his speed allows him to provide support for the CB’s on deep balls, helping to prevent big plays by opposing teams.

OCCASIONAL PLAYMAKERS

Nick Barnett—With his knee healing, he has played better and better as the season has gone on. Barnett specializes in sniffing out screen passes and pursuing ballcarriers sideline-to-sideline behind the line of scrimmage. He can create havoc on blitzes as well, and he always plays with a nasty attitude.

Greg Jennings—Last year, he would’ve been in the first category. For unknown reasons, his production has fallen off this year, as he often comes up just short when given a chance to make a big play. He is still the receiver that opposing teams fear most, however–a legitimate deep threat, and he can kill you on slants if he catches the ball at full speed, in the clear.

Donald Driver—He has enjoyed a resurgence this season. Driver can get open deep and has made not just one, but two one-handed catches on deep balls this season. His specialty, however, is converting third downs by catching the ball in traffic and taking big hits.

Cullen Jenkins—Although he is not going to run up big sack totals as a 3-4 DE, Jenkins can often be found in the opposing team’s backfield, getting pressure on the QB or blowing up running plays. He can also chase down ballcarriers from behind—a rare talent for a defensive lineman.

The defense has suffered two huge losses this year with the injuries to Al Harris and Aaron Kampman. I’m not sure, however, that either of them would fit into the category of “playmaker.” Harris is very solid, and he helped set up Woodson by reliably covering his half of the field. Kampman got a lot of sacks but was not as dynamic of a player as Matthews.

The one real playmaker who was lost to injury this season was Will Blackmon, who scored two TD’s on punt returns last season and broke a few other big ones. Heretical as it sounds, I would argue that Blackmon has been harder to replace than Harris or Kampman, although time will tell how much the loss of the two defensive Pro Bowlers will damage the Packers’ chances of being a real force in the playoffs this season.

At any rate, the Packers do have a worthy collection of impact players, which belies Ted Thompson’s reputation among many fans as a dull and unimaginative GM. He made bold moves to grab Rodgers, Woodson, and Matthews, while Finley, Collins, and Jennings were somewhat unconventional draft picks who are now paying off. If this year’s Packer team continues to get solid play at the line of scrimmage as well as from the Grants, Hawks, and Bigbys, they have enough big-play talent to make some noise in the playoffs. 

In the midst of the Leroy Butler interview last night on Cheesehead Nation, I think the most important point of the night was made by the esteemed Mr. Greg Bedard. The Packers don’t have “that guy.”

I was asking Bedard about the lackluster performance by Greg Jennings this season, and the Del Re eating pen warrior made a pretty valid point.

“The Packers have a lot of talent when they play together, but they don’t have a guy who can take the team on the shoulders.”

As much as I hate to admit it, it’s the truth. There isn’t a single player on the present squad that has elevated his play to a level that can singlehandedly take over a game.

Packer fans had hoped that Greg Jennings or even Aaron Rodgers would reach that point, but it’s fairly evident at the halfway mark that no one on the current roster is a bonifide superstar. The Packers have a lot of individual talent, but no one that can dominate consistently week in and week out.

All the elite teams have that guy right now. The Patriots have Brady and Moss, the Colts have Manning, and the Saints have Brees. The Cowboys have Barber, the Cardinals have Fitzgerald, and as much as I hate to say it, the Vikings have the last “guy” the Packers ever had that could truly take over.

In order to be elite, you need “that guy.” I don’t know if anyone is going to able to step up and fill that role, but if not, the Packers will only play as good as the combined sum of their parts.

With not a whole lot going on here are a couple of great Packer videos. Number two in the NFC North? Come on.

Just a couple of videos I found at NFL.com while browsing around. But of course, I would never dedicate an entire post to a video unless it contained one thing: A day with Greg Jennings.

Click here for a day with Greg.

Click here for 32 in 32 – The Packers.

And some people say links aren’t that cool. Pff.

I hear a lot of people patting themselves on the back for predicting we would re-sign Greg Jennings. That’s hardly impressive if you ask me. Nail the next move, and I’ll be impressed.

The entire world knew the Packers would get a Jennings deal done. There was never a doubt, just some concerns on the timing. Making a prediction about it is the same as saying the grass will be green this year, the sun will come up tomorrow, and IronMan will hit a couple of Packer forums today. The correct forecast is hardly a sign of supernatural superiority.

I am happy the deal is done, happy it’s before training camp, and happy it’s off the table. The real trick? Predicting the Packer’s next move.

The likely answer is the re-signing of Nick Collins, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that one is going to take awhile. My prediction on the next move the Packers make?

Signing a veteran quarterback.

Let’s face it, Brohm is not getting it done, and Flynn, although serviceable, is more of a check-down king than a starting quarterback in the NFL. With neither backup making huge strides, the Packers are going to be forced to start considering a veteran arm to up the level of competition.

The talent pool is shallow right now, but don’t be surprised if the Packers bring in a fresh arm to mix things up a bit.

That’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.

Check back later today as we break down mini-camp day three, and check back tonight as we unleash a whole set of mini-camp video not available anywhere else but Cheesehead Nation.

In the meantime, all hail Gregorious.

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I hadn’t heard these specifics anywhere else, but apparently Jennings is close to raking in 8 million a year.

From the Viking Update:

“The Packers are apparently close to announcing that they have signed star wide receiver Greg Jennings to a contract extension. Word out of Green Bay is that the deal could be worth about $8 million a year.”

I don’t know why this is in a Vikings publication, but it sounds fair to me.

Come on Greg Jennings, don’t be dumb.

I was all excited when I read the title, “Jennings: New deal ‘pretty close.’”  Unfortunately it didn’t say anything of the sort. What it did say however, was rather disturbing.

When asked about his contract negotiations:

“And that’s in life in general. In corporate America, when you have your job and you’re trying to feed your family, you’re looking out for your family’s best interests.”

Now I am going to do my best to try and shrug this one off, but it’s is really towing the line Greg. I understand that you feel you are underpaid for your greatness, and agree wholeheartedly.

I understand you want your children to grow up secure and afforded all the opportunities to succeed. I understand you are doing your best to be a “team player.”

You don’t need to drag out an overused and equally transparent saying to make your point.

I am sure you are eating just fine.

EDIT: The publication added to the piece now confirming Greg Jennings thinks he is “close” to getting a deal done. It did not appear in the original story.

With all the talk about “Brent Favre” lately, everyone seems to be overlooking something quite interesting?  Where the hell is Greg Jennings?

If you watched any of our OTA video this past couple of weeks, you will notice a disturbing trend. No Greg Jenning’s highlights. I scoured through hours of film and the guy was either not there, or not practicing. The skinny on the subject–nothing.

It really starts to make me wonder if Greg is holding some sort of quiet protest behind closed doors.

1. OTA Week 1: Receiver Greg Jennings sat out team drills.

2. OTA Week 2: Greg Jennings absent for unknown reasons.

3. OTA Week 3: Limited participation.

Now I know Greg has a busy schedule with running the world, and fighting off hot women (and IronMan) at every corner. But, have we taken his god-like status to the point of no questions asked? I mean should we be treating this any differently than a Nick Collins? I must admit I am generally concerned.

The truth of the matter is that Greg missed an OTA, sat out another, and practiced in a limited capacity in a third. Yet, not a peep from anyone involved.

Reasons unknown.

Greg has noted on more than one occasion that he fully intends to be a Packer for the forseeable future. However, the fact remains there still has been no stated conversation about his contract, he is astonishingly absent from any meaningful installs during OTA’s, and the strangest thing of all is it doesn’t seem that anyone cares.

I will always be a firm believer that whoever you are, a contract is a contract. This should be treated no differently than a Ryan Grant or Nick Collins. Where was Greg, why isn’t he on the field like he should be, and has he already started a silent dissention?

Aaron Rodgers summed it up best when he said:

“This is a voluntary time right now, but I think that word has kind of been almost eliminated from our terminology here in Green Bay now,” Rodgers said. “We realize we’re a team. Everybody needs to be here and working towards a common goal.”

It doesn’t appear that our annointed super-hero is exactly on that same page.

More importantly, why isn’t anyone talking about it?

Have a great weekend.

EDIT: Just a little note from Greg Bedard today in his Packer’s Daily Briefing:

How are things going on Greg Jennings’ contract extension? Likely not great judging by the facial expression he made the other day. I kidded him about buying up all the auction items at James Jones’ recent charity event. Jones and I both said Jennings’ big money must be close to fruition. A dead-serious Jennings replied, “Then you guys must know something I don’t, that’s for sure.”

I knew it couldn’t be going good.

(Stay Tuned)

We need someone else to step up and be a receiving force this year.

Last year, Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those are great numbers, but somehow, the Packers’ passing game was still lacking something. What it lacked was a legitimate third receiver.

Greg Jennings (1,292 yds.) and Donald Driver (1,012 yds.) accounted for over half of the team’s passing yardage in 2008. Rookie Jordy Nelson was a distant third, with 366 yards, and starting TE Donald Lee ended up with just 303. James Jones was plagued with injuries and tallied just 274. Fifth receiver Ruvell Martin also fought injuries and was a non-factor, with just 145 yards. The backup TE’s, Tory Humphrey (162 yds.) and Jermichael Finley (74 yds.), were invisible for the most part.

With no major additions in the off-season, who among this group is most likely to step up and be that third receiving threat? Here are the four top candidates:

1.    James Jones—As a rookie in 2007, he had 47 catches for 676 yards. Both of those numbers rank fourth for rookies in Packer history, and third among NFL rookies for that season. He showed game-breaking talent as well, with a spectacular 79 yard catch-and-run against Champ Bailey in the Denver game. Jones is big and tough and can go over the middle. Unfortunately, he tailed off at the end of his rookie year, and a nagging knee injury suffered at the beginning of 2008 led to a lost season. His reputation for sure-handedness took a hit, as he dropped several passes, though I think this was because the injury disrupted his concentration. I still think Jones is capable of being a force in the NFL.

2.    Jordy Nelson—An early second round pick, Nelson got significant playing time as a rookie. He showed good speed and excellent hands (he had the lowest drop percentage of Packer receivers, with 33 catches and only one drop). For most of the season, he just ran sideline routes—curls and fly patterns—and for that reason, I was not as high on him as some other fans were. When you play WR for the Green Bay Packers, you need to be able to go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic. Nelson did do that once or twice toward the end of the season, and if he can develop that part of his game, he will be well on his way to becoming a very good NFL receiver.

3.    Donald Lee—Acquired as a free agent (he formerly played for the Dolphins) in 2005, Lee worked his way up to the starting TE spot, where he flourished in 2007, with 48 catches for 575 yards and six TD’s, earning a big multi-year contract. With the huge dropoff in his numbers last year, the big question is whether his performance really declined or Aaron Rodgers just didn’t use him as well as Brett Favre did. Lee seems like a solid guy who is not the kind to loaf after earning a big payday, so my guess is that he will benefit as Rodgers gains more experience and is able to spread the ball around more.

4.    Jermichael Finley—The dark horse candidate to be our #3 receiving threat, Finley was a one-trick pony in his rookie season, and he wasn’t even very good at his trick, which was running into the end zone and trying to catch jump balls from Aaron Rodgers. Finley didn’t help his cause when he missed a catchable ball and said afterwards that it was a bad throw. But Finley is physically gifted—tall, fast, and agile for a TE—and he seems to have the potential to be a game breaker. He was very raw last season, having entered the NFL after his sophomore season (he had redshirted one year), and he is the kind of player who could make a big leap in his second year in the NFL.

If any of these four players—or any others, for that matter—can put together a really good season, and Driver and Jennings remain as productive as they were last year, the Packers’ passing offense could make the leap from good to great. Of course, it doesn’t have to be any one guy—a combo platter would be just fine. What’s encouraging is that there are several intriguing possibilities here. This also explains why Ted Thompson decided to stand pat with his receivers in the off-seaason and concentrate mainly on improving the defense. The offense already has enough talent to be one of the most explosive units in the league.

With the all the hype surrounding Twitter lately, we all can agree that it still is lacking one thing. Greg Jennings.

It is with that simple statement that I have launched the official “Bring Jennings to Twitter” petition drive. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m bored today. Sign the petition here.

(Stay Tuned)

If Greg Jenning’s heart is right, he will be a Green Bay Packer for life.

From the Press-Gazette:

“In my heart of hearts, honestly, I feel like I’m going to be a Green Bay Packer for my career,” said Jennings, who will return to his native Michigan after the birth but plans to be back in time for organized team activities in May.

“That’s me. And I don’t want to say (the Packers) feel the same way and then they do something different, but I’m pretty sure they feel the same way. So, I should be here.”

Them is some good words right there.

(Stay Tuned)

Looking for another Greg Jennings? Apparently, the Packers might be too.

I caught this little morsel from the one paragraph of the Packer Report that I can actually read.

The Packers were recently at:

“Western Michigan to see an elite receiver who broke Greg Jennings’ career records.”

Now, even though it is almost unfathomable to think anyone could beat anything of Gregs, apparently it’s true.

His name is Jamarko Simmons, and he just got done re-writing Greg Jennings record book.

If you hover here you can almost make out a great grab in heavy coverage. Plenty of action from #27 here too.

Greg Jennings wears Jamarko Simmons pajamas?

Who knows?

(Stay Tuned)

It is no secret that I have a man-crush on Greg Jennings. Regardless of the forum I own or join, I always start “The Official We Love Greg Jennings Thread.”

The love of Greg runs deep, and I hope this post makes it to Greg’s homepage. Packer fans have contributed to this topic thousands of times in various places. So many, I can’t list them all.

Although hundreds of posts have been lost, here are some of my favorite quotes.

“Greg.”

“True story: Greg Jennings was banned from competitive bull riding after a 2006 exhibition in San Antonio, when he rode the bull 1,346 miles from Texas to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to pick up his dry cleaning.”

“Greg Jennings is so studly that I’m starting him on my fantasy team during the bye week.”

“Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Greg Jennings pajamas.”

“Greg Jennings does not own a house. He walks into random houses and people move.”

“Greg Jennings puts the laughter in man-slaughter.”

“Greg Jennings maintains a concealed weapon license in all 50 states in order to legally wear pants.”

“Greg Jennings can eat just one.”

“WWGD?”

“Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Greg Jennings.”

“Greg Jennings can watch an episode of 60 minutes in 22 seconds.”

“When you open a can of whoop-ass, Greg Jennings jumps out.”

“Only Greg Jennings can prevent forest fires.”

“Greg Jennings never has to bring a basketball to the gym. He carries two around as it is.”

“Greg Jennings doesn’t tea-bag he potato sacks.”

“When Greg Jennings falls in water, he doesn’t get wet. Water gets Greg Jennings.”

“Greg Jennings can divide by zero.”

“In order to survive a nuclear attack, you must remember to stop, drop, and be Greg Jennings.”

Of course there is the occasional picture as well:

Bobble-Head Greg

Declaration of Greg

Dual Sport Athlete

Greg in the Square

Greg for President

I Want YOU

Proven Facts

Honestly, I could go on and on for days. For every post here there are hundreds more just like it.

Feel free to leave your own Greg Jennings factoid below.

“The Official - We Love Greg Jennings Comment Section”

(Stay Tuned)

Video – Greg Jennings in the Morning