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Thompson named Sporting News’ executive of the year

Packers GM Ted Thompson has been named the Sporting News’ executive of the year for 2011. It’s the second time Thompson has won the award, also earning the honor in 2007.

In a vote of coaches and executives conducted by the publication, Thompson earned 14 votes to win the award. San Francisco GM Trent Baalke was second with seven votes, followed by Houston GM Rick Smith (five) and Cincinnati president Mike Brown (three).

The publication pointed out that of the 22 players who started for the Packers in Super Bowl XLV last February, 15 were drafted by Thompson since he became GM in 2005. The announcement of the award had this to say: “Though the Packers didn’t repeat as Super Bowl champs, they are in position to remain contenders for years to come, thanks largely to Thompson’s front office acumen.”

Jordy Nelson: “You have to make the most of your opportunities”

After a breakout season where he set career highs in every statistical category (68 catches, 1,263 yards, 15 TDs), WR Jordy Nelson sat down for a Q&A session that was printed in the Gameday program for the NFC Divisional playoff. What follows are a few excerpts from the conversation:

Your family has a farm that you worked on as a kid. What was your typical day like?

We got up early, but not as early as people think…7 a.m., 8 a.m., depending on what was going on. We would go out and make sure all the water tanks were full in the morning. We would feed some calves if need be, then do whatever was on the list for the day – working the grounds, working the cattle, fix some things. It varied for the day. At night, we would fill the tanks back up to make sure the cows had water and we were done. We had Angus Beef cattle. We only had about 150 or 200 at any one time.

You grew up in Leonardville, Kan., (population: 495) and set a slew of records in high school, but ended up walking on at Kansas State. Did you have any scholarship offers?

I had offers from Division II schools. We only had 67 kids in my graduating class. That was part of it. I just got overlooked. They probably didn’t think I was playing against the talent other kids were.

In high school you played quarterback, but when you got to Kansas State they put you at safety.

Quarterback was out of the question when I went to college. If I wanted to have a future at the next level, meaning the NFL, I knew it wasn’t at quarterback. I knew it was either at safety or wide receiver. I walked on as a safety, didn’t see any playing time my first two years – the year I redshirted or my freshman year. Then they swapped me and another guy. He went to safety and I went to wide receiver.

What did the coaches say when they switched you to wide receiver?

There was some discussion my first year about which position I should play. When they called me in a couple of years later, it was really nerve-wracking, because you never want to be called into your coach’s office. They told me they were going to make the switch, and asked me what I thought of it. When you are a sophomore in college, you never say, ‘I think I should stay on defense.’ I liked offense better than defense, anyway. So I went after it, and it was a long offseason trying to learn the playbook, and it was a lot more running than I’d ever experienced before during practice being a wide receiver.

Moving forward, after you were drafted by the Packers, were you hoping for more opportunities or did you feel like it was part of the process?

My rookie year I was developing, we just had a bunch of receivers. I was still in the process of learning the position because I had only played wide receiver for three years prior to getting here. My second year I had a little drop off. I missed three games with injuries. I was still learning, still getting some chemistry with Aaron (Rodgers). The number of opportunities was down with everyone else in the rotation.

When a player talks about getting opportunities, does that mean playing time, or getting the same amount of plays and doing more when you are on the field?

I’d say it’s getting more plays, but also the type of plays. On a pass play, maybe you are the key read. A lot of it has to do with just making plays. Aaron is going to look your way the more plays you make. The coaches are going to put you in more situations the more plays you make. It’s something that grows.

Does it also take being lucky, where you could run the same great route as the week before and not be thrown the ball and then someone else is up in the rotation?

Yes, it happens to every wide receiver. Aaron could have looked the other way. It’s part of the position. Sometimes he looks at you and you don’t run as good of a route. You have to be on top of it every time.

Do you still feel the urgency you used to, that you must make a play or you’ll end up on the sidelines?

You still have to make the most of your opportunities because there is still the rotation. I don’t have the same fear of getting pulled if I do something wrong.

After how you finished last season and your performance in the Super Bowl (nine catches, 140 yards, TD), did you come into 2011 feeling more established?

I did. Going into training camp, there was a lot less on my mind, a lot less thinking on the field. I knew the playbook in and out. I was able to think about how I was going to run a route and reading the coverage, how I was going to try to beat the guy in front of me. I could spend time thinking about that instead of concentrating on the route.

Individually, did this season exceeded any expectations or goals you may have had?

I don’t think I ever would have thought I’d score 15 touchdowns, especially with the group of guys we have and the amount of time we share on the field. I’ve been fortunate, and I’ve been able to make a lot of big plays based on the coverage I’ve seen. Like I said earlier, the more big plays you make, the more opportunities you get, because you get the trust of the coaches and you get the trust of Aaron.

You are a quiet guy, but wide receivers and defensive backs are known for taunting each other on the field. Do you get involved with that?

(Laughing) They don’t get any joy out of talking trash to me. There are less than a handful of guys that have tried to talk to me in college and in the NFL because I really don’t have anything to say. It’s kind of like talking to yourself.

DRAFT: Jordy Nelson example of BAP targeting: http://pckrs.com/2c9j

VIDEO: Nelson explaining what the battles are like with cornerbacks during each play: http://pckrs.com/bx3b

McCarthy, Rodgers win Maxwell awards

The Maxwell Club, the oldest football club in America, announced on Thursday that Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers are two of their award winners for the 2011 season.

McCarthy has been named the winner of the 24th annual Earle “Greasy” Neale Award as the NFL’s most outstanding coach, while Rodgers is the winner of the 53rd annual Bert Bell Award as the most outstanding professional football player.

Rodgers becomes the first Packers player to win the Bell Award since 1996, when Brett Favre did.

McCarthy and Rodgers will be honored on Friday, March 2, at the 75th Maxwell Club National Awards Gala at the Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort.

Among others receiving awards that night will be Stanford QB Andrew Luck (Maxwell Award), LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu (Chuck Bednarik Award) and ESPN Monday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico (Harrah’s Broadcaster Award).

Rehabilitation instead of vacation for Kuhn

The Packers locker room is dark and empty now. The carpet in the hallway is being steam-cleaned, the music system is switched off and the incessant whirr of the driers in the nearby laundry room hasn’t been heard in a week.

John Kuhn still reports to Lambeau Field each morning, however, on crutches, changes at his locker and goes into the training room. There the medical staff works on his right knee, which he injured in the third quarter against the Giants in the Divisional playoff on Jan. 15.

“It’s kind of eerie,” Kuhn said. “There’s nobody here. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that for a serious knee injury it’s about as good as you could hope for.”

Kuhn suffered a sprained knee, but not a torn ACL, which demands surgery and the longest rehabilitation time. The joint is still swollen and purple, and he has at least two months of work ahead. Unlike his teammates, the fullback won’t be leaving Green Bay anytime soon. He’s not even driving yet – Kuhn stays at the facility until after lunch, then his wife Lindsey picks him up.

“I knew it was something serious when it happened,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly how bad, and we had to wait until the next day to get final word.

“Now we’ll work on the range of motion over the next eight weeks, get the swelling down and get back to full strength. By the time everyone else gets here for the offseason conditioning program in April I’ll be finishing up.”

The injury and early exit from the postseason have hit him hardest. There was also a missed opportunity to play in his first Pro Bowl, a milestone achievement for the former undrafted player from Shippensburg that the Packers plucked off the waiver wire in 2007. Kuhn and Lindsey would have left for Hawaii earlier this week.

“It’s a bit of a downer, I’d like to have gone,” he said. “Rather than going and taking a risk with it, I want to get my knee right. I will be 100 percent by June. That’s when OTAs start. That’s what I’m working toward.”

Kuhn describing what it’s like to have 70,000 fans call his name at once at Lambeau Field:

http://pckrs.com/f9mj

Former Packers radio broadcaster Jim Irwin dies

Jim Irwin, a radio voice of the Green Bay Packers for 30 years, died on Sunday at the age of 77.

Multiple media outlets have reported that Irwin died of complications from kidney cancer.

Irwin originally joined the Packers radio broadcasts for color commentary in 1969, working alongside Ted Moore and Gary Bender. Then in 1975, Irwin took over play-by-play duties until retiring after the 1998 season. Irwin’s color commentators included Lionel Aldridge, Max McGee and Larry McCarren.

In two of Irwin’s last three seasons, the Packers went to the Super Bowl, winning the title following the 1996 season.

During his distinguished career, Irwin also worked as a play-by-play announcer for Wisconsin Badgers football and Milwaukee Bucks basketball.

Irwin was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2003. He was named the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year 10 times and is a member of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

For an extended version of this story, including comments from McCarren and former Packers president/CEO Bob Harlan, click here.

Record number of players granted special eligibility for NFL Draft

A total of 65 players have been granted special eligibility for the 2012 NFL Draft on April 26-28 in New York. Each of these players has met the league’s three-year eligibility rule and each has submitted a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility.  The deadline for receiving applications was Jan. 15.

The NFL Draft will kick off in primetime for the third consecutive year. The first round will be held on Thursday, April 26 at 7 p.m. CT. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m. CT. Rounds four through seven will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 11 a.m. CT.  

The annual totals of players granted special eligibility for the NFL Draft over the past 10 years:

2012:    65

2011:    56

2010:    53

2009:    46

2008:    53

2007:    40

2006:    52

2005:    51

2004:    43

2003:    47

The players granted special eligibility for the 2012 NFL Draft:

McCarthy’s comments to Miami media

Head Coach Mike McCarthy conducted a conference call on Saturday with Miami media regarding the hiring of Joe Philbin as the Dolphins new head coach.

Here is a transcript of McCarthy’s remarks, courtesy of the Dolphins:

(On the qualities of Joe Philbin that convinced him that he could be a NFL head coach) – “I don’t think it’s just one quality, but I know one that will stand out for sure, when it comes to motivating and getting his team ready to win games that’s his communications skills. Joe’s an excellent communicator, has excellent people skills, he is a very strong member of our coaching staff and someone who had excellent relationships not only with our football players but with our whole football program. I think the character of the man and what he stands for, with his family values speaks for itself, but I have always appreciated Joe’s ability to coach the whole room.”

(On if he relied on Joe Philbin and put a lot on his shoulders) – “Absolutely, Joe did a great job for us. We had the opportunity to work together for the first time in ’06 and take the offense system that was brought in there and develop it and definitely take it to another level. Joe is an outstanding football coach.”

(On if at any time during the last five years you considered giving him the play calling duties) – “There was a year that I thought about giving the play calling up to Joe. I think any head coach in the NFL has to decide how he’s going to structure his program and build the responsibilities of every coach on his staff. After the ’08 season, I made changes on the defensive staff and with my particular job responsibility being so much involved in the offense and not as involved with the defense, I thought about taking a step back and just being a pure head coach and overseeing all three phases and with that I was going to give the play calling to Joe Philbin which I wouldn’t have even thought twice about. But we went through the interview process, had the opportunity to hire Dom Capers and kept our structure in place the way that we had it.”

(On how much he spoke with Joe Philbin during the course of a game) – “Joe was the main person I talked to, ninety percent of the conversation that goes on on the headsets was between Joe Philbin and I. We would go through the game planning process throughout the week together as a staff and as a staff that has been together for six years, so I was very fluent in the way we game planned and build our game plans, but Joe was the guy that I directly talked to ninety, ninety-five percent of the time.”

(On Joe Philbin’s persona on the practice field with the players) – “It was good energy. Joe is a very likable individual. People gravitate towards him, so very detailed orientated. We had a unique set up and just the way we structured practice and it goes back to our first couple of years there. I would run the huddle, as far as the play entry on the offense and Joe he would coordinate the defense just to make sure the defensive look was exactly what we wanted, so I think it tells you something about him, just making sure that the big picture is always right. Joe is extremely organized, very detailed, that will be very evident from day one when the Dolphins take the field.”

(On if Joe Philbin was vocal on the practice field) – “When he needs to be, he is in command. He knows what he wants out of every drill and he gets it out of the drill, so he is as vocal as he needs to be.”

(On if Joe Philbin has interest in any member of his staff joining him in Miami would have an issue) – “That’s really a conversation that will be between Joe and I.”

(On if Joe Philbin would yell at players if they were doing the wrong thing) – “I think today’s environment is different than in years past, have I seen Joe Philbin yell before? Yes, I have seen him yell before. I have been able to work with a man for six years that communicates extremely well and was able to get his point across, so I don’t think that he is going to be running up and down the sidelines screaming and yelling if that’s what you are looking for, but everybody will clearly understand his message.”

(On quarterback Matt Flynn and his relationship with Joe Philbin) – “Joe has a very good relationship with all of our quarterbacks. Being the offensive coordinator, I would just go to one particular meeting that we have every Saturday morning at 8:30, it was with Joe and the quarterback coach Tom Clements, myself and the three quarterbacks. We have done it for years its just kind of a final, it put the final points and addressed all the potential situations that would occur in the game the next day. But he has a great relationship, and I am just thinking of the time that we talked personally about the things we did the night before and everything, so it tells you the level and the type of relationship that Joe had with all the quarterbacks, so I would say that he and Matt Flynn have a very healthy relationship.”

(On if he has any doubts that Matt Flynn is ready to be a starting quarterback in the NFL) – “In my opinion Matt is ready for that challenge. He has had the opportunity to take a full week of game plan reps, prepare for a game in New England and at home against Detroit and perform very well. So with that you never really know until you go through a full sixteen week season. Every head coach and coordinator goes through that with their first time quarterback, but there is a lot of evidence that Matt Flynn can do that. I have been very impressed with Matt and what he has been able to accomplish with our time in Green Bay together.”

Rodgers says he’ll play in Pro Bowl

QB Aaron Rodgers told Milwaukee radio station 540 ESPN that he plans to play in the Pro Bowl, for which he was voted the NFC starter. The Pro Bowl is slated for Jan. 29 in Honolulu.

The Packers coaching staff will be coaching the NFC squad in Hawaii, with practices beginning next week.

Other Packers named to the Pro Bowl squad were CB Charles Woodson, LB Clay Matthews, NT B.J. Raji, FB John Kuhn, C Scott Wells and WR Greg Jennings. Whether or not all of them will play isn’t known. Kuhn was injured in the NFC divisional playoff loss to the Giants. Along with Kuhn, Raji and Wells are first-time Pro Bowlers.

Rodgers wins NFL 101 Award

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been named the NFC’s offensive player of the year among the recipients of this year’s NFL 101 Awards.

Rodgers’ counterpart as the AFC offensive player of the year was New England QB Tom Brady. Minnesota DE Jared Allen and Baltimore LB Terrell Suggs won the NFC and AFC defensive awards, while San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh and Houston’s Gary Kubiak were the two coaches honored.

A national media committee, comprised of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL, selected the winners in each award category in a nationwide vote at the conclusion of the regular season.

The award winners will be presented trophies at the 42nd annual NFL 101 Awards gala in Kansas City on March 3.

Packers vs. Giants was most-watched Divisional game ever

Sunday’s New York Giants-Green Bay Packers game on FOX drew an average of 45.1 million viewers to rank as the most-watched Divisional Playoff game ever, topping the record set last year by Jets-Patriots (43.5 million viewers). Giants-Packers is the most-watched show since Super Bowl XLV.

Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Jan. 9-15, 2012

Program, Average Viewers
1. FOX Sunday Divisional Playoff (Giants-Packers) 45.1 million
2. FOX Saturday Divisional Playoff (Saints-49ers) 35.6 million
3. CBS Saturday Divisional Playoff (Broncos-Patriots) 34.2 million
4. CBS Sunday Divisional Playoff (Texans-Ravens) 31.0 million
5. ESPN BCS Championship (Alabama-LSU) 24.2  million

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company