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Mason Crosby preparing for strong finish

The Packers didn’t bring any other kickers in to compete with Mason Crosby when he was slumping. The 49ers did, with incumbent David Akers and newcomer Billy Cundiff staging a weeklong competition to see who will kick on Saturday night.

Crosby reiterated again on Thursday that he was plenty motivated by his own struggles, whether or not the Packers brought in some competition for his job. But he does appreciate the support the organization showed him, and after making five consecutive field goals over the last three games, his focus is on continuing the strong finish to an otherwise rough season.

“For me, it’s about finishing everything,” Crosby said. “I finished the regular season strong, and now it’s finishing these playoffs and every opportunity I have. I’m thankful to be here.

“Consistency is the name of the game, and these last few weeks I’ve felt good with that, and it’s the playoffs now. I have to be consistent, be solid and take advantage here.”

Mason Crosby feels momentum for playoffs

Packers K Mason Crosby knows he could be in a very different situation right now. All he has to do is look at the San Francisco 49ers, who signed veteran K Billy Cundiff this week amidst regular K David Akers’ struggles.

The Packers didn’t go that route during Crosby’s midseason slump. They maintained their confidence in him and let him work his way out of it, and he’s rewarded that trust with four straight successful field goals over the last two games, including two clutch kicks last week at the Metrodome — a 51-yarder on the final play of the first half and a 40-yarder to tie the score early in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve known since I’ve been here that I’m in a special place,” said Crosby, who was a sixth-round draft choice in 2007. “I’m doing a lot of good things here and I’ve done a lot in the past and I want to continue to do that. The relationships that we’ve formed here as a team, I don’t think you get that very many places.”

Crosby said he wouldn’t have found any extra motivation had the Packers brought in another kicker to compete with him and possibly take his job. He said he gets his motivation internally and through the support of his teammates, whom he doesn’t want to let down.

“I have plenty of motivation. This is what I do for a living. This is what I love to do,” he said. “I look at my teammates every day. I didn’t have to look at another kicker to say I want to make kicks, I want to get my job done. I look at the guys in this locker room and the group of guys that I get to come to work with very day, and that was enough motivation for me.”

Crosby added that he likes the vibe around the team this week as the playoffs approach, saying the players can feel a “buzz.” Last week’s loss was difficult, but at this point there’s no looking back.

“It hurt us. We wanted to win last week. We put a lot into it, a lot of heart into that game,” Crosby said. “For us, it’s a quick move on. We get another crack at it here, at home, at Lambeau, and you can feel it from the guys here that we’re ready to make a run.”

Sitton, Crosby back at practice Thursday

G Josh Sitton (concussion) and K Mason Crosby (illness), who both missed Wednesday’s practice, were back on the practice field on Thursday, though it appeared in the portion open to the media that Sitton was very limited in his activities.

The Packers were practicing in pads, their last padded practice of the regular season and their first in a few weeks. WR Randall Cobb (ankle/knee) was not practicing, nor was CB Davon House (shoulder). RB James Starks (knee) also remained out.

Mason Crosby chat transcript

Packers kicker Mason Crosby chatted live with fans on packers.com on Wednesday, March 21st. Click here to read the transcript.

Aaron Rodgers finishes first in Pro Bowl voting

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers received 1,581,982 fan votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in balloting for the 2012 Pro Bowl, NFL.com announced today. Fan voting ended on Monday, December 19. A record 100.64 million votes were cast by fans this year.

The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 21-22.

The teams will be announced at 6:00 pm (CT) Tuesday, December 27 on a special NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (1,454,311 votes) leads all AFC players and finished second overall, while New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (1,188,893 votes), Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (1,180,777 votes) and New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker (1,133,787 votes) rounded out the top five.

The 2012 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 29, 2012 and televised live on NBC at 6:00 pm (CT) from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Fans may purchase tickets at NFL.com/probowl.

The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.

Listed below are the top 10 overall All-Star vote-getters and the players who finished with the most votes at each position:

NFL ALL-STAR TOP-TEN VOTE-GETTERS
Name, Team……….Votes
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers……….1,581,982
QB Tom Brady, Patriots……….1,454,311
QB Drew Brees, Saints……….1,188,893
WR Calvin Johnson, Lions……….1,180,777
WR Wes Welker, Patriots……….1,133,787
RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles……….962,824
TE Rob Gronkowski, Patriots……….936,886
QB Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers……….935,535
RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings……….925,554
WR Mike Wallace, Steelers……….923,073

NFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS BY POSITION
Name, Team……….Votes
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers……….1,581,982
RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles……….962,824
FB John Kuhn, Packers……….322,260
WR Calvin Johnson, Lions……….1,180,777
TE Jimmy Graham, Saints……….725,612
T Chad Clifton, Packers……….392,106
G T.J. Lang, Packers……….327,740
C Scott Wells, Packers……….436,693
K Mason Crosby, Packers……….184,665
KR Devin Hester, Bears……….268,293
DE Jared Allen, Vikings……….784,527
DT Justin Smith, 49ers……….525,578
OLB DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys ……….581,554
ILB Patrick Willis, 49ers……….417,923
CB Charles Woodson, Packers ……….763,198
SS Roman Harper, Saints……….147,542
FS Morgan Burnett, Packers……….223,292
P Andy Lee, 49ers……….161,812
ST Jarrett Bush, Packers……….134,696

AFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS BY POSITION
Name, Team……….Votes
QB Tom Brady, Patriots……….1,454,311
RB Arian Foster, Texans……….896,804
FB Vonta Leach, Ravens……….149,801
WR Wes Welker, Patriots ……….1,133,787
TE Rob Gronkowski, Patriots……….936,886
T Michael Oher, Ravens……….327,644
G Logan Mankins, Patriots……….337,844
C Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers……….376,457
K Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders……….244,512
KR Joe McKnight, Jets……….140,926
DE Andre Carter, Patriots……….511,693
DT Haloti Ngata, Ravens……….592,603
OLB Terrell Suggs, Ravens……….546,851
ILB Ray Lewis, Ravens……….413,222
CB Darrelle Revis, Jets……….561,986
SS Troy Polamalu, Steelers……….230,649
FS Ed Reed, Ravens……….198,075
P Shane Lechler, Raiders……….228,782
ST Brendon Ayanbadejo, Ravens……….106,515