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Burnett, Starks, Lattimore awarded game balls

S Morgan Burnett’s two interceptions on Sunday in the 23-14 victory over the Vikings has earned him the defensive game ball from the Packers’ coaching staff.

The coaches award game balls weekly to members of all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — based on their performances.

Burnett’s two interceptions were his first two of the season, and they both came at crucial times. The first came early in the third quarter, in the end zone with the Vikings at Green Bay’s 8-yard line and threatening to add to their 14-10 lead. The second came later in the third quarter after the Packers had taken a 20-14 lead but the Vikings were driving again, having reached the Green Bay 25.

On offense, James Starks received a game ball for his 15-carry, 66-yard outing, which included a 22-yard TD run for the go-ahead score. Starks hadn’t scored a rushing TD since Week 1 of last season, and the rushing TD was the Packers’ first this season since Week 5 in Indianapolis.

On special teams, LB Jamari Lattimore was the game-ball recipient. Lattimore wasn’t credited with any coverage tackles based on the press box statistics, but the coaches often see things on film that don’t make the stat report and reward a player accordingly.

Burnett, Jennings discuss Woodson’s absence

Packers safeties Morgan Burnett and M.D. Jennings addressed the pending long-term absence of veteran leader Charles Woodson on Monday, and though they’re confident the defensive backfield will be ready to play, they acknowledged there will be something missing without Woodson on the field.

“He really means a lot,” Burnett said. “He’s one of those guys you look up to. Just from what I’ve seen when I first got here, he’s a real pro. He carries himself very well on and off the field, and to see the little things he does around here as far as working out, studying, getting prepared for opponents, and just seeing his play on the field speaks for itself.

“That’s a big leader toward our team, not just our defense.  You know he’s going to work hard. We just wish him a speedy recovery. We’re all going to have him in our prayers.”

Burnett said what could be missed the most are just the little things Woodson would notice during a game that he would alert his teammates to. In theory, Woodson will still be able to provide that help in the film room and from the sideline, but it won’t be the same as having him in the huddle.

The leadership is most likely going to fall on multiple players, not one individual to fill the void.

“We’re all leaders of some sort,” Jennings said. “If we see something the next guy doesn’t see, we’ll call it out or give it a heads up. Everyone out there has to just step up.

“Everybody has to pull their weight. We all have to go out there and take care of our job and not wait for the next man to do the job for us. We all have to be ready.”

Burnett praised the work of safeties coach Darren Perry and how he gets everyone ready to play. They’ll be depending on Perry, a former safety himself, even more now.

“Everyone in our safety room is prepared and ready,” Burnett said. “Everyone has had their share of snaps through training camp, preseason, this season so far. Everyone is prepared, and in this game you just have to be ready whenever your number is called.”

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