Lombardi Ave » Packers preseason football

Headed to Lambeau Field tomorrow night? Check the travel conditions

Raymond Rivard — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:25:58 +0000

If you're headed to Lambeau Field Thursday night to cheer on the Packers of the Chiefs, leave early enough to avoid traffic congestion. Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers will conclude their preseason schedule Thursday night, Aug. 30, with an early evening game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

While this final game will be played without most of the starting units for both teams, Lambeau Field will again be filled with Packers and Chiefs fans who will make the trek to Green Bay throughout the day.

What they may find, especially during arrival are a number of routes that will be clogged with vehicles, not only because of the sheer volume, but because of a number of roads that are under construction in and around the city.

To ease the pain of travel, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has provided a handy guide describing the best routes and what to expect.

The following is the complete guide provided by the DOT:

Packer travel advisory – Road construction

update in Northeast Wisconsin

(Green Bay) The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Northeast Region is reminding motorists heading to Lambeau Field on Thursday, August 30 for the Green Bay Packers/Kansas City Chiefs football game that the road construction season continues on most major roads in Northeast Wisconsin. While most projects will stop and two lanes of traffic will be open, drivers might still encounter road conditions in the work zones that could cause backups.

WisDOT strongly recommends motorists allow themselves additional time to reach their destinations.

Here is a list of the major roads in northeast Wisconsin most Packers fans will be traveling and the road conditions they should anticipate:

US 41

·        Brown County – Drivers will encounter 11-foot travel lanes and reduced shoulders in multiple locations along a 10-mile segment of highway. The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph from just south of Scheuring Road to Velp Avenue. Access to southbound US 41 from Ashland Avenue is maintained through the use of a temporary access road; however, due to expected high levels of traffic motorist will be directed to WIS 172. The southbound US 41 on-ramp from Main Avenue is closed.

·        Winnebago County – A majority of 12 miles of highway, from 9th Avenue to Breezewood Lane, has restricted shoulders, 11-foot travel lanes and speed limits reduced to 55 mph in both directions.

WIS 29

·        Brown County – Motorists traveling on WIS 29 will have to drive on 11-foot traffic lanes with reduced shoulders on five miles of highway from County FF to US 41. These restrictions affect both eastbound and westbound traffic lanes.

WIS 54

·        Brown County – The WIS 54 and Seminary Road intersection has been reconfigured during roundabout construction that could slow traffic and cause backups at this location.

I-43/Leo Frigo Bridge

·        Brown County – Traffic on I-43 at the Leo Frigo Bridge is reduced to a single lane with speeds reduced to 55 mph in both directions over a 3.5-mile segment of the highway. In addition, the northbound I-43 on-ramp from Webster Avenue and the southbound I-43 on-ramp from Atkinson Drive are closed to traffic.

Packers: It will be the end of the line for many

Raymond Rivard — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:17:02 +0000

Aug 16, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jarrett Boykin (11) carries the football during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field. The Browns defeated the Packers 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers take on the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday night in what most will consider a sleeper of a game. None of the starters will be playing any significant amount of time – and of course the outcome means nothing.

But don’t tell that to guys like Tori Gurley, Diondre Borel – and certainly don’t tell Jarrett Boykin.

The three backup receivers will get significant time on the Lambeau Field turf Thursday night and their entire career up to this point will be riding on that one game.

While Borel has gotten a ton of chances, his performance hasn’t helped his chances of making the team. However, for Gurley, he hasn’t had any chances because he is coming back from injury. For the first time, he’s now healthy and should be on the field a lot Thursday night. But for him to leapfrog Borel, he has to show some playmaking abilities.

Already, that’s what Boykin has been doing. He’s shown he can get open and that he can catch the ball in traffic.

So, it’s Boykin who has a leg up over Borel and Gurley. If he performs well again Thursday night, the Packers have a very tough choice. They already know that Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Donald Driver are locks. Will the Packers go with just that fab five or will they add at least one more to the receiving ranks? Will Gurley, Borel, and Boykin have any chance of making the 53-man roster? Probably not.

I feel that Boykin will be a practice team player and Borel and Gurley may be gone. I don’t see the Packers trying to hide them again on the practice squad, so they may have no choice but to cut them loose.

One of the deciding factors may be special teams. If there’s one who has done some things on special teams, it’s been Gurley. That may be a factor in the Packers officials’ minds as they make the final cutdown to 53.

Either way, it will be exciting to watch. It will be even more fun to stay tuned for how the Packers respond and whether they keep six receivers.

Which brings us to the running game …

Well, we’ll touch on that in an upcoming blog.

In the meantime, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Breakout camp keeps Boykin in the WR mix

Aug. 27

greenbaypressgazette.com

Whether Jarrett Boykin knew it or not, he left an impression on Tori Gurley well before he even stepped into the Green Bay Packers’ locker room.

It started during Gurley’s time at the University of South Carolina, when he and his teammates would seek out the nearest TV on Saturday mornings to watch Boykin and his Virginia Tech Hokies play their home games only four hours away.

What Gurley saw was the epitome of a playmaker in Boykin, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver who went on to break Virginia Tech’s all-time records for receptions (184) and receiving yards (2,884).

“I’ve been a fan of him since he was at Virginia Tech,” said Gurley, a 6-4 wide receiver who spent all of last season on the Packers’ practice squad. “If we had a prime-time game, I would watch Va. Tech and Tyrod Taylor and Boykin out there, and I enjoyed watching him play. He’s a great teammate and a good football player, and I wish him luck Thursday.”

Thursday’s preseason finale against Kansas City is what it’s all about for Boykin, Gurley and the other three undrafted wide receivers trying to leave a mark before Friday’s NFL-mandated cutdown to 53 players.

With 37-year-old Donald Driver appeared to be locked in for a 14th NFL season, there’s no certainty the Packers will keep more than their five returning receivers. They didn’t last year.

However, that doesn’t deter Boykin. He’s used to this grind.

Despite his record-setting run with the Hokies, his professional football career has been an uphill battle from the start. His 40-meter dash time of 4.70 seconds at the NFL combine played a large role in him going undrafted.

He later signed with Jacksonville as a college free agent only to get waived three days later. It wasn’t until he came to Green Bay for rookie orientation on a tryout basis that he finally got noticed enough to sign to a 90-man roster.

In Green Bay, he’s shown the ability to create separation and get the most of his 10¼-inch hands. In the Packers’ second preseason game against Cleveland, Boykin led the Packers with five catches for 63 yards.

If there’s a speed problem, his teammates don’t see it.

“He’s a fast guy, but he’s also heady and smart,” backup quarterback B.J. Coleman said. “He’s very savvy, if I had to describe him. He understands the coverages and understands the weaknesses of the defense when they’re presented. He does a good job and has a good feel for being able to slide into some of those open holes. As you can tell, his play speaks for itself. He’s made a lot of plays for us.”

Along with their five returning receivers, the Packers have Gurley and Diondre Borel, who both opted to stay on the team’s practice squad last season rather than sign to active rosters elsewhere late in the season.

Both appeared to be candidates to not only compete for a roster spot, but also push the aging Driver. However, both sustained groin injuries midway through camp to stunt that effort.

Meanwhile, Boykin has continued to gain traction as the dark horse. While he appears to be a more viable candidate for the practice squad than the active roster, he’s kept things interesting.

Boykin’s play in recent days has garnered acclaim from Packers coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Tom Clements.

“It’s really important because you just try to be as consistent as you can be on all bases and every day,” said Boykin of the importance of the final week of the preseason. “Really just attack, be aggressive and make plays — just make a point. Go out there and lay it all on the line.”

Preseason football on its way

Raymond Rivard — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:32:01 +0000

Green Bay Packers tight end Tom Crabtree (83) pushes through Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher (59) to score a touchdown during the preseason game at Lambeau Field. The Packers will again host the Chiefs this coming preseason. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

Preseason football. It’s that time of the NFL season when fans wonder why – why they have so many practice games that don’t mean a thing and why they should care.

Well, there are reasons for preseason and it’s an important time in the development of the team that will hit the field in September.

Frankly, I love training camp and preseason games. It’s the only time of the year when you will see some players on the field and it’s a time when you can watch the stars of tomorrow.

So, with that in mind, today the Green Bay Packers posted the 2012 preseason schedule which gives the team two home games, the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, and two games away from Lambeau Field, at San Diego and at Cincinnati.

The league plans to release the regular season schedule near the end of this month, but in the meantime, take the time to enjoy the press release offered by the Packers’ PR department today.

PACKERS’ 2012 PRESEASON OPPONENTS ANNOUNCED

The Green Bay Packers’ preseason schedule kicks off Aug. 9 with a nationally televised contest at the San Diego Chargers. The preliminary schedule was communicated by the National Football League on Wednesday.

Date	Opponent	Time	TV
Aug. 9	at San Diego Chargers	7 p.m.	ESPN
Aug. 16-19	CLEVELAND BROWNS (Gold pkg.)	TBA	WGBA/state
	Midwest Shrine Game
Aug. 23-26	at Cincinnati Bengals	TBA	WGBA/state
Aug. 30-31	KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Bishop’s Charities Game	TBA	WGBA/state

Specific dates and times to be announced

ESPN will broadcast the preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers to a national audience. This is the first preseason trip to Qualcomm Stadium since 2006 and fourth all-time preseason meeting, including the 1980 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The Packers hosted the Chargers at Lambeau Field in 2005. Over the past 20 preseasons, the Packers have appeared on national TV at least once in 19 of those years.

In Week 2 of the preseason, Green Bay will host the Cleveland Browns, in the fourth consecutive preseason matchup between the two clubs. This will be the third trip to Lambeau Field for the Browns in the last four years after playing in Cleveland last season. The game is designated as the 63^rd annual Upper Midwest Shrine Game, a tradition which began in 1950 and has raised more than $3.4 million for the Midwest Shrine’s burn centers and hospitals for crippled children. The Packers have won 10 of the last 13 contests in the Shrine series.

In Week 3, the Packers will travel to Cincinnati and face the Bengals, the lone 2011 playoff qualifier on the preseason schedule. This marks the 17^th preseason meeting between the Packers and Bengals and first at Paul Brown Stadium since 2006.

The preseason concludes with a home contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, the third straight year the teams have met in the preseason finale and second consecutive year at Lambeau Field. This game marks the 52^nd annual Bishop’s Charities Game, a charitable contest initiated in 1961 by Vince Lombardi and the Diocese of Green Bay that has raised more than $3.5 million to date.

Except for the San Diego game, the exact dates and times for the remaining three Packers’ preseason contests are to be determined. Those games will be aired on Green Bay’s WGBA-TV (Ch. 26), in conjunction with Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV, over a nine-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Northeastern Minnesota and the Quad Cities in Iowa.

In addition to WGBA-TV and WTMJ-TV, the games are televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WYOW/ABC, Eagle River, Wis.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth, Minn.; and KGCW/CW, Quad Cities in Iowa.

The preseason broadcast team includes Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (analyst).

K.C. Chiefs website editor talks about Packers’ opponent

Raymond Rivard — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:37:53 +0000

Patrick Allen, the Editor-in-Chief of Arrowhead Addict and the NFL Site Director of Fansided.com recently answered questions about the Kansas City Chiefs, the team the Packers play in just a few hours and will face again during the regular season. The following is the Q&A session with Allen: • Is it really time to “press [...]

K.C. Chiefs website editor talks about Packers’ opponent - Lombardi Ave - Lombardi Ave - A Green Bay Packers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Packers notes: Cobb, Driver, Clifton and knee bruising

Raymond Rivard — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:06:06 +0000

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has the utmost confidence in Chad Clifton. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Today the Packers must reduce its roster from the current 83 players to 80, meaning that three more players are set to be released by mid-afternoon today, Tuesday, Aug. Aug.

Most likely, the three to be let go won’t be huge surprises, but then again I always say this is the NFL, so every day is a surprise.

But inching closer to the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers have had some interesting developments in camp the past couple of days.

Highlighting those developments were the return of rookie Randall Cobb, the continued solid play of veteran Donald Driver, the comments by Coach Mike McCarthy in defending veteran left tackle Chad Clifton, and most notably, the seeming infective condition called “bruised knees.”

It was good to see Cobb back in practice, though limited by one of those so-called “bruised knees.”

How much the rookie will play Thursday will depend on how he comes along the next couple of days … most likely his play will be limited because he seems to be a lock on making the roster. (more…)

How the Packers did it …

Raymond Rivard — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:41:26 +0000

Graham Harrell showed a side of himself that the coaching staff, teammates and fans really enjoyed seeing Friday night when he led the Green Bay Packers to a touchdown, a two-point conversion to tie the game and then capped it off by moving the team 20 yards into scoring position after the Packers recovered a perfectly-executed on-side kick.

Kicker Mason Crosby then split the uprights with his game-winning field goal to give the Packers a 24-21 preseason victory over the Peyton Manning-less Colts.

For those who want to see it again, here’s the video of the series of plays that led to the Packers win.

Just for the fun of it, take the next two-and-one-half minutes and relive the moment:

http://youtu.be/Bin3eAcS7d0

Randall Cobb, no huddle, Ryan Grant, and linebackers highlight Packers early day news

Raymond Rivard — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:39:05 +0000

The Packers’ highly-touted second round draft choice, Randall Cobb, is walking gingerly these days after an “awkward ” hit on a kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals last Friday. The question is whether he’ll even be ready to go for the season opener Sept. 8;

Could Ryan Grant actually be on the bubble?’

and the no huddle seems to be the added dimension to the offense that could make the Packers really good this season.

But that’s not the only news coming out of Green Bay this morning – Desmond Bishop continues to show improvement.

Take a look around at these stories posted across the Internet this morning, and don’t forget to enjoy your coffee:

Clipped from: www.jsonline.com (share this clip)

See more stories after the jump …

(more…)

Cobb shows the burst of a star in the making for the Packers

Raymond Rivard — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:57:10 +0000

The tandem of Rodgers and McCarthy will provide leadership and smarts to a team seeking to repeat as league champions. The team's quest continues this weekend when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in the second of four preseason games. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

How much should we take from the Packers first exhibition game Saturday night in Cleveland?

Well other than a 27-17 loss, there were probably more question marks, especially with the play of Packers cornerbacks Pat Lee and Jarrett Bush in the first couple of series, than exclamation points. However, if one is going to point to a positive, it’s got to be the initial look at second round pick Randall Cobb.

When he touched the ball heads turned and he made an immediate impact.

He will make the team, there’s no question about it. The question is how quickly Coach Mike McCarthy will implement him into the game plan when the regular season starts.

Cobb started the game with a kickoff return straight up the middle without hesitation and with courage for 32 yards.

His other return was similar, this time gaining him 26 yards. And while he showed his sure-handedness and his ability to catch the ball under pressure on his lone punt return, he also showed quickness of feet in eluding the initial tackler … that’s something Packers fans haven’t seen on special teams since Travis Williams and Willie Wood, and it’s a sure sign that the team should show improvement in special teams play over their dismal numbers last year.

Green Bay ranked 22nd in punt-return average and 26th in kickoff-return average last season.

On the offensive side of the ball, it wasn’t until the backups behind quarterback Matt Flynn hit the field that Cobb began to shine.

He made an impressive diving catch for 13 yards in tight coverage and then later in the first half caught a pass for 19 yards.

On the next play, Cobb caught another ball on a short route and then turned it impressively into a gain of 28. (more…)

The Packers QBs: Watch Graham Harrell

Raymond Rivard — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:27:46 +0000

Will Graham Harrell step up his play during this preseason? The Packers will be watching closely. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

We will see starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a series or two tonight and backup Matt Flynn for another series or two.

The quarterback who will get the most air time tonight is Graham Harrell.Watch him closely. This could be the start of his coming out party for the Packers. The reason? Because we just don’t know how long Flynn will last in Green Bay. Most likely he rides the bench this year for the Pack and looks for an opportunity after the season to be a starter.

His days in Green Bay are most likely limited, meaning now is the time to see if Harrell can step up to backup as early as next season.

He has turned some heads during the first couple of weeks in training camp and there are many who are high on his abilities. He seems, at least physically, to be a good prospect. If he can handle Mike McCarthy’s playbook, the pressure of the position, and continues to show improvement throughout this preseason, he might be the QB the team looks to as the future backup.

That’s why tonight and at least the next preseason game will be crucial for Harrell. We know what Flynn can do, so McCarthy may be so inclined to allow Harrell extended time right through the final preseason game.

Keep an eye on him … his quality of play will provide some answers.

Ya gotta love preseason … check out the Packers’ undrafted free agents and see who steps up

Raymond Rivard — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:45:08 +0000

The Packers open the preseason season in a couple of hours ... this is a great time of year ... enjoy it. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

I love preseason – especially the first preseason game.

There are various reasons for that, but the main reason are the rookies.

We all know what we get with the veterans … We see them all season long.

But with the newbies, especially the undrafted players who have turned heads in camp, this is their moment. In fact, for many of these players this is realistically their auditions for other teams … And believe that they are all watching.

When the Packers hit the field tonight, of course we’ll be watching the drafted rookies, especially offensive lineman Derek Sherrod, receiver Randall Cobb and running back Alex Green.

But for me, I’m hoping also to get a look at the undrafted … Guys like Brandian Ross, the cornerback who pick-sixed Aaron Rodgers on the first play of last week’s Family night; Shaky Smithson, the wide receiver fast becoming a fan favorite not only because of his name, but because of his talent; WR Tori Gurley from South Carolina who brings size and talent to the field; and LB Jamari Lattimore who is attempting to find a spot with the team at a position that has opened up because of the loss of players. (more…)