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Packers announce signings of rookies

Raymond Rivard — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:21:21 +0000

Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson announced the signing of seven rookie draft choices. Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Packers have officially announced the signing of seven of their draft choices and several of their undrafted rookie free agents, staying on task with all other 31 National Football League teams that have made quick work in signing rookies because of the changes is the CBA and the rookie salary cap.

Those changes made holdouts and long negotiations with rookies a thing of the past.

Below you will find the official press release sent out by the Packers with the announcement of all signings to date …

PACKERS SIGN SEVEN DRAFT CHOICES

The Green Bay Packers signed seven of their draft choices. The signings were announced Friday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Rd	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	College	HS Hometown
2a	Jerel Worthy	DE	6-2	308	Michigan State	Huber Heights, Ohio
2b	Casey Hayward	CB	5-11	192	Vanderbilt	Perry, Ga.
4a	Mike Daniels	DT	6-0	291	Iowa	Blackwood, N.J.
4b	Jerron McMillian	S	5-11	203	Maine	Hillside, N.J.
5	Terrell Manning	LB	6-2	237	North Carolina State	Laurinburg, N.C.
7a	Andrew Datko	T	6-6	315	Florida State	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
7b	B.J. Coleman	QB	6-3	231	Tennessee-Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Tenn.

Here is the listing and descriptions of all the undrafted free agent rookies signed by the Packers:

Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	College	HS Hometown
Don Barclay	G	6-4	305	West Virginia	Germantown, Md.
Duane Bennett	RB	5-9	213	Minnesota	O’Fallon, Ill.
Jaymes Brooks	G	6-2	300	Virginia Tech	Newport News, Va.
Nic Cooper	FB	5-10	249	Winston-Salem State	Clinton, N.C.
Tommie Draheim	C	6-4	309	San Diego State	Lakeside, Calif.
Cameron Ford	TE	6-3	245	Wake Forest	Anderson, S.C.
Eric Lair	TE	6-2	238	Minnesota	Houston, Texas
Mike McCabe	T	6-5	313	Holy Cross	Watertown, Conn.
Dezman Moses	LB	6-2	249	Tulane	Willingboro, N.J.
Dale Moss	WR	6-3	213	South Dakota State	Brandon, S.D.
Sean Richardson	S	6-2	216	Vanderbilt	Linden, Ala.
Marcus Rivers	WR	6-3	218	Buffalo	Lackawanna, N.Y.
Dion Turner	CB	5-11	194	Southern Utah	Oakland, Calif.
Marc Tyler	RB	5-11	226	Southern California	Westlake Village, Calif.

Barclay, 23, tied a school record by appearing in 52 career games with 40 starts. A three-year-starter at left tackle, he was named first-team All-Big East by the coaches in 2011. Barclay also earned first-team all-conference honors from Phil Steele and ESPN.com. In 2011, he helped the Mountaineers post 6,104 yards of total offense, good for No. 17 in the country.

Bennett (first name is pronounced Doo-on), 22, started all 12 games for the Gophers in 2011 and led the team with 639 rushing yards and three TDs on 166 carries (3.8 avg.). He finished his career with 2,126 rushing yards, good for No. 13 all-time in school history. In 2007, he earned Freshman All-Big Ten honors from Sporting News as he posted 370 yards rushing in conference play, No. 2 among Big Ten freshmen.

Brooks, 22, was a three-year starter at right guard for the Hokies, finishing his career with 42 consecutive starts. As a senior, he opened all 14 contests and earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. Brooks also was named second-team All-ACC as a junior when he started all 14 games at right guard.

Cooper, 23, rushed for 3,430 yards in his career, the fourth-best mark in school history. In 2011, he helped lead the Rams to a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title and the Division II semifinals, rushing for 1,808 yards and 22 TDs on 267 carries (6.8 avg.). It was the third-best single-season rushing total in school history. Cooper added 22 receptions for 233 yards (10.6 avg.) and two TDs as a senior, and finished his career ranked third in school history for the most total touchdowns with 43.

Draheim (Dray-hime), 23, earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior, becoming the first Aztec offensive lineman to be named first-team all-league since Brendan Darby in 2003. A three-year letterman, he helped SDSU rank 10^th in the country in 2011 in fewest sacks allowed (0.83 per game) and blocked for Ronnie Hillman, who finished No. 3 in the country with 1,711 rushing yards on the season. Draheim started 33 games for the Aztecs, including 30 consecutive starts to end his career.

Ford, 23, started a career-high 10 games as a senior and caught 12 passes for 99 yards (8.2 avg.) and three TDs. He appeared in all 12 games with six starts as a junior in 2010 and caught 11 passes for 120 yards (10.9 avg.). Ford played in 38 games with 19 starts at Wake Forest and finished his career with 34 receptions for 347 yards (10.2 avg.) and three TDs

Lair, 22, was a four-year letterman for the Gophers, appearing in all 12 games with three starts as a senior. He caught 11 passes for 168 yards (15.3 avg.) and a TD in 2011. As a junior, Lair played in 12 games with 11 starts and hauled in 39 passes for 526 yards (13.5 avg.) and two TDs. He finished his career with 51 receptions for 706 yards (13.8 avg.) and three scores.

McCabe, 23, was a first-team All-Patriot League selection and a first-team All-New England choice in 2011, the third straight season he earned all-conference honors and the second straight he was named all-region. He started all 11 games at left tackle as a senior, helping the Crusaders average 400.9 yards of offense per game. McCabe played in 47 career games with 36 starts along the offensive line, including a streak of 34 straight to end his career.

Moses, 23, was a two-year starter at defensive end for the Green Wave after transferring from the University of Iowa. He started 22 of 23 games played at Tulane, including all 13 in 2011, and finished his career there with 114 tackles (59 solo), including 24½ tackles for loss, 15½ sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception. Moses was a second-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior when he registered 52 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, and 9½ sacks. Despite playing just two seasons at Tulane, his career sack total ranks No. 5 in school history.

Moss, 23, played just one season of college football after lettering four years in basketball for the Jackrabbits. In 2011, he played in 11 games with nine starts and caught 61 passes, tied for the team lead, for a team-high 949 yards (15.6 avg.) and six TDs. Moss earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors and was also selected to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. He registered four 100-yard receiving games on the season.

Richardson, 22, was a three-year starter for the Commodores and finished his career with 256 tackles (156 solo), including 18 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception and 10 passes defensed. As a senior, he started all 13 contests and finished No. 2 on the team with 63 tackles (41 solo). Richardson set career highs as a junior in tackles (98), tackles for loss (seven) and passes defensed (five).

Rivers, 22, posted a career-best 60 receptions for 615 yards (10.3 avg.) and two TDs as a senior on his way to earning second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors. As a junior, he registered a career-high 690 receiving yards on 50 receptions (13.8 avg.), which led the team, and tied for the team lead with five TD catches.

Turner, 22, was a two-time All-Great West Conference first-team selection at cornerback after playing safety his first two seasons. As a senior, he posted 69 tackles (48 solo), including four tackles for loss, four passes defensed and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. Reynolds posted 54 tackles (36 solo), including 2½ for a loss, a fumble recovery and an interception as a junior.

Tyler, 23, rushed for 1,751 yards and 15 TDs on 334 carries (5.2 avg.) during his career while adding 29 receptions for 245 yards (8.4 avg.) and two scores. He finished No. 2 on the team in 2011 with 568 yards and four TDs on 122 carries (4.7 avg.), while adding 11 receptions for 108 yards (9.8 avg.). As a junior in 2010, Tyler led the team with a career-best 913 rushing yards on 171 carries (5.3 avg.) with nine TDs. He also had 17 catches for 127 yards (7.5 avg.) and a score, giving him a team-high 10 total TDs on the season.

Eller, retired players won’t stand in the way

Raymond Rivard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:26:13 +0000

Good news from the lockout front … Carl Eller and the retired players won’t stand in the way of approval of the collective bargaining agreement.

Pro Football Talk has the story:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/25/source-carl-eller-plaintiffs-are-standing-down/

Reports: New items in CBA; timeline for getting on the field now surfacing

Raymond Rivard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:27:23 +0000

Today is turning out to be a good day for the fans of the NFL. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Ever so slowly, reports about what is contained in the new collective bargaining agreement are surfacing.

Over the weekend, we saw the reports about fewer contact days in camp and now this morning the report about protections for career-ending injuries, especially for rookies, has been implemented.

In keeping in line with the players association and Commissioner Roger Goodell’s focus on player safety, the new wrinkle, as reported this morning by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, will allow an injured player to recoup up to $1.5 million. (more…)

CBA deal nears, but don’t pop the corks yet …

Raymond Rivard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:49:16 +0000

We're hoping that players like Clay Matthews will be sweating and giving interviews as early as this weekend. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Andrew Brandt, that knowledgeable former Packers negotiator, knows this football business best and that’s why we here at lombardiave.com have been following his sage advice through this entire CBA negotiations issue: It’s not agreed upon until EVERYTHING is agreed upon.

So, with that in mind, we take Jay Glazer’s announcement very early this morning announcing “Sources: NFL, NFLPA agree to CBA terms” with at least a small grain of salt.

We all know what transpired yesterday. We all know that players and inside sources were tweeting, emailing and commenting about the fact that the league and players were very close to agreeing to a deal after breakthroughs in negotiations – namely the obstacles surrounding the reinstitution of the players’ association and whether there will be a 10-year deal or a deal that gives players an opt-out option.
All that is well and good, but like Brandt said, it’s not a done deal until everything is agreed upon and as of Monday morning it appeared that the only thing that could screw things up is the class action suit filed by Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller and other retired players. (more…)

CBA undrafted player rule will have adverse effect

Raymond Rivard — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:22:19 +0000

While the negotiations over the CBA have placed the majority of teams at a disadvantage because players have been locked out of facilities and have not had the opportunity to participate in OTAs, it has not been a big problem for teams with established lineups … such as the Packers.

And now another factor that will affect many teams – a cap on signing bonuses for each team of $75,000 for the entire undrafted players – will keep the minimum of players from being signed.

That might seem somewhat insignificant because you might ask how many undrafted players actually make rosters? A few, but not many.

In addition, with the average signing bonus at only $3,000, it will only hurt those teams who want to spend a little more on the better undrafted players.

Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Packers writer, said, “Probably won’t see $20,000 signing bonuses for rook free agents anymore.”

However, when you combine this with the lack of OTAs, and the time that drafted rookies have been kept away from team facilities, it will be clear as the season progresses that these factors will play into team depth.

If it was already difficult for undrafted players to make a roster, this rule will certainly work against teams and those players who may have aspirations of making it onto an NFL team’s roster.

Though it’s not clear, it sounds like if all goes well early this week with the adoption of a new CBA, undrafted players will most like be allowed to sign with teams starting as early as Wednesday.

CBA: Ten-year deal is best option

Raymond Rivard — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:04:15 +0000

It seems today that despite all the talk about the main issues being resolved yesterday – the issue of the opt out is again raising its head.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has emphasized, this shouldn’t even be a bone of contention.

Because the players would be paid from gross revenues, it’s in their best interest to make the TV people happy with a deal that is stable. By continuing to linger on this opt out issue, it will only succeed in alienating people – namely the fans.

We here at lombardiave.com say that the players should simply agree to the 10-year deal and move on.

Enough of the drama already.

The fans can see through this foot-dragging and wont be happy with any delays. At this point, the fans are expecting action this week and the start of camps.

Don’t let them down.

Chester Pitts aside, a deal must get done

Raymond Rivard — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:16:18 +0000

So, just who is Chester Pitts?

He’s a guard for the Seattle Seahawks and the player rep with inside insight into what’s been happening with the

Our hope is that Chester Pitts is completely wrong. Getty Images

negotiations between the players association and league owners.

What he said late last night is probably worse than the proverbial cold shower – he told Tony Bruno of FOX Sports Radio that it will take “two full weeks” to get the situation resolved.

The celebratory mood going into Tuesday took a hit when the players failed to sign off on the deal in what some are saying is a stall tactic to let the owners take the lead and sign off on the deal Thursday.

Whatever the players’ strategy in this matter, we find it difficult to believe that it will take two weeks to figure out solutions to the issues that seem to be still on the table: the players’ request for $320 million in lost benefits during the uncapped year of 2010; and the demands of Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson and Patriots guard Logan Mankins – that they still want $10 million each to put their signatures on the settlement papers of the Brady antitrust class action.

We can’t believe that with all the heavy lifting that’s already taken place to get the two sides to this point that they can’t come to terms quickly.

We also can’t believe the players or owners will allow the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue if the deal isn’t signed this week.

Yes, now is the time that DeMaurice Smith get the lawyers out of the room and tell the players, “Look, now is the time … It’s your time … You either pull the trigger on this deal now or you’re going to lose every fan in America and you’re going to to be flippin’ burgers at McDonald’s or mowing lawns to get by.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell must do something similar. His message will be more along these lines: “You guys need to climb out of your ivory towers and see what’s in front of you -take it now or you’ll be looking for every monster truck show and circus to perform in your stadium.”

So what happens today and tomorrow will probably determine where every Chester Pitts is in the coming year … Get it done, people!

CBA Is Putting a Damper On My Super Bowl XLV Celebrations

Melinda Banks — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 06:05:48 +0000

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV over 70 days ago. The Super Bowl “high” we felt has continued on and doesn’t appear to be dying down anytime soon.

There has been a lot of talk about the upcoming draft.. speculation of who Ted’s first round pick will be (psst… OL, please), and a whole lot of previously disgruntled Packers fans’ admission of the true genius that we have now come to love. It’s amazing what a Super Bowl win will do to send a singular person’s stock to rise sky high.

As we continue to have hopes for an agreement between the NFL owners and Players Association, waiting for news, shaking our heads in disbelief that they have STILL not been able to come to terms.. I’m starting to feel a little disgruntled myself. Not with the team and not with the fans.. but there are a few outstanding celebrations that have been put on hold for months now.

When are we going to see our team make the dutiful trip to Washington DC to meet with the President? When are we going to get to see the diamond encrusted, gaudy, but rightfully earned Super Bowl ring.. and where is the Twitter-controversy-fed Super Bowl Team photo? (more…)

NFL Labor Relations, “On Any Given Sunday”

Melinda Banks — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:17:33 +0000

By: G. Jon Blunden

There is a popular NFL adage, “On Any Given Sunday”; it’s meaning is that in the NFL there is a very real possibility that any team could prevail in their weekly Sunday match-up. NFL players and their fans, no matter how big an underdog they might be, truly believe that their team can win. It’s what drives the players and their fans.

It is a rare individual that attains the status of a professional NFL player. Only 1696 achieve that distinction each week of the season. The talent and hard work it takes to make it to the elite status, as an NFL player is extraordinary. What is even more unique is the title of a NFL team owner. That exclusive club is limited to a privileged 32 (31 plus the publicly owned Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers). You don’t become an NFL franchise owner without having won battles in the boardroom and the courtroom.

Unfortunately the players and their union officials are in a game (CBA Negotiations) with the owners, in which they are so over matched that in this case “On Any Given Sunday” probably means that the owners will take a large television rights fee deposit to the bank on “Every Given Monday” during a labor lockout.

Just as the players practice, condition and watch film in preparation to wage war between the lines each week, NFL owners have done their version of game preparation in their offices and boardrooms week in and week out for decades. Where players and coaches draw strategies in x’s and o’s, owners strategies are drawn in dollar signs and zeros by attorneys and MBAs. (more…)