Mike Holmgren

decades.  That’s when general manager Ron Wolf hired Mike Holmgren to coach the Packers.  It was that move that set the wheels in motion once again for the Green Bay Packers organization.

Holmgren led the Packers into the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, compiling an overall record of 75-37.  The Packers won the NFC Central three times and NFC Championship twice.  Under Holmgren, the Packers won the Super Bowl in the 1996 season.

Those accomplishments will land Holmgren into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in late July.  Ron Wolf will be Holmgren’s presenter during the July 21st ceremony. 

AUDIO: Mike Holmgren had a great working relationship with Wolf :23

Holmgren told a group of reporters via conference call yesterday that he was just thrilled to get the opportunity.

AUDIO: Mike Holmgren was thrilled to get the chance in Green Bay :16

Holmgren left Green Bay to take the General Manager/Head Coaching positions in Seattle.  It was just a couple of years later that Ron Wolf retired as the GM of the Packers. 

Holmgren said he would have stayed in Green Bay had he known Wolf was going to leave so soon.  But he also stated that he has no regrets and refused to look back.

AUDIO: Holmgren doesn’t want to look back at the thought of staying in Green Bay :19

Holmgren is now the president of the Cleveland Browns.  But his contribution to the Green Bay Packers, from molding QB Brett Favre to leading the Packers out of a long dark period and leading them to a Super Bowl championship. 

Holmgren looks at himself as a teacher.  He not only taught his players, but he also taught his assistant coaches.   In fact, since taking over in Green Bay, 9 of his assistant coaches have gone on to become a head coach.

AUDIO: Mike Holmgren on 9 of his assistants becoming head coaches :27

B.J. Raji

College product had a career best 66 tackles, 36 of them solo to go along with a career best 6 1/2 sacks to lead all NFL nose tackles.

Raji’s reward comes one year, even though his numbers are a fraction of what they were a year ago.  Raji told me earlier this afternoon that he received word that he was voted to the NFC Squad.  The NFC and AFC squads will officially be unveiled by the NFL Network tonight at 6pm.

Raji this season, through 15 games, has 21 tackles and 3 sacks.  He also has a rushing touchdown as well.  But those numbers aren’t close to a year ago.  But that’s the way things go in Pro Bowl voting.  First you have to do something to get noticed and then the rewards will come.

Raji, on top of his outstanding season a year ago, intercepted a pass for a touchdown in the NFC Championship game and followed it up with a first time celebration tabbed “The Raji”.  Soon after, they were writing songs about Raji.  The “Raji”, the songs, and a Super Bowl championship gave the young defensive star his first of what could be many Pro Bowl honors.

A colleague of mine, Justin Hull from AM1570 The Score in Appleton talked with Raji earlier this afternoon about the honor.

AUDIO: The Score’s Justin Hull with BJ Raji today 1:50

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell challenged his troops this week, questioning their effort in that Monday night loss to the Saints.  But does that ever work?  Players will check their ego’s for a while, then as soon as they hit some difficulty, they slip back into that feel sorry for themselves mode.

Neither team is healthy, but the Giants are in far worse shape, missing several players either for the week or for the season.  The Packers will play without Josh Sitton, Chad Clifton, Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk, but they’re already proven they can get it done without all four.

Eli Manning (95.6 QB Rating) is having his best season as a pro, but Aaron Rodgers (127.7 QB Rating) is also having his best season and he just happens to be the best quarterback in football today.

The Giants may get a boost today with the return of Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield.  He’s missed the last four games with a stress fracture to his foot.  In his absence, Brandon Jacobs has averaged just 48.5 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry.

The Packers, with 17 straight wins overall and 11 to start this season, are rolling.  They can wrap up a playoff spot with a win today.  A win and a Detroit loss and the Packers wrap up the NFC North Division title.

The Giants have some dangerous receivers and Eli Manning won’t likely get shut down today.  But look for the Packers to do enough to win and extend their perfect season to 12-0, heading to the last quarter of the season.

My Prediction

Green Bay Packers 38, New York Giants 24

Smith practiced with the speaker inside his helmet all week and the coaches believe things went well enough to allow him to handle the communication from the defensive coaches. 

Teams can designate two players ever week to have speakers inside their helmets.  Safety Morgan Burnett will be the other defensive player this week to have the communication device.

Last week at Detroit, Bishop and Hawk had the speakers and both were lost during the game, forcing the Packers to get plays into their defensive via hand signals and as Mike McCarthy put it at his news conference last week, a lot of yelling.

B.J. Raji

dubbed himself as the “freezer” when entering on offense during a divisional playoff game for the Green Bay Packers last season.  Raji only had the chance to block on that occasion.

Sunday, Raji entered on offense again, only this time, with the Packers facing 2nd and goal at the 1, Raji took the handoff from Aaron Rodgers and bulled forward into the endzone for a touchdown.  It’s the first touchdown that Raji has scored at any level on offense.

AUDIO: BJ Raji on his 1-yard TD run :11

It’s a play the Packers worked on since training camp and the stars aligned on Sunday for Raji to get his chance.

AUDIO: Mike McCarthy on giving the ball to Raji for a touchdown run :26

QB Aaron Rodgers said Raji didn’t report as an eligible receiver to the officials and the he thought the Packers may have gotten away with something.

AUDIO: Aaron Rodgers on Raji’s TD run :21

As it turned out, the reporting rule only applies to extra linemen when they are used at the line of scrimmage.

Joe Philbin

AUDIO: Joe Philbin on the rumors of his interest in Tulane job :15

Philbin said he has a great job in Green Bay and denied that he has talked with the school.

AUDIO: Philbin denies contact with Tulane :13

ESPN first reported Tulane’s interest in Philbin on Monday. Philbin has been with the Packers since 2003 and has been the team’s offensive coordinator since 2007.  He was a graduate assistant at Tulane from 1984-85 and has a master’s degree in education at the school. The job opened when Bob Toledo resigned back in October.  Assistant Mark Hutson is serving as the school’s interim head coach. Packers coach Mike McCarthy knows this won’t be the last time he hears of interest in his assistant coaches.  He said Joe Philbin is a deserving candidate to be a head coach.

AUDIO: Mike McCarthy says Philbin is deserving of a chance :11

Aaron Rodgers visits with fan

facets of the game. 

The Packers improved to 9-0 by getting their usual solid contribution from the offense.  But this time, the defense and special teams came to play as well and the Packers turned in their most dominating performance of the season. 

Aaron Rodgers tossed four more touchdown passes to give him 28 for the season, to go along with just 3 interceptions.  Randall Cobb returned a 1st quarter punt 80-yards for a touchdown and added a 55-yard kickoff return to give the Packers good field position on another series.  But the biggest part of this win was a defense that entered the game ranked 30th in yards allowed, yet held the NFL’s best running back, Adrian Peterson, to just 51 yards rushing.

The defense had been waiting for this kind of performance and linebacker Clay Matthews (2 sacks) was glad to finally see it happen.

AUDIO: Clay Matthews on the defensive effort :19

A week earlier, Charles Woodson used the media to deliver a message to defensive coordinator Dom Capers.  He said Capers needed to find more ways to get their best player, Clay Matthews to the quarterback.  Capers went one better.  He found ways to get Matthews, Woodson, Tramon Williams, Morgan Burnett, Desmond Bishop and the list goes on, to the quarterback.

The Packers only registered three sacks, but they had their best quarterback pressure of the season.  They hurried rookie quarterback Christian Ponder all night long as the Packers pulled off the series sweep of the Vikings. 

The defense played with a “chip” on their shoulder for the first time this season.  The Packers know they’re better than the way they’ve played in the first eight games.  Time will tell of the real packers showed up in game number nine.  Woodson said there’s no doubt that the bar has now been raised for the defense.

AUDIO: Charles Woodson said the bar is raised for the defense :16

T.J. Lang

23 at the Metrodome, Vikings DE Brian Robison kicked Packers left guard T.J. Lang in the groin.

Robison drew a $20,000 fine from the NFL later, then apologized to Lang via Twitter.

Lang said he believes Robison is sincere about his apology and said there’ll be no revenge on the Vikings defensive end.

AUDIO: TJ Lang said he’s over Brian Robison’s groin kick in October :18

Lambeau Field expansion

According to an October 13 letter from the Foley & Lardner law firm, outlining the parameters of a sale, the cost of shares is likely to exceed the cost of a share in the previous sale (1997-98 – $200).  The new price could go up to $250.00 a share.

The Packers plan to sell the new shares online.  The National Football League approved the sale in October.

The Packers announced $143 million in renovations to Lambeau Field back in August.  Profits from the sale of stock would go to help pay for that project.

When will Mike McCarthy learn? 

Now, that doesn’t mean the Packers are going to lose the game.  But when you have the games #1 scoring offense and the #1 quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, why wouldn’t you take the football every time you have a chance. 

The Packers defense ranks near the bottom of the league.  Why would you give the football to Phillip Rivers, instead of your own guy right from the start. 

This isn’t college or high school, this is the NFL.  It’s where the big boys play.  If you have the games #1 offense, then use it.  I’m not sure if it’s Mike McCarthy out-thinking himself or if it’s cockiness.  I just think it’s wrong, especially on the road.