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Hall of Famer Willie Wood passes away

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Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood, who played for the Packers from 1960-71, passed away Monday in Washington D.C..  Wood was 83.

“The Green Bay Packers Family lost a legend today with the passing of Willie Wood,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy.  “Willie’s success story, rising from an undrafted rookie free agent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is an inspiration to generations of football fans.  While his health challenges kept him from returning to Lambeau Field in recent years, his alumni weekend visits were cherished by both Willie and our fans.  We extend our deepest condolences to Willie’s family and friends.”

Coming out of USC in 1960, Wood sent postcards to several NFL teams asking for a tryout.  He ended up signing with the Packers as a rookie free agent and started at free safety on five NFL championship teams.  An Associated Press All-Pro five straight years from 1964-68, he also was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, was named to the NFL’s 1960’s All-Decade Team and was one of two safeties chosen on the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team in 1990.

Wood broke open a close contest in the third quarter of Super Bowl 1, intercepting a Len Dawson pass and returning it 50 yards to the Kansas City Chiefs’ 5.  He finished his career with 48 interceptions and won the NFL title in 1962 with nine picks.

Wood is one of only 16 undrafted free agents to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Packers in the market for a wide receivers coach

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Davante Adams

The Green Bay Packers are looking for a wide receivers coach after head coach Matt LaFleur fired Alvis Whitted last week.  The move was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Davante Adams led the Packers with 83 catches for 997 yards and five touchdowns, despite missing four games with a turf toe injury.  But no other receiver performed with any consistency and wideouts Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison both took a step backwards.

Running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams had 49 and 39 receptions respectively and tight end Jimmy Graham added 38 catches.  All three had more catches than the number two receiver, which by the end of the season became Allen Lazard with 35.

Valdes-Scantling followed a solid rookie season with just 26 receptions for 452 yards and two touchdowns.  By the end of the season, Aaron Rodgers hardly made an effort to throw him the ball.  In fact, Valdes-Scantling just just five catches over the last nine regular-season games.

Whitted is the second assistant coach to leave the Packers coaching staff.  Jason Simmons left to take a job with the Carolina Panthers.  The Packers replaced Simmons by hiring former Minnesota Vikings defensive backs coach Jerry Gray.

 

Packers make it official, announce the hiring of new defensive backs coach

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The Green Bay Packers made it official on Wednesday, naming Jerry Gray as the teams new defensive backs coach.

Gray is entering his 33rd season in the NFL, having played for nine seasons and coached for the past 23.  He joins the Packers after spending the last six years coaching defensive backs for the Minnesota Vikings.

From 2014-19, Gray’s defensive backfield was part of a unit that ranked in the top-10 in the NFL in opponent passer rating (84.7, No. 7 in the NFL) and points per game allowed (19.3, No. 2 in the league).  They also allowed only 123 passing touchdowns, the third fewest in the NFL since 2014.

Gray has contributed to a top-10 scoring defense seven times during his coaching career, including this past season when Minnesota ranked No. 6 in the NFL in points allowed per game (18.9).

Gray was a defensive coordinator twice in the NFL, first with the Buffalo Bills (2001-05) and then the Tennessee Titans (2011-13).

Gray fills the vacancy created when Jason Simmons left to coach defensive backs in Carolina.

Former Badgers & Packers quarterback Tolzien joins Cowboys coaching staff

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Scott Tolzien File Photo – UPI/Robert Cornforth

Former Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packers quarterback Scott Tolzien has reportedly been hired by the Dallas Cowboys as an assistant coach.

Tolzien spent three seasons with the Packers under coach Mike McCarthy, who has now hired Tolzien in Dallas.

Tolzien made a pair of starts with the Packers during the 2013 season with Aaron Rodgers sidelined by injury.  He made two more starts during a stint with the Indianapolis Colts.  Tolzien spent seven-years in the NFL.

Tolzien spent the last season scouting upcoming opponents for the Wisconsin Badgers.

McCarthy has also added former Packer Al Harris as an assistant secondary coach and former Packers director of player development Rob Davis as an assistant coach.

Pettine retained as Packers Defensive Coordinator

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Mike Pettine

Despite a complete defensive meltdown in Sunday’s NFC Championship game, a 37-20 loss at San Francisco, the Green Bay Packers have decided to retain Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine for his third season in Titletown.

The Packers ranked ninth in scoring defense (19.6 points allowed per game) this past season, but dropped from 15th to 18th in yards (352.6).

The Packers struggled at times to stop the run this season, but nothing like Sunday, when the 49ers ripped off 285 rushing yards, only having to throw it eight times against Pettine’s defense.  Niners running back Raheem Mostert did most of the damage himself, rushing for 220 yards on 29 carries with four touchdowns.

At his season ending press conference on Wednesday, LaFleur said, “They definitely out-coached us.  I [Read more…]

Three Packers named to the Pro Bowl

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Za’Darius Smith

Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams, DL Kenny Clark and LB Za’Darius Smith have been named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster today.

Adams (Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones), Clark (Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald) and Smith (Chicago Bears LB Khalil Mack) are all replacing players who are unable to participate due to injury.

It marks Adams’ third straight trip to the Pro Bowl (2017-19), making him the first Packer WR to make three straight Pro Bowls since Sterling Sharpe (1992-94).  Despite missing four games due to injury, Adams registered his second career 80-plus-reception season (83 in 2019, 111 in 2018), which is tied for the fourth most in franchise history behind Jordy Nelson (three), Donald Driver (four) and Sharpe (four).

This is Clark’s first trip to the Pro Bowl after being named an alternate in 2018.  He tied his career high from last season with six sacks in 2019, with 4.5 sacks coming in the final four regular-season games.  Clark finished second on the team with a career-best 89 tackles (52 solo).

Smith is making his first career Pro Bowl in his first season with Green Bay.  He registered 13.5 sacks, ranking No. 6 in the NFL and tying for the fifth most in a single season in franchise history (since 1982).  Smith was tied for No. 1 among NFL linebackers in QB hits (37), and No. 2 in total pressures (50.0) during the regular season.

Packers routed by 49ers for second time this season

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Davante Adams

The Green Bay Packers knew San Francisco wanted to run the football, but they offered little in terms of stopping or even slowing the 49ers down.  The result was another lopsided contest between the two teams this season.

In November, the Packers fell behind 23-0 at halftime and went on to lose 37-8 at Levi Stadium.  On Sunday, the Packers fell behind 27-0 at halftime and lost 37-20 in the NFC Championship game.

The 49ers ran just 50 total plays from scrimmage and 42 of the 50 were running plays.  When asked why he kept calling run plays, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said because it kept working.

The Niners racked up 285 yards on the ground.  Raheem Mostert finished with 29 carries for 220 yards and four touchdowns.  They only needed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to hand off.  He finished 6 of 8 through the air, for 77 yards.

The Packers struggled to get their offense going in the first half, totaling 51 yards rushing and 65 passing.  It wasn’t until the second half, that Aaron Rodgers would start to move the offense.  He finished [Read more…]

Packers hold off late charging Seahawks to advance to NFC Championship

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Aaron Rodgers File Photo UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Aaron Rodgers played one of his best games of the season, helping the Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-23 in the NFC Divisional playoffs and securing a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Rodgers and Davante Adams put the Packers on their backs, connecting eight times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.  The 160 receiving yards for Adams is a Green Bay Packers playoff-franchise record.

When the Packers needed a big play, Rodgers was there to deliver a series of pinpoint accurate passes, helping his team to a season best 9-of-14 on third downs (69%).  That is the best third down accuracy rate for the Packers since the 2016 season.

Rodgers sealed the victory with a pair of third-down passes, a 32-yard pass to Adams on a third-and-8 [Read more…]

McCarthy expected to take over as head coach of the Cowboys

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Mike McCarthy

Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is expected to become the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.  The news was first reported by Fox Sports and later by ESPN.

According to reports, McCarthy stayed at the home of Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones on Saturday night.

McCarthy takes over Jason Garrett, who wasn’t retained after going 85-67 as the Cowboys head coach from 2010 to 2019.

McCarthy compiled a 125-77-2 record with the Packers and made the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons.  He led the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV win and two additional NFC Championship games.

Before interviewing with the Cowboys over the weekend, McCarthy interviewed with Carolina, Cleveland and the New York Giants.

The Cowboys also interviewed Marvin Lewis before deciding McCarthy was their man.

While coaching the Packers, McCarthy had a 7-3 record against the Dallas, twice ending the Cowboys season in the divisional playoffs in the 2014 and 2016 playoffs.

Butler named a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

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LeRoy Butler

Former Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler was named one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020.  As many as five of those players will be voted into the Hall on Super Bowl weekend in Miami.

This is the first year that Butler has advanced to the final 15 after being named a semifinalist (final 25) the previous two years.

Butler played his entire career with the Packers, from 1990 through 2001.  He is one of seven first-time finalists this year and one of four safeties among the 15.

Joining Butler are safeties Troy Polamalu, Steve Atwater and John Lynch.

Butler played on Packers teams in the 1990’s that won a Super Bowl and played in another.  He was [Read more…]