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Packers schedule has them at home early

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The Green Bay Packers will open the NFL’s 100th season in Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 5 against the rival Bears.  They’ll play their home opener a week later, facing the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 15 at Lambeau Field.

The Minnesota game is the first of three straight home games.  The Packers will play five of their first seven games at Lambeau Field, giving them an opportunity for a fast start under first year head coach Matt LaFleur.

The Packers are one of six NFL teams that are scheduled for the maximum number (five) of prime time games.

The most difficult part of the schedule will start with a Sunday night road game at Kansas City on Oct. 27.  That is followed by a road game at the Los Angeles Chargers (Nov. 3) and a home game against Carolina on Nov. 10.  After a bye week, the Packers have back to back road games at San Francisco (Nov. 24) and at the New York Giants (Dec. 1).

The Packers will close out the regular season with divisional road games at Minnesota (Dec. 23) and at Detroit (Dec. 29).

 

 

 

 

 

Packers great Gregg passes away

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Forrest Gregg meets with reporters – (Photo – Mike Clemens)

One of the best players in his generation, Forrest Gregg died on Friday at the age of 85, losing his battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

As a Packer, Gregg went to nine Pro Bowls, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team after a 15-year playing career.

Gregg played on seven championship teams and three Super Bowl winning squads, finishing his career with Dallas in 1971.  He also coached the Packers for four years in the mid-80’s.  He was fired with one game left in the 1977 season after compiling a record of 18-23.

Prior to his coaching in Green Bay, he coached in Cincinnati where he took over a 4-12 team and had the Bengals in the Super Bowl within two seasons.  Cincinnati lost the Super Bowl to San Francisco 26-21.

Gregg originally joined the Packers as a second-round draft pick out of SMU in 1956.

Rodgers played last season with broken bone in his leg

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Aaron Rodgers

We all knew that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was playing hurt last season, but Tuesday, Rodgers revealed the extent of his injuries.

Rodgers told ESPN Wisconsin in Milwaukee that he played with a sprained MCL and a tibial plateau fraction in his left knee.  Rodgers told the “Wilde and Tausch” show that he suffered the injury in the first half of last seasons opener against the Chicago Bears.

The fracture is a break of the upper part of the shinbone and it left Rodgers playing at less than 100-percent for the rest of the season.  Rodgers said he opted for “a series of shots” in his knee instead of surgery.

While Rodgers started all 16 games, he left the season finale against the Lions after suffering a concussion early in the game.

 

Packers’ 2019 Preseason Schedule is out

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The Green Bay Packers will open the 2019 exhibition season at Lambeau Field Aug. 8-12, facing J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans.  The Packers will also hold joint practices with the Texans leading up to the exhibition opener.  It’s the first time the Packers will face the Texans in the preseason.

The Packers will go on the road for their second preseason game, traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens.  The two teams also played one preseason game against the Ravens in Baltimore in 1996.

Preseason game number three will also be played on the road, against the Oakland Raiders, with the location yet to be determined.  Discussions have taken place about a meeting between the two teams in Canada and it would be a Raiders home game.

The Packers will close out the preseason against Kansas City at Lambeau Field.  It’s the second straight year that the two teams will wrap up the preseason and the eighth meeting since 2010.

 

Packers get Madison back after a year away

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Green Bay Packers 2018 5th round draft pick Cole Madison has decided to rejoin the Packers after skipping all of his rookie season for personal reasons.

Madison reportedly was among the large group of players who reported for the team’s first day of the off-season conditioning program.

Madison participated in the off-season program a year ago, but then failed to show for training camp or the remainder of the season.

According to the Athletic, Madison had been deeply affected by the suicide of one of his Washington State teammates and stepped away from the game to deal with it.

Now the question is can Madison, after taking a year off from football, adapt to the pro game.  That process starts right now!

Browns to add safety Morgan Burnett

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Morgan Burnett (WRN File Photo)

The Cleveland Browns have come to an agreement with veteran safety Morgan Burnett.  ESPN is reporting the deal with the former Green Bay Packers safety is for two years.

Burnett will reportedly compete with recently acquired Eric Murray to fill a need at safety after trading Jabrill Peppers to the Giants in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal.

Burnett became a free agent when the Pittsburgh Steelers released him Monday.  The Steelers signed Burnett a year ago to a three-year, $14.25 million contract that included a $4.25 million signing bonus.

Burnett previously played eight seasons with the Packers.  He started all 102 games he played in for Green Bay, collecting nine interceptions, 44 passes defensed, 7.5 sacks and 717 tackles.

Sitton announces his retirement

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Josh Sitton

Former Green Bay Packers right guard Josh Sitton announced that he is retiring from the NFL.

Sitton played on the Packers 2010 Super Bowl team and joins former teammates T.J. Lang and Jordy Nelson in retiring this offseason.

The 32-year-old spent eight seasons with the Packers, starting in 2008 and started every game in six of his last seven years with the team.

The Packers let Sitton go prior to the 2016 season.  He spent two years in Chicago with the Bears and his last season with Miami, although he played in just one game after suffering a torn rotator cuff.

Sitton was originally a fourth round draft pick of the Packers in 2008 out of Central Florida.  He was named to four Pro Bowls, three with the Packers and one with the Bears.  He was also named to the Associated Press All-Pro second team three times.

Lang announces retirement from the NFL

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#70 T.J. Lang

Pro Bowl guard T.J. Lang has decided to retire after ten NFL seasons, eight of those ten came with the Green Bay Packers.

The 31-year-old Lang spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions after signing a free agent deal prior to the start of the 2017 season.

The Lions released Lang three weeks ago, having dealt with a number of injuries during his career.  A neck injury forced Lang to finish the 2018 season on injured reserve.

Lang spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Packers after they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft out of Eastern Michigan.  He was a reserve on the 2010 Green Bay Super Bowl team.

 

Packers looking at Canada for preseason stop

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The Green Bay Packers are considering a preseason game with the Oakland Raiders in Canada, with Saskatchewan or Winnipeg topping the possibilities.

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that they’re in discussions.

“This would be a Raiders’ home game.  Still kind of up in the air,” Murphy said.

The Packers are scheduled to face the Raiders in a regular-season game at Lambeau Field this year.

With the Carolina Panthers scheduled to play in London this year, the Packers are the only NFL team to not play in England or Mexico since the NFL launched its international series in 2007.

Report: Jordy Nelson retiring from the NFL

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Jordy Nelson with his teammates in a training camp practice.

One year after his release by the Green Bay Packers, wide receiver Jordy Nelson is retiring.

Former Packer James Jones first reported the News in a tweet on Wednesday.  Jones is a contributor to the NFL Network.

In his 10 seasons with the Packers, Nelson caught 550 passes for 7,848 yards and 69 touchdowns.  His best season came in 2014 when he caught 98 passes for a single-season franchise-record 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He garnered second-team All-Pro honors in the process.

Nelson tore his ACL in a 2015 preseason game, then won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2016.

But Nelson was asked to take a pay cut in 2017 and when he didn’t, the Packers released him.

Nelson spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, catching 63 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns.  The Raiders then released him earlier this month.

With Nelson’s retirement, he ranks third in career receptions with the Packers, fifth in yards and second in touchdowns.  He’ll be a shoe-in for the team’s Hall of Fame when he’s eligible.