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Packers preseason schedule cut in half

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NFL Training Camp start dates haven’t changed, but the number of preseason games on the schedule has.

The NFL will trim two preseason games off of its schedule, as first reported by ProFootballTalk.com.  A ESPN report said the first and fourth games of the preseason schedule will be eliminated, allowing teams more practice time for their players after missing offseason OTA’s and minicamps.

The Green Bay Packers were scheduled to open the exhibition season at home on August 15th against the Arizona Cardinals and were set to wrap up the preseason on September 3 at Kansas City against the Chiefs.  Those games are now off the schedule.

The Packers two remaining games will be a home game, August 22 against the Cleveland Browns, followed by a trip to New York to face the Giants one week later on August 29.

Teams are schedule to report to training camp July 28 and won’t play their first preseason games until sometime between Aug. 20-24.

Packers won’t use St. Norbert College this summer

For the first time since 1958, Green Bay Packers players will not be staying at St. Norbert College during training camp, in accordance with NFL safety guidelines.

NFL cancels Hall of Fame game

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Pro Football Hall of Fame

The NFL on Thursday canceled the league’s Hall of Fame game that was set to open the preseason.  The 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies is also being delayed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hall of Fame game was supposed to have taken place on August 6 in Canton, Ohio, between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.  It becomes the first on-field event that the league has canceled during the pandemic.

The same two teams will meet in next year’s Hall of Fame game, Aug. 5, 2021.  The enshrinement of 20 men scheduled for this year, will now take place on Aug. 7, 2021, with the 2021 inductees going into the Hall of Fame the next day.

The league may not be done there either.  It’s possible the NFL will reduce the number of exhibition games to two per team from the usual four.

 

NFL players not expected until start of training camps

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2019 Packers joint practice with the Houston Texans

Some NFL teams were holding out hope of conducting minicamps this month, but it appears that players will not return to team facilities until training camps open.

Most teams have already reopened their facilities on a limited basis for essential employees amid the coronavirus pandemic, but healthy players are not allowed to return yet.

On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams, informing them they must hold training camps at their main practice facilities because of the virus.  That doesn’t affect the Green Bay Packers, but ten of the league’s teams practiced away from their main practice facilities last year.

The memo also said teams will not be allowed to hold joint training camp practices with other teams.  That’s something the Packers did with the Houston Texans last year and were planning to do the same with the Cleveland Browns this year, but those plans are now on hold.

The issue is fairness.  The NFL feels if all 32 teams can’t hold on-field minicamp workouts, then there will be none.  Official start dates for training camps haven’t been announced either, but none of the teams are expected to start until all 32 teams can do so.

 

Packers announce the signing of a third draft pick

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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Three down and six more to go for the Green Bay Packers.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced the signing of sixth round draft pick, guard Simon Stepaniak out of Indiana.  Stepaniak was the third of three sixth round draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

 

Packers unveil 2020 NFL Schedule

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The Green Bay Packers will open the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 13 with a noon kickoff against the NFC North Division rival Minnesota Vikings.  The Packers will close the season with a January 3rd noon kick at Chicago and play five times in prime time in between.

The Packers home opener comes in week two of the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 20 (noon) against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.

They’ll play their first prime time match-up the following Sunday night (Sept. 27) against the Saints in New Orleans.

The Packers return home in week four, facing the Atlanta Falcons in a Monday night game on October 5th at Lambeau Field. [Read more…]

Packers will know their 2020 schedule on Thursday night

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The NFL isn’t sure if the season will start on time, or if there will be fans in the stands when it does begin.  But the league will unveil the 2020 regular season schedule on Thursday night.

The complete regular season slate will be unveiled on a three-hour television special Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on the NFL Network.

Opponents were previously announced in December, but now the where and when will be added to the mix.

The NFL says teams won’t be leaving the country for any of their games this season.  The league canceled its International Series and will return next year.  That means four games planned for London and another in Mexico City will be played in the U.S.

Besides home and away games in the NFC North against the Bears, Vikings and Lions, the Green Bay Packers remaining opponents are as follows:  Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Packers will face additional road games against the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and a rematch against the San Francisco 49ers.

 

NFL preparing for contingency plans

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With NFL teams holding virtual offseason programs, there’s a chance the league’s regular season won’t start on time.  According to a report in the Sports Business Journal, the league is considering several contingencies, just in case they can’t kick off the season on time.

The NFL schedule will be released early next month and it will be designed to handle a delay, even as far out as October 15th.  That would allow for a 16-game season without a bye week.

The league is also reportedly talking with Super Bowl host Tampa about the plan, which could push the league’s championship game back as far as February 28.

The main goals right now are to preserve a 16-game season and play the Super Bowl in February.

 

First round of NFL Draft sets record as most-watched draft telecast ever

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Thursday’s opening round of the 2020 NFL Draft was by far, the most-watched NFL draft telecast ever, with more than 15.6 million people tuned in to watch the league’s first virtual draft.

The numbers included viewership from ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels and broke the previous mark of 12.4 million viewers back in 2014.

Ohio had the top three related markets, led by Columbus (16.7).  Cleveland was next at 15.9 and Cincinnati followed at 15.6.

Rounds 2 and 3 start at 6 p.m. Central Time on Friday night with rounds 4 through 7 kicking off on Saturday at 11 a.m. Central Time.

NFL Draft kicks off tonight

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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst

The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night, virtually.  The event starts at 7 p.m. CT.

The Green Bay Packers head into the draft with 10 selections for the second straight year.  The Packers have a pick in all seven rounds, plus two extra in the sixth and one extra in the seventh.

If the Packers draft 10 players, it will mark the third draft in the last four years that Green Bay selected 10-plus players (11 in 2018 and 10 in 2017).

Brian Gutekunst will be overseeing his third draft as the general manager of the Packers and 22nd overall in Green Bay.

Barring a trade, the Packers will have the 30th overall pick in Thursday nights opening round.  The last time the Packers had the 30th pick was last year, a pick acquired in a trade with Seattle.  The Packers used [Read more…]

Hall of Famer Willie Davis passes away (AUDIO)

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Flag Media

Another one of the Green Bay Packers legendary greats passed away on Wednesday.  Defensive end Willie Davis, who played for the Packers from 1960-69, passed away in a Santa Monica, California hospital at the age of 85.

During his playing days, the Hall of Famer flourished after joining the Packers in a trade from the Cleveland Browns.  He turned his success on the field to one of riches, becoming a millionaire business owner.

Davis played at a time when sacks weren’t an official statistic.  But there’s no doubt that Davis was the best pass rusher in team history, better than the team’s career sack leaders Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (74.5), Clay Matthews (72.5) and Reggie White (68.5). [Read more…]