Thursday night the Packers took a big step towards fixing their defensive problems by selecting USC defensive end/outside linebacker Nick Perry with the 28th overall selection. Perry, previously thought of as a top-15 pick fell somewhat in the draft, to the delight of Green Bay.
At 6'2 3/4" and 271 lbs, Perry is what Packers General Manager Ted Thompson called a "tremendous physical specimen." In the NFL combine Perry ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5s, had a 38.5" vertical leap, and benched 225 lbs. 35 times.
“He’s got that kind of juice,” said Thompson. “We’re looking forward to getting him with (outside linebackers coach) Kevin (Greene) and (defensive coordinator) Dom (Capers). He’ll jump in with our guys and compete with our guys and we’ll see how he stacks up.”
A Detroit native, Perry started for two years at USC, and led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks in 2011.
As a Packer, Perry will likely play outside linebacker opposite fellow USC alumnus Clay Matthews in the 4-3 scheme, a position that has been weak recently, with Frank Zombo, Brad Jones, and Erik Walden making little impact.
With the 2012 NFL Draft only days away, the Green Bay Packers have made several roster moves.
On Monday, Green Bay agreed on a 1-year contract with outside linebacker Erik Walden. Walden started 15 games in 2011, but never made much of an impact, despite receiving little attention playing opposite of Clay Matthews.
In his two years as a Packer, Walden has played in 25 regular season games, and has totaled 85 tackles, six sacks, and a fumble recovery.
The Packers also parted ways with two very familiar faces, releasing left tackle Chad Clifton on Monday and safety Nick Collins on Wednesday.
The Packers cut Clifton after he failed a physical. Clifton, originally a second-round draft pick in 2000, played 165 games in his 12 seasons as a Packer, the second most by a Packer offensive tackle behind only Forrest Gregg (187 games). Clifton was a Pro-Bowler in 2007 and 2010.
Green Bay has a few options to replace the veteran, with 3rd year tackle Marshall Newhouse the likely candidate took take over the starting role. The Packers' first round pick from 2011, Derek Sherrod, will also compete for the job, and Green Bay will probably select another tackle in this year's draft.
Green Bay also released safety Nick Collins, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in week 2 this past season. Collins underwent neck fusion surgery in September, and while that surgery reportedly went well, the Packers have been skeptical to allow Collins back on the field.
Collins was a second round pick in the 2005 draft, the same draft that brought Aaron Rodgers to Green Bay. In seven seasons Collins has recorded 417 tackles, 21 interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns. Perhaps his most memorable play was his pick-six off Ben Roethlissberger in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV.
Collins was voted to the NFL All-Pro Second Team and the Pro-Bowl for three straight years (2008-2010). His presence will be missed in the Packers secondary.
The Packers will most likely look to the draft to replace Collins, as depth at safety is relatively low for Green Bay, and consists of M.D. Jennings, an undrafted rookie in 2011 who only saw special teams action last year, and Anthony Levine, an undrafted rookie from 2010 who has yet to leave the practice squad. Another potential option for Green Bay is to move 14-year veteran Charles Woodson from corner to safety.
Look for Green Bay to address needs at defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety in this year's NFL draft. The Packers will probably also add an offensive lineman, a quarterback, and a running back to replace the likely-departing Ryan Grant.
The 2012 NFL schedule has been released, and the Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field for their season opener.
Some other notable games include a Thursday night game at home against the Bears, a Monday night matchup with Matt Flynn and the Seahawks, and Sunday night matchups at the Texans, at the Giants, and home against the Lions
Three series into the 2012 MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers sit at 4-6, three games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central Division.
The Brewers lost two out of three games to the Cardinals to open the season, and bounced back to win three of four games against the Chicago Cubs. Over the weekend the Brewers lost three straight to the Atlanta Braves.
Milwaukee's starting pitchers have given up a combined 38 earned runs and 10 home runs in 52.2 innings, with Randy Wolf allowing a team high 11 runs on 18 hits in just 9.1 innings pitched (10.61 ERA). Brewers pitchers have been susceptible to big innings, and gave up four or more runs during several innings.
As a team, the Brewers have given up 57 runs, the most of any team in baseball. Milwaukee fielders have also committed 11 errors to begin the season, which is 4th most in the MLB. Alex Gonzales leads all Brewers with three errors, and seven Brewers have committed at least one error.
On the positive side, the Brewers have scored 43 runs on 74 hits, and are 3rd in the league with 14 home runs.
Kottaras hits a 2-run homer
against the Cubs
The Brewers have seen great production from their two catchers, Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras. The duo has combined for 12 hits, six runs, six RBI and five home runs.
Corey Hart is off to a hot start as well, batting .321 with four home runs and eight RBI.
The Brewers will need to eliminate the big innings and cut down on errors as they head to California to begin a three game series against the 9-1 L.A. Dodgers Tuesday night. Yovani Gallardo (1-1) will face Chad Billingsley (2-0).
Friday afternoon Miller Park will play host to the Milwaukee Brewers 2012 season opener against the NL Central rival and reigning World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The two teams last meeting was during last season's NLCS.
Although Friday's game opens the season for Milwaukee, St. Louis began their season with a win Wednesday night against the Miami Marlins.
Yovani Gallardo will take the mound Friday for the Brewers, and Jaime Garcia will get the nod for the Cardinals.
While no official lineups have been announced, expect to see Jonathan Lucroy catching Gallardo, Matt Gamel at first, Rickie Weeks on second, Alex Gonzalez at shortstop, Aramis Ramirez on third, and Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and Corey Hart rounding out the outfield.
Both teams are opening their season missing last year's slugging first basemen, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.
Led by Jordan Taylor and Jared Berggren, the #16 Wisconsin Badgers beat the #8 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Sunday. The win marked the Badgers' first Big Ten road victory against a top-ten team since 1980, when Wisconsin took down the 4th ranked Buckeyes (a team Bo Ryan was an assistant for).
The Badgers, coming off a terrible loss to Iowa on Thursday, opened the game strong and stuck with the high-powered Buckeyes. By halftime the teams were knotted at 29 all.
The Buckeyes managed an eight point lead with around ten minutes to play, but the Badgers came back, closing the gap to one point with less than a minute remaining.
Jared Berggren took it from there, hitting a huge three-pointer to put the Badgers on top by two.
"We always -- if we have an open look -- we have to be aggressive," said Berggren. "They're a good defensive team so you know open looks can be hard to come by. So when we get an opportunity like that, you have to step up with confidence. Jordan found me on the wing and I had a little space. I just stepped up and knocked it down."
After a Buckeye miss, Berggren grabbed a rebound and was fouled, and hit both free throws, putting the Badgers up by four.
Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft hit a free throw with a few seconds remaining to close out the game's scoring, and Wisconsin walked out of Columbus with a 63-60 victory.
"It's awesome, especially late in the season," Said Jordan Taylor. "We came off a tough loss against Iowa and to be able to come into an environment like this against a great team, it's really big for us."
Taylor led the Badgers with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Berggren added 18 points and 5 boards, while Ryan Evans notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Rob Wilson nailed 3 triples to total 9 points, and Josh Gasser closed out the Badger scoring, adding 7 points of his own.
Wisconsin (21-8, 10-6) now sits in 4th place in the Big Ten, a half game behind Ohio State and Michigan who are tied for second.
The Badgers play Minnesota on Tuesday and Illinois on Sunday to close out the regular season. Both games are at the Kohl Center.
When Ryan Braun's suspension was handed out back in Decemeber, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers was quick to defend his close friend (and fellow MVP).
"Ryan and I are good buddies, probably my best athlete friend and we keep in touch obviously throughout the year.
I would say I 100 percent support Ryan and believe in him and it’s not going to affect our friendship in the least. I’m 100 percent supporting him and behind him and believe in everything that he says."
Yesterday, when Braun officially won his appeal of the 50 game suspension imposed for a positive drug test, Rodgers quickly congratulated his friend via Twitter, with extensive use of the hashtag "exonerated."
Rodgers let loose a string of five or six tweets, all in support of Braun, closing with the following:
Braun is expected to speak today when he reports to Brewer training camp.
Ryan Braun, the reigning National League MVP won his appeal of a 50 game suspension as a result of a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.
Braun had tested positive for synthetic testosterone during last season's playoffs, and challenged his suspension in January. After 35 days of arbitration, a neutral third party voted in 2-1 decision to clear Braun.
Said Braun on Thursday:
"I am very pleased and relieved by today's decision. It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side. We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances."
Braun will address the media again on Friday.
The MLB is less than enthusiastic with the outcome brought forth by the neutral third party and arbitrator Shyam Das. Rob Manfred, MLB's vice president for labor relations, said:
"Major League Baseball considers the obligations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program essential to the integrity of our game, our Clubs and all of the players who take the field. It has always been Major League Baseball's position that no matter who tests positive, we will exhaust all avenues in pursuit of the appropriate discipline. We have been true to that position in every instance, because baseball fans deserve nothing less.
"As a part of our drug testing program, the Commissioner's Office and the Players Association agreed to a neutral third party review for instances that are under dispute. While we have always respected that process, Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das."
Regardless of the MLB's opinions, Braun is back, and will report to training camp on Friday.
Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers capped off a monstrous 2011 campaign by winning the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award in a landslide victory, garnering 48 of 50 votes. Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints received the other 2 votes.
Rodgers is the first Packer to be named MVP since Brett Favre won the award three consecutive years (1995-1997), and joins former Packer legends Bart Starr (1966), Jim Taylor (1962), and Paul Hornung (1961) as MVPs.
Rodgers received the award at the inaugural NFL Honors to a standing ovation from the players, coaches and guests in attendance.
"It means a lot to be recognized as a consistent player and contributor on my team," Rodgers said. "I think it's an award that relies on a player having the support of his teammates, obviously, guys blocking, guys running, guys catching, guys making plays. But I'm very honored to receive the award."
The 2011 season marked Rodgers' best season to date. He threw for 4,634 yards, and became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 45 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions. His single-season passer rating of 122.5 is the best in NFL history, and his career passer rating rose to 104.1, also an NFL record.
Rodgers walked away with numerous accolades during the season, as he was the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September, October, and November, and was the FedEx Air Player of the Week 6 times (weeks 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 13).
After winning Super Bowl MVP honors at the end of the 2010 season, Rodgers began 2011 right where he left off, throwing for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns in the season-opening victory against the Saints. He would continue to throw at least 2 touchdowns in each of the first 13 games of the season, an NFL record.
In week 4 against the Denver Broncos Rodgers exploded, throwing for 408 yards and scoring 6 total touchdowns (2 rushing) on the way to a 49-23 blowout victory.
Week 7 at Minnesota was Rodgers' best statistical performance, when he completed 24 of 30 passes for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns, amassing a 146.2 quarterback rating en route to a 33-27 win in the Metrodome.
On Thanksgiving Day in Detroit Rodgers threw for 300+ yards and 2 touchdowns, winning the "prestigious" Galloping Gobbler award after the 27-15 victory. He continued his holiday successes by throwing for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns and amassing a passer rating of 142.7 in a 35-21 Christmas Day victory against the Bears.
While the Packers ultimately fell short in the playoffs, Rodgers' 2011 campaign will certainly be remembered as one of the best individual performances in Packer history, and as a historic season in the NFL record books
The state Assembly in Wisconsin unanimously passed the decision to make December 12, 2012 Aaron Rodgers Day, in honor of the 2011 NFL MVP.
The effort to create Aaron Rodgers Day was started by Stevens Point resident Jennifer Brilowski, who began a Facebook campaign to honor the MVP.
Said Rodgers via Twitter: "Very flattered and honored that 12/12/12 is in the works. Thank u to the efforts of Jennifer Brilowski and our many incredible fans."
On Thursday the Green Bay Packers officially promoted quarterback coach Tom Clements to offensive coordinator, a position previously held Joe Philbon, who is now head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Packer head coach Mike McCarthy said of the promotion, “Tom has been an integral part of our success and our staff, making it an obvious decision to promote him to offensive coordinator. He has earned this opportunity and we look forward to continued offensive success in 2012.”
Clements' most obvious success is his work with Aaron Rodgers, who over the past two seasons has emerged as the league's premier passer.
While Clements was passed over after interviewing for the head coaching positions at Penn State University and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is happy to remain in Green Bay.
“I’m not disappointed. Being a head coach would be great. I did interview with Penn State and Tampa, but all along I’ve said this would be a tough place to leave. It’s a great football town, the fans are great, we’re a young team and have a chance to be good for a long stretch of time. It would’ve had to have been the right situation to go. I wasn’t looking to leave just to go, because this is a great place to be,” Clements said.
After seven seasons at first base for the Milwaukee Brewers, free agent Prince Fielder has moved on, signing a 9 year, $214 mil contract with the Detroit Tigers.
As a Brewer, Fielder was a three time all star (2007, 2009, 2001), the 2011 All Star Game MVP, a two time Silver Slugger award winner, the 2007 NL Hank Aaron Award winner, the 2009 Home Run Derby winner, and holds the Milwaukee single-season record for home runs (50 in 2007).
Because Fielder was a Type A free agent, Milwaukee will receive Detroit's first round draft pick in the 2012 draft (27th overall) and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the draft. The Brewers already own the 28th pick in the draft as a result of their season record in 2011.
Fielder has a history in Detroit, as his father, Cecil Fielder, played with the franchise from 1990-1996. Prince often joined his father at batting practice, and was hitting home runs at Tiger Stadium by the time he was 12.
Detroit has already announced that current first baseman Miguel Cabrera will attempt the switch to 3rd base, a position he played during his time in the minor leagues, to allow Fielder to assume the first baseman duties.
The rosters have been announced for the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl, and once again the Packers will be well-represented on the NFC team. Seven Packers were named to this year's team, four as starters.
Aaron Rodgers was named the NFC starting quarterback in his second appearance in the Pro Bowl, and fullback John Kuhn will start in his first Pro Bowl. Charles Woodson won a starting spot for his 8th Pro Bowl appearance, and Clay Matthews will start in his 3rd straight year as a Pro Bowler.
Wide receiver Greg Jennings, center Scott Wells, and defensive tackle B.J. Raji were all selected as Pro Bowl reserves.
Seven Packers were also selected as Pro Bowl alternates, including kicker Mason Crosby, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, kick returner Randall Cobb, tight end Jermichael Finley, guard Josh Sitton, linebacker Desmond Bishop, and cornerback Tramon Williams.
The Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, January 29, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii
This past weekend was huge for Wisconsin sports. The Brewers, Badgers and Packers all had big wins on their way to an undefeated weekend.
Brewers
Friday night the Brewers began a three game series against the Florida Marlins. Going into the game the Brewers had a magic number of two to clinch the National League Central division, meaning they needed to win two games, or the second-place St. Louis Cardinals needed to lose two games, or some combination of the two.
The Brewers got on the board early on a solo home run by Prince Fielder in the second inning. The Marlins tied the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Bryan Peterson.
In the eighth inning Corey Hart doubled and Nyjer Morgan walked, bringing Ryan Braun to bat with two men on base. Braun worked Marlins pitcher Clay Hensley into a 3-1 count and sent the following pitch 431 feet into center field, putting the Brewers up 4-1.
"I think for me honestly, I live for that moment. You play the game to have the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch in September," Braun said after the game. "I truly expected to come through in that situation."
John Axford claimed his 44th save in the ninth inning to give the Brewers the victory.
With the Brewers' magic number reduced to just one, the Crew now looked to the Cubs/Cardinals matchup that was, at the time, in the eighth inning. 20 minutes later, the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-1, ironically giving the Brewers their first NL Central division title since 1982.
The Brewers went on to beat the Marlins again on Saturday (6-4) and Sunday (9-5) to improve to 94-65 on the season. The Brewers' victory on Sunday gave the crew 55 wins at home in the 2011 season, a team record. The Brewers will also attempt to pick up their 95th win of the season on Monday night, which would tie the team record for most wins in a season.
Badgers
On Saturday the 7th ranked Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) faced off against the South Dakota Coyotes (2-2) at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
After struggling in the first quarter, the Badgers exploded to end the first half and went on to steamroll the Coyotes 59-10.
Russell Wilson continued his dominance for the Badgers, completing 19 of 25 passes for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Wilson found wide receiver Nick Toon seven times for a career-high 155 reception yards and two touchdowns. Jared Abbrederis also caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Montee Ball amassed 15 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and James White carried the ball 9 times for 95 yards and a score. As a team the Badgers collected 267 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
The Badgers finished out the non-conference schedule with their fourth straight win. They have outscored their non-conference opponents 194-34.
Wisconsin opens their Big Ten schedule next Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. ESPN College Gameday will come to Madison for the night game as the #7 and #8 teams face off.
Packers
The Packers traveled to Soldier Field on Sunday for a rematch of the 2010 NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay opened the scoring in the first quarter when Aaron Rodgers found tight end Jermichael Finley for a six yard touchdown pass. Rodgers found Finley again in the second quarter on a seven yard score to put the Packers up 14-0.
The Bears scored on a pass from Jay Cutler to Dane Sanzenbacher to make the score 14-7. Both teams added field goals near the end of the second quarter to make the score 17-10 at the half.
The Packers added another field goal in the third quarter, before going up 27-10 in the fourth on a third Rodgers/Finley connection, this time from from ten yards out.
The Bears scored again late in the fourth on a 32 yard pass to Kellen Davis to make the score 27-17. After a late-game punt return touchdown was called back on a penalty, the Bears were unable to mount a comeback and the Packers walked away with the victory.
Aaron Rodgers completed 28 of 38 attempts for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns, all to Jermichael Finley. Greg Jennings led all receivers with 9 receptions for 119 yards.
The packer defense held Chicago running back Matt Forte to just two yards on nine carries, and Morgan Burnett intercepted Jay Cutler twice.
The Packers return home next Sunday against the Denver Broncos (1-2).
On September 8, the 2011 NFL season will open with a matchup of the past two Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers will attempt to become the 12th straight defending Super Bowl Champion to win their season opener when the Saints come to Lambeau Field Thursday night.
Both teams are preseason favorites to return to the playoffs, and each hopes to open the 2011 season with a huge win over a premier team.
Several positional matchups will be huge factors in the outcome of the game.
Check out the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
The Wisconsin Badgers opened the 2011 NCAA season with a 51-17 routing of the UNLV Rebels on Thursday night.
The Badgers overpowered the Rebels in all facets of the game, accumulating 499 yards from scrimmage while limiting UNLV to less than 300 yards of offense.
Transfer quarterback Russell Wilson made the most of his Badger debut, completing 10 of 13 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown.
The running back tandem of Montee Ball and James White was stellar as well, as Ball rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns and White ran for 64 yards and a score. Ball also caught 2 passes, one for a touchdown.
After a Rose Bowl season in 2011, five Wisconsin Badgers were selected in the NFL Draft—the most Badgers taken in a draft since 2006, when five were also taken.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
In his first home start for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, Zack Greinke pitched six innings, struck out nine, and gave up just two earned runs on the way to a 4-3 Brewers victory over the San Diego Padres.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
According to sources for the Milwaukee Brewers, Corey Hart will return to the team for his first start on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how well he feels after his Monday night start for Triple-A Nashville.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
The Brewers beat the Braves for the 3rd straight time to win the home series and improve their season record to 3-4.
Ryan Braun got the scoring started with a 2-run homer in the first inning. After the Braves tied the game, Nyjer Morgan ran over Brave catcher Brian McCann, jarring the bar loose and scoring the go-ahead run. The Brewers added a run in the 8th on a Prince Fielder RBI.
Shaun Marcum pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings of working. He also recorded 4 strikeouts and walked just 2 batters. The Brewer relievers held on to the lead, and John Axford tallied his 2nd save of the season.
The Brewers welcome in the rival Cubs for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. Randy Wolf will face off against Carlos Zambrano.
The Milwaukee Brewers finally scraped out their first win of the 2011 MLB season last night in a 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Yovani Gallardo was undoubtedly the hero of the game, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up just 2 hits and scoring the sole run for the Brewers.
Gallardo became the first Brewer pitcher in history to throw a complete game shutout and score the only run of the game, and is the first player in the MLB to accomplish the feat since Pete Harnisch of the Houston Astros did it in 1991.
The Brewers face the Braves again tonight at 7. Marco Estrada takes the mound for the Brewers facing Mike Minor. Both are making their first starts of the season.
Wisconsin heads to New Orleans Thursday night to make their 5th Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last 11 seasons, facing the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs.
The 4th seeded Badgers are coming off two big wins to start the tournament. Last Thursday the Badgers were a favorite to be upset by the Belmont Bruins. Belmont stuck around for a short time, but the Badgers were too much and pulled away, eventually winning 72-48.
The story was much different last Saturday against Kansas State. The 5th seeded Wildcats came in with one of the best scorers in the league, point guard Jacob Pullen. Wisconsin struggled to guard him the entire game, but thanks to little production from the rest of the Wildcats and a few defensive stops at the end of the game, Wisconsin scraped out a 70-65 game and held Pullen to "only" 38 points.
Butler, who made it to the finals last year against eventual tournament-winner Duke, started out this year's tournament by beating 9th seed Old Dominion on a buzzer-beating layup and narrowly upsetting the #1 seed Pitt Panthers.
The Sweet Sixteen will be a matchup of two similar teams. Both Wisconsin and Butler like to play a slow game, take care of the ball, and shoot tons of 3's.
Some key matchups to watch:
Shelvin Mack vs. Jordan Taylor
Both Mack and Taylor have the ability to produce on the offensive end. We saw Taylor explode for 39 against Indiana, and Mack put 30 up against #1 Pitt. Taylor has the edge as a distributor, and has double Mack's assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.
Matt Howard vs. Jon Leuer
The inside game will be vital for both teams. Leuer was able to score at will against Belmont in the second half, and put up 18 against Kansas State. Howard was the hero against Old Dominion, getting a rebound to score a buzzer-beating layup, and was able to score 16 against Pitt. Leuer will have to exploit his height advantage when he is matched up against Howard.
Keaton Nankivil vs. Butler's help defense
Butler's center, Andrew Smith, is not nearly as mobile as Nankivil. The Badgers will look to pop Nankivil outside the arc for an easy three. If Nankivil is able to hit a few shots it will open up the court and put Butler in a tough defensive situation.
Butler's bench vs. Wisconsin's bench
The Badgers' backups came up big in the win over Kansas State. Mike Bruesewitz scored 11 points, including a key three near the end of the game, and picked up 6 rebounds. Ryan Evans provided a much-needed spark midway through the second half. Butler regularly plays 4 backups. Should any of the big hitters get into foul trouble, both teams' benches will need to step up.
Bo Ryan vs. Brad Stevens
Ryan has never missed the NCAA Tournament while coaching Wisconsin, and has seen moderate tournament success in his tenure. Butler coach Brad Stevens might look like a teenager, but has made the NCAA Tournament in all four years at Butler, making it to the final round last year.
The Green Bay Packers cut linebacker A.J. Hawk yesterday, with hopes to re-sign him at a reduced salary. Hawk was scheduled to make over $10 million in the upcoming season.
According to Hawk's agent, Mike McCartney, the two sides are "putting the finishing touches" on a deal to bring Hawk back to the Super Bowl champs just one day after his release.
UPDATE: A.J. Hawk and the Packers have agreed upon a 5-year contract, the details of the contract have yet to be released.
The 2011 off-season has been troubling to date. With the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring on Thursday, the potential for a 2011 lockout looms bigger than ever. It does not appear that the conflict between the NFL team owners and the Player's Union will be resolved and a new CBA will be put into place before the current agreement expires.
If no agreement is reached, the players will be locked out - players won't be able to work out at team facilities, teams can't conduct organized team activities, such as mini-camps, and the free agency period will not begin.
The lockout potential affects all teams as the 2011 season (hopefully) approaches.
The Green Bay Packers
In 2010 the Packers were one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They also experienced a heavy dose of injuries throughout the season. That makes 2011 exciting for Green Bay.
The Packers will experience a talent influx as injured players return to the team. 2010 starters like Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett and Morgan Burnett will be thrown back into the mix as the team looks to return to the Super Bowl.
One of the problems the Packers will face in the off-season is making room for the injured players to return to the roster. This is most notable at the middle linebacker position.
Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar, both inside linebackers, had season-ending injuries last year. A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop stepped up to handle most of the middle-linebacking duties. Bishop was rewarded for his play with a 4-year contract extension.
Deciding whether to keep A.J Hawk or Nick Barnett is a different story. Hawk's contract calls for a base salary of $10 million next year. Barnett has suffered season-ending injuries two out of the past three years. It appears that there is not room for both of these players on the Packer roster, one issue Green Bay will have to deal with.
As much as I love Nick Barnett, I feel the Packers need to attempt to re-negotiate a contract that will keep A.J. Hawk in a Packer jersey for years to come. Hawk struggled with the 3-4 defense early in its inception, but has developed into a vital part of Dom Capers' scheme. He led the Packers in tackles in 2010.
Another issue the Packers will need to address is their free agents. The Packers have several players with expiring contracts. Most notable is Cullen Jenkins. It is highly likely Jenkins will not be re-signed by the Packers and will be playing football elsewhere next fall. I would expect Mike Neal to move into the starting defensive end role.
Several other players, including John Kuhn, Atari Bigby, Jason Spitz, Mason Crosby, James Jones, Charlie Peprah and Brandon Jackson are also facing free agency. Expect the Packers to re-sign many of these players to contract extensions.
The Packers have several areas to address in the 2011 NFL Draft. First, another offensive lineman is a necessity. Bryan Bulaga took over for Mark Tauscher last season, but the aging Chad Clifton will soon need to be replaced. T.J. Lang has seen playing time at tackle, but he has been streaky at best.
The Packers also need to address their defensive line. The 3-4 defense Dom Capers runs rotates defensive lineman in and out constantly. If the Pack lose Jenkins to free agency, more depth will be necessary on the defensive line.
Expect the Packers to draft a defensive back, a corner most likely, as well. Charles Woodson is aging, and Jarrett Bush is of more use as a special teamer than a dime-back. Several other positions could be impacted depending on what free agents the Packers are able to re-sign.
After a Championship 2010 season, the Packers rewarded Mike McCarthy with a 3-year contract extension that pays him around $5 million per year, putting him among the top ten highest paid coaches in the NFL. Green Bay's general manager Ted Thompson also received a contract extension (note: of the 53 Green Bay players active for the Super Bowl, 49 were acquired by Thompson, 26 through the draft).
The threat of a lockout has tarnished the end of the 2010 NFL season. If the 2011 season starts as planned, the Green Bay Packers will certainly be a favorite to make a playoff run once again.
After three road wins, including victories against the top seeded Atlanta Falcons and the rival Chicago Bears, the Packers headed to Dallas to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh entered the playoffs after home victories over the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets.
The Steelers were looking to add to their NFL record six Super Bowl wins, and going for their third Super Bowl win in the past six years. The Packers, meanwhile, looked for ring number four in their first Super Bowl appearance since 1997, a loss to Denver.
The Packers opened the scoring on their second drive. Starting from their own 20, Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers the length of the field and found Jordy Nelson on a 29 yard touchdown pass. The Packers took a 7-0 lead.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff backed the Steelers inside their own 10 yard line. On the following play, Packer defensive tackle Howard Green drove an offensive lineman into Roethlisberger, forcing a bad pass. Nick Collins picked off the underthrown ball, and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 14-0 in the first quarter.
The Steelers added a field goal to make the score 14-3. A few drives later, Roethlisberger was again intercepted, this time by Jarrett Bush.
Four plays later, Rodgers found Greg Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown strike to give the Packers a 21-3 lead with 2:24 left in the first half.
Roethlisberger led the Steelers on an efficient two-minute drill and found Hines Ward for a touchdown with seconds left in the half, making the score 21-10. This drive was significant as it saw both Sam Shields and Charles Woodson leave the game with injuries.
Over halftime, Woodson was given an x-ray which clearly showed a snapped collarbone. Unable to continue playing and overcome with emotions, Woodson was barely able to impress upon his teammates what this game meant to him.
Luckily for the Packers, the extended halftime break (30 minutes instead of 10) gave them enough time to reconfigure their defensive gameplan to make up for the injuries.
In the second half, the Steelers were able to score quickly, thanks largely to running back Rashard Mendenhall. The Steelers closed the gap to 21-17.
The third quarter ended with the score still 21-17. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Steelers attempted to run at Clay Matthews. Matthews and Ryan Pickett collided with Mendenhaal, and Matthews was able to put a hit squarley on the football, jarring it loose. Desmond Bishop recovered the fumble, and the Packers had great field position near midfield.
The Packers went to work and quickly scored on a second Rodgers to Jennings connection, this time from eight yards out. The Packers extended their lead to 28-17.
Pittsburgh responded on the ensuing drive with a 25 yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. The Steelers went for two and succeeded, bringing the game to within three points at 28-25.
The Packers drove right back down the field, but their drive stalled inside the ten yard line. On third down, Rodgers missed Nelson by inches and the Pack settled for a field goal to go up 31-25 with 2:07 left in the game.
Hoping to pull off a second two-minute drill touchdown, Roethlisberger and the Steelers started their final drive from their own 17. After giving up some yards, the Packers forced a turnover on downs, with Tramon Williams breaking up a fourth down pass intended for Mike Wallace.
Two kneel-downs later, the Packers were Super Bowl champs.
Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP after his stellar performance. Rodgers finished 24 of 39 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, good enough for a passer rating of 111.5. Despite many dropped passes from Packer receivers, Rodgers was able to avoid mistakes and complete passes to eight different receivers.
Jordy Nelson had a career day, catching nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Jennings added four catches for 64 yards and two scores, while James Jones caught five balls for 50 yards.
The packers ran sparingly, but James Starks managed 52 yards on 11 carries.
After a season filled with injuries, the Packers were able to overcome losses of integral players in the biggest stage of all to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to its rightful home.
"We've been a team that's overcome adversity all year," said Greg Jennings. "Our head captain goes down, emotional in the locker room. Our No. 1 receiver goes down, more emotions are going, flying in the locker room. But we find a way to bottle it up and exert it all out here on the field."
