Josh Jones carted off the practice field, Packers not concerned

According to a report by Green Bay Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky, Josh Jones limped off the practice field Tuesday. It appeared that Jones turned his right ankle on the play and was in pain.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that Jones didn’t turn his ankle, but rather had his foot stepped on during yesterday’s practice.

He made it to the cart where he sat and had a large ice pack on his ankle. He stayed at practice long enough to ice his ankle, but ended up leaving practice on a cart shortly there after.

The Packers coaches don’t seem too worried about Josh Jones or his injured ankle. Most likely Jones has a minor ankle sprain. Hopefully the team can stay healthy until their next preseason game on Saturday against the Washington Redskins.

 

    Top pick Kevin King sits out of practice, joins a number of injured top draft picks

    The Green Bay Packers top pick Kevin King sat out this morning’s practice due to a shoulder injury. King still showed up to the practice, which hopefully means it’s not serious. King had been practicing earlier this training camp as a starting corner for the Packers. Quinten Rollins filled in at corner in place of King this morning.

    With King out due to injury, it means that three of the Packers top four picks are now sidelined with injuries to start training camp. Packers third-round pick DT Montravius Adams will miss multiple weeks after having surgery on his foot Tuesday.

    Vince Biegel, the Packers fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin is also sitting out of camp. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). Biegel had surgery on his foot shortly after rookie camp in May. The Packers expect to get Biegel back in a couple of weeks.

      Guion’s plea before his June arrest: ‘Please sir, it’s my birthday.’

      The details of Letroy Guion’s arrest on suspicion of drunk driving were revealed Thursday a little more than a week since the story broke about the Green Bay Packers defensive lineman.

      According to the police report obtained by the Associated Press, Guion smelled of alcohol and marijuana when he was pulled over in Hawaii in the early morning hours of June 21. He reportedly stumbled when trying to walk and his speech was slurred. Guion’s blood alcohol level of .086 percent was just slightly higher than the legal limit of .08.

      The incident occurred on Guion’s 30th birthday, something he tried to use to get out of the arrest, saying to police, “Please sir, it’s my birthday. I can have someone else drive.”

      Police pulled Guion over because he was drifting between lanes. According to the records, Guion told the officer that arrested him that he had been drinking Hennessy all night and that he doesn’t drink any of “that weak stuff.”

      The Packers only comment on the arrest has been that they are aware of it but would offer nothing further as it is an ongoing legal matter.

      Guion was arrested back in 2015 on drug and gun charges in Florida and was suspended for three games that season as a result. The nose guard is already slated to miss the first four games of the 2017 season after violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

        Fred Couples: “I love Steve Stricker. Everything he does is first class.”

        MADISON, Wisconsin | PGA TOUR Champions golfer Fred Couples was among the golfing legends competing in day two of the Pro-Am at University Ridge golf course in Madison on Thursday. Couples will take part in the American Family Insurance Championship Friday-Sunday at U Ridge.

        Couples, who has been a force in golf ever since his first PGA Tour victory in 1982 at the Kemper Open, is still a fan favorite. A group of kids were asking for a picture with him while he was on the driving range Thursday. His reaction? “Sure! Come here.”

        Keep in mind the driving range is off limits to the general public. And Couples needs all the practice he can get after spending most of last season and part of this one out with a sore back. But Couples not only made time for the kids and their Dad. He also spent a few minutes giving props to Steve Stricker for being who he is and for hosting the Am Fam Championship.

        “I love Steve Stricker,” said Couples. “He’s been a friend forever. Everything he does is first class so I’m sure this is a great spot.”

        Couples went on to talk about his longtime relationship with Stricker and explained why he’s so well liked among his peers.

        “He’s very friendly and has a great family. He’s gonna be a perfect President’s Cup captain. He’s just easy to be around.”

        Couples says he doesn’t know a whole lot about the city of Madison. He’s been here a couple times before for various golf events. But he’s going to take in the Darius Rucker concert at Breese Stevens Field on Friday night and will return to the Badger State to see his Seattle Seahawks take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in September.

        “I will  not have any Seahawks gear on. I won’t do that!”

        Couples, who is 57 years old, says he will continue to play on the PGA Champions Tour as long as he’s competitive.

        “If there comes a time I’m in 25th or 30th place, I can’t do that. My body is not strong enough anyone. Hopefully I have two or three more years. I keep saying that but hopefully.

          Packers release DT Mike Pennel

          The Green Bay Packers have released defensive tackle Mike Pennel.

          Pennel, who was suspended twice this year for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, played in 37 games over the past three seasons with five starts. The 25-year-old had 29 tackles and one sack during his time with Green Bay.

          At one point thought to be a starter in the team’s 3-4 base defense, Pennel was suspended for the first four games of this season. He played in eight games, registering five tackles and one pass break-up, before once again being suspended for a second violation and missing the final four games of the regular season. Green Bay had a roster exemption for Pennel that expired on Monday.

          In addition to his off the field concerns, Pennel became expendable, in part, due to the play of rookie Dean Lowry over the last half of the season.

          Green Bay will travel to Dallas this Sunday to take on the Cowboys in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game with the winner advancing to the conference title game.

            Aaron Rodgers leads the Packers to a 31-24 victory over the Lions and an NFC North title

            It was a never a guarantee, just a feeling. But whatever you want to call it, quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered on it.

            A little more than five weeks after telling reporters that he felt the Green Bay Packers could run the table and win out, that’s exactly what the team did with a 31-24 NFC North-clinching win in Detroit Sunday night.

            “That’s what you have to do sometimes as a leader,” Rodgers said of his ‘run the table’ comment that came in the midst of a four-game losing streak to drop the Packers to 4-6 on the year. “You have to exude confidence even in a situation where it seems to the outside world that confidence shouldn’t exist. And that’s what I did. I believe in myself and my abilities, but I also believe in this team. This wasn’t just a shot in the dark.”

            Since making that comment, the Packers are 6-0 and Rodgers has thrown 15 touchdowns and no interceptions, and put himself firmly in the race for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award, something he’s taken home twice in his career already.

            “Great players make other players so much better around them,” coach Mike McCarthy said of Rodgers, who finished the season with 40 touchdowns to lead the NFL.

            The Lions led at the half 14-10, but a 10-play, 75-yard drive, that Rodgers capped off with a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Davante Adams, gave Green Bay a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. All but one of the Packers four touchdown drives went at least 70 yards, including on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter to virtually seal the game.

            “There was never any reason not to believe we were going to be here today,” McCarthy said when asked how his team turned things around after the 4-6 start. “This team, they’re different.

            “This team has an energy, it has an edge, it has confidence that was evident very early in our preseason. I’ve always believed in that. And they believe in that. Maybe that’s why we aren’t doing cartwheels right now.”

            They aren’t because the end goal wasn’t to win the NFC North. It was a goal, but not the goal. That — a victory in Super Bowl LI — remains out there, starting with a visit from the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon.

            “We have bigger aspirations,” McCarthy said. “This is the first step. This is the threshold to get in the playoffs, getting in this tournament. We’ll move on Monday. Get healthy (and) get ready for the Giants.”

            Injuries strike

            Green Bay has been tormented by injuries throughout the year, and that continued on Sunday night, specifically in the secondary where they lost three cornerbacks — Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and Makinton Dorleant — in close succession.

            The most serious appeared to Rollins, who landed hard on the Detroit sideline early in the second half, and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. He was taken to a local hospital, and Packers officials said he was alert and able to move all his extremities.

            Randall injured his knee in the first half and didn’t return, while Dorleant was carted off after being injured on special teams in the second half.

            The injuries left safety Micah Hyde as one of the two outside cornerbacks along with LaDarius Gunter, while safety Morgan Burnett was forced to play as the nickel cornerback in the slot.

            Tickets on sale

            The team announced that about 8,000 tickets were available to the general public for the playoff game against the Giants at Lambeau Field. The sale was the result of tickets not claimed by season-ticket holders.

            You can order them here:

              Mike Daniels: ‘(I’m) sick of this s***’

              The Green Bay Packers frustrations on the field Sunday boiled over into the locker room following a less than stellar performance in a 31-26 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

              While reporters were in the midst of interviewing players at their lockers, a loud voice boomed from inside the shower room, going off about his team’s play in the wake of falling to 4-4 on the year. PackersNews.com reported that the voice belonged to fiery defensive end Mike Daniels, who was furious with the play of a team that had Super Bowl aspirations coming into the year.

              “What the (expletive) are we doing, man?” Daniels shouted. “(I’m) sick of this (expletive).”

              Here is an edited version of that audio:

               

              Wide receiver Jordy Nelson was asked about the outburst and whether it was a sign that frustration was building within the team.

              “That’s a question for (Daniels),” the veteran said.

              The rant came on a day where the Packers had very little energy from the start, allowing the Colts to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It wasn’t until the final few offensive possessions that Green Bay came alive, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives, but the comeback fell short.

              “I don’t understand it,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of the lack of energy. “This is what we get paid to do, is to bring it every week, and I hope the guys would say I bring it every week. I mean, I love this game and I bring the energy. I’m not a rah-rah guy, but I’m a focused, enthusiastic player, and I don’t know what the lack of juice was. You kind of felt it over the entire sideline.

              “We didn’t have the same kind of enthusiasm and encouragement that we had the previous two weeks. So we’ve got to look deep in the mirror there, because that’s just not acceptable.”

                Packers release Matt Rotheram and Jesse Schmitt

                GREEN BAY, WIs. — The Green Bay Packers have released G Matt Rotheram and LS Jesse Schmitt. The transactions were announced Monday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

                Rotheram, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound first-year player out of the University of Pittsburgh, originally signed with the Packers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2015 and spent the entire 2015 season on Green Bay’s practice squad.

                Schmitt, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound rookie out of Purdue signed with Green Bay on Aug. 9.

                  Nelson returns to practice with no setbacks

                  GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers receiver Jordy Nelson returned to practice Monday afternoon, roughly one year after tearing his ACL in a preseason game against the Steelers.

                  Nelson was relegated to individual drills only, but made some sharp cuts and sudden stops that would seem to indicate a completely healthy right knee.  He took passes from Aaron Rodgers as part of a duo that many say rivals the best in the NFL.

                  Nelson’s availability for the remainder of the preseason games is uncertain at this point, but it’s step towards returning to his Pro Bowl status.