2008 NFL Free Agency Q&A

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:20:51 CST

As the period for free agency approaches (it opens at 12:01 AM ET on Friday, February 29), many are wondering how the Packers will approach it this year.

Provided by the NFL, here's a few questions answered to help you better understand free agency:

Click here for a list of the Packers' 2008 free agents.

Q - When can players start being signed in the 2008 free agency signing period?
A - Beginning at 12:01 AM ET on Friday, February 29.

Q -- What are the categories of free agency?
A -- Players are either "restricted" or "unrestricted" free agents. Within the categories are also "transition" and "franchise" players.

Q -- What is the time period for free agency signings this year?
A -- For restricted free agents, from February 29 to April 18; for unrestricted free agents, from February 29 to July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL trainin..

Packers To Pick 30th In 2008 NFL Draft

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:46:14 CST

COIN FLIP DETERMINES FINAL FIRST-ROUND ORDER IN NFL DRAFT

A coin flip at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Friday has set the final order for the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

The Atlanta Falcons won the coin flip with the Oakland Raiders. They will select third in the first round, Oakland fourth and the Kansas City Chiefs fifth.

The three clubs had the same strength of schedule at the end of the season, thus necessitating today's coin toss. Kansas City finished third in the AFC West Division and the Raiders fourth (based on record in common games), so Oakland will choose ahead of Kansas City. Atlanta won today's coin flip with Oakland, thus producing the final third-through-fifth overall choices. If Oakland had won, they would have drafted third, and Atlanta and Kansas City would have flipped to determine the fourth and fifth positions.

The NFL Draft will be held on April 26-27 in New York City.

#Club

Packers Fan Fest Tickets Distributed

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:31:36 CST
PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR MARCH 7-8 EVENT

Tickets for the fourth annual Fan Fest are now in the hands of Packers fans planning to attend the popular event, set for March 7-8 at the Lambeau Field Atrium.

More than 1,000 individuals, representing 3,500 tickets, recently received mailings. During the signup period (Jan. 7-23), more than 1,500 individuals submitted applications, accounting for nearly 5,000 requested tickets.

The event includes a Friday kickoff event, player and alumni appearances, main stage presentations, and a tour through the team's locker room. Attendees also will enjoy exciting raffle prizes and hard-to-find G-Force and gameday items at the "garage sale."

Packers players appearing at the two-day event include Donald Driver, Aaron Kampman, Al Harris, Atari Bigby, Nick Collins, Junius Coston, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Ryan Grant, Korey Hall, Cullen Jenkins, James Jone..

Mike McCarthy Press Conference Transcript - Feb. 22

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:43:51 CST
(What are your thoughts on the tight end position without Bubba and how big a need it could be?)
We're very happy with the way Donald Lee played, obviously. Tory Humphrey, we're hoping he'll come back off of his injury. It's an excellent year in the draft, so we'll look to add probably another player or two there. But I thought we did a much better job this year utilizing our tight ends better, with some of the off-the-line things we did schematically, and we'll look to build on that

(Do the tight ends look like a pretty good draft class?)
Preliminary, yeah. Talking with Ted, and I know Ben McAdoo has had limited opportunity to watch them, and we had a couple guys come into our interviews last night. It looks to be a very athletic group.

(Have you played as many two tight end sets as you'd like or would you like to do it more?)
To me it's not really the personnel playing more than the other. It's really the co..

Ted Thompson Press Conference Transcript - Feb. 22

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:42:45 CST
(Can you talk about the challenge of picking 30th versus 5th two years ago?)
When it comes to drafting, obviously when you're picking 30th as opposed to fifth two years ago, you have to sit there and watch a lot of good players be selected. But that's part of it. I think most teams would rather be at 30, or even better 31 this year. But we're OK with that. The thing that's interesting, we talk about the first round, but it sort of multiplies as you go along. Every round you have to sit there and wait 30 times. So it's a little more difficult.

(Is the guessing game more difficult, figuring out which players will come off the board?)
Those of us in the profession, we don't like to refer to it as a 'guessing game,' but I understand your point. History tells you that every time you pick, no matter where you're at, there's a good player to take. Now, the margin of error is less when you're picking at the end of the round, every round. We have..

Packers Youth Football Camps Set For Seventh Summer

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:40:24 CST
NINE LOCATIONS IN WISCONSIN TO HOST SKILLS INSTRUCTION

The Green Bay Packers Thursday announced details for the team's Youth Football Camps that will take place this summer at nine locations in Wisconsin.

The program, designed for boys and girls ages 6 to 14, features non-contact skill instruction over the course of five days during full-day camps, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The camps, now in their seventh consecutive year, are led by professional educators, college and high school coaches, and Green Bay Packers alumni players such as John Anderson, Johnnie Gray, Dexter McNabb, Bill Schroeder and Paul Rudzinski. The camps have a 10:1 student-to-instructor ratio.

Instructors will teach kids how to throw, catch, defend, form block, form tackle, compete, run and explode out of a stance with proper technique and improved skills. With a station-based training format, every football position is taught in detail.

In addition to developing foot..

Packers Place Franchise Tag On DT Williams, Release TE Franks

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:48:10 CST
The Green Bay Packers have designated defensive tackle Corey Williams as their franchise player and released tight end Bubba Franks. The transactions were announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

As the Packers' franchise player, Williams has a one-year contract tender offer at the defensive tackle franchise number set by the NFL. The Packers maintain a right of first refusal to match any team's offer received by Williams.

Williams played in all 16 games, including nine starts, in 2007 and set career highs with 51 tackles and 32 solo stops. He tied his career high with seven sacks.

"Corey is a good young football player and has been a consistent performer for our team," said Thompson.

Franks spent eight seasons with Green Bay and was one of the most productive tight ends in franchise history.

Franks played in 114 games for the Packers and made 94 starts. A first-..

Packers Foundation Awards $156,303 In Grants To 64 Organizations

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:19:04 CST
COMPONENT OF TOTAL PACKERS CHARITY IMPACT OF $5 MILLION IN PAST YEAR

The Green Bay Packers Foundation has awarded $156,303 to 64 civic and charitable groups throughout the state of Wisconsin in its annual distribution of funds, Casey Cuene, chairman of the Foundation committee, announced Tuesday.

The groups were guests at a luncheon today at the Lambeau Field Atrium. The luncheon is an event that brought all the recipients together and recognized the outstanding efforts and services performed by each of the organizations.

With these disbursements, the Foundation has distributed $1,774,679 for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986 by Judge Robert J. Parins, then president of the Packers Corporation, "as a vehicle to assure continued contributions to charity."

The financial breakdown of the Foundation's contributions discloses that 30 grants - aggregating $88,628 - were awarded to Bro..

Packers, American Heart Association Team Up For 'What Moves U'

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:30:03 CST
TRAINING SESSION SET FOR 145 WISCONSIN SCHOOLS SATURDAY AT LAMBEAU

The Green Bay Packers and the American Heart Association have joined together to create "What Moves U," a new program offered to middle schools throughout Wisconsin designed to combat childhood obesity with the help of the state's teachers.

The program to promote healthy living will be introduced Saturday, Feb. 16, to 200 attendees from 145 Wisconsin schools during a kickoff event that will provide a distribution of the "What Moves U" activation binder, educational speakers and activity demonstrations. The binder includes curriculum created by teachers for teachers with lesson plans to incorporate activities into every class, not just physical education classes.

"The Packers are very excited to join with the American Heart Association to offer this program to Wisconsin middle schools to fight this epidemic," said Cathy Dworak, Packers manager of community outreach. "Our teachers alrea..

Brown County Ticket Drawing Frequently Asked Questions

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:11:02 CST
Who can register?
Any resident of Brown County who is at least 18 years of age, EXCEPT:
-Season Ticket Holders and their spouses
-Owners of businesses who hold season tickets
-Full-time Packers employees and their spouses

Can more than one person in each household register?
Yes. All adults in a household can register. However, the drawing process will initially limit only one winner per household, per season, until all households have been selected.

How do I register?
1. Fill out form
2. Show photo ID (driver's license) to verify name, age & residency*
3. Show second item to prove residency

Examples of second item:
-Utility Bill
-Bank Statement
-Check Book
-Pay check/check stub
-Hunting/Fishing License
-Car Registration
-Just about anything that has their current address on it!

*Many people do not update the address on their driv..

Brown County Residents Reminded To Sign Up For '08 Ticket Drawing

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:01:50 CST
The Green Bay Packers are reminding Brown County residents to sign up for the chance to purchase single-game tickets for the 2008 season.

The registration period is currently underway and will run until March 12. Forms are available at the Packers' ticket office, the Packers Pro Shop and guest relations desk in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Fans can fill out the form, and with the proper identification (picture I.D. and proof of Brown County residency), register in person. Residents who have registered in the past do not need to sign up again.

The upcoming season will mark the sixth year that 4,000 seats per game are available to Brown County residents.

As was the case during recent seasons, if a 2007 selected resident received tickets for a preseason game is selected again to be able to purchase tickets in 2008, he or she will be guaranteed tickets to a regular-season contest.

The more than 17,000 names already on the list will receive confirmation po..

Packers Name Ball V.P. Of Football Administration/Player Finance

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:30:11 CST
The Green Bay Packers have named Russ Ball vice president of football administration/player finance. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, made the announcement Wednesday.

"We are excited to have Russ join our team and look forward to him being a key member of our football operation," Thompson said. "He brings great NFL experience, and we appreciate the New Orleans Saints working with us in enabling Russ to join the Green Bay Packers organization."

Ball brings 19 seasons of NFL experience to Green Bay, where he will be responsible for negotiating player contracts, salary cap management and other football administration duties.

Most recently, Ball spent six seasons (2002-07) with the New Orleans Saints as vice president of football administration. His responsibilities with the Saints included monitoring the salary cap and coordinating different areas of the football operations, as well as several othe..

Packers, Levy Restaurants At Lambeau Field Present Awards To Outstanding Concession Stand Groups

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:57:37 CST
At each game, these hard working folks run many of the concession stands at Lambeau Field, pouring beer, grilling brats and burgers, running the cash registers and so much more. The big surprise is that they aren't doing all of this hustling for extra cash for themselves, but for the good of 65 area non-profit organizations.

Levy Restaurants and the Green Bay Packers honored these organizations for their time and dedication during the 2007 season with its annual Non-Profit Group Appreciation Banquet at the Lambeau Field Legends Club Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. More than 400 people attended the ceremony.

These non-profit groups, which include service organizations and school groups, commit to working at each and every game of the season, some of them even bringing more than 30 people on a regular basis to help serve up the mouth-watering food from Levy's concession stands, such as Going Deep Pizza, The Munch Zone and Draft Picks.

In exchange for their service, g..

Packers Draft Day Party Set For April 26

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:40:56 CST
Packers Fans, mark your calendars for the fifth annual Green Bay Packers Draft Day Party, set for Saturday, April 26, 2008, in the Lambeau Field Atrium.

Doors will open for the event at 1 p.m., with the program running from 2 to 9 p.m.

More details about the party, including ticket information, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Packers Sign 13 To Future Contracts

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:22:26 CST
The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Jerry Babb, quarterback Dalton Bell, punter Ryan Dougherty, wide receiver Chris Francies, linebacker Spencer Havner, guard Ryan Keenan, defensive tackle Alfred Malone, tackle Chris Patrick, defensive back Joe Porter, wide receiver Johnny Quinn, guard Cameron Stephenson, tackle Cliff Washburn and running back Corey White to reserve/future contracts. The signings were announced Thursday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Francies, Havner, Keenan, Malone, Porter, Stephenson, Washburn and White concluded the 2007 season on the Packers' practice squad, while Patrick finished the season on the practice squad injured list.

Babb spent time on the Green Bay roster this past offseason but was waived prior to training camp, while Dougherty spent the final month of training camp with the Packers. Bell spent one week on the Packers' practice squad in September.

Qui..

Packers Hall Of Fame To Celebrate Black History Month In February

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:27:13 CST
PANEL DISCUSSION SET FOR FEB. 28

The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in February again will celebrate Black History Month, a program that will see the organization join many others throughout the United States in the annual celebration of the achievements and contributions African-Americans have made in American History.

This marks the second year the Packers Hall of Fame will offer the program. "We're excited to once again celebrate Black History Month at the Hall of Fame," said Krissy Zegers, Packers Hall of Fame and Stadium Tours manager. "African-American players and coaches have contributed greatly to the Packers throughout the years, and we're honored to be able to recognize their many achievements."

Visitors to the Hall of Fame will be given a booklet that will serve as their guide while touring the facility. It will provide a history of African-American players in professional football as a whole, as well as provide information on many notable..

Mike McCarthy Conference Call Transcript - Feb. 5

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:43:01 CST
(Are you glad to finally have this out of the way?)
It's great to have the contract completed. I'm thrilled to death to be part of the future of the Packers. The five-year deal I think is a reflection of the commitment to our football program and the direction that we're headed.

(When did you sign it?)
I actually signed it Friday. Just to get the paperwork back and everybody on board, technically yesterday it was completed. I was traveling. I was in Phoenix through Friday, and I left there Saturday morning.

(How important is it to have your deal coincide with Ted's deal, both 5-year deals?)
I think it's important. Once again, not to be redundant, I think it's a reflection of our football program, something that Ted declared from the first step when I was hired as the head coach, how he was looking for a partnership. I think it's great to have five years to continue to reach our goal.

(Your origi..

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy Signed To New Contract

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:34:08 CST
The Green Bay Packers have signed Head Coach Mike McCarthy to a new, five-year contract that runs through the 2012 season. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, made the announcement Tuesday.

"I thank the Green Bay Packers, especially Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy, for this commitment and the confidence they have shown in me," McCarthy said.

"We have accomplished some of our goals over the past two seasons, but there remains much left to be done. I am excited by the opportunity to meet those challenges and someday return another Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay."

McCarthy, the franchise's 14th Head Coach, recently completed one of the most successful seasons in club history. The 2007 Green Bay Packers tied a franchise record with 13 regular-season wins on their way to securing the NFC North Division championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

McCarthy became the first Packers coach s..

Packers.com

2008 NFL Free Agency Q&A

Packers To Pick 30th In 2008 NFL Draft

Packers Fan Fest Tickets Distributed

Mike McCarthy Press Conference Transcript - Feb. 22

Ted Thompson Press Conference Transcript - Feb. 22

Packers Youth Football Camps Set For Seventh Summer

Packers Place Franchise Tag On DT Williams, Release TE Franks

Packers Foundation Awards $156,303 In Grants To 64 Organizations

Packers, American Heart Association Team Up For 'What Moves U'

Brown County Ticket Drawing Frequently Asked Questions

Brown County Residents Reminded To Sign Up For '08 Ticket Drawing

Packers Name Ball V.P. Of Football Administration/Player Finance

Packers, Levy Restaurants At Lambeau Field Present Awards To Outstanding Concession Stand Groups

Packers Draft Day Party Set For April 26

Packers Sign 13 To Future Contracts

Packers Hall Of Fame To Celebrate Black History Month In February

Mike McCarthy Conference Call Transcript - Feb. 5

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy Signed To New Contract