Packers news/notes

[Ego74]

Impact of Favre’s words hard to gauge


By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com

Whether they agreed or disagreed, the Green Bay Packers’ players heard quarterback Brett Favre’s public rebuke of receiver Javon Walker’s holdout last month.

In early May, Favre took the same strong stance he has with previous contract holdouts Sterling Sharpe and Mike McKenzie, and said Walker is in the wrong and the Packers shouldn’t give in to his holdout threats for a new contract with two years remaining on his current deal.

Whether Favre’s words resonated with most teammates or are a point of discord in the Packers’ locker room is difficult to know.

For one, the chances of teammates publicly criticizing Favre — the Packers’ franchise player, a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one of the most popular and respected athletes in America — are minimal, even if they think he was in the wrong. So it probably will take until the regular season, which is the only true measure of whether internal problems are hurting the team’s performance, to know whether Favre’s remarks hurt the Packers’ chemistry.

“McNabb did the same thing with TO,” linebacker Na’il Diggs said, referring to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and receiver Terrell Owens recent public dust-up. “Quarterbacks are kind of like the queen on the chessboard. Those are the guys that can say things and are more active as far as the team goes, that’s your appointed leader, automatic. He can say anything he wants.”

Favre’s comments regarding Walker appeared to strike a chord with fans, who seem wearied by the holdouts and contract squabbles in today’s major professional sports. But several national and local pundits lambasted him for being a bad teammate.

They criticized Favre for speaking out publicly rather than privately regarding a teammate’s financial business, and suggested he was a hypocrite because he’s already had several big paydays and doesn’t have to worry about his family’s financial future.

Most teammates have gone out of their way to avoid saying anything inflammatory about Walker and Favre, though Mike Flanagan, the Packers’ center, mildly criticized Walker skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp earlier this offseason. Flanagan said Walker’s holdout threat is of little importance now, though some players might think differently if it carries into the regular season, when it could affect players’ performances and postseason bonuses.

“In the offseason, if (Walker) doesn’t want to be here — Cletidus (Hunt) isn’t here, Grady (Jackson) isn’t here, (Walker) isn’t here, they gave Favre a pass,” Flanagan said. “We don’t get paid for this, we get paid for Sundays in the fall. Until then, I’m not real worried. At that point, I’m sure I’ll have a strong opinion.”

Diggs went out of his way to say he understood both sides of the issue, while several teammates who are friends of both players, such as receivers Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson, took a pass on whether Favre was wrong or if Favre undercut Walker.

“(Favre) is doing what a leading quarterback is supposed to do, and that’s get his guys in,” Diggs said.

Driver said: “That’s none of my business. (Favre’s comments) didn’t bother me at all.”

Though Favre attended parts of minicamp practices Thursday and Friday, he decided not to meet with reporters because he’s not participating in the camp. Coach Mike Sherman excused the 15-year veteran from the team’s official activities this offseason so he could re-charge at his home in Mississippi by working with a personal trainer and staying near his family, whose hardships over the past 1½ years include the deaths of his father and brother-in-law, and his wife undergoing surgery and treatment for breast cancer.

Favre is expected to remain in Wisconsin through Sunday, when he hosts his charity softball game at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, before returning to Mississippi.

On Thursday and Friday, Favre talked with some teammates and coaches but attended no formal meetings because quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell has been sending him diagrams and videotape throughout the offseason of new wrinkles in the offense.

Though Favre didn’t take part in drills, he appeared slightly thinner through the midsection than in recent years. His offseason workout program has emphasized strengthening his torso and tailoring his cardiovascular conditioning to football.

“I can tell he’s lost a little weight,” Driver said.

Bevell said: “I think he looks good. I know he’s working hard, training hard. I can’t tell — he’s not going to come out here and look like Mr. Atlas or anything. I just want him to have good conditioning, and you can’t tell that just by looking at him.”

Favre and first-round draft pick Aaron Rodgers also met for the first time this week — Favre was excused from the Packers’ post-draft minicamp, which was Rodgers’ introduction to the team. Rodgers hasn’t looked as sharp throwing the ball this minicamp as the last one after having most of the playbook thrown at him in the past month.

“I’m a little nervous, trying to impress (Favre),” Rodgers said. “Didn’t do much of that.”

 

[Ego74]

Chris Havel
It’s time for Hunt to go


Reggie White could have waited. The Green Bay Packers should have retired Cletidus Hunt’s number this week. Permanently.

The seventh-year pro — and I use the term “pro” lightly — didn’t bother to attend the first day of the team’s June minicamp on Wednesday.

The disappointment, if not disgust, was evident on coach Mike Sherman’s face as he answered questions regarding Hunt’s whereabouts.

“It’s not a mandatory camp, but we expect him to be here,” Sherman said. “He should’ve been here. He wasn’t here. That’s disappointing.”

Is it discouraging?

“It’s fairly discouraging,” Sherman admitted. “You expect more out of people. To say it’s discouraging is probably an understatement.”

The whole Cletidus Hunt soap opera is becoming tiresome. The guy hasn’t contributed a lick the past two seasons. He isn’t interested in being a good teammate, or being part of a winning team, or doing anything to improve himself.

He’s nothing special

He is a 6-foot-4, 305-pound slug. He isn’t a bad guy. He’s just a guy.

The Packers’ 2003 media guide described Hunt as an “intimidating, determined veteran” who signed a contract extension after a breakout 2002 season to “torment offensive lines well into the future.”

By the looks of it, the only things Hunt has tormented are Sherman and his teammates. He is undependable, unprofessional and unreachable. He is on the Packers’ roster only because cutting him would mean a prohibitive hit on the salary cap.

Fullback William Henderson, the consummate pro, was diplomatic when asked about Hunt’s MIA status.

“I just wish Cletidus would get here when he’s able to and be ready to play when the time comes,” Henderson said. “In July, I expect everybody to be here. I expect upper management to handle their jobs, and I expect the players to do what’s best for them. But I expect when it’s time to step on the field that they’re all ready to do the job.”

That is wishful thinking with Hunt.

Some fans may be tempted to say the media is picking on Hunt. Again. Well, Hunt is screwing up. Again.

He’s earned scrutiny

Hunt has a dubious past, including a four-game suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse program. If Hunt is found in violation again, it would mean a season-long suspension.

If Hunt is the target of repeated negative press, it is because he earned it.

Sherman is extraordinarily patient and understanding with his players, but even he has his limit, and Hunt is pushing it.

Asked whether Hunt is playing with fire, Sherman said: “We want to move forward with guys that want to play and do their jobs, and we have quite a few guys in that group that fall into that category.”

Hunt isn’t one of them.

The guess here is that Hunt has played his last game in a Packers uniform and will be out of the league within a year.

If that is true, Hunt has only himself to blame.

 

[Ego74]

Favre: ‘Maybe I will be back’ after 2005


By Dylan B. Tomlinson
PackersNews.com

GRAND CHUTE — For much of this offseason, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has been content to sit at home and work out with his personal trainer. So when Favre held an impromptu press conference in the dugout at Fox Cities Stadium after his celebrity softball game on Sunday, there were a lot of questions to answer.

When asked if he expected to play beyond next season, Favre was his usual elusive self, but he certainly seemed open to the thought of a few more seasons in a Packers uniform.

“I haven’t made any decisions. Each year has been different, especially the past three years with all the things going on,” Favre said. “I haven’t been totally committed because of some of the outside things that I’ve had to deal with. Although they’ve been big distractions for me and my family, this is still my job and I want to be totally, 100 percent committed to this team. I don’t know if I’ve been that the past two years.”

After dealing with so many off-the-field problems the last two seasons, Favre said he is looking forward to a year where football can be his primary focus.

“I’m hoping this year will go smoothly,” Favre said. “I can’t guarantee what we’ll do as a team, but I hope off the field and within my family, things go smoothly and I’m able to enjoy it a little bit more and my family will enjoy it. If that’s the case, maybe I will be back.”

The most popular topic was receiver Javon Walker, who has boycotted both offseason minicamps and is threatening to sit out the season if he is not given a new contract.

Favre surprised many when he openly criticized Walker in May during an interview with the Press-Gazette.

When Favre was asked about Walker on Sunday, he didn’t back off his previous comments.

“As the leader of this team, in some ways I have to be vocal, and I’ve always been a quiet guy when it comes to things like that,” Favre said. “I just hate to see the game going this way.”

Favre said he’s never said Walker isn’t deserving of a hefty raise, he just said he’s going about it in the wrong way. With two years left on his contract, Walker is going to have to wait for his big payday.

“As I’ve said about Javon, he’s a phenomenal player, the sky is the limit,” Favre said. “He doesn’t even realize how good he can be. I just want him in camp; it’s going to help us as a team. You know I hated that that had to come out, but I meant what I said. I won’t backtrack one bit about that.”

Favre was critical of receiver Sterling Sharpe when he held out before the 1994 season and responded similarly when defensive back Mike McKenzie held out last season. McKenzie’s holdout was a distraction during training camp and the early weeks of last season and Favre said he doesn’t want to see a repeat of that this season.

Favre said he hasn’t talked to Walker, but said he doesn’t expect the two to have any problems if and when Walker returns to the Packers.

“I said some things when Sterling held out; Sterling and I are fine,” Favre said. “Mike McKenzie, or course, I didn’t have an everyday relationship with Mike, but we were fine. I think it bothers other people more than it bothers players.

“I don’t see any reason why he’ll be bitter at me. If he is, then he’ll have to get over it. I haven’t said anything negative about Javon. He’s a tremendous player, he’s a great guy. I’ve said that and I’ll say it again. But I think the way he’s going about this is wrong. People may disagree, but that’s how I feel.”

Deanna Favre said the time away from football has made Brett more excited for the upcoming season than she has seen in some time.

“I think it was a good move, I really do,” Deanna Favre said. “He needed some time to rejuvenate, and over the past few years, a lot has happened. Staying away and focusing on family and working out has really helped. He’s really excited about coming back, more excited this year about coming back than probably the past two or three.”

Favre agreed with his wife’s assessment.

“I’ve missed the guys and I’ve missed being around and that’s kind of the whole premise of doing this,” Favre said. “I want to come into training camp ready to go, because you can get burned out. I don’t think that’s going to be the case this year. I think I’ll be ready to go.”

Favre rolled his eyes when asked about his off-season workouts with a personal trainer. While Favre does appear to be in better shape than in past years, he said too much is being made about it.

“Obviously this story has been blown out of proportion. I have been working out the trainer, yes that is true,” Favre said. “I feel better. Mentally for me I think is the biggest part of it. I’m fresh, ready to play. I’m eager to get back out there. And in the process physically I’ve been working out and it’s been going extremely well. Hopefully when training camp opens, I’ll be ready physically and mentally.”

 

[coconutman]

That is the best news i heard so far. YES! I just love Favre and want to see him play for 2-3 more seasons.

 

[Ego74]

Davenport won't go on hold
Rosenhaus is his agent, but running back plans to play
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: June 8, 2005

Green Bay - When Drew Rosenhaus - Public Enemy No. 1 in the state of Wisconsin - brought Najeh Davenport into his lair last month, Packers fans everywhere had to be fretting.

Rosenhaus, of course, is the agent best known for holding players out. He did it last year with Mike McKenzie, before the bizarre cornerback was traded. He's doing it now with disgruntled wide receiver Javon Walker. And he has done it with several other players throughout the league.

But Davenport said holding out is something that never crossed his mind.

"No. Why? What have I did?" asked Davenport, Green Bay's backup running back. "I'm Najeh Davenport, second-team tailback. What would I look like holding out?"

In all honesty, rather silly. So Davenport is taking a very un-Rosenhaus-like approach to a new contract - he's playing football.

The four-year deal Davenport signed after he was drafted in 2002 expires after this season. And Davenport has made it known he'd love to stay in Green Bay.

But the Packers face quite a dilemma. Pro Bowl running back Ahman Green is in the final year of his contract, as is third-down specialist Tony Fisher. So where Davenport falls on the Packers' priority list remains unclear.

"Everybody wants a contract. Who don't?" Davenport said. "Yeah, I'd like a new contract when it's time to get one. I've still got to go out there and play, so it depends on how I play. It depends on a lot of things, like what (general manager) Ted (Thompson) and the organization decide to do with me as a player and a pro."

Thompson and the Packers haven't tipped their hands as to which way they're leaning. But regardless, Davenport figures to be paid handsomely if he eventually hits the free-agent market.

At 6-foot-1, 253 pounds, Davenport runs with great power and is a load for defenders. In 187 career carries, he has averaged 5.15 yards per attempt.

Davenport says he could play with equal effectiveness around 240 pounds. But the Packers like the power he gives them right now and don't want to toy with his weight.

"He's a guy that's improving and he's a good power runner," Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett said. "Great size, great speed and he's improving and getting better and better. He's getting better at all the little things as far as being able to prevent injuries as well as heal from the ones he had last year."

The drawbacks to Davenport's game is that he runs too high and pays the price for it. In his three seasons, he has missed 14 games, including five a year ago with rib, hamstring and shoulder injuries. He has also struggled with fumbles and catching the ball.

Still, many teams will pop in the tape from last November when he punished St. Louis for 178 yards and a 9.4 yard per carry average on a Monday night. And somebody might decide to make Davenport their starter, much like Oakland did with LaMont Jordan this past off-season.

"If he gets the opportunity to go to another team, he will be a starter," Green said of Davenport. "There's no doubt about it. What he's got to do now is just be patient and continue to work hard and his time will come if it's here or somewhere else. But his time will come."

Davenport, who bought a home in Green Bay last year, says he'd love for his time to come as a Packer. And that's one reason he and Rosenhaus never considered a holdout. Davenport knows he still has plenty to prove and can't do it from his couch.

"Drew already told me that holdouts are for special situations like Javon's case," Davenport said. "It's about leverage. Javon has leverage. I'm a second-team tailback going into my restricted free-agent year.

"It's about leverage and Javon has a lot of leverage right now to get a new contract. It's about leverage. My leverage isn't like that. It's not to the point where I want to hold out. (Rosenhaus) told me to play this year out, do what I need to do, and if the Packers decide to give me a contract during the season, they do. If they don't, we just go to the free agent market."

Davenport admits he'd rather it didn't come to that.

He attended Miami Central High School and later the University of Miami, but has taken a liking to Green Bay. Whether the Packers return the love probably won't be known until sometime during the year or next off-season.

For the time being, both Davenport and Green said their respective parties haven't been negotiating with the Packers. And the only thing Davenport is confident of is he'll be somebody's primary ball carrier come 2006.

"I would like an opportunity to be a starter and be on a winning team. If I'm here or I'm somewhere else, I plan on playing," he said. "My situation depends on what this organization does with A.G. I would love to be in Green Bay because the football is great, the coaches are great, the town's great. But it's like a business, you know.

"And I'm either going to be a career backup or dot the I's somewhere. And I don't really want to be a backup."