Joe Philbin has been granted permission by the
#Packers
to interview for the offensive line job with the
#Vikings
. Philbin spent 10 yrs. in GB, including 2018 as OC for 12 games and interim HC for four games. Minn looking for permanent replacement for the late Tony Sparano.
Mike McCarthy has been fired by the
#Packers
, who appointed offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as interim coach. The Packers (4-7-1) suffered a 20-17 loss Sunday at home to the Cardinals (3-9). A 13 1/2-point favorite, it was the worst loss based on odds in his 13-year tenure.
Michigan DE Rashan Gary (6-5, 281) probably would be a top-5 pick in the 2019 draft if he declares after his junior season, according to an NFC personnel director. Gary had 5 sacks, 11 TFL, 7 QB hits, 1 FF and 62 tackles in 12 games as a sophomore in 2017.
An SI subscriber since 1960, I've read three generational pro football writers: Peter King, Paul Zimmerman and Tex Maule. Congrats to Peter on 29 glorious years at SI and MMQB. He departs as not only the most influential NFL writer but in some ways the conscience of the game.
I'll be back writing about the Packers in 2019 and the 2020 NFL draft. Details will be provided on Monday morning, Aug. 26. Thank you for your patience and support.
#Packers
GM Brian Gutekunst was set to hire
#Ravens
national scout Milt Hendrickson as assistant GM but Ozzie Newsome denied the request, sources said. Hendrickson, who lives in La Crosse, Wis., coached w/Gutekunst at UWLX in '96. Look for Hendrickson to join GB a year from now.
At :
#Packers
FS Clinton-Dix should have been removed from the lineup by the coaches and replaced by someone that was interested in playing after his listless, playing-not-to-get-hurt showing Sunday against the
#Lions
. His tape for 60 minutes was awful.
Free agent
#JakeKumerow
, from UW-
#Whitewater
, might have been the second or third best WR behind Davante Adams on
#Packers
' roster through the first week of practice. Dusted Jaire Alexander deep on double move in one-on-one's Fri aft. In sync with 12, getting more reps with 1's.
I polled 14 personnel people this month on their choice as the best player in the NFL draft. Here were the totals: Q. Williams 6, Bosa 3, Murray 2, J. Allen 1, Haskins 1, Simmons 1.
#Packers
just elevated CB Tony Brown (6-0, 199) from the practice squad and placed DE Muhammad Wilkerson on IR. Brown, with 4.35 speed, might replace Davon House (IR) as the gunner on punts. Also,
#Packers
signed ex-
#Jet
NT Deon Simon (6-4, 332) to P-squad.
News of wholesale staff cuts at Sports Illustrated just sad and depressing. I've been a no-lapse subscriber since early 60's. Tons of sportswriters in last two or three generations learned how to write by reading the beautiful writing at SI. It once was meticulously edited, too.
Go Long Pod: The
#Packers
couldn't be more bullish on Jordan Love, who will be entering his fourth season with just one start. Their plan is to have Love as the starter in 2023.
At : Cut it any way you want, but from May 1 until the end of the season the responsibility in Green Bay for preparing a team to win/compete falls on the head coach.
CB Bashaud Breeland left
#Packers
earlier in the week to take a one-year, $2 million deal ($1.15M guaranteed) with
#Chiefs
. He received a signing bonus of $1.15 million, a minimum base salary of $805K and a workout bonus of $45K. Could earn up to $3M in p-time, P-Bowl incentives.
... ICYMI, son Charlie, Mark Eckel, Rob Reischel and I are excited to announce that Bob McGinn Football will return for the 2018 season/2019 NFL draft. Thank you for the support. We look forward to another great year.
Associate HC/LB coach Winston Moss, one of 3 assts who had been with Mike McCarthy all 13 years, was fired tonight. Presumably, it was for tweeting, in part, regarding the next coach, "Find somebody that is going to hold
#12
and everybody in this building to a Lombardi/Standard!"
I polled 15 personnel guys on who was their favorite player in the NFL draft this year, the one they most loved scouting/watching. Here was the vote: K. Murray, 4; Q. Williams, 4; D. White, 2, and five with 1: J. Allen, B. Burr-Kirven, D. Bush, C. Ford and J. Jacobs.
Peter King stands alongside Tex Maule and Paul Zimmerman atop the pinnacle of Sports Illustrated pro football writers ... and with Peter Gammons as sport's finest notes columnist. What distinguished Peter was the breadth of his interests he shared w/readers. Always so kind, too.
When LB Joe Thomas joined the
#Packers
as a rookie FA from South Carolina State in May 2014 his signing bonus was $5,000. That was the only guaranteed money Thomas ever had until Thursday when he signed a 2-yr, $3.6 million deal with
#Cowboys
that incl. $1M guar. SB was $600,000.
Taking a peek at players from Wisconsin colleges/high schools that have a shot at an NFL camp. Alex Herink, a 6-6 1/2 basketball player at
#MinnMankato
and
#UWRiverFalls
and a UWRF tight end in 2018-'19, is an interesting sleeper.
The
#Packers
have released S-Dime LB Jermaine Whitehead, possibly their smartest player on defense. He made a bone-headed mistake Sunday night in NE by punching C David Andrews. Up from the P-squad is CB Will Redmond (5-11, 186). WR Geronimo Allison heads to IR.
Positively thrilled to see
#TylerDunne
, my former partner in crime at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, launch his own NFL newsletter publication: "Go Long." Ty's obviously an exceptional talent, and no one would ever outwork him. Hope his 1,000's of fans check it out/subscribe!
Proud to be joining Tyler Dunne, my former partner-in-crime at the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee, at his compelling Go Long website. Can't wait to get it going. Hope you consider joining us.
Never saw a h.s. football game played in substantial snow before today. Shoutout to
#Wykons
of West Iron Co. for their MHSAA D8 playoff W over Frankfort, 35-20. 25 degrees, 3-4" of white stuff before kickoff at old Nelson Field in Stambaugh, Mich. U.P. Power!!
#Packers
completed P-squad by bringing back S Marwin Evans, the product of Oak Creek HS who played every game the past two years, and signing CB Tony Brown, a rookie who was cut by Chargers Sat. Brown was the nickel back at Alabama. He can fly (4.35).
No Illinois T Max Scharping (D2, 55), a product of Green Bay Southwest HS, is the highest player drafted from one of the four GB public HS since GB GM Dan Devine drafted QB Jerry Tagge of Green Bay West with the 11th pick of the first round in 1972. Tagge's career rating: 44.2.
Mike McCarthy won with
#Packers
by dominating turnover differential (plus-97) and the NFC North (53-23-2), and by guiding QBs. Now he'll attempt to transform
#Cowboys
from underachievers to achievers.
For free 7-day trial:
At : Looks like it'll be GM Ball-Exec VP Gutekunst in Green Bay, leaving McCarthy to make decision whether he wants to continue coaching
#Packers
or not.
Darrius Shepherd will be the first rookie FA WR originally signed by the
#Packers
to make their opening-day roster since the franchise turned the corner in 1992.
C Nate Trewyn, formerly of
#Milton
and Wisconsin-
#Whitewater
, was activated from the P-squad to the 53-man roster by Buccaneers. Precious few
#WIAC
players have played in the NFL of late. Last WIAC O-Line draftee was
#UWSP
T Pete Lucas in '91. UWLX's Tom Newberry set the standard
CB Kevin King, the 33rd pick in the '17 draft, was placed on IR by the
#Packers
(hamstring). He was available for six games in '18, all starts; of the 6, he failed to finish three due to injury. Dogged by shoulder woes as a rookie, he played 9 games (5 starts) before going on IR.
From the wish-I-would-have-been-there department: Crowd of 3,276 packed Michigan Tech's fieldhouse Wednesday night to see battle of
#UP
Class D unbeatens Dollar Bay (99 students 9-12) and Ewen-Trout Creek (75 students). Dollar Bay won, 51-42.
#Packers
just announced the signing of WR Davante Adams to an extension. It was their priority before mid-March. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported deal worth roughly $14M/yr and run 4 or 5 yrs. Adams suffered concussions 9-28 and 12-17 on illegal hits. Jeffery's new deal avg'd $13.
Mike Zimmer on Sunday when told McCarthy was out: "I didn't even know about it. I think it's a sad, sad deal. Mike McCarthy is a good football coach. I think it's a mistake. Just one man's opinion."
Ex-
#Packers
S Kentrell Brice received no guaranteed money from
#Buccaneers
. He took a one-year, $987,500 deal. Base salary was $800,000, per-game roster bonus was $187,500.
At : under
#Packers
' new structural setup (the head coach reports to the president, not the GM), Pro Football Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf says he wouldn't even have taken an interview in Green Bay.
#Packers
are a 9-point underdog against
#Vikings
Sat nt. They haven't been that big of an underdog at home in 29 years. Last time was December 1988 at Lambeau Field against Minnesota. GB (+10 1/2) upset Vikings, 18-6, in 14-degree weather behind QB Randy Wright. Att was 48,892.
NIU T Max Scharping broke 31-year-old drought in which no player from one of the four Green Bay public schools was drafted. The last was Wis QB Bud Keyes of GB West in the 10th rd by GB in 1988. The Packers cut Keyes without playing him in an exhib game. Scharping played at GBSW.
WR Geronimo Allison's new 1-yr contract suggests a real future with
#Packers
. It's worth $2.8M ($750K guaranteed). It includes a signing bonus of $750K, a base salary of $1.45M, a per-game roster bonus of $500K and a workout bonus of $100K.
Two hours ago cheapest tickets for GB-Minn on StubHub were $99. Five minutes ago the cheapest were $50. Frigid weather tonight at Lambeau Field. How low will they go? Kickoff is three hours away.