PACKERwatch

The Favre rumors are still flying, and the future Hall of Fame quarterback hopes to put an end to them soon.  Favre said yesterday that he will make a decision soon, but said he doesn’t know exactly when.  He also admits that he “jumped the gun” after the Packers’ final game against the Bears when he said that a decision would be made within two weeks.  Favre added: “I don’t want to drag this out as long as I did last year.”

Favre said that he would contact McCarthy Tuesday night, to discuss his future in the NFL.  So don’t get too excited, but a decision from Favre seems like it could come any day now.

Packers WR Koren Robinson, acquired off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings, has entered a special plea bargain, called an Alford plea bargain, in his case involving a high-speed chase.  In this plea, he has admitted that there is enough evidence to convict him, but still does not officially admit guilt.  In exchange Robinson’s minor charges of reckless driving, driving without a license, and 5 others were dropped.

 Over the summer, Robinson was racing to meet a curfew at the Packers training camp, and allegedly exceeded speeds of 100 mph with police chasing him.  Robinson claims he didn’t know he was being chased, and was simply trying to make curfew.  Sentencing is currently scheduled for Feb. 20, but that is a tentative date.

I’m working on a mock draft that I will post after the Super Bowl, when the final draft order is determined and more underclassmen declare for the draft.  Stay tuned!

Packers CEO Bob Harlan has predicted a return for Green Bay QB Brett Favre, who is contemplating retirement.  Harlan called it a “gut feeling” after watching a taped interview ESPN conducted with Favre.  Harlan claimed that Favre’s competitive spirit would drive him to come back to a young and improving Packers team that could have a legitimate playoff chance next year.

 It is well known that last year Favre took way too long to make his decision, waiting until April, less than a week before the draft, to assure the Packers that he would, indeed be returning.  Favre has promised to make a quicker decision this time around, but no one knows how much quicker it will be.

Pro Bowl selections Donald Driver and Aaron Kampman added to their lists of accomplishments today after being named to the All-NFC Roster.  The two pro-bowlers obviously deserved the award after being voted into the Pro Bowl by NFL fans and coaches.

Former Packers head coach Mike Sherman was hired by the Texans as their new offensive coordinator, and he will also retain his position as assistant head coach. This is actually pretty good news for Packers fans, because Sherman will almost certainly receive a salary increase as he takes on an additional role in the Texans offense. Because of this, the Texans will have paid off more of his salary (the Packers must pay Sherman the $3.2 million salary that he would have received during the last 2 years of his contract, minus any money included in his current salary with the Texans).

Proving that GM Ted Thompson put together a really nice draft, 3 Packers rookies were named to the NFL’s all-rookie team.  Wide Receiver Greg Jennings, Linebacker A.J. Hawk, and Guard Daryn Colledge received the honor, joining 19 other players from throughout the league. Jennings started the season incredibly strong, and could have possibly made a push for rookie of the year if it wasn’t for a nagging ankle injury that hampered him throughout the second half of the season. Linebacker A.J. Hawk proved his value as the No. 5 overall pick in the draft by leading the team in tackles. Finally, Daryn Colledge was able to adapt nicely to the Packers zone-blocking scheme and will be an integral part of the improving offensive line as it moves toward next season.

Hopefully, all of this is a sign that the youngest team in the NFL will develop into one of the best teams in the NFL.

New Packers Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin will continue to use the zone-blocking scheme that the Packers used throughout the ‘06 season will be in place again next year. McCarthy and former offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski introducedthe system with mixed success in the ‘06 season, and it was a marked improvement from the previous season’s rush offense. Philbin siad of the zone-blocking scheme, “We invested a lot of time in it, a lot of repetitions, a lot of practice time.” He continued, “We think it’s good, we want to get better at it…and we’ll start finding ways to do that tomorrow.”

Green Bay Packers offensive line coach Joe Philbin was promoted to offensive coordinator earlier today to replace outgoing OC Jeff Jagodzinski, who accepted the head coaching job at Boston College.  Joe Philbin seems like an excellent choice because of his experience as the offensive line coach.  As you may know, the Packers used a new zone-blocking scheme throughout the season, and Joe Philbin will know the ins and outs of the system. 

Green Bay linebacker coach Winston Moss has also been promoted, and he will be Mike McCarthy’s “assistant head coach-defense.”  This move follows a recent trend in which NFL teams have been appointing these assistant head coaches who will be advisors and aides to the head coach.  Winston Moss will, as his new title suggests, continue to work with the young Packers defense.

New offensive coordinator Joe Philbin will replace Jeff Jagodzinksi.

The Packers will be facing a tough schedule next year, in which they will play the AFC’s top seeded San Diego Chargers and several other playoff-caliber teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL schedules are set up so that each year, a team plays six games withing its division, 4 games in an inter-conference matchup between divisions (this year the NFC North teams played against the AFC East; next year the NFC North will play against the AFC West), 4 games within the conference but outside the division (this year the NFC North played against the NFC West; next year the NFC North will play the NFC East), and 2 other games within the conference based on the final standings of the year (since the Packers finished in 2nd place in the NFC North, they will play any other second place NFC teams not already in their schedule, which would be the second place teams from the NFC West and NFC South).