PACKERwatch

Vernand Morency, who suffered a knee injury in the opening day of training camp originally thought to be minor, is now expected to miss at least two more weeks, according to head coach Mike McCarthy.  McCarthy said that the injury was “a little more serious than we thought.”  Morency will therefore most likely miss the opening preseason game against Pittsburgh.  The silver lining in this?  Noah Herron has been surprising coaches and could possibly end up fighting for the starting job.

Another bit of bad news, Brett Favre’s family has suffered another tragedy.  Brett Favre and his wife Deanna were informed on Saturday that Deanna’s stepfather, Rocky Byrd, had died of a heart attack.  Byrd was 56.  Apparently, Favre was very close to Byrd, and Byrd was one of the inner circle in the Favre family that persuaded Favre to play another year.  Donald Driver, a close friend of Favre, said that he talked with Brett about Rocky Byrd’s death.  “I will just be there for him for support, that’s all I can do,” said Driver.  Favre, who had also been nursing shoulder soreness but was still participating in camp, will be out for an unspecified amount of time.

Many Packers fans had been anxiously awaiting the start of training camp to reassure themselves that last year’s 4-0 finish was in fact a signal of great things to come in the very near future.  Unfortunately, the Packers first day of training camp may have caused many to doubt the Packers’ chances for the 2007 season. 

First round draft pick Justin Harrell seemed rusty, often being overpowered and out of place.  That is to be expected, however, from  a player who hasn’t played a single down of full contact football since September of 2006, when the latest of his many injuries sidelined him for the remainder of the season.  Far more worrisome then a slightly rusty defensive tackle is the problems the Packers had with their running backs on the first day of training camp.

Vernand Morency, the #2 running back behind Ahman Green in ‘06 and the expected starter in ‘07, left late in the practice after a minor injury to his knee, leaving the first team carrying duties to rookie Brandon Jackson.  Jackson, who had impressed with his work ethic when he holed up in his hotel room to study the Packers’ playbook at a mandatory photoshoot while other rookies were taking advantage of a free weekend, failed to impress on the field, dropping two passes and missing blocks.  7th rounder Deshawn Wynn sat out the entire practice due to a stomach virus.

In addition to the woes at running back, Pro Bowl WR Donald Driver sat out the first day due to a nagging shoulder injury that head coach Mike McCarthy described as “day-to-day.”

Hopefully, the Packers are able to overcome this underwhelming performance and get on the right track ASAP.

Friday night, the Packers signed 1st round draft pick Justin Harrell, who was the last of eleven picks to sign. Harrell signed the deal just in time to get on the field for the opening of training camp. Harrell and other draft picks, especially WR James Jones and RB Brandon Jackson will be expected to make immediate contributions to the Packers.

Two Packers players, WR Robert Ferguson and DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila,  have spoken out against dogfighting in light of the recent indictment of Falcons star Michael Vick (If you somehow hadn’t heard, Michael Vick has been charged with involvement in a dogfighting business that took place on his property). 

While both Ferguson and Gbaja-Biamila declined to comment specifically on Vick’s case, the two players both spoke out against dogfighting in general.  Ferguson, who grew up in a rough neighborhood in Houston, recalls witnessing dogfighting on his street and remembers he and his friends trying to rescue the animals.  In 2003, Ferguson started an anti-dogfighting organization that also advocated the pitbull breed.  Their slogan was, “Punish the deed, not the breed.”

Gbaja-Biamila, a self-proclaimed dog lover and spokesman for the Green Bay Area Humane Society  said the following about dogfighting:  “God created all these creatures, and it’s our responsibility to take care of them, to keep them safe, and not put them in a situation where they get hurt. You don’t treat any living thing like that. It’s inhumane.”

Burglars broke into the home of former Packers center Frank Winters, part of the team that won Super Bowl XXXI, and stole his Super Bowl Ring and NFC Championship Ring, along with approximately $32,500 worth of other items, including a vehicle.  The culprits have not yet been caught.