April

The Packers didn’t pick a single Badger in the Draft this weekend, but a small group of Wisconsin players were picked up by other teams and now begin their pro careers. Running back Brian Calhoun was taken in the third round (74th overall) by Detroit, which both saddens and frightens me. He had just one season at UW, but what a season it was, and now he’ll be facing the Green Bay defense twice a year. (Note to Brian: Save your best games for Minnesota.) Wide reciever Brandon Williams, who totaled 59 catches for 1,095 yards and six touchdowns for the Badgers, also went in the third round on a pick by San Francisco.

Tight end Owen Daniels was chosen by Houston at the beginning of the fourth round. He racked up 391 yards and two scores on 25 catches last year as Badger. Fellow tight end Jason Pociask, who was used mostly as a blocker, went in the fifth round (150th overall) to the Jets. Finally, wide receiver Jonathan Orr was picked up by Tennessee in the sixth round (172 overall). He had 40 catches last year for 688 yards and eight touchdowns.

Not chosen in the Draft, though, was fullback Matt Bernstein. I thought earlier today that it would be pretty great if the Packers picked him up in the later rounds because I think he would be a natural fit for the team, and I see that Craig at the Oracle of Cheese was thinking the same thing. Take heart, though, he’s still available to be signed as an undrafted free agent.

As for my own alma mater, linebacker Tim Dobbins was the only Cyclone to be taken in the draft, getting selected by San Diego in the fifth round.

Two days and 255 picks later, the 2006 NFL Draft is finally over, so how did the Packers do? Pretty well, I’d say. There were no obvious goofs or gaffes we’ll be smarting from in the next few months, and we might have even picked up a few players that could make an impact for us. I would have to agree with Mr. Lalasz that Ted Thompson should have started dealing Javon Walker a long time ago, and if he had we might have gotten more than just a second round pick. I also think there was a little too much maneuvering there in the second round, and we missed out on some attractive talent, such as wideout Chad Jackson, lineman Winston Justice, and tight end Joe Klopfenstein. But compared to the Mike Sherman drafts, this one went off practically without a hitch.

Obviously, the big news to come out of it all is A.J. Hawk. I know there’s some grousing out there about Vernon Davis, but our defense is in such a sorry state and the linebacker corps so depleted of talent that taking Hawk was the right pick. This guy should have an immediate impact on the field and could become the next face of the Packers defense in the same way Reggie White and LeRoy Butler were back in the heyday 90s.

As for the rest of the picks, I was a little disappointed that more emphasis wasn’t placed on the offensive line in this draft. An obvious need for the team, we got some interesting prospects, but it doesn’t sound like any of them will be ready to play this Fall. Daryn Colledge, a tackle out of Boise State taken in the second round, might be closest to a starter, but the reviews on him are mixed. Don’t look for Jason Spitz (center, Louisville) or Tony Moll (tackle/guard, Nevada) to be protecting Brett come opening weekend, though. We also seemed to pass up a chance to beef up the defensive line, selecting tackle Johnny Jolly out of Texas A&M in the sixth round and defensive end Dave Tollefson in the final round. Both will most likely be works in progress for a while.

We did stock up on receivers, though, with Greg Jennings, Cory Rodgers, and Will Blackmon. Out of this class, I think Blackmon (Boston College) shows the best potential based on reports. He seems to have the size and the speed to make the team, though his skill level might be problem. Rodgers (TCU) also looks promising, but more as the punt returner we desperately need.

The oddball pick of the draft (and there always has to be one, right?) was Ingle Martin. A quarterback from Furman, he completed 212 of 350 passes for almost 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last year. However, he was also the punter for the Paladins and averaged 43 yards on 33 kicks. Will he be giving BJ Sander and Ryan Flinn a little competition in camp? Could we eventually have a dual-role player, passing and punting? The possibilities for comedy are endless.

The Milwaukee Brewers yesterday gave the Cubs a real smackdown, winning 16-2 on the road at Wrigley. The win gives the Brewers a perfect 4-0 record in games played on Saturday, during wich they have outscored opponents 40-8. Think maybe Bud Selig would consider adjusting the schedule for his former family heirloom? Overall, Milwaukee is off to a pretty decent start with a 13-11 record. Of course, it seems every year the Brew Crew gets off to a decent start and then fades by the All-Star break, so let’s hope they can it keep up and stay within striking distance of a post-season berth. Heck, who am I kidding? I’d be happy if they finished with a winning record.

I was both shocked and awed last night flipping channels on the cable to see that the Milwaukee Bucks were leading the Pistons, and I was doubly surprised to find out this morning that they actually hung on to that lead to win their first game of the playoff series. Of course, they had to score triple digits to get the job done, but the 124-104 win closes the gap to one game as they head into Game 4 Monday night. Michael Redd had an outstanding game, shooting four of five from three-point range and scoring 40 points. Moe Williams added 20 points and four other Bucks players reached double-digit scores. Even TJ Ford got into the act with 15 assists. Talk about home court advantage.

First, a confession: For the past several weeks my mind has been distracted by “real life” away from the Packers and football in general, as you can see by the large time gap between posts here at Brats & Beer. I have taken appropriate steps, though, by admitting I have a problem and seeking professional help. Now I am back, eagerly consuming any all news about the Green & Gold and spewing forth scatter-brained thoughts on the Interweb.

My condition was so sever, in fact, that I completely missed the news that the Vikings have redesigned their uniforms. It looks like Minnesota has finally completed its transformation from the Purple People Eaters of the NFL to the Lavender Lovelies of the Arena League. I hope Ryan Longwell feels good about himself wearing one of these girlie outfits when the Vikes come to Lambeau Field in December. (Brad Johnson, though, looks right at home in his new jersey.) Way to make you mark on the franchise, Ziggy: Bring in one of Andy Reid’s clipboard holders as coach, chase off your franchise quarterback, and then dress the whole thing up in pretty, new unis.

See, Ted Thompson can make the right call now and again. With the fifth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Packers selected linebacker A.J. Hawk out of Ohio State. (Sorry, The Ohio State University.) The 2005 Lombardi Award winner had 69 tackles last year, 15 behind the line, nine sacks, and one interception. He’s going to be a huge asset playing along with Nick Barnett, and I think he might even help Barnett achieve his fullest potential. Nice going, Uncle Ted.

Yes, boys and girls, you can stop with your speculation and mock drafts because the real deal is at last upon us. NFL Draft Day is like Christmas in April for football fans: We get to unwrap all kinds of goodies that will keep us talking for the next few months until training camp starts. I’ve always been amazed, though, that enough people tune in to ESPN to watch the thing unfold on television when they could just read about it later in the day online or the next day in the newspaper. Of course, as I write this I am warming up the TV and perparing to plant my own fat ass on the couch for the next few hours. Actually, I’m only really interested in seeing a couple things: who the Packers take (obviously) and whether or not the Vikings can get their pick in on time. It might also be entertaining to see Mel Kiper and Sean Salisbury yelling at no one in particular about the Texans picking Mario Williams instead of Regie Bush or Vince Young. Maybe one of their heads will explode on the air.

So what can expect to get from Ted Thompson-Clause this year? Having Williams off the board does muddy the water a bit for the Packers, who have at various times been rumored to fancy the NC State defensive end. My personal hope was that Williams and linebacker AJ Hawk would still be available after the first three picks so that we could get one of them. Now, the chance that Hawk will still be around at #5 is dwindling fast (though if he is, Uncle Ted had better take him). Recently, though, Maryland tight end Vernon Davis has appeared on the radar, and even though I know very little about the guy, I think I could get behind that pick. Hopefully he would provide some blocking power for running plays and they say he has great hands, giving Brett Favre another outlet. I could also get behind taking offensive lineman D’Brickashaw Ferguson because of the state of our current blockers, although that pick would lack some of the razz-a-mataz of taking Hawk or Davis.

My fear for this afternoon is that Thompson gets himself in a lather and tries to get too clever. Like trading away the draft to get Bush, which would be a disaster. (Remember Mike Ditka and the Saints scrambling to get Ricky Williams?) Similarly, I could see Ted thinking it might be smart to trade down for a later first-round pick and another in the second round, but then we’d end up with some non-impact players and not really improving the situation. This would be in keeping with Green Bay’s recent character, though, and gives me reason to be apprehensive as the clock marches down to 11am.

Brett Favre may have decided to return to Green Bay for another season, but will he have anyone to throw to? The Green Bay Press-Gazette is reporting today that Donald Driver has asked the Packers to restructure his contract or trade him to another team. The news comes just as Green Bay has given Javon Walker permission to visit other teams, a move that appears to be a prelude to a trade of the disgruntled wide receiver. The Saints and Broncos appear to be the front runners in the chase to land Walker, with talk that New Orleans might give up their second-round pick (34th overall) or make a deal involving Donte Stallworth. A Walker-for-Stallworth deal might be pretty sweet but only if Driver is on the opposite side to draw equal attention from the defense.

The black cloud has lifted and the sun shines warmly on Packer Nation today, for Brett Favre has strode in on his trusty steel lawn mowing steed to save the day. Yes, Number Four has finally announced he’ll return for (at least) one more campaign in the name and the glory of the Green & Gold. And just in time for the Draft.

Was there dancing in the streets throughout the land upon hearing that the three-time MVP will be back for his 15th Packer season? Probably not. But I think there was at least a big sigh of relief: Relief that among all the things we may have to suffer through, breaking in a rookie QB won’t be among them, and relief that we can stop hearing “breaking news” about Favre having not made a decision. Of course, the sports infotainment industry has already started its countdown clock to the end of the season when the pride of Klin will surely hang up his #4 jersey for good, and already the production assistants at CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and ESPN are busy at work preparing their “end of an era” video packages.

OK, enough of all that folderol and foolishness, what real news have we got coming out of 1265 Lombardi Ave.? What kind of clever strategy is Ted Thompson cooking up in his secret laboratory of cleverness? Bring in cornerback Charles Woodson, of course. Now, there’s been no official word from Green Bay just yet, but every news outlet is reporting that the Packers have offered the former Oakland Raider and 1997 Heisman Trophy winner a seven-year deal worth somewhere north of $50 million. Of course, he’ll only see the first couple of those years if he’s lucky and stays healthy, which is a big if for Woodson: He hasn’t played a full slate of games since 2001. A hip injury kept him out of three games in 2004 and last year he suffered a broken leg after six games. On the other hand, if this means less time on the field for Ahmad Carroll, even for one season, I’m all for it.

The Packers have also signed defensive tackle Kenderick Allen, a fourth year man out of Louisiana State who played in 14 games for the Giants last year. He recorded 21 tackles and two sacks, and he recovered two fumbles. Not outstanding, but not bad all the same. Every little bit helps. Meanwhile, it looks like Javon Walker might get his wish — a free ticket out of Wisconsin — after all.