The 2008 Green Bay Packers - 6-10 (3RD-NFC North Division)
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
2008 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (1-3)
OFF DEF
AUGUST (1-2) RESULT RECORD ATT RSH PSS RSH PSS STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
11 CINCINNATI BENGALS L 17-20 0- 1-0 69,675 112 271 123 118 Aaron Rodgers Brandon Jackson (44) Aaron Rodgers (117) Donald Driver (4-39)
16 at San Francisco 49ers L 6-34 0- 2-0 67,230 101 81 118 237 Aaron Rodgers Kregg Lumpkin (51) Aaron Rodgers (58) Donald Driver (3-15)
22 at Denver Broncos W 27-24 1- 2-0 74,213 94 187 131 190 Aaron Rodgers Kregg Lumpkin (39) Aaron Rodgers (193) Greg Jennings (4-42)
28 TENNESSEE TITANS L 21-23 1- 3-0 69,744 116 150 206 197 Aaron Rodgers Jon Ryan (34) Matt Flynn (77) Kregg Lumpkin (4-33)
2008 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS
SEPTEMBER (2-2)
8 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (0-0) W 24-19 1- 0-0 71,004 139 178 187 168 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (92) Aaron Rodgers (178) Greg Jennings (5-91)
14 at Detroit Lions (0-1) W 48-25 2- 0-0 60,285 123 324 49 262 Aaron Rodgers Brandon Jackson (61) Aaron Rodgers (328) Donald Driver (7-52)
21 DALLAS COWBOYS (2-0) L 16-27 2- 1-0 71,113 84 250 217 236 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (54) Aaron Rodgers (290) Donald Driver (8-115)
28 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) L 21-30 2- 2-0 64,122 28 153 178 149 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (20) Aaron Rodgers (165) Greg Jennings (6-109)
OCTOBER (2-1)
5 ATLANTA FALCONS (2-2) L 24-27 2- 3-0 70,610 104 304 176 194 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (83) Aaron Rodgers (313) Brandon Jackson (5-12)
12 at Seattle Seahawks (1-3) W 27-17 3- 3-0 68,302 113 200 113 64 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (90) Aaron Rodgers (208) Donald Driver (6-53)
19 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-2) W 34-14 4- 3-0 71,010 116 186 73 229 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (105) Aaron Rodgers (186) Brandon Jackson (6-37)
26 Bye Week
NOVEMBER (2-3)
2 at Tennessee Titans (7-0) L 16-19 * 4- 4-0 69,143 102 288 178 169 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (86) Aaron Rodgers (314) Donald Driver (7-136)
9 at Minnesota Vikings (4-4) L 27-28 4- 5-0 63,845 74 110 220 141 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (75) Aaron Rodgers (142) Donald Driver (5-46)
16 CHICAGO BEARS (5-4) W 37- 3 5- 5-0 71,040 200 227 83 151 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (145) Aaron Rodgers (227) Donald Lee (6-33)
24 at New Orleans Saints (5-5) L 29-51 5- 6-0 70,668 109 234 98 318 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (67) Aaron Rodgers (248) Greg Jennings (8-101)
30 CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-3) L 31-35 5- 7-0 70,297 145 293 128 170 Aaron Rodgers Brandon Jackson (80) Aaron Rodgers (298) Greg Jennings (8-91)
DECEMBER (1-3)
7 HOUSTON TEXANS (5-7) L 21-24 5- 8-0 70,245 108 279 141 408 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (104) Aaron Rodgers (295) Donald Driver (3-75)
14 at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) L 16-20 5- 9-0 65,457 84 254 94 229 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (56) Aaron Rodgers (278) Donald Driver (5-65)
22 at Chicago Bears (8-6) L 17-20 * 5-10-0 62,151 65 260 74 136 Aaron Rodgers Ryan Grant (61) Aaron Rodgers (260) Donald Driver (6-63)
28 DETROIT LIONS (0-15) W 31-21 6-10-0 70,141 211 273 96 220 Aaron Rodgers R. Grant/D. Wynn (106) Aaron Rodgers (308) Donald Driver (6-111)
* - Overtime
2008 IN REVIEW
The off-season for the Packers began with a bombshell, as future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre announced in early March that he was retiring after sixteen seasons of directing the Green Bay offense. Immediately, the pressure of replacing a legend fell on former Number One draft pick Aaron Rodgers. Or did it? Two weeks after his retirement, Favre let it be known to the Packers that he might want to return, but, days later, he changed his mind again and told coach Mike McCarthy that he would stay retired. After the Packer chose two quarterbacks in the draft, Favre told McCarthy in a June 20 phone call that he might return after all. Favre formally filed a request for reinstatement to active status with NFL on July 29, and on August 3, he returned to Green Bay as the team announced he would be welcome at training camp. The welcome was short-lived, as after a five-hour meeting the next day, the two sides could not find any common ground and decided to go their separate ways. On August 6, there were reports that Favre was considering a trade to Tampa Bay. But, the next day, the Brett Favre era ended when the Packers traded him to the New York Jets. The Packers opened up 2-0, and appeared to be on their to another playoff berth, before falling apart. A three-game losing streak in September/October left them reeling. Sitting at 5-5, they lost five in a row to see their playoff hopes wither. The team lost seven games by four or fewer points. In the end, the Packers did contribute to the NFL history books, handing Detroit its 16th loss to put the cap on a winless season. As for Rodgers, he threw for over 4,000 yards on the season and became just the second quarterback in NFL history, Kurt Warner being the first, to throw for over 4,000 yards in his first year as a starter. As for Favre, his Jets lost a playoff berth on the final day of the season.
THE BRETT FAVRE SOAP OPERA
After years of flirting with retirement, Brett Favre stated after the Packers lost the 2007 NFC title game to the Giants that he would make a decision more quickly than he has in the past regarding whether he would return for another season. What followed was a soap opera for the ages:
MARCH 4 - Favre formally announced his retirement. Although Favre stated that he had been willing to play another year, he felt that another season would only be successful if he led his team to another Super Bowl victory. He added the chances for a Super Bowl win are small, and that he wasn't up for the challenge.
JULY 2 - Reports surface that Favre was in contact with the Packers about a possible return to the team, and he was "itching" to return to the field.
JULY 11 - Favre sends a letter to the Packers asking for his unconditional release to allow him to play for another NFL team.
JULY 12 - Packers general manager Ted Thompson announced he would not grant Favre an unconditional release and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to Aaron Rodgers as its new quarterback.
JULY 13 - 100 fans Brett rally outside Lambeau Field to pressure the Packers to reinstate him as the starting quarterback.
JULY 14 - Favre spoke publicly for the first time about his potential comeback in an interview with Greta Van Susteren on the Fox News Channel's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. In the interview, Favre said he was "guilty of retiring early," that he was "never fully committed" to retirement, and that he was pressured by the Packers to make a decision before the NFL Draft and the start of the free agent signing period. He made clear that he would not return to the Packers as a backup and reiterated his desire to be released rather than traded, which would allow him the freedom to play for a competitive team. Favre also accused the Packers of being dishonest, wishing the team would have been straightforward with him and the public.
JULY 15 - In the second part of the interview, Favre expressed his frustration with Packer management, spoke of his sympathy for Aaron Rodgers' predicament, and affirmed he is 100 percent committed to playing football.
JULY 16 - FOXSports.com reports that the Packers filed tampering charges against the Vikings with the league office, alleging improper communication between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Favre.
JULY 29 - Favre formally filed for reinstatement with the NFL, and his petition was granted, effective August 4, 2008.
AUG 4 - Favre flies to Green Bay to report to Packers training camp.
AUG 5 - After a lengthy meeting with head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson, however, both sides agreed it was time for Favre and the organization to part ways. McCarthy sensed Favre wasn't in "the right mind-set" to resume playing for the Packers, while Favre felt that his relationship with Packer management had deteriorated to the point that a return to the team would be untenable.
AUG 6 - Favre, at his home in Hattiesburg, Miss, after Wednesday's Green Bay exit, confirmed that he was considering the Jets and Buccaneers.
AUG 7 - After negotiations with both the Buccaneers and Jets, the Packers traded Favre to the Jets in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2009 draft with performance escalation.
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Allen Barbre 78 OL 6- 4 300 Missouri South. St 2 2 24 8 2007 Draft-4th round
Nick Barnett 56 LB 6- 2 232 Oregon State 6 6 27 9 2003 Draft-1st round
Atari Bigby 20 S 5-11 211 Central Florida 4 4 27 7 10-1-2005 FA-Miami
Desmond Bishop 55 LB 6- 2 241 California 2 2 24 15 2007 Draft-6th round
Will Blackmon 27 CB 6- 0 202 Boston College 3 3 23 16 2006 Draft-4th round
Brian Brohm 11 QB 6- 3 227 Louisville 1 1 22 0 2008 Draft-2nd round
Jarrett Bush 24 CB 6- 0 197 Utah State 3 3 25 16 9-3-2006 FA-Carolina
Brandon Chillar 54 LB 6- 3 242 UCLA 1 5 25 14 3-24-2008 FA-St. Louis
Chad Clifton 76 T 6- 5 320 Tennessee 9 9 32 15 2000 Draft-2nd round
Colin Cole 90 DT 6- 1 315 Iowa 5 6 28 16 9-16-2004 FA-Detroit
Daryn Colledge 73 G 6- 4 305 Boise State 3 3 26 16 2006 Draft-2nd round
Nick Collins 36 S 5-11 200 Bethune-Cookman 4 4 25 16 2005 Draft-2nd round
Mason Crosby 2 K 6- 1 212 Colorado 2 2 23 16 2007 Draft-6th round
Donald Driver 80 WR 6- 0 190 Alcorn State 10 10 33 16 1999 Draft-7th round
Jermich. Finley 88 TE 6- 5 243 Texas 1 1 21 14 2008 Draft-3rd round
Matt Flynn 10 QB 6- 2 228 Louisiana State 1 1 23 7 2008 Draft-7th round
Derrick Frost 6 P 6- 2 210 Northern Iowa 1 5 27 12 9-1-2008 FA-Washington
K.Gbaja-Biamilla 94 DE 6- 4 247 San Diego State 9 9 30 7 2000 Draft-5th round
Breno Giacomini 68 OT 6- 7 303 Louisville 1 1 22 1 2008 Draft-5th round
Brett Goode 61 LS 6- 1 261 Arkansas 1 1 23 16 9-1-2008 FA-Jacksonvil
Ryan Grant 25 RB 6- 1 224 Notre Dame 2 3 25 16 9-1-2007 Trade-Giants
Korey Hall 35 FB 6- 0 236 Boise State 2 2 25 11 2007 Draft-6th round
Justin Harrell 91 DT 6- 4 310 Tennessee 2 2 24 6 2007 Draft-1st round
Al Harris 31 CB 6- 1 188 Texas A&M-Kings. 6 11 33 12 2003 Trade-Phil
Spencer Havner 53 LB 6- 3 248 UCLA 1 1 25 4 10-4-06 FA-Washington
A.J. Hawk 50 LB 6- 1 247 Ohio State 3 3 24 16 2006 Draft-1st round
Tory Humphrey 84 TE 6- 2 250 Cent Michigan 3 3 25 16 11-15-2005 FA-Ind
Jason Hunter 57 DE 6- 4 250 Appalachian State 3 3 25 12 4-30-2006 FA
Brandon Jackson 32 RB 5-10 212 Nebraska 2 2 22 13 2007 Draft-2nd round
Cullen Jenkins 77 DL 6- 2 303 Central Michigan 5 5 27 4 5-2-2003 FA
Greg Jennings 85 WR 5-11 197 Western Michigan 3 3 24 16 2006 Draft-2nd round
Johnny Jolly 97 DT 6- 3 312 Texas A&M 3 3 25 16 2006 Draft-6th round
James Jones 89 WR 6- 1 207 San Jose State 2 2 24 10 2007 Draft-3rd round
Aaron Kampman 74 DE 6- 4 270 Iowa 7 7 28 16 2002 Draft-5th round
Jeremy Kapinos 7 P 6- 1 230 Penn State 1 2 24 4 12-4-2008 FA-NY Jets
John Kuhn 30 FB 6- 0 250 Shippensburg 2 3 25 16 9-2-2007 FA-Pittsburgh
Danny Lasanah 58 LB 6- 1 248 Connecticut 1 1 23 5 5-2-2008 FA
Donald Lee 86 TE 6- 4 248 Mississippi St. 4 6 28 16 9-6-2005 FA-Miami
Patrick Lee 22 CB 6- 0 200 Auburn 1 1 24 5 2008 Draft-2nd round
Kregg Lumpkin 28 RB 5-11 223 Georgia 1 1 24 2 5-2-2008 FA
Alfred Malone 98 DT 6- 4 312 Troy State 1 3 26 4 12-11-2007 FA-Houston
Ruvell Martin 82 WR 6- 4 210 Saginaw Valley St 3 3 26 13 11-16-2005 FA-S.Diego
Nevin McCaskill 67 G 6- 4 315 Hampton 1 2 24 0 12-11-2008 FA-Phil
Tony Moll 75 OT 6- 5 304 Nevada 3 3 26 14 2006 Draft-5th round
Mike Montgomery 96 DE 6- 5 265 Texas A&M 4 4 25 14 2005 Draft-6th round
Evan Moore 44 TE 6- 7 236 Stanford 1 1 23 0 5-22-2008 FA
Jordy Nelson 87 WR 6- 3 217 Kansas State 1 1 23 16 2008 Draft-2nd round
Charlie Peprah 26 S 5-11 202 Alabama 3 3 25 13 9-3-2006 FA-NY Giants
Kenny Pettway 93 DE 6- 3 248 Grambling State 1 3 25 8 10-1-2008 FA-Jacksonv
Ryan Pickett 79 DT 6- 2 322 Ohio State 3 8 28 16 3-15-2006 FA-St. Louis
Brady Poppinga 51 LB 6- 3 245 Brigham Young 4 4 28 16 2005 Draft-4th round
Joe Porter 40 CB 5-10 203 Rutgers 1 1 23 1 11-25-2007 FA-N.O.
Aaron Rodgers 12 QB 6- 2 223 California 4 4 24 16 2005 Draft-1st round
Josh Sitton 71 OT 6- 4 319 Central Florida 1 1 22 11 2008 Draft-4th round
Jason Spitz 72 G 6- 3 300 Louisville 3 3 25 16 2006 Draft-3rd round
Mark Tauscher 65 T 6- 3 315 Wisconsin 9 9 31 13 2000 Draft-7th round
Jeremy Thompson 99 DE 6- 5 264 Wake Forest 1 1 22 9 2008 Draft-4th round
Anthony Toribio 69 DT 6- 1 304 Carson-Newman 1 1 23 0 11-13-2008 FA-Miami
Scott Wells 63 C 6- 2 295 Tennessee 5 5 27 13 2004 Draft-7th round
Tracy White 59 LB 6- 0 238 Howard 3 6 27 5 3-17-2006 FA-Jacksonvi
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Tramon Williams 38 CB 5-11 182 Louisiana Tech 2 2 26 16 10-29-2006 FA-Houston
Charles Woodson 21 CB 6- 1 200 Michigan 3 11 31 16 4-26-2006 UFA-Oakland
DeShawn Wynn 42 RB 5-10 238 Florida 2 2 25 5 2007 Draft-7th round
2008 PACKERS PRACTICE SQUAD
NAME POS COLLEGE HOW ACQUIRED
Joshua Abrams CB Ohio 12-10-2008 FA
Jake Allen WR Mississippi Coll 5-2-2008 FA
Fred Bledsoe DT Arkansas 9-24-2008 FA
Durant Brooks P Georgia Tech 12-15-2008 FA - Washington
Brennen Carvalho C Portland State 5-2-2008 FA
Kennard Cox CB Pittsburgh 10-27-2008 FA - Buffalo
Rudolph Hardie DE Howard 10-8-2008 FA - Detroit
Spencer Havner LB UCLA 2006 FA - Washington
Joey Haynos TE Maryland 5-2-2008 FA
Steve Korte RB LSU 12-10-2008 FA
Danny Lasanah LB Connecticut 5-2-2008 FA
Alfred Malone DE Troy State 11-11-2007 FA - Houston
Joe Porter CB Rutgers 11-25-2007 FA - NO
Lorne Sam WR Texas-El Paso 12-3-2008 FA - Denver
Brett Swain WR San Diego State 2008 Draft - 7th round
Anthony Toribio DT Carson-Newman 11-13-2008 FA - Miami
Russ Weil FB Illinois 12-18-2008 FA - St. Louis
DeShawn Wynn RB Florida 2007 Draft - 7th round
Bold Italics - Made Active Roster NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age on September 1 G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
2008 PACKERS DRAFT (April 26-27, 2008)
RND-PCK NAME POS COLLEGE NOTES
1 30 Traded to NY Jets in draft day trade
2a 36 Jordy Nelson WR Kansas St (A)
2b 56 Brian Brohm QB Louisville (B)
2c 60 Patrick Lee CB Auburn
3 91 Jermichael Finley TE Texas
4a 102 Jeremy Thompson DE Wake Forest (A)
4b 113 Acquired from NY Jets, then traded to NY Jets
4c 128 Traded traded to St. Louis in draft day trade
4d 135 Josh Sitton OT C. Florida (C)
5a 137 Acquired from St. Louis then traded to Minnesota
5b 150 Breno Giacomini OT Louisville (D)
5c 162 Traded to to NY Jets in draft day trade
6 194 Traded to NY Giants in Ryan Grant trade
7a 209 Matt Flynn QB LSU (D)
7b 217 Brett Swain WR San Diego St (E)
7c 237 Traded to New Orleans in draft day trade
A-Acquired from NY Jets in draft day trade B-Acquired from Cleve in Corey Williams trade C-Compensatory Pick D-Acquired from Minnesota in draft day trade E-Acquired from St. Louis in draft day trade
FREE AGENCY - EXCLUSIVE-RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
S Atari Bigby (Signed), RB Ryan Grant (Accrued seasons: 1), WR Carlyle Holiday (Accrued seasons: 2), TE Tory Humphrey (Signed), FB John Kuhn (Signed), WR Ruvell Martin (Accrued seasons: 2)
FREE AGENCY - RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
DT Colin Cole (Accrued seasons: 3), RB Vernand Morency (Accrued seasons: 3)
FREE AGENCY - UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
PLAYERS SIGNED - LB Brandon Chillar (St. Louis - March 20)
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED - LB Tracy White (March 25)
PLAYERS LOST - CB Frank Walker (Baltimore)
PLAYERS NOT SIGNED - LS Rob Davis (Retired), TE Ryan Krause, QB Craig Nall, T/G Tyson Walter
FRANCHISE PLAYER DESIGNATION - DT Corey Williams (February 21)
TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS
FEB 29 - Traded DT Corey Williams to CLEVE for 2008 2nd-round choice (56th-QB Brian Brohm)
APR 26 - Traded 2008 1st-round (30th-TE Dustin Keller) to NEW YORK JETS for 2008 2nd-round (36th-WR Jordy Nelson) and 2008 4th-round (113th-Traded to NY Jets)
APR 27 - Traded 2008 4th-round (113th-CB Dwight Lowery) and 2008 5th-round (162nd-QB Erik Ainge) to NY JETS for 2008 4th-round (102nd-DE Jeremy Thompson)
APR 27 - Traded 2008 4th-round (128th-WR Keenan Burton) to ST. LOUIS for 2008 5th-round (137th-Traded to Minnesota) and 2008 7th-round (217th-WR Brett Swain)
APR 27 - Traded 2008 5th-round (137th-QB Josh David Booty) to MINNESOTA for 2008 5th-round (150th-OT Breno Giacomini) and 2008 7th-round (209th-QB Matt Flynn)
APR 27 - Traded 2008 7th-round (237th-WR Adrian Arrington) to NEW ORLEANS for 2009 6th-round
JUL 28 - Placed WR Shaun Bodiford on injured reserve
AUG 7 - Traded QB Brett Favre to NEW YORK JETS for a conditional draft pick
AUG 19 - Placed TE Evan Moore on injured reserve
AUG 31 - Placed LS J.J. Jansen, OL Junius Coston and DT Rodney Allen on injured reserve
SEPT 1 - P Derrick Frost, LS Brett Goode signed; P Jon Ryan, LB Abdul Hodge released
SEPT 24 - DT Fred Bledsoe signed to practice squad; TE Joey Haynos terminated (signed with Dolphins)
OCT 1 - DE Cullen Jenkins placed on injured reserve. DE Kenny Pettway signed.
OCT 7 - Released LB Tracy White. Activated LB Danny Lansanah from the practice squad
OCT 8 - Signed DE Rudolph Hardie to the practice squad
OCT 11 - RB Kregg Lumpkin placed on injured reserve, RB DeShawn Wynn signed from practice squad
OCT 27 - Signed CB Kennard Cox to the practice squad
OCT 31 - Signed QB Aaron Rodgers to a contract extension through 2014 season
NOV 1 - Activated DT Justin Harrell off PUP list DT Justin Harrell. Released DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
NOV 13 - Signed DT Anthony Toribio to practice squad; DT Fred Bledsoe released
NOV 27 - Released DE Rudolph Hardie
DEC 1 - Activated CB Joe Porter and DT Alfred Malone from the practice squad. Placed LB Nick Barnett and DE Kenny Pettway on injured reserve. Released P Derrick Frost
DEC 3 - Signed P Jeremy Kapinos. Signed WR Lorne Sam to the practice squad
DEC 5 - Placed CB Pat Lee on injured reserve. Activated LB Spencer Havner from the practice squad
DEC 10 - Signed CB Joshua Abrams, RB Steve Korte and DT Fred Bledsoe to the practice squad
DEC 11 - Placed OT Mark Tauscher on injured reserve. Signed OG Nevin McCaskill from the Philadelphia practice squad
DEC 13 - Released RB Steven Korte. Signed P Durant Brooks to the practice squad
DEC 18 - Placed S Atari Bigby on injured reserve, Activated DT Anthony Toribio from the practice squad. Signed FB Russ Weil to the practice squad