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The 2008 Green Bay Packers - 6-10 (3RD-NFC North Division)

Head Coach: Mike McCarthy

NFLLarge-PACKERS-80-.jpg
NFLLarge-PACKERS-80-.jpg

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.

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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 DESIGNATIONDT Corey Williams (February 21)

Anchor 1

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

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