The game had been over for just a few moments, and the players were still struggling out of their shoulder pads when the murmuring finally reached full pitch. For weeks the Green Bay Packers had existed in a blissful bubble, insulated by their good nature and their distant locale from the ceaseless questions, the ballooning expectations and the mounting fatigue of a chase for football’s most elusive goal. They have been dominant this season but not domineering, oddly under the radar for a defending champion on the path to something even greater.

But after the Packers’ victory over the Giants last Sunday, there was no avoiding the target that has bedeviled two other teams in the past five years and which now awaits the Packers in the final month of the regular season. As coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers quickly moved to head off the looming story line — “I’m not going to talk about 16-0 or anything,” Rodgers said unbidden after the Giants game — Rodney Harrison watched from a New York television studio, letting his mind wander back to 2007, often marveling at the differences that may favor the Packers’ chances of completing what the New England Patriots could not.

“Because of Spygate, everyone hated the Patriots,” Harrison, now an analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America,” said in an interview. “We were like the villains. Everyone wanted us to lose. The Packers, on the other hand, are a fairy-tale story. They’re a bunch of good guys, we want them to win, it doesn’t bother us as much. We had even more intense pressure because everybody hated us. Any time you’re the first team to do something, you carry all that pressure. The Packers, even if they do it, they’re the second team to ever go 16-0. There’s no pressure on them because we already attained that goal.”

Maybe so. At 12-0, already the NFC North champions and with a quarterback who is having an extraordinary season, the Packers have the same luster that burnished the Patriots in 2007 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2009 when they pursued undefeated seasons.

Those teams may have inadvertently done a favor for the Packers, who host Oakland on Sunday. They were almost perfect, the Patriots losing their relentless pursuit of flawlessness with a defeat by the Giants in the Super Bowl and the Colts forsaking it by resting many of their best players with two games left in the regular season.

Because they employed wildly different strategies — and absorbed the second-guessing that accompanied each — without achieving their ultimate goal, no blueprint for success has been established that would box in the Packers. They will be free to carve their own path, perhaps informed by bits and pieces from each of the two most recent contenders, but they will do it freed of the spotlight that fell harshly on the Patriots.

Harrison said he thought the lockout created a distraction that limited the hype that usually attends a Super Bowl champion. When training camps finally began, the Eagles stole the headlines. Since then, Tim Tebow has been the biggest story, overshadowing a Packers team with few flamboyant personalities, a perfect formula for a low-key drive to something extraordinary.

The Packers’ attempt to construct the first undefeated season that ends with a Super Bowl championship since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (the NFL played two fewer regular-season games then) has carried none of the controversy, and little of the darkened narrative, of the Patriots’ run. That season opened with cheating accusations and continued with klieg-lighted stars like Tom Brady and Randy Moss and a hooded coach who was regularly accused of running up the score. Attracted by a whiff of scandal and the air of inevitability — the Patriots won by an average of 19.7 points, a touchdown more than the Packers’ margin of 13.2 — the national news media began covering every Patriots game once they reached 8-0.

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In Miami, members of the 1972 Dolphins, and their coach, Don Shula, indicated that Spygate, the Patriots’ covert filming of Jets defensive signals in 2007, would diminish a perfect season by New England. In a recent Florida radio interview, the former Dolphins running back Mercury Morris said that he did not like the Patriots’ style in 2007, but that if the Packers completed a perfect season he would view them as a credit to the sport.

Even last week, Shula acknowledged that he and others viewed the Packers’ pursuit differently.

“Why do you think that is?” Shula said in a telephone interview. “Spygate was important.”

About the Packers, Shula said: “I’ve felt that if it happens, I’ll be the first guy to pick up the phone and congratulate the coach. I think our players will acknowledge and congratulate their players. Until it happens, we’re happy we’re the only ones.”

Harrison was a captain of the Patriots in 2007, one of a small group of veteran players who told Bill Belichick not to take them out of two late-season but meaningless games. With the benefit of hindsight, Harrison cautioned the Packers.

“When you’re trying to be perfect, trying to play the perfect game, you put a lot of pressure on yourself,” he said. “It drains you, mentally and physically. A lot of players played a lot of plays that year. I was tired. I was mentally and physically exhausted.”

McCarthy has indicated he has a plan. He will be ready to discuss it after the Packers clinch the top seed in the playoffs. Harrison believes they will try for a perfect season; Tony Dungy thinks they will achieve it. With the San Francisco 49ers two games behind the Packers in the conference standings, the Packers could get another break — they might be able to forestall a decision a bit longer.

Dungy, the coach who took the 2005 Colts to 13-0 before losing, always thought the perfect situation for a team was to be chased as long as possible, so that winning was necessary for something more than just the pursuit of an undefeated record. Dungy, now an NBC analyst, said he started thinking about an undefeated season after about the 10th victory, and he embraced the Colts’ organizational decision to rest players, rather than risk injury.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy made sure his
undefeated team didn’t ease its way back into football following the bye week.

McCarthy had a surprise waiting for his players Monday when they returned
from their six days off: an in-pads practice outside in seasonably cool mid-40s
temperatures.

With a challenging schedule ahead during the second half of the season,
McCarthy wanted to make it clear the NFL’s lone remaining unbeaten team can’t
afford to rest on its first-half accomplishments, even if the Packers are viewed
by many as the clear-cut best team in the league right now.

“It’s nice when people say nice things about your football team. It
definitely beats the alternative,” McCarthy said after the team’s 90-minute
practice. “But as we talked about as a team today, we’re getting ready to hit
the halfway point in our season. We like where we are, but we’re really focused
on getting better. We have more to offer as a football team.

“We feel strongly, with a lot of confidence, that if we go out week in and
week out and play our best football that things will take care of itself. We’re
just really focused on making sure that when Sunday rolls around, that we go out
and give our best performance to get to 8-0.”

McCarthy chose to use this as the one week in which he is allowed to put his
team in pads for practice twice, in accordance with the new collective
bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association. During the
regular season, coaches are allowed a total of 14 padded practices, and 11 of
those sessions must be held in the first 11 weeks of the season.

“It sends a message to your ballclub, letting us know that ‘vacation is
over now. It’s time to get back to work,”’ wide receiver James Jones(notes) said of
the padded practice.

McCarthy said the practice focused on “fundamentals,” and that he had
scheduled the team to be in pads on Monday before the season began. Still, it
came as a surprise to his players, who weren’t aware of his plans until Monday
morning’s team meeting.

“Everybody thought we were going to be in shells,” tight end Jermichael
Finley(notes) admitted. “Then we heard that full pads, and it changed everybody’s
mindset. No doubt (McCarthy) is trying to send a message. He didn’t want anybody
coming in, being lazy, flat-footed. He put those pads on us ASAP and woke us up
at the beginning of the week.

“Teams usually play slow coming off the bye. We don’t want to be in that
category. We don’t want to start off slow. We got the extra day (of practice) in
today and got the extra work in.”

While the Packers are riding a franchise-record 13-game winning streak
(dating back to last season and including the playoffs) and are 11-4 in their
last 15 post-bye games—including 4-1 under McCarthy—the schedule doesn’t get
any easier.

San Diego will be the first team the Packers will face that owns a winning
record entering the game. The Packers’ first seven opponent are currently a
combined 20-32.

“It’s going to take all of us to go out there and put together a complete
game, which we haven’t done all season,” Jones said. “We know we left a lot of
plays go out there (in the first seven games). A lot of penalties, a lot of
mental mistakes, a lot of things that we know we have to clean up.”

NOTES: The only three players who did not practice were linebacker Clay
Matthews(notes) (quadriceps), left tackle Chad Clifton(notes) (hamstring) and defensive end
Mike Neal(notes) (knee). … The team promoted rookie running back Brandon Saine(notes) from
the practice squad to the 53-man roster to take the spot of running back Alex
Green(notes), who was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a torn anterior
cruciate ligament in his knee suffered Oct. 23 at Minnesota. S Anthony Levine(notes)
and C/G Paul Fenaroli(notes) were also added to practice squad, replacing Saine and Cam
Newton’s(notes) older brother Cecil Newton(notes), who was released.

Gotta run!.

Oct. 14, 2011 10:41 p.m. |

Green Bay – Under the tutelage of assistant coaches Mike Trgovac and Kevin Greene, the Green Bay Packers almost never jump offsides.

Based on STATS data, the Packers’ defense has had merely two offsides penalties in the last season and a half, the fewest in the National Football League.

“That’s crazy,” defensive end Ryan Pickett said Friday. “Wow. We do drills all the time about staying on.”

Sometimes the referee announces offsides as encroachment or a neutral-zone violation. Either way, the last defensive lineman to jump in the regular season was Pickett in Week 6 of the 2009 season.

Somewhat sheepishly, defensive end C.J. Wilson recalled that the D-line had an offsides penalty in the Super Bowl run. It was on him during garbage time of the blowout victory against Atlanta.

“Not giving anything to the offense cheap is important,” said Greene, who coaches the group of outside linebackers that has had merely three offsides since he took over in 2009.

Clay Matthews had one in 2009, none last year and another last month. The third by an outside linebacker came against Frank Zombo in 2010.

“It’s amazing how many guys give that up to get sacks,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Go look at the sack leaders. It’s revealing, very revealing.”

The Packers drew four offsides flags (only accepted penalties were counted) in 2009, giving them six over the last 2½ seasons. Kansas City leads during that span with five.

On the other hand, Tennessee has had 56 offsides penalties since 2009, followed by Detroit (45), Oakland (43) and Arizona (42). All of those teams have been 4-3 defenses, whereas the Packers and Kansas City employ the 3-4.

Because the Packers are in nickel 75% to 80% of the time, their outside linebackers are on the line functioning almost as rush linebackers. From there, their job is to watch the ball and try to time their get-off to the snap by the center.

“I got more than enough other stuff to coach other than spending 20 minutes saying, ‘OK, this is how to stay onside,’ ” Greene said. “I mean, c’mon, let’s be real. They’re pros, man. I’ve just got to trust they’ll stay onside.”

Before the arrival of Dom Capers in 2009, the Packers had been a 4-3 defense since 1995 under coordinators Fritz Shurmur, Emmitt Thomas, Ed Donatell, Bob Slowik, Jim Bates and Bob Sanders.

From 2000-’08, the Packers’ defensive linemen alone had 67 offsides penalties in the regular season, or 7.4 per season.

Memories of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila loping across prematurely remain vivid. In his 8½ seasons, he had 26 penalties for offsides.

Another culprit was defensive lineman Cletidus Hunt, who counting playoffs was offsides 13 times from 1999-2004. Far more controlled were Aaron Kampman, five from 2002-’09; Corey Williams, five from 2004-’07; and Cullen Jenkins, two from 2004-’10.

Since Trgovac took over in ’09, B.J. Raji remarkably hasn’t had a single offsides. Jarius Wynn and Howard Green haven’t had any, either, and Pickett has only three in 5½ seasons.

“He coaches the hell out of that,” McCarthy said, referring to Trgovac. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen about disciplining the upfront guys.”

Trgovac, a D-line coach for most of his 28 years in coaching, played middle guard in a slant 5-2 defense at Michigan in the late 1970s under Bo Schembechler.

“You know Bo, he was gruff on everything,” said Trgovac. “He would rip you.”

So unlike his mentor, Trgovac seldom raises his voice. Ask Green, who in his tour of the NFL has seen his share of line coaches. It’s not what Trgovac teaches, according to Green, but how he teaches it.

“It’s the way you get your point across to your guys,” Green said. “That makes the difference.”

The defensive linemen in Green Bay find it easier to stay onsides because of what they’re asked to do in the 3-4. In a read-and-react system, several players said they watch the blocker across from them, not the ball.

“I think it’s a big thing for Dom,” said Trgovac. “We’re not like some teams that are just flying off the ball.

“Sometimes when you’re coaching a different scheme you could accept a penalty once every other game. If we’re in one of our ‘Okie’ (3-4) defenses and one of our guys jumps, that’s undisciplined football. We don’t really accept that.”

For the most part, the job requirements change in nickel, especially in passing situations. That’s when the Packers’ D-linemen have more chances to watch the ball, time the snap count and get after the passer.

On third down and 5 yards or fewer, Trgovac gives his players a hand signal to remind them not to commit what he calls “really dumb, stupid” penalties that give the opponent an automatic first down.

Trgovac, several of his players and Zombo all said having the chance to work against quarterback Aaron Rodgers for months on end was a significant factor why the Packers are almost never offsides.

“Aaron’s probably got the best hard count in football,” said Pickett. “So you get in a game, it’s pretty easy.”

DEFENSIVE OFFSIDES 2010-’11

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Using bicycles borrowed from fans to ride from Lambeau Field to the Packers’ practice facilities is a tradition that dates back to Vince Lombardi‘s coaching days.

The Packers resumed the tradition, which began because Lombardi wanted the players to be closer to the fans, on Tuesday. There’s no doubt Lombardi’s wish is still being honored today, as the fans continue to walk next to the players with their bicycles.

Click here to see the Packers bonding with fans >>

Check out the Packers’ bicycling in the video below.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Updated Aug 30, 2011 4:19 PM ET

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)

The Green Bay Packers have had one of the most charming traditions in the NFL for the past 50 years.

Every training camp, the players pick children out of the crowd and ride their bicycles from the Lambeau Field locker room to the community-owed team’s practice facility across the street. At the end of practice they make the ride back to the locker room.

Vince Lombardi was the first coach to ask his players to do it, hoping it built the relationship with the fans. An NFL spokeswoman knows of no other team that does anything similar.

Most of the players get a kick out of it: They get a break after practice, biking along while an eager fan carries their shoulder pads and helmet.

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By Tommy Lawlor

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Jul 25, 2011 – The goal every year is to win the Super Bowl. With that in mind, let’s look to last year’s champ, the Green Bay Packers, and see what lessons can be learned and how they might relate to the 2011 Eagles.

One of the fears that some people have about this year’s Eagles is that they might be too young to really contend for a Super Bowl. Packers fans would tell you different. Green Bay got key contributions from rookies. They had four rookie starters in the Super Bowl. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga was taken in the first round. Running back James Starks was taken in the sixth round. Defensive end C.J. Wilson was taken in the seventh. Linebacker Frank Zombo was undrafted. Think about that. The Packers had four rookie starters and only one of them was taken before the sixth round. Wow.

The Packers normally didn’t start Wilson. He was in because Pittsburgh was such a run-heavy team. The player who did normally start was another rookie, cornerback Sam Shields. Like Zombo, he was undrafted. Punter Tim Masthay wasn’t a true rookie, but 2010 was his first year of NFL action. He spent some time with the Colts in the summer of 2009, but didn’t make the team.

Stud tight end Jermichael Finley got hurt early in the season and missed the rest of the year. The Packers didn’t panic. They gave his job to rookie Andrew Quarless. He responded with 33 catches. Tom Crabtree also helped out. Like Masthay, he wasn’t a true rookie but was seeing his first NFL action. Crabtree caught a touchdown pass in the Packers wildcard win over the Eagles.

Green Bay didn’t go into the season planning to start all of these rookies. They did have a pair of rookies in the starting lineup on opening day, Shields and safety Morgan Burnett. Shields wasn’t planned, but they hoped for Burnett to be a starter. Green Bay did have rookies as key backups and role players from day one. That is part of their organizational philosophy. The Packers have the attitude that if they draft players it is because they believe in them and want to give those players a chance to show what they can do. The Eagles have a similar mentality, but do believe in free agency more than the Packers.

How will rookies impact the 2011 Eagles? We’re just projecting for now, but I think we will have Alex Henery as the kicker, Jaiquawn Jarrett as the strong safety, and Danny Watkins as the right guard. It is possible Casey Matthews will start at one of the linebacker spots. Stanley Havili could contribute as a running back or win the starting fullback spot from Owen Schmitt. The other rookies might surprise and become key role players or get a shot at starting due to injury, but I don’t project any of them to win jobs right off the bat. As for non-rookie first year players, it is possible Phillip Hunt and Ricky Sapp could be regular role players. A.Q. Shipley could be in the mix for the starting center position.

The Eagles will be young, but I don’t think they will be too young to compete for a Super Bowl. The key to all of this is having a strong core of players in place. You can then fit pieces in around the core players. The Eagles offense is pretty loaded. The defense will undergo some changes, but we’re still talking about a group with Trent Cole, Asante Samuel, and a solid set of defensive tackles. Guys like Moise Fokou, Jamar Chaney, and Nate Allen should be classified as ascending players. I still fully expect the Eagles to land a top flight player to handle the right cornerback spot. The defense has some good pieces already in place.

There will be change during the season. Injuries affect all 32 teams. Green Bay did a great job of dealing with them and finding players to step in and play well. Linebacker Erik Walden bounced around for three years before joining the Packers last October. In the season finale against Chicago, a crucial game, Walden had 12 tackles and three sacks. Safety Charlie Peprah had a total of 27 tackles in his first four years in the league. He spent three of those with Green Bay and was a Falcon in 2009. He returned to the Packers in 2010 and had 63 tackles. Peprah had 10 tackles in the Super Bowl, the highest total on either team. Defensive tackle Howard Green was added in October and helped the Packers down the stretch. He played some defensive end as well. Green is a massive run stopper so he didn’t post great numbers, but he was important. Prior to his arrival, only two opponents were held under 100 yards rushing in a game. With Green, that total rose to seven opponents. Granted, more games were played with him than without, but the run defense was significantly better.

As you look at the Eagles roster and depth chart now, remember that not all of these players will be around in December and January. Last year the Eagles came up with Owen Schmitt, Colt Anderson, and Gerard Lawson as contributors after the season started. Other players were added, but offered little. Reggie Wells was a serious disappointment. Derrick Burgess had a short return to the Eagles that didn’t go as hoped.

One area that is a lot different between the Eagles and Packers is coaching. The Packers added Dom Capers and the 3-4 defense prior to the 2009 season. That was the year when they had to adjust to a new scheme and style of coaching. There were serious highs and lows. It paid off in 2010 when there was coaching stability and the players did know the scheme inside-out.

The Eagles basically revamped the whole defensive coaching staff. The scheme will remain a 4-3, but it will be different than what was done over the past couple of years. It won’t be as great of an adjustment as what Green Bay went through. Remember what Brett Favre did to that defense in 2009? He made the Packers look awful. They also struggled in the playoffs. The Eagles should have an easier time of it and should not struggle as much. In six of 17 games the 2009 Packers allowed 30 or more points. That all changed in 2010 when only the Patriots were able to score more than 30. And that came from a total of 20 games.

The Packers had enough offensive firepower to get through 2009′s inconsistent defense and be a playoff team. The Eagles have enough firepower to do the same thing. If the new coaches mesh well with the players and the scheme works well, there is no reason to think the Eagles can’t contend for the Super Bowl this year.

So what are the important lessons to take away from all of this? Most important, don’t be afraid to play young players. If they are talented and fit what you do, give them a chance. Not all will work out, but maybe more than you think. If you add players from other teams or the street, find specific roles for them. You can’t expect a new player to do exactly what you wanted back in training camp. You have to mold the role to the player. All of this is happening on the fly. Finally, it doesn’t hurt to be lucky. Look at Walden’s three-sack game. Derrick Burgess had 2.5 sacks in 2004. He played pretty well that year, but couldn’t seal the deal. A guy like Walden comes from nowhere to get three sacks in one day.

I don’t know if Andy Reid was heavily influenced by Green Bay’s defensive change prior to 2009, but obviously he did the same thing in terms of changing the coaches and the scheme. It will be interesting at some point in the future to hear Reid reflect back on the situation and explain what outside influences did affect his decision to make the defensive changes.

* * * * *

It looks like the lockout and CBA mess is going to finally be over (fingers crossed). I can’t wait until this is all a distant memory and we get back to some sense of normalcy. I think we’re all dying for that first transaction to take place. I don’t care if it is a big free agent move, simply signing an undrafted rookie, or just putting Ellis Hobbs on the retired list. Just give me some action.

Things will go crazy soon. There’s going to be a flurry of activity in the next few weeks. It could be one of the craziest two week periods in the history of the NFL. I can’t wait for all the fun to start.

Read More: Trent Cole (DE – PHI), Ellis Hobbs (CB – PHI), Asante Samuel (CB – PHI), Reggie Wells (G – PHI), Brett Favre (QB – MIN), Derrick Burgess (DE – PHI), Howard Green (NT – GBP), Jermichael Finley (TE – GBP), Gerard Lawson (CB – PHI), Owen Schmitt (FB – PHI), A.Q. Shipley (C – PHI), Moise Fokou (LB – PHI), Phillip Hunt (LB – PHI), Colt Anderson (CB – PHI), Ricky Sapp (DE – PHI), Jamar Chaney (LB – PHI), Bryan Bulaga (OT – GBP), Nate Allen (FS – PHI), Jaiquawn Jarrett (S – PHI), Stanley Havili (FB – PHI), Danny Watkins (G – PHI), Alex Henery (K – PHI), Casey Matthews (LB – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers

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Story Created:
May 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM CDT

Story Updated:
May 27, 2011 at 12:17 PM CDT

That’s all for today.

The Green Bay Packers will receive their Super Bowl championship rings on June 16 in the Lambeau Field Atrium, the team announced Thursday.

The Packers received an exemption from the NFL regarding the league’s no-contact policy between players and management, should the NFL lockout still be in effect.

“We’re looking forward to having an evening for the players, coaches and organization to recognize the victory in Super Bowl XLV,” Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said.

“It was an extraordinary season and the players earned their rings in very exciting fashion. We’re going to celebrate all the hard work that went into the championship. We’re excited for the evening.”

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

With the business of football at a complete halt, players on the Green Bay Packers aren’t even able to get the rings they earned when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, according to the New York Times.

Players are traditionally presented the rings at a ceremony in June, but Packers executives and coaches are the ones that have to order the rings, and they’re not allowed to contact the players to discuss the design because of the lockout.  The NFL hasn’t done anything yet to facilitate the process.

And it’s not just the rings. The Packers haven’t accepted President Obama’s invitation to the White House yet because none of the players would be allowed to attend.  The players can’t appear at school and charity events either, which are normally frequent during the off-season.  Events hosted by the team have also been postponed because of the lockout, and Packers fans have been left hanging throughout the proceedings.

Most of the traditional post- and off-season activities have been put on hold, which is especially tough on Green Bay since they are the only public-owned team and those shareholders can’t even enjoy their Super Bowl championship.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

While the side effects of the NFL lockout may not be at the forefront of many’s minds, there are some weird, unintended consequences that come along with the work stoppage. From coaches and staffers taking forced paycuts and furloughs to teams and players unable to communicate with each other under the labor rules, the lockout has effectively created a rift the size of the Grand Canyon between players and teams.

For the Green Bay Packers, the lockout means missing out on the incentives that go along with winning the Super Bowl, including a trip to the White House and Super Bowl rings.

You see, since the two sides can’t communicate, it’s impossible to have rings made or to take a trip to the White House. It would be an awkward trip to meet President Obama if the players and coaches couldn’t speak to each other along the way. Yahoo!’s Doug Farrar summed up the hypocrisy of it all nicely while noting NFL commissioner Roger Goodell broke those same labor rules by communicating directly with the players last week.

To put it bluntly, the restrictions on the ring design and ring ceremony are ridiculous, punitive, and completely transparent on the NFL’s part. Just a few days after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell bypassed the NFLPA completely and sent a form letter to every active NFL player, and as the ownership side keeps insisting that the NFLPA is more interested in litigation than mediation, we have these mysterious bans on rewards for the players on an all-of-a-sudden basis.

So why the sudden change of heart and insistence on teams ceasing all communication with players? It’s petty, to put it simply. By taking away some of the incentives that go along with being an NFL player, including the use of team facilities and the perks of being a Super Bowl champion, the league is looking to break the players during what may be a prolonged lockout.

Unfortunately, the Packers suffer in this situation. Unlike every recent team to win the Super Bowl in recent memory, Green Bay players may be left without a trip to meet the president and without Super Bowl rings, all because of a labor squabble that’s bordering on ridiculous at this point.

That’s all the news for today.

Chris Jenkins, AP Sports Writer, On Tuesday March 8, 2011, 10:02 am EST

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A month has passed since the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, and Greg Jennings still can’t wipe the smile off of his face.

So when the wide receiver was asked for his take on the latest developments in negotiations between NFL owners and the players union over a new collective bargaining agreement, Jennings insisted he had a major development to announce.

“I talked to somebody yesterday, or, like, a minute ago, and … they signed it,” Jennings deadpanned.

He couldn’t hold a straight face for more than a few seconds.

“No, I’m joking,” he said.

If this week passes without a new deal, the league’s uncertain labor situation will be no laughing matter.

Jennings, Donald Driver and fellow wide receiver James Jones were back in Green Bay on Monday night to attend the premiere of the team’s official season highlight DVD, which was scheduled to be available in stores Tuesday.

It was another chance for the players to relive the season, but the reality of the unsettled labor situation wasn’t far from their minds.

Asked if the players might have more leverage than they have in past negotiations, Driver said owners always will be dealing from a position of strength — but said he was confident that NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith will deliver a good deal for players.

“I think the owners, they’re going to always have the upper hand,” said Driver, one of the Packers’ alternate union representatives. “They own the team. But I think the players right now, we know exactly what we want to fight for. That’s why we have De Smith doing his job, and he’s going to do his job well to make sure that the players get exactly what we need to get, to make sure that everything works out for both sides.”

The current collective bargaining agreement originally was set to expire last week, but two extensions have now pushed it to Friday. And while the continuation of negotiations with a mediator is seen as a positive sign, it isn’t clear how much progress the sides actually are making on their significant differences.

“I’ve just been telling the guys, ‘Look, we had a 24-hour extension, now we have a seven-day extension.’ I haven’t heard anything since then,” Driver said. “But the good thing about it is, you have two sides talking. You have the union, you have the owners getting together and they’re going to make a decision. And we’re hoping we can play football in 2011. That’s the biggest thing right now.”

Not having a new CBA in place is particularly significant to Jones, who confirmed Monday that he has received a restricted free agent tender offer from the Packers. A new CBA could have different rules governing free agency, meaning Jones could become an unrestricted free agent instead.

“My main thing going through all this is, do I want to be a starter in the National Football League? No question. Do I feel like I’m a starter? No question,” Jones said. “So my main thing going into this free agency is I know we’ve got something great here. I mean, this team could win some championships for the next couple years. But at the same time, I do want to be a starter. I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen here with Donald playing until he’s 40.”

And Driver said he’ll definitely be back.

“So many people think that after you win the Super Bowl, you’ve got to retire,” Driver said.

For now, Driver is basking in the big win — so much so that he seemed to be looking forward to a night-owl autograph session at a local electronics store, where the Packers’ championship DVD was scheduled to go on sale at midnight.

Speaking before the premiere Monday evening, Driver said he expected fans to be in line when he got there and hoped he’d be finished signing by 2 a.m. — although he was willing to stay longer.

“You’ve got to make everyone happy,” Driver said.

Of course, nothing would make fans happier than a new labor deal this week.

“They’ll work something out,” Jones said. “Until then, enjoy yourself — that just means we’ve got more time with our families. Just hang out, and hopefully they get something done. I mean, they’re arguing over a bunch of money. So hopefully we can figure something out.”

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There is the quick update of the day.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

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