GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Ryan Pickett understands why the Green Bay Packers
kept him off the field for two weeks. That didn’t make the waiting any easier.

Pickett returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since he sustained
a concussion in the Packers’ Dec. 11 victory over the Oakland Raiders—his
second concussion this season.

Pickett had a less severe concussion during a practice in October, and
having two concussions so close together meant he had to sit out longer. Pickett
was itching to return right away, but acknowledged that the team did the right
thing holding him out.

“You appreciate it, looking out for your long-term health, things like
that,” Pickett said. “And I probably wasn’t ready, the past couple weeks I
just wasn’t there. But I feel great.”

Pickett didn’t remember taking a knee to the head from Raiders running back
Michael Bush until he saw it again on film. He had headaches, felt foggy and had
trouble concentrating while he sat out.

And while he appreciates the cognitive tests that a player must pass to
return to the field, he didn’t enjoy taking them, comparing the experience to
taking the SATs.

“And I hate the SAT,” Pickett said.

Pickett couldn’t really do anything during his recovery, no extensive
reading or watching movies. Even playing with his kids had to be done in
moderation.

“Stuff like that is so hard when you have a concussion and you have to
focus,” Pickett said. “They tell you to rest your mind. You don’t even want to
do reading. Just sit there. It’s probably the worst. You can’t do anything to
rehab and get it better. Just sit there and wait.”

And while Pickett was waiting, the Packers’ run defense was struggling.

Green Bay gave up 139 yards rushing at Kansas City on Dec. 18, enough to
help the Chiefs hold onto the ball and set up an effective play-action passing
game to hand the Packers their first loss.

Then came Sunday night’s game against Chicago, where the Packers gave up 199
yards rushing—including 121 by third-string running back Kahlil Bell, who got
the start because of injuries.

“Going back to the last game, we’ve talked about that in the grades, run
defense isn’t about talent,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s about
doing the little things right, and we didn’t do a very good of it in our last
game.”

Despite starting Bell and journeyman quarterback Josh McCown because of
injuries, the Bears were able to stay in the game until Aaron Rodgers found his
rhythm in the third quarter and the Packers pulled away.

“It’s tough, because that’s not our style of football the past couple
weeks, giving up runs like that,” Pickett said. “It’s been real tough to
watch.”

Now the Packers already have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and
McCarthy is weighing the possibility of resting veteran players in Sunday’s
season finale against Detroit.

Pickett hopes to play.

“I hope I can help,” Pickett said. “But this is good timing, my injury
happened at a good time, I’m ready to go now and we can start fixing things up
before we make this playoff run.”

Pickett’s return won’t automatically fix everything that has been wrong with
the Packers’ run defense the past few weeks, but it can’t hurt.

Now in his 11th season, Pickett has been a reliable inside force on defense
since leaving St. Louis to sign with Green Bay before the 2006 season—making
him one of Packers general manager Ted Thompson’s rare forays into free agency.

“In my opinion, just based on the grades and dealing with Ryan going on six
years here, I feel this is probably the best football he’s played,” McCarthy
said. “He’s physically in as good or better shape than he’s been in his time
here. He’s always had exceptional foot quickness and balance, the ability to
read and react. He definitely makes a difference in there.”

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers praised Pickett’s combination of
skill and veteran savvy, but said the Packers’ problems stopping the run Sunday
aren’t as simple as bringing back one player.

“Your run defense is like putting a glove on,” Capers said. “(It) has to
all fit together. For me, it probably represents your team defense more than
anything else because guys have to know where they fit and what their job is.
Ryan normally does his job very well, in terms of protecting his linebackers,
holding the point and not getting knocked off the ball—all those things good
defensive linemen do.”

And while Pickett isn’t as flashy a player as fellow defensive lineman B.J.
Raji, his absence proved how valuable he is to the defense.

“The coaches know. The teammates know,” Pickett said. “The fans and the
other people might not, but I’m OK as long as we’re going good and winning.”

———

Follow AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins on Twitter at:
www.twitter.com/ByChrisJenkins

The Green Bay Packers are in the midst of a dream season. At 13-0, Green Bay has been winning games smoothly all season long. Everything seems to have been a dream comes true in Green Bay. But as the team was trouncing the Oakland Raiders 46-16 on December 11, Green Bay actually got some unfortunate news. Wide receiver Greg Jennings was knocked out of the game. He is expected to miss two or three games and might not be ready until the playoffs. This is a significant loss for the Packers but one they can probably afford right now.

Jennings left the game with a sprained knee. He had a band landing on a play in the third quarter and was ushered back to the locker room. He did not return to the game and questions quickly formed about his status. Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed the knee sprain and said that he expects Jennings to be out for two or three games. That means he could return for the final regular season game. However, with Green Bay heading toward a playoff bye, it is more likely that Jennings will sit out until the divisional playoffs. That should give him ample time to rest and ensure his health when it matters most.

Jennings has had a nice season in 2011. He has 67 receptions and nine touchdown passes through the first 13 games for the Packers. He leads the team in catches and is second in receiving yards and touchdowns. Jennings is clearly one of the main targets for Aaron Rodgers and he will be missed. On the positive side, Green Bay has plenty of other targets for Rodgers to find. With the offense on a historic pace, Green Bay should be able to spread the ball around even with Jennings on the shelf. There is little reason to think they will lose a game simply because of this injury.

Since Green Bay only needs one more win to clinch home field advantage, the team will take its time with Jennings. The playoffs are already secure and the team knows that he is more important to them in the playoffs than he is in the final regular season game. I would be surprised if they bring him back before that. They have enough options and can let the wide receiver take his time to heal.

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By Carl Bialik

The Green Bay Packers are five wins from the NFL’s second-ever 16-0 regular season — and the hardest part is over.

Green Bay traveled to Detroit for the Lions’ traditional Thanksgiving game and won easily, 27-15. The Packers’ next big challenges come on the country’s next two big holidays: They will host another division rival, the Chicago Bears, on Christmas Day, before finishing on New Year’s Day by hosting Detroit.

The three games Green Bay would have to win to improve to 14-0 aren’t gimmes — all come against playoff contenders — but those opponents’ playoff hopes and strengths looked more impressive at the season’s midpoint. The Giants, who host the Packers next weekend, have lost two straight and are slightly below average, according to Pro Football Reference’s Simple Rating System. Then Green Bay gets two teams from the AFC West, the NFL’s weakest division. Oakland is 6-4, but its last two wins were close against two losing teams, while the Chiefs have lost three straight and their SRS is second-worst in the league, despite their merely mediocre 4-6 record.

Then comes Chicago, and a potential letdown. If the Packers are 14-0, they likely will have clinched home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The only way that 15th game, against the 7-3 Bears, would be meaningful at that point would be if San Francisco wins its next three games. Those rooting for an undefeated season can blame Baltimore for that: The Ravens beat the Niners, 16-6, on Thanksgiving. Now the Niners will have to win two relatively easy division games, then beat Baltimore’s AFC North rival, Pittsburgh, to keep the pressure on Green Bay.

Whether or not Green Bay finishes 16-0, it has already become just the 10th team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to win its first 11 games. Remarkably, five of those teams have done so in the last seven seasons, rising above the league’s supposed parity and the toll of injury, to dominate early in the season. Four of the five teams between 1970 and 2004 that start the season 11-0 won the Super Bowl. The fifth lost in the Super Bowl (the 1984 Miami Dolphins). But since 2005, just one — the 2009 New Orleans Saints — won the title, while the 2005 Colts missed the Super Bowl entirely. (The 2007 New England Patriots, the only team to finish 16-0, lost to the Giants in the 2008 Super Bowl.)

Defending last year’s Super Bowl title remains Green Bay’s ultimate goal, but on the way, the Packers might achieve something else remarkable. They have already won 17 straight games going back to the 2010 regular season. Just one other team to start 11-0 finished the prior year with a winning streak: the 1998 Denver Broncos, who defended their Super Bowl title that year after starting 13-0, winning 18 straight overall. By the Bears game, the Packers could be riding a 20-game winning streak, the second-longest in NFL history.

That Green Bay remains so dominant is rather surprising, given how unbalanced the team is. There is Aaron Rodgers, having one of the all-time great seasons for an NFL quarterback. There is a very accurate kicker, plus good kick and punt return yardage. But there’s also a rushing offense that ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in yards per attempt and a defense that is yielding the second most yards per play and second most first downs. Points count on both sides of the ball, though, and for 17 games the Packers’ prolific passing has been more than good enough to beat the team on the other side of the ball.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Erik Walden was arrested Friday on suspicion of felony domestic violence/substantial battery and will remain in the Brown County Jail until at least Monday.

Walden allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend at the couple’s apartment in Lawrence, just outside of Green Bay. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Brown County Court is closed for the weekend, so while Walden’s teammates have the next three days off following the team’s 27-15 Thanksgiving Day victory at Detroit, Walden will remain in jail.

The Packers issued a statement Friday saying, “’’The Packers organization is aware of the situation involving Erik Walden. We are in the process of gathering more information and will refrain from making any further comment.”

Hobart-Lawrence police chief Randy Bani told the Green Bay Press-Gazette the incident took place about 2:30 a.m. and the woman involved called authorities about 6:10 a.m. The woman was treated at a local hospital, and Walden was arrested and booked around 8 a.m., Bani told the Press-Gazette.

The 26-year-old Walden joined the Packers midway through last season and played in 12 games (five starts) in the regular season and playoffs. He had started all 11 games this season and played in Thursday’s victory over the Lions. The team flew back from Detroit after the game and players were home by Thursday evening.

Bani said before the woman called police, she was treated for a cut and bump on her head, along with an injured right hand, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.

“The officer felt that were was enough information that was given by the victim that the male was arrested,” Bani said.

Walden is the first Packers player arrested since ex-Packers cornerback Brandon Underwood was arrested June 16 after an incident with his wife following the team’s Super Bowl ring ceremony. Underwood was also arrested in a June 2010 incident in Lake Delton, Wis., after two women alleged he sexually assaulted them.

Underwood was released by the team in September and was suspended for two games by the league, but has yet to sign with another club.

Last week, defensive end Johnny Jolly was sentenced to six years in prison after violating the terms of a plea bargain with his third arrest on drug charges in three years. Jolly remains suspended indefinitely by the league.

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Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t just out to give the Green Bay Packers a scare in the middle of their perfect season.

   Raheem Morris and his team really thought they had a chance to hand the reigning Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season. And until Aaron Rodgers’ deep pass ended up in the arms of wide receiver Jordy Nelson for a game-clinching 40-yard touchdown, it looked like the Buccaneers had a chance.

   Josh Freeman threw for 342 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, LeGarrette Blount bounced off tacklers all day on his way to a 107-yard rushing performance and the Buccaneers’ late rally came up just short in a 35-26 loss to the Packers on Sunday.

   “I felt great about the whole game,” Morris said. “Our guys did a nice job competing. We came out and played the way we wanted to play. We played aggressive. We played hard and tried to get a win. Try to steal one from the champs.”

   The Buccaneers (4-6) have lost four straight, but this wasn’t anything like being blown out at home by Houston last week.

   “I thought we were going to come back and win it,” wide receiver Mike Williams said. “It just happened we fell short today.”

   Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth didn’t want to hear about moral victories.

   “There is no moral victory,” Haynesworth said. “Moral victory is for teams that are not that good and go out and play OK against another team. This team is good and we have a lot of talent.”

   With a 10-0 record going into a Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit, the Packers remain perfect, even if their quarterback walked away expecting much more from himself. Rodgers threw for 299 yards with three touchdowns, including a pair to Nelson, but wasn’t happy with the way he played.

   “I’m just frustrated,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t throw the ball very well. I’m not trying to be ridiculously humble right now, I’m just frustrated. The ball wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to today.”

   Some of the credit goes to an aggressive Tampa Bay defense that Rodgers said played more man-to-man coverage than the Packers are used to seeing.

   “We weren’t going to be played scared regardless of how good they are,” cornerback Ronde Barber said. “They put their pads on the same way we do. They got a lot of good players, so do we. We are in it to win. There is no sitting back and letting it happen. We were going to go get them. We tried, gave ourselves a great opportunity. Get one more third stop on their touchdown, I think we win this game. It was the one stop we didn’t get.”

   Tampa Bay was penalized nine times for 55 yards, but Morris wasn’t using it as an excuse.

   “Penalties are what they are, they are judgment calls and the judgment went against us a lot of times,” Morris said. “It is what it is.”

   The Buccaneers trailed by only four and seemed to have some momentum when they tried a surprise onside kick before halftime. After a replay review gave the ball to Green Bay at Tampa Bay’s 38, Rodgers drove for a 5-yard touchdown to Nelson that gave the Packers a 21-10 lead.

   Tampa Bay then had a touchdown taken off the board in the third quarter when Kellen Winslow was called for offensive pass interference. The Buccaneers settled for a 32-yard field goal by Connor Barth.

   “I really felt we made enough to plays to beat those guys,” Winslow said. “It is hard to win when you put the game in the refs’ hands.”

   The Buccaneers’ defense got a stop, and Freeman directed an eight-play, 91-yard scoring drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams. Tampa Bay tried to tie it with a 2-point conversion, but Winslow — who had a pair of big gains on the drive — dropped a catchable ball in the end zone.

   Packers running back James Starks did the majority of the work in an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kuhn.

   But the Buccaneers got another chance when Rodgers threw an interception to Elbert Mack — only Rodgers’ fourth pick this season — and Freeman threw a 37-yard pass to Arrelious Benn to set up first-and-goal at the 2.

   Freeman then threw a touchdown to Dezmon Briscoe and the Buccaneers kicked the extra point to cut the Packers’ lead to 28-26 with 4:25 left.

   Tampa Bay tried another onside kick, but the Packers recovered and Rodgers found Nelson to put the game away.

   Morris knew he might get second-guessed for the onside kicks but wasn’t apologizing.

   “We wanted to get the ball and win,” Morris said. “We are not going to apologize for being aggressive. When you play the Green Bay Packers, you’ve got to play aggressive, you’ve got to go out and make plays. (You’ve) got to steal possessions.”

   (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

   APTV 11-20-11 1954EST