Published: Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 8:44 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 8:44 p.m.

Gotta run!.

The last thing the offensively challenged Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to see
is a Green Bay Packers defense that is coming off a much-needed dominating
effort.

Hoping for another shut-down performance, the Packers look to move to 10-0
and continue their best start since 1962 while trying to hand the reeling
Buccaneers a fourth consecutive loss Sunday at Lambeau Field.

While Green Bay’s offense continues to play at an extremely high level
behind Aaron Rodgers(notes), the Packers finally put forth the stifling defensive game
they had been looking for in Monday’s 45-7 home rout of Minnesota.

The Packers (9-0) yielded at least 424 yards in each of their previous three
games before keeping the lowly Vikings to 266. They held Adrian Peterson to 51
yards with a touchdown on 14 carries and sacked rookie Christian Ponder(notes) three
times.

“I think we’ve known that we can play at this level, it’s just a matter of
getting it done,” said linebacker Clay Matthews(notes), who had two of his five sacks
Monday.

Green Bay defenders have taken their generous play prior to Monday
personally at times. That unit has felt it has not held up its end of the
bargain while the Rodgers-led offense continues to roll over the competition,
with the Packers averaging an NFL-high 35.6 points per game.

“We’re mad,” cornerback Charles Woodson(notes) said. “We’re mad about the way we’ve
been performing. The way our offense has been playing and carrying this team, we
want to be a part of that too. We don’t want it to just be one-sided.”

Woodson and his defensive peers have a chance for another stingy showing
against Tampa Bay (4-5), which has been outscored 88-43 during a three-game
skid. The Buccaneers’ 156 total points this season are 12 fewer than the Packers
have scored in the first half alone in 2011.

Tampa Bay and Cleveland are the only teams in the league not to have scored
an offensive touchdown in the first quarter all season.

“It’s not getting any easier,” Tampa Bay center Jeff Faine(notes) said. “We’ve got
a very, very huge challenge at Green Bay. We’ve got to play smarter and more
disciplined. It’s unfortunate we’re in the position we’re in, but we’ve got to
dig ourselves out.”

Trying to improve offensively is only half the battle for Tampa Bay.
Stopping Rodgers is perhaps an even more daunting issue for a Buccaneers defense
that allowed scoring plays of 80 and 78 yards in last Sunday’s 37-9 home loss to
Houston.

Rodgers, meanwhile, was an efficient 23 of 30 for 250 yards Monday, throwing
four touchdowns for the second straight game. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has
completed an astonishing 72.9 percent of his passes in 2011 and has thrown 11 of
his 28 TDs – and no interceptions – over the last three contests.

His passer rating of 130.7 is on pace to easily break Peyton Manning’s(notes) NFL
record of 121.1 in 2004.

“It’s amazing,” veteran Packers receiver Donald Driver(notes) said. “He gets better
and better. Every week he seems to be breaking another record. And sooner or
later, he can’t do anything but break his own. You have to take your hat off to
him. If he’s not the guy that’s going to win MVP this year, then something’s
wrong.”

Rodgers, however, is 31 of 62 for 431 yards with four touchdowns and six
interceptions while losing both career starts against Tampa Bay. He threw three
of those picks, including one taken back 35 yards for a fourth-quarter score by
Tanard Jackson(notes), in the Packers’ 38-28 loss in Tampa in the last meeting Nov. 8,
2009.

Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman(notes) threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns
in that contest but was picked off three times against the Texans last weekend.
Freeman, who has been bothered by a sprained thumb, has thrown nine touchdowns
and 13 interceptions in nine games, compared to 25 TDs and just six picks in
2010.

“I feel like I’m a better quarterback this year than I was last year,”
Freeman said. “As crazy as that may sound, looking at the numbers, I feel like
I’m throwing the ball as well as I ever have, it’s just things aren’t going my
way.”

Trailing almost throughout their losing streak, the Buccaneers haven’t run
the ball much lately. They’re averaging just 16.3 carries for 68.0 yards during
their skid, with LeGarrette Blount(notes) totaling 106 yards on 23 carries in two games
since returning from a knee injury.

Tampa Bay is looking for a fourth consecutive win over the Packers. It
snapped a 12-game skid in Wisconsin with a 17-16 win in its last visit Sept. 25,
2005.

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Read More: Aaron Rodgers (QB – GBP), James Jones (WR – GBP), Jermichael Finley (TE – GBP), Jordy Nelson (WR – GBP), Randall Cobb (WR – GBP), Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers took care of business against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, 42-34, giving us a thrilling matchup in the NFL’s first game of the regular season. 

We learned plenty of things on Thursday night starting with QB Aaron Rodgers being deserving of all the offseason hype he received. SB Nation’s Acme Packing Company handed out three things they learned from the Packers in Thursday night’s game. Take a look at what they said about the things they learned and here’s my take:

1. Jermichael Finley and Randall Cobb are going to be major weapons this year, while Jordy Nelson has improved. Finley had three catches for 53 yards while Cobb added two touchdowns, one through the air and one on a kickoff return. Finley was injured last year and Cobb’s a rookie so this is an added offensive explosion for the Packers. And let’s not forget Nelson who had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Who needs Greg Jennings? (Actually, the Packers did as he was their leading receiver on Thursday night)

2. The consequence of No. 1 is that James Jones is now offensive option No. 6 in the passing game, or so it seems. Without Finley and Cobb last year, Jones was a solid option catching 50 balls for 679 yards. This year his role may be lower. He caught one ball for one yard on Thursday night. It’s not a bad offense if James Jones is your sixth option in the passing game.

3. We can have an elite YPC with two slightly above average, but not great running backs. RB James Starks and RB Ryan Grant shared the load last night combining for 97 yards rushing on 22 carries. The Packers offense is centered on the pass so as long as they can get solid contributions like that in the running game, they’re going to be elite.

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Chastin West has been one of the biggest surprises in the Green Bay Packers’ training camp this year, consistently separating from defenders and making impressive catches in practice. He’s the Packers’ leading receiver through three preseason games, boosted largely by his 97-yard touchdown catch against Arizona.

West already knows the Packers’ offense after spending last year on the practice squad, and could contribute on special teams.

Still, West faces a tough task making it through the Packers’ final roster cutdown. Green Bay kept five wide receivers coming out of training camp last year, and those spots would seem to be claimed already by Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and second-round rookie Randall Cobb.

The Packers don’t have many, if any, significant decisions left to make in terms of their starting lineup going into Thursday night’s preseason finale against Kansas City at Lambeau Field. So the game will serve as a last-ditch showcase for players such as West to make a case for a place on the roster.

“I’ve just got to keep going,” West said. “The end is going to come, whether you like it or not. Hopefully, it’s what I want, but I understand it’s a business.”

The Packers cut another receiver, Brett Swain, earlier this week. West is happy he still has a chance, but he isn’t gloating.

“In my mind, I’m just trying to go out there and play as best I can,” West said. “You don’t ever want to be fortunate (because) of another person’s misfortunes. I think Brett’s going to be fine wherever he goes, but as for me thinking about, ‘Oh, well, he got cut and all of this stuff,’ like I said before you can’t count heads.”

With Saturday’s deadline looming for teams to reduce their rosters from 80 to 53 players, the Packers also will have tough decisions to make within a large group of fullbacks and tight ends.

Tight ends and fullbacks are cross-trained and often used interchangeably in the Packers’ offense. Green Bay kept three fullbacks and four tight ends coming out of camp last year, but may keep fewer fullbacks and more tight ends this year.

That could be bad news for fullback Quinn Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick in 2009. But Johnson says he has had a “pretty solid” camp and isn’t approaching Thursday’s game as if it’s his last chance to make the team.

“I don’t feel it’s any bigger than the past games,” Johnson said. “I just have to go out there and do what I’ve been doing and let the cards fall where they may.”

The Chiefs also are looking forward to a final tune-up before their regular-season opener at home against Buffalo.

“You know, the preseason is all about trying to get better, so whether you’re playing against the ones or twos or whoever you’re playing against, your goal is to get better,” Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel said. “You’re really about your team and your ability to get better, because the ultimate goal is to be ready by Sept. 11.”

The Chiefs have a handful of positions up for grabs as well.

Andy Studebaker and rookie Justin Houston are competing for a starting spot at outside linebacker, while Ricky Stanzi and Tyler Palko both are after the backup quarterback job. The Chiefs must make decisions about the final few roster spots, particularly in the defensive backfield, where Sabby Piscitelli, Donald Washington, Reshard Langford and Jon McGraw are all in the mix.

“I’ve never put it just on the game, but I made it pretty clear to all of them at the start of the week, there’s a lot of competition going on at a number of different areas,” coach Todd Haley said. “Some of those areas are front line, some are second corps, and some into the third. … We’re going to have some tough decisions to make, and maybe this year is tougher than the first two years.”

And unless something unexpected happens to Aaron Rodgers this season, Thursday will be the last chance for Packers backups Matt Flynn and Graham Harrell to play meaningful minutes in a game. Rodgers is likely to play, but not for long.

Flynn’s contract is up at the end of this season, and he has shown enough ability to potentially tempt a team to give him a chance to start in 2012. If Flynn goes, the Packers will need Harrell to prove he can be a capable backup.

“The lockout probably hurt Graham the most of the three quarterbacks because that would have been a time to really hone in on the offense, get a real good understanding of it and get an intense period of working on fundamentals,” quarterbacks coach Tom Clements said. “We do the best we can during the year but we don’t have as much time to do it. He works at it, he has a knack back there passing. The more he learns about the offense and the more he feels comfortable with it, that allows you to play better.”

___

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The Green Bay Packers have one of the NFL’s elite outside pass
rushers in Clay Matthews.

So it says something that Bryan Bulaga has held up well at right
tackle lining up across from Matthews daily in training camp.

To be sure, one-on-one pass-rushing drills are not the ultimate
measure of line play, where sometimes a player is more concerned
with working on a move than with winning the snap. Yet, there’s
also no dismissing Bulaga’s unofficial 12-1-1 record against all
comers in one-on-ones, including 5-1-1 against the outside
linebacker who last season finished No. 2 in the voting for NFL
defensive player of the year.

Where Matthews’ array of spin moves and low shoulder dips
embarrass other lineman, Bulaga has kept his balance and poise.

“A guy on the offense who has really stepped up his game, it’s
definitely (Bulaga),” Matthews said. “There’s guys on the offensive
line who I enjoy going against because I know I can take advantage
of them, and there’s him, who has stepped up his game. (You can see
it) just by watching his footwork, how big he is, how strong he is
and how well he can move. He’s gotten good. He’s gotten real
good.”

In fact, with how Bulaga has looked so far in camp, there’s
reason to think he’s found his home on the right side.

When the Packers selected Bulaga at No. 23 overall in last
year’s draft, they saw a good prospect for left tackle whenever
Chad Clifton retires, though they were open to playing him at right
tackle or maybe even left guard, at least early in his career.

And in Week 2 last season, Bulaga stepped in for the ailing
Clifton in the second quarter against Buffalo and finished the game
without incident. That suggested Bulaga could play left tackle in
the NFL, even though Clifton returned the following week and went
on to have a strong season protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blind
side.

But after playing right tackle the final 16 games last season,
playoffs included, Bulaga from the start of this year’s camp has
looked like a natural on the right side. The Packers aren’t
inclined to make definitive statements about Bulaga’s long-term
position, but with this year’s first-round pick, Derek Sherrod,
looking like a natural left tackle, and even second-year pro
Marshall Newhouse showing he might be a viable option down the
road, the Packers might be leaning toward leaving Bulaga at right
tackle permanently. Why mess with a good thing?

“I just think he’s doing a very good job at right tackle, and
we’ll cross that road (of his long-term position) when we have to,”
said James Campen, the Packers’ offensive line coach. “That’s how
I’d answer that.”

To some degree, the distinction between the road grader at right
tackle and pass protector at left tackle is evaporating in the NFL,
because defenses are moving their best outside rushers to whichever
side offers the most favorable matchup. To that end, coach Mike
McCarthy has said that in his scheme, he prefers left-tackle
qualities in both his tackles.

Still, left tackles are more highly paid than right tackles, so
Bulaga’s long-term earning power would be better on the left side.
But Bulaga this week said he’s fine if the Packers leave him on the
right side for the rest of his career.

“I’m OK with wherever they put me, I really am,” he said. “I’m
comfortable out there, I’m happy playing out there. I love playing
next to Josh (Sitton), he’s a great right guard to play next to.
I’m comfortable out there. But anything they want me to do. I’m
comfortable with that, and I’ll continue to play my best out there
until they tell me to do something else.”

Going back to his first practice with the Packers last year,
Bulaga entered the NFL as technically sound and with the balance
and body control of a pass blocker. His deep knee bend and
straight-back posture looked much like two long-time Packers left
tackles : Clifton, who’s held the job since 2000, and Ken
Ruettgers, their left tackle from 1986-95.

But for as well trained he was in college, Bulaga also left Iowa
after his true junior season, which suggests he had room for
meaningful strength gains in the NFL. McCarthy frequently talks
about players usually making their biggest jumps from their first
to their second seasons, and on Tuesday night he named Bulaga as
one who has made the greatest strides.

“Really improved from last year,” McCarthy said.

During the NFL owners lockout, Bulaga worked with local trainers
for most of the offseason. He’s listed at 314 pounds, as he was
last year, and so far in camp has been the team’s second-best
lineman, behind only Sitton.

“(Bulaga) has clearly put the work in the offseason,” Campen
said. “I mean, he’s stronger. He’s an athletic guy that cares,
doesn’t have mental errors, doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
That’s allowed him to flourish and play more fluidly, not think so
much. He puts a tremendous amount of time into his physical makeup
and his mental makeup.”

With Sitton and Bulaga, the Packers have the makings for the
strongest right side of their offensive line since going back at
least to Mark Tauscher and Marco Rivera in the early 2000s.

“Mentally (Bulaga) has got our offense down,” Sitton said. “It’s
pretty smooth over there on the right side when it comes to talking
and figuring things out.”

Feel free to leave your comments below.

By Tommy Lawlor

– Contributor

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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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Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

They closed last season on a four-game winning streak, have an impressive collection of young talent and got high marks in the draft, now the Lions are generating a little NFL buzz — even at a stop on the defending Super Bowl champs’ Tailgate Tour.

Packers president Mark Murphy, during a visit to Negaunee Middle School in the Upper Peninsula, called the Lions an up-and-coming team and predicted, “I think they’ll finish second in the division to us for the next few years,” according to the team’s Web site.
SEE STORY HERE

Negaunee Middle School principal Dan Skewis said students asked a handful of Lions questions when Murphy and six current and former Packers stopped by a school assembly Wednesday as part of their annual off-season caravan.

Skewis said questions were directed at guard Josh Sitton, linebacker Desmond Bishop and quarterback Matt Flynn.

Sitton called Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh the best defender he ever had faced, according to the Web site, and Bishop was asked about the Lions’ December victory over Green Bay.

“He made some comment, just kind of a politically correct type thing where he just said they’re a great team and they had a good draft this year, you have to be ready, they’re going to be tough this year,” Skewis said. “I don’t recall (Murphy’s comments), but he was probably having fun with those kids. Every time they would talk about the Super Bowl (the Lions fans) would come back saying … ‘You really struggled against the Lions this year when Aaron Rodgers went out’ ” with a concussion.

Skewis said about 30% of his school’s 310 students were Lions fans, another 60% are Packers fans and the rest root for the Bears or Vikings.

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March 24, 2011

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Joe Philbin, offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl XLV Champion Green Bay Packers, will join former Florida head coach Urban Meyer and current Oregon head coach Chip Kelly as a guest speaker to the 2011 Notre Dame Football Coaches Clinic.

Philbin recently completed his eighth year in the NFL, all with the Packers, and fourth season as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator.

Named to his current position by Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy on Jan. 15, 2007, Philbin continued a rapid ascent up the professional coaching ladder. He originally joined the Packers on Feb. 10, 2003, as assistant offensive line coach, then spent 2004 and ’05 as tight ends/assistant offensive line coach, and was promoted to offensive line coach on Jan. 17, 2006.

In his four seasons at the offensive helm, Philbin has directed both a productive and sound unit. The team’s 1,703 points from 2007-10 are the most in franchise history over a four-year period.

League-wide, the offense has ranked in the top 10 in total yards and total points each year, joining the New England Patriots as the only teams in the NFL to accomplish that feat. The point total is third in the league over that span, trailing only New England (1,944) and New Orleans (1,736).

In addition to Philbin, Kelly and Meyer, each member of the Notre Dame coaching staff and a pair of head coaches from two of the top high school programs in Ohio and South Carolina will make presentations. Mickey Wilson, head coach at Myrtle Beach High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Rick Finotti, head coach at Saint Edward High School in Cleveland, Ohio, will serve as guest speakers.

This year’s clinic will be held on Notre Dame’s campus March 24-26 and is open to all football coaches interested in receiving an advanced gridiron course taught by some of the top football coaches in the country.

Chalk-talk sessions will provide attendees with an excellent opportunity to become familiar with various coaching techniques and a chance to know the coaches and other participants.

  Â

In addition to the various presentations, participants will get an exclusive look at the 2011 Fighting Irish football team as the squad practices twice during the clinic. Coaches’ socials both Thursday and Friday evenings, a BBQ dinner on Friday and a tour of the Notre Dame Stadium locker room are all included. Local vendors and exhibitors will also be present during the weekend.

Spots are filling up fast and this year’s attendance is expected to approach 1,000 participants. Reservations are currently being accepted. For more information or to download registration forms, check out NotreDameCoachesClinic.com or contact Chad Klunder in the Notre Dame football office at (574) 631-8643 or cklunder@nd.edu.

That’s all for today.

Updated: Monday, 21 Mar 2011, 5:48 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 21 Mar 2011, 12:21 PM CDT

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Published: Tuesday, February 01, 2011, 1:14 PM     Updated: Tuesday, February 01, 2011, 1:21 PM

Need a reminder of how historically good the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers have been? Check out the all-time Steelers-Packers team that CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco put together.

Packers will need to stand up to historically-tough team (Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Exploring Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews’ rapid rise to fame (Rick Reilly, ESPN.com)

It’s tough to argue with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu as Defensive Player of the Year (Matt Bowen, National Football Post)

Steelers’ director of player personnel Kevin Colbert is unsung hero (Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Remember way back in August, when it was believed the Green Bay Packers offense would run through defenses like Zsa Zsa Gabor ran through husbands?

Seventeen games later, the Packers offense has run through exactly five teams while the star of film, TV and slapping police officers said “I do” nine times.

Score one for the 93-year-old woman.

Even today, when most people think about the Packers, they identify with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offense.

I get that. But that is not the identity of this team.

As has been the case all season long, whether or not the Packers are successful tonight in Atlanta will have more to do with how the defense performs than the offense.

It has been the defense that has far and away been the Packers’ most consistent unit and has kept them in every game, as all six of their losses have come by four points or fewer.

It has been the defense that has had many more injuries than the offense, but has somehow found a way to formulate a patchwork lineup that is one of the best in the league.

It has been the defense that has taken guys who weren’t within 100 miles of Green Bay when training camp concluded — Charlie Peprah and Erik Walden — who now find themselves in the starting lineup.

It has been the defense that opened the year with an untested guy in a key role — see Tramon Williams — a guy who was supposed to have a significantly reduced role — see A.J. Hawk — and a guy who was expected to maintain his role as an underachiever — see Desmond Bishop — who are all now playing vitally important roles as starters.

I know defensive coordinator Dom Capers is not eligible for coach of the year, but he should be.

“Just the way we’re structured as a staff, you have to have a defensive coordinator that A, has total command of the assistant coaches, because that’s where it starts,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Capers.

“It doesn’t start when you get in the classroom. It starts up on the third floor, pulling assistants together, teach them the scheme, make sure everybody’s on the same page, and Dom does an excellent job of that.

“Then obviously take it to the next step, and that’s with the players. He’s been doing it so long, very detailed, knows exactly what he’s looking for, and I think that’s the true mark of an excellent coach. You have the vision and staying true to that vision and make sure you do not get off the path to accomplish what you want. I just think the success we’ve had in the two years is a big credit to Dom.”

There is much for Capers to be concerned with tonight. The talented Roddy White at receiver, the freak Tony Gonzalez at tight and the ice man, Matt Ryan at quarterback.

There are a ton of trends for Capers to analyze, but the one that carries the most weight is finding a way to keep the Falcons’ Raging Bull, Michael Turner, under wraps.

Atlanta is 17-2 over the past three years when Turner has rushed for more than 100 yards, including a 7-0 mark this season. In Atlanta’s three losses this season, Turner didn’t top the 50-yard rushing mark.

This is not difficult to figure out. Turner is a 5-foot-10, 244-pound guy who is hard to bring down. He gained 110 yards in the Falcons’ 20-17 victory in November over Green Bay because the Packers defense, mostly, did a poor job of tackling.

If the Packers do a much better job tackling him tonight, their chances for success go up.

Turner had only one 100-yard game over the final five weeks and it seemed his league-leading 334 attempts may be catching up to him.

A week’s rest has undoubtedly helped, and that will make the Packers’ job more difficult.

But if the Packers are to win, the defense will lead the way, somehow, someway. It has been that way all season.

Mike Woods: 920-993-1000, ext. 232, or mwoods@postcrescent.com; On Twitter @FloridaGators59

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