Packers at Titans: Your game day guide

Who: Green Bay Packers (4-3) at Tennessee Titans (7-0).

When: Noon Sunday.

Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.

Weather: Mostly sunny and warm. Kickoff temperature of 67 on the way to a high of 72. Light winds.

The line: Titans favored by 5½ points.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa. Here's a map showing where the regional telecast will be seen. It's the lead noon game, going to most of the country.

Also on DirecTV Channel 711 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 9

A week gone by for woolen shopping,
Walleye fishin' and woodbin chopping;
Now ready for winter,
The Pack goes a'hinter,
To try their hand at Titan toppling.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Alumni update, CFL edition

Here are some odds and ends on former Packers who have moved on to the Canadian Football League:

-- Toronto Argonauts defensive end Jonathan Brown loves it in the CFL. He was the Packers' third-round pick in 1998, but played in only four games. He's been a CFL all-star and was the outstanding defensive player in the East Division last year.

"I was so fed up by the politics of football in the NFL," he tells Joe O'Connor of Canada's National Post.

Now 32, Brown adds: "I meant to go back, I did, I truly did. I was thinking I was coming to Toronto, maybe to spend two years doing my thing, and actually get back to the NFL by the time I was 30. But things happen. And I am in a place I love to be, and with an organization that enjoys having me be a leader, and so what can I say: I am an elder statesman now."

-- B.C. Lions receiver Cory Rodgers, the Packers' fourth-round pick in 2006, is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. He was hurt in a game against Winnipeg in July. Rodgers, who was projected as a punt and kick returner, couldn't hold onto the ball and was cut by the Packers at the end of training camp in 2006.

-- Brad Miller, an assistant to the Packers' defensive and special teams coaches from 2000 to 2005, was named linebackers coach for the Toronto Argonauts earlier this month. He was defensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Montreal Alouettes for two seasons after leaving Green Bay.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

What I did on my bye week vacation

The Packers are back at practice after almost a week off for their bye.

Here's a sampling of what they did with their time off:

-- Linebacker Brady Poppinga was the alumnus chosen to carry Brigham Young's white-and-blue Y flag onto the field before the Cougars' game against UNLV on Saturday afternoon. He was joined by BYU junior linebacker Coleby Clawson.

It's a BYU tradition to have a player run onto the field with the flag before each game. They've added the alumni flag this year.

-- Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had his high school jersey retired in Zephyrhills, Fla., on Friday night. Pickett, who wore No. 79 -- as he does with the Packers -- graduated from Zephyrhills High School in 1998.

"It's an honor, man," he told the St. Petersburg Times.

Doesn't sound as if he's too impressed? His mother knows best.

"Ryan is really excited," Mae Pickett told the Times last week. "I just got off the phone with him in fact. He doesn't know how big it's going to be. The community is really involved."

-- Left tackle Chad Clifton returned to Knoxville, Tenn., for the 10-year reunion of the University of Tennessee's 1998 national championship team. The Vols went 13-0 that season.

They gathered Friday night for a public event, then were honored during Saturday's game against Alabama.

-- Linebacker A.J. Hawk attended Saturday's Ohio State-Penn State game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Even NFL players like the Packers

Last season, NFL players were asked which coaches and teams they'd most and least like to play for.

The results of the survey by the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania were disclosed over the weekend by William C. Rhoden of the New York Times.

How do the Packers rate? They're No. 4 on the list of the NFL's best organizations, trailing only the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys. The worst? The Oakland Raiders.

For what it's worth, the Packers were one of only three teams not nominated as one of the NFL's worst organizations. The others were the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Visiting Lambeau Field: The view from Britain

The Guardian, a British newspaper, sent a reporter to Green Bay for the Falcons game on Oct. 5 to get a taste of the NFL in advance of Sunday's Saints-Chargers game at Wembley Stadium.

The writer, Jamie Jackson, met a couple of fans who made quite an impression.

"'Look at my tattoos,' says a man who calls himself Santa. He is an enthusiastic 51-year-old with a long grey beard and flowing hair and must weigh around 20st (280 pounds). He is tailgating with friends behind an ambulance, which is parked next to a van that has two gigantic pink flamingos on the roof. Draped over the ambulance are bras - red, green, yellow, orange, blue, black, brown, and some that need cleaning.

"'There's Rudolph the Reindeer, this one's a little girl whispering into Father Christmas's ear,' Santa says pulling up his Packers shirt to show his tattoos. 'It's my job, every year I give out presents. I start 31 October. You want a beer? Soon I'll get the grey drained from my beard. It takes three goes for that. Then the hairdresser uses white toner to make it like Santa Claus. Every week it costs $175 (£100) for a retouch.'

"Santa's friend Dave will not reveal his surname 'in case my wife finds out.' He is wearing a sticker that says 'The Optimistic Gent,' is drinking beer and is the ambulance owner.

"'We just got more,' roars a tipsy Santa pointing to a star-spangled bra. Bleary eyed, Dave explains. 'In 2000 when they began redoing the stadium we did a campaign, "Support the Legend." And we kept on. Bras give support, right?' he says, not quite sure the joke is understood.

"Dave produces a collection of photographs - there are hundreds - that feature the owners of the bras swaying free in the cold Wisconsin wind. In place to protect the modesty of the topless women - who range in age - are Packers stickers shaped like Playboy bunnies.

"'It's freezing, there isn't much else to do in Wisconsin,' Dave says. 'So you drink and follow the Packers.' Which is what occurs until noon and beyond for a game the Packers will lose 27-24. Some Cheeseheads go into Lambeau Field, some pile into tents in the so-called Tundra Zone to watch on TV. Some just keep on drinking."

Well, OK, that's one aspect of game day at Lambeau Field.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Visiting Lambeau Field: The view from Indy

Ever wonder what it feels like to visit Lambeau Field if you're not from Wisconsin?

One Indianapolis Colts fan loved last weekend's visit, and wrote about it at Stampede Blue, a Colts blog.

Among the highlights:

-- "The stadium has outdoor restrooms for tailgaters built into the stadium. What a great idea."

-- "There is not one bad seat in the entire stadium. I sat in the last row by the green wall. GREAT seats. Just awesome."

-- "They have some planned chants during the game, and some activities special to the Pack such as 'Go Pack Go.' Lame, but more than we have. HEY COLTS MARKETING DEPARTMENT - time to create some tradition. Get fan input."

And that's just three of the nine things on a list of things to like about Green Bay.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Maybe his skully is on a little too tight

We saw this in Sports Illustrated while getting an oil change the other day, but we can't describe it any better than Big Daddy Drew Magary, writing for the irreverent sports blog Deadspin.

It involves Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk.

We now turn it over to Big Daddy Drew:

"I still subscribe to Sports Illustrated, though I can’t think of a good reason why. 'Oooh, look! Week-old game recaps! And pictures of swimming!' Anyway, tucked inside SI is the SI Players section, which is SI’s ... attempt to look like ESPN Magazine. Because ESPN Mag is so hip and 'with it,' you see. Wanna know what kind of core exercises Donovan McNabb does? Neither do I!

"Inside the SI Players section is the Pop Culture Grid, in which four athletes (one of whom is always a token WNBA player) are asked to give quick responses to four different questions, like 'Favorite Food,' or 'Britney Spears Is…' (many of the athletes answer either 'CRAZY!' or 'A singer of some kind'), or 'Book I’m Reading' (most of the players say NONE to that one).

"The other week’s grid included A.J. Hawk.

"One of the question categories was “Best Band Name Ever” One athlete said Jamiroquai, which makes no sense at all.

"But Hawk’s answer was even more mind-boggling:

"'Dave Matthews Band.'"

Big Daddy Drew had more to say, but it was in typically bad taste.

If you insist on reading more, head over to Deadspin and check out the Thursday Afternoon NFL, uh, Jamboroo. Remember, you've been warned before about things being in spectacularly bad taste at Deadspin.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Farewell: Billy Bookout

Billy Bookout, a defensive back for the Packers more than 50 years ago, died Friday night at the football field in Bedford, Texas. He was 76.

A running back in high school, Bookout led Wichita Falls High School to a 14-0 record in 1949. It was the Coyotes' first undefeated team. He played one season at the University of Oklahoma, then transferred to Austin College and starred there.

Nick Gholson of the Wichita Falls Times Record News tells the story of how Bookout made his way to Green Bay:

"In 1955, he hitchhiked to Green Bay to walk on with the Packers. He made the team and played there in 1955 and 1956."

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Bookout played in 19 games for the Packers over those two seasons. One of their top defensive backs, he recovered three fumbles in 1955, sharing the team lead, and had two interceptions. He had one more interception in 1956.

After leaving Green Bay, Bookout coached high school football in Texas until 1975. He became the games operation manager at Bedford's new stadium in 1987.

And, as Gholson says:

"My 76-year-old friend had a heart attack and died there Friday night.

"If it was Billy’s time to go, I can’t think of a time or a place he had rather have it happen than on Friday night at Pennington Field."

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Colts at Packers: Your game day guide

Updated Saturday morning with nicer weather forecast, revised line.

Who: Indianapolis Colts (3-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-3).

When: 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Lambeau Field.

Weather: Partly cloudy and mild with a 10 percent chance of showers during the game. Kickoff temperature 57 on the way to a high of 62. Southwest winds at 15 mph.

The line: Colts favored by 1 point.

TV: CBS (Channel 5, Green Bay) with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.

Also on DirecTV Channel 713 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on Westwood One Radio Network national broadcast with Mark Malone and Mark Champion; on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 7

Pack vs. Colts is played in fourths;
Should the first two be a show of force,
May the third frame pass,
So that by the last,
The Pack may continue beating a dead horse.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Lambeau Field remains No. 1 with NFL fans

Just in case you needed a national survey to confirm it, Lambeau Field is again the NFL's best stadium, according to SI.com.

The 32 NFL teams were ranked in five categories -- affordability and food, tailgating, team quality, atmosphere and accessibility – in what SI.com calls “an extensive online survey” of more than 12,000 NFL fans. About 30 percent of those responding to the 19-question survey have season tickets.

Lambeau Field was ranked the NFL’s best stadium for atmosphere, affordability and food. It also was voted the fans’ favorite stadium to visit.

However, it ranked second to Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium for tailgating.

Lambeau Field ranked fourth for accessibility (behind Jacksonville, Baltimore and Denver) and fifth for team quality (behind New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Seattle).

The top 10 stadiums in the poll: Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Denver, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Seattle, Buffalo, Tennessee and Philadelphia. Lambeau Field also topped last year’s poll.

Fans responding to the survey also were asked about the worst incident they’d seen at the stadium. The Lambeau Field horror stories included these:

-- “An old man who probably had season tickets since the Hayes administration kept yelling at us to ‘Sit down, you kids act like you've never been to a game before? Sheesh.’ Well, no, actually, we hadn't, because fossils like that guy have been clutching on to their season tickets year after year and keep out those of us who are actually excited to be there."

-- “Two older women in their late 70s were sitting behind two Bears fans at a Packers-Bears matchup. The Bears scored a touchdown and the Bears fans stood up and cheered. The two old ladies dumped their beers on them when they sat down. Hilarious. The Bears fans didn't know what to do.”

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Vote early, vote often

The Packers would like you to have your say on several matters of interest.

First, the Pro Bowl. Voting is under way for the NFC team. Of course, the Packers would like you to vote for the Packers. As always, that is your call. Click here to cast your votes.

Second, the Packers Fan Hall of Fame. Monday is the deadline to nominate fans for this year's honor. You must write an essay of 500 words or less about your nominee and submit a photo of the nominee. The Packers will pick the 10 finalists. Online voting will determine the winner. Click here for information.

(And, no, we will not capitalize the word "fan," as the Packers do for no apparent reason.)

Third, the Click for Cans contest. We can't say it any better than Patti Pedretti of Algonquin, Ill., who e-mailed us today to say:

"I was at Chunky.com this morning to vote for the Packers. Since we are playing the Colts this coming Sunday, I glanced at their total votes -- 30,031! While we beat the Seahawks on the field and in the soup competition this week, we are currently only at 18,065. Could you please put a blurb in your paper regarding how we need to do better this week to stay undefeated? You should check out some of the other team totals for the week as well - Bills, Steelers and Titans. Packer fans are getting a little lazy!"

Click here to vote. Click here to see the standings. Click here to read the contest rules.

The Packers have won the contest for six years running -- thanks largely to Packers fans stuffing the ballot box -- so Campbell's Soup changed the format this year. The winning team gets a donation of soup for food pantries.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Visiting Kansas? Stop at the Nelsons' place

Packers fans traveling through Leonardville, Kan., might want to stop at Nelson's Landing.

That's the sports bar and grill run by Alan and Kim Nelson of Leonardville. You know their son. He's Jordy Nelson, the rookie wide receiver for the Packers.

In fact, some folks do stop by in the hopes they'll get a glimpse of Jordy, who starred at Kansas State University, or of his sister Kelsey, who plays basketball at K-State.

Kelsey occasionally waits tables and Jordy worked there before he joined the Packers, according to a story from the K-State Collegian via the Cattle Network.

Alan Nelson farms all day, then has dinner at Nelson's Landing. Kim Nelson works there all day. Open only since last December, it's become a popular place around Leonardville, a town of 375 people.

The beef for the hamburgers comes from the Nelson farm. Kim's mother makes the pies.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Alumni update: Andrew Oberg

Andrew Oberg didn't make the Packers after they drafted him in 1992, but he's doing just fine these days.

He's the new director of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. With 8,500 students, it's the largest online school in the state.

The Packers selected the 6-foot-7 Oberg, an offensive tackle from North Carolina, in the 10th round of the 1992 draft. After being released by the Packers, he played professionally in Germany for a year.

A native of Rochester, Pa., he has two master's degrees in education and is working toward a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Packers at Seahawks: Your game day guide

Who: Green Bay Packers (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (1-3).

When: 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Qwest Field.

Weather: Mostly sunny and cool. Kickoff temperature 54 on the way to a high of 57. North winds at 10 mph.

The line: Seahawks favored by 2.5 points.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Chris Rose, J.C. Pearson and Nischelle Turner.

Also on DirecTV Channel 713 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on Sports USA Radio Network national broadcast with Larry Kahn, Terry Donahue and Troy West; on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 6

In catch-up mode, tempus fugit,
So then run, pass or pooch it,
But a defensive stop
Would help a lot
As the Pack goes to the Sound of Puget.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Packers go outside to play

On Tuesday afternoon, eight Packers players went back to grade school.

Will Blackmon, Daryn Colledge, Ryan Grant, Tony Moll, Charlie Peprah, Jason Spitz, Brett Swain and Tracy White helped put up a new playground at Beaumont Elementary School on Green Bay's west side.

Ten Beaumont students won an essay contest with their answers to the question: “Why is it important to give back to your community?”

The playground was provided through the NFL/United Way Hometown Huddle project. United Way volunteers and some fourth- and fifth-graders also helped set it up.

After the work was done, the entire school turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the playground.

If White helped put up the playground, as a Packers press release reported, good for him. He was released by the team on Tuesday.


What the kid in the red sweatshirt might be thinking as he hangs with Daryn Colledge: "Whoa, dude, what's all that stuff tattooed on your arm?"

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

(Photos: Duke Bobber, Green Bay Packers)

Zeke Bratkowski talks Packers

Zeke Bratkowski, the former Packers quarterback and assistant coach, was in Bristol, Va., on Monday for a benefit golf tournament.

He was invited to play in the tournament by his old teammate, former Packers receiver Carroll Dale, who works as a fundraiser at the University of Virginia-Wise. The tournament was a benefit for the Wise athletics department.

Bratkowski did a short video interview with Brent Carney of TriCities.com. In it, he talked about the Packers then and now.

Click here to watch the video.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 5

Into Titletown the Falcs are flyin',
To halt a skid the Pack's a'tryin,
To keep Aaron fine,
Is the goal of our line,
While the Falcs will be saving Private Ryan.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Falcons at Packers: Your game day guide

Updated Saturday morning with increased chance for rain.

Who: Atlanta Falcons (2-2) at Green Bay Packers (2-2).

When: Noon Sunday.

Where: Lambeau Field.

Weather: Increasing clouds and cool with a 40 percent chance of rain. Kickoff temperature of 58 on the way to a high of 62. East winds at 10 mph.

The line: No line.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli and Charissa Thompson.

Also on DirecTV Channel 709 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com