College football and college basketball writer for
@FOXSports
| Executive producer: “A Deadly Football Hit” on HBO | Soccer coach | Born and raised in CT
Dan Hurley knew he had to change. His signature blend of toughness and defense could only take
#UConn
so far.
This is the story of a multiyear philosophical shift that touched every corner of the program and turned the
#Huskies
into an offensive machine:
Ran into Dom Capers last night. Said he will always have fond memories of Green Bay and has no hard feelings about how things ended. He wished Matt LaFleur and the new staff nothing but the best. Say what you want about Capers the coach, but he’s as classy as they come.
#Packers
Free agent QB Colin Kaepernick, who is serving as an honorary captain for the
#Michigan
spring game this weekend, will participate in a throwing exhibition at halftime with a collection of wide receivers.
Today marks the end of my time on the
#Packers
beat after four great seasons. I always viewed my job as a privilege so I am grateful to both the
@journalsentinel
and
@TheAthletic
for trusting me to cover the team. And to all the readers/listeners out there: Thank you so, so much.
Source: The
#Ravens
are targeting
#Michigan
DC Mike Macdonald for their vacant defensive coordinator position. A deal is expected to be completed in the coming days.
#Packers
president Mark Murphy confirms the team is in discussions to play an exhibition game in Canada against the
#Raiders
. Possible locations include Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, according to Murphy.
#Packers
running game:
Jamaal Williams — 11 carries for 27 yards
Ty Montgomery — 5 carries for 18 yards
Aaron Jones — 11 carries for 65 yards
Still think Jones needs more touches.
#Packers
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling organizes a homeless drive to distribute essential items on Christmas Day. As it turns out, his event is several generations in the making for a family built on giving. That's why
@MVS__11
is our Person of the Year:
#Packers
GM Brian Gutekunst said he wasn’t sending a message by trading Montgomery and Clinton-Dix. A few days later he cuts Whitehead following a silly ejection. There are guys on the 53-man roster who contribute far less than those three. Sure seems like a message to me.
Howard said it was unfortunate that some of the players also threw punches. He admired them for backing each other up but didn’t want it to go that way. Howard’s presser is over. He did not apologize for his actions.
#Michigan
A brawl broke out at Kohl Center after the final buzzer. Punches thrown. On the Michigan side, Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II both were swinging. The teams were finally separated, and the crowd chanted N-I-T, N-I-T.
#Wisconsin
wins, 77-63.
I asked Byron Bell if he's ever seen another running back hit the line of scrimmage with as much speed as Aaron Jones. This is some serious praise from Bell.
#Packers
found a gem:
Davante Adams: 4 years, $58.9M, $30M guaranteed
Sammy Watkins: 3 years, $48M, $30M guaranteed
Allen Robinson: 3 years, $42M, $25M guaranteed
If I’m the
#Packers
, I feel really good about the deal I made.
If I’m Davante Adams, I sort of wish I hit the open market.
So the
#Packers
beat the Bears by 1 point, tied the Vikings and were outplayed by Washington in a loss. They're 1-1-1 after three weeks. A couple plays from being 0-3; a couple plays from being 3-0.
I can confirm the
#Packers
are working to hire Matt LaFleur as their next head coach, according to a source. He's worked with Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan and should bring plenty of offensive ideas to Green Bay.
Juwan Howard has not apologized for anything that happened. Said he was upset about Wisconsin calling a timeout late in the game. He expressed that frustration to Greg Gard. Howard said Gard touched him during the postgame line and he felt the need to defend himself.
#Michigan
The X-factor at
#Michigan
sets his alarm for 3:52 a.m. and hasn't missed a day of work in decades. He used to measure the distance between hangers in his closet and spent years developing a patent. How Ben Herbert's discipline transformed the
#Wolverines
:
Breaking:
#Packers
RB Aaron Jones was arrested and faces several charges after a traffic stop in which he admitted to smoking marijuana. Arrest took place Oct. 1, a week before his first start in Dallas, and was previously unreported
Hell of an answer from
#Packers
LT David Bakhtiari about the
#Steelers
pass rush: "I never saw (Bud) Dupree, I just saw (T.J.) Watt. On that end, I’m happy that we took (Vince) Biegel to be honest. I’m very happy that we ended up getting (Kevin) King and took Biegel."
Aaron Rodgers got the defense to jump offside and then used the free play to throw a no-look touchdown pass all the way across the field to Geronimo Allison in a 2-minute drill. Unreal.
#Packers
Rodgers said he knew the
#Packers
would win the moment he walked onto the field at the start of the second half. Might as well go out and win, he thought.
#Packers
president Mark Murphy consulted with GM Brian Gutekunst before firing Mike McCarthy. Gutekunst was on board with Murphy's decision to part ways with McCarthy and begin the coaching search sooner than later.
He lived in Connecticut, played for the
#Patriots
and was later convicted of first-degree murder.
This is NOT the story of Aaron Hernandez. This is the violent life of Eric Naposki.
Spent two years on this project for
@SInow
’s True Crime series:
#Packers
QB Aaron Rodgers said he's heard from "over 100" current and former coaches/players since the
@BleacherReport
story was published, according to an interview Rodgers did with ESPN Wisconsin radio. Rodgers called the article a "smear" job.
Spoke to former
#Jaguars
RBs coach Tyrone Wheatley, who has worked with Nathaniel Hackett in Jacksonville, Buffalo and Syracuse. He thinks Hackett and
#Packers
QB Aaron Rodgers can be deadly.
The night before Dan Hurley made the biggest choice of his career, he and his wife texted each other simultaneously to see if their preferences aligned. “One, two, three…stay.”
Column from Storrs on why Hurley turned down the
#Lakers
to remain at
#UConn
:
For all the criticism
#Packers
fans have heaped on Davon House, let me just say this: House has been an incredibly valuable resource for Kevin King (
@King_kevvoo
) the last two years. You need veterans like that to mold young players. It really helps.
#Packers
OLBs coach Mike Smith on Rashan Gary: "A guy that size and that speed and with that athleticism, I've never seen it. And I've been in the league for 11 years."
Some thoughts from
#Packers
rookie camp:
- Jaire Alexander is definitely on the small side but he's feisty and got his hands on a lot of passes
- Josh Jackson looks the part of an NFL corner and is aggressive with his hands against every WR
- Both guys worked inside/outside
Mason Crosby misses a 49-yard field goal as time expires.
#Packers
lose, 20-17. If that's how this season ends — losing to a horrible team...at home...with the elements in your favor — what a pathetic way to finish.
#Michigan
AD Warde Manuel when asked if he'll try to have Jim Harbaugh to sign a contract extension on the flight home: "Hey brother, I’m working on it. Believe me. I’ve been working on it."
I covered Nathaniel Hackett in college when he was OC at Syracuse under Doug Marrone. In addition to strong football acumen, Hackett brings tons of energy. He was so emotional during post-game interviews — both happy and sad — that the SIDs asked him to cut back on profanity.
The new scapegoat welcome to club my boy
@JungleBoi_Swagg
shits starting to be ridiculous self destruction much love to em it is wat it is come on down to Green Bay
Here at the annual league meetings in Arizona,
#Packers
GM Brian Gutekunst shared a cool story from the draft room on the night Ted Thompson selected Clay Matthews:
#Packers
have signed DE Fadol Brown to a 1-year extension, according to a source. Brown was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent, but the two sides agreed to a short-term deal instead.
An early trend for the Matt LaFleur offense is how involved RBs seem to be in the passing game.
#Packers
using tailbacks all over the formation and dedicating drills to fundamentals of receiving. Could be a way to get more touches for Aaron Jones.
The
#Packers
have traded CB Lenzy Pipkins to the
#Colts
for LB Antonio Morrison, sources told The Athletic. Pipkins had been running with the third- and fourth-string corners during camp after a strong end to last season.
There are more
#Packers
fans here than
#Rams
fans, and it's legitimately loud when Goff is trying to adjust things at the line of scrimmage. Another drive ends with a sack when Blake Martinez beats the center to bring Goff down. Rams punt again.
Aaron Rodgers intercepted again by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix during a team period. This is Rodgers’ second practice with three interceptions. He’s been picked seven times.
#Packers
Philbin says the
#Packers
had an optional weightlifting session yesterday. Attendance was the highest it's been all season. He views that as a sign the players aren't quitting.
After I say that,
#Packers
run a beautiful play that splits Aaron Jones out wide to draw the safety and sends Davante Adams into the space behind him for a deep touchdown. Excellent throw from Rodgers.
Rodgers says the
#Packers
need to honor Mike McCarthy and respect him the right way. "We did some incredible things. So instead of trashing this guy on the way out, let's remember the amazing times that we had together."
#Packers
WR Randall Cobb on Khalil Mack: "I thought he was coming here. I thought I was going to wake up and find out we got him. Some things happen, and obviously he ended up in Chicago. That’s part of it. That’s part of the business."
#Packers
RB Jamaal Williams on his TD reception: "Oh shoot, I give all thanks to Corey (Linsley) because without him blocking old boy, I definitely would not have got out of there. But as soon as he got that block and I seen some field, I was like, ‘I ain’t getting caught.'"
A year ago, the
#Packers
had 8 concussions by the end of September.
This year, the majority of players converted to a high-tech helmet designed to lessen the forces of impact.
Does it work? Hard to say. But the
#Packers
have 0 concussions thus far:
He cried on the field at Washington and feared amputation en route to emergency surgery. Now Muhammad Wilkerson is recovering nicely from a gruesome injury and would love to re-sign with the
#Packers
.
I sat down with
@mowilkerson
last week:
Have to wonder if teammates will view these quotes as hypocritical given Clinton-Dix’s massive regression this season and total lack of effort in the finale against Detroit.
#Packers
CB Kevin King says the ball didn’t touch him on the punt in the first quarter. He encouraged reporters to put that out there.
#Lions
were awarded the ball at the 1-yard line and quickly scored.
The Packers have activated WR/preseason star Jake Kumerow off IR to practice. So that's it for IR-return spots. Teams get two and they already used one on Trevor Davis. If Kumerow ends up playing, all of Wisconsin will rejoice.