CB Kevin King out for Sunday, T Elgton Jenkins questionable
There was some good news and bad news for the Green Bay Packers in the final injury update of the week.
On the bad side of things, cornerback Kevin King will miss Sunday's game at Chicago with a shoulder injury. King did not practice at all this week after suffering the injury against Cincinnati. With Jaire Alexander on injured reserve with a shoulder injury of his own, the Packers will be without their top two cornerbacks.
Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Friday they still have enough guys to get the job done, including first-round pick Eric Stokes.
"We've got a lot of different guys that we can put out there," LaFleur said. "(Rasul Douglas) is one of the guys. (Isaac Yiadom) has been here for a while now. And then we also have (Chandon Sullivan), (Shemar Jean-Charles) and then we've got Quinton Dunbar on the (practice squad), so we've got plenty of options."
Douglas was just signed off Arizona's practice squad two weeks ago, but LaFleur said he's up to speed on what the Packers are doing.
"He's doing a nice job," LaFleur said of Douglas. "I know he's ready to roll, so there's a good chance you'll see him this weekend."
On the potentially good side of the injury report, tackle Elgton Jenkins practiced for a third straight day, though it was in a limited capacity. He's missed the last three games with an ankle injury and is listed as questionable.
"We'll give him up until game time," LaFleur said. "We worked a lot of different combinations (in practice), so I'll let you know guy you know 90 minutes before the game on Sunday."
Center Josh Myers practiced fully for a second straight day and appears ready to return after sitting out last week's win against the Bengals with a hand injury.
On the Bears side of things, wide receiver Allen Robinson and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks practiced on a limited basis and are listed as questionable. Pro Bowl outside linebacker Khalil Mack did not practice this week but will also be questionable for Sunday.
Bucks sign GM Jon Horst to contract extension
Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst will be sticking around for a while.
Coming off the team's first NBA title in 50 years, the Bucks awarded the man that put the team together with a long-term contract extension. The move was announced by team owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan.
“I am blessed and excited to continue with the Bucks,” Horst said in a press release. “Thank you to Marc, Wes and Jamie for your continued confidence and trust in me and for giving us the resources to be successful. We have the best ownership in sports, and I’m humbled to work with you. I also want to express my deep appreciation to my great partners and friends, Peter Feigin and Coach Bud, as we continue building sustainable success in Milwaukee. My executive team, led by Milt Newton, is incredible, and I appreciate your support and dedication every day.
“To our players, I’m grateful for your trust, commitment, and belief, and for working incredibly hard to get better every day. You are the reason I get to live my dream, and my family and I are forever grateful. Milwaukee is our home. Go Bucks!”
Horst has been with the Bucks since 2008 and took over as GM in 2017. He was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2019 and oversaw the building of a roster that won a championship in July.
“Jon’s preparedness, decision-making and leadership have been instrumental in the Bucks’ success during his tenure, and he has earned this extension,” Lasry, Edens and Dinan said in the release. “We appreciate Jon’s hard work and creativity and are excited that he will continue to lead our basketball operations for years to come.”
Preview: Wisconsin vs Army
THE BASICS
The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 1-2) vs the Army Black Knights (4-1)
The time: 7 p.m. CDT, Saturday
The place: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.
The TV coverage: Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and James Laurinaitas in the booth and Rick Pizzo on the sideline.
The last time: First meeting
The series: N/A
The line: Wisconsin -14
INJURY REPORT
QUESTIONABLE:
OL Logan Bruss
RB Isaac Guerendo
ILB Mike Maskalunas
K Jack Van Dyke
OUT
TE Jack Eschenbach
ILB Jordan Turner
OLB Aaron Witt
THE BREAKDOWN: 4 THINGS TO WATCH
1) Strength on strength
Only one team in the country has run for more yards per game than Army’s 318.2. The Black Knights have already racked up at least 339 yards three times this season and topped 200 in every game.
Wisconsin’s defense, meanwhile, is allowing the fewest rushing yards in the nation at 41.4 per game and only one team has rushed for more than 50 yards. That was Michigan in Week 4, and it took the Wolverines 44 carries (2.6 ypc) to get there.
It is fair to say that this will be the biggest challenge for both units to this point in the year.
2) Speaking of Army’s run game
Fans of a certain age will have flashbacks to the 60s, 70s and 80s when Army has the ball Saturday night. It will be almost like finding the contents of a college football time capsule when the offense lines up in its flexbone triple-option offense. Designed to keep teams off balance, the offense is a throwback to the likes of Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame when those schools were winning national titles so long ago.
But Wisconsin said this week it will be prepared for the unique challenge. The coaches started working on a game plan during spring ball and took more time in the summer and fall camp to dig in further.
"It's far from beginning right now, especially knowing that you didn't have an (extra) week to prepare in-season,” defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “The guys have heard everything we're talking about, they've seen it, they understand kind of the issues and why you have to do things a certain way. Now it's having that one week of prep to get it done. You got to be clean on Saturday."
3) 1-2 punch
Wisconsin may have found its two-headed monster at tailback but it’s not the one everyone expected when the season started. Not with redshirt freshman Jalen Berger being booted from the team this week. So instead of Berger and Chez Mellusi being the featured backs, it’s Mellusi and true freshman Braelon Allen.
That duo combined for 276 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Illinois last week. Now, can they, along with the offensive line, put together back-to-back strong performances? It’s not a forgone conclusion because Army is sitting third in the country against the rush at 54 yards per game (2.41 ypc). If Wisconsin can be efficient and productive against a stout front, it will be a massive boost in confidence for the entire offense.
4) Show me something
The Graham Mertz experience has been a bumpy one to this point in the season. There have been flashes of brilliance (see end of first half against Michigan) but also way too many ugly looking decisions and throws. That was the case in his most recent adventure against Illinois. He had three potential touchdowns he was not able to capitalize on (locking on to Chimere Dike and missing a wide-open Danny Davis, an interception on a deep ball to Kendric Pryor and underthrowing Jake Ferguson). But he also went 4-for-7 on third down with three conversions to give the Badgers another set of downs.
There is no doubt the mistakes have outweighed the good plays – he has thrown two touchdowns and seven interceptions – but there remains hope it will eventually click for Mertz. Positive signs against an Army defense that has been a middling group in stopping the pass may give him – and the fanbase – some much-needed belief he can figure things out.
NUMBERS TO CONSIDER
-- Army quarterback Christian Anderson is not expected to play due to a shoulder injury and that will sting. Anderson is the team’s leading rusher at 431 yards and five touchdowns despite missing the last game with the injury. The Black Knights figure to turn to Tyhier Tyler to start, though Jemel Jones could also see time as he is the better passer of the two, though that isn't saying much.
-- Wisconsin has the worst turnover margin in the country at -2.20. That would be the worst by any FBS team for an entire season since at least 2009.
-- Army has thrown a nation-low 33 passes this season, while Wisconsin has 140 attempts. Despite that, the Black Knights have one more touchdown pass (4) than the Badgers.
-- Wisconsin is 2-1 all-time against the service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) and this will be the first time the Badgers have faced one since 1979.
-- Saturday night's game figures to move along quickly. Army ranks first in the country in time of possession (40:01), while Wisconsin is fourth (35:39).
ZONE PREDICTIONS
Zach Heilprin's (3-2, 2-3 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 21, Army 10
Ebo's (2-3, 1-4 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 28, Army 7
Nelson Raisbeck's (2-3, 1-4 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Army 14
RJ Brachman's (3-2, 1-3 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 24, Army 14
Ben Kenney's (3-2, 2-3 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 13, Army 6
Packers-Bears is still a rivalry but it has been all Green Bay of late
The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have played more times than any other two teams in NFL history. When the clubs meet Sunday at Solider Field it will mark the 203rd meeting between the rivals. Of late, though, it hasn’t felt much like a rivalry. That tends to happen when one team wins 19 of 22 games like the Packers have.
While Chicago wide receiver Darnell Mooney took offense to a reporter calling it the “Packers-Bears rivalry,” Green Bay wide receiver Davante Adams spoke like someone that had been on the winning side a lot.
https://twitter.com/markgrotesports/status/1448340894491480074?s=20
“I look at everybody like a rival. It means something to me because I know how much it means to this organization and the town more than anything,” Adams said. “I hate everybody that I play against, so when I'm going out there, I'm going to try … to murder you with every opportunity I can. They’ll get the same treatment as (Cincinnati) last week. It’s the same thing in my head. But it's an age-old rivalry and it means a lot to this town and really to football, so it's important that we add another one in our column over here.”
Matt LaFleur grew up in Michigan, so he has lifelong knowledge about the rivalries among the Packers, Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. And yet Green Bay’s coach says they treat this game differently but not solely because it is a rivalry.
“It's an NFC North opponent, first and foremost,” said LaFleur, who is 4-0 against Chicago and 12-1 against the division. “Those games are just almost twice as meaningful, because if you can win, obviously, that it is twofold, you're giving that other team a loss. We've stressed a lot of importance on the North, and certainly just being the longest rivalry in the National Football League, I think it just adds another layer.”
It seems easy for the Packers to treat this as just any other game because they have beaten the Bears so consistently for so long. In the last 29 seasons Green Bay went from being down 24 games in the series to being six games up. After the Bears had a winning record in six of the first seven decades, the Packers have led – by a wide margin – in the last three. That success coincides with the arrival of quarterback Brett Favre in 1992 and continued when Aaron Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008.
“I’m just a small part of this journey. It’s been over 100 years of playing and fortunate to have this little time right now to be able to be a starter and impact the all-time series,” Rodgers said. “Little Green Bay was getting beat up for a long time by our foes to the south. And then Favre-y showed up and we close the gap and then we've overtaken them. It's nice but I don't think it's the most important part of the all-time legacy but it it’s always a battle against them and always fun when you can beat him.”
That success is why, when Lovie Smith took over as Chicago’s coach in 2004, one of his stated goals when he spoke to the media for the first time was about taking back control of the rivalry.
“The main focus for so many of these coaching press conferences in Chicago is beating the Packers because we've had the upper hand for the last stretch with Favre and I,” Rodgers said this week. “It's been battles, though. It's still a rivalry.”
https://twitter.com/BearDown_Blog/status/1448404323789066240?s=20
The Camp: Oct. 14, 2021
Wisconsin is getting set to host Army this Saturday. The guys talk about the unique offense the Black Nights will bring with them, along with some discussion about the Jalen Berger situation, debate some over/unders and make their picks for the weekend's biggest games.
LaFleur says 'stats are for losers' but the Packers are working to improve red zone offense
GREEN BAY -- Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy had a number of famous quotes during his 13-year tenure with the team. There was "We're nobody's underdog" following a loss to New England in 2010. He also dropped "I'm not in the mood for drama tonight" following the Fail Mary loss at Seattle in 2012. But it was his quip of "statistics are for losers" during his end of the season press conference in January of 2014 that stayed with many that cover the team, as the line was directed at a beat writer.
At least some were having déjà vu Wednesday when current coach Matt LaFleur spoke with reporters and was asked when stats -- like the Packers struggles in the red zone on both sides of the ball -- actually matter.
“Stats are for losers, sorry," LaFleur said, clearly not sorry for his comment. "You guys can have a heyday with that. All I care about is wins and losses. Right now, we lost our first game of the year, we’ve won four in a row and we're trying to go 1-0 this week. So as long as we keep winning, I'll let you guys write about the stats and we'll just try to keep taking it one game at a time and going 1-0 each week."
The familiar comment elicited laughter from the gathered media and LaFleur was asked whether he knew about his predecessor’s history with the phrase.
"I did not know that," LaFleur said. "I didn't study Mike McCarthy's press conferences. I'm not a big stat guy. I just want to win."
And, as LaFleur pointed out, the Packers have wont despite the issues in the red zone. But that doesn't mean anyone is satisfied, especially offensively. A year after scoring a touchdown on an NFL-best 76.8% of their trips inside the 20-yard line, the Packers are languishing at 55% in the NFL this year, which ranks 27th in the league.
"I'm not as concerned as everybody else I would say about our redzone. I think we'll be fine," LaFleur said. "We're five games into this thing. And certainly I think we set a standard a year ago of what it should look like. And we haven't lived up to that standard. That's that falls on me. I've got to do a better job of giving our guys plays that can be successful."
Part of the issue is when you're as good as the Packers were last season, teams are going to study what you're doing and how to slow it. Still, quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes the plays are there for them to reach the heights they did a season ago.
"I think we can be more aggressive. I think that's the biggest thing," Rodgers said about fixing the issue. "I think we can keep being more aggressive in those areas. More aggressive doesn't mean throw the ball more, it just means we have a ton of scheme down there and let's keep rolling it off the sheet."
Wide receiver Davante Adams suggested that teams have an idea of what the Packers are trying to do and that is why the numbers are not where they want them to be. He said they want to be simple but not so simple that it's obvious what is coming. He believes they can switch a few things up in the pass game and take advantage of some situations where the defense is dealing with him on isolated routes.
"We all kind of been conversing about the ways we can get better in the red zone and get back to what we what we kind of made our identity last year," Adams said. "We're definitely not on that right now..."
The relationship between Rodgers, Adams and LaFleur should pay dividends in figuring out ways to be more successful in what the Packers call the gold zone. That kind of played out after the Cincinnati game when LaFleur came to Adams.
"We were in the locker room talking about it for a second. It's just super constructive conversations," Adams said. "I mean obviously we all want to put the ball in the end zone and he's calling plays to do so, but if it's not working as well as what worked before, then sometimes we're do for an adjustment and switch it up."
Brewers season ends with 5-4 loss to Braves in NLDS
Milwaukee's push for the franchise's first World Series title came to an end Tuesday night in Atlanta with a 5-4 loss to the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS. The home team claimed the series 3-1 with the win and advanced to the NLCS to face either Los Angeles or San Francisco.
For the Brewers, their ride came to an end largely due to an ineffective offense that managed six runs over the entirety of the series, including four that were the result of two-run homers from Rowdy Tellez in Game 1 and Game 4. Otherwise, it was a brutal effort from most of the lineup.
"I know as an offense we didn't swing the bats well," centerfielder Lorenzo Cain said. "I know we're definitely capable of swinging the bats better than we did in the series. It just didn't happen. For whatever reason it
just didn't happen."
Perhaps it was fitting that Atlanta's final out came on a strikeout of Christian Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP that has played nothing like it the last two seasons. The outfielder went 1-for-5 Tuesday with three strikeouts. He went just 3-for-15 in the playoffs, including eight strikeouts.
He was far from alone, though, as Milwaukee started the NLDS 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position, the third-worst mark in MLB postseason history. Omar Narvaez was able to snap that streak in the fourth inning with a run-scoring single that also broke a streak of 22 straight innings without a run. Lorenzo Cain would follow with a single of his own to bring in another run and give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. It could have been more, as the bases were loaded, but Willy Adames struck out, one of 15 on the day for the Crew.
But the Braves always had an answer to the little offense Milwaukee could muster. Eric Lauer went 3 2/3 innings before Atlanta chased him with the bases loaded. Pinch hitter Eddie Rosario then delivered a two RBI single off of reliever Hunter Strickland to tie the game. After Tellez gave the Brewers a 4-2 lead in the fifth with his home run, Atlanta got two runs in its half of the inning off of Aaron Ashby, including a tying single from Travis d'Arnaud.
While the four runs were all Milwaukee could muster, the Braves got the biggest hit of the series from Freddie Freeman in the eighth inning. After Brandon Woodruff worked a scoreless 1 1/3 innings on two days rest, manager Craig Counsell turned to Josh Hader in the eighth. The All-Star closer struck out the first two batters before Freeman took him deep for a solo home run -- the first homer Hader had given up to a lefty in more than a year.
"He had to pitch in the game and it was the right part of the lineup for him to pitch to," Counsell said of turning to Hader in the eighth inning for just the second time this season. "It was our best against their best. I don't think you regret having that situation. It's how it works. That's how the game works. That's how it's
supposed to work."
It was all Atlanta closer Will Smith needed, as he stranded the tying run at first base with the strikeout of Yelich and punched the Braves ticket to their second straight NLCS appearance.
The loss ended what had been an impressive run for the Brewers. They won the second-most games in franchise history, claimed their third NL Central title and had one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball. But their offense, which had been a question early in the season and again down the stretch, led to an earlier exit than anyone wanted or expected.
"In the moment right now, we're all really disappointed," Counsell said. "And it's hard to get past the disappointment right now sitting here right now. It just is. But I think in the end we had big goals. We didn't quite get there. But you win 95 games. It's a special group. And they did accomplish some special things."
There were plenty of accomplishments but it's hard to ignore the struggles in the final month of the season. After going to 34 games above .500 on Sept. 12, the Brewers went 7-15 the rest of the way.
"It just felt like it's a tough way to end the year," Woodruff said. "We felt we had a special group. It's going to hurt for a while, but we'll get over it and move on to next year."
Packers sign veteran CB to practice squad
The Green Bay Packers could be without their starting cornerbacks against Chicago on Sunday, so they went about building some depth Tuesday by bringing a veteran to town.
As first reported by Pro Football Focus, the team signed Quinton Dunbar to their practice squad following a visit. Dunbar started six games for Seattle last season before going on injured reserve in November. Detroit signed him in April but he was released Aug. 12. He last spent time with Arizona on its practice squad.
Dunbar's best play came in five years with Washington, especially 2019. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Dunbar started 11 games that season, picking off a career-high four passes and broke up eight more. Washington traded him to Seattle for a fifth-round pick following the season.
Green Bay is in need of some help at the position because All-Pro Jaire Alexander is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury for at least two more games, while fellow starter Kevin King went down with a shoulder injury against Cincinnati. His status for the Bears game is unclear.
Those injuries leave rookie Eric Stokes, veteran Chandon Sullivan and relative newcomer Isaac Yiadom as the top options for defensive coordinator Joe Barry. The team also has fifth-round pick Shemar Jean-Charles and recently signed veteran Rasul Douglas as potential replacements.
Badgers discuss departure of Jalen Berger, prep for a unique Army offense
On Sunday, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst dismissed running back Jalen Berger from the team without stating a reason for the decision. He didn't offer up much more when asked about the move during his weekly Monday press conference.
"I spoke with Jalen on Sunday and I'm going to keep that between me and Jalen," Chryst said when asked why he made the move.
Chryst was pressed on several different fronts but none resulted in him giving a reasoning for moving on from Berger, who led the team in rushing last season. Players that spoke with the media were also tight lipped on what happened.
"It's difficult for me because he's my friend. He's like a brother to me," running back Chez Mellusi said. "I'm going to continue to support him. I don't know much about the situation. That's out of my hands. I just told him I'm here for him and will continue to support him."
While the coach and players weren't saying much, the Wisconsin State Journal quoted two sources that said Berger broke team rules, including missing meetings and workouts. The behavior, according to the paper, began when the team added Mellusi from the transfer portal this past offseason.
Berger is the second running back to be dismissed from the team and the third to leave overall. An off the field fight in August between freshmen Loyal Crawford and Antwan Roberts resulted in the former being kicked of the team and the latter suspended. Roberts eventually entered the transfer portal, while Crawford is facing charges for the incident.
The departures leaves Mellusi, true freshman Braelon Allen, junior Isaac Guerendo, sophomore Julius Davis and true freshman Jackson Acker as the scholarship tailbacks on the roster. Walk-on Brady Schipper is also a part of the rotation.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it's a distraction, for me at least," Mellusi said of the departures. "I know that it's kind of a distraction for the outside world, people kind of think our running back room is falling apart, whatever that means. And I don't think that's the case whatsoever. So, it definitely doesn't look great, but I'm very fortunate and very happy for the guys we do have in the room still."
A unique challenge
Wisconsin is getting ready to face Army this week but the process of dealing with the Black Knights unique offense started way before Monday.
"We really started this prep in the spring, and (we) touched on it again as coaches and players in the summer in fall camp," defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. "It's far from beginning right now, especially knowing that you didn't have an (extra) week to prepare in-season. The guys have heard everything we're talking about, they've seen it, they understand kind of the issues and why you have to do things a certain way. Now it's having that one week of prep to get it done. You got to be clean on Saturday."
Army is one of just a handful of FBS teams still running an option offense, something that once dominated the sport. Teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Notre Dame won national titles in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s running option-style offenses.
The Black Knights run a flexbone triple option. It's a run-dominated scheme (they've passed just 33 times in five games) that ranks second in the country in rushing (318 yards per game) and has scored 19 of their 23 touchdowns on the ground.
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But Army hasn't faced a unit like Wisconsin's yet. The Badgers are stopping the run better than any team in the country, giving up just 41.4 yards per game and teams are averaging only 1.66 yards per carry.
"We've played a lot of teams that have been committed to the run, and I like our guys and I like the matchups," Leonhard said. "There is an element of playing option football that you have to fit the schemes the right way but you got to do a little bit more. I like the way our guys are playing with that aggressiveness and you have to give them the flexibility to do that within the scheme.
"But yeah, we spent a lot of time as coaches kind of going back into the spring and summer, really knowing that this week it's go time, and I'm excited. "It'll be a plan that they can execute and play well and play fast, play with confidence and that's what you need to do first and foremost."
The Camp: Oct. 11, 2021
The Badgers took care of business in Champaign. Zach and Jesse start with the news of Jalen Berger's dismissal and then get into the great days for Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen, discuss a bounce back day for the OL, play some 'Overreaction or No' and answer your Twitter questions.
