Packers designate center Corey Linsley to return from injured reserve
The Green Bay Packers could be getting their starting center back soon.
Corey Linsley had been on injured reserve since shortly after suffering a knee injury Nov. 29 against Chicago. However, according to reporters at practice, the veteran was back on the field for Tuesday’s session.
https://twitter.com/WesHod/status/1341483431058927619
Linsley, whose contract is up after this season, was playing the best football of his career before the injury. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the top center in the NFL and fellow Packers took to Twitter on Monday night to take issue with the veteran not being selected to the Pro Bowl.
Without Linsley in the lineup, Elgton Jenkins has started at center the last three games. When Linsley returns, Jenkins would likely move back to his normal left guard spot, a job currently held by Lucas Patrick. Before Linsley went down, Patrick was at right guard and Billy Turner was at right tackle. With the injury, Turner slid inside to right guard and Rick Wagner came in at right tackle. It’s unclear if the Packers would revert to their original line or keep it the same on the right side and have Patrick as a reserve.
Green Bay (11-3) will host Tennessee (10-4) on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. The Packers can clinch the top seed in the NFC with a win and a Seattle loss.
(9) Wisconsin 67, Nebraska 53: Last word
No. 9 Wisconsin overcame a slow start offensively to pull away from Nebraska for a 67-53 win to open Big Ten play on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
Player of the Game: Micah Potter
Wisconsin trailed 34-33 with 14:03 left in the second half when Potter finally asserted himself on the offensive end. He kicked of a 13-0 run in which he had seven points and assisted on a pair of 3-pointers. The senior big man finished with his first double double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Wisconsin was 19 points better than Nebraska when Potter was on the floor, the second-best mark on the team.
The good: Johnny Davis
While many of Wisconsin’s upperclassmen were struggling in the first half, it was the true freshman that kept the Badgers alive. He scored all seven of his points before the break, going 3-for-4 from the field. He also had five rebounds, including two on the offensive end.
The not so good: The offensive start
While at least some credit should be given to Nebraska, Wisconsin was largely its own enemy in what was a horrendous start offensively to the game. The Badgers missed 15 of their first 16 shots and had just one basket in the opening 12:40 of the first half. They compounded the poor shooting by committing six turnovers in that same time frame. Luckily for them, they were pretty locked in on the defensive end and the biggest deficit they faced was 10, which they eventually erased and took a 25-24 lead into the half.
Stat of the Game: 15-for-15
That's what Wisconsin went at the foul line against the Huskers. The only time in school history in which the Badgers made more than that without missing came in 1976 when they hit all 22 of their free throws at Purdue.
Best Video:
https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/1340379613990707201
https://twitter.com/WisconsinOnBTN/status/1341558592797741056
In Case You Missed It
— Wisconsin wore its alternate uniforms again. The Badgers are now 2-0 in the senior-designed uniforms.
-- Freshman Dan Carlson did not suit up for a second straight game. Coach Greg Gard said after the first game he was not cleared medically to take part.
— After shooting 60.5% from beyond the arc in the last two games, the Badgers were just 8-for-26 on 3-pointers.
— On his 23rd birthday, senior Aleem Ford scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
— Senior Brad Davison led Wisconsin with 15 points, the third time he’s led the team in scoring through the first eight games. He also had a career-high seven assists.
— Wisconsin had a season-low 12 fouls. After having 22 fouls in back-to-back games, coach Gard mentioned that playing defense without fouling was line item No. 1 that needed to get fixed ASAP. In the three games since, the Badgers are averaging 14.3 fouls per game.
What’s next?
Wisconsin (7-1, 1-0) will go to No. 12 Michigan State (6-1, 0-1) on Christmas looking to win at the Breslin Center for the first time since 2004.
PODCAST: Shame, Shame, Shame
Wisconsin Badgers Football (0:00)
Grant Bilse from the Wisco Sports Show (14:51)
Packers-Titans (25:10)
Pro Bowl Snub (37:42)
Bucks Tampering Issue (47:06)
The Swing: Dec. 22, 2020
On this episode of The Swing, Zach Heilprin and Jesse Temple recap Wisconsin's blowout of Louisville, discuss whether the Badgers can keep shooting this well from long range, debate whether UW is the most complete team in the Big Ten and they predict what team will win the conference.
Seven Packers named to the Pro Bowl
The Green Bay Packers are tied with three other teams for the most Pro Bowl selections.
The NFL announced the rosters for the game Monday even though the pandemic means it won’t be played. The rosters included seven Packers, the most they’ve put in the game since 2011. Six of those seven were named starters, which is the most since 1967.
The selections were:
WR Davante Adams* (4th)
CB Jaire Alexander* (1st)
T David Bakhtiari* (3rd)
G Elgton Jenkins* (1st)
RB Aaron Jones (1st)
QB Aaron Rodgers* (9th)
LB Za’Darius Smith* (2nd)
*Indicates a starter
Kansas City, Baltimore and Seattle also saw seven players selected.
Former Packers OLBs coach Kevin Greene passes away
Former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker coach Kevin Greene has passed away at the age of 58.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame, where Greene was enshrined in 2016, announced his death.
“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene,” Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker stated. “I regarded him as a personal friend and a true Hall of Famer in every sense. He possessed the most incredible can-do attitude of anyone I ever met. He was a great player, but more than that, he was a great man. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin’s wife, Tara, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Kevin’s memory.”
Greene played with four different teams over his 15 years in the NFL, including eight with the Los Angeles Rams. He tallied 160 sacks in his career, the third-most in NFL history. A three-time All-Pro, Greene was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and part of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team.
Ten years after retiring, Greene became a coach, joining his former head coach, Dom Capers, when he became the defensive coordinator for the Packers in 2009. He spent five seasons as the outside linebackers coach helping turn Clay Matthews into one of the top players at his position in the league.
Famously, in Super Bowl XLV, Greene is seen telling Matthews “it is time” for him to make a play, which is exactly what he did on the next series.
https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1341148600533966849
Greene left coaching after the 2013 season but returned to spend two more years with the New York Jets in 2017 and 2018.
Greene leaves behind his wife, Tara, and two children.
His impact across the league was evident Monday as teams, players and former teammates took to social media to express their condolences.
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1341161259887030274
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1341162624059396097
https://twitter.com/WesHod/status/1341162856985710592
https://twitter.com/itsCrab/status/1341157017239646214
https://twitter.com/CharlesWoodson/status/1341146304311922696
https://twitter.com/daringantt/status/1341150935599505411
https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1341152981618552833
https://twitter.com/nyjets/status/1341148024106528770
https://twitter.com/kurt13warner/status/1341150270173097984
https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1341161616423862293
Bucks lose 2022 2nd-round pick over early Bogdanovic talks
NEW YORK (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks were docked a 2022 second-round pick after the NBA determined the team held discussions with Bogdan Bogdanovic or his agent before it was allowed under free agency rules.
The league said Monday the Bucks’ rule violation constituted “conduct detrimental to the NBA.”
Reports surfaced in the days leading to the start of last month’s free agency period that the Bucks had agreed on a sign-and-trade that would have brought Bogdanovic and Justin James to Milwaukee while sending Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova to the Sacramento Kings.
The trade fizzled as the NBA announced it was investigating whether the move had been agreed upon earlier than league rules allow.
Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent, ended up signing with Atlanta when Sacramento chose to not match the Hawks’ four-year, $72 million offer sheet. Ilyasova was waived, but DiVincenzo and Wilson remain with the Bucks.
NBA officials said they took into account several factors in the decision: the Bucks’ cooperation with the investigation; the Bucks ultimately not signing Bogdanovic; and the lack of evidence of an impermissible early agreement on contract terms.
“We were fully cooperative with the league and we look forward to our season beginning on Wednesday,” the Bucks said Monday in a statement.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Camp: Dec. 21, 2020
On this week's episode of The Camp, Zach Heilprin and Jesse Temple look back at Wisconsin's overtime win vs Minnesota, talk about Jack Coan's decision to transfer, look ahead to the Duke's Mayo Bowl and answer your Twitter questions.
PODCAST: 3-0
Weekend Recap (0:00)
Bret Bielema Hired by Illinois (14:21)
Axe Win & Jack Coan (24:04)
Sports Director Zach Heilprin (42:59)
Packers Win (55:20)
Wisconsin set to play Wake Forest in Duke's Mayo Bowl
Wisconsin is going bowling for the 19th straight season.
It was announced Sunday that the Badgers would face Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte.
“I’m excited that our players have earned the opportunity to play another game with each other,” coach Paul Chryst said in a release. “We have said throughout this season that all we want is a chance to play. With all that has gone on and especially after yesterday, our guys are excited for one more opportunity. I want to thank the Duke’s Mayo Bowl for extending the invitation to us and we look forward to preparing to play a good Wake Forest team.”
https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball/status/1340753606862131201
It will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Wake Forest went 4-4 in the ACC this year, losing its first two and last two games of the season. The Demon Deacons will bring an explosive offense to the game, ranking 19th in the country in scoring and having put up at least 40 points in half of their games.
Quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 1,906 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception. Running backs Christian Beal-Smith and Kenneth Walker III combined for 1,229 yards and 17 touchdowns. Jaquarii Roberson led Wake Forest with 54 catches and 795 yards.
Defensively, the Demon Deacons did not have as much success. They are giving up 31.6 points per game and have really struggled against the run, giving up 191 yards per game, which ranks No. 92 in the country.
Wisconsin will come into the game following an overtime win over Minnesota to even its record at 3-3. It’s unclear who will all be available to play in the game. The Badgers were missing three of their top four running backs, three of their top six wide receivers, their starting left tackle and their starting center against the Gophers.
Starting quarterback Graham Mertz left in the third quarter with what appeared to be a head injury. Coach Paul Chryst didn't have an update on his status, though Mertz did return to the sideline and celebrated with his teammates after the game.
It's possible that running back Jalen Berger will be able to play in the bowl game. It's believed he tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 11, a day before the Badgers played Iowa. With the Big Ten changing the number of days players must sit following a positive test from 21 to 17 days, the freshman could be cleared to play.
