Packers make K Mason Crosby's contract extension official
Green Bay’s all-time leading scorer is sticking around for a few more years.
The Packers confirmed Monday morning that kicker Mason Crosby had agreed to a contract extension. The deal was reportedly worth $12.9 million over three years and it will keep him with the only team he’s played for since being drafted in 2007.
https://twitter.com/MikeMcCartney7/status/1231341786049777666
Crosby is coming off the best year of his career. The 35-year-old hit on 91.7 percent (22 of 24) of his kicks and missed just one extra point. He was automatic inside the 40-yard-line, going 13-for-13, while also hitting a pair of game-winning kicks.
Since being taken in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, the Colorado product has been reliable for the club. He’s made 81.0 percent of his kicks over his 13 years in the league and that success and longevity shows up in the Packers record book. Crosby passed his predecessor, Ryan Longwell, in 2015 for the most points in franchise history and he now sits at 1,575.
Crosby was due to become an unrestricted free agent next month. His signing leaves the Packers with several other veterans to make decisions on, including right tackle Bryan Bulaga.
Free agency opens March 18.
2020 Bracketology: Wisconsin looking good for return trip to NCAA tourney
Wisconsin has won three straight games and will look to make it four on Sunday when Rutgers comes to town. If the Badgers do extend their winning streak, it will add another quality win to what is a pretty nice looking NCAA Tournament resume already.
The highlight of that body of work is all of their Quadrant 1 wins. That number is among the more important factors when the tournament selection committee builds the field of 68. As of Friday, coach Greg Gard's club had seven of them, tied for the eighth-most of any school in the country. It's why, despite being just six games above .500 at 16-10, most experts believe Wisconsin is firmly in the tournament with five games to go in the regular season.
Here's how various sites have the Badgers seeded:
ESPN: No. 7 seed vs Oklahoma (Greensboro)
CBSSports.com: No. 8 seed vs USC (Omaha)
Bracketville: No. 7 seed vs Wichita State (Greensboro)
The Bracketeer: No. 7 seed vs Florida (Greensboro)
SBNation: No. 7 seed
T-Rank: No. 6 seed
Wisconsin Basketball Roundtable: Feb. 21, 2020
On this week's show, we chat with former Badgers Brian Butch, Josh Gasser and Mike Bruesewitz about the win over Purdue, a late season surge by Wisconsin's backcourt and the crowd at the Kohl Center.
UW forward Aleem Ford also joins to talk about his big day against Purdue, his growing confidence, having D'Mitrik Trice as a roommate and more.
Gutekunst: No decision on Jimmy Graham's future, Packers could draft a QB early
At the end of the season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Jimmy Graham would not be back for a third year with the Green Bay Packers. Certainly not with a salary cap number of $11.7 million for 2020. But it appears general manager Brian Gutekunst isn’t necessarily ready to decide one way or another.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Gutekunst told a group of beat writers Friday that no decisions had been made when it came to the veteran tight end.
"After we get through free-agency meetings, after we get through draft meetings and then we get back from the combine, the picture starts to get a little clearer,” Gutekunst said. “And certainly with the CBA thing in flux, that'll help, too. So I'm going to be patient there and get to the other side of the combine before we start making any decisions."
Graham was fourth on the team in catches in 2019 with 38. He turned that into 447 yards and three touchdowns. Those aren’t huge numbers, but working in his favor is the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a big fan of his. He also finished the year strong with seven catches for 108 yards in two playoff games.
If the Packers do move on from Graham, it would save them $8 million in cap space in 2020.
Taking a quarterback early in the draft?
Brett Favre was set to turn 36 the season after the Packers took Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. It was a pick few saw coming. With Rodgers having turned 36 last December, could Gutekunst go the way of former GB Ted Thompson and grab a quarterback with the 30th pick in April? Based on his responses to the beat writers on Friday, it’s possible.
According to the Green Bay Press Gazette’s Ryan Wood, the third-year GM wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a guy he loved.
https://twitter.com/ByRyanWood/status/1230930557644701697
The 2020 quarterback draft class is a strong one. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has four going in the first round. Several more could see their names called in the second and third round. Green Bay has not taken a quarterback earlier than the fifth round since 2008.
Plenty of swings at the plate
Gutekunst will have plenty of chances to help his roster during the draft.
In the meeting with beat writers, he said they currently have 10 picks. Seven of those are their own, including one in all seven rounds. They also have an extra sixth-round pick as a result of their trade with Tennessee last August for outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert, another sixth-round pick as compensation for the trade with Oakland last September for wide receiver Trevor Davis and an extra seventh-round pick for its trade of running back Ty Montgomery to Baltimore in 2018.
The complete draft order will be released in the next few weeks.
Joe & Ebo Experience: Hello Weekend
MLB Issues (0:00)
Rob Manfred Conspiracy Theory (10:19)
Facebook Market Place (18:02)
Wisconsin Basketball Talk (33:02)
The Brewers will be.. (42:03)
Madison Capitols Head Coach/GM Garrett Suter (53:29)
Wisconsin WR coach leaving for Michigan State
Wisconsin is in the market for a new wide receivers coach.
After five years in Madison, Ted Gilmore is headed to Michigan State to be the new tight ends coach.
https://twitter.com/MSU_Football/status/1230897810712621056
Gilmore joined coach Paul Chryst’s first staff in 2015 after three years with the Oakland Raiders. He had previous college stops at Nebraska, USC, Colorado and Purdue, among others.
A good recruiter, Gilmore was a big part of the Badgers landing the likes of wide receivers AJ Taylor, and Quintez Cephus, defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk, running back Nakia Watson and cornerback Caesar Williams.
Under Gilmore’s guidance, Cephus had a breakout 2019 season, catching 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns. Cephus declared for the NFL Draft after the season and was invited to the NFL Combine. He’s likely to be the first player Gilmore coached at UW to be drafted.
Additionally, Gilmore oversaw the development of Taylor, who finished with 1,316 yards receiving. Two other receivers, Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor, have combined for 21 touchdowns in their first three seasons with the Badgers.
Gilmore was the fourth-highest paid assistant on Wisconsin’s staff in 2019. According to USA Today, he made $395,200, which trailed defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph and special teams coordinator Chris Haering. Gilmore starting salary in 2015 was $265,000.
Bucks, Giannis roll to easy win in Detroit
Milwaukee returned from the NBA All-Star break Thursday night and did so in impressive fashion.
Powered by 33 points and 16 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks rolled to a 126-106 rout of Detroit.
The game was over almost before it began. With key injuries and a lot of roster turnover, the Pistons were no match for Milwaukee. The Bucks led by 14 at the end of the first quarter, by 29 at the half and by 31 in the third quarter. Detroit outscored Milwaukee by seven in the fourth quarter but it was not nearly enough.
Milwaukee got 28 points and eight rebounds from Khris Middleton, while Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez combined for 37.
The Pistons were led by former Bucks forward Christian Wood. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Another former Milwaukee player, Thon Maker, had 11 points.
Milwaukee has now won the first three games in the series against Detroit and haven’t actually lost to the Pistons since Feb. 28, 2018.
The Bucks improved to an NBA-best 47-8 with the win, including a 22-5 mark on the road. They’ll come home now to face Philadelphia on Saturday.
Joe & Ebo Experience: Changing of the Shield
NFL Changes (0:00)
Packers Potential Free Agents (10:34)
WOZN Milwaukee reporter Tony Cartagena (20:48)
Packers Insider Rob Reischel (29:32)
Keston Hiura Projections (42:19)
The Swing: Feb. 19, 2020
On this week's episode of The Swing, Zach Heilprin and Jesse Temple talk about Aleem Ford's big night against Purdue, the remarkable free throw shooting down the stretch, the outlook for the Badgers in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament and also discuss the crowd issues at the Kohl Center.
Joe & Ebo Experience: The Cost of Winning
Mark Attanasio's comments (0:00)
Badgers Hockey Insider Barry Richter (11:37)
Small Market Blues (22:39)
WOZN Milwaukee reporter Tony Cartagena (37:44)
Sports Director Zach Heilprin (48:36)
