Unbelievable!!!!!!!! Packers improve to 6-1

With all the rumbling after the Redskins game that Favre had lost zip on his deep ball, he put all his critics to rest on Monday night. Favre bombed what he said was two of the best passes he's every thrown for a 79 yard TD to James Jones, and the game winning 82 yard TD to Greg Jennings on the first play in Overtime.

The Pack also found a diamond in the ruff, in Ryan Grant who rushed for 104 yards on 22 carries. Grant filled in for Wynn who was injured again after one carry for 1 yard. McCarthy announced that Grant will start against Kansas City next week.

The Broncos came into Monday night as the worst rush defense in the league and the Packers as the worst rushing team in the league, so something had to give. "I gave those guys the opportunity to run the football tonight," McCarthy said. "We didn't do anything scheme-wise that we haven't done from Day 1. Ryan put his foot down and was one cut north and south, the way you're supposed to."

Read more here from Bob McGinn's article in this morning's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=680093

Photo/Mark Hoffman

Late drive seals the deal for Warhawks

In 39 years as coach of the Germantown football team, Phil Datka has seen his share of crazy games.

On Tuesday, he witnessed another one.

Germantown defeated third-seeded Sussex Hamilton, 14-10, in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs, after the Warhawks got the ball with less than 3 minutes left and drove 66 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

"This one's right up there at the top," Datka said. "It never gets old. The kids make it what it is."
Germantown (6-4), which has just one loss in 14 first-round playoff games under Datka, will play Brookfield Central on Saturday.

Sussex Hamilton (6-4), 3-6 last season, was hoping to get fourth-year coach John Damato his first playoff victory.

It looked like a strong possibility, especially after the Chargers blocked two tying field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter.

But Germantown had one last chance. The Warhawks got the ball at their 34-yard line with 2 minutes 56 seconds left.

Quarterback Nick Doedens completed two passes to Ben Starke for a total of 19 yards and then threw an incomplete pass with 1:57 left.

Doedens then lofted a deep pass over the middle that was hauled in for a 44-yard reception by senior Tony Sanicola.

"Nick threw that ball; it was the best pass he threw all year," Sanicola said. "I just ran underneath it as fast as I could. I barely got there. I prayed to God when I was running it came to me. I dove and caught it. I can't believe it."

After senior Austin Stadler rushed for 1 yard, he scored on a 2-yard run for a 14-10 lead with 1:14 left.

Hamilton drove to the 50-yard line but the game ended with senior Andy Neumann sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Rupnow.

"I can't look back at that last (pass) play," Damato said. "There were so many things that went on between the end zones here."

The most glaring happened after Hamilton's Coty Schmidt intercepted a pass with 56 seconds left in the second quarter.

Hamilton had a 7-0 lead at the time and was deep in its own territory, content to run out the clock.

But instead of taking a knee, Hamilton ran two running plays. The second was costly.

"If you're going to pick anything out of this conversation, that hurt our momentum," Damato said. "We were up, 7-0, with 30 seconds left on the clock, and our center slips with the ball. So whether we take a knee or run with the ball doesn't matter, our center never got the ball to the quarterback."

Germantown recovered and got the ball at the 6-yard line with 14 seconds left. After a 3-yard running play, Doedens hit Starke for a 3-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 7-7 with 2 seconds left.

Courtesy of Dave Boehler from today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=678246

Had to post this from my old high school football team......Go Warhawks!!!!

Robinson Reinstated

One year to the day that Green Bay Packers wide receiver Koren Robinson was suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse program, commissioner Roger Goodell informed him that he was back in the league.

Goodell met with Robinson Sunday in a face-to-face meeting - in all places University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix - to discuss the receiver's possible reinstatement. On Wednesday, Robinson received a letter from Goodell informing him that his one-year suspension was over and he was free to resume his career.

In order to be reinstated, Robinson had to comply with a strict program that included testing for alcohol use up to 10 times per month. Any violation of the testing would have put Robinson's reinstatement in serious jeopardy, but he apparently kept clean for the year he was out of football.

The impromptu meeting came when Goodell came to Phoenix, where Robinson has spent the past two months training, and called him on his cell phone. Goodell told Robinson he was at the Arizona Cardinals-Carolina Panthers game and wanted to meet with him.

"I told him I'm at the game, too," Robinson said.

Stadium officials arranged for Goodell and Robinson to meet in a room in the bowels of the stadium where they met to discuss Robinson's reinstatement. Goodell was stern and told him that this was his last chance. One more violation of the substance abuse program and Robinson will be suspended for life.

Robinson was suspended for a year after multiple arrests for alcohol-related crimes, the most recent stemming from a high-speed chase on his way back to Minnesota Vikings training camp in Mankato, Minn., in 2006. Robinson was released by the Vikings a short time later, and signed by general manager Ted Thompson, who had a previous relationship with Robinson in Seattle.
Robinson played in four games for the Packers and was just getting acclimated when the suspension came down.

Since then he has not been allowed to have contact with the Packers. He has served two different jail terms over the past year as a result of the alcohol-related charges.
Robinson filed for reinstatement to the league in August and had been waiting to hear from the commissioner.

"I felt like I did everything I needed to do in order to cope with or get through this situation I put myself in that led me on this crazy path," Robinson said. "I'm able to cope with things differently. I know how to avoid those situations that aren't positive. If they're not positive, I'm not going to be around that and if you're not positive I don't need you to be around me."

Robinson's agent, Alvin Keels, said Robinson was prohibited from drinking alcohol and was subject to as many as 10 drug tests a month. He said if Robinson had taken a drink of alcohol the NFL would have known about it.

"He wasn't supposed to drink, that goes without saying," Keels said. "The same testing procedures he was under when he was in the league remained. In order to be reinstated he had to comply and follow the program. There is little room for error. Koren's done an outstanding job of doing what they asked him to do."

Robinson attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, met with therapists and received support from family and friends. He said he took his recovery seriously and plans to continue receiving treatment when the re-joins the Packers.

During the months he wasn't serving time or working out in Phoenix with quarterback Brett Favre's personal trainer, Ken Croner, Robinson was in Green Bay, working on setting up a support system for his return. He said he doesn't fear returning to football and the culture of professional athletics.

"I'm definitely trying to start fresh," Robinson said. "I'm not trying to go back, but I'm not going to forget either."

Robinson is scheduled to arrive in Green Bay this week to begin getting acclimated with the Packers' offense. Because it's the bye week, he won't be able to take part in a practice until the team returns on Monday.

Read More from Tom Silverstein's article on JSOnline here:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=675956

Pack improve to 5-1 heading into the bye

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Cornerback Charles Woodson scooped up the ball - and lifted the spirits of the Green Bay Packers' suddenly sagging offense.

Woodson's 57-yard fumble return in the third quarter gave the Packers the go-ahead touchdown in a 17-14 victory over the Washington Redskins at soggy Lambeau Field on Sunday.

"It was a big play today," Woodson said. "Hopefully, I have many more to come."

With Green Bay's previously top-ranked passing offense sputtering and the Packers trailing 14-10 late in the third quarter, defensive lineman Corey Williams stripped Redskins receiver Santana Moss on an end-around. Woodson picked up the ball and ran to the end zone.

The Packers (5-1) won despite an off day from Brett Favre, who became the NFL's career interception king with an errant pass picked off by Redskins safety Sean Taylor in the third quarter.


"I could care less," Favre said. "We won the game. I'm glad it's over, just like the other records. We're 5-1, so it feels a lot better than having no picks and being 1-5."

Despite Favre's off day - he was 19-of-37 for 188 yards and threw a second interception to Taylor in the fourth quarter - the Packers recovered from their first loss of the season against Chicago last Sunday, regaining momentum as they head into their bye.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the Redskins were the best team the Packers have played so far, but he still hasn't seen his young team play a complete game.

"We feel good about being 5-1, but we're a team that needs to clean our house," McCarthy said.
The Redskins (3-2) baffled a pass-happy NFC North offense for the second week in a row after beating Detroit, but offensive mistakes cost them on Sunday. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said his team's fumbles and dropped passes weren't acceptable, even in wet conditions.

"Certainly that's no excuse for us," Gibbs said. "We're out in it, and we've got to make the catches."

Between the fumble and a subsequent leg cramp, Moss apparently was so upset that he took himself out of the game.

"I took myself out," Moss said. "Something wasn't feeling right with me, and why go out there and keep another guy from helping us win? There was (stuff) going on and I wasn't making the plays that I should have been making."

Gibbs didn't blame Moss for the loss.

"You've got to look at that and say, 'That's something that just happened to us today,"' Gibbs said. "Certainly, we've got great confidence in him and he means a lot to us."

On the Packers' first possession after halftime, Favre spotted rookie wide receiver James Jones wide open for a sure touchdown. But the ball hung in the air, and Taylor recovered to make a leaping catch near the sideline.

Favre's record-setting interception came two weeks after Favre surpassed Dan Marino's career record for touchdown passes and a month after Favre broke John Elway's record for most career victories for a starting quarterback.

The Packers then had a touchdown pass erased by a holding penalty on tackle Mark Tauscher and Mason Crosby kicked a 37-yard field goal, cutting the Redskins' lead to 14-10.

Then came Moss' momentum-changing fumble. Woodson got a block from Al Harris on Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell to get to the end zone.


"I didn't think anybody would catch me," Woodson said. "I turned around, and I'd seen Campbell running pretty fast, (to) catch up to me. I got a late block by Al to kind of help me out a little bit."

But Crosby missed a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter, the second miss of the day for a rookie who had missed only one field goal coming in. The Redskins then drove to the Packers 32, where Green Bay linebacker Nick Barnett stopped Ladell Betts on fourth-and-1.

Favre threw his second interception of the day to Taylor, giving the Redskins another chance with 4:14 left. The Packers forced a punt and held on for the victory.

Campbell got the Redskins off to a good start, finding tight end Chris Cooley seven times for 97 yards before halftime. Cooley's 14-yard reception gave Washington a 14-7 first half lead.

"All the things that happened today, we've got to take it and learn from it," Campbell said. "We can't do (any) finger-pointing, we're all in this together. I could've done some things better, everybody else could've done some things better."


Favre, meanwhile, was limping noticeably as he walked to the interview podium and said somebody rolled up on his ankle on an early scramble.

Sounds like a good time for a week off.

"It really doesn't feel very good right now, but the bye week will help a little bit," Favre said. "I'm sure it will hurt two weeks from now; it hurt before the game."


Curtesoy of Fox Sports and the AP http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7323882