Still a Chance for Beaver?

WKOW reports that while Beaver was not offered a contract Monday, the Packers told him that he is still under consideration for the final roster spot.

We spoke with Justin late Monday afternoon and he says that the Packers informed him that they were signing 3 of the 19 players who were in camp on a tryout and that Beaver wasn’t one of those 3 players.

However, the Packers do still have one open roster spot and Beaver says that the Packers told him that he is still in the running for that spot.

Beaver’s agent Scott Smith had this to say, “The Packers are still assessing their roster size and position needs. They haven’t currently offered Justin a contract, but they were very impressed with his workout and he is certainly on their short list going forward. We will continue to assess Justin’s options with other teams while we wait for something to hopefully materialize with the Packers.”

Justin Beaver Won’t Be a Packer

Greg Bedard has the news.

The Packers have informed the representatives of former Wisconsin-Whitewater running back Justin Beaver that they will not be signing him to a contract.The Packers will sign three players. Former Arkansas defensive tackle Fred Bledsoe was told he would be one of those people, according to his agent.

That’s too bad.  His story was a good one and he seemed like a down-to-earth guy.  I hope he gets a shot with another team.

What? Was Marvin Harrison involved in a shooting?

Did anyone do a double/triple take upon stumbling across any number of sources (like this ESPN article), indicating Harrison may have been involved in a shooting. The reports note that Harrison had been in an argument with someone who came to his bar and shortly after that, that person was shot. Harrison’s agent denies the story, but the gun/bullets used were apparently traced back to Harrison. Nothing has been substantiated yet and it is presently under investigation, but…what???

I just don’t get this. Maybe I had him cast in the wrong kind of light for all these years, but I thought he was one of the NFL’s good guys. I really admired him as a player. He played hard and never seemed to harbor any sort of an attitude while playing. If there is indeed any truth to this - I’m totally shocked.

That said, I do plan to wait this one out for the real facts on the case before casting judgment on Harrison.

Packergeeks just Pabst amateurs?

We at Packergeeks talk a lot, perhaps too much, about our dedication to Pabst products. Well, I’d like to thank Schaef, our long-time friend who said he spends most of his day reading new packergeeks’ posts or just reading his favorite archived posts - for sending along this article revealing perhaps the ultimate dedication to Pabst. Not a bad idea.

Man overboard - Cedric Benson arrested

While we at Packergeeks are firm supporters of beer/other beverage intake in general, we are not supportive of drinking a ton of alcohol and then using vehicles. Last Saturday night, Cedric Benson was allegedly hammered driving around some 15 people on a boat in Texas when he was arrested after a random safety inspection. Having watched with delight the Bears’ many questionable personnel moves over the years (thinking Grossman/Orton aren’t horrible, wasting a #4 overall pick on Benson when they had a talented RB already), this is my guess re what their personnel staff is thinking after this incident:

“Well, when he resisted arrest, at least he showed some decisiveness and held to his conviction. He took one for the team…of party-goers. The image of him being dragged ashore after being pepper sprayed - that’s the kind of pugnacity that only a warrior could have! This is just the kind of leadership we like in our players, especially our QBs. Why don’t we have Lovie make him QB and just start Grossman at RB.”

A different kind of stopping short

I know Seinfeld popularized the expression “stopping short” in a hilarious episode involving George’s dad. But I have begun to notice more and more a different version of stopping short that borders on sparking road rage in me. Last night, as I approached a red light, I began to slow down and pull up to the designated crosswalk area, finishing just shy of the crosswalk where a giant, wide, white line showed me where to stop. I looked over to my left and there was a man in his car at least 15-20 feet behind this giant, wide, white line that again, clearly marks where one should stop. I thought perhaps the guy was making a phone call, putting in a CD or reasoning with a child in the backseat. No. He was alone and seemingly not distracted. He wasn’t doing anything but looking straight ahead and he had a profoundly foolish expression on his face.

Who are you people who do this and why? My research (which is not funded by anyone making it pure and therefore more reliable) indicates that people who do this are also likely to:

• stop well short of the car in front of him/her when pulling up to a light.
• drive slowly in all situations, sometimes 10-15mph under the speed limit
• not notice right away (sometimes for 10 full seconds) that a light has turned green
• bring the car to a full stop when turning right (when a slow yield is more appropriate)
• drive a Toyota Prius (or want to drive a Toyota Prius)
• wonder why others are in such a hurry
• delay oddly when people ask them questions
• have a hoarding problem
• have trouble managing their hair
• wear radio headphones while at baseball games
• wear a Hawaiian shirt when wanting to “cut loose a little bit”
• be married to a pear-shaped man or woman who only talks about cats and gardening
• walk around (slowly) with both arms behind the back smiling at strangers as they walk by (sometimes greeting them - always scaring them).

Packergeek sfhayes on Dennis Miller radio show again

Co-packergeek Steve Hayes will be on the Dennis Miller radio show again today. Check here for local listings. In the Milwaukee area, the Dennis Miller show usually airs on 620 WTMJ starting at 8pm. Steve indicated that he does talk about the Packers draft at the beginning of the show - so it would be worth a listen.

Justin Beaver Gets His Shot

Rob Demovsky thinks Justin Beaver, the UW Whitewater standout who tried out with the Packers this weekend, has an important fan.

It sounds like Mike McCarthy is going to make a push to keep Justin Beaver, the diminutive running back from the University of Wis.-Whitewater.

The Green Bay Packers coach on Sunday said no decisions have been made on the 19 players the team had in this weekend for tryouts, but it likely will sign four of them to the 80-man offseason roster.

The 5-foot-7 Beaver, who won the Division III equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, got plenty of work during the weekend rookie orientation camp and opened some eyes.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s been very impressive,” McCarthy said. “He’s done a very nice job. He plays with a lot of energy. He’s very quick (and) explosive. Does he have a shot? That’s something we’ll discuss when we get upstairs, but I would love for him to have an opportunity, because he’s been very impressive.”

Also, see here for a flashback to the article from the JS Online right after Beaver’s impressive pro-day workout. Sounds like the kid could be a keeper.

UPDATE: In this item from last night, in which Greg Bedard notes that the Packers will sign DT Fred Bledsoe to a contract, Bedard writes that Beaver “wasn’t in the Packers’ plans as of Saturday night” and allows that “that may have changed.

Bears Fan Comes to His Senses, Temporarily

Jim Schuman, a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears, switched sides in the Bear-Packer rivalry. At least for one day. Schuman ran the Boston Marathon wearing green-and-gold from head-to-toe. When he was done, declared: “I looked like the biggest tool.”

A bit rich coming from a Bears fan, I know.

Actually, Schuman wore Packer gear to raise an additional $2000 (on top of $7000 from other sources) for Homes for Our Troops — a fantastic charity that provides living assistance for wounded veterans. Schuman had been a freshman in college in 1985, the last time the lowly Bears won the Super Bowl, and in news that won’t surprise Packer fans, talked about the victory incessantly. So when he asked his former roommates, both from Wisconsin, to support his fundraising, they agreed to do so, conditionally: He must wear Packer gear.

“You must also pledge that in no way will you display said Packer merchandise in a demeaning or derogatory way,” wrote Jim Wallerius, one of the former roommates, in an e-mail before the marathon.

Wallerius — whose family has had Packers season tickets since 1965, whose middle name is Vincent for legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi, and whose mom went into labor with him at Lambeau Field and stayed until the end of the game — said he thought about just donating the money to his friend’s charitable cause.

“Then, the devil appeared on the other shoulder and said . . . ‘He’s still a Bears fan,’ ” Wallerius said.

During the marathon, Schuman was cheered by Packer fans.

“I would smile at them,” he said. “It was one of those compromising smiles, like you know you’re doing something that’s wrong.”

He was also heckled by Bears fans.

“When people would yell, ‘Go Bears,’ I was actually happy,” he said.

“Hopefully they’ll understand and forgive me at some point in time.”

I’m sure they will. And because it was for such a great cause, we’ll forgive you for your lifelong devotion to mediocrity. The whole story is here.

Optimistic About Jordy

Jason Wilde seems to think that there is reason to be optimistic about Jordy Nelson. Nelson, he writes, “caught everything thrown his way Friday (the only practice open to reporters), including a deep ball down the right sideline from seventh-round pick Matt Flynn against second-round pick Patrick Lee.”

Wilde turned to UW quarterback Allen Evridge, who came to Madison from Kansas State.

Because Nelson was something of an unknown commodity to Packers fans before the draft — hence the boos general manager Ted Thompson received at the annual Lambeau Field draft party — Evridge has been deemed the local authority on him.

“I don’t need the YouTube. I know exactly what he’s capable of,” said Evridge, who sent Nelson a congratulatory text message on draft day. “Everybody keeps texting me asking me, ‘What’s this Jordy Nelson all about?’ Well, I know Jordy pretty well, and they got a good one.

“First of all, character-wise, you’re not going to find anyone better. And on the football field, he’s so gifted — 6-3, 220, runs like a deer, extremely strong, physical player. He’s definitely a good catch.”

There are several YouTube videos of Jordy Nelson highlights. It’s worth taking a look at all of them. Here’s a good one. (Sorry, can’t embed the video due to a glitch.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIUu-nLx0lw