And with the 26th pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Datone Jones, DE, of UCLA.

Congratulations Mr. Jones and welcome to the Pack. Aaron Rodgers even decided to send a warm welcome to the new Packer in his own way via Twitter. Too funny, Aaron.

And although not verified, this is what is believed to be the Twitter account of Datone Jones, so go ahead and give him and follow or shout out!

Now here’s some photos of the newest addition to the team!

photo from the falcoholic.com

photo from espn.go.com

The first round of the 2013 NFL draft is in the books, but tomorrow we will find out who Green Bay selects in the second and third rounds. GO PACK GO!!

It’s finally here, the Packers schedule for the upcoming season has been released! Now that we have the schedules and the draft coming soon, football is making its way back, and I couldn’t be more excited! So here we go, the Packers upcoming season….

b *photo from nfl.com*

As you can see, the Packers take on the 49ers at Lambeau in week 1 once again this year, with a chance to redeem themselves. Last year Green Bay fell to San Francisco 30-22 in week 1 at home and again to them in divisional round of the playoffs 45-31.

The Packers will host the Chicago Bears during their only MNF game on November 4th.

Their Thursday game will be played Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions, of course at Detroit.

Football is right around the corner yall, CAN’T WAIT!!!!

photo from Vikings.com

If you’re like me, the idea of many big name players shuffling around and moving to different teams during free agency is extremely exciting; and then there are the Packers, who always seem to remain pretty quiet during this time. While Greg Jennings has officially left Green Bay and will joining the division rival Minnesota Vikings (so Brett Favre-like of him) and TE Tom Crabtree will now be a part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, what have the Packers gained so far in free agency?

Not too much. They were able to resign LB Robert Francois, but other than that, nothing that is of much importance. Typical of the Packers, they don’t usually make big moves in picking up free agents, but rather work with what they already have and what they acquire during the draft. Looking at teams such as the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks who have added a lot of great players to their roster for the upcoming season, is it wrong that I would like to see the Packers do something too? Maybe I’m still just bitter over the fact that Atlanta got Steven Jackson and the Packers didn’t?? Anyway…rant over.

While it is always hard to see players go that have been with us for the last few years, we have to wish nothing but good upon them. To you Greg, I wish you all the best in Minnesota, but you better believe the Pack will be out to get your team twice next season. And for Tom, good luck in Tampa as well, and let’s hope Aaron Rodgers can cope with the loss of his great friend. Aaron even took his feelings to Twitter over the loss.

Leave it to Aaron to lighten the mood!

And as I am sitting here typing up this post, I see a tweet from Adam Schefter stating that the Steelers and PACKERS have shown interest in RB Ahmad Bradshaw. Maybe the Packers will sign a running back in free agency after all….only time will tell.

photo from bleacherreport.com

This time of year for football is the most exciting part for me outside of the actual season with everything from free agency and the use of the  franchise tag, and I love the anticipation that comes with it. (Free agency is set to start Tuesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. eastern time…yes I am counting down the minutes!)

Last week, the Packers opted out of using the franchise tag on WR Greg Jennings. As much as I love Greg, it really does make perfect sense to me. First of all he isn’t getting any younger, but more importantly, Aaron Rodgers has a lot to work with that doesn’t include Jennings. With WR’s Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and James Jones, in addition to TE Jermichael Finley, there are still a great amount players to work with on offense.

And when it comes to free agents, RB Steven Jackson from the St. Louis Rams is a name that we keep hearing in association with the Packers. Although nothing has been said by Jackson or the Rams on if he is staying, going, or what his situation is, he is continually being linked to either the Atlanta Falcons or Green Bay Packers.

photo from helmet2helmet.com

With the release of Michael Turner from the Falcons, that would leave room for Jackson, but Green Bay could use the extra help at RB . If Green Bay were to take that route, they would have to pay Jackson the $7 million he is set to make in the last year of his contract. Coming from someone who has lived their entire life in St.Louis and lived through the Steven Jackson era, he is most definitely a player that any team would be happy to have on their roster. In addition to having 8 consecutive seasons of over 1,000 rushing yards, his work ethic, drive, and ambition is through the roof. He is a truly talented player and works so hard to achieve greatness. He has said he wants to play for a winning team and get a ring, and Green Bay just may be a place to get that done!

Friday it was announced that the Green Bay Packers had released DB Charles Woodson, who had been with the team for the last seven seasons.

Woodson had many great accomplishments during his career in Green Bay, including holding the franchise record for most defensive touchdowns, as well as being named the AP defensive player of the year in 2009. During his seven seasons as a Packer, he had a total of 38 interceptions and 11.5 sacks.

It is obvious why the Packers felt the need to  let Woodson go, as his release frees up 10 million dollars in cap space. While it is very sad to see him go, the best of luck to him in his future endeavors, as he wishes to remain in the league for a few more years in hopes of winning another title.

But for now, here a few shots of Woodson during his time at Green Bay!

*photo from Packers.com*

*photo from espn.go.com*

*photo from nydailynews.com*

And just because of our rivalry with the Chicago Bears…..I just had to put this!

photo from Packers.com

Wednesday, WR Donald Driver’s career officially came to an end with the Green Bay Packers. He spent the last 14 seasons with the Packers, and yesterday they had a celebration at Lambeau Field filled with fans where Donald then made the official announcement of his retirement.

During the ceremony, Donald also promised his fans that he would never wear another uniform. He said,

“I promise you all I will never wear another uniform. Today we make that official. I have to keep my loyalty to you.”

Then Driver went on to say, according to nfl.com,

“Even though I feel that I can still play the game, God has made the answer clear to me, the time is now. I have to retire a Green Bay Packer. I’ve always said I never wanted to wear another uniform, but always the green and gold.”

If a player ever had so much love and respect for his team and fans, it was Donald. The governor of Green Bay even declared yesterday as “Donald Driver Day”!

Donald will be missed very much on the field, but never forgotten!

Lambeau Leap!
Photo from greenbaypressgazette.com

*photo from Packers.com*

Talk about a devastating and disappointing NFL playoff game that was played in San Francisco this evening. The Green Bay Packers season ended tonight with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, 45-31, advancing the Niners to the NFC championship game.

So many things went wrong for the Packers in tonight’s game, or maybe you could just say so many things went right for the Niners. 2nd year quarterback Colin Kaepernick alone had 181 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, and passed for 263  yards. He was not going to be stopped, and the Packers defense were completely wore out from trying to do so, not to mention that San Francisco’s time of possession greatly outweighed that of Green Bay.

The first half actually made for a really good game with each team taking turns adding 7 to the board, and we went into the half with a score of 24-21, San Francisco. Not too bad, could have been anyone’s game at that point. The second half is where San Francisco absolutely ran away with the game scoring three more touchdowns and holding Green Bay to just one additional touchdown and field goal.

As much as it hurt watching the Packers go down, I look at last season and how Green Bay lost their first game in the playoffs to the New York Giants who went on to win the title, and can’t help but to think that  San Francisco may be able to do just that.

All that is left for us to do now is look forward to the upcoming season in hopes of a better outcome, and remember that the Pack once again finished this season with a winning record of 11-5, and one playoff win. They also have the next several months to figure out what worked, what went wrong, and what they can do to improve to bring home that Lombardi Trophy once more.

John Kuhn during one of his two touchdown’s last night!
*photo from Packers.com*

In last night’s game, the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-10 advancing them to the next round where they will head to California to take on the San Francisco 49′ers next weekend in the divisional round. The Packers may have had a slight advantage over the Vikings who were without their starting QB Christian Ponder, and who were also eliminated from the playoffs with last night’s loss.

As we look back to the beginning of the season, Green Bay lost at home to the 49′ers 30-22, but the team has grown and improved in many ways since that early game, and now have their opportunity to come back and show that they can win, and can improve to the NFC championship.

Defense was something that was of extreme importance last night with Adrian Peterson running the ball, but the Packers were able to take care of it, holding the Minnesota offense to only 10 points, and AP to only 99 rushing yards. 99 yards may not sound too bad, but compared to his 199 yards last week, there is definitely some improvement there, and next week the Packers defense must be prepared to do the same thing with the Niners.

Looking around the rest of the NFC, Green Bay has already sealed the spot against the Niners next week with last night’s game, but the winner of today’s Seahawks/Redskins game will advance to play the Atlanta Falcons next week in the divisional round as well, and then we will be down to the final four NFC teams, in hopes that Green Bay will take it all the way to the Super Bowl. GO PACK GO!!!

Although the game yesterday against the Minnesota Vikings did not go according to plan and the Packers fell to the Vikings by three points with a score of 37-34, it is not the end of the world. I like to keep things positive, so even though they lost their final game in the regular season, they still secured a spot in the playoffs taking the NFC North and a No.3 seed, and that loss also prevented the Chicago Bears from making the playoffs at all, so I like to look at it that way.

Green Bay finished the regular season 11-5 and will head into Wild Card Weekend with a match up against the Minnesota Vikings once more, at Lambeau Field.

photo from Packers.com

Taking a look at the game yesterday, the Packers just could not hold Adrian Peterson. He ran for 199 yards surpassing 2,000 on the season. Stopping AP will be the key factor in the game next Sunday. If the Pack wants to come away with the win, holding AP is a must.

Offensively for the Packers, Greg Jennings accounted for 2 TD’s, James Jones 1, and Jordy Nelson 1. It was great to see Jordy back in action helping out Aaron Rodgers, who put on quite a show himself.

The game next Saturday is scheduled for 8:00 on NBC.

photo from packers.com

Congratulations to Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, LB Clay Matthews, and C Jeff Saturday for all being named to the Pro Bowl this year, Rodgers being named as a starter! Nothing quite says thank you for an awesome season and being amazing players than sending them on a Hawaiian getaway along with being able to represent the NFC in a game with all of the NFL greats of the season! This will be Rodgers’ third Pro Bowl, Matthews’ fourth, and Saturday’s sixth.

photo from Packers.com

Couldn’t be happier for you boys. In addition, Randall Cobb and Josh Sitton are first alternates, along with John Kuhn, B.J. Raji, Tramon Williams, and Charles Woodson as other alternates.

photo from Packers.com

The Pro Bowl will be played in Honolulu on Sunday, January 27th, at Aloha Stadium.