Yesterday I affixed my Bill Richardson For President sticker to the back window of my Scion XB, across from my "George Bush is a War Criminal" sticker.
It made me happy.
I have been waiting all day today for my derecTV installation guy to come back out and tell me why my signal is so screwed! I mean, this crap ain't cheap per month so it damn well be running like clock work. So far he's put me off for two and a half days. checking the time, I don't think he's gonna make it today either.
If I have any trouble getting the Packer game tomorrow night you'll be reading about the multiple shootings in the paper.
Speaking of the big game -- I am REALLY getting nervous. I was driving back from picking up groceries earlier and thinking out loud: "The team is probably winging their way to Dallas right now."
From what I have read, tickets are at a premium, going for upwards of $500 a piece!
I have read all the stories, combing through them every day. Tony Romo is not nor was he ever a Favre fan while growing up in Burlington, Wisconsin. He wore the number 16 on his jersey in high school for his hero, Joe Montana.
Ryan Pickett versus Leonard Davis is being billed as the "battle of the heavyweights" in the interior line, with most writers saying Davis will manhandle Green Bay's Pickett.
Cornerback Al Harris is going head to head with Terrell Owens and we still don't know if Woodson's toe is good to go.
This has to be a big game for our linebackers! They have to shut down tight end Jason Witten. so far this season, they haven't really shut down any of the tight ends we've faced. Tony Gonalez comes to mind! Not to mention that it was the Chicago tight ends that beat us last time.
So to use tht cooking whiz, Emeril's favorite phrase: KICK IT UP A NOTCH Mr.'s Barnett, Poppinga, and Hawk! We really need your A-Game!
The Packers probably won't have Bubba Franks back this week after the tight end had a setback in his return from a knee injury that's sidelined him the past five games.
Franks didn't practice Tuesday after aggravating the injury on the final play of practice Monday.
He and defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (shoulder) were the only players who didn't participate in practice even on a limited basis Tuesday. Jolly is out this week.
Cornerback Will Blackmon (foot) should be available to play if the Packers need him after missing the last seven games.
However, starting cornerback Charles Woodson (big toe) has a decent chance to play, and if Woodson can suit up, Blackmon probably won't be activated.
I hope that by game time tomorrow night we will be seeing the big smile you see in the accompanying Woodson photo!
LATEST INJURY UPDATE:
By Tom Pelissero
tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com
The medical tempest that had swirled around the Green Bay Packers since last week was downgraded to a drizzle on Tuesday as preparations wound down for Thursday night's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.
Cornerback Charles Woodson and end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila are questionable for the game, according to coach Mike McCarthy, but Woodson completed the jog-through portion of practice and Gbaja-Biamila pronounced himself ready to play.
Mark Tauscher missed practice again, but McCarthy said his sprained ankle is better than last week, meaning he'll probably be in his usual spot at right tackle.
Safety Nick Collins, out since Nov. 4 because of a knee injury, completed a third straight practice and most likely will resume his starting role.
Eleven players were listed on Tuesday's injury report — the first of two this week, thanks to the Thursday-Thursday schedule — but nine completed at least part of practice.
McCarthy remained coy on the makeup of his 45-man game-day roster, in part because Woodson, Gbaja-Biamila, safety Aaron Rouse and perhaps others will be game-time decisions. But with the exception of losing No. 4 defensive tackle Colin Cole, placed on injured reserve Sunday with a broken arm, the Packers' prognosis is far more positive than it seemed it might be after their second win in five days Thursday at Detroit. Two other starters who injured knees against the Lions — receiver Donald Driver and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett — weren't even listed on the injury report.
"This goes on week in and week out," McCarthy said of the injuries. "Our guys will be ready to play. We have a plan. Our coaches have to put our players in the best position to be successful against the Cowboys. We feel like we've done that."
Unlike other weeks, when McCarthy had removed pads from some practices and shortened others, injuries didn't affect the Packers' work the past three days.
Nor, apparently, did the approach of the toughest test yet for a team that began the season as the NFL's youngest. The atmosphere inside The Don Hutson Center was typically loose, and players roundly denied anyone was affected by the buildup surrounding the clash of NFC front-runners.
"We relaxed, kicked back, you know what I'm saying?" defensive tackle Corey Williams said. "We're ready. We prepared for them just like we prepared for everybody else."
"We're loosey-goosey and having fun, but at the same time, when it comes to getting our work done, we're getting our work done," receiver Koren Robinson said. "Coach McCarthy doesn't want a lot of tight people around here. It's not going to help the flow of the locker room."
Though the Packers were scheduled to depart for Dallas this afternoon, Woodson's injured toe and Gbaja-Biamila's sprained ankle, among other injuries, will be re-evaluated until hours before Thursday's 7:15 p.m. kickoff.
Woodson, who injured the big toe on his right foot on a punt return against Detroit, wasn't in the locker room when it was open to reporters this week. McCarthy repeated Tuesday the 10th-year veteran was showing improvement while undergoing round-the-clock treatment.
Gbaja-Biamila, tied for fourth in the NFL with 9½ sacks, ran through agility tests with trainers and said he passed with "flying colors."
"It's a coach's call, but I feel good. I'm ready to play," said Gbaja-Biamila, whose right leg was bent under him in an ugly collision with Lions lineman Blaine Saipaia. "I think that when I'm out there, I'm going to be ready to go 100 percent. ... It's a big game, and I want to be in it."
As expected, defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (shoulder) was ruled out for Thursday. The lone negative revelation on the injury front Tuesday was a setback for tight end Bubba Franks' knee, but the Packers haven't lost a game since he was hurt Oct. 14.
So, it's on to Dallas, in relatively good health as the national spotlight intensifies.
"I think they've handled it very well," McCarthy said. "The attention to detail has been good. I go off the pulse of practice, what it looks like on film. We've had a good week of preparation."
"It's human nature. We recognize this is a big game," said running back Ryan Grant, who was listed on the injury report with a rib injury, but said he's fine. "We understand we both have the same record. This is a big game. We're both 10-1. But at the same time, we understand that if we take care of this game and don't take care of the other games (it doesn't matter). Everything has to be in perspective."
Having read this, I am feeling less nervous about tomorrow night. I just don't want them to go down there an "lay an egg". I won't even say my greatest worry out loud for fear of it coming true having said it!
It sure would be nice if it wasn't going to be a 6 point game. I don't know if my already worn heart can handle it. but what a way to go!
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