Green Bay Packers versus Minnesota Vikings

Bring on icy cold winter football at Lambeau Field this Sunday!  Can the Minnesota Vikings handle the temps?  We'll see!  This is a perfect way to kick off a solid month of December football as we separate the men from the boys--both onfield and in the stadium seats.  Pack your longjohns and get out there to support your favorite NFL team!

Go, Pack, gooooooo!

Phillip Merling's Uncle

So often, these pro football players seem to have family members lending a helping hand or paving the road to athletic success.  Phillip Merling is no exception.  

Back in his college days at Clemson, Phillip Merlin's uncle served as his position coach.  Cool, right?!

Better yet, this was no new coaching relationship.  Turns out Chris Rumpf, aka Phillip Merlin's uncle, had been his his high school coach for three seasons.  Clearly Chris Rumpf saw something great in his young nephew and certainly helped develop that talent over the years of training on the gridiron.

A few quick facts about Jaymes Brooks

Here's a visual to go along with some of these Jaymes Brooks facts.

-  in high school, Jaymes Brooks was the football player and a track and field shot putter.

-  He won his state's indoor shot put title!

-  Played in the 2009 Orange Bowl.

-  300 is his favorite movie.

-  Rap is his music of choice.

-  Admires his grandfather.

Packers @ New York Giants

Believe it or not--this is the third and final November game!  This time the Green Bay Packers are heading to the east coast to defeat the New York Giants.  I'm ready to catch this one from the couch, but if you're traveling with the team or live in New York, grab a couple tickets and enjoy!

Don Barclay, meet Don Barclay

Don Barclay was an nondrafted free agent signed to the Green Bay Packers in spring 2012.  But when doing a bit o' research to learn more about this former West Virginian football player, I came across plenty of other images and information about a much different Don Barclay.  Apparently, the name has been used before!  Meet the late Don Barclay, actor and comedian:

Possible namesake for this Don Barclay?

Both Don Barclays seem to have a good sense of humor--the current Green Bay Packers version lists Kevin James' King of Queens as his favorite TV show.  Good pick!

Casey Hayward's favorite athletes

Like all sports enthusiasts, Casey Hayward has his own role models in sport.

Casey Hayward is serious about his favorite athletes.

When asked to list his top four most admired sports figures, Casey Hayward had them ready to go: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers.

I'm definitely with Casey Hayward's last (but most important!) pick.  And can you imagine how cool it would be to practice and compete with one of your all time favorite athletes?!  What a trip!

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit

Watch out, Detroit.  Green Bay is coming your way!

On Sunday the 18th, the Green Bay Packers are heading out to defeat the Detroit Lions.  We're hitting the mid-season stride here halfway through November and this marks the first of our two road games for the second half of the month.

We're fresh off a bye week and ready for action.

I'm ready for a Green Bay Packers viewing party complete with chips, dip, and some green and yellow M&Ms.  Nothing better on game day than that football fare.

Let's see a good game this week and add another win to the record books.  Go, Pack, go!

Mr. Mike McCabe

Well, if the NFL doesn't pan out for Mike McCabe, he's got a solid back-up plan: teaching!  This profession runs in the McCabe family.  Both of Mike McCabe's parents are teachers...and taught at the same school where Mike McCabe attended!

One college summer, Mike McCabe spent his time working at that same school, teaching Algebra to middle schoolers.  A stuffy July morning talking about math with a bunch of 13 and 14 year olds?  You've really got to love teaching to go through something like that!

So there you have it: Mike McCabe, current Green Bay Packers tackle...future teacher of the younger generation.  And this face makes me think his class will behave!

Jeff Saturday: The Green Bay Packers old-timer (in a good way!)

Jeff Saturday is one new yet old face on the Green Bay Packers team this season.  With his warm smile, Jeff Saturday can certainly become a role model to some of the young guns on the team who--in a few years--will be nearly half his age!

At 37 years old, Jeff Saturday has racked up some impressive stats.  My favorite is his record set with Peyton Manning.  Together, this qb-center combo, broke the old NFL record and set a new one for the most starts (170).  Wow!

Now that Jeff Saturday has joined the Green Bay Packers roster, the team sure can benefit from his experience and expertise.  Goooooo, Pack!

Brett Goode's Facial Hair

Arkansas is the place Brett Goode calls home in the offseason from the Green Bay Packers.  I'm wondering if his facial hair style blends in well with his fellow male Arkansasians.  Up here in Wisconsin during hunting season, he fits in great!

I'm sure that beard comes in as handy camo during those long, cold deer hunting mornings and serves as a toasty face warmer during Lambeau games in December!

Surfing with Brad Jones

Brad Jones is clearly an athletic guy.  So much so, in fact, that he can pick up sports right and left.  Football is clearly covered, but did you know he was also a sprinter on the track and field team?  Yessirreebob.  Brad Jones competed in the 200 meter dash and the 110 hurdles with ease.  Additionally, he spent a year on the basketball team.

But it wasn't until 2011 that Brad Jones gave another athletic endeavor a try: surfing.  This is something I've always wanted to do.  The thought of riding huge waves in a tropical setting sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon.   Brad Jones got just that chance and though I wasn't there to witness it (darn!), I'm certain his natural athletic abilities served him well.

Terrell Manning's Africana Studies

Terrell Manning attended North Carolina State.  Of course he was a fixture on the North Carolina Wolfpack football team whose 2010 season was especially strong.

But it was his off field endeavors that interested me.  Terrell Manning was an Africana Studies major, a unique offering among four year institutions.

After exploring the North Carolina State website, I thought it sounded like a cool program.  It examines the contributions and experiences of people from African descent all throughout the world.  Some classes include Introduction to the African Diaspora and Black Popular Culture.  The program seems to be very popular and features a major track, minor route, and several study abroad opportunities.  The link to its description can be found here.  Makes me want to go back to college and sample some classes all over again!

Desmond Bishop's Residence

Desmond Bishop calls Vacaville, California home.  I'd never heard to this city so I decided to investigate and find out what sort of place this is.

This state of the art picture makes me want to board a plane to Cali this instant! 

Maps place Vacaville almost exactly halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, two better known California cities.  Vacaville is just over 90,000 citizens strong.  One of those residents is allegedly Jarrett Bush of the Green Bay Packers.  Do Desmond Bishop and Jarrett Bush crash together?  Mysterious!

Vacaville contains a couple prisons, too, which is something not every city can boast about.  It's a far cry from Green Bay, Wisconsin but for Desmond Bishop it's home sweet home.

"I just biked from Vacaville!"

Green Bay Packers versus Arizona Cardinals

We're back for another home game at Lambeau Field this week.  The team is looking good and though the Arizona Cardinals have done well in the past few seasons, the Green Bay Packers are ready for a good match-up.

Like the good Packers fan I am, I of course predict a win.  I won't even mind a close contest as long as are victorious in the end.

Check out the tickets remaining or tune in on Sunday.  Either way, get ready to root for the best team in the NFL.

Go, Pack, go!