Packers notes: A hole in the middle
While the Green Bay Packers try to figure out who will replace departed Mike Flanagan as their starting center, the Houston Texans couldn't be happier about having stolen Flanagan away to fill that role for them.
The Texans signed Flanagan, the Packers' starter the past five seasons, to a three-year, $8.9 million free agent deal ($3 million signing bonus) Thursday night. And while they think the 32-year-old can still play, they like even more the leadership he'll provide on a line that has allowed quarterback David Carr to be sacked an NFL-high 208 times over the past four seasons, including 68 times last year.
"His presence, if he sat here at this table, (you'd see) he's a leader," new Texans coach Gary Kubiak said during Tuesday morning's annual media breakfast with the AFC coaches. "And we felt our guys up front needed a leader to come in at the center position."
As one would expect, Kubiak said the recommendation ex-Packers coach Mike Sherman, who is the Texans' assistant head coach/offense and will be working with offensive line coach John Benton, played a major role in the team's decision to sign him.
"It's easy for us to see (Flanagan) as a player, but Mike knew him as a person. So really Mike was, I want to say the closer in the deal," said Kubiak, adding that Flanagan's addition will allow him to move Steve McKinney to left guard. "He was the one with the relationship that gave us the best opportunity to get the kid. No doubt about that."
The Packers, meanwhile, appear content to allow youngsters Scott Wells and Chris White to battle it out for the right to replace Flanagan. Flanagan's primary backup, Grey Ruegamer, is not in the Packers' plans, and coach Mike McCarthy said he wants to keep second-year lineman Junius Coston at guard "right now."
"We think those guys (Wells and White) can play," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'll see how it works out. We've got some young guys, but that's what you have to do in the NFL. You have to move on sometimes."
Thompson said the Packers tried to re-sign Flanagan, but "Houston stepped up to the plate pretty good (financially) and he decided to do that. You can't get too worked up about it."
Sounding board
Kubiak said his decision to hire Sherman, whom he worked with at Texas A&M in the 1990s, has been "awesome" because Sherman is helping him through the adjustment of being a first-time NFL head coach. Sherman spent six years as the Packers head coach and four as the team's general manager.
While Sherman's primary responsibility with the Texans is the offensive line, "he helps me in just about everything I do, to be honest with you," Kubiak said. "There's probably not a day that goes by that I'm not in there asking him about various situations going on and asking his opinion.
"It's nice to have somebody who's been there, where you can do down the hallway and say, 'I'm fixing to do this, what do you think?' You have so much respect for his opinion because he's had to make those decisions on a daily basis."
A lot to like
Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron said ex-Packers backup quarterback Craig Nall will be given every chance to win the team's starting job in a three-way competition with J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb.
"We wanted a three-man push there, thinking that the three of them would bring the level of play up of all of them a little bit higher and then one of them will surface (as the starter)," Jauron said. "At some point, we'll have to start changing the reps, because somebody hopefully will take the job. It'll be interesting."
Asked what he likes about Nall, who received a $1.3 million signing bonus despite having thrown just 33 regular season passes in his four-year NFL career, Jauron said, "He didn't get a lot of playing time, as we all know. But he's not a guy that we have to train to play in the league. And, we liked his demeanor when we interviewed him. He's a confident guy; he believes that he can start. He just wanted to come some place where he'd have the chance to just compete for the starting job."
Schedule on horizon
The Packers will open the preseason at San Diego and play a nationally televised game at home in Week 3 of the exhibition schedule, Packers president Bob Harlan said. The full preseason schedule will be released by the league today.
The league has told owners that the regular season schedule will be released April 6, Harlan said.
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The Texans signed Flanagan, the Packers' starter the past five seasons, to a three-year, $8.9 million free agent deal ($3 million signing bonus) Thursday night. And while they think the 32-year-old can still play, they like even more the leadership he'll provide on a line that has allowed quarterback David Carr to be sacked an NFL-high 208 times over the past four seasons, including 68 times last year.
"His presence, if he sat here at this table, (you'd see) he's a leader," new Texans coach Gary Kubiak said during Tuesday morning's annual media breakfast with the AFC coaches. "And we felt our guys up front needed a leader to come in at the center position."
As one would expect, Kubiak said the recommendation ex-Packers coach Mike Sherman, who is the Texans' assistant head coach/offense and will be working with offensive line coach John Benton, played a major role in the team's decision to sign him.
"It's easy for us to see (Flanagan) as a player, but Mike knew him as a person. So really Mike was, I want to say the closer in the deal," said Kubiak, adding that Flanagan's addition will allow him to move Steve McKinney to left guard. "He was the one with the relationship that gave us the best opportunity to get the kid. No doubt about that."
The Packers, meanwhile, appear content to allow youngsters Scott Wells and Chris White to battle it out for the right to replace Flanagan. Flanagan's primary backup, Grey Ruegamer, is not in the Packers' plans, and coach Mike McCarthy said he wants to keep second-year lineman Junius Coston at guard "right now."
"We think those guys (Wells and White) can play," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'll see how it works out. We've got some young guys, but that's what you have to do in the NFL. You have to move on sometimes."
Thompson said the Packers tried to re-sign Flanagan, but "Houston stepped up to the plate pretty good (financially) and he decided to do that. You can't get too worked up about it."
Sounding board
Kubiak said his decision to hire Sherman, whom he worked with at Texas A&M in the 1990s, has been "awesome" because Sherman is helping him through the adjustment of being a first-time NFL head coach. Sherman spent six years as the Packers head coach and four as the team's general manager.
While Sherman's primary responsibility with the Texans is the offensive line, "he helps me in just about everything I do, to be honest with you," Kubiak said. "There's probably not a day that goes by that I'm not in there asking him about various situations going on and asking his opinion.
"It's nice to have somebody who's been there, where you can do down the hallway and say, 'I'm fixing to do this, what do you think?' You have so much respect for his opinion because he's had to make those decisions on a daily basis."
A lot to like
Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron said ex-Packers backup quarterback Craig Nall will be given every chance to win the team's starting job in a three-way competition with J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb.
"We wanted a three-man push there, thinking that the three of them would bring the level of play up of all of them a little bit higher and then one of them will surface (as the starter)," Jauron said. "At some point, we'll have to start changing the reps, because somebody hopefully will take the job. It'll be interesting."
Asked what he likes about Nall, who received a $1.3 million signing bonus despite having thrown just 33 regular season passes in his four-year NFL career, Jauron said, "He didn't get a lot of playing time, as we all know. But he's not a guy that we have to train to play in the league. And, we liked his demeanor when we interviewed him. He's a confident guy; he believes that he can start. He just wanted to come some place where he'd have the chance to just compete for the starting job."
Schedule on horizon
The Packers will open the preseason at San Diego and play a nationally televised game at home in Week 3 of the exhibition schedule, Packers president Bob Harlan said. The full preseason schedule will be released by the league today.
The league has told owners that the regular season schedule will be released April 6, Harlan said.
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