NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Nick Barnett 56 LB 6- 2 232 Oregon State 3 3 24 16 2003 Draft - 1st round
Kevin Barry 71 T 6- 4 332 Arizona 4 4 26 16 2002 FA
Atari Bigby 47 S 5-11 218 Central Florida 1 1 24 1 2005 FA - Miami
Ahmad Carroll 28 CB 5-10 190 Arkansas 2 2 22 16 2004 Draft - 1st round
Antonio Chatman 83 WR 5- 9 183 Cincinnati 3 3 26 16 2003 FA - Chi (Arena)
Chad Clifton 76 T 6- 5 330 Tennessee 6 6 29 16 2000 Draft - 2nd round
Colin Cole 90 DT 6- 2 325 Iowa 2 3 25 16 2004 FA - Detroit
Nick Collins 36 S 5-11 200 Bethune-Cookman 1 1 22 16 2005 Draft - 2nd round
Junius Coston 62 G 6- 3 317 N. Carolina A&T 1 1 21 0 2005 Draft - 5th round
Najeh Davenport 44 FB 6- 1 247 Miami (FL) 4 4 26 5 2002 Draft - 4th round
Rob Davis 60 LS 6- 3 284 Shippensburg 9 10 36 16 1997 FA - Chi (1996)
Patrick Dendy 34 CB 6- 0 190 Rice 1 1 23 4 2005 FA
Na'il Diggs 59 LB 6- 4 240 Ohio State 6 6 27 9 2000 Draft - 4th round
Donald Driver 80 WR 6- 0 190 Alcorn State 7 7 30 16 1999 Draft - 7th round
Brett Favre 4 QB 6- 2 222 S. Mississippi 14 15 35 16 1992 Trade - Atlanta
Robert Ferguson 89 WR 6- 1 210 Texas A&M 5 5 25 11 2001 Draft - 2nd round
Tony Fisher 40 RB 6- 1 222 Notre Dame 4 4 25 14 2002 FA
Mike Flanagan 58 C 6- 5 301 UCLA 8 8 31 14 1996 Draft - 3rd round
Ryan Flinn 6 P 6- 5 210 Central Florida 1 1 25 2 2005 FA - Atlanta
Therrian Fontenot 29 CB 5-11 187 Fresno State 1 2 24 1 2005 FA- Buffalo
Bubba Franks 88 TE 6- 6 265 Miami (FL) 6 6 26 10 2000 Draft - 1st round
Todd Franz 43 S 6- 0 205 Tulsa 2 5 29 5 2005 FA - Washington
Samkon Gado 35 RB 5-10 226 Liberty 1 1 22 8 2005 FA - Kansas City
Rod Gardner 82 WR 6- 2 215 Clemson 1 5 27 2 2005 FA - Carolina
K. Gbaja-Biamilla 94 DE 6- 4 250 San Diego State 6 6 27 16 2000 Draft - 5th round
Ahman Green 30 RB 6- 0 218 Nebraska 6 8 28 5 2000 Trade - Seattle
Al Harris 31 CB 6- 1 185 Texas A&M-Kings. 3 8 30 16 2003 Trade - Phil
Mike Hawkins 37 CB 6- 1 180 Oklahoma 1 1 22 11 2005 Draft - 5th round
William Henderson 33 FB 6- 1 252 North Carolina 11 11 34 16 1995 Draft - 3rd round
Noah Herron 23 RB 5-11 224 Northwestern 1 1 23 5 2005 FA - Pittsburgh
Jason Horton 26 CB 6- 0 190 N. Carolina A&T 2 2 25 9 2004 FA
Tory Humphrey 49 TE 6- 2 257 Central Michigan 1 1 22 1 2005 FA - Indianapolis
Grady Jackson 75 DT 6- 2 347 Knoxville 3 9 32 16 2003 FA - New Orleans
Cullen Jenkins 77 DL 6- 3 290 Central Michigan 2 2 24 16 2004 FA
Jamal Jones 19 WR 6- 0 214 N. Carolina A&T 1 1 24 2 2004 FA - St. Louis
Aaron Kampman 74 DE 6- 4 278 Iowa 4 4 25 16 2002 Draft - 5th round
Adrian Klemm 70 G 6- 4 318 Hawaii 1 5 28 16 2005 UFA - NE (2004)
Vonta Leach 48 FB 6- 0 250 East Carolina 2 2 24 16 2004 FA
John Leake 57 LB 6- 0 230 Clemson 1 1 24 3 2005 FA - Atlanta
Donald Lee 85 TE 6- 4 248 Mississippi St. 1 3 25 15 2005 FA - Miami (2004)
Reshard Lee 32 RB 5-10 228 Middle Tenn. St 1 2 24 7 2005 FA - Minnesota
Paris Lenon 53 LB 6- 2 240 Richmond 4 4 27 16 2001 FA
Earl Little 21 S 6- 0 202 Miami (FL) 1 8 32 4 2005 FA - Cleve (2004)
Ryan Longwell 8 K 6- 0 200 California 9 9 31 16 1997 FA - San Francisco
Chad Lucas 10 WR 6- 1 201 Alabama State 1 1 23 1 2005 FA - Tennessee
Roy Manning 54 LB 6- 2 245 Michigan 1 1 23 15 2005 FA
David Martin 83 TE 6- 4 265 Tennessee 5 5 26 11 2001 Draft - 6th round
Mike Montgomery 96 DE 6- 5 275 Texas A&M 1 1 22 12 2005 Draft - 6th round
Terrence Murphy 86 WR 6- 1 196 Texas A&M 1 1 22 3 2005 Draft - 2nd round
Kenny Peterson 98 DT 6- 3 285 Ohio State 3 3 26 16 2003 Draft - 3rd round
Brady Poppinga 51 LB 6- 3 245 Brigham Young 1 1 25 12 2005 Draft - 4th round
Aaron Rodgers 12 QB 6- 2 223 California 1 1 21 3 2005 Draft - 1st round
Mark Roman 23 S 5-11 201 Louisiana State 2 6 28 16 2004 UFA - Cin (2003)
Grey Ruegamer 67 C 6- 4 305 Arizona State 3 7 29 13 2003 UFA - NE (2002)
B.J. Sander 11 P 6- 4 218 Ohio State 1 1 25 14 2004 Draft - 3rd round
Ben Steele 82 TE 6- 5 260 Mesa State 2 2 27 2 2004 FA - Minnesota
Mark Tauscher 65 T 6- 4 315 Wisconsin 6 6 28 16 2000 Draft - 7th round
Joey Thomas 24 CB 6- 1 190 Montana State 2 2 25 6 2004 Draft - 3rd round
Robert Thomas 55 LB 6- 0 233 UCLA 1 4 25 10 2005 Trade - St. Louis
Jeremy Thornburg 38 S 6- 0 190 Northern Arizona 1 1 23 4 2005 FA - San Francisco
Andrae Thurman 81 WR 5-11 192 S. Oregon 2 2 24 10 2005 FA - Tennessee
Marviel Underwood 25 S 5-10 197 San Diego State 1 1 23 16 2005 Draft - 4th round
Javon Walker 84 WR 6- 3 209 Florida State 4 4 26 1 2002 Draft - 1st round
TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS
APRIL 23 - Traded 2005 3rd-round choice to CAROLINA for 2005 4th-round choice (S Marviel Underwood) and 4th-round choice (traded to Philadelphia)
APRIL 23 - Traded 2005 3rd-round pick - 126th overall to PHILADELPHIA for 2005 5th-round choice (167-CB Mike Hawkins), 2005 6th-round choice - 175th (traded to New England) and 2005 7th-round choice (LB Kurt Campbell)
APRIL 24 - Traded 2005 6th-round choice - 175th overall pick to NEW ENGLAND for 2005 6th-round choice (195 - WR Craig Bragg) and 2005 7th-round choice - 246th overall (OG William Whitticker)
SEPTEMBER 3 - Traded CB Chris Jackson to ST. LOUIS for LB Robert Thomas. Traded OL Steve Morley to NY JETS for undisclosed draft choice
2005 IN REVIEW
After their season ended with disappointing playoff losses the last four seasons the Packers entered the season, knowing the Brett Favre era was nearing its end as they
drafted QB Aaron Rodgers in the first round. From the start of the season it was obvious that the Packers were in for a long season as WR Javon Walker was injured and lost
for the rest of the season in a Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions. The home opener would bring more frustration as the Packers comeback fell short in a 26-24 loss to the
Cleveland Browns. The struggles would continue the next two weeks as the Packers dropped to 0-4, with Favre increasingly becoming prone to mistakes from trying to do too
much. In Week 5 the Packers would take out all their early season frustrations on the New Orleans Saints winning their first game of the season 52-3 as Brett Favre led the
way with 3 TD passes. However it was a tiny oasis in a barren desert as the Packers would lose their next three as the injuries mounted with both RB Ahman Green and back
up Najeh Davenport being lost for the rest for the season. At 1-7 the Packers would see the emergence of a new go to running back as Samkon Gado had 103 yards rushing
and two touchdowns in a 33-25 win on the road over the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers misery though would go on to last the remainder of the season as Brett Favre threw a
career high 29 interceptions, as the Packers finished in last place with a terrible 4-12 record. Following the season Coach Mike Sherman would be replaced by Mike McCarthy
while Brett Favre spent the entire off-season contemplating retirement before ultimately deciding to return for another season.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE PACKERS
The streak came to an end in 2005. After playing winning football since 1992, the team suffered its worst season in 14 years, thanks in part to a series of crippling injuries.
The Packers would spend most of the season looking for running backs, and the lack of a rushing attack played a key role in the collapse and the end of the Mike Sherman
era:
RUNNING BACKS
* AHMAN GREEN - Green injured his thigh on October 23 when he took a handoff off right tackle and was tackled by Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson. Green aggravated the
injury, which had forced him to miss the previous game. He finished the day having rushed for 49 yards on 16 carries in the game and for 255 yards on the year. The next day,
it was learned the five-time Pro Bowl running back would miss the rest of the season after rupturing a tendon in his quadriceps. Despite his injury-shortened season, the
Packers re-signed Green to a one-year, $2 million contract, with an extra $3 million in incentives. After the 2006 season he became a free agent.
* NAJEH DAVENPORT - With Green ailing, Davenport took over as starter. In what would be his only start of the season, versus the Saints, Davenport scored two first-half
touchdowns before breaking his ankle. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season and his Packer career. The following year, he signed a
free agent deal with Pittsburgh.
* TONY FISHER - The four-year veteran started October 30 at Cincinnati, got through that contest, then complained of pain in the area of his shoulder blade. He underwent an MRI exam, and played the remainder of the season in pain.
* SAMKON GADO - Gado made his NFL debut, only two weeks after being signed to the Packers roster, with an eight-yard carry on October 30. It was his only carry of the game. One week later, he was given much more playing time against the Steelers, although Fisher was officially the starter of the game. Gado carried the ball 23 times for 62 yards and scored his first NFL rushing touchdown. On November 13, Gado started his first NFL game against the Falcons and rushed 23 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre. He became the first player in NFL history to score three touchdowns on his 23rd birthday. For the next three weeks Gado excelled in the starting position. He recorded two more 100-yard performances - 111 against the Philadelphia Eagles and 171 against the Detroit Lions - and scored a rushing touchdown in three straight games. H ended the season with 562 yards rushing.
* NOAH HERRON - He was signed off of the Steelers' practice squad, and ran for 123 yards on 48 attempts for a 2.6-yard average and two touchdowns.
* WALT WILLIAMS - Williams was a candidate to start for the Packers, before injuring a hamstring during practice on November 10. Re-signed by the Packers on October 25, he had played at Cincinnati (Oct. 30) and vs. Pittsburgh (Nov. 6), making one catch for 18 yards and one special teams stop.
* RASHARD LEE - In seven games, with one start, Lee had 11 carries for 16 yards and one reception for 5 yards. On special teams, Lee returned 15 kickoffs for 319 yards and posted seven coverage tackles. On December 1, he became the fifth Packers running back on injured reserve, joining Green, Davenport, Walt Williams and Chaz Williams.
WIDE RECEIVERS
* JAVON WALKER - After backing off of his threats to hold out and reporting to camp, Walker injured his ACL on a pass from Favre in the season opener. The Packers placed Walker on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
* ROBERT FERGUSON - He was lost to a knee injury in the final weeks of the season. Ferguson missed three games after suffering a torn lateral-collateral ligament in his left knee during a loss at Minnesota October 23. Ferguson returned to practice on a full-time basis on November 18, Ferguson was taken by cart from the practice facility the next day. Favre overthrew Ferguson, and Ferguson was pulling up but rookie safety Nick Collins didn't see the ball and bumped Ferguson, whose knee buckled. Ferguson had his 2004 season cut short, missing the last three games, after he sustained head and neck injuries from a clothesline hit by Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius. He was
temporarily paralyzed after the hit.
* TERRENCE MURPHY - The promising rookie was lost for the rest of the season because of a spinal-cord bruise sustained in Week 4. The wide receiver suffered the brunt of a helmet-to-helmet hit from Carolina's Thomas Davis on a kickoff return. Murphy was taken off the field on a stretcher and later diagnosed with a narrowing of the spine near the neck. The Packers cut Murphy in April 2006, and he would never play pro football again.
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Taco Wallace -- WR 6- 0 192 Kansas State 1 3 24 1 2005 FA - Seattle
Scott Wells 63 C 6- 2 304 Tennessee 2 2 24 16 2004 Draft - 7th round
Chris White 68 C 6- 2 285 S. Mississippi 1 1 22 1 2005 FA
William Whitticker 79 G 6- 5 338 Michigan State 1 1 23 16 2005 Draft - 7th round
James Whitley 25 CB 5-11 190 Michigan 2 4 25 6 2003 FA - St. Louis
Corey Williams 99 DE 6- 4 313 Arkansas State 2 2 25 12 2004 Draft - 6th round
Walt Williams 29 RB 6- 1 215 Grambling State 2 2 27 2 2004 FA - New Orleans
Jerron Wishom 41 CB 6- 0 197 Louisiana Tech 1 1 23 5 2005 FA - Houston
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age on September 1 G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
2005 PACKERS PRACTICE SQUAD
NAME POS COLLEGE HOW ACQUIRED
Atari Bigby S Central Florida 2005 FA - Miami
Craig Bragg WR UCLA 2005 Draft - 6th round
Vince Butler WR NW Oklahoma St 2005 FA
Ran Carthon RB Florida 2005 FA - Indianapolis
Patrick Dendy CB Rice 2005 FA
Jimmy Dixon RB Georgia Tech 2005 FA
Therrian Fontenot CB Fresno State 2005 FA- Buffalo
Samkon Gado RB Liberty 2005 FA - Kansas City
Greg Hanoian FB Syracuse 2005 FA - Detroit
Reggie Harrell WR Texas Christian 2005 FA - Dallas
Antoineo Harris RB Illinois 2005 FA - Chicago
Elliott Harris DE Arkansas 2005 FA - Pittsburgh
Joe Hayes G San Jose State 2005 FA
Tory Humphrey TE Central Michigan 2005 FA - Indianapolis
Jamal Jones WR N. Carolina A&T 2004 FA - St. Louis
Chad Lucas WR Alabama State 2005 FA - Tennessee
Ruvell Martin WR Saginaw Valley St 2005 FA - San Diego
Tim McGill DT Illinois 2005 FA - Miami
Bobby Purify RB Colorado 2005 FA - San Francisco
Jerron Wishom CB Louisiana Tech 2005 FA - Houston
Zac Woodfin LB Al-Birmingham 2005 FA
Bold Italics - Made Active Roster
2005 PACKERS DRAFT (April 23-24, 2005)
RND-PCK NAME POS COLLEGE NOTES
1 24 Aaron Rodgers QB California
2a 51 Nick Collins S/CB Beth.-Cookman (A)
2b 58 Terrence Murphy WR Texas A&M
3 89 Traded to Carolina in draft-day trade
4a 115 Marviel Underwood S San Diego St (B)
4b 125 Brady Poppinga LB Brigham Young
4c 126 Traded to Philadelphia from Carolina
5a 143 Junius Coston C N.C. A&T (C)
5b 152 Traded to Kansas City for R-Kal Truluck
5c 167 Mike Hawkins CB Oklahoma (D)
6a 175 Traded to New England from Philadelphia
6b 180 Mike Montgomery DE Texas A&M (C)
6c 195 Craig Bragg WR UCLA (E)
6d 199 Traded to Kansas City for R-Kal Truluck
7a 238 Traded to Kansas City in 2003 Derrick Combs trade
7b 245 Kurt Campbell LB Albany (D)
7c 246 William Whitticker G Michigan St (E)
A-From New Orleans in Mike McKenzie trade B-From Carolina in draft-day trade C-From Oakland for Marques Anderson D-From Philadelphia in draft-day trade E-From New England in draft-day trade
Bold Italics - Played for the Green Bay Packers
FREE AGENCY - UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
PLAYERS SIGNED - G Adrian Klemm (New England), G Matt O'Dwyer (Tampa Bay)
PLAYERS LOST - S Bhawoh Jue (San Diego), G Marco Rivera (Dallas)
TRANSITION PLAYER DESIGNATION : TE Bubba Franks
2005 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (2-2)
AUGUST (1-2) RESULT RECORD ATT STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
11 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS W 10- 7 1- 0-0 69,611 Brett Favre Ahman Green (16) Brett Favre (91) Ben Steele (3-11)
20 at Buffalo Bills L 7-27 1- 1-0 71,323 Brett Favre Najeh Davenport (34) Brett Favre (41) Najeh Davenport (2-15)
26 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS L 3-27 1- 2-0 69,501 Brett Favre Ahman Green (23) Brett Favre (69) Ahman Green (3-26)
SEPTEMBER (1-0)
1 at Tennessee Titans W 21-17 2- 2-0 69,010 Brett Favre Andrae Thurman (19) Aaron Rodgers (92) Craig Bragg (4-46)
2005 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (4-12)
SEPTEMBER (0-3)
11 at Detroit Lions (0-0) L 3-17 0- 1-0 61,877 Brett Favre Ahman Green (58) Brett Favre (202) Ahman Green (5-34)
18 CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-1) L 24-26 0- 2-0 70,400 Brett Favre Ahman Green (54) Brett Favre (342) Donald Driver (6-105)
25 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (2-0) L 16-17 0- 3-0 70,518 Brett Favre Ahman Green (58) Brett Favre (195) Robert Ferguson (4-68)
OCTOBER (1-3)
3 at Carolina Panthers (1-2) L 29-32 0- 4-0 73,657 Brett Favre Ahman Green (36) Brett Favre (303) Donald Driver (6-92)
9 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-2) W 52- 3 1- 4-0 70,580 Brett Favre Najeh Davenport (54) Brett Favre (215) Tony Fisher (6-40)
23 at Minnesota Vikings (1-4) L 20-23 1- 5-0 64,278 Brett Favre Ahman Green (49) Brett Favre (315) Donald Driver (8-114)
30 at Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) L 14-21 1- 6-0 65,940 Brett Favre Tony Fisher (51) Brett Favre (279) Antonio Chatman (8-97)
NOVEMBER (1-3)
6 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-2) L 10-20 1- 7-0 70,607 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (62) Brett Favre (214) Donald Driver (5-64)
13 at Atlanta Falcons (6-2) W 33-25 2- 7-0 71,001 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (103) Brett Favre (252) Donald Driver (10-114)
21 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-5) L 17-20 2- 8-0 70,610 Brett Favre Tony Fisher (14) Brett Favre (227) Donald Driver (5-84)
27 at Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) L 14-19 2- 9-0 67,665 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (111) Brett Favre (171) David Martin (4-41)
DECEMBER (1-3)
4 at Chicago Bears (8-3) L 7-19 2-10-0 62,177 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (75) Brett Favre (277) Donald Driver (8-64)
11 DETROIT LIONS (4-8) W 16-13 (OT) 3-10-0 70,019 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (171) Brett Favre (170) David Martin (5-38)
19 at Baltimore Ravens (4-9) L 3-48 3-11-0 70,604 Brett Favre Samkon Gado (45) Brett Favre (144) Antonio Chatman (6-63)
25 CHICAGO BEARS (10-4) L 17-24 3-12-0 69,757 Brett Favre Noah Herron (33) Brett Favre (317) Tony Fisher (8-61)
JANUARY 2006 (1-0)
1 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (13-2) W 23-17 4-12-0 69,928 Brett Favre Noah Herron (61) Brett Favre (259) Donald Driver (6-118)
(New York Times, February 8th 2011)
In this video clip, ESPN’s Chris Berman, Chris Mortensen and Mel Kiper Jr. try to buck up Aaron Rodgers on draft day in 2005. At that point, Rodgers had already been handed the role of “guy stuck in the green room.” He was dropping on the draft board and being treated as if he had a contagious disease. The draft had only reached the 15th pick. Rodgers had nine more slots to fall, and many more minutes to squirm.
At the end of the clip, receiver Torry Holt, on the panel as an analyst, turns out to be an unlikely seer, saying definitively: “Aaron Rodgers will have the luxury to go play for Brett Favre and Green Bay. That’s where he’s going.”
In retrospect, it was a luxury for Rodgers. He had time to learn the Packers’ system in a no-pressure environment. Quarterback Alex Smith, taken No. 1 in that draft by the 49ers, has had six offensive coordinators in six seasons.
So why did Rodgers drop? Once he wasn’t chosen by the Niners — he played nearby at Cal — and was ignored by a few other teams, a lot of teams didn’t need a quarterback. But why didn’t the Niners’ new coach, Mike Nolan, take him?
Bob Harlan, president of the Green Bay Packers in 2005, introduces Ted Thompson as the team's new general manager on Jan. 15. (SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Sherman backed decision, Harlan says (Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel)
Green Bay - If he wouldn't have been able to lure Ted Thompson to be his general manager, Green Bay Packers President Bob Harlan would have been staring at an empty seat in a luxurious new office inside Lambeau Field with no options to fill it. That's how strongly Harlan felt he needed to separate the head coach's and general manager's duties in his front office and how strongly he felt Thompson should assume one of them. Early Wednesday afternoon, after returning from a meeting in New York, Harlan met coach and general manager Mike Sherman in his office and informed him that he was splitting the duties. A few hours later, Harlan offered the general manager's position to Thompson, the Seattle Seahawks' vice president of football operations and the only man Harlan sought for the position. Had Thompson turned him down, Harlan had no ready alternative to fill the GM spot and would have had to conduct a long search. But early Friday morning, after about nine hours of negotiations between lawyers for both parties, Thompson agreed to a five-year deal to become the team's 10th general manager.
The 2005 Green Bay Packers - 4-12 (4th - NFC North)
Head Coach: Mike Sherman
