Hometown Broadcasting Sports Friday 1/3/20
3 January 2020 Sports
The Packers returned to the practice field on Thursday after having two days off during their bye week. Returning to work Thursday were running back Jamaal Williams with his shoulder injury and wide receiver Allen Lazard with his ankle injury. Four of Green Bay’s starting five offensive lineman sat out Thursday to rest up. Coach Matt LaFleur said it’s a good thing to give his players some extra time off at this time. Defensive lineman Kenny Clark was asked what he tells the younger players about the playoffs. He said he tells them that every play counts.
The Packers are back on the practice field today and then will be off on the weekend.
After more than a decade-long wait, former Packers safety LeRoy Butler was announced on Thursday as one of 15 modern-era finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. The four-time All-Pro safety, who has been eligible since 2007, previously was the only offensive or defensive player from the 1990s All-Decade Team that hadn’t yet been a finalist for induction. Butler has been a semifinalist for the past three years. During his 12 seasons with Green Bay, Butler became the first defensive back in NFL history to eclipse 20 interceptions and 20 sacks, finishing his career with 38 interceptions, 20 1/2 sacks in 181 regular-season games. Synonymous with the Lambeau Leap, Butler was a versatile centerpiece of defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur’s defense during the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI championship run. The 15 modern-era finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV.
Former Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy met Thursday with Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam as Cleveland begins its latest quest to find the right coach after so many failed attempts. McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010 and went to the playoffs nine times in 13 years before being fired in 2018, would seem to have everything the Browns covet. He’s a respected, proven winner with an offensive mindset and experience handling quarterbacks. While McCarthy was still at the team’s headquarters, Jimmy Haslam met with the media and laid out the team’s plans to find a new coach and general manager after John Dorsey’s ouster on Tuesday. Haslam said the team will first hire a coach, who will have input into the next GM. The 56-year-old McCarthy spent the past year out of football, immersing himself in studying concepts and trends and embracing analytics. He’s already interviewed with Carolina about its job and will likely meet with the New York Giants. The Browns are seeking their seventh coach in 10 years after firing Freddie Kitchens on Sunday, hours after ending a disappointing 6-10 season with a loss at Cincinnati. Kitchens’ dismissal was followed by Dorsey mutually parting ways with the team after refusing to accept a diminished role offered by the Haslams.
The NFL Wild Card Round begins Saturday. In the AFC, Buffalo plays at Houston and Tennessee travels to New England. In the NFC on Sunday, Minnesota is at New Orleans and Philadelphia hosts Seattle.
Men’s College Basketball (Fri)
Wisconsin (8-5) @ #5 Ohio State (11-2)
The Green Bay Packers have announced the finalists for the FAN Hall of Fame. This year the organization is looking for the hall’s 22nd member.
The finalists are:
- Dr. Gordon Dammann, Lena, Ill.
- Jeff Gasser, Coleman
- Kari Bernier, Dyersburg, Tenn.
- Kathy Fermanich, New London
- Leo DeGroot, West Bend
- Carole Gutowski, Green Bay
- Bob Pinzl, Waukesha
- Mark Ames, Spruce, Mich.
- Bill Hughes, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Roger Cassem, Midlothian, Va.
The winner will be selected by: Packers fans, previous FAN Hall of Fame honorees and the Packers’ committee.
High School Basketball (Thurs.)
Kohler 97, Wautoma 43
Roncalli 77, Lourdes Academy 72
Cambria-Friesland 79, Dodgeland 61
(Fri.)
Ripon @ Berlin-Tipoff at 7:15 on AM1600/93.1FM, WRPN
Winnecone @ Waupun
Princeton/Green Lake @ Central Wisconsin Christian
Markesan @ Iola-Scandinavia
Nekoosa @ Montello
St. Thomas Aquinas @ Valley Christian
Oshkosh West @ Oshkosh North
(Sat.)
Wild Rose @ Wautoma
Horicon @ St. Mary’s Springs
Girls (Fri.)
Oshkosh West @ Oshkosh North
Girls (Sat.)
Wild Rose @ Wautoma
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