Covering his right ear to block out background noise Wolf began to write something down on a notebook. The phone in front of Wolf rang at 10:57 a.m. Behind the table with Burress and the doctors, defensive backs coach Bob Valesente was busy scouring through a wall of scouting video. and former Packers all-pro receiver Sterling Sharpe was offensive line coach Tom Lovat, running backs coach Harry Sydney, tight ends coach Andy Reid and administrative assistant Gary Reynolds. Huddled near the television listening to the draft stylings of Chris Berman, Mel Kiper Jr. On the other end of the room was head trainer Pepper Burruss, seated at a table with team physicians Dr. Against the back wall, in front of the board of already selected players, was Packers general counsel Lance Lopes, chief financial officer Mike Reinfeldt and President Bob Harlan, along with others. Dorsey was perched at one end with the phone to his ear and a laptop computer at his fingertips.
1996 GREEN BAY PACKER ROSTER PRO
The other table was host to a collection of team scouts joined by pro personnel assistants John Schneider and Reggie McKenzie. Would it be a guard to add to their offensive line “pile”? Maybe a defensive end to challenge for a backup position to Reggie White or Sean Jones? Perhaps a speedy running back? It would soon be known. Nearly 11 hours into the process, the board was beginning to take on the look of a barren cupboard, but as the players’ names came off, the Packers’ options were crystallizing. Players’ names were posted on the board at the point where the Packers expected them to be taken based on evaluations and scouting reports. Down the left side were numbers one through seven, representing the rounds in the draft. The top of the board had a list of positions, first offense and then defense. A long, rectangular construction, it stretched out in front of them and beamed with possibility. The head coach and general manager sat face to face with the infamous Packers draft board they’re always referring to in press conferences. Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren were positioned at the longer of the two tables, along with pro personnel director Ted Thompson and college scouting director John Math.
Two long, wooden tables absorbed the middle of the large room over green carpeting patterned with tiny Packer “G” emblems.
With each name Dorsey shouted, Eliot Wolf, the youngest son of Packers general manager Ron Wolf, removed it from their draft board and held it up for all to see as he carried it over to college scouting administrator Bryan Broaddus, who slotted the pick onto an adjacent board for draft selections. Treml was the eyes of the organization that weekend, providing a rundown of the latest action taking place. On the other end of Dorsey’s line was Packers video director Al Treml, the team’s representative at the draft headquarters in New York. In a crowded room of more than 30 coaches, scouts, medical staff, pro personnel and administrators, the team prepared to add another soldier to their army on the second day of the 61st annual National Football League draft.Īs ESPN2’s draft day coverage filled the background, former Green Bay linebacker and current scout John Dorsey, with a phone to his ear, belted out the latest picks. Now was the time to watch and wait, with a cool, collected demeanor. The emotional meetings where coaches campaign for their favorite players and draft strategy were long over. Note: This story appeared in the 1996 post-draft print edition of Packer Report Magazine.įor a place known as the “War Room,” it was a relatively peaceful setting by the time the Green Bay Packers approached their fourth-round selection.
0 kommentar(er)
