Green Bay Press-Gazette from Green Bay, Wisconsin • Page 18

Packers PACKERS 3rd youngster joins receivers Bodiford claimed from the Lions REMEMBERING BOB MANN: 1924-2006 C-2 Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Green Bay Press-Gazette www.greenbaypressgazette.com in a week. Martin caught two passes for 25 yards against the Dolphins and Francies had one catch for 12 yards. The latter came on a critical third-and-1 play on the Packers' final touchdown drive. "That's where we are right now," McCarthy said of his receivers. "Chris Francies had BY ROB DEMOVSKY rdemovskgreenbaypressgazette.com The Green Bay Packers' receiving corps for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals could include Donald Driver and three guys who a week ago never had caught a pass in an NFL game.

The Packers appear likely to be without injured starter Greg Jennings. With Koren Robinson suspended and Robert Ferguson on injured reserve, the Packers likely will start first-year receiver Ruvell Martin and play undrafted rookie Chris Francies as their No. 3 receiver. a big-play opportunity and cashed in on it. Ruvell did an excellent job.

Those guys have been with us since Day They've earned their spots on this team, and they will be counted on to play a role. The Packers tried to sign rookie receiverkick returner Brian Clark off the Denver Broncos' practice squad, but the Broncos promoted him to their active roster. Instead, they took Bodiford, Their fourth receiver could be Shaun Bodiford, another undrafted rookie who was claimed Monday on waivers from the Detroit Lions and a 5-foot-ll, 186-pound rookie from Portland State who played in three games for the i i. 1 i mmtli II irniniM nilinrimi iiMmm mhnrl-rirrit iwiiiiiiiirr.iteiWfilMMi ifilitliliiriMta Bodiford Lions before he was released. He made one special teams tackle for the Lions.

In the pre season, he also worked as punt and kickoff returner. It's unlikely a new receiver will be able to contribute much right away It took Robinson several weeks to become a sig nificant part of the Packers' offense, and Robinson was a former first-round draft pick who had vast experience in the Packers end Bob Mann (31) hauls in a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bob Thomason during the first quarter of Green Bay's 37-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at City Stadium on Oct. 14, 1951. Eagles defensive backs Pete Pihos (35) and Joe Sutton (45) trail the play. Mann caught three touchdown passes that day, in the first, third and fourth quarters.

Mann led the Packers with 50 catches for 696 yards and eight touchdowns that season, his second in Green Bay. Press-Gazette archives West Coast offense. "It takes some time," offen replaced Ferguson on the roster. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Jennings' ankle injury was diagnosed as a sprain, but he either didn't know the severity of it or refused to divulge it, perhaps as a way to keep the Cardinals off guard. Jennings was injured late in the first half of Sunday's 34-24 win at Miami.

He caught a pass for a 14-yard gain, then was drilled by Dolphins safety Jason Allen and did not return. Jennings was on crutches after the game, but X-rays were negative. If Jennings can't play, it will mean Martin will go from the No. 4 receiver before the Packers' bye to a starter and Francies will go from the practice squad to the No. 3 receiver sive coordinator Jeff never any pro Jagodzinski said.

"Just like with Robinson a couple of weeks ago, it takes time." That was exactly the reason the Packers promoted Francies last week, after Robinson began serving his one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy That's how Bob Mann, the Packers' first black player, remembered life in Green Bay in the early 1950s PACKERS NOTEBOOK Though healthy, Henderson sits Fullback, 35, sees his role reduced ri I 4 i Si ready to go." Bad call? Both McCarthy and special teams coach Mike i i Li .1 Stock expressed doubts about the validity of the facemask penalty that wiped out Dave Rayner's 40-yard field to close the first half of Sunday's game in Miami. "I thought they did a great BY MIKE VANDERMAUSE mvandermausegreenbaypressgazerte.com As the first African-American to play for the Green Bay Packers, Bob Mann will go down as a trailblazer in team history Mann, who plaved for the Packers from 1950 to 1954, died Saturday in the Detroit area. He was 82. Mann was a 5-foot-ll, 175-pound end who led the Packers with 50 catches, 696 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 1951. Off the field, he built a reputation as a quiet man with an even temper and dry sense of humor.

Art Daley, who covered the Packers for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in the 1950s, remembers when Mann was forced to stay in a different hotel than the team on road trips because of his race. Daley recalls Mann telling him, "All it is is politics." One of Daley's favorite stories about Mann involved teammate Dick Afflis, a guard who later became better known as pro wrestler Dick The Bruiser. According to Daley, the Packers were staying at a Baltimore hotel that didn't allow black guests. After a team meeting, Mann was forced to go to another hotel and was joined by Afflis, his 252-pound teammate. "They walked out of the hotel together and got outside and called a cab," Daley said.

"The cab came up and the driver said, 'I can't take him because he's Afflis grabbed the cab driver by the shirt and he said, 'You The Lions traded Mann to the New York Yanks in 1950 for quarterback Bobby Layne, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Mann was released by the Yanks and signed by the Packers. "He was on the small side, but he was a very nifty and productive wide receiver," Packers historian Lee Remmel said. Mann said his biggest thrill was being inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1988. "That was the highlight for me," Mann told the Press-Gazette in 1997.

"Coming back for that was my greatest memory, although I had a lot of them as a player as well." Mann finished his Packers career with 109 catches for 1,629 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was released midway through the 1954 season and retired. Mann, a native of Newvern, N.C., earned his law degree after retiring from football. He headed Robert Mann Associates in Detroit for more than 30 years. His office was located just a lew blocks from Ford Field, where the Lions play.

"Bob was a great example to everyone," Pro Football Hall of Famer Lem Barney said in a Lions press release announcing Mann's death. "He not only was a great football player but a man who gave of himself to the city and the entire community." Mann is survived bv his wife of 50 years, Vera. Funeral arrangements are pending. From left, Packers ends Val Jansante and Bob Mann and quarterback Tobin Rote stand with emcee Herman Martell at the podium during the Packers' Men's Quarterback Club meeting at the Washington Junior High School auditorium on Nov. 29, 1951.

Club members also saw a film of the Packers' 52-35 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions in Detroit, had a question-and-answer session with coach Gene Ronzani and heard a performance by the Four Blazes, a vocal quartet playing at the Zebra Lounge. The meeting was broadcast live on the Press-Gazette's radio stations, WJPG and WJPG-FM. Press-Gazette archives BY ROB DEMOVSKY rdemovskgreenbaypressgazette.com For the first time in his 12-year NFL career, Green Bay Packers fullback William Henderson was a healthy scratch in Sunday's 34-24 win over the Miami Dolphins. Though Henderson had a calf injury in practice last week, he was upgraded to probable from questionable after Friday's practice. He wasn't left off the 45-man game-day roster because of the injury, Packers coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Monday Henderson's role has been greatly reduced since the Packers promoted fullback Brandon Miree from practice squad on Sept.

26. Miree started the Oct. 2 game against Philadelphia, and Henderson probably would have been inactive against the Eagles had running back Ahman Green been able to play Henderson wasn't going to make that trip, then caught a flight to Philadelphia on game day when Green's hamstring injury flared up. "He goes out there, and he's the same guy every day," McCarthy said of Henderson. "You admire that from a coaching standpoint, but there are other things that factor into playing, (such as) special teams.

We've got some young cnivq that nro nlavina at hiah job ot getting the call, McCarthy said. Stock said he believes the Dolphins got that call because they saw the way Montgomery blocked on the previous play -a 55-yard field goal try that was wiped out by a dead-ball, personal-foul call against Miami's Zack Thomas. "Did (Montgomery) touch his helmet? Yes," Stock said. "But the facemask? It doesn't look like it. The other thing is, the guy did a pretty good acting job.

I think he got it from the first attempt, and he sold it hard on the second one." Injury report: Left tackle Chad Clifton is expected to recover quickly from the flu that forced him to miss Sunday's game. Clifton's replacement, rookie Daryn Colledge, came out of the game with a calf injury Defensive tackle Corey Williams sustained a knee injury Neither injury appears serious. Odds and ends: Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said rnrtlHo linoharUor' A Hwtr I take him where he wants to Mann was an honorary captain at a 1997 Packers game at Lambeau Field. In an interview with the Press-Gazette at that time, Mann said: "I never had any problems. Everyone treated me well." According to Daley, hotels in bigger cities and in the South had restrictions based on race at the time, but no such edicts existed in Green Bay.

"He had a lot of fun," Daley said. Mann was an honorable-mention all-America player on Michigan's national championship team in 1947. He signed with Detroit after college and along with Melvin Groomes became the Lions' first African-American players in 1948. Mann led the NFL with 1,014 receiving yards in 1949, and his 66 catches ranked second to the Rams' Tom Fears, who set an NFL record that season with 77 receptions. He not only was a great football player but a man who gave of himself to the city and the entire community." Detroit Lions great Lem Barney, on Bob Mann, who became an attorney in Detroit after rptirinn i ths wfi played perhaps his best game of the season against the Dolphins.

fiawK was credited with a team-high 12 tackles, but that total could be adjusted after the coaches watch film. Uuty UMni Ihii Ucw Kurthwoorfs Leat! Baseball Temn Nmthwfc What (in vnn think nur tpam namo chnniri hoO mont Sanders said he thought Hawk iwu ma, su nuw is your uiiance io coniriDute to a piece ot historv1 So get creative and have a little fun with it, Green Bay, BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR TEAM. Winning submission will receive I oBdsun i imeib, Huiograpnea jersey ana opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a home game Prizes. You can enter the contest by doing one of the following: I level. It was not an easy decision." Henderson was unavailable for comment because players were given Monday off.

They return to work on Wednesday Henderson, 35, has spent his entire career with the Packers and has been one of their most reliable players. He missed the first game of his rookie season while recovering from a knee injury, and then missed only one other game from 1996 through last season. That came in 2002 when he sustained a knee injury "He's a professional, and he handled it well," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. "He competes every day in practice, and he's always Date of Birth: Mm) i liti ici oi 3 Phone Number: EMAIL: Titletown Baseball Group-Name the mp-Name the had about 15 tackles. "He had a nice game, he really did," Sanders said.

"He was in position to even make a couple of more plays, to break up some passes." Rookie cornerback Will Blackmon, who made his NFL debut after being out since May 21 with a broken foot, came through the game fine, Sanders said. He didn't experience any problems with his foot. I I learn Name Suggestion: GREEN BAY. 2121 South Oneida Street Icam Green Bay, Wl 54304 TpfJ by October 26, 20(16. AU entries must he postmarked ked I CKS mm US AT: mmMletownljascljall.com ifigriR! mm.

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