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Buy, sell, trade: Call Classified Toll Free at 1-888-774-7744 B4 The Sheboygan Press, Saturday, January 10, 2004 Lambeau's status as Packers' first coach debated COLLEGE STANDINGS Big Ten Conference head coach. Lambeau was key in forming the team, recruiting players and convincing his employers at the Acme Packing Co. to provide jerseys and a practice field. "He ran everything," Harlan said. "Now, what his title was and what a title meant at that particular time, I'm really not comfortable saying.

But he was the one running the show." "Considering what he did, I'm a little reluctant to take away any significance to his career," Harlan said. Until the investigation surfaced, Hoeffel had always believed his grandfather was an assistant coach to the Packers. of the most high-profile Senate races this year. "I'm not bitter, I'm not asking the team to do anything, but it would be nice for my dad to have the Packers acknowledge his dad," Hoeffel, a lifetime Eagles fan, said Friday. The Packers face the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in the division playoffs.

Packers' lore has Lambeau coaching the team from 1919 to 1949. He is one of five coaches to win more than 200 NFL games. But a 2001 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation of Packer records, news clippings and Pro Football Hall of Fame files in Canton, Ohio, revealed that two men preceded Lambeau in Green Bay's first years. The paper found that local high school coach Willard Ryan coached the Packers as a semipro team in 1919. The congressman's grandfather, University of Wisconsin football Ail-American Joseph Merrill Hoeffel, took over in 1921 Green Bay's first year in what has since become the NFL, the paper reported.

Lambeau was described in news stories as "captain" of Green Bay's team. But in an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Packers president Bob Harlan said the team has no intention of diminishing Lambeau's legacy by recognizing Hoeffel as a WASHINGTON (AP) A Pennsylvania congressman now has one more reason to root against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday when they face off against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite published evidence, the Packers refuse to credit Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel's grandfather instead of the legendary Earl L. "Curly" Lam-beau with coaching Green Bay when the team joined what is now the National Football League.

"It's going to make it all the more enjoyable when the Eagles beat the Packers on Sunday," said Hoeffel, a three-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs who is running against GOP Sen. Arlen Specter in one Conference AJHSanm I Pet I Pet niiiwis 1 0 1 000 10 2 .833 Michigan 1 0 1.000 10 2 .833 Wisconsin 1 0 1.000 10 2 .833 Iowa 1 0 1 000 8 3 .727 PennSt 1 0 1 000 7 5 .583 Michigan St. 0 0 .000 5 6 .455 Purdue 0 1 .000 10 4 .714 Minnesota 0 1 .000 7 5 .583 OhoSt. 0 1 .000 8 6 .571 Indiana 0 1 .000 6 6 .500 Northwestern 0 1 .000 5 7 .417 Conference USA Conference AIIGamee Pet Pet Cincinnati 1 0 1.000 10 0 1.000 Louisville 1 0 1.000 10 1 .909 Marquette 1 0 1.000 10 2 .833 Charlotte 1 0 1.000 9 3 .750 Saint Louis 1 0 1.000 8 4 .667 UAB 1 0 1.000 8 4 .667 Memphis 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 South Florida 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 East Carolina 0 1 .000 8 3 .727 DePaul 0 1 .000 7 5 .583 Southern Miss. 0 1 .000 7 5 .583 Houston 0 1 000 6 5 .545 Tulane 0 1 6 5 .645 TCU 0 1 .000 4 8 .333 Horizon League Conference AltGamet Pet Pet Wis -Green Bay 4 0 1 000 10 4 .714 Wis -Milwaukee 3 0 1.000 8 5 .615 WnjhtSt 3 1 .750 5 8 .385 Loyola of Chicago 2 1 .667 6 6 .500 IB -Chicago 2 2 .500 11 5 .688 Detroit 1 1 .500 7 5 .583 Butler 0 3 .000 4 8 .333 -Cleveland St.

0 3 .000 4 10 .286 YoungstownSt. 0 4 .000 3 10 .231 Friday departures good for Pack Harris Continued from B1 banging on the padding there I was hoping he would leap," Dennis said. "He came straight through the end zone and pranced through the reporters there and handed the ball right up to me. "I just pulled it in. Actually it's funny, my wife got pretty mad at me.

She said I tried to hit her. I didn't realize it. I just grabbed it and I just pulled it in and held on because I felt all these hands and stuff. Not' that I don't trust anybody, but I was just ecstatic and I was just hanging on." Dennis, a lifelong fan and Packers shareholder, said he waited around after the game to see if Harris wanted the ball back. "I stuck around for a little bit and I talked to one of the security officers, and he said 'Ah, he's got enough balls.

You keep Harris, however, has reconsidered. "Actually, I was hoping I could get that ball back," Harris said after Thursday's practice in preparation for the Philadelphia Eagles. "That particular ball is pretty special to me, so I'd love to have it back." So why'd he give it away in the first place? "I always like to do that because the game is about the fans," Harris said. "They make the game what it is, so it's just a way to pay them back." Incidentally, Harris received the game ball from Coach Mike Sherman in the locker room after the game. Dennis, a nurse and emergency medical technician, said selling the ball or putting it on Ebay never crossed his mind.

"I have it down in my office," Dennis said. "It's not really about the money. This is something to hang on to for our family. I have a little girl that I am raising as a Packers fan. So it's not something that I would sell." A GROUNDSKEEPER puts the Sunday's game in Philadelphia.

NOTEBOOK chance of playing), took part in some drills and should be available Sunday. The Cleveland Browns promoted receivers coach Terry Robiskie to offensive coordinator on Friday. Several Cleveland media outlets named Packers tight ends coach Jeff Jagodzinski as a potential candidate for the job, but Sherman said the Browns never contacted him for permission to speak to Jagodzinski. Sherman was going to have the Packers practice in Lambeau Field on Friday to get used play-, ing in the cold but decided the was too slippery and the risk of injury too great, so he had the team practice in The Don Hutson Center. He turned off the heat and opened one of the truck gates part way to make it colder in the Hutson Center.

Philadelphia's forecast for Sunday is for a high of 29 degrees, with the temperature expected to hold there throughout the late afternoon and night. prepare for the game and bond with their teammates. They said the other option of traveling after practice on Saturday leaves too little time to settle in for Sunday's game. Sherman said the team would have a snack at the hotel Friday night, then practice and have meetings today. Nwokorie update: Chukie Nwokorie was able to tolerate the pain of his broken right wrist through Friday's entire practice, but coach Mike Sherman wants to see how well Press wire services GREEN BAY There are several reasons the Green Bay Packers left Friday for Philadelphia and their playoff game Sunday against the Eagles -not the least of which is superstition.

Coach Mike Sherman took his team to Tampa Bay, San Diego and Oakland two days before their games there, and each time the Packers returned home with a win. The Packers are 7-1 since leaving the Friday before their Nov. 16 game against the Buccaneers, including their playoff victory last weekend over the Seattle Seahawks. "Always superstition in regard to winning," Sherman said when asked if that was a reason for leaving Friday. "We had success doing it three times, so I'm not going to change that.

Whether I do it next year is another story. As it works this year, we'll stay with that." The added day away from Green Bay doesn't bring just luck to the Packers. Sherman and several players said it gives them extra time to relax, visit friends and family, PackersEagles Continued from B1 second-year player, have made more plays, especially down-field, in the last five games than they made in probably the rest of their careers with the Packers. Sunday against Philadelphia, their impact might not be measurable in pure numbers, because the Packers are sure to hand the ball to halfback Ahman Green as much as possible against the Eagles' weak spot, their run defense. But the Eagles just as surely aren't going to allow Green to bust loose for 192 yards against them, as he did when the teams played on Nov.

10, and defensive coordinator Jimmy Johnson just as surely will throw his kitchen sink's worth of blitzes to keep quarterback Brett Favre from getting comfortable in the secondary to provide stern test for Green Bay's young receivers a UW-MICHIGAN STATE HOOPSCAPSUlf When: Today, 11 a.m. Where: Kohl Center, Madison Records: Wisconsin 10-2) vs. Michigan State (5-6) TV: ESPN. Radio: WTMJ (620 AM). Coaches: Wisconsin, Bo Ryan (53-23 in third year at UWand 436-126 in 20th year overall); Michigan State, Tom Izzo 194-84 in ninth year at Michigan State and overall) Ranking: Wisconsin (No.

21 by the AP and No. 18 by USA Today-ESPN); Michigan State (unranked). Last meeting: Wisconsin won 64-53 at the Kohl Center. Prediction: Wisconsin wins 69-68. Wisconsin's probable starters: Devin Harris, 6-3, 175, Jr.

(16.8 5.7 4.6 Mike Wilkinson, 6-8, 240, Jr. (11.4 6.8 2.1 Freddie Owens, 6-2, 190, Sr. (8.8 3.1 Boo Wade, 6-3, 185, So. (6.3 3.3 rpg. 2.4 Andreas Helmigk, 6-9, 245, So.

(3.8 PPg-). Michigan State's probable starters: Paul Davis, So. (15.4 6.8 Chris Hill, 6-3, 190, Jr. (13.4 4.8 2.4 Shannon Brown, 6-3, 200, Fr. (9.9 3.3 Alan Anderson, 6-6, 220, Jr.

(8.5 3.9 Jason Andreas, 6-10, 250, Sr. (2.2 2.7 Notes: Last year's game at the Kohl Center ended with Alando Tucker completing an ally-oop from Devin Harris in the final seconds to finish off an 11-point Badgers' victory. The move angered coach Tom Izzo, who said in retrospect he should not have responded strongly after the game to what he thought was an unsportsmanlike move. "It was a big deal for me at the time but not a big deal three days later. I took offense at something that in all honesty, maybe I shouldn't have taken offense to," Izzo said this week.

Tucker's status is still day-to-day according to the Wisconsin staff, but he did not practice Friday making the chances he'll play today slim. Tucker has not played in the last three games due to an injured foot, which caused him to miss the team's first five contests after he fractured it in the preseason. After Tuesday's game, Ryan said Tucker's status remained uncertain. The Badgers have two home conference games to open the season for the first time since 1992. Michigan State and Wisconsin played each other just once the past two seasons and are back on schedule this year to meet twice, with the second game March 2 or 3.

By Lisa Riddle, Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers terns. Last week in the wildcard playoff game against Seattle, Walker had a 44-yard catch on a post pattern against one-on-one coverage downfield, and starter Donald Driver caught a 23-yard jump ball on another catch that set up a score. Walker's growth late this season has been the most obvious. The former first-round draft pick had only 41 receptions in the regular season. But if his increased production in the final four regular-season games was at all suspect because of the relatively poor quality of competition, his five-catch day against Seattle last week suggests he has made late but significant strides this season.

"Everyone watching is seeing quick development," Favre said. "He's making some plays that from a draft standpoint our (scouts) are saying, 'That's what we thought he could When final touches on the field for AP photo Nwokorie can function as a defensive lineman before deciding whether to suit him up Sunday in the Packers' divisional playoff game against Philadelphia. Nwokorie missed last week's playoff game against Seattle after breaking the wrist in the regular-season finale. He practiced Wednesday, was too sore to practice Thursday and then came back Friday to take part in all drills. Defensive tackle Gilbert Brown (knee), who is listed as questionable (50 percent Driver Ferguson Ferguson's biggest game was a seven-catch performance against Chicago, and Walker's was his four catches for 124 yards at Oakland.

The Oakland game in particular Ferguson had three catches for 85 yards that night appears to have given Rossley and coach Mike Sherman more confidence to throw downfield occasionally. Walker had two jump-ball type catches in that game, and Ferguson twice beat cornerback Phillip Buchanon on fade pat position helps and winning game MVP honors less than two years after being shunned on draft day. "I wouldn't say we're geniuses," said Patriots vice president for player personnel Scott Pioli, one of the men responsible for the Brady pick. "We didn't see it for five rounds, either." Used to be, teams rode star quarterbacks to Super Bowl championships year after year. The list of title teams in the 1990s featured a who's'who of them.

Elway. Young. Aikman. Montana. Favre.

Simms. "Obviously, teams in the last few years have proven that you don't need (a star to win it all)," said Tom Heckert, director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles. "But I think your chances are a lot better if you do have a star So somewhere along the line, the Packers' receivers probably will have to hit a couple of big plays against quality corner-backs Bobby Taylor and Troy Walker Vincent Vincent is questionable because of a hip injury -if they're going to win the game. "Can't say enough good things about (Walker and Ferguson)," said Tom Rossley, the Packers' offensive coordinator. "They've really matured and the quarterback believes in them.

Everybody believes in them now." In the Packers' last five games, Walker and Ferguspn have combined for 31 receptions for 580 yards (18.7 yards a catch) and five touchdowns. "I thinkyour chances are a lot better if you do have a star quarterback." Tom Heckert, director of player personnel for the Eagles chance," said Kelly. "I remember when I was in college, I thought I was the better quarterback my freshman year but I never got a chance to show it until the seventh, eighth game of my redshirt freshman year." Brady might have never gotten a chance to start in New England had Drew Bledsoe not gone down with an injury during the 2001 season, giving his backup a shot. Brady made the most of it, leading New England to the Super Bowl XXXVI title QuarterbacksHaving a star at the LOOKING F0RTHE PERFECTQB the light would go on for Javon, no one knew. 1 still think he may argue against me I think there's a lot of room for improvement.

What we're seeing is the tip of the iceberg." At this point, there's little that separates Driver, Ferguson and Walker as the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 receivers. Any of the three could end up a key figure Sunday against a Philadelphia defense that will blitz extensively and from all angles. The Packers have worked extensively this week on an expected onslaught from Johnson, who is as aggressive a defensive coordinator as there, is in the NFL. He'll blitz any number of players from any angle at any time, and far more often than not, he's been successful in disrupting offenses in his five seasons running Philadelphia's defense.

lot of Heisman Trophy winners that aren't great pro players for that rea son." 3. Intelligence. One reason Brandt's such a Manning fan: Eli grew up in a football family and knows the game inside and out. At the NFL Scouting Conh bine, teams spend hours grilling prospects on how they'd attack certain coverage schemes. "Usually, the better competition a kid's faced, the better chance he has of succeeding in the NFL," Philadelphia Eagles player personnel director Tom Heckert says.

4. Intangibles. Could be leadership skills. Could be something else. One of the things that the Patriots liked so much about former Michigan QB Tom Brady was that he was used to playing in a chilly climate.

"He played in a venue similar to ours," Pioli says. "At Michigan, they play in a lot of the elements and they play on real grass." 1 Rob Ecker Broker Ms 458-8416 Former Dallas Cowboys personnel director Gil Brandt says Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning is "a can't-miss guy." But there will be few others like him in this year's draft. What NFL teams look at when evaluating QB prospects: 1. Accuracy. "Arm strength is important, but getting the ball in the right place is probably more Important," says Scott Pioli, New England Patriots vice president of player personnel.

Arm strength can actually work against a young player, Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly says. "It can make you a little cocky. You force things in that the average quarterback wouldn't because you think you can get it in there." 2. Supporting cast This is where it gets tricky. How much of a quarterback's college resume Is due to the strong talent surrounding him? "The quarterback can be skewed by what the talent is around them," former NFL QB Jim Harbaugh says.

"You see a Continued from B1 "Brett Favre and Steve Young started their careers on Atlanta and Tampa Bay," said former Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly. "They didn't have much around them, didn't get to utilize their talents. But they were able to flourish other places." That, Kelly says, is the key. It's all about, first, getting in the right system and second, getting an opportunity. Kelly was one of the lucky ones.

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