1996 Super Bowl Team

[woodbuck27]

Solid Harvey.

[HarveyWallbangers]

SEAN JONES

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/11/1/

When Sean Jones signed with the Packers in 1994, he wasn't new to success. He already had 881/2 career sacks, a Pro Bowl appearance, and was generally considered one of the best players at his position in the NFL.

But one thing was missing: a Super Bowl ring on the defensive end's finger.

That was something Jones set out to change just as Green Bay was starting to turn the corner by competing at a high level on an annual basis. Naturally, it was a great fit for both parties. And beyond that, Jones already had a relationship with General Manager Ron Wolf, who was in the front office for the Raiders when Jones played there.

So when he had the opportunity to sign a defensive end with the resume Jones had, it would be a piece of cake for Wolf, right?

Well, the answer to that was yes and no, according to Jones. He said that he was interested in the Packers and he knew Wolf was interested in his services as well, but it wasn't quite that simple.

"I talked to Ron at the time and I said, 'Are you going to try and get me up there?'" Jones, 43, recalled. "And he's like, 'You've got to love football to play up in Green Bay.'

"So I became a free agent and we started arguing about nickels at the end, and he said, 'I thought you loved football. Then it shouldn't make a difference.' It was another $200,000 and he said again, 'If you love football, this is a special place.'"

Indeed, he later found that to be true. But coming from a man like Wolf, Jones said he really didn't have any doubts in the first place.

"It was everything I expected and more," said Jones, a native of Kingston, Jamaica. "And you know, it's just a matter of trust. I trusted Ron."

In addition to having an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl title, Jones felt that it was important to have the support of good players around him, particularly a solid defensive end on the opposite side.

Of course, that player was the dominating force named Reggie White.

"I've always played with a good defensive end," the 6-foot-7, 283-pound Jones said. "In Oakland and Houston (where he spent six seasons), I had a nice cast of players around me and good ends, too. So, I was accustomed to playing with good players.

"When I got there (Green Bay), at first it was just me and Reggie. Which is OK, all I need is one. Then Santana (Dotson) and Gilbert (Brown) came along."

The Jones-White tandem was going to be a great one. That wasn't a secret. In his three seasons there, Jones racked up 241/2 total sacks. And Green Bay's defense finished as the top-ranked unit, leading the league in several defensive categories.

However, Jones admits that even he didn't know the unit, and the defensive line in particular, would be as good as it was.

"With Santana, people were questioning him as to what kind of player he would be," Jones explained. "And then you had Gilbert, who people were questioning that he was just this chubby guy.

"When you put me, Santana and Gilbert altogether, and then Reggie, it was pick-your-poison. It was fun."

Of course, Jones' fun didn't stop when the games were done. He saw to it that his teammates enjoyed themselves off the field as well. To him, sharing interests outside of the gridiron would translate to success on it.

That's a big reason Jones began the team tradition to eat chicken wings on Thursday nights.

"To have Thursday nights where you have 30-something of your teammates there, drinking everything from a beer to a Diet Coke in Reggie and Keith Jackson's case, that's how you build camaraderie," Jones said. "That's what I really remember. We had a bunch of guys that really cared about each other. It's a sport where teamwork is important.

"Some guys might think those are my guys when we are playing. But a lot of times when they stop playing, they aren't teammates. So we had a very good standing with teamwork. And we had good teammates who cared about each other and who took care of each other. We made Mike Holmgren's job very easy. He didn't have to control things off the field with us because we took care of it ourselves."

Jones said it was instances like those Thursday nights that he remembers the most from his time in Green Bay.

"The fondest memories are just the camaraderie," Jones recalled. "Luckily for me, I had it everywhere I went. It was something that I tried to develop. I made it a point that if it was something that wasn't there when I got there, I wanted to make sure it was there. That's what I remember the most. I learned it with the Raiders, I had it with Houston, and then I perfected it with Green Bay."

During his three seasons with the Packers, Jones obviously made many memories. He hasn't forgotten about the men who made those moments possible, either.

And it wasn't just teammates who brought joy to his life. Jones also had a mentor, friend, and leader that he learned a great deal from in the late Fritz Shurmur, the defensive coordinator.

"Fritz was like the old grandfather that kept saying the same things over that you didn't pay attention to," Jones recalled with a laugh. "But then when you start living your life, you have success and failures. And you think of what Fritz tried to teach you.

"I wish I had the chance to tell Fritz the impact he had on my life and the love I had for him. He really did impact me as a man. And he really taught so much. I came there as a seasoned veteran who had tremendous success before I got there, I got to the Pro Bowl, all the things. But he still taught me so many things."

Jones said he visited Shurmur and his wife, Peggy, at their home shortly before he passed away. They mostly talked about teammates and the great times they had together, including the Super Bowl title they brought to Green Bay.

According to Jones, there were plenty of people who transformed that dream into a reality.

"We had Desmond Howard and that was special," Jones recalled. "We had Andre Rison and he was special for us. Antonio Freeman, he was special. Keith Jackson, Chmura, all our skill guys were good.

"We had a great, not just good, but great front-line players that could dominate and wanted to dominate. They had an air about them, a cockiness about them that they didn't want to be defeated."

Football seems to be in Jones' blood. You get the feeling that it's also where he belongs. And that's why he hasn't given the game up, though he's been out of the league since the Packers won the Super Bowl.

Jones is currently in his third season in personnel for the Oakland Raiders. He also worked for FOX television doing football games for three years as well. He and his wife Tina have a son, Dylan and a daughter, Daryl.

He doesn't know when he will get the chance again, but Jones would love to come back to Green Bay. Tina and the kids travel to a couple games a year and also have a fondness for the Packers.

"It's hard to work for the Oakland Raiders when your kid is cheering for the Packers," Jones explained. "Daryl wasn't even born yet when I was up there, but her favorite team is the Packers," he added with a laugh.

To think, all of this nearly slipped away for Jones heading into his last season with Green Bay in '96. That's when Wolf approached him about re-doing part of his contract.

Jones was admittedly hesitant at first, but the conversation went back to the one he and Wolf had before Jones became a Packer two seasons earlier.

"He was like, 'Once again, you said you wanted to come here and win a championship, and if you're with us, I guarantee you we will win a championship,'" Jones recalled.

Needless to say, Jones accepted less money, but got a rich reward with a Super Bowl win.

Ten years later, it's safe to say Jones' trust in Wolf really did pay off.

[HarveyWallbangers]

GEORGE KOONCE

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/13/1/

After middle linebacker George Koonce tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the San Francisco 49ers during the Divisional Playoff game in January, 1997, he took on a different role with the Packers three weeks later in Super Bowl XXXI.

"I was a coach/player," Koonce said. "When guys came to the sideline, I kind of gave them a little bit of insight of what I was seeing from a coach's standpoint."

Koonce, 37, continues to guide Packers players in his new job as Packers' director of player development. In March 2006, Koonce succeeded Turner Gill in helping players and their families prepare for life after football. He develops their ability to adjust to their next career through internships, continuing education, family assistance and financial management.

"Their playing days are going to come to an end one day," Koonce said. "And I just want those guys to be prepared so that when they take that jersey off, it's a smooth transition."

Koonce has experience aiding athletes and advancing in the academic and career world. One year after beginning his master's degree in sports management at East Carolina, he accepted a job as assistant athletic director/program development at his alma mater. He raised money, recruited, took prospective student-athletes on tours and offered academic support.

Before working for East Carolina, Koonce took advantage of the knowledge he gained there. After leaving the NFL for good in 2001, the former industrial technology construction management major developed Koonce Properties -- a real estate holding designed for New Bern, N.C., multi-families. Over the years, he expanded it from 48 to 160 units. His wife Tunisia (who has a UNC-Charlotte business major) and mother Lina oversee the properties with Koonce now preoccupied with his Packers job.

As Koonce readies Packers players for their eventual career transition, he underwent quite a conversion himself before the 1996 season. To make room for emerging outside linebacker Brian Williams, Koonce switched from right outside linebacker to middle linebacker with only a week left in the preseason. Koonce, who played that middle position for two years at Chowan Junior College in Murfreesboro, N.C., adjusted seamlessly. The former undrafted free agent led the team in total tackles that year with 97.

"When I first broke in to the Packers, I played whatever position I could play just to get on the field." Koonce said. "I felt at home. I felt very comfortable."

Adding to his comfort zone, Koonce played behind a stout defensive line, arguably the strength of the Super Bowl winning-team. Gilbert Brown, Santana Dotson, Reggie White and Sean Jones occupied blockers, allowing Koonce to pursue the ballcarrier unimpeded.

"I knew they weren't going to let a whole lot of guys get on me," Koonce said. "I was able to run around and make some plays."

After performing so well that year, Koonce's knee injury, which forced him to miss the season's ultimate game, was disappointing. But Koonce looks back at that situation from a pragmatic standpoint. Contributing in the 16 regular season games to help rack up a 13-3 record and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in frigid Lambeau Field carried greater significance for the Packers.

"If I had to pick when I would get hurt, I would say playoffs," he said. "We know the most important time of the year are those 16 games."

For Koonce the enduring memory from that game was his friend and defensive leader, Reggie White, holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy as high as he could. That celebration capped the comeback from the previous year's disappointing loss, a third consecutive playoff defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.

"That whole year was kind of magical because we came so close the year before," Koonce said. "Everybody kind of thought 1996 was going to be our year, but we had to put forth the time and the energy."

Now his career has come full circle. After playing eight years with the Packers, he returns to Green Bay for good.

"I'm never leaving. I'm going to retire in Green Bay," he said. "The Packers gave me a great opportunity to just come here and try to make the team in '92. Now I have a chance to come back and help give to the players and the organization that gave me so much."

[HarveyWallbangers]

Okay, here's the first guy that I absolutely don't remember being on the team.

LINDSAY KNAPP

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/14/1/

Lindsay Knapp had thought he found a home with the Kansas City Chiefs. So when the Green Bay Packers traded a 1996 sixth-round draft choice to the Chiefs for him prior to the 1995 season, Knapp became disillusioned. He chafed at adjusting to a change of scenery, learning a new offensive system and meeting new faces.

"I was kind of bummed about it," Knapp said. "But it worked out for the best -- without a doubt."

Indeed Knapp ended up playing for the 1996 Super Bowl champions. He backed up Adam Timmerman and Aaron Taylor -- whom he played next to in college -- at guard and served a crucial role on special teams. Wearing the Green and Gold also made his father, a devoted Packers fan and New London, Wis., native, proud.

"It was kind of neat to play for the old man," Knapp said. "My Dad grew up watching Lombardi."

Knapp's brief career featured success reminiscent of the Lombardi era. He played in one Super Bowl and one NFC Championship but injured his right knee and tore his left calf toward the end of training camp in 1997. Both injuries would have required a year away from football to recover. Upon inspecting him, team physician Patrick McKenzie offered some words of wisdom.

"Your knee's kind of chewed up," McKenzie said. "Maybe it's time to put on a suit."

Knapp had prepared for the transition from cleats to loafers. He went back to Notre Dame to complete his MBA, which he had started during his fifth year as a college lineman. After finishing his graduate business degree in 1998, he worked various consulting jobs around Baltimore.

Three years later he found his niche as a bond salesman for Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc., in Minneapolis. Knapp sells corporate, mortgage and agency bonds to banks, insurance companies and money managers. Because he works on commission, Knapp has to prove himself every month, and having to outhustle others still drives him.

"As a former athlete the competitive nature of the business is something that drew me toward it. So I really enjoy that aspect of it," Knapp said. "This is a good fit for me."

The Packers proved to be just as good a fit. Knapp only played four years in the NFL before injuries forced him out of the game, but he will remain linked to the Packers' 1996 championship team forever.

"I feel very lucky to be a part of it," he said. "At the end of the day, I left on a high note."

Being identified with the Packers and a Super Bowl championship squad has also bolstered his business career. When selling bonds he sometimes forms an instant bond with his customers who followed the Packers.

"It's helped out a lot," Knapp said. "That experience has contributed to my success."

Knapp now lives in Minneapolis, a part of the country he deems "dreaded Vikings territory," but he remains a Packer at heart. On special occasions he will display that connection by removing his Super Bowl from its hiding spot in his house and using it to egg on the natives.

"I get a good thrill wearing my ring around here," he said. "I like to tell folks: 'They don't make 'em around here in Minnesota.'"

[HarveyWallbangers]

BOB KUBERSKI

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/15/1/

Bob Kuberski's football career in Green Bay lasted four seasons, but his career in the financial services industry has been going strong ever since.

Kuberski, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive tackle, parlayed smarts and hard work into a five-year career in the NFL, and he has used those same traits to build a successful career for himself working for AIM Investments.

This all began for Kuberski in Green Bay when he initially worked for Associated Investments and then Morgan Stanley. And now, he's been with AIM for five years.

The irony to all of this is that Kuberski, 35, never dreamed of working in this industry as a kid and never went to college to study it. According to him, it's just one of the many things he learned while he was in Green Bay.

"I started looking into the financial services industry after my rookie year and the players union had a career internship program," Kuberski recalled. "And that was actually when I got elected to be a union rep after my rookie year and I was like, 'I might as well take advantage of this while things are going good because who knows what is going to happen.'

"I chose to work at Associated because they had a good group of people in sales and the investment department. They offered me an internship and the first week I was there, they offered me a better deal with my finances. I thought it could be a learning process, but it turned out that I made a career out of it."

Kuberski and his wife Janet live in Boothwyn, Pa., and they have three daughters -- Brooke, 9, Brynne, 7, and Bridget, 1. Besides working in financial services, Kuberski currently works in something else he's always loved: motorcycles. He enjoyed riding cycles when he was in Green Bay and now Kuberski owns a shop called Delaware County Custom Cycle (Delawarecountycustoms.com).

The shop opened in March, but the idea of this business wasn't anything new to Kuberski.

"It's a dream of mine that started about five years ago," Kuberski recalled. "I didn't capitalize on it then, but it came around to getting in the right situation here. In 2005, I met with a guy who has a business. We're going to infuse a little capital into it, and do a better job of marketing it, and moving it to a better location."

The fact that Kuberski is just now getting the motorcycle venture off the ground after pondering it for some time shouldn't come as a surprise to those who know him. After all, patience went a long way for Kuberski in the Navy and in the early stages of his career in Green Bay.

Kuberski was drafted by the Green and Gold in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He then took all of his personal leave time to join the team for a month during training camp, but then fulfilled his Naval commitments for two seasons.

This arrangement required patience on the Packers' end of the deal, too. But fortunately for Kuberski, he had someone who believed in his Green Bay future in General Manager Ron Wolf.

"I really got lucky and found a friend in Ron Wolf," Kuberski admitted. "He came there personally to be with me, try me out, and interview me. He was my ace in the hole in terms of drafting me, and allowing me to come back to play after a couple years of active duty."

He seemingly took a less conventional route to Green Bay, but Kuberski has no regrets about attending Navy. It was something he had wanted for some time and when it came time to play football and attend college, he knew he made the right choice.

"I had a chance to play Division I football at Navy and I capitalized on it to the nth degree," Kuberski explained. "When I was a sophomore, I became a starter. I didn't get the experience that I may have otherwise had, had I went to a school like Penn State, but that was part of the reason why I chose not to go to a bigger school.

"Another part was that I was enamored by Annapolis. I was always real respectful of the military. My father was an enlisted guy for a little while, pretty much all the males on my father's side were in the armed services at one point in their life. So I had a respect, interest, and fondness in it. I thought it was a great place to have been a graduate from, and they offered me a job when I graduated, regardless of what happened. My education would probably be the most important thing in my life."

Despite having arthroscopic surgery on his knee in training camp and playing in only one game in the '96 Super Bowl season, Kuberski has several memories of his time in Green Bay.

"When I talk to people about my experience with that team, I don't just talk about that season," Kuberski said. "I talk about the whole group that we had, and being able to make it to two Super Bowls. When I look back, the thing that I really have the fondest memories from is really the cohesion of the team.

"It was a great thing to be on the plane to go home after winning a Super Bowl. The thing you miss besides the money, and playing on Sunday, are the guys. My best memories come from the week before the game when we got to hang out with each other in New Orleans. It was just so much pleasure to hang out with all the different characters we had on the team. And boy, did we have some characters."

Those characters made up quite a team, but Kuberski said they were much more than teammates. They were also very good friends.

"That team was great. We used to go out to eat together on Thursday. Sean Jones actually started it, and when he left we all kept going out to eat chicken wings. Occasionally this guy and occasionally that guy would stop by, but we had a good group of people.

"It wasn't like some teams where you wouldn't see the guys until the next day or the next time you had to be there. We hung out, knew each other's wives, went over to each other's houses for dinner. And that was a good thing because that doesn't happen everywhere, I assure you of that."

His football days in Green Bay have been over for seven years, but Kuberski is still in the financial services game that he initially learned while he was in Wisconsin. And to no surprise, his allegiances haven't changed, either.

"I still root for Green Bay and every time they come to Philadelphia, I go to the game," Kuberski explained. "Even though they don't write my paychecks anymore, I still have a special place in my heart for Green Bay and Wisconsin."

Coming from Kuberski, that sounds like a solid recommendation.

[MJZiggy]

Bumped to keep it on the front page for a while. Too good to fall.

[HarveyWallbangers]

DORSEY LEVENS

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/16/1/

Anyone who watched the Green Bay Packers' season unfold in 1996 certainly can understand how the organization brought home the Lombardi Trophy. Superstars, timely plays, and plenty of persistence quite often receive the most credit for the Green and Gold becoming the best team in the league that year.

However, in the Packers' recipe of success, the key ingredient was the ability of players to leave their egos at the door. Despite having a team chock-full of superstars, the team concept took precedence, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of this than the attitude displayed by Dorsey Levens.

Sure, you probably remember the incredible performance the third-year running back had in the NFC Championship against the Carolina Panthers when he had 205 total yards from scrimmage.

But did you know that Levens entered the season as a backup fullback? Or that prior to that season, he was primarily a tailback that took the position change in stride and didn't say a word about it?

Fittingly enough, Levens' selflessness paid off as the season wore on. His playing time began to gradually increase, and late in the season he was a key cog in the Packers' offense, particularly in giving Edgar Bennett a breather in one-back sets.

Obviously, the more Levens played, the more evident it became that at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, he had both the size and the speed to be an every-down back. Levens finished with 566 rushing yards on only 121 carries, a 4.7 yards-per-attempt average, as well as 226 yards on 31 receptions. He also scored 10 touchdowns, sharing the team lead with tight end Keith Jackson.

Taking a glance at these numbers, it's difficult to believe that Levens was a backup fullback at one point. But Levens never sulked over his role because he understood the team's ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.

"I think ideally Edgar and I would have both loved to get 25 carries a game," Levens admits. "But that's not how the system was built. Going into the preseason I was the starting fullback, but William Henderson beat me out. We decided to split time at running back with Edgar. They (coaching staff) thought I would be more effective running as opposed to being a lead blocker.

"And they were 100 percent correct. It just worked itself out. I started playing more and I started playing better. So, my playing time increased the further we got into the season. We all had the same goal in mind of winning the Super Bowl. Nobody was really tripping about playing time, individual accolades, or who got what. We all just wanted to win the Super Bowl."

Now, 10 seasons later, and after an 11-year career that included stops with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, Levens fondly recalls the Packers' special season.

"My favorite memories are watching the clock tick down in the Super Bowl, knowing that the game was finally over and that I had won a Super Bowl," Levens said. "That is what I remembered the most. It was so nerve-wracking the entire two weeks."

It's understandable that Levens was nervous for the biggest game of his life, but in the NFC Championship two weeks earlier, he had perhaps the best game of his professional career. Against the Panthers, Levens had 10 carries for 88 yards and five catches for 117 yards, a whopping average of 13.7 yards each time he touched the ball. And if you want to talk about big plays, Levens certainly had a penchant for them on that brutally cold day at Lambeau Field.

On the last play of the first quarter, on third-and-1, Levens ripped off a 35-yard run. Then on the initial play of the second quarter, he hauled in an incredible 29-yard catch inside the right edge of the end zone for the Packers' first touchdown. Later in the game, he had a 66-yard burst along the right sideline on a screen pass to set up a 4-yard touchdown by Bennett on the next play.

When asked if he thought this type of season was in store for him entering the year as a backup, Levens displayed his trademark humble approach.

"No, absolutely not," he said. "I guess everything happens for a reason and it worked out just fine. Earlier in the season, my goals were just to catch the ball out of the backfield. That's what our offense was based upon. But things took a turn in the preseason and I just rolled with the punches. Everything turned out perfect."

And though the Packers' backfield didn't feature a perfect back, it did feature a near flawless combination of Levens, Bennett, and Henderson. Bennett excelled in poor weather conditions and was very versatile. Henderson was a young bruiser not afraid to take on anybody. And Levens was "Dorse the Horse," somebody who did all things equally well.

In fact, Levens believes the key to his NFL career was his ability to be a jack-of-all-trades back.

"I don't think there was one thing that I really excelled at," Levens explained. "I think it was just a combination of being solid all the way around. I was a decent runner, a decent blocker, and a decent pass-catcher. I wouldn't say I was extraordinary at any of them, but good at all three."

Levens, who has a 4-year old daughter named Amaya, now lives in Atlanta and is working on broadcasting at a local level. Eventually, he would like to broadcast football, too. Seeing what kind of career he had in the game, it'd be a smart move to bring his knowledge of the game into the booth. He's also exploring work in football personnel, taking an internship in the Packers' personnel department during the 2006 training camp, compiling scouting reports and helping evaluate players.

And just either of those options seem like a good fit for the next step in Levens' career, so does the fact that he will always be a Green Bay Packer. Levens made sure of that on June 2, when he signed a one-day contract only to retire one day later as a member of the Green and Gold. For the 36-year-old Levens, his choice to be a Packer for life was easy.

"That's just where my heart is," he said. "The last couple years I played, I wasn't my old self. I got a little older, slowed down a little bit, but my heart was still in Green Bay. I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do."

[HarveyWallbangers]

DERRICK MAYES

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/17/1/

Wide receiver Derrick Mayes had a unique role on the Packers' Super Bowl XXXI championship team. Former college teammates Aaron Taylor and Lindsay Knapp watched out for the rookie second-round draft pick while veterans like Brett Favre, Andre Rison and Santana Dotson treated him like their little brother, even giving him a fraternal nickname that has endured.

"Being the baby of that family, it was totally new," Mayes said. "I was their 'Sugar Bear.'"

Since exiting stage left from the NFL in 2001, Mayes, 31, has become a veteran of the television and film world. After a short stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayes shuttled between New York and Los Angeles. He aggressively networked, meeting luminaries like Ernie DiMassa, former producer of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He also knew Regis Philbin's daughter, a former college classmate of Mayes.

Using those contacts and the expertise he learned as a television and film major at Notre Dame, Mayes has paved quite a career for himself. This past season he co-directed the BET reality show entitled "Ultimate Hustler." In the show, 16 contestants vied for the chance to work with hip-hop mogul, Roc-A-Fella CEO, and co-founder Damon Dash. Occupying the Donald Trump role, Dash delivered his own version of the show-ending "You're fired" line by yanking Roc-A Fella gold chains off the necks of the losers.

"It's basically the hip-hop generation of 'The Apprentice,'" Mayes said.

Mayes has started working on his most ambitious project, a full-length movie entitled PDR, an abbreviation for the Philadelphia Department of Recreation. The Lions Gate Film, starring Bernie Mac, Terrence Howard and Jada Pinkett Smith, tells the true story of the first black all-state swim team. Howard plays the coach of the early 1970s team, which swam at the recreation center because black schools did not have swimming pools in that era.

Mayes' film work also involves his football background. He produces "Irish Weekly," a show that chronicles Notre Dame sports and serves as the film component to his columns for Blue and Gold Illustrated. Those gigs for Notre Dame, where he periodically returns to speak to film and business students, resemble a passionate hobby more than a job.

"When it comes to the Notre Dame stuff, I'd do that for free," Mayes said. "I have such a genuine affinity for my school and my fellow colleagues, all the folks there that really got me my start."

Whether in South Bend, Ind., New York or Los Angeles, people will recognize Mayes from his playing career. They remember his ability to snare the acrobatic grab. "For a short time, I definitely was the best pass catcher in the NFL," Mayes said. "I could catch anything that came to me." Fans also remember his 31/2 years with the Packers and his role on their 1996 Super Bowl championship team. He caught six passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns during that rookie season, but his production decreased once the Packers signed Rison that November.

Mayes lived with Rison and his former rapper wife, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez. While Mayes made sure the capricious Rison showed up to practice each day, the eight-year veteran took the rookie under his wing. He even hung out with him to prevent him from participating in the annual Thanksgiving hoax, which dupes rookies into believing they will pick up turkeys for the rest of the team.

"He was looking out for me," Mayes said.

As much as Mayes enjoyed Rison's company, the added competition limited Mayes' playing time. The Packers deactivated Mayes for the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Mayes, however, would have become more disappointed if he had not been on the championship roster at all. And that was almost the case. After he dislocated his left shoulder during the third preseason game, the Packers considered sitting him for the season. But Mayes returned to play in seven games.

"What would've really, really probably stunk is if I sat out for the year," Mayes said. "Had I been on injured reserve, I would've been an unmentionable when it came to that Super Bowl team."

Instead Mayes remains an indelible part of that Super Bowl-winning squad, and maybe one day he will place an Academy Award next to his jewelry box, which contains his ring from Super Bowl XXXI.

[HarveyWallbangers]

KEITH MCKENZIE

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/18/1/

It wasn't something tangible. You couldn't touch it and you couldn't see it, either.

But Keith McKenzie knew it was there.

The 6-foot-2, 242-pound linebacker/defensive end, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1996-99 and again in 2002, knew almost immediately that the 1996 season was going to be a special one.

Indeed he was right.

It was during that season that the Packers went on to Super Bowl XXXI, defeating the New England Patriots 35-21. But it comes as somewhat of a surprise that one of McKenzie's fondest memories of that season happened to come from an exhibition contest.

"Obviously, when I think back to that season, I think of the Super Bowl," McKenzie, 32, recalled. "And before that, I got into the NFC Championship game and got a sack and I was only in there for three plays on defense and that was a fond memory.

"But that first preseason game was one that I remembered the most because I knew I was about to be part of something special. The team was that good and I knew I had to do whatever I could to make the team."

Of course, McKenzie did more than just make the team. Though he served as a backup pass rusher, he played a vital role on special teams. And because that particular unit had such a great impact on the Super Bowl victory itself, McKenzie is even prouder of his accomplishments with the Green and Gold.

Desmond Howard, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXI, gave the Packers a much-needed lift with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter. This was especially important because the Patriots had just scored on a Curtis Martin touchdown to cut the Packers lead to 27-21, which swung the momentum in New England's favor.

"We knew that we had to make something happen because they had just scored a touchdown and got back into the game," McKenzie explained. "You could see it in the eyes of everyone on the kickoff return team that, 'This is it, we've got to do it right now.' Desmond had been getting good returns all game, but we knew we had to break that one."

The Packers had a dynamic return game all season long and it was only fitting to McKenzie that the special teams shined in the Super Bowl as well. In fact, Howard finished with 244 combined punt and kickoff return yards and was the first special teams player to be named MVP of a Super Bowl. McKenzie said he'd never forget Howard's touchdown.

"That kickoff return was the biggest highlight of the whole game for me," McKenzie said. "I got a chance to play defense and I think I had the most tackles on special teams that day, but that selfless act of just blocking and making sure someone else could do what they had to do, that's what I really remember. I was excited and joyful to be a part of this guy becoming MVP."

And for how big that play was in the game, McKenzie said it represented even more than that.

"It was like the definition of what a team was supposed to do," McKenzie explained. "Everybody did what they had to do, everybody did their job at 100 percent and it just happened that that was one of the plays that sealed the game."

After short stints in Cleveland, Chicago and Buffalo, McKenzie has been out of football since 2003. He married Tamiko Parker in July and currently resides in Detroit, where he owns a real estate company called KDM Investments.

McKenzie said he still follows football, including the Packers, and it's his belief that winning a title in the NFL is one of the toughest accomplishments in all of professional sports.

"Not to take away anything from the other sports, but in baseball you have a World Series ring and you can get an NBA Championship ring, but it's not like a Super Bowl ring because a Super Bowl ring is a one-time deal," McKenzie explained.

"When you go for the championship in baseball, basketball, or hockey, you have seven games, and you have to beat the other team in four games. We only have one game. There is really no room for error. You have to bring your 'A' game and play your best game that day."

Fortunately for McKenzie and the Packers, Green Bay did just that in Super Bowl XXXI.

[HarveyWallbangers]

JIM MCMAHON

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/20/1/

It is a surreal scene to picture. Jim McMahon, the symbolic rebel of the 1980s Chicago Bears teams lounging with Brett Favre, the gunslinger of the 1990s Green Bay Packers teams, after practices during the 1996 season.

"We got along pretty well," McMahon said. "Every once in a while we'd go out and have a few cocktails."

The Packers signed McMahon, best known for his days with the archrival Bears from 1982 to 1987, toward the end of the 1995 season to back up Favre and impart his knowledge from one storied franchise to another. Along with wide receiver Don Beebe, McMahon was the only player on the 1996 roster who had played in a Super Bowl. McMahon, who completed 3 of 4 four passes for 24 yards in mop-up duty in five games, downplayed his impact.

"If you're not playing," McMahon said, "it's hard to be leading anybody."

When pressed, however, McMahon said players approached him during the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl with questions about the big game. Perhaps McMahon, who mooned a local TV helicopter hovering over a Bears' Super Bowl practice, learned from his previous wrongdoings. He advised his Packers teammates to watch their backs, know where they are at all times and avoid any craziness because of the intense media scrutiny.

"It's become a bigger and bigger zoo every year," he said. "When we won 20 years ago, it was nutty. Now it's just out of control."

McMahon described going from one NFC Central rival to another as "strange at first." That, of course, begs the question, does McMahon root for the Packers or the Bears?

"I'm nobody's fan," he said. "I don't watch football."

McMahon has little involvement or care for the NFL. He does not even watch the Super Bowl. Although McMahon did attend the Packers-Vikings game at Lambeau Field and the Packers-Bears game at Soldier Field in 2005, he sat in the press box, eating hot dogs and chips and chatting with old friends instead of observing the action.

"In the last 10 years, if you put everything that I've seen together, it might equal one game," he said. "I enjoyed playing the game, but I'm not a fan of it. I don't like watching it."

Removed from the game unlike so many former NFL players, McMahon busies himself with several charities, which keeps him traveling away from his Northbrook, Ill., home for more than 100 days a year. He currently has become very involved with two charities, Impact Player Partners and American War Heroes, supporting injured veterans from the Iraq War.

"The government's not doing a hell of a lot to help these guys," he said. "(We) try to raise money and make these guys' quality of life a little better."

In addition to using his fame to raise money, he recently took a group of veterans, who had been in the hospital more than a year, on a trip to the Pro Bowl so they could have some fun and experience a much-needed diversion.

Helping to generate funds for those charities allows McMahon to participate in one of his favorite hobbies -- golf.

"A lot of these events are golf tournaments," he said. "I get to do what I like to do. I get to do it all over the world"

A five-to-six handicap golfer, McMahon also plays on the celebrity golfing tour, featuring athletes, comedians and actors. He has nine scheduled tournaments this year. Through those events he became friendly with former NBA basketball star and current TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley.

"Barkley's one of my favorite guys out there. Too bad he doesn't play it enough," said McMahon, adding a dig. "He's a lot of fun. I enjoy playing with him and all the guys. ... It's good to sit around the locker and just B.S. about guys' different sports or whatever they did. "

McMahon still keeps in touch with Packers people as well. While attending the two Packers games in 2005, he visited with equipment manager Gordon "Red" Batty and director of administrative affairs Mark Schiefelbein. McMahon may have played seven years with the Monsters of the Midway, but he enjoyed his last stint in the NFL with the Green and Gold.

That 15th NFL season capped his career in fitting fashion. Eleven years after defeating the New England Patriots on the NFL's largest stage in the Superdome in New Orleans with the Bears, he did so again with the Packers.

"It was a good way to finish," McMahon said. "It was perfect."

[HarveyWallbangers]

JOHN MICHELS

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/21/1/

Offensive tackle John Michels' cleat caught in the ground, and his knee twisted while blocking defensive end Vonnie Holliday during a one-on-one pass protection drill in the last week of the 1998 training camp. Michels tore his anterior cruciate ligament, his medial collateral ligament and cartilage. That devastating injury and the lengthy rehabilitation process that followed, however, gave him a new direction in life.

"It was kind of through the process of all these surgeries that I found a passion for medicine and decided to go pursue that," Michels said. "I enjoy the fact that (doctors) really get to impact people's lives."

Michels, in his second year at USC's medical school, studies toward a different career than he expected. While undergoing six knee surgeries and the accompanying rehabilitation, Michels, a religion major on the undergraduate level at USC, worked as a youth pastor.

Few thought Michels would be pursuing a career in ministry or medicine after just three years in the NFL. The Packers drafted him in the first round in 1996 and planned for him to protect Brett Favre's blind side at left tackle well into the 21st century. And that future started earlier than expected.

Because Michels had only played one year of left tackle in college, the Packers wanted him to spend his rookie year learning behind 12-year veteran Ken Ruettgers. Then Ruettgers injured his knee in mid-August. Michels became the starter, but suffered an ankle and back injury in the third preseason game, and starting duty fell to three-year veteran Gary Brown. Michels replaced Brown in late September and started nine games. As a result of Michels' instant impact protecting the Packers' franchise quarterback, his teammates' spared him the usual rookie treatment.

"I was kind of thrown into the fire right off the bat," Michels said. "There were a lot higher expectations probably placed on me just because of the position the team was in. They couldn't wait for a rookie to make rookie mistakes at left tackle because this team was destined for Super Bowl XXXI. The previous year they had lost in the NFC Championship game to Dallas and they weren't going to let that happen again."

Although the rookie performed ably under those demanding circumstances, Ruettgers regained the starting job before retiring in late November because of re-occurring knee problems. In December the Packers changed tackles again, going with the experience of 10-year veteran Bruce Wilkerson for the playoff run. Shuffling from backup to starter to backup became challenging for the rookie.

"I was constantly in and out. It was hard to kind of develop a rhythm," he said. "That was an element of frustration. I was hoping to get a little more consistency."

Michels figured to receive more consistent playing time later in his career, but his injury derailed that goal. He tried to return to action in 1999, but his knee no longer could bear the weight of his nearly 300-pound frame. An exasperated Michels wondered why his leg did not improve and why he could not run like he used to. That frustration inspired him.

"I want to go into medicine and figure out how to prevent this in the future," Michels said.

As he looks toward the future, Michels, 33, has considered becoming an orthopedic surgeon or a team physician. But he does not know if his knee will allow him to stand for hours on end to perform surgery and is still determining which specialty to enter.

"I haven't decided that yet," Michels said. "That's part of the journey I'm on right now."

His difficult road in trying to come back from his knee problems is part of the reason he has not attended a Packers game since retiring. He talks to Ruettgers once or twice a week and closely follows the Packers, especially former teammates like Mike Flanagan and Brett Favre. But visiting Lambeau Field would remind him of the long career he had hoped to enjoy.

"It's bittersweet. It's a little bit painful because I really miss the game," Michels said. "I was really hoping to make it back to it. Unfortunately that wasn't my lot in life."

Although his lot in life may turn out to be helping others sustain the decade-long career he missed out on, Michels had his share of special football moments. Topping them all is winning a Super Bowl in his very first year.

"There are players who go their whole career and never have a chance to play in that game, and my first year in -- I get that opportunity," Michels said. "That year was filled with a lot of really great memories."

[HarveyWallbangers]

TERRY MICKENS

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/22/1/

In many cases, people don't enjoy going to work. But Terry Mickens was never one of those people when he played in Green Bay.

In fact, Mickens couldn't wait to arrive at 1265 Lombardi Ave. because he knew he wasn't the only one who enjoyed being there.

"We were having fun all year," Mickens said. "We were having fun everyday during practice, during games. We were always having fun. But at the same time, we were getting our jobs done."

Mickens, a 6-foot, 198-pound wide receiver who played for the Green and Gold from 1994-97, admits that the situation he stepped into while in Green Bay probably wasn't common for young players.

"I think for me, it made me kind of spoiled," Mickens, 35, explained. "My first four years with Green Bay, we went to the playoffs every year. In the third year, we won the Super Bowl, and in the fourth year we went to the Super Bowl and lost.

"In my mind, because success was happening with that team so frequently, when I left, I didn't realize how hard it was to make the playoffs. When I left and went to Oakland, and when the season was over and we didn't make the playoffs, it was weird. So, that was different, and I learned that it takes more than just a good team to make the playoffs. It takes chemistry."

Mickens married Pamela in 2000 and the couple lives in McKinney, Texas, with Terry's 14-year-old son, Tyler. Mickens is currently in his second year as a college scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he insists team chemistry can't be overstated because it isn't a given in the NFL.

This is something he didn't realize as a player until he signed with another team.

"Things are just done different (when you leave)," Mickens explained. "Different style, different kind of chemistry, different kind of people around you, different attitude. In Green Bay though, everybody was on that same page.

"Whether they were happy with their role or not, you never knew. Everybody just committed to the job at hand and trusted in (coach Mike) Holmgren and we just went out and did our job."

Though he probably wasn't what one would call a "star" in his NFL career, Mickens was at the very least a solid contributor. In his four seasons with the Packers, he played on passing downs and on special teams. But that didn't stop fans from noticing what Mickens brought to the table.

"I tell you what -- the fans in Green Bay made you feel like family," Mickens said. "So you really felt welcomed. You really felt like not only do you want to represent your family and your teammates, but also the fans as well. You knew they appreciated whatever role you had because I wasn't a starter there, but I played special teams and came in as a third- and fourth-down receiver."

When he was playing, it was one thing, but Mickens can't believe the loyalty Packers fans still show to former players.

"People knew you," Mickens said. "Everybody knew everybody on that roster. And to this day, I'll get mail sent to my house here in McKinney. Somebody in Green Bay will want me to sign a card. I'm like 'wow.'

"I'm a long time removed from playing football and especially playing for the Packers, and in some kind of way, people are finding my address here in McKinney."

Mickens is plenty busy with the Eagles these days and admits that he hasn't been to Green Bay since 1997. However, he still uses valuable lessons that he learned in his time here while playing behind wide receivers like Robert Brooks and Sterling Sharpe.

"I was always a hard worker anyway," Mickens said. "But I think a lot of the stuff that I picked up was probably from Robert Brooks because Robert Brooks worked just as hard. I was there a year before Free (Antonio Freeman) got there, and I had a year with Sterling. I learned from Sterling on game days and I learned from Robert Brooks during the week."

Playing with such a strong group of wideouts did, however, pose one disadvantage. It made playing time difficult to come by. So when Mickens received an offer for potentially more time on the field in Oakland, he took that chance. Despite moving on from the organization, Mickens doesn't harbor any ill feelings against the Packers.

"I will always have a special place for Green Bay," Mickens said. "I often hear former players who, for whatever reason, don't feel anything about the teams they played for. They don't like the way it ended, or the opportunity that they had to play.

"But I always have. I always will have a special place for them. I enjoyed my time there. I guess when you are winning it helps, but I always did enjoy myself up there."

[HarveyWallbangers]

RODERICK MULLEN

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/23/1/

A versatile backup in the secondary and a valuable special teamer, Roderick Mullen would block for Desmond Howard on a punt return immediately after shutting down a wide receiver on third-and-long.

"I had to be in outstanding shape," Mullen said. "I couldn't do all of those positions if I wasn't well-conditioned."

Mullen's job still revolves around fitness. He currently serves as the general manager of a Dallas-area Bally Total Fitness. In that role, Mullen, 33, manages the gym's profitability by setting budgets, establishing company goals, determining salaries and overseeing retail revenue. Mullen twice has won the "Elite Performer" award for his area. He not only excels at his job, but he also enjoys it.

"It's very nice, man," Mullen said. "I really like doing what I'm doing."

A workout warrior during his playing days, Mullen said his conditioning enabled him to play cornerback and safety in base, nickel and dime packages in addition to special teams. Mullen filled all those roles in 1996 before straining the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the 13th game. He returned to action for the playoffs.

Mullen continues to pride himself on his conditioning. He works out every day, exercising his back on Monday, his shoulders on Tuesday, his legs on Thursday and his chest on Friday while Wednesday serves as his cardio day. His endurance does not quite equal that of his playing days, but his strength compares favorably. He recently bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times.

"I still do a lot of different things that I was doing when I was training for football to keep me somewhat up-to-par cardiovascularly," Mullen said. "From a strength standpoint, I would say I'm right up there."

Mullen's Packers contacts helped pave the way for his post-NFL career. After Mullen spent 2000 and 2001 investing in a few Las Vegas properties, including two Subway restaurants, he hooked up with Larry Brooks, Jr., the son of the 1996 Packers defensive line coach. Brooks served as the Dallas-area Bally vice president and helped Mullen land a job as a manager-in-training there in 2002.

Brooks does not remain his only connection to his Packer days, which lasted from 1996 to 1998. Mullen frequently hangs out with Santana Dotson and attends his annual Santana Dotson Foundation dinner in Houston to raise money for teenagers' college education.

"I'm still best friends with Santana Dotson," Mullen said.

Mullen subscribes to DirecTV's Sunday NFL Ticket and still follows the NFL closely. Although he ended his career by spending 1999 with the Carolina Panthers and the 2000 training camp with the Minnesota Vikings, Mullen still roots for the Packers. Mullen has not been to a Packers game since his days as a Panthers defensive back, but he watches them every Sunday with the meticulous eye of a coach.

"I typically have to watch the game at home," Mullen said. "I have TiVo and I want to re-wind the game and find out the reason for the successes and failures of different plays."

Who can blame him for possessing such an attachment to the Green and Gold? Earning a 1996 Super Bowl title with the Packers launched his devotion to the team and provided memories to last a lifetime.

"(I was) able to hoist that trophy," Mullen said, "and know that I was going to go down in history with some Hall of Famers on that team like Reggie (White) and Brett (Favre)."

[HarveyWallbangers]

CRAIG NEWSOME

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/24/1/

Saying Craig Newsome is quiet is like saying the Green Bay Packers were a good team in 1996.

Talk about severe understatements.

Newsome was probably the most laid back, quiet, and perhaps shyest player on the Packers' Super Bowl XXXI team.

But, fortunately for the Packers, Newsome's game spoke volumes.

The 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback got thrown into the fold as a rookie in 1995 and became a mainstay on the Packers' defense for four years until a torn ACL slowed him down and eventually led to him being traded to San Francisco.

He may not have been overly fast or remarkably big for a corner, but Newsome, 34, had such a confident determination that he was never over his head despite playing an instrumental role in the team's success as a 23-year-old. And all this came after playing only years of Division I football at Arizona State, after spending his first two seasons at San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) Junior College.

Needless to say, Newsome didn't have much time to adjust to the NFL game, but then again, he handled himself just fine. In his rookie season, Newsome started all 16 regular season games at left cornerback as well as the three postseason games and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 85.

According to Newsome, playing for a Super Bowl team the following season wasn't all that daunting after gaining valuable experience the year before.

"I was never intimidated," Newsome said. "I wasn't intimidated because I played my rookie year when I first got drafted. I got that out of my system then."

He did, however, admit that all of this success may have spoiled him.

"I was surprised because it came so fast," Newsome said. "Like the Super Bowl, there's guys that played in the league for years and never reached that mark. For me, to only play two years and to get there, I was like, 'Wow, this is easy.'

"Which it isn't," he added with a laugh.

Newsome now lives in Riverside, Calif., and coaches football at a local junior college. When asked if he still finds the time to watch the Packers despite being nearly 2,000 miles away, Newsome acts surprised by the question.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah," Newsome exclaimed. "That's a must. I'm a huge fan. Not a big fan, a huge fan."

And there's no question he still has fond memories of his days spent in Green Bay. Yet, Newsome admits that he doesn't keep in touch with any of his old teammates because "guys move so much it's hard to keep in contact with them. And I'm kind of hard to keep in contact with, too."

Though he hasn't been to Green Bay since his playing days, Newsome said he would like to make it back someday to watch his favorite team in action. He asks questions about current players and leaves the impression that he really does care about the team he once played so well for.

Newsome reminisces about several old teammates as well, including Reggie White and Doug Evans, and marvels at one particular friend that he learned a great deal from, the late Wayne Simmons.

"Wayne was a hell of a teammate," Newsome said. "The dude was tough, man, I'm telling you. Anybody on that team I would go to war with, it was Wayne. Honestly, Wayne was tough. And when I say tough, the dude would knock your head off."

Speaking of toughness, if there was one word to describe Newsome -- well, besides quiet -- it would probably be tough.

Coupled with Evans, the Packers had one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL, something Newsome thinks is a lost art in today's game.

"That year was the year of the two physical, big, shutdown corners," Newsome said. "You just don't see that no more."

Newsome said he didn't have much choice to play any other way under defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur.

"He was an old coach, but he had that fire in him," Newsome explained. "He had that fire in him that if you didn't play well, your butt was on the bench. So you had to play hard, you know, which paid off for us that year."

Coming from Newsome, it's another quiet statement that speaks volumes.

[HarveyWallbangers]

DOUG PEDERSON

http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/08/25/1/

His name is Doug Pederson, but he acted liked Drew Bledsoe during the last two weeks of January in 1997.

To prepare the Packers' defense for whom they would face in Super Bowl XXXI, Pederson, the scout team quarterback, simulated the New England Patriots quarterback's long stride and long release during practice.

"I took pride in getting our defense ready," Pederson said, "giving them the look, the picture of the other team and the quarterback and some of the mannerisms and some of things the other quarterback would do."

The preparation worked. The Packers' defense took advantage of the strong-armed but slow-footed Bledsoe, sacking him five times and forcing him into four interceptions during their 35-21 Super Bowl win.

The work on the scout team not only helped the Packers' defense but also Pederson, a six-year veteran. In 1996 he served as the third or inactive quarterback for 14 games, receiving mop-up duty against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. But by going against a defense led by stars like LeRoy Butler, Reggie White and Sean Jones and featuring the intricate scheme of defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur, Pederson improved his ability to read defenses, reset and throw before hitting his third and fourth passing options.

"It was a great, great defense," Pederson said. "Going against those guys in practice was really a lot of fun for me because it allowed me to grow up as a quarterback and do some things that I was able to carry on for the rest of my career."

Pederson also had the advantage of playing behind two illustrious quarterbacks, starter Brett Favre and No. 2 quarterback Jim McMahon. From McMahon, Pederson ascertained how to keep both players and coaches calm during the tensest game situations. He soaked up the information from the established veterans like a sponge.

"I was the greenest one of the bunch," he said. "It was an ideal situation for me."

For the rest of his career, Pederson used the lessons he learned from Favre and McMahon and from competing against a Shurmur-coached defense. After the 1998 season, he left Green Bay to become the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Andy Reid, his former Packers quarterbacks coach. The next year Pederson quarterbacked the expansion Cleveland Browns. He returned to the Packers in 2001 to back up Favre, playing the last four years of his 12-year career in Green Bay.

The former Louisiana Monroe graduate retired in March of 2005 and accepted a job as head football coach at Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, La., which has 900 students in the K-12 school.

"I thoroughly love it," Pederson said. "I get a chance to share my faith with these guys and teach them things on and off the field."

Calvary Baptist went 5-6 and made the first round of the playoffs in its first year under Pederson. That season served as an impressive debut, considering the number of freshmen and sophomores he coached.

"We were not blessed with a lot of seniors and a lot of depth," Pederson said. "We're going to be a better team this year."

Pederson said his students were taken back at first by his status as a former NFL quarterback. Over time, however, they began to view him as a regular coach. His NFL ties also have benefits. He plans on having players like former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and former Packers teammates Craig Nall and Favre speak to his students at football camps.

Pederson remains close with several Packers players, including Favre, William Henderson and Aaron Kampman. In his first year removed from the NFL, he attended two games at Lambeau Field -- the Packers' loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football and their win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. He hung out with his former teammates in the locker room afterwards.

Pederson owns a permanent symbol of his success with the Packers. On occasion he wears that Super Bowl ring in front of his players as a motivational tool.

"It's just another way to get my message across," Pederson said. "I'll let them look at it and show them that through hard work and perseverance and everything else you can get that ring."