Mom, son Bears fans ran into Aaron Rodgers in Chicago, and that was just the beginning

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Article thanks to Kendra Meinert and packersnews.com. Links provided:

Nov 29, 2017  Julia Nicoll still can’t quite believe what happened on that street corner in downtown Chicago on that Saturday night. 

It’s the story of two Chicago Bears fans, one Green Bay Packers quarterback and a sprinkle of department store Christmas magic thrown in for good measure.

 It was the weekend of the Packers-Bears game at Soldier Field on Nov. 12, and Nicoll and her 11-year-old son, Peter, decided spur of the moment to take the 4:30 p.m. train from their home in Mount Prospect, Ill., to check out the early holiday decorations in the city. They were waiting along with other people to cross the street when Peter said to his mom he thought he recognized Aaron Rodgers standing by them.

“I’m whispering to him like (in a doubting tone), ‘Really? I don’t think Aaron Rodgers is standing right next to us on the corner on a Saturday evening.’”

But when Rodgers looked past her to prepare to cross, she checked for herself — and then did something that’s so unlike the mother of three.

“I never in my life can talk to celebrities. If I go to a book signing, I don’t even talk to them, because I don’t want to bother people, but somehow I had it in me to say, ‘Are you ...?’ really quietly. I didn’t even finish the sentence, because I didn’t want the other people at the corner to bug him if he just wanted to be alone, which I totally get, so I kind of stopped myself.

“He looked right at me and said, ‘I am.’”

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The next thing she knew, he turned around and introduced himself to Peter with a “Hi, I’m Aaron.” He told them he was out enjoying the energy and lights of the city before his dinner reservations. They talked about how he was feeling after his collarbone surgery. He asked Peter all kinds of sports-related questions. When Peter apologized for being a Bears fan, Rodgers told him no need. He should be. He lives in Chicago.

When a group of passers-by recognized Rodgers, Julia and Peter excused themselves and crossed the street. They had stopped to text a photo of Rodgers with Peter to Julia’s husband when No. 12 caught back up with them.

“He just started talking to us again like we were all neighbors and friends. We walked with him again for the next 15 minutes, 20 minutes to Michigan Avenue,” Julia said. “The thing for me that really stood out as so awesome was he asked us questions. I would say he asked us more questions than I asked him, because I didn’t want to be nosy and because I didn’t want to invade his privacy.”

He asked about the Nicoll family’s Thanksgiving plans and their daughter who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire next year. 

“He was asking me questions that most people would think, ‘Why would Aaron Rodgers care?’ It was so amazing. It was really something, I have to say. It still is,” Julia said. “I told so many people. We just couldn’t believe it, my son and I.”

The story, however, doesn’t end there.

An hour later, Julia and Peter were in the Christmas shop at Macy’s on State Street when they spotted a woman decked out in Packers gear. Julia’s first thought was the woman was going to “flip out” when she hears what just happened to them. She told her about the encounter and, oddly, the woman didn’t seem as excited as Julia had hoped.

“She kind of patted my arm in a sweet, sweet way and she goes, ‘Oh, my son plays for the Packers.’”

It was Ty Montgomery’s mom.

Peter’s face lit up. He’s a fan of the Packers running back and had told his mom after they parted ways with Rodgers, he wanted to ask the quarterback to say hello to Montgomery for him, but he chickened out. That’s the first time Julia ever heard the words “Ty Montgomery.”

While Julia was still in full “Are you serious?” shock, Montgomery’s mom was loving Peter’s reaction.

“She said, ‘There you go! Did you see his face? That’s right!’”

Julia doesn’t know what it was about her, a middle-aged mom who counts the Bears’ 1986 Super Bowl win as one of her greatest family memories growing up, and Peter, a sports nut who met Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball coach Bill Self at basketball camp last summer, that made Rodgers so gracious with his time and so genuine in his conversation that night.

Maybe it’s because she wasn’t some gaga fan going crazy. “I barely knew certain things,” she admits. (When Rodgers introduced himself, she asked him what he was doing in Chicago, forgetting in all the excitement there was a game the next day.)

Whatever the reason, she knows the flurry of comments the post and photo generated on her Facebook page were on to something. 

“Oh my gosh, people went bananas commenting how nice, how lucky, how special, how refreshing to see someone like that be so kind and normal ...”

“It was just such a treat. It was a treat, because it’s a treat to see a celebrity. It’s certainly a treat to see a sports figure when you live in Chicago, because we’re all such big sports fans,” Julia said. “When I said, ‘Are you ...?’ and I didn’t finish, he could have just kept walking and I would’ve gotten it. I wouldn’t even have been offended. And he didn’t. He was so engaging. Just so nice and refreshing, and really, really great for Peter. All I kept telling him is, ‘Peter, what we’re talking about here is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever just hung out with us.'”

Julia hasn’t been able to stop talking about it. She told the pizza guy later that night when she and Peter went out for dinner. On the flight back from Mexico for Thanksgiving break, she spotted someone in a Rodgers jersey and told him.

“I’ve got to tell everyone I know,” she said.

One thing Julia and Peter were sure to keep to themselves that night: where Rodgers was going for dinner. They wanted to respect his privacy.

It was only after encouragement from a friend from Wisconsin, who told her how much Packers fans would appreciate the off-the-field encounter with their quarterback, that she agreed to share the story publicly.

“I’m not bragging that I met him. That’s just pure luck. I’m sharing with the world what a fabulous human being Aaron Rodgers is,” Julia said. “And if you’re a fan, like when I see a guy in the Aaron Rodgers jersey, he’s obviously a fan, he has to know this stuff. I would love it if someone came up to me about one of my No. 1 people and told me something great. I would just be so happy.”

What Makes Green Bay Special

Photo: espn.com

Article thanks to Ty Montgomery and theplayerstribune.com. Links provided:

Aug. 14, 2017  Aaron Rodgers can make a football sing.

Seriously … I’ve heard it.

The first time it happened was during minicamp my rookie year. I was basically fresh out of college and Aaron was already Aaron: Super Bowl champion, MVP — all that stuff. I ran a slant, and when I got out into my route and planted my foot, that’s when I heard it. It was this … whoosh. A whistle, like one of those little Nerf Vortex balls.

I put my hands up as quickly as I could, and as soon as I did, the ball was right on me — right on time, right on target, right in stride. His accuracy definitely matches his power. It was unlike any ball I had ever caught.

I’ve seen Aaron do this to other guys, too. He always makes sure he zips one at you in the first couple of passes, and he’ll make sure to do it when he’s throwing a short pass so he can really put something extra on it. I think it’s just his way of welcoming you and letting you know what he expects out of you — like he’s gonna bring it, and you need to be ready at all times. It’s one of those little things he does to set the tone.

And every now and then, if he zips one at you and you don’t catch it, he’ll stand in the backfield and flex at you, like you can’t handle the heat. So I think he does it to have a little fun, too.

Being on the other end of one of those passes, it’s definitely an experience. And although I’ve transitioned to running back full time now….

Actually, transition isn’t really the right word. When I think of a transition, I think of moving from one thing to another — in my case, that would mean putting wide receiver behind me. But I haven’t done that. I don’t need to be put into some running back box, confined to the space between the tackles. I can still play wide receiver from the running back position, and I can still benefit from a passer like Aaron.

So I look at it more as an evolution … a true utilization of my skill set.

If you would have told me when I got drafted in the third round in 2015 that I’d be the No. 1 running back on the Packers’ depth chart two years later, I would have said you were crazy.

Then I would have said, “But hey, I’ll take it.”

So what if I’m not playing the position I was drafted to play? I’m just trying to contribute to this team and add value in any way possible. I knew that being the No. 1 wasn’t very likely when I initially made the move to running back. It was actually kind of a doomsday scenario. I joined the running backs, and then Eddie Lacy got hurt. Then Don Jackson. Then James Starks. And….

Doomsday.

Get in there, 88.

It was a far cry from where I had been back in training camp last year. Before the season even started — when I wasn’t sure if I was even going to make the team.

I’m serious. I can actually remember coming home from practice early in camp to find my wife unpacking some boxes, and I sarcastically said, “Don’t unpack too much just yet, because I’m not sure how long we’re gonna be here.”

I was coming off ankle surgery. I had missed the entire off-season. I hadn’t practiced the whole first week of camp. Plus, we had a lot of talented receivers. It was competitive. I mean, I still went out on the field every day with confidence and left everything I had out there. But at the end of the day, I felt like I was too far behind. I just really didn’t know what was going to happen.

I didn’t see a lot of action during the preseason, or in the first few games of the regular season. As the weeks went on, I grew more and more uncertain about my future in Green Bay.

I could feel some of the guys looking on kind of laughing, like, What’s Ty doing? Is he allowed to be back there?

Then one day, I walked past Mike McCarthy in the hallway. He stopped me, said hello … and then he mentioned that he had an idea.

The coaches had been talking, and they thought they could use me in a lot of different ways out of the backfield. So they were thinking about trying me out at running back, if I was up for it.

I was like, “Hey, if you’re even thinking about it, let’s just do it. Let’s dive right in and see how it goes.”

I kept my best “be professional” face as we shook hands and went our separate ways. But as I walked down the hall, I was on a cloud. I was light on my feet, light in my spirit. I knew it was going to be a big opportunity for me.

And then, at practice the next day, we were doing a half-line drill, and coach called me over to line up in the backfield.

I could feel some of the guys looking on kind of laughing, like, What’s Ty doing? Is he allowed to be back there? Like if I was back there, it must be a trick play or something.

Then, when the ball was snapped, I took the handoff and ran an outside zone play. I hit the hole hard, too. The offense regrouped and I lined up in the backfield again. And again, I took the handoff, this time on an inside zone play.

You should have seen my teammates’ faces. They were all looking at each other like, Wait … what? Is this for real?

After five or six runs, I think the guys started to realize, Whoa, this is for real … and Ty’s not that bad.

A lot of people don’t know this, but I grew up carrying the football. I admired guys like Eddie George, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Being an NFL running back had always been my dream. It wasn’t until high school that I made the switch to wide receiver. I even played some running back when I was at Stanford, and I loved it.

So when I started taking handoffs from Aaron, my instincts were still there. Making the cuts … seeing and hitting the holes … doing it full speed … falling forward after contact … it all came back naturally.

The real difficulty came in learning the playbook, specifically pass protection. It was like learning a foreign language. It was completely new to me.

I think I put a lot of pressure on myself because as a running back, when you stay in to block, you’re the last line of defense before a pass rusher gets to the quarterback. So deep down, I just didn’t want to be the guy who missed an assignment and got Aaron killed back there.

That’s where the other running backs — and Aaron — came in.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this game, it’s that you can’t do anything alone. Football is the ultimate team sport. Communication is key, and we have to help one another to make sure we’re all on the same page. And our team kind of embodies that.

When I first walked into the running backs room, I wondered how I would be received. I mean, there are only so many snaps in a football game, and with me walking in as another guy vying for playing time, I would have understood if guys had been defensive and focused on themselves, just out of self-interest.

But not our guys.

They welcomed me.

When we were watching film or putting in the weekly game plan, I never felt dumb if I didn’t know what to do on a particular play or if I had a question. I was never afraid to speak up because everybody in the room had let me know from Day One that the running backs room isn’t full of selfish individuals. They didn’t necessarily say it, but I definitely felt it. They were helpful and gave me constructive advice.

I honestly don’t think I could have made the switch as well as I did if it hadn’t been for those guys — Eddie Lacy, James Starks, Don Jackson, Aaron Ripkowski, Coach Sirmans — helping me throughout the season.

"So what if I’m not playing the position I was drafted to play? I’m just trying to contribute to this team and add value in any way possible."

TY MONTGOMERY

Aaron was the same way. And that was probably the best part of being in the backfield: I was right there with him in the middle of everything, not split out on an island at receiver. So if I had a question, or if I didn’t know what to do on a particular play, I would just lean over and tap Aaron, he’d tell me what to do and then I’d try to execute it to the best of my ability. Simple as that.

But I get so much more than just guidance from Aaron in the backfield.  

I also get confidence.

Aaron is so cerebral, and he sees the game in a way that I think only he can see it. He’s a perfectionist, and he demands that others around him strive for perfection as well.

That’s why, every now and then, he’ll zip one of those rockets at you.

Just to keep you on your toes.

And when you’re the one setting the tone, like Aaron, you have to have an air of confidence about you. That’s just part of being a leader. You can’t be hesitant. You can’t second-guess yourself. And I sort of took of that attitude when I joined Aaron in the backfield. I don’t know … it’s tough to explain. His confidence is just contagious.

That’s why when he came out and said that whole “run the table” thing last year, I was kind of glad. A lot of guys were. That was just him letting all of us know — along with the rest of the world — that he had confidence in us. A lot of people tried to put pressure on us to win out after Aaron said that. But that didn’t bother us because we put more pressure on ourselves than anybody outside of our locker room ever could.

That’s just another example of what makes this place so special. It’s the kind of place where the running backs will welcome you into their group, even if it means you might steal some carries. The kind of place where the coaches will try anything and everything to maximize the talent on the roster, even move a receiver to running back. The kind of place where the quarterback tells the world we’re gonna win out, and everybody on the team believes him.

It’s all just … Green Bay.

It’s part of what makes being a Green Bay Packer so special.

This year, I feel like a rookie all over again — which is a little weird because I’m also the veteran in the running backs room. It’s my first off-season preparing to play running back full time. I’ve put on a few pounds — good pounds … running back pounds. And I’m ready to put them to use.

It’s kind of crazy … you just never know what God has in store for you. At this time last year, I was telling my wife not to unpack too many boxes. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have a job come Week 1. Now, I’m playing a key role in the offense.

I guess that’s why I was so excited about the idea of playing running back. Having Coach McCarthy tell me that the coaches thought I could be a valuable contributor out of the backfield meant just that — that they thought I was valuable. That they wanted me here. That I was a part of their plan.

That really meant the world to me because my wife and I love it here in Green Bay. It’s funny: I was born in Mississippi, grew up in Dallas and went to college in California. And when I go back to those places and tell people how much I love living in Green Bay, they think I’m kidding, or that I’m just being nice. Like it’s such a small town and it’s so cold and so … Green Bay … that I couldn’t possibly love it as much as I say I do.

But I honestly do.

Living in Green Bay is a simple life. It’s not crowded. There’s no traffic. It’s quiet. There’s good golf, good food, good beer — great beer.

But what it really comes down to is the people.

My wife and I have made so many great friends outside the team since we’ve been here. We love the small-town feel. It really is a community in every sense, and the Packers are as big a part of the community as anything. I think that in a world of big-market franchises and billion-dollar television contracts, what we have here is rare.

It’s the kind of thing that could only happen in a place like Green Bay.

And after living here, I don’t know if I could go back to living in a big city. I might be a small-town guy for life.

It truly is the opportunity of a lifetime for me to play for a winning organization like the Packers — with teammates like the ones I have now, great ownership, and a fantastic fanbase in a great city. And for me to be able to play a key role on a team that has its sights set on winning a Super Bowl is an even greater blessing. It’s everything I could have ever asked for.

This season — my first full year as a running back — is only the beginning. I love it here in Green Bay, and I hope God’s plan is for me to be a Green Bay Packer for life.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/ty-montgomery-packers-running-back/

Packers fans drive Davon House from Minneapolis to Green Bay after missed flight

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Story thanks to Rob Demovsky and espn.com. Links provided:

June 5, 2017  GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It was 11 p.m. on Monday night when Davon House landed at the Minneapolis airport. The Packers cornerback had missed his connection to Green Bay and needed to be back at Lambeau Field for the start of an OTA in less than nine hours.

Like many frustrated travelers, House vented on Twitter.

That's when a pair of Packers fans -- brothers Chad and Mike Johnson, from the western part of Wisconsin -- sprang into action. They tweeted at House that they would give him a ride to Green Bay.

House accepted, and off they went on the four-hour-plus ride.

"I went to bed, and I was scrolling through my Twitter and saw he needed a ride," Chad Johnson told ESPN on Tuesday. "My brother lives in Hudson; I'm in Eau Claire. I tweeted him that, 'I could come pick you up,' and in the meantime I texted my brother that House needs a ride. My brother also tweeted him. He was closer, so he swung up to the airport and picked him up, and I met him on Highway 29 so my brother and I could keep each other awake."

Chad said he brought along a pillow so House could get some rest in order to be ready for Tuesday's practice.

They delivered House to his vehicle, which was parked at Green Bay's Austin Straubel International Airport, and were prepared to say their goodbyes.

"It would've been cool just to get a picture with him there, but he was like, 'Follow me to the stadium and I'll sign some stuff for you,'" Chad Johnson said. "We told him he didn't need to do that, and he insisted. He has OTAs at 7:30, and here he is at 3:30 in the morning doing this. So he brought us over there, we got to go in the locker room. He signed some shoes and some gloves and let us take pictures with the Super Bowl trophies."

Chad Johnson said House forced his brother to take $80 for gas and wanted to give him more, but they refused.

House said he wasn't worried about getting in the car with strangers because he discovered via Twitter that they have a mutual friend and did a quick background check by calling that friend.

"So I did my homework before I hopped in the car with strangers," House said. "But what's the difference between that and Uber, huh?"

Sure enough, House was a full participant in Tuesday's practice but said afterward that he's a little worn out.

"I'm tired. I'm tired," he said. "So it was like 4½ hours [in the car], we talked for a good hour and a half, so a good 2½ hours [of sleep while] driving, and then when I got home, took them to the stadium, I had to show them everything, took pictures, show them the Super Bowl trophies, they were awed and amazed, they walked by Aaron's [Rodgers] locker, and they touched his shoulder pads -- I didn't let them put them on, though -- but they got the whole experience. I probably got home around 4:45. And then woke up at 7."

House said he even offered to put his drivers up in a hotel.

"I said, 'Hey, let me get you guys a hotel, and you guys can leave the next day,'" House said. "And [they said], 'Nah, we're going to go back and go to work.' I was like, 'Dang ...'"

Rodgers was impressed but speculated that House may have had motivation for making it back.

"When it comes down to the end here and you're thinking about your percentage and making sure you get your workout bonus, you'll do just about anything to get back here in time for these OTAs," Rodgers said.

House signed a one-year, $2.85 million contract to return to the Packers, where he played his first four seasons, after two years with the Jaguars. The deal included a $150,000 workout bonus.

"He talked about how much he loves Green Bay and didn't really care for it in Jacksonville," Chad Johnson said.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy was impressed with House's commitment to getting back to Green Bay for Tuesday's OTA.

"It tells you about his commitment -- both from our fans and Davon," McCarthy said before Tuesday's practice. "He knows the importance of it. [Practice] is so limited at this time of the year. And really, outside of Aaron and maybe a couple other guys, you don't have veteran players that are pre-CBA [collective bargaining agreement] that clearly understand the importance of nine weeks as opposed to when you had 15 weeks.

"It's important, especially when it's an install day. You never want to miss an install day because you get it going with everyone and the adjustments, and this is the time of year when you can slow things down and teach it in a progression. I think Davon obviously showed the importance of being here."

House isn't the first Packers player to take extreme measures to get back to Green Bay for an OTA practice. In 2009, then-linebacker A.J. Hawk paid $1,000 for a taxi to drive him from Minneapolis after he missed his flight to Green Bay.

The Johnson brothers were back at work Tuesday morning, too. They turned around and drove right home. Chad, 41, works as a process engineer who molds medical components, and Mike, 38, runs a demolition crew.

"It was a bad night for him, but made memories that will last forever for a couple of lifelong Packer fans," Johnson said.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19558199/green-bay-packers-fans-drive-davon-house-minneapolis-green-bay-missed-flight

Packers: Rookie running back Jamaal Williams impresses with physical, mental makeup

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Article thanks to Jason Wilde and The Wisconsin State Journal. Links provided:

May 3, 2017 - GREEN BAY — For another player, it would’ve been an easy decision. As it turned out, it was an easy decision for Jamaal Williams, too.

When NFL personnel executives asked Williams prior to the NFL draft what he did to violate Brigham Young’s honor code, a misstep before the 2015 season that forced him to withdraw from school, Williams told them the truth: “I had a girl in my room.”

Scouts’ reaction? “Most of them laughed,” Williams said.

They weren’t laughing at the way Williams responded to his mistake, however.

Rather than transferring out of BYU — Williams is not a Mormon, and even after a torn ACL in 2014, he would have had significant interest from other schools after rushing for 2,526 yards his first three seasons for the Cougars — he spent 2015 working out in Arizona, came back to the team last fall and rushed for 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher.

That performance, coupled with complete ownership of his mistake, made an impression on NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers, who took him in the fourth round last weekend.

“I think it says something about him,” Packers director of college scouting Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “He could have gone anywhere he wanted as a transfer. The fact that he came back there, I think that tells you his intestinal fortitude and what he’s made up of. It would have been probably easier at one point to leave and go somewhere else and started anew, but he came back and chose to do that. I think that says something about the kid. That was something we thought was an asset.”

Asked why he didn’t just go to another school, Williams replied, “I stayed there because BYU was the first team that actually gave me an offer and wanted me for me. Loyalty is a big thing for me.

“I was angry, but at the same time you have to know that it’s your responsibility. You made the choice of going to the school. They tell you the rules before you get there. If you don’t (follow them), then that’s your fault. So I was mad, but at the same time I just had to grow up and understand the consequences.”

Williams, who also was suspended for one game after an underage drinking arrest in 2014, in no way raised red flags for the Packers.

“We feel really good about the kid,” Sullivan said. “He’s very well-liked by his teammates, he’s a team captain. He’s a guy who football is very important to him. He does the little things to be a good football player. … We feel very, very confident about the football player and about the person.”

The Packers need Williams to hit the ground running in their unproven backfield, where coach Mike McCarthy pronounced converted wide receiver Ty Montgomery as “absolutely” the starter following the draft. But with just 105 career rushing attempts (including playoffs), and given McCarthy’s preference for a 1-2 punch at running back, one of the Packers’ three rookies — Williams, fifth-round pick Aaron Jones or seventh-round pick Devante Mays — will have ample opportunities this season.

As the draft approached, Williams and longtime NFL agent Leigh Steinberg saw various teams’ depth charts and saw Green Bay as a potential destination. (Coincidentally, Steinberg also represents Jones.)When the Packers went on the clock at No. 134, they wasted no time making Williams the first offensive player of their class.

“I felt that Green Bay would be a good spot for me,” Williams said. “We talked about it. I thought about it and I think I could really fit in with Green Bay and their offense. They don’t really have a lot of running backs, but at the same time Ty Montgomery did a great job of filling in and playing running back. I just want to help out and do whatever I can and still contribute.”

Listed at 6 feet and 213 pounds, Williams has a powerful running style that the Packers are hoping could mimic that of Eddie Lacy, a four-year starter who departed as a free agent to Seattle in March. Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf described Williams as being a “classic, between the tackles-sized” running back, which would fill the void Lacy left.

“I’ve watched Eddie Lacy run before because he’s a big back and I like big backs in general, because I just like the bruising part about the game,” Williams said. “I’m not really trying to fill the void. I’m just really trying to come in and do my job. I’m only a rookie right now and I don’t want to put too much expectations on me. But I have my goals.

“I feel I’m an old-style type of running back. I like to bruise, I like to pound into people a lot. I feel like I’m a grinder, a workhorse and as the game keeps going — fourth quarter, third quarter — I’m just getting stronger and stronger and trying to wear the defenses down. That’s what I like to do and that’s how I like to play.”

Jason Wilde covers the Packers for ESPN Wisconsin. Listen to him with former Packers and Badgers offensive lineman Mark Tauscher weekdays from 9-11 on “Wilde & Tausch” on 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.

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