The Packers Have Another Chance to "Run the Table" in 2017

The 2017 NFL season has been, without a doubt, bizarre, unusual, and one of the strangest in some time. There have been plot twists left and right. Fans have witnessed the largest number of “major injuries” occurring in one season, mostly falling upon key players. This is an ominous record, possibly the highest number in league history. Now, Packers fans will witness the return of Aaron Rodgers. Ticket King has asked T.J. Bryce to make sense of all of this.

The football universe works in strange ways, doesn’t it? We can’t say that anyone really wanted “A-Rod” to go down early in the season, with little hope of his return. True fans never wanted Aaron Rodgers to break his collarbone, so the stage could be set for his triumphant return. But everyone can agree that it took quite a bit to get where the team is now, and he's coming back on Sunday. The Packers back-up quarterback engineered two overtime wins against two of the league’s worst teams this season. With just over fifteen minutes on the clock, Hundley helped to stage a stunning come back victory against the Cleveland Browns. When the Packers went down 21-7 late in third quarter on Sunday, most fans thought “That’s it, the Packers will be sitting at home in January for the first time since the George W. Bush Administration.” But then, something snapped, and the team decided not to go down without a fight. Out of nowhere, Brett Hundley morphed into his best version of Aaron Rodgers. For the last 25 minutes of that game, Hundley made one perfect decision after another, and that game tying touchdown toss to Davante Adams was a big time play that had been absent since Rodgers went down in “Minny.” Suddenly, the Browns (who spent the entire game not to being the Browns,) decided to "be the Browns" once again. On top of that, Trevor Davis decided this was the perfect time to make the biggest play of his career. DeShone Kizer also decided that, in overtime, at home, with a great chance at their first victory of the season, would be the perfect moment to make the dumbest decision an NFL quarterback has made in recent memory. Following the Kizer jump ball, the Packers got the ball back in prime position. Just moments later, Adams caught a bubble screen pass, shook off a tackle, ran into the end-zone, and kept running all the way up the tunnel. To the Packers critics that have been saying, "Why were the Packers celebrating? They just needed a stunning comeback to beat the worst team in the league?" My reply would be just four words: "Aaron Rodgers is back."

When arguably, the best quarterback in the league broke his collarbone, Brett Hundley had one job to do, and that was to keep hope alive, just in case there was way that  Rodgers could return this season. Hundley did that, just barely. When Adams sprinted into the tunnel on Sunday, Hundley slammed his helmet down, and ran up the sideline in great jubilation. Why? Because he probably realized he had just done his job. In my opinion, it took more than Hundley winning a few games to set the stage. NFC playoff contenders above the Packers have suddenly started to come back down to earth. The Saints have a lost a couple, so have the Falcons, and the Seahawks lost at home to the Jaguars. The Rams just lost two of three as well. All of those contenders have tough games ahead, many games against each other, which might just cancel half of them out. But wait, there’s more. The Vikings runaway freight train ran out of steam on Sunday in Carolina. On top of that, Carson Wentz is the latest star to fall victim to the injury bug this season. There is real no clear-cut favorite in the NFC any longer. A Wild Card team could win three road games quite easily in January, and walk into U.S. Bank Stadium for Super Bowl 52.

Now here comes Aaron Rodgers. With the return of his “Aaronness,” the Packers are now the most dangerous team in the NFC. With Rodgers, the Packers could very well win seven straight games (six on the road,) and bring the Lombardi Trophy home. This is probably not what other NFC teams wanted to see, but that’s football. Late afternoon last Sunday, the Packers were done, and then the Browns decided to be the Browns. Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers have a chance to come back to life. A few things have to go their way, but remember, this team won it all as a Wild Card pick back in 2010. The rest of the league might have to pay for the Cleveland Browns’ mistake. Don’t get the parade ready for Lombardi Avenue just yet, but we just might see a party in the streets of Green Bay at the end of this bizarre season.  

Packers Tickets | Buy - Sell - Upgrade | Ticket King Green Bay

It's that time of the year. Green Bay Packers tickets have hit the mailboxes of season ticket holders, and that means we're shipping seats to our customers! Once the NFL schedule is released, Ticket King begins working with season ticket holders. After all, that's the only way to get Packers tickets. From there, we pass them on to fans in the resale market. Looking for seats? We have you covered. Are you looking to sell or upgrade your tickets? We can do that too.

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Ticket King Green Bay opened back in 1997.  Our company started back in 1992 in Milwaukee, and the demand for our services just two hours north could not be ignored! We purchased an old doughnut shop, located just south of the Don Hutson Center, on Oneida Street. (Yes, it smelled like doughnuts when we renovated that space.) We wanted to be part of the Green Bay community, and the fans welcomed us with open arms. With parking, tailgate, and game tickets, Ticket King Green Bay can be a busy place on game day. 

So give us a call, and we'll take care of you. (800)992-7328 is our toll free number. We'll make an offer on your tickets, or get you into the game in 2017. Don't forget, we have drive through service! Roll up to our office, and we will hand you your ticket order. See you in Green Bay. 

Packers Training Camp 2017 | Ticket King Green Bay

This was “move in week” for Packers players at St. Norbert College, which means training camp is underway for the Green Bay Packers. Like most teams, they have some questions to answer in camp.

How will Brett Hundley look in year three? In the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft, the Packers selected quarterback Brett Hundley from UCLA. Hundley is one of the most unique quarterback prospects in recent memory. The Packers have gone to great lengths to correct the most glaring issues Hundley brought to Green Bay. How will he look in year three? If he plays well when called up, and that means in training camp too, he could fetch multiple draft choices next offseason from a quarterback hungry team.

How will the running backs line up behind Ty Montgomery? The Packers have needed to inject new life into the running back unit for a while now. It looks like mission accomplished. Gone is Eddie Lacy, and an enigma known as James Starks. In comes Ty Montgomery, who was moved into the position during the season last year and played well. Behind Montgomery, we five rookies competing for the next spot. It’s three draft choices, and two high quality undrafted free agents. Draft choices Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, and Devante Mays will get first priority, but that doesn't mean much here. William Stanback and Kalif Phillips, two good undrafted free agents, have just as good of a shot to make this roster as the others. This will be the best competition in camp.

How about the wide receiver position? The Green Bay Packers entered the offseason with the deepest collection of receivers in the league. We know that Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Geronimo Allison (Who, by the way is going to sit out week one for drug issues,) will make this team. Who comes up after that four? Five guys, Jeff Janis, Trevor Davis, Max McCaffrey, Malachi Dupree, and DeAngelo Yancey will all be competing for essentially two spots.

How will the new tight ends look? The Packers are once again starting to take the tight end position seriously. After signing Jared Cook last offseason, he played well down the stretch, but was asking for too much money this offseason. The Packers dropped Cook and signed Martellus Bennett. A day later, Thompson went back into free agency and grabbed another tight end, Lance Kendricks, mostly for some depth at that position.

What about a rebuilt secondary, you ask? The Packers secondary got torched in 2016, especially the corners. To fix this, we have the top two draft choices from 2015, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins returning to full health. In addition, the Packers released the often-injured Sam Shields, and replaced him with Davon House. They also added the mega-talented Kevin King from Washington in the draft. Will the secondary improve in 2017? Well, that can’t get much worse.  

Will Brett Favre Return to the Packers Organization? | Ticket King Green Bay

For football writers, June and July is a time of great speculation, as well as some crazy predictions. If there's nothing to write about, sometimes a football writer will come up with their own crazy topic, just to get the fans talking. Sometimes though, a unique situation arises where they get some hard news to report. In this case, Packers legendary quarterback Brett Farve is returning to Green Bay to receive a “Distinguished Service Award” at the De Pere Rotary Club, which of course will be recognizing Brett Favre for his career achievements. In addition, Favre has also said recently that he would “never say never” to an official return to the Packers organization in some capacity. Let's focus on the second of those two stories.

If you've been hiding under a rock for the last decade, the story between Favre and the Packers took many strange, surprising, and sometimes ugly turns. Of course, there was Favre and his retirement waffling, back and forth. Then there was Favre wanting to stick it to the Packers by playing for the Vikings. That has been discussed in great detail over the years, plus we all know how that turned out. For a while there was a standoff between the two sides, before Packers President Mark Murphy reached out to Favre and mended fences a couple of years back. Now apparently there is mutual interest between the two sides to possibly see Favre return to the organization in an “advisory” role. Perhaps the role would be more symbolic than anything else. 

This seems to be a trend these days, rewarding athletes, by organizations, for their past accomplishments. Heck, some organizations are retiring numbers left and right. What happens when they run out of numbers though? Just a thought. I understand why this would appeal to some fans as it's nice to see their past heroes reunite with the teams they cheer for in symbolic public appearances. However, there are also a large number of fans who find these symbolic gestures to be both smoke and mirrors, and a waste of time. Some don't see what great meaning it would be to have the Packers organization roll out the red carpet, once again. The Packers have retired his number, they have mended fences, what's done is done. One quick thing to point out here, is that Favre never actually issued, or gave, a public apology for his actions. For a lot fans, that is not sitting well with them, so that should come into play with the Packers decision here as well. The Packers need to be careful as to how much they get involved here going forward with Favre.

As far as what it would mean for Favre, the organization, and the fans? Not as much as some people think. This is one of the best run organizations in professional sports. This organization has made it very clear over the last 20 years or so that they are not going to cling to aging athletes, no matter how great they once were. We saw that with Darren Sharper. We saw that with Favre and we saw that with Ahman Green. We saw that with Greg Jennings and we saw that with Donald Driver (If he did not retire that offseason, they were going to release him). The Packers are not going to bring Favre in like some other teams would, and hand him some level of control over the organization, nor will they give him a front office position. He will have very little influence as well. Just because a guy was a great player, does not mean he would be a great coach, or front office executive. Only time will prove Favre’s worth. Otherwise, this idea will just be considered to be another superficial gesture. 

2017 Packers Roster of Second Year Players | Ticket King Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers are going through summer workouts getting ready for 2017. We've heard about what rookies need to step up and where, now let's take a look at some second year players that need to do the same.

Geronimo Allison/WR- This was the signature Ted Thompson undrafted free agent gold mine of 2017. Allison is tall, has nice smooth long running strides, and has all the skills you like in a wide receiver. He had a bad 40 time, which is why he went undrafted. Boo hoo. Allison needs to build on his 2017 performance and give Aaron Rodgers options besides Jordy Nelson, who could literally break in half at any moment at this point, and Davante Adams.

Kenny Clark/DT- The Packers 2016 first round draft choice had a quiet but decent 2016 season. Especially with the suspension and probable release of Letroy Guion, Clark needs to take over in the middle, and he needs to do it now.

Joe Callahan/QB- Another Ted Thompson undrafted free agent, Callahan throughout the summer and subsequent training camp a year ago that he belongs on an NFL roster. This one may seem odd, but if the Packers are going to trade Brett Hundley at the end of the season, they need to feel comfortable handing the backup job over to Callahan, so he needs to have another good summer and training camp.

Trevor Davis/WR- The Packers selected this speed demon from California in round five a year ago. Davis started the year as the punt returner, but fumble issues cost him the job, and he got buried on the depth chart as well. He needs to fix those issues, and take over both return roles in 2017.

Kyler Fackrell/OLB- The Packers have a lot of outside linebackers, which is why they fell comfortable with moving Clay Matthews inside on so many plays. They did let Julius Peppers walk in the off season, and Fackrell needs to step up, take Peppers spot in the rotation, and keep the line moving.

Blake Martinez/ILB- The Packers have drafted a few inside linebackers over the last couple of years in the mid-rounds, hoping that one of them steps up and becomes the thumper this defense has been missing since Desmond Bishop's career-ending injury five years ago. Martinez needs to step up and become that thumper.

Christian Ringo/DE/DT- The Packers need the rest of that front line to remain healthy following the Guion suspension. Ringo is one of those players who needs to step up and play well.

Jason Spriggs/OT/OG- The Packers drafted Spriggs out of Indiana in round two a year ago. First they released Josh Sitton at the end of training camp last year, and then they let T.J. Lang walk at the end of the season. Spriggs needs to take over at one of the guard spots.

Who Backs Up Aaron Rodgers? | Ticket King Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers

Packers fans might argue that Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league, maybe in league history. Some might look to that “fairly competent” quarterback in New England, but this post is about “A-Rod.” Although we fans hope that Rodgers will continue playing for years,  star quarterbacks need backups. Here are some of the men who have called themselves a backup quarterback to Aaron Rodgers over the years.

Brian Brohm- In 2008, as Aaron Rodgers went into his first off season preparing for the Packers staring quarterback job, Ted Thompson drafted not one, but two quarterbacks. The first was in round two, when he selected Brian Brohm out of Louisville. In fact, there were some at the time who thought that Brohm would eventually end up as the Packers long term solution. Yeah, that didn't happen. Brohm was released by the end of his second season, and signed a contract with the Bills. After washing out of Buffalo he bounced around the Canadian Football League before retiring in 2015. Brohm is now the offensive coordinator of the Purdue Boilermakers.

Matt Flynn- The second of those two draft choices is the most famous Rodgers backup to date. The Packers took Flynn in round seven in 2008. In limited play with the Packers, Flynn showed a lot of promise, and in the 2012 off season signed a big free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He was released at the end of the season, and signed with the Raiders to begin the following season. After being released, signing with Buffalo, and being released again, Flynn came home to Green Bay, where he immediately stepped in and started in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers, doing just enough to keep the Packers afloat until Rodgers returned, including one of the most incredible comebacks in sports history in Dallas. Rodgers returned in week 17, and with the Packers season on the line, delivered “4th and Great.”

Graham Harrell- Maybe the most criticized Rodgers backup to date, Harrell was signed as a street free agent in 2010. Harrell never got his feet on the ground, and was released at the end of training camp in 2013. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green.

Seneca Wallace- His time with the Packers was short and forgotten. He signed at the end of training camp in 2013 as a favor to Mike Holmgren and Ted Thomson even though he wanted to retire. He took over on Monday night in Chicago when Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, and the next week lasted all of six plays before getting knocked out of the game. Truth be told, I think they made up his season ending IR injury because he just flat out didn't want to be there, and it showed.  

Scott Tolzien- This former Badger was on Ted Thompson's radar for a long time before Thompson finally got his hands on him as a street free agent following the end of NFL training camp in 2013. He started a couple of games for the Packers when Rodgers broke his collarbone, and he showed a lot of promise, but he just wasn't ready yet. Fast forward two years, and he looked like a much different quarterback. He currently backs up Andrew Luck in Indianapolis.

Brett Hundley- This is the most talented Rodgers backup to date. Hundley at one time was considered to be a number one overall draft choice in the making. During his time at UCLA, he showed it to. For two and a half quarters, he played like a number one overall draft choice. However, one little thing went wrong, and next thing you know he turned the ball over four times in 12 minutes. It appears the Packers have corrected these mental issues, and they are going to fetch a hefty ransom for him via trade next off season

Billy Joel Green Bay Tickets | Ticket King Inc.

Billy Joel will perform at Lambeau Field on June 17th. Fans of his music and the Green Bay Packers will find it quite enjoyable to be sitting at one of the most amazing places in football, but watching "The Piano Man" pound away on the keys. Since Lambeau Field is "technically" the largest venue in Wisconsin, there will be seats that seem quite far from the stage, but music fans won't mind. They just want to be part of the experience. Looking for Billy Joel Green Bay tickets? We have you covered.

Billy Joel 2017 Tour

Joel has never played in Green Bay. This tour includes just eight stadium shows and it's the only NFL venue on the list. It takes three days of preparations for the show, at any stop that involves stadium seating. The Packers organization will work hard to get the field back into shape for "Family Night." Joel will be performing roughly 30 songs over 2.5 hours. Ticket holders can expect to hear some very rare songs, as well as his pop music hits. What does Billy Joel do in his spare time? Over the years, he's invested in a motorcycle company, and boat manufacturing.

Packers Pre Draft Update | Ticket King Green Bay

Released Players:

The Packers have released three players this off-season. Back in February they released former ace cover man Sam Shields. This was the obvious move if Shields did not retire because after his fourth concussion, and second in nine months, there is no doctor on this planet who will ever clear Sam Shields to play football again. If they do, they should have their medical license taken away. Shields should retire now, before he loses any of his retirement benefits. Also, they released former Super Bowl hero running back James Starks. It was obvious in 2016 Starks has lost his skills and can't play anymore. This was an easy decision.  Also, earlier this month the Packers released cornerback Makinton Dorleant after an off-season arrest.

Un-signed Players:

This off-season, Ted Thompson chose to let five players of note walk. Safety Micah Hyde, outside linebacker Julius Peppers, tight end Jared Cook, interior lineman J.C. Tretter, and running back Eddie Lacy. The most surprising of this group is Micah Hyde, who signed with the Bills. I believe Thompson made a mistake here. Hyde has been a standout punt returner, covers tight ends and running backs, and does all the dirty work that nobody else wants to do. They should have been willing to open up the checkbook a little for him. The other three were expected. Tretter signed with the Browns, Peppers signed with the Panthers, Cooked signed with the Raiders, and Lacy signed a weight-incentive deal with the Seahawks where he has to weigh in seven times between now and the start of the season.

Re-signed Players:

Ted Thompson did re-sign quite a few players. The most notable was outside linebacker Nick Perry. His contract may seem large, but if you look at the market for pass rushers, they got Perry on the cheap. Good deal for the team. They also re-signed punter Jacob Schum, who got better as the season dragged along. They also re-signed veteran backup Don Barclay, a good choice due to his versatility and experience. They also re-signed running back Christine Michael. Give him a full off-season with the Packers and he should be much better in 2017.

Signed Free Agents:

This off-season, Ted Thompson did something very "un-Ted Thompson-like." He went outside of the organization and opened up the checkbook. The most notable of these was tight end Martellus Bennett. After Cook was asking for too much money all morning, Thompson hung up the phone, and signed Martellus Bennett away from the Patriots to replace Cook. Bennett may actually fit better in the offense. After that he signed another tight end to fill out the depth chart, Lance Kendricks. He went back to free agency again five days later, bringing Devon House back to Green Bay. The Packers needed a veteran corner in free agency, and brought a familiar face back home. Before leaving for Jacksonville, House excelled in Dom Capers system. House is still only 27, and hopefully he learned his lesson this time. Eight days later, Thompson went back to the free agent well one more time, adding some depth up-front in defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois. If he can find some motivation, he is a great fit in this defense.

Resch Center Tickets for 2017 Concerts | Ticket King Green Bay

The Resch Center in Green Bay plays host to some great concerts in 2017. It all starts in just two weeks. The final show of the season will be in late October. Ticket King Green Bay has great seats to all shows. 

First up on April 19^th is a three act show and if you like classic rock this is the show for you- Def Leppard, Poison, and Tesla. Def Leppard, the legendary rock band formed in Sheffield, England in 1977 is still going solid to this day. They are on tour, promoting their most recent album from 2015 which carries their name as its title.

Also on the card is Poison. This event is called a “co-headline” bill, so each performance will feature plenty of music for each fan base. Poison was formed in the 1980's, and features Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall and C.C. Deville. The third act on the card is another band that formed in the 1980's. Tesla will open the night with their own brand of rock and roll. The show begins at 7 p.m.

The next show will take place on April 29^th, and will also be a three act country show- Jason Aldean, Chris Young, and Kane Brown. The other two acts on the card are Chris Young and Kane Brown. Kane Brown is very new to the scene and looking for opportunities to get his name out there.

There are two more events scheduled for later in the year. On August 9^th there will be an “I Love The 90's” show, featuring TLC, Biz Markie, All-4-One, and Mark McGrath. On October 27^th, two country music legends, Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack will appear together. Tickets for all the events listed are on sale today.  

Lions 2017 Mock Draft | Ticket King Green Bay

As we continue our tour through our first edition mock drafts of the NFC North, our final stop is the Detroit Lions. This team is looking for corner backs, wide receivers, and offensive lineman.

Round 1: Ryan Ramczyk/OT/Wisconsin- The Lions need to fix this offensive line. Bad. The departure of Riley Rieff makes the situation even more dire. Ryan Ramczyk, this year's feature offensive lineman from Wisconsin, will go a long way to fixing that.

Round 2: Dion Dawkins/OG/Temple- Yes, the Lions offensive line is that bad that they need to spend their first two draft choices on it. Dawkins, the big interior lineman from Temple, will start day one.

Round 3: Cameron Sutton/CB/Tennessee- Next up for the Lions is the fix this terrible secondary. Sutton is yet another potential ace cover man in a draft that is loaded with them. He is a little undersized, but a tough customer.

Round 4: Isaiah Ford/WR/Virginia Tech- The Lions could also use another target for Matthew Stafford out of this draft. Ford isn't the most physically gifted wide receiver, but he works hard underneath coverage and could be outstanding in this big play offensive at moving the chains.

Round 5: Corn Elder/CB/Miami(FL)- The Lions really do need cornerbacks, bad. They have been getting torched by Aaron Rodgers for far too long. Elder could be outstanding on special teams and as a dime corner in the slot, as long has he has help over the top.

Round 6A: Matthew Dayes/RB/North Carolina State- At 5'9”, 205 pounds, Dayes is a tough bowling ball between the tackles, very much like Maurice Jones-Drew used to be for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dayes could get alot of carries early, and who know from there.

Round 6B: Eric Saubert/TE/Drake- This small school project from Drake University, Eric Saubert, has prototypical size for an NFL tight end, and could be a great compliment to Eric Ebron in this offense.

Round 7: Jeremiah Ledbetter/DT/DE/Arkansas- Late in this draft like this, you are looking for bench players and guys who can be good rotational players. Ledbetter can play inside on passing downs our outside on rushing downs. He’s a good guy off the bench to have.