Cullen Jenkins out for season

Not the news a shaky defensive line needs: defensive end Cullen Jenkins sustained a torn pectoral muscle attempting to sack Buccaneers' QB Bob Griese in last Sunday's game. He will have surgery and be placed on injured reserve, ending his playing season.

This is the second serious injury to defensive starters the Packers have sustained in the last two weeks. First, CB Al Harris sustained a serious spleen injury in the Dallas game; when he returns to play is anyone's guess. Now, Jenkins is done for the season.

GM Ted Thompson was counting on Jenkins to have a big year when he traded DT Corey Williams away. Packers injuries are starting to mount up, and we're only a quarter of the way into the season. Oy...

So this explains it
According to reports of an interview to air on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" tomorrow night, Tony Mandarich, the #2 overall pick in the 1989 draft taken -- how could we forget? -- by the Packers, says, "I got to the point where it was a struggle to work out three or four times a week because the priority of getting high was above the priority of working out.” To be fair, he says that that he didn't use steroids in the NFL (but did at Michigan State -- shocking, isn't it?) but was addicted to alcohol and painkillers in the NFL. Mandarich -- who went from The Incredible Hulk cover on Sports Illustrated to The Incredible Bust -- lasted just three years with the Packers.

Let's see, that was the draft in which the Packers' brain trust of GM Tom Bratz and head coach Lindy Infante took Mandarich ahead of Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, or Deion Sanders to name just those players picked immediately after Mandarich. Anyway, we have occasionally beat this Mandarich pick to death in prior posts so won't rehash all that here. That's ancient history. Especially when you have more current top-picks-who-like-sure-busts such as Justin Harrell to complain about.

More here and here on Mandarich's interview if you care to indulge.