Packers broadcaster gives insight into current players, team
Terrell Boettcher
Sawyer County Record
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 11:03:01 AM
Former Green Bay Packers center and current radio and TV analyst Larry McCarren gave insights into Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and other Packers players and answered questions about the Packers’ future prospects in an appearance before a local audience last Thursday night.
McCarren was the guest speaker at the annual contractor party and exposition sponsored by Arrow Building Centers at the LCO Casino Convention Center.
He drew loud cheers when he asked “How many are happy that Brett Favre is returning for another season?”, then responded, “I am too. He’s the best football player I’ve ever seen, bar none. He’s a unique guy.”
McCarren said Favre goes hunting in every free moment he has during the football season. During the off-season, he loves golf. He also is “a crossword puzzle nut,” he said.
On plane flights, Favre “always wears the same outfit — flip-flops, shorts and a shirt like you find at Wal-Mart, three for $12,” he said.
McCarren said he is “personally against” the idea of trading for Randy Moss, because “attitudes are contagious. Who else plays bumper cars with metermaids and what kind of different duck would even think of mooning a crowd in a stadium?”
Some people have said that “Brett Favre will take care of Randy Moss, but if Favre retires after the end of the season, then who takes care of the Moss issue?” McCarren added.
Asked if “(backup quarterback) Aaron Rodgers ever will be The Man,” McCarren responded that from watching Rodgers day-to-day in practice, “I think he has the tools physically and mentally to warrant a legitimate shot at the job. Whether he’s capable of passing the test of time at that position, I don’t know. But from what I’ve seen — the arm, the way he handles himself, the intangibles, the gray matter — he deserves a shot at the job whenever that time comes.”
“If Brett wants to play 10 more years, let him play 10 more years,” McCarren added.
Asked if the Packers will have “a tight end who can catch the ball,” McCarren said Bubba Franks “had a bad year. He wasn’t getting used. They used him as a blocking back and it affected everything he did.”
During the upcoming NFL draft, “everybody is saying (the Packers need) a running back. We need offensive playmakers” this year, he said.
The backs on the Packers’ roster now “are good role players,” he said. “But I think (the Packers) need that one guy who can do it all.”
‘So lucky’
As for himself, McCarren said “I’ve been so lucky. I was a 12th round draft choice and I played in the NFL for 12 years and I got to the Pro Bowl twice. When I got out, I had virtually no employable skills. I got into TV and radio and that worked out.”
McCarren, the sports director for WFRV-TV in Green Bay, is the color analyst on Packers radio network broadcasts. He also produces a weekly TV show, “Larry McCarren’s Locker Room.” He was voted Wisconsin Sports Broadcaster of the Year three times.
A native of Park Forest, Ill., McCarren played football for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was an All-Big-10 player and captain of the team.
He was drafted by the Packers in 1973 and became the starting center in 1974. In 12 years with the Packers, he played 162 consecutive games (at one point the fourth-longest in Packers history) and acquired the nickname “Rock.” He was named to the Pro Bowl twice. In 1992, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.
After speaking, McCarren signed autographs, including a 1977 McCarren player card which was presented by a Hayward man who was attired in a Minnesota Vikings T-shirt.
.
Terrell Boettcher
Sawyer County Record
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 11:03:01 AM
Former Green Bay Packers center and current radio and TV analyst Larry McCarren gave insights into Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and other Packers players and answered questions about the Packers’ future prospects in an appearance before a local audience last Thursday night.
McCarren was the guest speaker at the annual contractor party and exposition sponsored by Arrow Building Centers at the LCO Casino Convention Center.
He drew loud cheers when he asked “How many are happy that Brett Favre is returning for another season?”, then responded, “I am too. He’s the best football player I’ve ever seen, bar none. He’s a unique guy.”
McCarren said Favre goes hunting in every free moment he has during the football season. During the off-season, he loves golf. He also is “a crossword puzzle nut,” he said.
On plane flights, Favre “always wears the same outfit — flip-flops, shorts and a shirt like you find at Wal-Mart, three for $12,” he said.
McCarren said he is “personally against” the idea of trading for Randy Moss, because “attitudes are contagious. Who else plays bumper cars with metermaids and what kind of different duck would even think of mooning a crowd in a stadium?”
Some people have said that “Brett Favre will take care of Randy Moss, but if Favre retires after the end of the season, then who takes care of the Moss issue?” McCarren added.
Asked if “(backup quarterback) Aaron Rodgers ever will be The Man,” McCarren responded that from watching Rodgers day-to-day in practice, “I think he has the tools physically and mentally to warrant a legitimate shot at the job. Whether he’s capable of passing the test of time at that position, I don’t know. But from what I’ve seen — the arm, the way he handles himself, the intangibles, the gray matter — he deserves a shot at the job whenever that time comes.”
“If Brett wants to play 10 more years, let him play 10 more years,” McCarren added.
Asked if the Packers will have “a tight end who can catch the ball,” McCarren said Bubba Franks “had a bad year. He wasn’t getting used. They used him as a blocking back and it affected everything he did.”
During the upcoming NFL draft, “everybody is saying (the Packers need) a running back. We need offensive playmakers” this year, he said.
The backs on the Packers’ roster now “are good role players,” he said. “But I think (the Packers) need that one guy who can do it all.”
‘So lucky’
As for himself, McCarren said “I’ve been so lucky. I was a 12th round draft choice and I played in the NFL for 12 years and I got to the Pro Bowl twice. When I got out, I had virtually no employable skills. I got into TV and radio and that worked out.”
McCarren, the sports director for WFRV-TV in Green Bay, is the color analyst on Packers radio network broadcasts. He also produces a weekly TV show, “Larry McCarren’s Locker Room.” He was voted Wisconsin Sports Broadcaster of the Year three times.
A native of Park Forest, Ill., McCarren played football for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was an All-Big-10 player and captain of the team.
He was drafted by the Packers in 1973 and became the starting center in 1974. In 12 years with the Packers, he played 162 consecutive games (at one point the fourth-longest in Packers history) and acquired the nickname “Rock.” He was named to the Pro Bowl twice. In 1992, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.
After speaking, McCarren signed autographs, including a 1977 McCarren player card which was presented by a Hayward man who was attired in a Minnesota Vikings T-shirt.
.
