Latest news with #GreenBay
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Keisean Nixon keeps defying the odds, looks to hit new heights at outside corner in 2025
Keisean Nixon's journey has been something to behold. A former undrafted free agent who spent three years with the Raiders, playing just 274 snaps of defense before being picked up by the Packers on a veteran minimum deal, he has continued to defy the odds and carve out a role. First as a kick returner, Nixon was a surprising sensation, earning All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2023. But his ascent to becoming a staple of Green Bay's defense has been even more impressive. Nixon has taken every opportunity he has been given since signing with the Packers and ran with it. As GM Brian Gutekunst put it: 'Any time we've given Keisean any different role, whether it's as a kick returner, whether it was on defense, he's answered the bell and been really productive for us." There have been multiple times when it would have been easy to assume Nixon had hit his peak, but he keeps finding another level. Now in his fourth year with the Packers, Nixon is slated to be a starting outside cornerback in 2025 after making the transition from the slot position during last season. The numbers back up the consistent progress he has made as a pro. Nixon has improved as a corner in almost every 'under the hood' statistical category year on year, earning and making the most of his increased snap count from scrimmage. Nixon's athletic profile would appear to project better on the boundary than inside, as he has plenty of speed to run with receivers but lacks the wiggle to avoid them shaking him in situations where they have more space to work with, like in the slot. Nixon improved in the slot as time went on, but was a better perimeter corner in 2024 than he was inside. He averaged a 63.8 PFF grade when playing the majority of his snaps outside as opposed to 58 in the slot. While neither of those numbers are extraordinary, and no one would mistake Nixon for an elite corner, he also showed real progress the more he was allowed to play as an outside corner, posting a 67.6 grade in the final six games in which he played primarily on the boundary. He was still never allowed to fully commit to the task of playing on the perimeter last season though, often splitting time during games or being asked to move back to the slot based on what the team needed. With some experience under his belt, and his sole attention now on the outside, Nixon feels he can hit the ground running in 2025. He told the Green Bay media: 'Second year naturally playing corner, I'm just more comfortable now and I don't really have to worry about going inside, outside, I can just focus on one position now and it's going really good for me. 'Now I know who I'm going to guard coming into the game and I can just lock in on my technique and my mindset's just a little different. I can really use my athletic ability and just get better." The signs from early training camp practices have been very encouraging, as Nixon has rarely been beaten. Even when he gave up a reception to first-round rookie Matthew Golden on Monday, the receiver had to pull off an incredible catch over Nixon, who was in tight coverage. Nixon has made a routine of being the first player out to the practice field, and is clearly a respected figure within the organization. Gutekunst was full of praise for him when speaking to the media Tuesday. He said: 'When we brought him in we knew he could play nickel and obviously the special teams stuff, and then when he got his opportunities outside he just kept making plays. He was comfortable out there, he made good decisions, and was physical in the run game. 'I'm excited to see as he continues to gain more experience outside what he does for us." Head coach Matt LaFleur said of Nixon: 'I love how he competes. I got a lot of confidence in Keisean and it all starts with the mindset to go out there and compete." On locker cleanout day at the end of the 2024 season, Nixon said he was focused on becoming 'CB1' going forward. It was easy to scoff at that notion, but given how Nixon has time and time again gone above and beyond what his ceiling was previously perceived to be, betting against him to hit new heights in 2025 may be ill-advised.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel reflects on his mentors while working with Omarr Norman-Lott
At Monday's training camp press conference, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel shares his thoughts on rookie teammate Omarr Norman-Lott and his mentors at the start of his career. "I mean, I had great vets in Green Bay. (former LB) Clay Matthews (former DE), Julius Peppers (former DT), B.J. Raji, but as you know, being a big help to my career, and Nick Perry (former DE). Those guys, you know they were at the top of their game. Clay Matthews in commercials," said Pennel, "A lot of those guys were Hall of Fame type guys with Julius Peppers and Clay. They really took me under their wing. They didn't really take me as an undrafted free agent; they would let me work with them outside of the facility. Tell me how to win, how not to do things and it was just easy. I really appreciate those guys. I stay in contact with those guys now so it's awesome." Pennel, entering his 12th NFL season, played a key part in Kansas City's victories in Super Bowl LIV and LVIII, and is expected to play a rotational role on the Chiefs' defensive line next season. He has taken on the role as a mentor for the Chiefs' second-round draft pick. "It's really good. You know, he (Omarr Norman-Lott) is going to progress as he is coming in – he attacks it (practice) every day like a pro," said Pennel, "He has great explosiveness, good hands, he's a natural rusher. So now it's just you know, learning that first year about everything coming at you, learning what the offense's tendencies are and him and Ashton (Gillotte), they're absorbing it real well, so I'm excited." Last season at Tennessee, Norman-Lott played in all 13 games, finishing with 18 tackles and four sacks.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Green Bay Southwest has a new logo. Here's the 60-year old inspiration for the Trojans' new colors
Going into next school year, Green Bay Southwest High School merchandise will sport a shiny new logo — inspired by a yellow-paged time capsule. Southwest's official old logo, a white "Trojan" soldier outline over a gray "S" and navy blue square, is no more after the Green Bay School Board approved a new logo on July 28. "Official" carries a lot of weight there: there's several different versions of the logo across the building, Southwest principal Michael Whisler said. As the district sets off on its high school continuous improvement plan, which includes a proposal to change school start times in 2026, Whisler wanted consistency. Southwest had been working on its vision and mission this past year, and it lined up, he said. He worked alongside the district's communications team to adapt its logo, using Southwest's history as a guide. "We're just recommitting ourselves to what we want to be as the school, and what we want for our kids," Whisler said. How did Southwest come up with its new logo? To set up Southwest's new logo, Whisler and the communications team looked to the past — all the way back to the 1960s, when Southwest opened for students grades seven through 12. At that point, the school was still settling on its identity, which also meant its logo and mascot were up for debate. Fun fact: the reason Southwest's students are called Trojans is because the school held a contest to name the mascot, and a University of Southern California Trojans fan won. The district also looked to the logo's original colors, which were changed in the 2000s, Whisler said. The new logo brings back the school's royal blue, which Whisler said will also be easier to match to uniforms and other products. The blue now outlines the white "Trojan" soldier and same gray "S," cutting the dark blue box. What did Southwest students say? The team also asked students about their perspective. They agreed that the blue box was an issue, Whisler said — the box is part of the logo's trademark, which means it has to be included as part of the official logo. They also supported the new blue. Staff and families also gave positive feedback, Whisler said. Where can I see Southwest's new logo? Overall, the transition to the new logo will be gradual. Southwest won't replace every logo in its building now that the new version's been approved; instead, as things are replaced, they'll have the new logo rather than the old. Now that the logo's been approved, the district will start the process of trademarking it. Once that change is made, the district will start selling apparel with the new logo. A trademark prevents external vendors from selling school-specific merchandise, district legal counsel Melissa Thiel Collar said. Still, there's one place you'll be able to see Southwest's new logo soon: the school's basketball court, which is currently being installed. Workers were waiting for the logo to be approved to put down the lines, Whisler said. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Southwest has a new logo. The inspiration? Its 1965 students Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Idea for Green Bay-sponsored Zillow or Apartments.com goes to City Council after unanimous committee endorsement
Green Bay's Protection and Policy Committee's members gave their unanimous endorsement on July 28 to an idea that was marketed as a win-win-win for renters, landlords and the city. The idea was this: an online rental marketplace, like Zillow or but it's Green Bay-only and city-sponsored. The city-branded website would be built by City Wise, a Milwaukee-based software and consulting firm led by co-founders Jeremy Schmidt and Dominic Anzalone. The co-founders marketed the Green Bay project as a step toward alleviating the ever-present housing crisis. It would be built at no cost to the city, according to the preliminary agreement, and funded only by a maximum $500 monthly fee paid by landlords who list more than 20 apartments per building, the co-founders said. All other properties of "small" or government-sponsored landlords would be listed for free. The result, the co-founders said, was what they've seen across the 10 Wisconsin municipalities that've already contracted for and implemented their own city-specific rental websites since City Wise rolled out its services in October 2024. Landlords offering affordable housing options who had been put off by steep fees of private rental websites turned instead to the city website, attracted by the free listings and the city's large brand name. Renters, then, found more options compared to other rental websites ― double, sometimes triple the number of listing compared to Zillow or Anzalone said. The city, in turn, could collect more data on the kinds of rentals people were looking for the most, including duplexes and single-family homes, Schmidt said, which would inform policies that could address the housing crisis. For Green Bay, the co-founders believed they could quadruple the inventory on a city-sponsored rental site compared to And to prevent fraudulent listings, no landlord would be allowed to post without City Wise approval, Anzalone said. "The main benefit here ... is to the renter, you know, not necessarily the landlord as much," Anzalone said. "The problem we're trying to solve for if that if you're a middle-income family and you to go to a platform to find affordable housing in Green Bay, it's probably not there." Anzalone and Schmidt had tried this model once before with universities, called College Pads. It grew into a national business doing rental websites for institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Texas-Austin. They'd sold it several years ago, the co-founders said, to shift their customer to cities through City Wise. Council member Melinda Eck, who doesn't sit on the committee but was in the audience, had a concern that if not all landlords were willing to list on the website, the website's functionality wouldn't be as useful as proposed. Anzalone gave a guarantee that he said he'd given to every other city. City Wise could convince nine out of 10 landlords to use the site, he said. Otherwise, the $500 monthly fee would be reduced to a price that large landlords would be happy with. And following final approval of the three-year agreement by the City Council on Aug. 5, City Wise would begin the process of reaching out to every landlord to get them on board, Anzalone said. "It's up to the property groups if they want to participate or not, of course ... but we have never failed yet in getting landlords to engage in any of the universities we've done, in any of the cities we've done," Anzalone said. "We will get the majority of renters to use it, so the value proposition to landlord is really good to be a part of this." Cheryl Renier-Wigg gave the idea "two thumbs up" as the head of the city's Department of Community and Economic Development. The committee members were similarly on board. "I think this'll be great also when we do have a new development come in," said council member William Morgan, who sits on the committee, "and people coming in who don't want it in their backyard, they'll say, 'We have plenty of rentals.' Well, we can go to City Wise and see that it's not as much as you think." Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@ This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay-sponsored Zillow to help renters find housing Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers seek diversified attack in training camp
The Green Bay Packers hope their defense will play a role in that eventuality, but they know their offense will have to.
