GREEN BAY, Wis.
. -- Graham Harrell finally showed why the Green Bay Packers believed
he could be Aaron Rodgers primary backup.
Brushing off a shaky preseason, Harrell drove the offence for touchdowns
on all three of his possessions and the Packers beat the Kansas City
Chiefs 24-3 Thursday night.
Harrell completed 13 of 15 passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns in
both teams final preseason tuneup.
"It was just doing what weve done all year, just more consistently,"
Harrell said. "When things are going well, I think all of the guys start
to feel it -- you get some momentum, you get more emotion -- and I
thought the tempo was up just a little bit. When things are going well,
you kind of start rolling."
Harrells play has been scrutinized by fans and the media, and Packers
coach Mike McCarthy said handling that was part of his maturation
process.
"We talk about it all the time: Its nice when people say nice things
about you and its not so nice when they dont," McCarthy said. "And its
one extreme to the other, particularly at that position. Thats part of
the deal. I think he handled it very well."
But with the final round of roster decisions looming Friday, McCarthy
stopped short of making a definitive declaration when asked if he was
comfortable going into the season with Harrell as the backup.
"I think he definitely grew through the preseason, topped it off with an
excellent performance tonight," McCarthy said. "But were not going to
make any roster selections here tonight."
Second-year running back Alex Green had touchdowns rushing and
receiving, and Jarrett Boykin caught a touchdown for the Packers.
Rookie running back Nate Eachus had 21 carries for 99 yards and the
Chiefs rushed for 247 yards.
"It was effective, I thought," coach Romeo Crennel said of the Chiefs
running game. "I wanted to reinforce what happened in practice. It was
successful in the game, so that was good."
Peyton Hillis had 46 yards on six carries, and said the offensive line
showed improvement from last week.
"It was a great job up front," Hillis said. "Thats where we found the
holes. I think as far as coming out and trying to work the running game
and try to get that accomplished, I believe we did that."
Defensive tackle B.J. Raji appeared to hurt his left ankle on the
Packers first defensive play, but was able to walk off the field without
assistance. Raji did not return to the game, but McCarthy said he wasnt
particularly concerned about the injury.
Cornerback Sam Shields had an interception for the Packers.
The two teams had a combined total of 22 penalties, but it seemed an
indication of sloppy play rather than mistakes by the replacement
officiating crew.
Chiefs starting quarterback Matt Cassel came out of the game a few plays
into their second possession. Brady Quinn was 6 of 12 for 83 yards with
an interception, while Ricky Stanzi and Alex Tanney struggled to move
the ball.
Crennel said Quinn was "decent," with room for improvement.
"Hes my second quarterback, so Im going to ask him to step up like I
would ask anyone else to step up," Crennel said.
The Chiefs put together several long drives in the first half, but had
only a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Succop to show for it.
After Rodgers played the first two series, Harrell took over early in
the second quarter.
He seemed to gain confidence after Jermichael Finley made an acrobatic
catch for a 27-yard gain. Harrell found Tori Gurley wide open for a
54-yard gain on the next play and Green ran in for a 2-yard touchdown
two plays later for a 7-3 lead.
Harrell and the Packers got the ball back at their 7-yard line on the
next series and Harrell drove them downfield, eventually throwing a pass
to Green for a 17-yard touchdown.
After halftime, Harrell put together another steady drive, eventually
finding Boykin again for a 12-yard touchdown.
Harrell, a former standout at Texas Tech, came into camp as the Packers
main backup after Matt Flynn signed a free agent deal with Seattle.
Coming into Thursday, Harrell had completed 50.8 per cent of his passes
with a touchdown and two interceptions. However, Harrell has been
playing with a second-string offence that has struggled to give him any
help, especially in pass protection. He was sacked five times in the
first three games.
Now he hopes he has sealed his spot on the roster.
"I want to play as long as they let me," Harrell said. "It was fun
tonight, and I love the game. I get to play a game as a professional
right now. As long as they let me do that, Ill do it."
Notes: DB Charles Woodson, C Jeff Saturday and WR Donald Driver were
among the players who did not dress for the Packers. ... Kansas Citys
Patrick DiMarco blocked a punt in the third quarter, but Packers rookie S
Jerron McMillian picked it up and ran for a first down. ... Succop
missed a 54-yard field goal.
.
The Mets said Monday in a release that surgery is a possibility for the
lefty specialist. Byrdak leads the league with 56 appearances and 2-2
4.40 ERA in 30 2-3 innings. Byrdak has not pitched since Wednesday, when
he complained of shoulder soreness.
. We want to reward the best teams from Matchday 1, while also keeping
in mind the teams that they are and what they should become. . 8.
For Andy Murray, its No. 1 -- and the first for a British man since 1938. .
He scored twice and had an assist in the Prince Albert Raiders 5-3 win over the Kootenay Ice in Western Hockey League play.
. Louis Cardinals.
The Astros received Greene on Thursday for a player to be named or cash
considerations.LONDON - FIFA has imposed a two-match ban on Colombia
player Lady Andrade after U.S. forward Abby Wambach said she was
"sucker-punched" by her opponent in an Olympic Games soccer match.
FIFA says its disciplinary committee suspended Andrade for a group match
against France on Tuesday, and for the quarterfinals if Colombia
advaances. .
Wambach said she was hit in the right eye by Andrade in the 39th minute of a 3-0 win over Colombia on Saturday.
After the game, Wambach called for FIFA to take action, while Andrade said it was "an accident."
The U.S. team did not file a formal complaint against Andrade, but it did contact FIFA.
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