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Primary Mark<br />
VETERANS<br />
JASON<br />
SPITZ<br />
CENTER/GUARD<br />
LOUISVILLE<br />
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 307<br />
Fourth <strong>NFL</strong> Season<br />
Fourth Packers Season<br />
Born: December 19, 1982<br />
<strong>NFL</strong> Gm. Played/Started: 44/41<br />
Acquired: D3b-06<br />
PRO<br />
career<br />
Enters his fourth season<br />
as one of the most<br />
consistent and versatile<br />
performers on the offensive line…Will <strong>com</strong>pete for starting<br />
center position with incumbent Scott Wells after seeing<br />
time primarily at right guard during his first three seasons…Started<br />
all 16 games for the first<br />
time in his career in ’08, joining linemate<br />
Daryn Colledge as the only players on offense<br />
to take every snap on the season…<br />
His versatility has been evidenced by starting at both guard<br />
positions and center during his career…Of his 41 career<br />
starts, he has opened 29 games at RG, six at LG and six<br />
at C…Has battled some injuries through his first three<br />
seasons, but has missed only four games…Known for his<br />
toughness and a nasty streak that belies his good nature<br />
and sense of humor often on display off the field…Named<br />
a starter prior to his first <strong>NFL</strong> training camp after being<br />
the second of the Packers’ two selections in third round<br />
(75th overall) in 2006…A four-year starter at Louisville,<br />
started the final 38 games of his college career at guard<br />
and earned postseason honors his final three seasons…<br />
Because of size and body frame, was thought by some<br />
scouts to be a better prospect at center in the <strong>NFL</strong>…As a<br />
senior, played at Louisville when two 2008 Green Bay draft<br />
picks were sophomores, quarterback Brian Brohm (second<br />
round) and fellow offensive lineman Breno Gia<strong>com</strong>ini (fifth<br />
round)…Proved his strength at the <strong>NFL</strong> scouting <strong>com</strong>bine,<br />
bench pressing 225 pounds 25 times and squatting 585<br />
pounds, reminiscent of his high school days as a <strong>com</strong>petitive<br />
weightlifter, when he won a Florida state championship<br />
as a senior with a 425 bench press and 650 squat.<br />
2008 season<br />
Started all 16 games for the first<br />
time in his career, opening up at<br />
RG for 11, C for three and LG for two…Was one of only<br />
two players, along with Colledge, to start at three different<br />
spots on the offensive line…Blocked for Grant’s careerhigh<br />
1,203 rushing yards, which ranks as the seventhhighest<br />
single-season rushing mark in franchise history…<br />
Vs. Minnesota (Sept. 8): Started first of three straight<br />
games at C with Wells sidelined with a trunk injury, and<br />
provided key block of LB E.J. Henderson on Grant’s 57-<br />
yard run in the fourth quarter…At Tampa Bay (Sept.<br />
28): Returned to RG spot with Wells back in the starting<br />
lineup…At Tennessee (Nov. 2): Shifted over to start at<br />
LG with Colledge moving to LT in place of Chad Clifton (illness)…Vs.<br />
Chicago (Nov. 16): Part of line that paved<br />
the way for team’s 200 rushing yards, including seasonbest<br />
145 from Grant. Line did not allow a sack or pressure<br />
of Aaron Rodgers all afternoon…Vs. Detroit (Dec. 30):<br />
Started at LG as Colledge shifted over to RT and Josh Sitton<br />
opened at RG. Shifted to C in second quarter when Wells<br />
left with an ankle injury, and remained there for the rest of<br />
the game. Blocked for Packers’ season-high 211 rushing<br />
yards, including 106 each from Grant and DeShawn Wynn,<br />
only the second time since 1985 that a Packers tandem<br />
each posted 100-plus yards in the same game.<br />
2007<br />
►►Was one of only two players on<br />
offense (Daryn Colledge) to take<br />
every snap in 2008, and also<br />
joined Colledge as the only linemen<br />
to start at three different<br />
spots on the season.<br />
►►Blocked for QB Aaron Rodgers<br />
(4,038 passing yards) and RB at a glance…<br />
Ryan Grant (1,203 rushing yards)<br />
in ’08, the first time in franchise history that the Packers had<br />
a 4,000-yard passer and a 1,200-yard rusher in the same<br />
season.<br />
►►Has battled injuries during his career, but has missed just<br />
four games in three seasons.<br />
►►Started at both guard positions at Louisville, but was thought<br />
by some scouts to have better long-term pro prospects at<br />
center because of size and body frame.<br />
►►Overcame knee injury as redshirt freshman and started final<br />
38 games of college career, earning postseason honors in<br />
final three seasons.<br />
►►Won a state championship as a <strong>com</strong>petitive weightlifter at<br />
The Bolles High School in Jacksonville, Fla.<br />
►►At Bolles, football coach was Corky Rodgers, who also<br />
coached former Packers’ running back and current RB coach<br />
Edgar Bennett at Robert E. Lee High, also in Jacksonville, Fla.<br />
LG…Started both playoff games at RG…Active, but did<br />
not play, vs. San Diego (Sept. 23) and at Minnesota (Sept.<br />
30)…Suffered a calf injury in the third preseason game<br />
and missed the finale, returning to practice for Week 1…<br />
Vs. Philadelphia (Sept. 9): Started season opener at<br />
RG, but aggravated calf injury late in the third quarter and<br />
did not return…Vs. Chicago (Oct. 7): Took over for<br />
Wells at C late in the third quarter when Wells left the game<br />
after being poked in the eye (injury later diagnosed as a<br />
broken bone in his eye socket)…Vs. Washington (Oct.<br />
14): Made his first career start at C, and became the eighth<br />
center to start during Brett Favre’s consecutive gamesplayed<br />
streak…Vs. Minnesota (Nov. 11): Started at<br />
RG, and helped the Packers amass a season-high 488<br />
yards…At Dallas (Nov. 29): Started at RG, but took<br />
over Colledge’s LG spot in the second quarter (coach’s<br />
decision), with Junius Coston filling in at RG…Vs. Oakland<br />
(Dec. 9): Started at LG, and helped offense rack up<br />
455 yards…Vs. Detroit (Dec. 30): Returned to starting<br />
RG spot and helped the team rush for season-high 217<br />
yards…Vs. Seattle (Jan. 12): Started at RG in Divisional<br />
playoff, and was part of a line that assisted Grant to 201<br />
yards and three TDs, both club playoff records.<br />
2006<br />
Played in 14 games, with 13 starts, and was inactive<br />
for two contests…Despite a painful thigh<br />
injury that sidelined him during Weeks 2-3, and a Week 5<br />
throat injury that landed him in the hospital, still played<br />
932 of the Packers’ 1,117 offensive snaps (83.4 percent)…<br />
Opened the season as the starting LG, but played most of<br />
the campaign at RG after fellow rookie Colledge reclaimed<br />
the LG position…Vs. Chicago (Sept. 10): Started at<br />
LG in his <strong>NFL</strong> debut, but sustained a right thigh bruise and<br />
missed the next two contests…At Philadelphia (Oct.<br />
2): Played as a backup, receiving most of the second-half<br />
Played in 14 of 16 regular-season games with snaps at RG…Vs. St. Louis (Oct. 8): Regained his<br />
12 starts: seven at RG, three at C and two at starting job, but began the day with an upset stomach and<br />
233 25<br />
ADMIN. &<br />
DRAFT &<br />
COMMUNITY COACHES SPITZ FREE AGENTS<br />
2008 REVIEW HISTORY<br />
RECORDS &<br />
LAMBEAU<br />
FIELD<br />
MISC.
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