Minicamp, GB Press Gazette

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Posted May 06, 2006

Chris Havel
Hawk is breath of fresh air on defense
It is a small thing, perhaps, but the kind of thing an astute veteran such as Al Harris tends to notice.

The big-time rookie with the small-town background was enthusiastic, inquisitive and attentive. He kept his eyes and his ears open and his mouth shut, except when he was asking for clarification about an aspect of first-year coordinator Bob Sanders’ defense.

Whether A.J. Hawk makes a lasting impact on the National Football League remains to be seen, but after Friday’s first offseason minicamp practice he made a strong first impression on his veteran teammates.

“The thing is, this young kid listens,” Harris said. “Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s coachable. He’s humble. He’s a good kid.”

Harris paused, and added, “It also looks like he’s going to be a pretty good player, too.”

A welcome addition

The Green Bay Packers have spent a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to know everything they can know about Hawk. It is why they selected the Ohio State linebacker with the fifth overall selection in last weekend’s draft.

After one day, it is interesting to note some of the things Hawk isn’t. He isn’t cocky. He isn’t a know-it-all. He isn’t a glory seeker. He isn’t a “meââ� �€šÂ¬Ã‚ guy.

Interestingly, he seems to be a lot like Abdul Hodge, the linebacker from Iowa whom the Packers selected in the third round. Physically, they hit like nose tackles, run like safeties and look like, well, a linebacker should look, which is to say strong and fast.

The linebacker corps no longer consists of Nick Barnett and not much else. Hawk, Hodge, Barnett, Brady Poppinga, Roy Manning and Ben Taylor give the unit a degree of professionalism and athleticism that’s been absent far too long.

A year ago, the Packers’ linebackers combined for just 4½ sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m not going to say we’re the best linebacker corps in the NFL,” Barnett said. “But we look good on paper. We’ve still got to get the scheme down, but give us some time and I think we can do some really good things.”

Coach Mike McCarthy agreed.

“Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve added a lot of talent to the position through the draft and free agency,” he said. “We have a good combination of young players and veterans. That’s a good group.”

Nickel will be key

How the defense’s nickel package holds up against the run is going to be a great barometer of the unit’s effectiveness. A lot of that success depends upon the performance of the nickel linebackers, Hawk and Barnett.

“Itââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s going to be a really important package,” Barnett said. “If you’ve got two guys that can play the nickel, you don’t have to go to the base (three linebackers) or dime (one linebacker) to defend the run or the pass.”

With a strong nickel package, a defense can do both without changing personnel, which tends to dictate and diminish what the offense can do.

I was curious to hear Hawk’s opinion on Day 1, but he wasn’t immediately available after Friday’s practice. Why? He was still lifting weights.

How refreshing.

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Notebook: Whitticker faces a battle to keep his job
By Rob Demovsky
PackersNews.com

Will Whitticker started all but two games last season at right guard, but it appears he will be in a dogfight just to win a roster spot this year.

The second-year pro who last season became the first rookie guard to start a season opener for the Green Bay Packers in 30 years opened Friday’s minicamp as a backup tackle who appears to be well down the depth chart.

The former seventh-round draft pick began practice at right tackle, then switched to left tackle after Adrian Klemm, filling in for injured starter Chad Clifton, left with an apparent knee injury.

The move suggests the Packers’ new coaching staff doesn’t view Whitticker as a long-term starter at guard, where he struggled last season.

“I know Whitticker has played guard in the past,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢re looking at him at tackle, primarily, and also as a guard.”

Whitticker played almost exclusively at guard in high school and college.

Asked what Whitticker has shown to make the Packers think he can play tackle, offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said: “I don’t know if he can. He’s got a long way to go.”

Whitticker isn’t the prototypical offensive lineman for the zone-blocking scheme Jagodzinski will run. At 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds, he’s bigger and not as agile.

As of the opening of minicamp, Whitticker was at least No. 4 on the depth chart at tackle and wouldn’t be the primary backup at either right or left tackle. Klemm, who also opened last season as a starting guard, is the top backup to Clifton and right tackle Mark Tauscher.

Jagodzinski opened practice with Klemm in place of Clifton at left tackle, rookie Daryn Colledge at left guard, Scott Wells at center, Junius Coston at right guard and Tauscher at right tackle.

The Packers drafted Colledge in the second round last weekend because they felt he could make the transition from tackle to guard. Both McCarthy and Jagodzinski have raved about Coston, a fifth-round draft pick last year, because they believe he’s a good fit for their zone-blocking scheme.

“In college, that’s all we did,” said Coston, who played center at North Carolina A&T. “It was all zone blocking. When they came in here, I understood the scheme right away. I’ve got a chance to go out there and start, whether it’s left guard or right guard.”

Overweight again: Kevin Barry’s bid for a starting spot on the offensive line might again be stymied by a weight problem. An unhappy coaching staff put Barry behind Coston at right guard during Friday’s practice.

The Packers were hoping Barry would make a run at a starting spot, but he probably isn’t in good enough shape to do so. Barry said he weighed 341 pounds on Friday morning and needs to lose 15 or 20 pounds.

“I would think so,” Jagodzinski said. “He knows where he needs to be. There is no gray area in that. None.”

First day: Friday was a day that McCarthy has prepared for all of his coaching life. It was his first opportunity to stand in front of an NFL team as its head coach.

He said he spent hours refining his first speech to the team.

“I found myself trying to delete things because you have so much to say,” McCarthy said shortly after his first practice. “When you do deliver your message, you need to cut the fat out. You can only say so much in your first meeting. That was my focus this morning.”

The coaching staff spent Friday teaching the players how practices will be run under McCarthy.

“All we’re doing right now is teaching what we want as far as practice tempo and as far as the general scheme,” Jagodzinski said. “By the end of the weekend, we want to give the guys an idea of what it’s supposed to look like.”

Injury report: Safety Marquand Manuel, who signed a five-year, $10 million contract in March to leave the Seattle Seahawks, didn’t practice Friday and probably won’t be ready to work out until June.

He is recovering from a groin injury sustained in the Super Bowl. Manuel said doctors have told him it would take six to 12 weeks to recover from the injury. The Super Bowl was on Feb. 5, almost 13 weeks ago.

Mark Roman, a regular starter the last two seasons, continued to work with the No. 1 defense, but Manuel is expected to replace Roman eventually.

Others who missed practice: cornerback Jason Horton (shoulder), running back Ahman Green (knee), safety Jeremy Thornburg (shoulder), running back Chaz Williams (ankle), running back Najeh Davenport (ankle), linebacker Brady Poppinga (knee), linebacker Kurt Campbell (knee) and defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (ankle).

McCarthy said Green and Davenport aren’t likely to practice until training camp.

Jolly, a sixth-round draft pick last weekend, said he should know by the end of the weekend whether he’ll need surgery to remove bone chips from an ankle.

Cornerback Ahmad Carroll dropped out of practice with an ankle injury but said he expects to practice today.

Odds and ends: McCarthy praised receiver Greg Jennings, a second-round draft pick, for his route running and one specific play during a 7-on-7 drill.

“He had bump-and-run (coverage) and we refer to the technique as a speed route, where he has to adjust his route and drop his weight and cross the face of the (defensive back),” McCarthy said. “I almost had to look and check his number because I thought it was Donald (Driver). He just came snapping out of it and caught the ball in stride and turned it right up.”

• The Packers signed four more undrafted free agents: receiver Calvin Russell of Tuskegee, safety Tra Boger of Tulane, running back Shermar Bracey of Arkansas State and linebacker Tim Goodwell of Memphis.

• Three players were in for tryouts: fullback Ben Brown of Tabor College, linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann of Stanford and guard LeQualan McDonald of Baylor.

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Team harbors no ill will toward Favre
New Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy, left, and quarterback Brett Favre share a laugh during the first day of minicamp inside the Don Hutson Center. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette

By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com

When quarterback Brett Favre wondered out loud this offseason whether General Manager Ted Thompson had done enough to upgrade the Green Bay Packers’ talent, he in effect was criticizing not only management but his teammates.

Justified or not, such public comments could turn some teammates against a starting quarterback.

But for several possible reasons, Favre’s questioning of the team’s talent doesn’t appear to have cost him much, if any, standing with his teammates as the Packers gathered Friday afternoon at the Don Hutson Center for their first minicamp practice of 2006.

Perhaps Favre has given enough to the team and teammates over the years that many colleagues won’t hold against him any honest concerns he expresses.

Perhaps some players agree with him.

And very likely others, even if they felt insulted, never would publicly rebuke a popular future Hall of Famer who’s the face of the franchise and the team’s unquestioned leader.

“I don’t want to say I agree or disagree with that,” cornerback Jason Horton said of Favre’s concerns about the Packers’ talent level. “I just say our record speaks for itself. We were 4-12. Whether it was personnel or coaching or whatever, we went 4-12.”

Favre hasn’t spoken publicly since telling Thompson on April 25 that he’s coming back for at least one more season. Favre is scheduled to have a press conference today, shortly after the morning practice.

Favre’s indecision about retiring was the major story around the team during the offseason.

His biggest reason for considering retirement was fear he’d endure another season like last year, when the team’s offensive talent was wrecked by injuries to halfback Ahman Green and receiver Javon Walker, among others. Favre threw 29 interceptions, and the Packers finished 4-12.

“If you take (Favre’s concerns) the wrong way, he’s probably talking about you,” cornerback Al Harris said.

Defensive end Mike Montgomery, a second-year pro, said: “I tried to come into this minicamp and step up my play. Try to be a better player for me and a better asset for this team, when you hear a remark like (Favre’s).� �¢â‚¬Â

Favre almost surely will have two new guards this season — second-year pro Junius Coston and second-round draft pick Daryn Colledge are the early front-runners.

But the Packers traded the disgruntled Walker, their best young player.

Favre arrived in Green Bay on Wednesday, and after undergoing a physical on Thursday, he met with McCarthy for about 2 hours. The two last met face-to-face in late January, when McCarthy took a side trip from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., to visit Favre in Mississippi.

“We talked about plays, we talked about the direction the program’s going,” McCarthy said. “We talked about what’s going to be asked of him at the quarterback positions, specifics of what we’re going to be doing on offense. A lot of language conversation — ‘We used to call it this, in ’99 we called it that, and now we’re calling it something else.’ Talked a lot about progress, how things have evolved, and where we’re going and why.

“As you know, when you sit down with Brett, it’s a long conversation. After 2 hours, he came out of there and said that I talked a lot, and I felt like I couldn’t get a word in. It was a very healthy conversation.”

Last year, former coach Mike Sherman allowed Favre to skip the offseason minicamps to stay in Mississippi to work with a personal trainer and to stay with his wife, Deanna, who was recuperating from treatment for breast cancer.

But when Favre last week committed to playing his 16th NFL season, it was with the understanding that he’d attend a good portion of minicamps and other offseason practices to learn McCarthy’s version of the West Coast offense.

This minicamp ends Sunday. McCarthy will conduct his second minicamp from May 19 to May 21. Then he will have 14 days of organized team activities from May 31 to June 21.

McCarthy said he and Favre haven’t worked out the quarterback’s schedule, though McCarthy suggested he’d give Favre and perhaps a few other veterans occasional days off because of the simplified approach he’s taking to his first season as coach.

McCarthy is using this minicamp to install the foundation of his offense — the plays predominantly used on first and second downs. The second minicamp will repeat the first minicamp, with some third-down plays added. The offense will be expanded at some of the June workouts, but there also will be occasional reviews of the first two minicamps.

“Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s 36. We need to be smart as an organization with him,” McCarthy said of Favre. “(Occasional time off) also gives our younger players an opportunity there, so we’re going to find kind of a happy medium.”

McCarthy and Favre talked occasionally during Friday’s practice and have the advantage of having spent hours together in 1999, when McCarthy was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach under coach Ray Rhodes.

McCarthy said he sensed déjàvu while watching Favre’s sometimes unorthodox throwing mechanics on Friday.

“Just some of the things he does fundamentally,” McCarthy said. “Some of the things you shake your head at, and some of the things you’re glad he’s your quarterback. Probably a lot more of those.”

Favre appears to be in good physical condition. His physique looked the same as last season, and though McCarthy didn’t say what Favre weighed, he characterized it as “a good number.”

“I think he has a good mind-set. I think he’s eager,” McCarthy said. “Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s going to be challenged mentally — he hasn’t been challenged in a while — because we have changed the offense. I think that’s healthy.”

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Still in school, Hawk to miss the next camp
By Mike Vandermause
mvanderm@greenbaypressgazette.com

Green Bay Packers first-round draft choice A.J. Hawk will have to make the most of his practice time at this weekend’s minicamp because he won’t return until the second week of June.

Hawk said he will miss the Packers’ next minicamp May 19-21 because he will be attending classes at Ohio State. His final exam is June 9, meaning he will miss at least six of the Packers’ organized team activities that begin May 31 and end June 21.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll definitely be on the phone with some guys and the coaches to make sure I know what I missed,” Hawk said. “I need to get a good base and a good feel for the defense, especially since I won’t be back for the next minicamp.”

Hawk, a linebacker who was the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft a week ago, worked with the Packers’ first-string defense in Friday afternoon’s minicamp practice.

“I want to get a good feel for the defense and make sure I feel comfortable so I can run around and just play and not be thinking out there,” he said.

The 6-foot-1, 246-pound Hawk was the last player in the locker room early Friday evening.

“I enjoy working out after practice,” he said. “A couple of linebackers wanted to watch the practice film and we needed to. I definitely needed to watch my mistakes so I don’t make the same (ones today).”

Hawk said he had no plans to unwind Friday night.

“Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢re putting some more defense in (today),” he said. “All the rookies have to get in their playbook and make sure we know what’s going on.”

Hawk said he’s found a house to buy and will move to the Green Bay area next month.

“When I get done with my last final June 9, I’ll drive up here and be living up here for good,” he said.

Asked whether he’s mingled with Packers fans yet, Hawk replied: “Just a few that hang out outside the fence, and they’ve been really nice so far. I like that because, obviously, some fans can be negative, and they’re all positive here and welcoming me to Green Bay and (have) really been great to me. So like I said, I love it here.”

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Driver: Don’t call me Walker
By Rob Demovsky
PackersNews.com

Donald Driver wasn’t supposed to be here, remember? He was supposed to be another malcontent Green Bay Packers receiver who either wanted to be traded or released.

Not so says Driver, who after the opening of minicamp on Friday said that although he’d love a raise and a contract extension, he isn’t prepared to go to such lengths to get that, despite reports this offseason that he would pull a Javon Walker.

Driver’s agent, Jordan Woy, has said he has spoken to the Packers about a contract extension for his client but has refused to elaborate on the nature of those conversations. Throughout the offseason, Woy also refused to say whether Driver would go to the lengths that Walker did to get what he wanted.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m not that type of guy,” Driver said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m here, and I’m happy. I never said that.”

With the discontented Walker out of the picture following his draft-day trade to Denver for a second-round pick, Driver is the unquestioned No. 1 receiver — a role he played for the final 15½ games last season after Walker was lost for the year due to a knee injury in the regular-season opener at Detroit.

Driver caught a career-high 86 passes last season for 1,221 yards and five touchdowns. It was the third time in the last four years he recorded more than 1,000 yards receiving and it was his second straight 80-catch season. He has two years remaining on the contract he signed during his breakout season of 2002 and is scheduled to be paid $1.36 million this season and $1.84 million in 2007. Those figures are well below what most No. 1 receivers make.

When asked if he believes a guy who caught 80-plus passes the last two seasons should be making more than that, Driver quickly replied: “Yeah.âà ¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚

Then he added: “I have two years left on my deal, and you’ve just got to play. You honor it and see what happens. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be making more? But the biggest thing with me is I have a family to take care of, and I can’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

The Packers don’t typically renegotiate a contract until the player is in the final year of the deal.

Also, Driver turned 31 on Feb. 2, and skill-position players – even those in tip-top shape like Driver – can decline quickly.

But Driver insisted on Friday that he feels like he’s 27 or 28 because his first three years he was a backup who never caught more than 21 passes in a single season.

“I was behind Antonio (Freeman) for so long that I didn’t take a beating,” Driver said. “I got maybe 10 plays a game.”

Driver said he thinks he has “four or five more good (years)” left in him.

“That would be great if he does,” offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. “I hope he does have that many left in him. He’s the kind of quality guy you love to have in your organization.”

Some NFL scouts don’t view Driver as a legitimate No. 1 receiver and probably would rate the Packers’ top four receivers (Driver, the underachieving Robert Ferguson and journeymen veterans Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter) at or near the bottom of the league in terms of overall talent and depth, but Driver said he believes the Packers have enough firepower even without Walker.

“I didn’t have Javon last year and still had a great season,” Driver said. “Me and Robert were talking. Now that Javon is gone, we have to make a stand. He has to prove that he is a top receiver like he’s been trying to do for years. I told him if he stays healthy, he’ll be a top receiver. His goal this year is to prove everyone wrong.”

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Woodson brings hope to Packers’ secondary
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
PackersNews.com

Al Harris overheard the question and couldn’t contain his excitement.

Charles Woodson was standing at his locker and holding court with a group of reporters when Harris overheard a question about what it would be like for the two cornerbacks to play together.

“Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢re going to be bad as (expletive),” Harris said with a huge grin. “Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢re going to get things done.”

Harris has good reason to be excited. When the Green Bay Packers signed Woodson to a contract earlier this week that averages around $6 million per year over the first three seasons, the Packers dramatically improved their defense.

The Packers led the NFL last season in passing defense, but if the team had one hole that needed filling, it was to find a cornerback who was capable of playing alongside Harris. Since the Packers traded Mike McKenzie to the New Orleans Saints early in the 2004 season, Harris has had to shoulder a heavy load in Green Bay’s secondary.

This is where Woodson, 29, steps in.

“Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢re going to have a lot of fun. There’s going to be a lot of celebrating on our side of the ball,” Woodson said. “Teams aren’t going to want to throw it at me. Teams aren’t going to want to throw it at Al. They’ve got to throw it somewhere and when they do, one of us is going to be very happy.”

When Ahmad Carroll lined up at left cornerback, Harris would see precious few passes thrown in his direction. Teams overwhelmingly favored attacking the inexperienced Carroll rather than going after a veteran like Harris. With Woodson’s help in the secondary, Harris said he knows that will no longer be the case.

“Naturally, they’re going to have to pick and choose about where they throw the ball,” Harris said. “I think we’re going to work really well together. I really do.”

Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said he thinks the addition of Woodson gives the Packers an immediate upgrade in the secondary.

“Any time you add a quality player like that, it’s going to make a difference,” Sanders said. “It gives you a lot of flexibility when you have two veterans like Al and Charles back there. It will help the entire defense.”

While the Packers’ secondary showed a dramatic improvement last season, it continued to struggle with interceptions. The Packers tied for the fewest in the NFL with eight in 2004 and managed only 10 last season.

“Thatâ� �‚¬â„¢s going to change,” Woodson said. “We had similar problems in Oakland, but I’m healthy now, and as long as I’m healthy, I feel like I’m one of the best corners in this league.”

From 1998 to 2001, Woodson was selected to the Pro Bowl after each of his first four seasons. Since 2002, keeping Woodson healthy has been no small task. Woodson missed eight games in 2002 with a broken right shoulder and a cracked right fibula. In 2004, he missed the last three games with a hip injury. Last season, he missed 10 games after breaking a leg.

Despite all of the injuries, Woodson said he’s feeling great and is ready to go.

“I was cleared the last game of the season. I took a physical out there in Oakland and the X-rays showed that the bone had healed completely,” he said. “I started working out as soon as I got back to Atlanta in the offseason.”

When he was working out in Atlanta, Woodson frequently encountered Carroll. Carroll said the two spoke often. He said he was excited when the Packers signed Woodson, even though it meant he would lose his starting job.

“He actually told me he was going to sign with the Packers. I found out from him before I heard it from anyone else,” Carroll said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m excited. He was one of my favorite players growing up. I used to wear his jersey when I was in high school.”

While Carroll appears to have lost his starting job, he thinks the addition of Woodson will help him in the long run.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m only 22 and I have a chance to learn from two great players like Al and Charles,” Carroll said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m not worried about anything. It’s a good move for this team.”

Woodson chose the Packers over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and admitted he had given little thought to playing in Green Bay before the Packers contacted his agent.

“I definitely never thought I would ever play in Green Bay,” Woodson said. “I had a good visit here. It felt like they really wanted me here. That was important to me.”

During his first practice as a member of the Packers, Woodson intercepted a pass, which gave Packers coach Mike McCarthy reason to be excited and optimistic.

“Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s everything we thought he was,” McCarthy said. “Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s jumped right in. I think our style of play on defense fits him and I’m obviously happy he’s here.”

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Charles Woodson

These guys are bad


Charles Woodson at minicamp By: Steve Lawrence
, steve_lawrence_packers@yahoo.com
Date: May 6, 2006

If Charles Woodson performs like he did during Friday's minicamp opener, then the Packers will have the start of something special at cornerback, PackerReport.com's Steve Lawrence says

Bad is good, and what's been down should go up.
That's Al Harris' breakdown of the Green Bay Packers' new and presumably improved secondary.

"We're going to bad as (expletive)," an excited Harris offered when his new best friend and fellow starting cornerback, Charles Woodson, was posed a question by the media horde after the first day of minicamp on Friday.

To be sure, Woodson has the big name but Harris brings the bigger game. Harris, perhaps the most unappreciated cornerback in the league, is the Packers' No. 1 cover man.

Woodson comes to Green Bay with a Heisman Trophy and an eye-popping salary considering his recent history and Ted Thompson's free-agent stubbornness. He also comes to Green Bay with something to prove.

First, there's the small matter of Woodson's legacy. The fourth pick in the 1998 draft, Woodson earned trips to the Pro Bowl his first four seasons. As good as those four seasons were, his last four have been just as disappointing. He has 17 career interceptions, but just six in his last four seasons. He’s missed 22 games over the past three seasons, including 10 last season after breaking a leg. If recent history repeats itself, it will be Exhibit A in why Thompson deplores high-stakes free agency.

Second, there’s the large matter of Woodson’s large contract. He signed a $52.7 million, seven-year contract last month. That’s big-time coin, which demands big-time production.

And that’s exactly what Woodson intends to provide.

"We're going to have a lot of fun. There's going to be a lot of celebrating on our side of the ball," said Woodson, who was talking about causing turnovers but might as well have been talking about the team reaction to not having Ahmad Carroll in the starting lineup anymore. "Teams aren't going to want to throw it at me. Teams aren't going to want to throw it at Al. They've got to throw it somewhere, and when they do, one of us is going to be very happy."

Woodson flashed his considerable skills Friday, stepping in front of an errant pass to make a stumbling interception. It was an indelible impression on the first day of minicamp, and quite the opposite of a practice last season when Carroll was pulled to the sideline because he couldn’t cover anyone without grabbing.

Woodson said he would have had two interceptions had he not slipped on the Don Hudson Center’s FieldTurf. Either way, for a team that picked off eight passes in 2004 and 10 last season — Carroll had about that many penalties in his first two seasons — Woodson made a bold opening statement.

“Thatâ� �‚¬â„¢s going to change,” Woodson said.

The Packers are hoping so. They aren’t paying Woodson all that money just to eliminate Carroll’s penalties. The Packers led the league in pass defense last season and finished seventh in total defense, but with an offense with more questions than answers, the Packers need the defense to provide short fields and ample scoring opportunities.

"We're going to make things happen,” Harris said.

If they do, and if linebackers A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge join Nick Barnett to form a menacing linebacking corps, then the Packers will have a chance to win ugly.

In which case bad is good, up is down and ugly is downright beautiful.

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Players work on their form on the blocking sled.

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Green Bay's top draft pick, A.J. Hawk


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From left, quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, and quarterbacks Brett Favre



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Packers head coach Mike McCarthy

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Cornerback Mike Hawkins leaps to make a catch during a drill.

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Packers: Green show off a little
JASON WILDE 608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - It was next to nothing - light running, calisthenics and stretching at a minicamp practice - but Ahman Green did it. And the Green Bay Packers former Pro Bowl halfback, who is recovering from a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his right leg suffered Oct. 23, enjoyed every minute of it.

"I'm feeling good. I'm more than halfway there," Green said of his comeback. "I just have to be patient."

Green said while he's come close to sprinting full-speed "a couple times" during his rehab, he won't be full-go until "the latter part" of training camp.

With No. 2 halfback Najeh Davenport (broken leg) also limited to light work during this minicamp, the May 19 to 21 minicamp and the June organized team activity (OTA) workouts, Samkon Gado got most of the work at halfback Friday.•

Line dancing With left tackle Chad Clifton (knee, ankle) sitting out the minicamp, the Packers started practice with Mark Tauscher at right tackle, Junius Coston at right guard, Scott Wells at center, rookie Daryn Colledge at left guard and Adrian Klemm at left tackle. Then Klemm went down with a twisted knee in individual drills, forcing guard Will Whitticker to play left tackle.

While coach Mike McCarthy said the coaches are "looking at him as a tackle primarily," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said the move was only because of Klemm's injury. •

In the fold The team announced the signing of 12 undrafted rookie free agents: Tuskegee wide receiver Calvin Russell; Texas-El Paso wide receiver Chris Francies; Tulane safety Tra Boger; Kentucky running back Arliss Beach; North Dakota State fullback A.J. Cooper; Arkansas State running back Shermar Bracey; Memphis linebacker Tim Goodwell; Black Hills (Neb.) State tight end Zac Alcorn; Louisiana Tech linebacker Byron Santiago; Appalachian State defensive end Jason Hunter; Baylor defensive end Montez Murphy; and Grand Valley (Mich.) State offensive tackle Josh Bourke.

The team also had three players in for tryouts - Tabor (Kan.) College fullback Ben Brown, Stanford linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann and Baylor offensive lineman LeQualan McDonald. •

Extra points First-round pick A.J. Hawk said he will miss the next minicamp and several of the OTA workouts because of Ohio State's academic schedule.... Cornerback Ahmad Carroll limped off with a foot injury late in practice but said he was OK afterward. ... Free-agent signee Marquand Manuel is being held out of minicamp because of the groin injury he suffered in Super Bowl XL. ... Also sitting out with injuries are defensive backs Jason Horton and Jeremy Thornburg, running back Chaz Williams, linebackers Brady Poppinga and Kurt Campbell, and defensive linemen Tim McGill, Johnny Jolly, Donell Washington and Kenny Peterson.

[RashanGary]

Thanks alot mot...

[RashanGary]

This is always the time of year that I get excited but damn that defense looks tough.

I think with Favre on offense they are always a threat to score at least 2 times per game and with a defense that has no glaring weaknesses and a couple true playmakers it looks as though we would win 10 or more games in a low scoring manner.

This team is much improved. If the O-line and Greg Jennings turn it up and become legit, this team will be very, very strong. The special teams should be, well, special with all the athletic, passionate youth.

[RashanGary]

A.J. being humble just might rub off on Carroll....

nah......

[Scott Campbell]

A.J. being humble just might rub off on Carroll....

nah......


I think getting demoted to nickel back will do that all by itself.