From JSO:
Beat up after Thursday's game against the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers got some good news on the injury front as free safety Nick Collins, tight end Bubba Franks and cornerback Will Blackmon returned to practice Sunday.
Collins has missed the past three wweeks with a knee injury. Franks has been out since being injured against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 14, and Blackmon hasn't practiced since the end of September.
Paint coach Mike McCarthy happy to see some players coming back from injury instead of heading out.
"Absolutely," McCarthy said. "You'd like to have everybody, but it is very good timing."
National Football League rules dictate that the Packers don't have to file an injury report until Tuesday. And McCarthy was very tight-lipped about his team's health.
But cornerback Charles Woodson (toe), defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (right knee, ankle) and defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (shoulder) did not attend practice. And safety Aaron Rouse (knee) and right tackle Mark Tauscher (ankle) only watched for a brief time before leaving to receive treatment.
Of the returning players, Collins was the most active, as he went through agility drills and then took reps with the first team.
Aside from Woodson, Collins' status could be the most critical, because if Rouse can't play, Charlie Peprah would be the lone reserve at safety. To that end, the Packers re-signed Marviel Underwood, who was cut midway through training camp because of a knee injury, to the active roster and instantly got him acclimated to the special teams.
To make room for Underwood, defensive tackle Colin Cole was placed on injured reserve after he suffered a broken left forearm against the Lions.
Rouse, a rookie third-round pick, said he would be "fine" to play Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys, but was otherwise guarded about his condition. He had interceptions in each of the past two games while filling in for Collins.
When asked if Underwood's signing was an indication that Rouse's knee injury was worse than originally thought, McCarthy said, "We don't know yet. We're just protecting ourselves."
Collins, who had started the first 40 games of his career before being injured against Kansas City, said he would like to return for the Cowboys game.
"I'm very encouraged," Collins said. "The knee feels great. I was just getting back in the flow of things. I wasn't trying to push the issue out there. I was just trying to get in the flow, make sure I've got the right calls. Just showing the guys that I'm able to go back out there and do my job again.
"In my mind, I thought I'd be out there last week. But right now, yes, I say I'll be out there on Thursday."
Collins also praised Rouse for his play. At the same time, Collins seemed to signal that he was ready to resume his starting role.
"He did a great job," Collins said. "He played outstanding for the three weeks that he started. He handled the job real well."
Franks caught passes during practice, but didn't appear to have his quickness back yet. With Donald Lee playing at a high level and reserve Ryan Krause proving an able fill-in, the Packers could wait until the 10-day layoff after the Cowboys game to bring Franks back.
Blackmon had little trouble returning punts. He was also an interested party as to how the cornerbacks were defending the Cowboy receivers during the jog-throughs early in practice.
But when McCarthy was asked about having Blackmon and Collins back at practice, McCarthy only said that, "Nick has a chance (to play)."
Tauscher also sat out much of practice last week before playing against the Lions, and the same should hold true this week.
If Woodson can't play, Jarrett Bush would take his spot at cornerback and Frank Walker would be the nickel back.
Hope this all pans out, we need all the help we can get, even Bubba
