Harrell Ready For Early Action and Other Notes

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Harrell in line for early action

First-round draft pick Justin Harrell played with the second and third units in the Packers' first two preseason games. His first action in the regular rotation could come Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"He'll be in there pretty early in the game," defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn said Tuesday.

Harrell, who missed most of his senior season at Tennessee because of a ruptured biceps tendon, has a sack and has assisted on three tackles in the preseason. But so far, he hasn't broken into the four-man rotation of Ryan Pickett, Corey Williams, Colin Cole and Johnny Jolly.

Williams is expected to get part of his work Thursday at end, where he played six snaps last week after Michael Montgomery left with a knee injury. That would free up some snaps at tackle for Harrell.

-- Tom Pelissero, tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com

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THIS WAS FROM YESTERDAY


CB Walker looks impressive; Favre airs it out

Quick hits from today's practice:

-- CB Frank Walker, who is fighting for a roster spot, looked impressive in picking off a pass intended for Chris Francies. Walker essentially stole the ball from the receiver. Then in a 7-on-7 drill, Walker batted a Brett Favre pass away from James Jones in the end zone.

-- Favre still proved that he can air it out. Working with the No. 1 offense, he heaved a bomb, estimated at approximately 60 yards in the air, to Donald Driver, who promptly dropped the pass.

-- Colin Cole lined up with the No. 1 defense at tackle alongside Ryan Pickett.

-- Johnny Jolly picked off a screen pass thrown by Paul Thompson at the line of scrimmage. There was some question as to whether Jolly trapped the ball -- Thompson was motioning that it was an incomplete pass, but Jolly seemed to indicate he caught the ball cleanly.

-- Rookie David Clowney, another player fighting for a job, did himself no favors when a Thompson pass bounced off his hands during a 7-on-7 drill.

Filed by Mike Vandermause, mvandermause@greenbaypressgazette.com

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Vernand Morency insisted he wasn't sprinting, but the injured running back appeared to be moving well when he jokingly chased a teammate across the field at the Don Hutson Centeron Tuesday.

After practice, coach Mike McCarthy said he thinks Morency, out since July 28 with a knee injury, will "definitely be ready for Philadelphia" in the regular-season opener Sept. 9.

"Whether he goes against Tennessee (in the preseason finale Aug. 30) is something we'll look at in the middle of the week," McCarthy said. "I'm very hopeful that he'll be close for that game."

Morency was the Packers’ starter-by-default at running back before he strained the patellar tendon in his right knee during the first practice of training camp.

"We're still doing the same old, same old," Morency said of his rehabilitation. "Just trying to get out there as soon as possible."

P.J. Pope has been out since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 5, while rookie DeShawn Wynn hasn't practiced since suffering a quadriceps injury Aug. 7. Herron and rookies Brandon Jackson and Corey White will be the only healthy halfbacks on the roster for the third straight game Thursday.

-- Tom Pelissero, tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com

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Thumbs up

Don't write off defensive end Jason Hunter just yet.


Seemingly a forgotten man in the jumbled group of defensive linemen, Hunter might be back in the mix now that Michael Montgomery is out at least a month due to a knee injury.


Hunter played only 37 snaps on defense all of last season and seemed like the odd man out after Cullen Jenkins moved to defensive end late last season.


However, Hunter has remained a mainstay on several special teams units. On Tuesday, Hunter lined up with the No. 1 group on the punt team, kickoff team and kick return team, which is a sign that he's still in the Packers' long-term plans.


In Tuesday's one-on-one pass rushing drill, he flashed the quickness that helped win him a spot a year ago as an undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State. He used a quick inside move to smoke Junius Coston, who was lined up at right tackle.


Whether Hunter makes the team or not probably depends on how many defensive ends General Manager Ted Thompson decides to keep or whether Montgomery is placed on season-ending injured reserve.


Thumbs down

Given how badly quarterbacks Ingle Martin and Paul Thompson played during Tuesday's practice, maybe Ted Thompson should consider keeping only two quarterbacks to use the extra roster spot for a position with legitimate depth.


Martin, a fifth-round pick in 2006, has struggled throughout camp this season. On Tuesday, for example, he badly underthrew a ball to receiver Carlton Brewster in the end zone, and it was easily broken up by cornerback Charles Woodson. Later, he missed a wide-open James Jones on a fade route in the end zone.


Thompson, a rookie free agent who has shown some promise, also struggled on Tuesday. Safety Charlie Peprah picked off a pass in the end zone that was intended for tight end Zac Alcorn, and then defensive tackle Johnny Jolly intercepted a screen pass.


The Packers always could keep the rookie Thompson on the practice squad and though they wouldn't be able to use him on game day unless he was on the 53-man roster, they could continue to develop him.


Sure, it's a risky proposition given that the Packers lost both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers to injuries during last season's game against New England, but several NFL teams opened last season with only two quarterbacks on their rosters.


Did you notice?

Running Brandon Jackson reverted to his early training camp ways when he had trouble catching the ball out of the backfield. He bobbled a swing pass that probably would have been knocked out of his hands had it been a live drill and on the very next play flat-out dropped a similar pass.

Coston, a third-year offensive lineman, worked at every offensive line position but center during Tuesday's practice.

Linebacker Tim Goodwell stripped the ball from receiver David Clowney in a ball-security drill. Clowney was the only player to fumble during the brief period.

After a quiet start to camp, receiver Greg Jennings had his second straight productive practice. On Tuesday, he caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre with Patrick Dendy covering him.

Free-agent rookie guard Pat Murray has shown signs of improvement the last couple of weeks. On Tuesday, he won three of his four reps in the one-on-ones.

Rookie first-round draft pick Justin Harrell went 0-for-4 in the one-on-ones, losing to Tyson Walter, Allen Barbre, C.J. Blomvall and Jason Spitz.

Practice was moved inside The Don Huston Center for the second straight day but unlike on Monday, selected fans were allowed inside for Tuesday's practice.

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At long last, the answer to the Packers' backfield shortage has arrived:


A grounds-crew worker at a suburban Chicago golf course?


"I've just been trying to stay in shape and working, staying busy," rookie fullback Erryn Cobb said Tuesday, laughing. "It's honest work."


A senior co-captain last fall at Northwestern who played two seasons with Packers running back Noah Herron, Cobb wasn't drafted in April. He had a tryout with the New York Jets in May but wasn't offered a contract. So he spoke with his brother, the assistant superintendent at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Lemont, Ill., who offered him a job cutting greens and performing other maintenance duties.


Cobb was the only player the Packers worked out Tuesday morning before signing him to a two-year deal with minimum salaries and no bonus money. He fills the roster spot and No. 25 jersey vacated when the Packers, as expected, released safety Marviel Underwood.


In spite of injuries to fullbacks Brandon Miree — who is expected to play Thursday against the Jacksonville Jaguars after missing two preseason games with a shoulder stinger — and undrafted rookie Ryan Powdrell (knee), Cobb is an extreme long shot to make the roster, with less than two weeks to impress before the 53-man cutdown.


"I'll get him in the game (Thursday)," coach Mike McCarthy said of Cobb, 6-foot-1 and 241 pounds. "That's not the deepest position that we have. We'll take a look at him."


A former linebacker, Cobb played "superback" — a fullback/tight end combination — last season in Northwestern's spread offense, which features a zone-blocking scheme. In three seasons on offense, Cobb had three carries for 10 yards and caught five passes while serving mostly as a perimeter blocker. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 and 4.7 seconds at his pro-day workout.


McCarthy: Morency ready for opener

Vernand Morency insisted he wasn't sprinting, but the injured running back appeared to be moving well when he jokingly chased a teammate across the field Tuesday in The Don Hutson Center.


After practice, McCarthy said he thinks Morency, out since July 28 with a knee injury, will "definitely be ready for Philadelphia" in the regular-season opener Sept. 9.


"Whether he goes against Tennessee (in the preseason finale Aug. 30) is something we'll look at in the middle of the week," McCarthy said. "I'm very hopeful that he'll be close for that game."


Morency was the Packers' starter-by-default at running back before he strained the patellar tendon in his right knee during the first practice of training camp. P.J. Pope has been out since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 5, while rookie DeShawn Wynn hasn't practiced since suffering a quadriceps injury Aug. 7. Herron and rookies Brandon Jackson and Corey White will be the only healthy halfbacks on the roster for the third straight game Thursday.


Odds and ends

The family situation that took DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila off the practice field Monday won't keep him out of the Jacksonville game, but a bruised knee might. Gbaja-Biamila left after warm-ups Monday night to travel to Milwaukee, where his 18-month-old son, Jedi, who underwent a procedure for a heart defect a month ago, had a doctor's appointment. But he sat out practice Tuesday to rest a knee and said he wasn't sure whether he'd play against the Jaguars. … Atari Bigby continued to take the lion's share of snaps alongside starting FS Nick Collins. Marquand Manuel rotated in with Collins for four plays over two series … McCarthy said coaches will decide today how long starters will play against Jacksonville. But he reiterated the Packers will not play starters the traditional three quarters. … Despite Miree's return, McCarthy said rookie Korey Hall likely will make his third straight start at fullback.