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  • Tue., May. 21, 2013 11:30AM - 1:00PM CDT Organized Team Activities (OTAs) The Packers announced details on the remainder of their offseason schedule, including the fact that five of the team’s offseason practices will be open to the public, weather permitting.

    The open practices will be three organized team activities (OTAs) and two mandatory minicamp workouts. The open OTA practices are slated for three Tuesdays — May 21, May 28 and June 11 — and will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT. The two mandatory minicamp practices are scheduled for June 4 and 5 with a start time TBA.

    Due to ongoing preparations on Ray Nitschke Field for training camp, the OTA and minicamp workouts will be held on Clarke Hinkle Field this year. Viewing of the open practices will be standing-room only along the Oneida Street side of Hinkle Field.

  • Tue., May. 28, 2013 11:30AM - 1:00PM CDT Organized Team Activities (OTAs) The Packers announced details on the remainder of their offseason schedule, including the fact that five of the team’s offseason practices will be open to the public, weather permitting.

    The open practices will be three organized team activities (OTAs) and two mandatory minicamp workouts. The open OTA practices are slated for three Tuesdays — May 21, May 28 and June 11 — and will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT. The two mandatory minicamp practices are scheduled for June 4 and 5 with a start time TBA.

    Due to ongoing preparations on Ray Nitschke Field for training camp, the OTA and minicamp workouts will be held on Clarke Hinkle Field this year. Viewing of the open practices will be standing-room only along the Oneida Street side of Hinkle Field.

  • Sat., Jun. 01, 2013 8:30AM - 3:30PM CDT Junior Power Pack Clinic The 16th Annual Junior Power Pack Clinic will take place June 1, 2013 inside the Don Hutson Center, the Packers indoor practice facility. Reserved exclusively for members of the Junior Power Pack kids fan club (ages 5-14), this event features the chance to run skills and drills with other Packer backers and a few up-and-coming Packers players.
  • Sat., Jun. 08, 2013 3:00PM - 5:00PM CDT Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for the 10th annual Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer event, set for Saturday, June 8. The event once again features a motorcycle ride, but non-riding fans who want to support the cause are welcome to attend the post-ride party at Lambeau Field’s North Loft, the rooftop deck below the TundraVision in the north end zone.
     
    On the day of the ride, registration begins at 9 a.m. and will continue through 10:30 a.m. at Vandervest Harley-Davidson in Green Bay. The post-ride party begins at 3 p.m. at Lambeau Field in the North Loft, which can be accessed through the Bellin Health Gate. The party will include food and drink for purchase, a silent and live auction and fun while bringing awareness to cancer. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get autographs from Packers players in exchange for a $10 donation to the event.
  • Tue., Jun. 11, 2013 11:30AM - 1:00PM CDT Organized Team Activities (OTAs) The Packers announced details on the remainder of their offseason schedule, including the fact that five of the team’s offseason practices will be open to the public, weather permitting.

    The open practices will be three organized team activities (OTAs) and two mandatory minicamp workouts. The open OTA practices are slated for three Tuesdays — May 21, May 28 and June 11 — and will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT. The two mandatory minicamp practices are scheduled for June 4 and 5 with a start time TBA.

    Due to ongoing preparations on Ray Nitschke Field for training camp, the OTA and minicamp workouts will be held on Clarke Hinkle Field this year. Viewing of the open practices will be standing-room only along the Oneida Street side of Hinkle Field.

  • Wed., Jul. 24, 2013 11:00AM - 1:00PM CDT Packers Shareholders Meeting

    The Green Bay Packers 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held Wednesday, July 24, at 11 a.m., at Lambeau Field. The meeting will take place rain or shine.

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Can the offense top what it did last year?

Posted Sep 3, 2012

For the most part, the Green Bay Packers’ record-setting offense of 2011 returns intact for 2012. Only a couple of things look different.

The quarterback, the top five wide receivers, the deep group of tight ends and the starting offensive line – with veteran center Jeff Saturday seamlessly stepping in for departed veteran Scott Wells – are all back for another go-round.

“If we can top what we did last year, we’ll be in good shape,” receiver Jordy Nelson said with a smile, knowing how big an understatement that is after the Packers scored more points than all but one team in NFL history.

The backfield and the depth up front are the different stories, and whether they have an impact that’s subtle or stark will be tracked beginning with the Week 1 showdown against San Francisco.

Newcomer Cedric Benson and second-year pro Alex Green have essentially replaced last year’s backfield tandem of Ryan Grant and James Starks, for now. Grant is gone and Starks is out indefinitely with a turf toe injury.

Benson said on Monday he hasn’t been told how the snaps will be divided amongst him, Green and third-down backs Brandon Saine and John Kuhn. Acquired midway through training camp, Benson knows that in order to become a true “feature back” he has to learn more of the playbook than he has thus far.

“I’ve still got a ways to go,” he said. “I don’t quite know where the end is, but I feel really good. I feel like I’ve been making a lot of strides in these couple of weeks I’ve been here, and I feel comfortable.”

Benson said he would like to have carried the ball more than the 10 times he did over the final two preseason games in order to get ready, but he’s not concerned about the lack of work. Of greater concern is the fumble on his first rush last Thursday, a repeat of which will only limit his opportunities going forward.

Where he could get the call is as a “closer” in the fourth quarter, when a big back is needed to grind out yards and protect a lead. In going 15-1 last season, the Packers only closed out a game that way once, with Starks in Week 7 at Minnesota.

“It can be tremendous, to keep the defense off the field, keep the opposing team’s offense off the field, run out the clock and go home happy,” Benson said. “That’s how you want to end every game, and that’s the way to put teams away, fast.”

It seems the only thing that could quickly derail Green Bay’s offense would be injuries, particularly if they’re up front. The offensive line has just seven players on the 53-man roster, and the seventh is undrafted rookie Don Barclay.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy said he’s comfortable with the fact the team has 10 offensive linemen “in house,” including three on the practice squad – two rookies and second-year newcomer Chris Scott.

Still, as currently constructed, it’s hard to see the Packers winning a game like the one in Atlanta last year. With right tackle Bryan Bulaga out and left tackle Chad Clifton going down in the first half, Marshall Newhouse flipped from the right to the left side, Derek Sherrod came off the bench, and the Packers rallied from a 14-0 deficit for a huge road win.

At this point, an injury at tackle would probably require left guard T.J. Lang to move outside, with Evan Dietrich-Smith taking Lang’s place. A second injury likely couldn’t be handled so simply.

“I think that’s something I always have to prepare for,” Lang said of possibly filling in at tackle. “My first three seasons here were all the same. I was a guy that had to bounce around and play a lot of different positions.

“The goal is always to stay healthy, so that doesn’t have to happen, but if an emergency does happen, then no different than any other year, I’m going to have to be ready to move around a little bit.”

Getting ready for the 49ers’ stingy defense is the specific task this week. Heading into a day off Tuesday before three more days of practice Wednesday through Friday, the offense is confident it’ll be prepared.

Lang said it’s not about preparing to break records again. In the end last year, “it didn’t really mean much.”

The same can be said for the training camp and preseason that just concluded. It’s bottom-line time, beginning Sunday.

“It’s real now,” receiver James Jones said. “Play time is over.

“It goes down on the record now, win or loss, so we’ve got to get it done.”

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