The Packers returned to their everyday training camp practice field for a single practice Sunday afternoon. Approximately 1,200 spectators were on hand to view the two-hour workout on one of the warmest days of camp thus far.
The players left their shoulder pads in the locker room and the practice got underway with the usual stretching and individual drills. The team then came together for the 9-on-7 drill with Tim Couch at the helm of the starting offense. Brett Favre got the afternoon off from throwing to rest his arm.
Wide receiver Javon Walker was held out of practice after tweaking his quadriceps in Saturday night's practice inside Lambeau Field. GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman listed Walker's status as day-to-day.
The defensive backfield saw Marques Anderson running with the '1s' in the rotation at strong safety and Michael Hawthorne returned to work with the top unit for the full practice.
Cornerback Al Harris made a nice break on a Couch pass and seemed sure to pick it off, but receiver Scottie Vines did his best cornerback imitation and batted the ball from Harris' hands.
A following session of special teams work saw both punters in camp working on their placement punting. B.J. Sander and Nathan Chapman both had good success navigating the swirling wind and consistently dropped punts inside the 10-yard line.
Back in team drills, defensive tackle Cletidus Hunt showed an added wrinkle to his game when he dropped back into pass coverage and nearly picked off a pass over the middle.
Rookie quarterback Scott McBrien deftly floated a pass into the hands of tight end Keith Willis for a gain of 25 yards near the right sideline.
When the top offense and defense returned to the field, linebacker Nick Barnett came through the middle on a blitz to "sack" Couch. Hunt followed that up by batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Donald Driver made a nice sliding catch on his knees for a 20-yard gain on a pass thrown to the left sideline by Doug Pederson.
The highlight play of the afternoon came when rookie defensive back James Taylor laid out to pick off a McBrien pass intended for Vines. The catch drew a big reaction from his fellow DBs looking on from the sideline.
Linebacker Na'il Diggs pulled down an interception when a Couch pass skipped off the fingertips of tight end Steve Bush in a 7-on-7 drill.
Later in the drill, Couch rolled to his right and found Carl Ford deep over the middle for the longest completion of the afternoon.
Ford made a nice adjustment to a pass from Pederson, leaping and reaching behind him to snare the ball toward the end of the session.
In injury news, defensive linemen Tyrone Rogers (knee) and Donnell Washington (arch) were limited to conditioning work.
The Packers' special teams will practice once on Monday, hitting the grass at Clarke Hinkle Field for practice scheduled to run from 8:45-9:30 a.m.
Where: Clarke Hinkle Field
Weather: 83°, partly cloudy and windy
Did Not Participate: Brennan Curtin (groin boil), Brett Favre (rest), Mike Flanagan (knee tendinitis), Bubba Franks (chest), Grady Jackson (knee), Chris Johnson (stress fracture), Ja'Dae McGuire (abdominal strain), Mike McKenzie (reserve/did not report list), Craig Nall (hamstring), Tyrone Rogers (knee sprain), Joey Thomas (knee sprain), Forrest Vance (knee), Mike Wahle (knee contusion), Javon Walker (quadriceps), Donnell Washington (arch), Mitch White (staph infection) and James Whitley (blow to head).
