Preseason Packers 17, Cincinnati 48. It reminded me of the game last season on Monday Night Football at Baltimore, where the secondary gave up and made it look like QB Kyle Boller was headed for the Pro Bowl.

The first half started out bad with two QB Brett Favre turnovers, first a fumble than an interception. The turnovers weren't so much a sign that Favre is going to have trouble this season, but that the blocking isn't very good yet. On the fumble, S Dexter Jackson came through unblocked on the screen pass to RB Ahman Green, FB Vonta Leach was late to pick him up Jackson, which forced Favre to try and hold back the ball, but it slipped out of his hand. Then on the interception, Favre was hit immediately after he threw it. It appeared the defensive end beat T Chad Clifton. Clifton looked good during the first two preseason games, but he struggled and had at least one penalty called against him in this game. Everyone, from the rookie linemen to the veteran linemen, to the backs are having trouble blocking right now.

The first string run defense looked good, holding RB Rudi Johnson to under 3 yards per carry. The nose tackle rotation of Ryan Pickett and Kendrick Allen appears to be an improvement over Grady Jackson. The pass defense failed the team. CB Charles Woodson looked good earlier in the preseason, but WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh abused him. Houshmandzadeh caught two first down catches and a TD pass on their first scoring drive of the 2nd quarter. S Marquand Manuel looked even worse. It was Manuel's first preseason game, after missing most of the preseason and training camp with an injury, but he was involved in the coverage on the all three of QB Carson Palmer's first half TD passes. Manuel played way off TE Reggie Kelly for an easy TD pass. Then he took a bad angle and completely missed Housemandzadeh on his TD reception. Then he missed covering WR Tad Perry in the end zone. He was either overmatched or still recovering from his injury. If the season started today, S Tyrone Culver would have to be considered that starter over Manuel.

The Packers overhauled four areas of the team this offseason. The linebackers are looking better with LB A.J. Hawk always around the ball. K Dave Rayner and P Jon Ryan look good so far, with Rayner hitting at least one touchback (an unheard of event in the K Ryan Longwell era) and Ryan nailing a 60 yard punt and pinning one punt at the 10 yard line. The new blocking scheme appears to still be a work in progress, despite the starting lineup already being named, and the secondary does not look any better than last season.

The Packers made a few moves after the game, but none of the players cut were likely to make the team. It was surprising Ted Thompson signed a kicker after Rayner had a good game, but it does give the Packers a back up plan if Rayner falls apart in the last preseason game. One last preseason game to put it all together, before a big test week 1 vs. Chicago.

Preseason Packers 38, Atlanta 10. What a difference a week makes. The big difference was a much improved offensive line and lots of forced turnovers. It was only one week, so it is hard to tell how much it helped to have rookie G Tony Moll playing instead of G Daryn Colledge. The offensive line might have been helped by simply having another week of practice or by playing against Atlanta's average pass rush instead of San Diego's top 5 pass rush. It didn't matter to Mike McCarthy; Moll will be the starting guard week 1. Neither Cincinnati nor Tennessee have above average defenses, so it is likely that Moll won't do anything to lose his spot over the next two preseason games. Other than Moll, there are a few other players who deserve attention:

WR Greg Jennings. He played well at San Diego by catching four passes when the rest of the offense struggled. He really showed off against Atlanta. He is clearly the number three wide receiver. WR Robert Ferguson should be watching carefully to make sure he doesn't lose his starting job to Jennings.

WRs Marc Boehringer and Rod Gardner. They are right behind Jennings on the depth chart, but neither caught a pass against Atlanta. Boehringer's poor performance apparently led to his release. The Packers traded for WR Carlton Brewster to see what he can do. The Packers gave up CB Therrian Fontenot for Brewster, but Fontenot had not done much on the field to show he was a likely candidate for a final roster spot.

SS Tyrone Culver. With the season ending injury to S Marviel Underwood and S Marquand Manuel still hurt, Culver had a lot of playing time. He apparently played the entire game in San Diego; he didn't make any big plays, but he didn't give up any either and made some big hits. During the second quarter against Atlanta, he missed a coverage assignment. Two plays later, he intercepted QB Michael Vick's pass. In the first two preseason games, he has looked better than last season's SS Mark Roman looked in any game that Roman started.

FB Vonta Leach. With FB William Henderson out for the rest of the preseason, Leach is the man. The AP article mentioned Leach dropped a touchdown pass, but he also dropped another pass earlier in the game. He dropped 2 of QB Aaron Rodgers 3 incompletions. During 2005, Leach looked great at times, and at other times he missed his assignments. Leach will be counted on much more in 2006 and needs to show improvement.

G Siitupe Peko. He missed at least two blocking assignments in the 4th quarter; one of which led to Rodgers's fumble. I hadn't seen Peko in a game yet this preseason, but if Moll doesn't work out at right guard, then Peko doesn't look like he is Plan B. He has a good resume, but it was surprising he wasn't cut after his poor performance on Saturday.

P B.J. Sander. He was awful in San Diego, but looked better on Saturday. He showed improvement, but he was cut anyway. Sander has been such a disappointment that this isn't a big surprise. However, he wasn't released because rookie P Jon Ryan was playing outstanding. Ryan looked good in San Diego, but he dropped the snap in the end zone and barely got his only punt attempt away.

DE Mike Montgomery. He looked good last preseason, and he is looking good this preseason too with 2 sacks in the 4th quarter against Atlanta. He didn't play much in 2005, but hopefully he brings his preseason performance into the regular season during 2006.

K Billy Cundiff was cut, leaving 2nd year K Dave Rayner as the only kicker in camp. Neither kicker had much of an opportunity in the first preseason game, so it is hard to tell whether this was a good decision, but it does add to the list of puzzling decisions made by the Packers. Tom Silverstein reported that Cundiff "missed fewer field goals than Rayner and in the most recent kickoff drill in practice averaged 66.8 yards to Rayner's 60.1." So lately, Cundiff had outkicked Rayner, but Cundiff was cut? Mike McCarthy explains all when he said "[Rayner] has a strong leg. I think he has a winner's substance to him. I like his personality, I like his approach." McCarthy likes Rayner's "winner's substance" and that apparently trumped Cundiff's superior performance in practice. Brilliant.

QB Brett Favre's possible retirement always seems to hinge on whether he is still having fun. It doesn't sound like he is having a lot of fun this training camp. QB Aaron Rodgers, age 22, said "his daughter (Brittany) is almost 18, so I'm closer to her age than to his age. But we still can have a good time and joke around." Aaron means he is joking around with Brett not Brittany, right? I'm sure he does.

OG Daryn Colledge was given no slack for his poor performance in San Diego. He is 2nd team, G Jason Spitz (who didn't play well either) is the new left guard, and rookie OL Tony Moll is the new right guard. At this point, it would seem likely that OLs Will Whitticker or Junius Coston would be a better option than Moll. If not, then WR Javon Walker was traded for the rights to Colledge, so it would seem reasonable to give Colledge at least one more chance before demoting him. Promoting Moll just seems desperate. Rookies are unlikely to play well no matter the position, which is why Whitticker or Coston would be more likley to succeed than Moll. But Whitticker's career with the Packers seems over, Coston's future appears to be at tackle, and Plan B if Moll doesn't work out appears to be "Mookie". Injuries and poor play has turned the project of revamping the offensive line into a disaster, so far.

The Packers didn't play well in their first preseason game, but they had only one fumble (recovered), one interception, and four penalties. This really stood out from last season, when the Packers made a lot of mistakes in the preseason. The Packers should have lost their preseason game last season versus San Diego, but managed to win despite nine penalties and six(!) fumbles (3 lost). San Diego outplayed the Packers, but San Diego committed twelve penalties and a few of them were true gifts to the Packers from the refs.

The Packers only played mistake-free football last preseason at Buffalo (except that they were soundly beaten), and they committed a lot of penalties and turnovers against Tennessee and New England. Somehow they managed to go 2-2 last preseason, despite being outplayed during most of those games and making a lot of mistakes via turnovers and penalties. The Packers played better during the 2005 regular season than the preseason, but the turnovers persisted. The Packers managed to improve their penalties and finished near the middle in penalties.

Despite the beating the Packers took at San Diego on Saturday, the quality of play is very likely to improve if 2005 is an indication. What to look for during this preseason is that QB Brett Favre keeps his interceptions low (zero so far), the rookies are improving with each game, and who will win the final roster spots.

Luckily for the Packers, S Marquand Manuel is back in practice. The Packers released S Mark Roman because S Marviel Underwood was playing so well, but with Underwood out for the season, depth at safety has become a concern. S Tyrone Culver played well against San Diego, but he has become all the depth the Packers have at the position. Hopefully DT Kendrick Allen can come back soon. The Packers defensive line didn't look much improved at San Diego, but NT Ryan Pickett and Allen weren't playing either.

Preseason Packers 3, San Diego 17. It looked really bad. The offense couldn't get anything going, until QB Aaron Rodgers came on to lead the team in rushing and abuse San Diego's 3rd string secondary. The defense allowed big plays early and then the 2nd string defense couldn't stop San Diego on 3rd down (63% converted for the game). There are some positives, but they were overshadowed by how badly the Packers were beaten.

Yes, the offensive line was horrible. C Scott Wells said we can't blame the system, but it is new to everybody at this point and it probably was a big part of the problem. G Daryn Colledge blew an early pass blocking assignment and QB Brett Favre got leveled. G Jason Spitz blew at least two early run blocking assignments. However, the rookies were not the only problem. T Mark Tauscher got fooled on a linebacker stunt and Favre got leveled again. RB Najeh Davenport got the start but he didn't run well and he missed two blitz pickups who went on to hit Favre both times. The blockers couldn't open any rushing lanes or protect Favre. The second unit struggled too. G Junius Coston is now the back up left tackle and allowed at least one sack on Rodgers. Coston deserves some slack since he has been playing left tackle in the NFL for only the last week. Everybody has a lot to learn and everybody played horrible. It will only get better.

Yes, the defense wasn't good either. LB A.J. Hawk got beaten badly on a slant route, but it was by the best tight end in the NFL, TE Antonio Gates. Tight ends feasted on the defense; catching 11 passes for the game, but that has been a problem for this defense for the last couple of seasons. Hawk was much better after the first quarter. The defensive line wasn't great, but QB Phillip Rivers was throwing a lot of quick passes to avoid sacks and San Diego didn't run the ball very well (outside of one 13 yard TD run at the end of a long drive). Overall, the defensive line played well considering new NT Ryan Pickett didn't play. Rivers abused the entire Packer secondary except CB Charles Woodson. CB Al Harris struggled and CB Ahmad Carroll had a bad game too. Carroll could have been called for interference a couple of times, but wasn't. Also, he allowed the TD pass in the 1st quarter, but it was a perfect pass from Rivers and probably couldn't have been defended by anyone in the NFL. The biggest problems were 63% of 3rd downs were converted against them and they forced no turnovers.

There wasn't a lot of place kicking, but K Dave Rayner kicked at least one kickoff in the end zone and K Billy Cundiff made his short field goal attempt. If there was a punting battle on Saturday, then P B.J. Sander lost it bad. Sander's punt all seemed short and low, while P Jon Ryan had all his kicks travel farther than Sander's longest punt and his 55 yard punt sent the punt returner back several yards. Ryan would have to fall apart during the rest of the preseason to lose the job to Sander.

The Packers must know there aren't many experienced free agent offensive lineman looking for work now. Signing G "Mookie" Moore doesn't hurt, but he apparently can't stay healthy and hasn't played tackle, where the Packers have little depth. It is unlikely he will start the season with the team. If T Todd Wade passed a physical, then he would have been a better signing. There is no need to panic, because the players two lost players (T Adrian Klemm and T Kevin Barry) weren't that good anyway. It is likely that rookie T Tony Moll would play just as well as Klemm or Barry. Besides, there are very few NFL teams that have three quality offensive tackles and some don't even have two like the Packers, so it isn't as if the Packers are at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the NFL. If Ts Chad Clifton or Mark Tauscher are hurt this season, then the Packers are in trouble no matter what rookie or street free agent they play in their place.

The most important starting battle this preseason is at kicker and punter. P B.J. Sander wasn't teaching a clinic on holding last season, but his biggest sin was that he didn't punt very well. K Ryan Longwell's replacement has to be better at kickoffs than him. What ended Longwell's career in Green Bay was his inability to automatically make field goals from within 40 yards; he had been lousy on kickoffs for many seasons. It is unlikely the new kicker will be automatic from within 40 yards like Longwell once was, but at least the new kicker can kickoff better. There is no way to tell how good/bad these guys will be until the preseason games start.

I'm missed the Packers first scrimmage on TV this season. Last season, it showed off the talents of TE Ben Steele (didn't make the team out of camp) and CB Jason Horton (rarely played in 2005). It is not really a showcase for what the Packers can do. The pass coverage was awful, but it wasn't the starting secondary playing either. Unfortunately CB Ahmad Carroll didn't play well either, and it seems unlikely he will ever figure it out. Another bad sign was that LB A.J. Hawk came out on 3rd down in favor of LB Abdul Hodge. Hodge was a highly regarded player who slipped into the third round, but Hawk should be playing instead of Hodge, expect Hodge is outplaying him. Apparently Hawk isn't very good in pass coverage. It is early, but that is not a good start for Hawk.

It was a great day to read about Reggie White's induction into the Hall of Fame. His signing transformed the Packers and I have never seen another defensive lineman who could play like him. He literally threw 300 lb. lineman out of his way.

Training camp started last week and the best news is that LB A.J. Hawk and G Daryn Colledge signed on time. They need as much practice time with the first team units as they can get. There was some trouble signing LB Abdul Hodge, the Packers 3rd round pick, but he made it too. Hodge wasn't as essential as Hawk because Hodge should be a backup in 2006. Is Hodge the weak side linebacker of the future? He is probably more talented than likely starter LB Ben Taylor.

The Packers also released S Mark Roman right before camp started. Roman wasn't good in his two seasons with the Packers, but why did they make him wait all offseason? This article said Thompson waited to see how 6th round pick S Tyrone Culver played. Maybe. Roman demanded a trade or release back when the Packers signed S Marquand Manuel. It seemed like a cheap move by Thompson to wait so long to release Roman when he could have done it after the first minicamp in April.

The Packers lost another offensive lineman when T Adrian Klemm was injured. Apparently he would be the top backup for T Chad Clifton. With the loss of Klemm and previously T Kevin Barry, the Packers look thin at offensive tackle. It would be a problem, but a bigger problem would have been if Barry and Klemm ever had to start. Neither player has shown that he deserves playing time. Luckily, Clifton and T Mark Tauscher have been healthy the last couple seasons and started almost every game. Hopefully that streak continues in 2006. If not, it looks like OL William Whitticker or rookie OL Tony Moll would have an opportunity according to the current roster.

The Packers signed 3rd round pick G Jason Spitz. After two mini-camps, Spitz emerged as the likely starter at right guard. Hopefully he really is good and didn't look good by comparison against two 2005 late round draft picks who have never played (G Junius Coston) or flamed out last season (G Will Whitticker). If he is the starter, then it was essential for him to sign before camp starts tomorrow. The article wasn't too optimistic about signing 2nd round pick G Daryn Colledge. The same thing about Spitz applies to Colledge; if he is starting, then he better be signed and in camp tomorrow. There shouldn't be too much trouble signing LB A.J. Hawk at this point with number 4 pick overall LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson and number 7 pick overall S Michael Huff signed. Hopefully the Packers and Hawk's agent need only a little more time to analyse those deals and come up with something in between. Hawk is going to start and needs to be in camp tomorrow.

As a general rule, no one should expect a rookie to start in the NFL. It takes them a season to get used to the routine, the speed at which the game is played, and the long season compared to college. However, when coming off a 4-12 season, there are obviously more holes than usual in the starting lineups and taking some chances are in order. Linebacker and offensive line were two of the weakest (special teams deserves mention too) positions on the team in 2005. Upgrading these positions and getting these players in camp on time is very important this season.

Training camp is starting July 28th. It has been a quiet summer, but there have two bits of good news this week. CB Al Harris will be in camp when it opens. Harris threatened last month to hold out, but apparently he thinks his chances are better for an extension if he shows up to camp instead of holding out. There is still the possibility this could turn ugly mid-season if Harris decides the Packers aren't going to give him a fair contract extension. The safe thing to do would be to extend Harris, but GM Ted Thompson decided it wasn't worth it for WR Javon Walker so Thompson obviously has his limits. Thompson might be right; Harris might not be worth it in a couple of seasons.

Thompson expects to have no problem signing LB A.J. Hawk. It is troubling that the only first round pick to sign is DE Mario Williams, and he signed before the draft. Thompson has probably agreed with Hawk's agent that Hawk should be paid X if RB Reggie Bush or another top draft pick receives a certain amount, but will Hawk be paid Y if Bush receives more. If Thompson has the parameters agreed to with Hawk's agent under a couple of different circumstances, then Hawk will probably be in camp on time.

There is some speculation that LB A.J. Hawk might be hard to sign and start training camp late. It doesn't help that last year's number five overall pick was RB Cadillac Williams. The Packers probably want to pay a linebacker like Hawk less than a running back like Williams. Although DE Mario Williams is already signed, all the agents will probably consider RB Reggie Bush the true number one pick and are waiting to slot their client's salaries after Bush signs. There could be a delay in signing all 1st round picks due to higher salary demands after the increase in the salary cap last March. Any delay in starting training camp could easily delay Hawk's ability to adjust to the NFL. However, if the previous minicamps are any indication, it doesn't appear the Packers have any intention to play any linebacker other than Hawk at the weak side this season and Hawk will have to learn during the regular season. With the departure of LBs Na'il Diggs and Paris Lenon this offseason, there is no obvious second string weak side linebacker and the best guess is that free agent LB Ben Taylor would be the likely replacement if Hawk ends up holding out for a long time.

CB Al Harris update: He still ain't happy. It seemed obvious Harris was upset about CB Charles Woodson's free agent contract, but the article mentioned DE Aaron Kampman's $12 million signing bonus instead. That actually makes sense. At least Woodson has been to more Pro Bowls than Harris. Kampman has been playing on the same defense as Harris for the past three seasons, Harris believes he is the better player, and Kampman is much richer. It is debatable whether Harris is actually better than Kampman anyway. Harris said "I should have waited to see what the market dictated."

Dear Al, you had your best season in 2005 (pre-Baltimore game only) after spending multiple seasons as a backup in Philadelphia and an awful 2004 season. You signed for market value in 2004 and actually the Packers would be crazy to give you extra money at this time because cornerbacks rarely improve after they turn 32. We will be seeing you at training camp once the Packers start discussing how much of your signing bonus you will have to pay back by failing to report. Love, Packer Fans.

The June minicamp has been going on this month, but it is too hard to filter out who is actually playing well from the coaches quotes. However, you can definetly see there is a problem with CB Al Harris because he is sitting out for a new contract. Most of the article is about the release of disappointing NT Donnell Washington, who has been in the coaches' doghouse under Mike Sherman and Mike McCarthy and his release should be no surprise. Buried deep in the article is that Harris is sitting out. It is early, but contract disputes haven't gone well for the Packers in recent seasons. Thanks to the Unofficial Salary Cap page, Harris will make $2.5 million in 2006 and received an initial signing bonus in 2004 of $4.375 million based on a 5 year contract. Any NFL player who signed before the big cap increase last March is probably underpaid for 2006, but it is more obvious for Harris since the Packers signed CB Charles Woodson. Woodson should be paid about $10.5 million in 2006; $4.6 million as a signing bonus, $1.5 million in base salary, and $4.4 million in easily reachable bonuses. Although Harris is the number 1 cornerback, he will be paid a lot less than Woodson in 2006 and beyond if Woodson remains with the Packers past 2006. It looks like the Packers will have to make some concession with Harris.

There is a little bit more about Harris in this article about the veterans who haven't shown up for the voluntary practices. I don't have high expectations for Woodson since no other NFL team believes he can play cornerback anymore, so his absense isn't a concern for me. NT Ryan Pickett isn't hurt by missing practices. What does a space clogging nose tackle have to learn? Hopefully this isn't a sign Pickett is not keeping in shape, but otherwise it isn't a problem.

G Jason Spitz has been getting some playing time with the first team at right guard. The 3rd round pick is most likely going to play at right guard over the nose tackle because of his size (310 lbs.) so this is his best opportunity for playing time. The top 3 players in consideration at right guard (Spitz, G Junius Coston, and G Will Whitticker) were all drafted by Ted Thompson, and after watching Whitticker during 2005, he is probably eager to see how both Spitz and Coston play this season.

LB Ben Taylor received playing time at the strong side linebacker position ahead of LB Roy Manning. Taylor and Manning appear to be similar players and there shouldn't be much of a difference between them. Both of them have to watch over their shoulders because LB Brady Poppinga (once returned from injury) and rookie LB Abdul Hodge might be ahead of them once Poppinga returns to practice and Hodge learns the defense.

Long time Packers President Bob Harlan is stepping down, and John Jones will take his place. Someone actually named their child John Jones? Does anybody believe that is his real name? Since the Packers are a corporation, it would seem likely that someone with an MBA or business background would be picked for a corporate President. Instead, Jones is a former sportswriter turned corporate executive. There is no reason why he won't do a good job, but there can't be too many Presidents with his background running large corporations.

4th round pick WR Cory Rodgers had a little run-in with the law. When Rodgers was drafted, I wrote that he seemed like an odd choice for the Packers because they were looking for bigger wide receivers for Mike McCarthy's offense, but Rodgers is about the same size as WR Donald Driver. The article said in minicamp, Rodgers was used primarily as a kick returner to replace WR Antonio Chatman. He was off to a good start with the team, before his arrest, but this doesn't seem like it will hurt the Packers or his chances with the team.

The Packers lost T Kevin Barry for the season with a quadriceps tear. McCarthy was excited about Barry's potential and outbid Detroit to keep Barry for 2006. The previous coaches were excited about Barry's potential too, once upon a time, but then reality set in and they realized he isn't very good. Losing Barry hurts their depth a little, but won't hurt on the field. Instead of wasting time trying to convert Barry or RT Mark Tauscher to right guard, the Packers can see if RG Will Whitticker has improved in his second season, or if OL Junius Coston is ready to take over.

Columnist Bob Wolfley wonders if CB Charles Woodson is going to be targeted by opponents next season. Yep. No one else in the NFL was willing to sign, or even discuss signing, Woodson as a starting cornerback. He is coming off injury and CB Al Harris is coming off the best season of his career. Woodson is going to have to prove he is healthy and can still play cornerback right away in 2006 because other the Packers' opponents are going to test him early and often. The only good news for Woodson is that the Packers don't play an opponent in 2006 that finished in the top half of passing DVOA in 2005 until Nov. 19th vs. New England. Philadelphia will be better with QB Donovan McNabb healthy so that should be Woodson's first big test in 2006.

Although extending WR Javon Walker's contract was unacceptable, extending WR Donald Driver's contract is apparently fine. Driver was scheduled to be underpaid next season, but the contract wasn't set to expire until 2007. Why was Walker told that they wouldn't even talk about an extension, while Driver got it? What did hurt to talk about an extension if Walker returns to full strength or not? I'm excited about LG Daryn Colledge and hope he can improve the offensive line in 2006, but it sucks to see another Pro Bowl player leave town in a dispute over the Packers' policy not to renegotiate contracts when they did it for Driver.

I have had a lot of criticism about the Packers front office this season, but at least it has not been anything like the complete meltdown in Minnesota. They did well in free agency, but trading QB Daunte Culpepper is good news for Packer fans. If all the negative things about Fran Foley are true, Minnesota did very well to get rid of him as soon as possible. Somehow this guy was able to take over their draft (under "near-mutinous conditions") although "the job never was intended to carry significant personnel authority." Minnesota did not have a well regarded draft and as of right now it looks like they reached on their first four picks, especially 2nd round QB Tarvaris Jackson. Now Foley's lawsuit will distract the team for a while longer. Although watching Minnesota struggle is always enjoyable, it's too bad that ex-Badgers Brad Childress and Darrell Bevell are starting out under stressful circumstances.

This is a great article about the Packers first minicamp, because it goes into fantastic detail at several positions. It is good to read that QB Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball well, but there are a few more very interesting notes.

2nd round pick WR Greg Jennings was off to a good start, which is critical because the Packers depth at receiver is thin and inexperienced.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski gave a very concise definition of zone blocking: "If there's a guy on him, he's blocking him. If no one's on him, he's going to the linebacker. It's not that hard. It's hard to screw that up." The first team offensive line was LT Chad Clifton, 2nd round pick LG Daryn Colledge, C Scott Wells, RG Junius Coston, RT Mark Tauscher; this could very likely be the opening game offensive line. Former line coach Larry Beightol really liked Coston's development as a rookie last season, and Coston's size (316 lbs.) makes him a good fit at the right guard position because that position usually plays over the nose tackle. Ted Thompson traded WR Javon Walker to draft Colledge, so it is no surprise he will get a chance. Wells was solid last season after he replaced the awful LG Adrian Klemm. Clifton / Colledge / Wells / Coston / Tauscher is not 2003's line of Clifton / Wahle / Flanagan / Rivera / Tauscher, but it is probably as good as it will get for the Packers in 2006.

Since LB A.J. Hawk is over 240 lbs., it seemed natural that he would play strong side, but he is playing on the weak side. From that position he can use his speed to pursue and make the tackle. After having an average to small group of linebackers, the Packers would add size to that group by playing 240+ lbs. LBs Ben Taylor or Roy Manning at the strong size, and Hawk at the weak side. Whoever plays on the strong side, that player and Hawk will have to be good in coverage because the Packers linebackers have really struggled in coverage over the last two seasons.

It was a little surprising that the Packers released LB Robert Thomas. On last season's team, only LB Nick Barnett showed more speed than Thomas, and Thomas seemed like a good candidate for weak side linebacker. But the Packers have a lot of candidates competing to start alongside LB A.J. Hawk and Barnett (LB Abdul Hodge is a tentative front runner) so it doesn't hurt at all to release Thomas. At the bottom of the article, it mentions that the Packers saved salary cap room when they traded WR Javon Walker too. The Packers are padding their NFL lead for the most unused salary cap room.

The Packers also signed a few more undrafted free agents. None of them really fills a need and all appear to be signed to add depth during minicamps and training camps. Sometimes these guys stick with the team, such as LB Roy Manning did last season, but they are all longshots.

It looks like WR Donald Driver has no interest in demanding a trade. His comments in the AP article seem to end any speculation that Driver wants out. He is underpaid based on his production so it wasn't unbelievable that he would want a new contract.