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Green
Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy watches the NFL football
team's voluntary practice inside the
Don
Hutson
Center
in
Green Bay
on May 21.
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GREEN BAY - When it comes to their
2008 training camp, the Green Bay Packers will have to do more with
less.
The Packers' camp, which kicks off
July 28, will include just 23 practices — not including the team's
annual intrasquad scrimmage — in part because the team plays four
preseason games in an 18-day span.
Even though Mike McCarthy said
Thursday that he's "comfortable" with the schedule, the
third-year coach readily admitted it will be "different."
In 2006, McCarthy's first year, there
were 30 practices plus the scrimmage; last year, when McCarthy gave
the players Wednesdays off from full practices, the team had 24
practices, including one at old City Stadium, plus the scrimmage.
"We won't have as many
practices, but we're at the point with our football team — and
we're fortunate (that) we are in year three — that we can get
things done in walk-throughs and jog-throughs," McCarthy said
following Thursday's organized team activity practice.
Two Thursdays — July 31 and Aug. 7
— will be "rest and recovery" days, as Wednesdays were
last year. And, being limited to an 80-man also lessens the number
of practice repetitions needed, McCarthy said.
Because the Packers don't open up
exhibition play until Aug. 11 on Monday Night Football against the
Cincinnati Bengals, the rest of the league will start before them.
That makes the OTA practices and the June 17-19 minicamp work that
much more valuable, McCarthy said.
"That factors into what we do in
training camp," said McCarthy, whose team opens up
regular-season play Sept. 8 at home against Minnesota, again on
Monday Night Football. "With the workload that we have
accomplished so far — and the workload that we're going to
accomplish by the third week in June — paired with the training
camp schedule, I feel very confident our football team will be ready
to go on Monday Night Football against the Vikings."
GBAJA-BIAMILA'S SURGERY: Pass-rushing
defensive Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila underwent arthroscopic knee surgery
Thursday that McCarthy termed "minor."
"It was something that's been
bothering him throughout the offseason," McCarthy said.
"We probably won't get him back until training camp."
Gbaja-Biamila suffered knee and ankle
injuries in a Nov. 22 game at Detroit and missed the following
week's game at Dallas. But when asked if Gbaja-Biamila's injury
happened during the offseason, McCarthy replied, "Pretty much.
It's something that, he's not a young puppy anymore, and it's
something that's kind of been bothering him of late. (Team
physician) Pat McKenzie thought it was best to do it now."
NOTEBOOK: Veteran cornerback
Charles Woodson, who had missed OTAs his first two years with the
club, is attending this week's practices and participating fully.
"I think Charles is a lot more comfortable here (now), and it's
great to have him back here working," McCarthy said. McCarthy
isn't sure if fellow veteran corner Al Harris will make an
appearance, although the coach said he talked to Harris last week.
... General manager Ted Thompson confirmed that the team "is
talking" with Alan Herman, the agent for unsigned halfback Ryan
Grant, who's an exclusive-rights free agent and is attending OTAs
but not participating. ... Starting middle linebacker Nick Barnett,
who attended the first week of OTAs, is absent this week. McCarthy
wouldn't say why Barnett was missing but confirmed that he is not
injured.
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