Green Bay Packers veterans took practice indoors Thursday for one final tune-up before rookies enter the mini-camp mix Friday.
For the second day in a row, tackle Kevin Barry took reps at guard to ensure that the Packers will have depth along the offensive line in 2004.
Quarterback Brett Favre again took part in the opening warm-ups but did not participate in team drills, allowing Craig Nall and Doug Pederson to split the snaps.
In team drills, Nall connected with wide receiver Javon Walker on two occasions, first along the right sideline, just out of reach of defensive back James Whitley for a big gain. Walker later slid behind safety Eric Crouch to haul in his second long pass of the day from Nall.
In 7-on-7 drills, wide receiver Donald Driver slipped past the defense to haul in a 20-yard pass from Pederson. Pederson later found Carl Ford open in the middle of the field for a 15-yard gain before defenders converged on the receiver.
On defense, cornerback Jason Horton, who recently signed as a free-agent, picked off Nall's errant pass that was intended for Walker in the middle of the field.
Defensive end Kenny Peterson received praise on two occasions, first for breaking through the line to bat down Nall's pass during team drills, and later after intercepting a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Aaron Kampman (knee), Grady Jackson (knee), Chukie Nwokorie (wrist), Marco Rivera (knee) and Mark Tauscher (hamstring) participated in individual drills but were held out of team drills.
Army Sergeant Mike Cain, who lost his right leg during combat in Iraq in August, and his family were GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman's special guests at practice Thursday. In addition to watching practice, meeting all the players and breaking the huddle at the end of practice, Cain, a native of Berlin, Wisc., received a special tour of Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame by community relations manager Cathy Dworak and executive vice president/CEO John Jones.
The Packers will return to the practice field Friday (veterans & rookies) at 10:30 a.m. Weather and field conditions permitting, practice will be held outside at Clarke Hinkle Field (open to the public), but otherwise will be held inside the Don Hutson Center (closed to the public).
Today At A Glance ...
Where: Don Hutson Center (indoors)
Weather: 65 degrees, cloudy
Did Not Practice: Na'il Diggs (shoulder), Chris Johnson (knee) Scottie Vines (knee), Bryant Westbrook (Achilles).
Did Not Attend: Joe Johnson (excused), Mike McKenzie.
