Over 300 fans lined the fences Friday, as the Green Bay Packers continued mini-camp practices outdoors on Clarke Hinkle Field.
In team drills, Chris Johnson, who is returning from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of 2003, showed his speed as he recovered to break up Brett Favre's pass to Frank Rice along the left sideline.
Johnson was the first of four seventh-round draft picks by the Packers last year after posting a 4.18 in the 40-yard dash.
"The last two days, Chris Johnson has probably made drastic improvement," defensive coordinator Bob Slowik said. "His first day back, you could still detect a little limp. But yesterday and today he made some pretty big strides and hopefully we won't have any setbacks."
Asked if Johnson might be the forgotten man in the midst of Mike McKenzie's absence and the additions of 2004 draft picks Ahmad Carroll and Joey Thomas, Slowik replied, "He might be, until he starts running. And it's pretty obvious that he can run. He's somebody that we're excited about and were last year. His speed is still there. He's not quite 100 percent, but it's coming back."
In other action, wide receiver Donald Driver went up high in the middle of the field to pull down Favre's pass during 7-on-7 drills, while Carl Ford made a reception along the left sideline after tipping Doug Pederson's pass to himself.
On defense, cornerback Chris Watson got past the line of scrimmage for a would-be sack, while linebacker Nick Barnett dropped back to break up Favre's pass to tight end Bubba Franks in the middle of the field.
The Packers also worked on field goal protection and punt coverage with Antonio Chatman, Robert Ferguson and Carl Ford fielding punts during special teams drills.
After suffering minor injuries yesterday, center Mike Flanagan (knee) and cornerback Al Harris (ankle) sat out Friday's practice. Fullback William Henderson was excused from practice to attend the NFL Players Association meeting in San Diego.
The Packers will take the weekend off before returning to the practice field Monday. All practices are scheduled for 11 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: Clarke Hinkle Field
Weather: 72 degrees, sunny
Did Not Participate: Kevin Barry (hamstring), Sam Breeden (hamstring), Mike Flanagan (knee), Al Harris (ankle), Grady Jackson (knee), Devin Lewis (knee)
Did Not Attend: William Henderson, Cletidus Hunt, Joe Johnson, Mike McKenzie
