Nearly 800 fans braved one of the warmest days of training camp thus far as the Green Bay Packers returned to Clarke Hinkle Field for a full pads practice, Tuesday afternoon.
"We haven't had a whole lot of hot practices, so this week I moved them back to have the heavy practice in the afternoon, and we'll do it for the rest of the week," GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman said.
"We started last season against Atlanta and we played in a pretty hot and humid ballgame, and then this year, obviously we could have the same weather against Minnesota, then you've got Arizona, and so forth. So practicing in the heat, we're trying to challenge their mental toughness. They passed the test today. I thought they did a nice job."
The Packers started with 9-on-7 drills where Brett Favre hit tight end Wesley Walls for a 20-yard pick-up. Favre later had a pass picked off by linebacker Torrance Marshall in the middle of the field.
Cletidus Hunt busted through the line to meet Tony Fisher in the backfield, dropping the running back for a 3-yard loss just as he took the handoff.
Najeh Davenport returned to the lineup after sitting out yesterday's practice with soreness in his calf. Davenport didn't miss a beat, grabbing a pass from Akili Smith for a gain of 7 yards.
In 2-on-1 drills, linebacker Nick Barnett made a great play, diving to break up a pass to Davenport from Smith along the right sideline, while Walls shook safety Darren Sharper long enough for Favre to hit him along the right sideline for a gain of 15 yards.
Nick Luchey cleared the path through the left side of the line for running back Ahman Green during 'thud' contact team drills.
Linebacker Paris Lenon stepped up to fill the gap, stopping Davenport at the line of scrimmage. On a later play, Davenport made it through the line before Marcus Wilkins pulled him down from behind, holding the running back to only an 8-yard gain.
Donald Driver continued his stellar play in training camp, diving to make a catch during 7-on-7 drills.
In 1-on-1 drills, it was youth over experience when on consecutive plays second-year defensive tackle Aaron Kampman got past guard Marco Rivera, and rookie Kenny Peterson beat Mike Wahle, prompting center Mike Flanagan to say, "Now I've seen it all."
The loudest cheer of the day came when quarterback Craig Nall connected with wide receiver Carl Ford along the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown.
In injury news, Luther Broughton sat out with a sore hamstring ... Chris Johnson and Lamar Smith both missed practice with knee injuries ... Antonio Chatman and Herbert Goodman went to the sideline during practice to ice injuries -- Goodman on his neck and Chatman on his knee -- but both returned.
The Packers return to Clarke Hinkle Field Wednesday (weather permitting) for two practices open to the public: 10:45 a.m. (shells) and 1:30 p.m. (special teams - pads), 1:50 (full squad - pads).
Where: Clarke Hinkle Field
Weather: 86 degrees, sunny
Did Not Participate: Reggie Coleman (hip), Tyrone Davis (knee), Jorg Heckenbach (kidneys), Chris Johnson (knee), Rob Johnson (knee), James Lee (hip), Jermaine Petty (knee), Lamar Smith (knee), Marcus Spriggs (knee), Adam Tate (knee).
Out (expected to practice Wed.): Gilbert Brown (biceps)
Click here for the updated training camp schedule.
Click here for information on Packers training camp, including a visitor's guide.
