Green Bay (WQOW) -- Kids loaning their bicycles so players can ride to practice, and railbirds packing the bleachers lining the fences alongside Ray Nitschke Field can only mean that it's time for Packers Training Camp.
Thursday's first workout looks a lot like the OTA's and minicamp, because NFL teams are prohibited from practicing in full pads until the third practice. Thursday is all about tempo, and head coach Mike McCarthy is happy with that. Tempo is key for a Packers offense that lit up scoreboards and racked up stats last season.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows it won't be easy in 2012. "It's tough to do because teams have a lot of film on us and we have a tough schedule," says Rodgers, "but I think it's all about consistency. Just finding ways to do better, especially in situational categories. If you look at the red zone stats, the third down stats, there's definitely room for improvement there."
"I think it's the theme every year with what you want to do," says wide receiver Jordy Nelson, "consistent throughout the whole game, throughout the whole season. And just play your best ball at the right time. We obviously know that, two years ago we got hot, last year we didn't so we got to get back to that level."
On the other side of the ball, the base 3-4 defense features Charles Woodson and Morgan Burnett at safety. More often than not, the Packers have five or six defensive backs on the field, and that's when Woodson will line up in the slot, where he can either blitz or drop back in coverage.
"Throughout his career he's been a playmaker," says head coach Mike McCarthy about Woodson, "whether he's played the corner or the inside position. In our particular defense we feel he is a lot more valuable to us the closer he is to the ball. Because of the different positions he can play, the number of different things we're able to do with him."
Tramon Williams and Jarrett Bush are the two cornerbacks in the 3-4 base defense.
Training camp practice number two is Friday morning.
