General Mike McCarthy Leads Green Bay Packers' OTA

Wednesday, May 21, provided me my first excited moment towards for the beginning of a new Green Bay Packers season. The men from Green Bay gathered in the Don Hutson Center outside of Lambeau Field. The center named after our great WR and DB. Check out this guy's stats, and you will know why they named a field for him. He played from '35-'45 and had 99 career TD receptions and 30 interceptions.

When Coach McCarthy's whistle blew, 84 out of the 88 player on our current roster were in Don Hutson Center ready to learn. The only players not available were two of our college kids from Portland State who are still in school taking finals (Condrew Allen and Andrew Carvahlo), and our star DBs Mr. Woodson and Mr. Harris. I guess Al is still looking for a barber due to the new rules on hair length, and Woodson is just too good to train in Green Bay and must stay home.

Also, Ryan Grant will not be apart of these organized practices until he gets a new contract. I know this is a business, but can't the organization get a contract done for this star for years to come? We have the most money available in the league, and this kid continues to stay around town working with Coach Bennett and keeping in shape to ensure him a spot next year in Hawaii.

This will not be a big deal in the long run, and he will have a contract by the time training camp hits. But it is still an issue that would make any Packer fan concerned.

The practice provided a lot of exiting plays and hard work, from both the defense and our offense. According to a couple reports, Rodgers and Brohm both looked good, and it is very apparent that Rodgers's arm strength continues to grow and grow. Also, our first pick in this year's draft made a highlight catch when Brian Brohm threw him a deep ball that was under thrown. Jordy adjusted, and made a nice catch against our rookie DB Patrick Lee.

However, an NFL mini-camp will always have its downsides. Justin "I'm prone to injury" Harrell was injured once again. He had surgery in April on his back because of an injury caused by lifting weights. At least it wasn't from wrestling with family and slipping on a McDonald's bag. He says he will be ready for training camp, so let's keep our fingers crossed. I do have faith in this kid, and I know if he stays healthy he will anchor the tackle spot for years to come, but I just don't know if he can shake the injury bug. 

Overall, the reports from camp have brought a smile to my face, and have provided me a chance to thank my lucky stars that we don't have the drama of selfish holdouts, or football players who would rather dance. We are in good hands with Coach McCarthy, who will get these men prepared for another great season.

Here's to staying healthy...