OnMilwaukee launches On the Pack

The Packers open their pre-season schedule this Saturday. Let's take a look at the team, unit-by-unit, in this first edition of On The Pack:

Quarterback -- Brett Favre is still the best, or one of the best, quarterbacks in the NFL. Favre was embarrassed by his poor performance in last season's playoff loss to the St. Louis Rams, so will have more motivation than ever. He also has a new receiving corps that will take time to learn, but looks to have more talent. Just keep your fingers crossed that Favre continues his remarkable durability.

Backfield -- Ahman Green will be the main man and seems to be improving each season. William Henderson is back at fullback and is one of the best blockers in the NFL. The Packers picked up veterans Ki-Jana Carter and Jason Brookins for depth, but both have had mediocre camps to date. One needs to step up. Rookie Najeh Davenport, who could back up Henderson and perhaps also see some time behind Green, has looked good in early workouts, but needs to stay out of trouble off the field.

Receiving Corps -- Terry Glenn has more talent than any Packers' receiver since Robert Brooks, and perhaps Sterling Sharpe. The whole thing with Glenn will be for him to keep his head screwed on straight. Rookie Javon Walker seems to have the tools to eventually start in the NFL, but look to holdover Donald Driver and last year's draft pick bus Robert Ferguson to get a lot of time early in the season.

At tight end, the Packers will go with Bubba Franks, David Martin and Tyrone Davis. Each has his strengths and weaknesses. Franks made All Pro last season because of his touchdowns from the red zone, but needs to expand his talents.

Offensive line -- We don’t know if center Mike Flanagan’s hand injury will prevent him from starting the season. If he can play, the starters are solid with Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher at tackles, Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera at guards and Flanagan at center. Veteran Frank Winters will start at center until Flanagan is ready. Overall, depth is a concern. Winters and fellow veteran Earl Dotson can’t be asked for much more. The Packers need one or two of their young linemen to step up.

Defensive line -- The addition of veteran Pro Bowler Joe Johnson makes the Packers very strong at defensive end, where Vonnie Holliday and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila also have their strengths. Holliday reported a day late because of a contract dispute, but it won't be a factor. These three are so strong that Jamal Reynolds, last year's top draft pick, will have to really hustle to get playing time. Reynolds, a disappointment as a rookie, also was hampered early in camp by a knee problem.

Cletidus Hunt is expected to take over as the starter at one of the interior line spots. Gilbert Brown returns for another season at nose tackle.

Billy Lyon is back from a quad injury that shelved him for 2001 and should provide some backup, as should Steve Warren.

Linebackers -- Hardy Nickerson is soon to be 37 and has his best football behind him, but if he can muster up enough for this season he can provide experience to an otherwise inexperienced corps. Torrance Marshall also will see a lot at time in the middle.

Na'il Diggs and Nate Wayne will likely see most of the time at the outside positions. Many in the NFL consider Algie Atkinson a character risk, but he has the talent to provide some good backup as does Adrian Hollingshed and Anthony Sessions.

Secondary -- LeRoy Butler has retired, leaving Antuan Edwards and perhaps eventually Marques Anderson to start at safety next to Darren Sharper. At the corners, Mike McKenzie and Tyrone Williams are now experienced players. Tod McBride will likely be the nickel back. Bhawoh Joe will be another solid backup.

Special teams -- Ryan Longwell needs to bounce back from an off-season. Josh Bidwell is solid at punter. Veterans Darrien Gordon and Rondell Mealey were brought in to fill the punt return and kick return slots. The Packers need to make the special teams another weapon, ala the Super Bowl teams under Holmgren.

Coaching -- Mike Sherman is looking better every season. He has done a good job of balancing the coaching and GM duties. His approach is low key, yet tough when needed. He has assembled a good staff around him.

Sherman's approach is to seek improvement each week, and each day in practice. The Packers seem to have bought into it. His main challenge this season might be to make sure some bad eggs of the past, such as Glenn, Davenport and others, don't turn rotten again.

So, that's it at this stage. Expect changes to still occur. The Packers were making moves as I wrote this column. But, the guts of the team should remain quite similar to this and look good enough to make the Packers a winner.

The next On The Pack will run next Mon., Aug. 12, and look at the Packers' first pre-season game.