"By practicing in Green Bay, we benefit with the relationship we have with the fans that come to watch practice," Sherman said. "It makes for an electric atmosphere as the railbirds 'Oooo' and 'Ahhh' at every play we run.
"The players feel the energy from the crowd and respond favorably to it. There cannot be a better place to have preseason than right here in this tradition-rich town."
Remaining as always will be the time-honored tradition of fan interaction. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor stadium construction could interfere with the Packers' custom of arriving at practice on foot, or via a ride on a youngster's bicycle.
And with formal autograph tables running after morning practices, training camp will continue to be a time when signatures and photo opportunities are nearly as plentiful as the snowflakes in December.
"Players are always encouraged to take part in the tradition of riding bikes to practice," Sherman said. "It is one of the many links the players have with the fans here in Green Bay, particularly the kids, which makes this place so special to coach, play and live. I think it's also a good indoctrination to young players as to what being a Green Bay Packer is all about . . .
"As far as autograph tables are concerned, this is a nice way for fans and players to get together for autographs without risking a chance for injury to either party. All of our players and coaches will take part in this daily ritual during training camp at some time."
The first practice of the season will run from 2:30-3:45 p.m., July 24, and is for rookies and first-year players only. Veterans will debut in accordance with the beginning of two-a-day practices, July 27.
From then until the end of the preseason, morning practices are generally scheduled from 8:45-11:25 a.m., with afternoon practices generally running from 2:15-3:15 p.m., or from 2:45-4:10 or 4:40 p.m.
The Packers will hold five closed-to-the-public workouts in Lambeau Field. Four of those dates are routine 'walk-through' practices the day before preseason games. The other date, the evening of August 4, has been established for players to get a feel for the stadium's new and improved lighting conditions.
The Packers open preseason competition on the road versus the Philadelphia Eagles, August 10, not making their first Lambeau Field appearance until August 26, against the Cleveland Browns.
The regular season officially begins September 8, when the Packers play host to the Atlanta Falcons.
Training Camp - August 3, 2002
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Jared Tomich
Defensive End
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Brett Favre
Warming up
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Practice
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Chad Clifton
Tackle
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Li-Jana Carter
Running Back
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David Martin
Tight End
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David Martin
Tight End
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Ed Kehl
Guard/Long Snapper
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Ken Kocher
Defensive Tackle
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Frank Winters
Center
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George White
Safety
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Matt Brown
Safety
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Jamal Reynolds
Defensive End
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Marcus Wilkins
Linebacker
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Karsten Bailey
Wide Reciever
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Paris Lenon
Line Backer
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Seneca Mcmillian
Corner Back
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Kevin Barry
Guard
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Keith Thibodeaux
Cornerback
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It wasn't an official scrimmage, but the Packers took another step closer to the real thing with Saturday's afternoon practice, which was predominantly made up of scrimmage situations, albeit without live tackling.
Quarterback Brett Favre, who was plagued by incomplete passes throughout the first drive, later redeemed himself by leading a drive that resulted in a 38-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. Along the way, running back Ahman Green had a nice 13-yard run, and tight end Bubba Franks caught a rocket from Favre for a 22-yard gain. Cornerback Darrien Gordon broke-up a pass intended for Donald Driver.
During the second drive, Doug Pederson completed a 25-yard pass to Javon Walker, setting up a touchdown run by rookie running back Tony Fisher from three yards out.
Rookie quarterback Craig Nall didn't waste any time impressing the largest contingent of Railbirds to attend a Packers practice this training camp. Nall needed just two plays to complete his first touchdown drive - a 35-yard heave to a wide-open tight end David Martin, and a 25-yard touchdown pass to receiver Karsten Bailey.
Next on the Packers' agenda was the red zone drill, which played out like a highlight film. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila led the defense with four sacks, getting to all three quarterbacks at least once Billy Lyon chimed in with a sack of his own. A fired-up Torrance Marshall deflected a pass from his linebacker position to go with his three tackles.
Offensively, Favre threw three touchdown passes during the red zone drill, two to Terry Glenn from 19 and 13 yards out, and a 14-yarder to Walker. Pederson lofted a five-yard pass to Robert Ferguson in the back corner of the end zone, and Nall connected with newly acquired receiver Chris Jackson for a score of their own.
Practice concluded with 2-minute drills, with Joey Dozier plunging across the goal line to complete practice.
The Packers' next practice will include special teams only, and will be held Sunday afternoon from 1:00-1:45 at Clarke Hinkle Field, weather and field conditions permitting.
-- by Leslie Ricker
Scrimmage Statistics --
Rushing (carries-total yards) - Goodman 8-33, Fisher 9-27, Green 4-21, Carter 3-10, Pederson 1-7, Brookins 3-7, Favre 1-6, Jackson 1-4, Dozier 1-1.
Passing (completions-attempts-yards-touchdowns-interceptions) - Favre 12-23-139-3-0, Nall 6-12-102-2-0, Pederson 11-15-108-1-0.
Receiving (receptions-yards) - Walker 4-49, Glenn 4-60, Carter 3-13, Ferguson 3-22, Fisher 2-12, Lee 2-49, Franks 2-28, Martin 2-39, Bailey 2-31, Brookins 2-7, Green 1-4, Jackson 1-14, Haugabrook 1-21.
Tackles (total-solo-assisted) - Nickerson 6-1-5, Gbaja-Biamila 5-5-0, Hollingshed 4-3-1, Anderson 4-2-2, McKenzie 4-4-0, Franz 4-2-2, Wilkins 4-2-2, Diggs 3-2-1, Marshall 3-2-1, Atkinson 3-1-2, Kampman 3-0-3, Kocher 3-1-2, Tomich 2-1-1, Gilmore 2-2-0, Sessions 2-0-2, Hunt 2-0-2, Lyon 2-2-0, McMillan 2-1-1, Reynolds 2-2-0, Sharper 2-1-1, Bowen 2-2-0, Williams 1-1-0, Edwards 1-0-1, Frost 1-0-1, White 1-1-0, Tarver 1-0-1, Thibodeaux 1-1-0, Gordon 1-1-0.
Field Goals (3 of 3) -
Longwell - 38, 38, 26