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Pastimes : Green Bay Packers -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: C who wrote (571)	7/25/1999 2:47:00 PM
From: ArtAlley	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1150

23rd...at Camp Randall in Madison. 'State Street'...that 'great street' Should be fun! National televison.

To: C who wrote (571)	7/28/1999 12:38:00 AM
From: C	Respond to of 1150

Thomas excited about Packers' youth, depth on defense By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Emmitt Thomas won't be surprised if three rookies get significant playing time in his defensive backfield this season. A little worried, maybe, but not surprised. The Packers defensive coordinator followed Ray Rhodes to Green Bay from Philadelphia last winter, and he quickly had concerns about his new team's secondary. The NFC Central's best receivers -- Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Herman Moore -- all had tremendous games against Green Bay in 1998, and the Packers' season ended when San Francisco's Terrell Owens threaded through the secondary for a game-winning touchdown catch in the closing seconds of their playoff game. ''That's an issue we saw immediately, and we took steps to correct it,'' Thomas said. ''And the way we addressed it was to get young players in here.'' General manager Ron Wolf spent the team's first three draft picks on cornerbacks for the first time in franchise history. Clemson's Antuan Edwards, Vanderbilt's Fred Vinson and Memphis' Mike McKenzie were selected to begin filling the gaps. But Edwards and Vinson came to training camp with catches. Both had recently undergone surgery, Edwards in late April on a badly sprained big toe and Vinson in January on a torn foot ligament. ''The doctors say they're ahead of where they need to be medically,'' Thomas said. ''They're progressing very well, but it's tough.'' Both cornerbacks are taking it easy in training camp, with each participating in one of the two daily sessions. On Tuesday, Vinson worked out in the morning and Edwards in the afternoon, and Rhodes plans to ease both backs into the defense. But that will change when the two are healthy enough to go full tilt. Rhodes expects both to play in the Packers' exhibition opener against the New York Jets on Aug. 14. Vinson's injury during his senior year at Vanderbilt was the first significant one of his life. His trademark in college was his blazing speed, but he was unable to run for scouts before the draft, and even now he's not back to full strength. ''I'm very anxious to get going,'' Vinson said. ''I've spent a lot of time learning the defense, and I'd like to get to put that to use on the field.'' McKenzie, who broke a bone in his hand during the last minicamp, also will get ample playing time. Though all three players are expected to contribute, they'll have a hard time uprooting the Packers' veterans. Cornerbacks Tyrone Williams and Craig Newsome, along with safeties Darren Sharper and LeRoy Butler, are firmly entrenched in the starting lineup. ''The competition really starts when the veterans get here (on Friday),'' Rhodes said. ''That's when the rookies will know what's really going on. There's some guys they'll have to go through to get in the game.'' Thomas is excited but wary about his young players. ''We got three or four defensive backs earmarked for us when we got here, and we're going to use them,'' Thomas said. ''How much? Nobody knows yet. We can do some things a little different with some quality young legs out there.'' The defensive rookie making the biggest splash for the Packers is Cletidus Hunt, a defensive lineman picked in the third round. After signing a contract on the eve of camp, Hunt has continued his run of strong play that he began during minicamp earlier in the year. ''As a staff and an organization, we're happy about him,'' Thomas said. ''This year we're going to try to place him in good matchups on the line.'' The Packers are using Hunt at defensive end until the team's veterans report to camp on Friday, when he'll move inside to tackle.