On the Packers calendar today, practice is at 2 p.m. at Ray Nitschke Field this afternoon. Also, I'll be talking Packers on Green and Gold Today heard on ESPN Radio in Milwaukee on 540 AM and ESPN Radio in Madison on 100.5 FM somewhere between 10 and 11 a.m. ...

Mason Crosby struggled in his first action during training camp on Sunday evening. "Crosby made 6 of 9 field-goal attempts, connecting from 28, 33, 36, 43, 50, 53 and missing from 40 yards out once and twice from 45 yards away," writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. "All three of Crosby’s misses were wide left, with the 40-yarder coming from the right hashmark and the 45-yarder from the middle of the field." Definitely not a good way to begin. The first time he lined up on the right hashmark, of course, miss.

Seeing Al Harris on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list isn't an option according to the cornerback. "Harris is willing to wait, but when it was suggested he might miss all of camp, remain on the physically unable to perform list and by league rules miss the first six games of the season, his body language suggested, 'You must be crazy,'" writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Like agent Jack Bechta said this past weekend, Harris expects to return by preseason Week 3. Whether that's the practice field or the playing field, we can only wait to find out.

Breno Giacomini and Brady Poppinga get a lot of grief from fans, but they're off to a effective start this training camp. "Offensive line coach James Campen had glowing words of praise for RT Breno Giacomini at the conclusion of off-season work," writes Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel. "Kevin Greene, who coaches the outside linebackers, spoke highly of LOLB Brady Poppinga. Two days of training camp are hardly enough time to pass judgment, but based on early returns neither coach was blowing smoke." As much as you may not want to believe it, McGinn isn't joking. This duo is playing well and are setting themselves up for playing time in one fashion or another this year.

Jermichael Finley looks absolutely dominant out on the practice field. "Finley shook safety Derrick Martin badly during two 1-on-1 drills, breaking wide open out of his route for completions," writes Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "The routes were so  good that Martin was left completely out of position." Finley is, no doubt, good. But this also shows why Martin would be a liability on defense. He needs to stay on special teams when it comes to the regular season.

The hamstring injury of running back James Starks, who is on the PUP list, is updated by Greg Bedard of the Journal Sentinel. "Starks was initially injured during an off-season practice on May 20," writes Bedard. "He didn’t practice again. Starks also said the injury wasn’t fully healed when he took the test more than two months later." Starks apparently aggravated the injury during the conditioning test, not unlike Atari Bigby and his ankle. The longer Starks sits out, the less of a chance he'll make an impact this season. But it's still early. If he can get out before the end of camp, he can still be in good shape.

The punters brought into camp this year competing for a job appear to be an upgrade over last year's training camp competition. "A summer after watching Jeremy Kapinos and Durant Brooks shank the ball all over Ray Nitschke Field, the Packers appear much better off — at least at this point — with a pair of punters who have never kicked in an NFL regular-season game," writes Rob Demovsky of the Press-Gazette. The Packers are devoting more time to special teams during camp this year after finishing ranked 31st in the Dallas Morning News annual rankings. That's a good thing.

Cramping was a problem in yesterday's morning session, and head coach Mike McCarthy even ended practice a little early during the evening session to prevent the same thing. "Cornerback Jarrett Bush was one of the players who hobbled off the field with a cramp, and his defensive teammates gave him some grief about it," writes Bill Huber of Packer Report. "McCarthy, however, didn’t find the cramping quite as humorous." Apparently offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith was seen off to the side vomiting during the morning practice. I read somewhere Veteran cornerback Charles Woodson didn't see what the problem was. He didn't even think it was hot, and really, it wasn't compared to what it could have been.

Bryan Bulaga got some reps with the first-string offense when Chad Clifton was rested during Sunday's morning practice. "First-round pick Bryan Bulaga, who was drafted with hopes he'd be the left tackle of the future, has been taking the reps with the No. 1 offense," writes Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "It's a luxury some rookies don't get, and Bulaga is trying to take advantage of it." Bulaga was beat badly by unheralded defensive end Ronald Talley during one-on-ones in last night practice. Good for Bulaga getting experience, but I'm still not ready to insert him into the starting lineup yet.

Running back Kregg Lumpkin received some praise from Greg Bedard in last night's practice. "Kregg Lumpkin has really improved in blitz pickup," writes Bedard. "He may be getting to Brandon Jackson’s level. Would obviously help Lumpkin make the team." That's true, but he hasn't shown the pass catching ability or the one-cut ability of Jackson through two days of camp, however.

Rookie defensive end Mike Neal has impressed Rob Demovsky of the Press-Gazette. "His technique might need work, but the second-round pick has shown the ability to move people out of the way," writes Demovsky. "In nine one-on-one pass rushing reps over the first two days or training camp (three practices), Neal has a respectable 5-5 record in the best drill to measure individual pass rushing skill." I'm not sure why Neal isn't in the "Hippo" 4-4-3 short yardage defensive formation ahead of Cullen Jenkins. It seems like he can really anchor in those situations.

Desmond Bishop spoke to Tom Ziemer of the Wisconsin State Journal about the quagmire he finds himself in. "Make no mistake, though, Bishop would like his calling to change," writes Ziemer. "He talked about watching linebackers from his draft class such as San Francisco’s Patrick Willis, Carolina’s Jon Beason and Indianapolis’ Clint Session play major roles on their respective teams. Willis and Beason have each already made multiple Pro Bowls, while Session has established himself as a starter for the Colts over the past two seasons." Bishop has said he's open to a trade, but with little depth behind him at  inside linebacker, I don't see the Packers pull off such a move.

Jordy Nelson appears to be performing better than James Jones, at least at this juncture of training camp notes Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV."Nelson is, so far, worlds ahead of James Jones in regards to not only his connection with Rodgers but his entire presence at practice," writes Nagler. "Nelson looks alert and eager while Jones looks sullen and withdrawn. The very last play of 11 on 11, Jones got behind the defense for what would have been a huge touchdown play, only to drop a perfectly thrown pass from Rodgers. To make matters worse, it was the same kind of play Rodgers and Nelson have hit 4 or 5 times already." Seriously, some of the passes Nelson has made along the sideline have been a work of art.

Undrafted rookie cornerback Sam Shields' stellar play has caught the eye of Michael Rodney of Packer Update. "Shields was clearly the defensive star of the day, but one good practice hardly guarantees anything," writes Rodney. "Many long shots flash early in camp, only to fade away by the middle of August. That’s because guys like Shields usually make their initial impact against second, third and fourth-stringers. Curious coaches then want to see what they can do against better players, and that’s often when the carriage turns back into a pumpkin and these Cinderella stories come to an end." I personally will base a lot of my opinion on how Shields plays during the preseason.

The Packers could really benefit from better play from the inside linebackers says Chris Lempesis of Ol' Bag of Donuts. "The biggest thing both need to do is bring an improved presence on the inside pass rush," writes Lempesis. "Nick Barnett is good in that department, but the team needs someone to compliment him. That would greatly decrease the pressure on the OLBs, even Clay Matthews. If these two can step it up a notch, Dom Capers’ defense could take a major step forward in year two of the 3-4."