The Packers had two intriguing players in for visits yesterday, but ... "The source said [kick returner Clifton] Smith signed with the Miami Dolphins Tuesday evening without having received an offer from the Packers, while the Packers also chose not to sign [safety Gerald] Alexander," reports Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin. Smith was an All-Pro kick return specialist with the Buccaneers who had several injury problems while Alexander was a starting safety with the Jaguars. Alas, it was not to be.

Respected NFL writer Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News was in Green Bay and wrote about tight end Jermichael Finley. "Jermichael has all the tools but the routes ... the routes can make him special. The proper depth on his routes, the sharpness of his cuts – those are some things he struggled with last year. If he dials all that in this season, he's going to be a huge weapon for us," quarterback Aaron Rodgers is quoted as saying by Gosselin. I don't think it's going out on a limb saying Finley can have over 1,000 yards receiving this season as long as he stays healthy.

Cornerback Charles Woodson is profiled by Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, and as we find out, Woodson is one of a growing number of players that have taken up boxing in the offseason. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt also went out on a limb when it comes to Woodson. “I think he’ll have a better year,” Whitt said. Better than the nine interceptions with three returned for touchdowns? I admire Charles Woodson as much as the next person, but I'm not buying it.

Punter Tim Masthay is featured in an article by Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Masthay's preparation for his first regular-season NFL game Sunday will include working more with long snapper Brett Goode for field-goal attempts by Mason Crosby," writes Nickel. Masthay had to split time with Chris Bryan during training camp, so he'll be getting pretty much all the reps from now on.

Rookie offensive lineman Nick McDonald supposedly made the roster through his play in team situations and not necessarily individual drills. "He did by playing well in the team (11-on-11) portions of practice, and most importantly, in the games," writes Mike Spofford of the Packers official website. "By his own evaluation, McDonald felt he showed good footwork on inside zone runs and got movement against opposing defensive tackles. He also showed the athletic ability to make blocks at the second level against linebackers and to get out into the flat on screens." As Rob Demovsky noted on last night's Packers Transplants episode, McDonald struggled in 1-on-1 drills during training camp, so he had to do something to stand out.

Encouraging words about the pass rush are provided by Waldo from the blog Where's Lambeau. "Combine the outside rush of last season with the inside rush that we’ve seen thus far this summer, and things have seemingly tremendously improved," writes Waldo. "To me the outside rush gets sacks and breaks plays, the inside rush steal’s the QB’s time and sets the throwing clock. While the Packers have not shown fans the whole yet, an improved pass rush, they have shown that they have the parts to assemble a significantly better pass rush than they have shown at any time during Dom Capers’ tenure." We'll find out if that's the case on Sunday.

Kicker Mason Crosby looks like he'll be one of the fastest players in NFL history to get to 500 points. "Had he demonstrated greater accuracy in his first three years in the league, the Green Bay Packers kicker would have been a good bet to move ahead of the Hall of Famer who achieved that total the quickest nearly a half-century ago," writes Eric Goska of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. That's an interesting nugget of information.

Punter Chris Bryan was set to sign on the Green Bay Packers practice squad until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked into the picture. "Bryan expects to play his first game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, after Tampa Bay released its lone punter, Brent Bowden," writes Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. It goes to show how talented Bryan may become that the Packers were considering him for their practice squad despite keeping Masthay.

The Packers are ranked 1 to 53 by Mike Vandermause.

"Pigskin" Paul Guillemette gives his thoughts on the Packers roster.

The Press-Gazette writers predict how the Packers and the NFL season will unfold.

The Tundra Tailgate Zone in Green Bay kicks off the NFL's regular season on Thursday.

Television coverage maps for Week 1 of the NFL season.