Packers not backing down from Super Bowl talk despite so-so start to camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Super Bowl favorites (at least according to many Las Vegas betting houses) got off to choppy start during the pressure portion of practice Thursday, and this was after Aaron Rodgers had thrown an interception to an undrafted rookie cornerback.

But, being the Green Bay Packers, they still found their groove offensively in the first training camp practice of the year. Dressed in shorts and shells, Rodgers led the first-team offense in the no-huddle session and shook off the earlier rust following a first-down incompletion.

Then, off it went: The reigning league MVP hit Jordy Nelson on a fade stop for a first down. Eddie Lacy then took an inside zone run for 6 yards. Jeff Janis beat Sam Shields for a chain-mover. Lacy for 6 more. Even after a Bryan Bulaga false start, Randall Cobb made a diving catch from the slot to convert a third-and-11.

“It wasn’t pretty early, but we got it cranked up there,” center Corey Linsley said.

In three minutes, the Packers salvaged a rough patch with the first-team offense and at least started to evoke thoughts of what this offense might accomplish again in 2015.

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“Definitely got off to a fast start,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “The tempo of practice is what I was looking for.”

Yes, tempo trumps style for the coach who is giving up play-calling — his baby since he took over the job in 2006 — to offensive coordinator Tom Clements this season. But there was a clear sore-thumb element from Thursday: execution, which was rough.

“I think we had nine pre-snap penalties, 12 penalties overall,” McCarthy said. “Definitely a lot to clean up.”

But the pieces, aside from a murky tight end situation, are all there offensively for something special again. Maybe even more special than before.

Rodgers. The receivers — in addition to Nelson and Cobb, don’t forget Davante Adams, who stepped up late in his rookie season. The top seven offensive linemen return. Lacy and James Starks make up a potent 1-2 punch at running back, and Raijon Neal, who missed all of his rookie season after going undrafted out of Tennessee, had two eye-opening runs with burst in the opening practice.

“We’ve got all 11 starters back on offense,” Rodgers said. “I’m sure you guys have your own expectations, and the oddsmakers do as well. We have high expectations for ourselves, and we push each other to be great.”

For a team as reliant on pace and timing and precision as the Packers are, even an uneven session such as this can have benefits.

“It starts in training camp when the chemistry is coming together, the team is coming together and you start to figure out who they key players are going to be, who is going to make that jump from Year 1 and 2 and we expect our veterans to keep playing at the level they’ve played at,” Rodgers said.

Added Lacy, who looks even bigger and stronger (while keeping his nifty feet) and perhaps even better hands after 35- and 42-catch seasons in the NFL: “Individually, I like where I am at. And on offense, I love where we are at. I thought everything looked good for a first practice.”

McCarthy, who will take a more macro view of the team and spend more time overseeing special teams, said Wednesday that Rodgers won’t be held back after missing time the past two seasons with a broken collarbone (seven games in 2013) and a calf that hobbled him down the stretch through the playoffs. But Rodgers seemed surprised this was a topic of discussion.

“I am 31, and I feel great. I am not 35, 36, 37 [years old]. I don’t know what this pitch count is all about,” he said. “I’ve iced my arm probably less than five times in my life. I’m very happy with the gift I was given with this right arm, and it doesn’t give me any problems.”

Defensively, there are problems and questions, but it appears that there is competition at nearly every spot in doubt.

The line has options to play with Mike Daniels, nose tackles B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion (both of whom moved around well Thursday), Datone Jones, Josh Boyd and others, although suspensions for Jones (one game) and Guion (three) hit hard out of the chute.

Inside linebacker saw Clay Matthews and Sam Barrington take many first-team reps, but keep an eye on 2013 sixth-rounder Nate Palmer, who opened eyes. Carl Bradford and Jake Ryan, fourth-rounders the past two seasons, might also be options there. Outside, Matthews, Julius Peppers and former first-rounder Nick Perry can heat up the edges and also drop off.

In the secondary, where starting right corner Tramon Williams bolted for Cleveland and the nickel and dime jobs have yet to be determined, there were able and active bodies. Casey Hayward has a strong practice working in Williams’ vacated spot. First-rounder Damarious Randall didn’t look out of place after switching from college safety to NFL corner, and second-rounder Quentin Rollins, who missed Thursday’s session on the team’s non-football injury list, will get his chance eventually.

“The changes we made this offseason, I think we’re going to have a very good defense,” Rodgers said.

And yet the sight of the day was undrafted Miami (Fla.) corner LaDarius Gunter getting physical off the line with Jared Abbrederis (who got hurt on the play), walling him off and picking off Rodgers, who has thrown only 27 picks in his past 64 regular-season games, earning a huge roar in an otherwise quiet practice.

“I just try to use my length, my physicality to make plays,” Gunter told Shutdown Corner. “That felt good, that play. I’m just trying to take advantage of this opportunity here, and it’s only Day 1.”

If you judged this Packers by this one practice alone, you might be underwhelmed. Slow starts are nothing new in Green Bay, where the team has turned a 3-3 start in 2010 into a Super Bowl win and a 1-2 record in 2014 — you certainly remember Rodgers’ “R-E-L-A-X” — into a spot in the NFC championship game.

That, of course, was the devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks, blowing a 13-point lead in the final few minutes. The theme in the locker room seemed to be that most players had no intention of dwelling on that disappointment as a way of motivation, even with Seattle on the schedule so early in the season — Week 2 at Lambeau Field.

“That was a long time ago. That was last [season]. This is the 2015 team,” Rodgers said. “They’re different. We’re different. Different expectations. Different players. And it’s going to be at home.”

Said Lacy, “I don’t know how other guys get themselves motivated, but I’m not still thinking about that game. It was hard to get over, but you get over it. I’m not sitting here thinking about that game every day or something.”

It has been 193 days since that loss, and it’s another 45 until the opener against the Chicago Bears. The Packers have a sneaky-tough early schedule, and a slow start shouldn’t alarm anyone. This is still one of the clear Super Bowl favorites, and the Packers weren’t backing down from those predictions.

“It gives us something to shoot for,” Lacy said, “and it’s not a far-fetched goal for us.”

Or as Linsley said, “We’re shooting for the stars now.”

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm