Green Bay in practice

There is great size, strength and power on the defensive line with B. J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and Cullen Jenkins. They will rival the Williams wall in Minnesota as far as a defensive line that is hard to run against.

In the fourth round of April's draft, there was discussion in the Bears draft room about two players. The two were Corey Wootton, a DE from Northwestern, and Geno Atkins, a DT from Georgia. Wootton had a huge junior year and looked like he had a chance to be a first-round pick but then he blew out a knee in Northwestern's bowl game. He had surgery in January 2009 and was back on the field in the fall. He did not have the season in '09 like he had in '08. But after coming back from ACL surgery in eight months that was to be expected.

The Packers  tradition of a "family night" scrimmage is unique in the league. In this metropolitan area of just 300,000 people (by far the smallest NFL market) Lambeau Field drew 47,844 fans on Saturday night for an intra-squad scrimmage! Did I mention there was an "extreme trampoline team" performing, a dance team, high school cheerleaders, Native American dancers from the Oneida Nation and yes, even fireworks—all for a $10 ticket. Not a bad night's entertainment in this day of $400 re-sale tickets and luxury suites. All 47,844 of us had a blast, but that's probably not why you're reading this column.

In my book, there are quarterbacks who are comfortable in their system, and  then there are quarterbacks in command of their system. Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers Fantasy News is in complete command of every aspect of the Packers offense. Peyton Manning Peyton Manning Fantasy News, Drew Brees Drew Brees Fantasy News and Tom Brady Tom Brady Fantasy News are the other quintessential field commanders in the NFL. Some will disagree, but I have Tony Romo Tony Romo Fantasy News, Phillip Rivers and Matt Schaub Matt Schaub Fantasy News as "on the brink."

Think back to the gut-wrenching draft-day slide that Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers Fantasy News had to endure. Now fast-forward to his being in the perfect place at this perfect time, coached to succeed and surrounded with the talent necessary for a Super Bowl run. Credit should be given to Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, GM Ted Thompson, and Head Coach Mike McCarthy for making the tough decisions necessary to have the Packers poised to reclaim the Lombardi Trophy for Title Town.

Rodgers had a respectable night, completing 9 or 14 passes for 127 yards and a TD. His array of weapons is impressive and growing, but it is his ability to make use of those weapons that has him as the top-rated fantasy QB going into the 2010 season. It also doesn't hurt his fantasy numbers that the Packers  rushed 8 times for a total of 8 yards. Rodgers was in the top-4 QBs in most offensive categories in 2009, and he also rushed for 316 yards and 5 TDs. If he's not in your top 3 QBs heading into your draft, you might want to consider another hobby.

One of the hottest topics this fantasy draft season is 6'5" TE Jermichael Ryan Grant Finley Jermichael Finley Fantasy News, who racked up 55 receptions for 676 yards and 5 TDs in essentially 10 games for the Packers last year. Finley has not only surpassed 8-year veteran Donald Lee Donald Lee Fantasy News on the depth chart, he has buried him. Finley gave the Lambeau faithful something to cheer at the scrimmage, with 4 receptions, 55 yards and a nice TD in very limited play. It's clear his size and athleticism will make Finley the first read on 3rd down and in the red zone.

If he can stay healthy, the Rodgers-to-Finley combination could produce 850 yards and might approach double digit TDs. That's Donald Driver Donald Driver Fantasy News-type yardage, with twice as many TDs. The problem is, fantasy owners know the mismatches he creates for a defense, and Finley is going ahead of other stud TEs in mock drafts. He had great value in 2009, but might be overvalued in 2010. There are other great choices, like Brent Celek Brent Celek Greg Jennings Fantasy News in PHI, Kellen Winslow Kellen Winslow Fantasy News in TB or Vernon Davis Vernon Davis Fantasy News in SF. Personally, I put him just outside of the top tier of TEs, because of his injury risk. There is one reason I might reach for him, and that is if I end up with Rodgers as my QB because of my draft position. It would be akin to having the Manning-to-Clark combination in Indianapolis—not too shabby.

Green Bay drafted TE Andrew Quarless Andrew Quarless Fantasy News (Penn State) in the 5th round. This is one big rook on the practice field. The program says he's an inch shorter than Finley, but I'm not buying it. I stood beside them, and Quarless is taller with a bigger wingspan. He owns the TE record book at Penn State, but Happy Valley isn't the NFL. It's a tough position to learn in McCarthy's system, and dropping a pass in the end zone (uncovered) during the scrimmage won't endear you to Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers Fantasy News or the coaching staff. The Packers might have to carry 3 TEs because of Finley's injury risk, but Donald Lee Donald Lee Fantasy News makes a bunch of money to be a 3rd-string blocking tight end. If I had to guess, I'd say Lee and his salary are gone before week 1, if Quarless can grasp the playbook.

The WR situation remains the same in Green Bay. Stud Greg Jennings Greg Jennings Fantasy News is the top dog, and should hit 1100+ yards and a TD about every other game. Jennings remains a top-10 WR in all formats. Donald Driver Donald Driver Fantasy News  is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery in the off-season, but has resumed light contact in practice. He did not play in this scrimmage. When healthy, owners can count on Double D for 800+ yards and 4-6 TDs. His surgeries (and age) have fantasy owners trying to figure out if James Jones James Jones Fantasy News or Jordy Nelson Jordy Nelson Fantasy News  would benefit the most if Driver is sidelined. Honestly, it's a coin-toss on my board. The scrimmage only muddied my crystal ball further. The Packers  did seem to try to "force" the ball to Jones during the scrimmage, but that may have just been because Nelson was sidelined early.

"Jack Rabbit" Jordy is a highlight waiting to happen, but there is a little black cloud that follows him on game day. In the scrimmage, he made a spectacular (leaping) grab over two defenders for a gain of 27 yards, only to be "dinged" and sit the rest of the evening with a right-side contusion following a decent hit. Jones will be remembered Saturday night for catching a TD wide of the end zone, and being stripped of a reception at the goal line by 2nd-team DBs. Both have looked good on the practice field, but Nelson hasn't stepped-up yet and Jones remains inconsistent. So who benefits if Driver goes down? Jermichael Finley Jermichael Finley Fantasy News, of course! Seriously, it's RBC (receptions by committee) in GB after Jennings and Finley. Rodgers will post huge numbers, but reception totals will be divided-up all over the roster.

After last season, the two biggest needs in Buffalo on offense were left tackle and quarterback. Those needs were not addressed during the offseason and after a week of training camp it looks as if it could still be a problem. In Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm, the Bills do not have a legitimate NFL starting QB. The same can be said for Demetrius Bell at left tackle. The QB group and Bell will all be looked at very closely during the preseason. If they don't show drastic improvement, the Bills will go into next offseason with the same two glaring needs.

I'm glad to see Kyle Orton breaking away from the pack in Denver. For some reason coaches always want to replace Orton but he finds a way to battle back and keep his job. While he was in Chicago he showed us that he was a winner and a class act. He is well-liked and respected by teammates and becomes a stronger leader every year. His work ethic is unquestioned.