THUMBS UP

The three-way battle between Erik Walden, Frank Zombo and Brad Jones at right outside linebacker has taken a turn in Walden's favor. Since the start of camp, Walden has been the most dynamic of the three, throwing his body around with reckless abandon and making life miserable for the team's left tackles. Walden still needs to develop better pass rush moves, but when he rushes it's with force. And he has consistently played well against the run, stacking the line of scrimmage by getting under the tackle's pads and giving him a good shot. Walden also has shown his versatility by dropping into coverage and had outstanding coverage on fullback John Kuhn on a third-down play near the end of practice Friday. It's probably a good sign for Walden that linebackers coach Kevin Greene has been going nuts over some of his plays.

THUMBS DOWN

If defensive end C.J. Wilson doesn't pick up his play, he's going to be in danger of losing his spot on the roster. Wilson had a bad day in one-on-one pass rush drills, getting stymied three times, once by guard Josh Sitton, once by guard Evan Dietrich- Smith and once by guard T.J. Lang. Each time Wilson made his move and then basically got stopped in his tracks. Earlier in camp, Wilson admitted he had to improve his pass rushing skills and worked all off-season on gaining quickness. But in the first week of practice he's been nothing more than a guy playing the run. The Packers are looking for a player to team with B.J. Raji in the middle on third downs, and while second-year pro Mike Neal is the favorite, someone else is going to have to emerge to back up both men.

INJURY REPORT

The injury du jour appears to be hip flexors. The latest to fall victim were cornerback Tramon Williams and receiver Greg Jennings, both of whom didn't practice Friday. Tight end Andrew Quarless missed four days with a hip flexor. Tight end Tom Crabtree missed a second straight day with a hip problem.

The other newcomers to the injury list were cornerback Davon House (hamstring) and tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee tendinitis), both of whom dropped out of practice.

ODDS AND ENDS

Kicker Mason Crosby got off to another poor start in camp, missing four of his first eight attempts. The same thing happened to him last season, but he later corrected things before the season started. He missed from what appeared to be: 45 yards (right), 53 (right), 49 (left) and 53 (right). He connected twice from 37, once from 42 and once from 45.

The first camp scuffle involved Walden and rookie tight end Ryan Taylor. The two shoved each other before Greene got in between to break up things.

Raji has been a beast in one-on-one pass rush drills, dominating every time he wins the drill. On Friday, he got stopped once by rookie guard Derek Sherrod and had a stalemate with center Nick McDonald, but then he turned it on and destroyed McDonald and Dietrich-Smith on his last two attempts. Raji's combination of size and speed are difficult to deal with.

The offensive line is getting some good work against the blitz. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers is dialing up every blitz in the book during the blitz periods, which has made it almost impossible for the offense to run a play.

Cornerback Charles Woodson either wanted extra work or was filling a void left by the injured House and Williams, because he played almost every snap in the last 24 minutes of 11-on-11 drills.

Among those on the No. 1 kickoff coverage unit is rookie linebacker D.J. Smith. It's usually a good sign for making the team if you're on it, but Smith still has to prove himself in games. Taylor also is being given a lot of chances with the coverage unit.

Probably the best play of the night was when running back James Starks took a handoff, slithered his way through traffic and then took off like he was fired out of a slingshot. It was one of two very impressive runs Starks had and added to his fine camp.

Before he left with his injury, Bulaga did a yeoman's job at right tackle, especially against linebacker Clay Matthews. The two fought to a stalemate on one rush, but Bulaga clearly won the other.

Wide receiver Chastin West might consider baseball if his career in football doesn't pan out. West has a bazooka of an arm and is left-handed. After one long catch and run, he threw the ball back nearly 50 yards to the quarterbacks.

Wide receiver Jordy Nelson had the long catch of the day in 11-on-11 drills. He beat cornerback Josh Gordy and Woodson for a long completion from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Safety Nick Collins didn't take part in the final 11-on-11s because coach Mike McCarthy is giving certain veterans breaks during practice to lighten their load. He said it was a good way to allow some of the younger players to get snaps.

SCHEDULE

The annual intrasquad scrimmage begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Lambeau Field. The team will be in full pads. There is no practice Sunday.