By of the

THUMBS UP

In October 2009, the Packers stifled the Browns in Cleveland, holding them to three points and 139 yards. Exhibition game or not, allowing the Browns 27 points and 364 yards Saturday night probably didn't sit too well with the defensive coaches and players. Thus, it wasn't surprising that there was an air of heightened intensity among the defenders Monday afternoon in what turned out to be more of a sackfest than a practice. The 11-on-11 portions matched the Packers' unit against a scout team running schemes and plays from upcoming opponents. Cardinals? Saints? It was hard to say. On one of the first snaps, Desmond Bishop ran toward the line as if he was blitzing, then peeled back into coverage just as A.J. Hawk came roaring up on a blitz through the other side. Matt Flynn, who traded scout-team reps with Graham Harrell, would have been snowed under. The heat was so hot that a few times Flynn and Harrell didn't even bother throwing the ball. That's rare, but so was the forcefulness of Dom Capers' calls during the blitz periods. "You got cards and you do things maybe your offense doesn't normally do," said Flynn. "It's kind of frustrating, but it's understandable. We try to pick it up as much as we can. Then again, you've got a lot of young guys in there seeing a lot of crazy looks. That's Dom Capers' defense."

THUMBS DOWN

On Monday, Pat Lee had tight coverage on WR Chastin West on a play for the scout defense. West was running an out-breaking route. When the ball arrived, Lee wasn't looking back and West literally took it off the cornerback's back for the reception. It was one of the more remarkable receptions of camp. It was mindful of the 27-yard touchdown pass that the Browns' Josh Cribbs caught against Lee in the corner. Lee played the man, not the ball, and got beat. In Cleveland, Lee played the last three quarters and didn't have a great night. Rookie Greg Little got behind him on a double move, but the pass by Seneca Wallace went long. Free agent Johnathan Haggerty got behind Lee in the second half, but again the pass was overthrown. Because of modest speed, Lee is best-suited covering inside as a nickel back. Lee capped off the night by missing an open-field tackle on a short pass to WR Jordan Norwood that became a 16-yard gain. The Packers have a second-round pick (2008) and considerable time invested in Lee. They like his professionalism, character and intangibles. Athletically, he might not have it.

INJURY LIST

Still out were WR Brett Swain, TE Tom Crabtree, G Adrian Battles, T Chris Campbell, RB Alex Green, NT Chris Donaldson, S Brandon Underwood, CB DavonHouse and CB Brandian Ross.

RB James Starks (ankle) and WR Shaky Smithson (shoulder), who were hurt in Cleveland, tried to practice but had to drop out.

Returning to practice were TE Jermichael Finley and CB Sam Shields.

ODDS AND ENDS

Mike McCarthy wasn't at all pleased about the Browns' five sacks. The most costly was the sack by SLB Brian Smith in which TE D.J. Williams didn't recognize an unscouted blitz and blew the protection by blocking inside instead of outside. Harrell's fumble was recovered by Titus Brown and returned for a TD.

After playing RT for two weeks, free agent Ray Dominguez finally got a chance to play some RG, probably his best position. In the one-on-one's, Dominguez stopped a head slap by Mike Neal and shut him down. Having lost nine pounds in three weeks, Dominguez is moving better.

LB Diyral Briggs was cut. He reported with a hamstring injury and never practiced.

Shields was limping Saturday night after having suffered a hip pointer Thursday night. Give him credit. He was back Monday doing everything.

TE Ryan Taylor simply buried LB Ricky Elmore on a drive block. This kind of thing is happening all too often to Elmore, a sixth-round pick.

Guards T.J. Lang and Sampson Genus have been steady hands in pass protection. But B.J. Raji easily took Lang outside and Genus inside in one-on-one's.

All camp, king-sized veterans Ryan Pickett and Howard Green have taken advantage of breaks in practice for extra conditioning work in the Hutson Center.

SCHEDULE

Practice in pads is at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.