THUMBS UP

OK, Tramon Williams didn't look his best the other night when he slapped receiver Tori Gurley in the head and knocked him to the ground as the two had words. It's rare you see him show that kind of emotion. But the guy can be excused for putting a rookie in his place if he's going to play as he did Wednesday night. Williams has been good all camp, but even coming off a hip injury, he was spectacular on a pair of deep balls from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings. Williams ran stride-for-stride with Jennings on both. On the first one - down the left sideline - Jennings had a half step on him, but Williams tracked the ball without losing a step, reached up and deflected the ball just as it was about to land in Jennings' arms. Then at the end of a 2-minute drill, Rodgers tested Williams again on seam route. Jennings had the inside to himself, but at the last minute Williams leaped in the air, reached across Jennings and knocked the ball away. That's how you play cornerback.

THUMBS DOWN

Coach Mike McCarthy outlined the team's plan for the White House visit on Friday. The entire team will go and take part in all the festivities. What exactly those are, is anyone's guess, but there's usually a team picture with the president. The part that stinks is that veteran players like Mark Tauscher, Brandon Chillar, Derrick Martin and Matt Wilhelm - all of whom are out of football right now - won't be able to go and guys who weren't part of the Super Bowl team will. No one is saying that the Packers should make their rookies and first-year players parachute into Cleveland on the way out to Washington D.C., but the guys who should be in the picture should be the ones who played in the Super Bowl. It might seem inclusive, but there's nothing wrong with making them wait in the Garden Room or to the side of the podium where the champions are being honored. It takes a lot of commitment and hard work to win a Super Bowl and only the guys who have won one should enjoy the perks that go with it. Why should they be hungry to win a Super Bowl when they're already being treated as champions?

INJURY REPORT

TE Jermichael Finley (glute) sat out practice, but McCarthy said the injury wasn't serious and he wasn't ruling Finley out of the preseason opener against Cleveland Saturday.

Also, WR Chastin West (ankle) and end Chris Donaldson (shoulder) dropped out.

OT Marshall Newhouse and DE Eli Joseph returned to practice.

ODDS AND ENDS

Kicker Mason Crosby (ankle) did some kicking inside the Don Hutson Center and hit a few onside kicks in practice. He will attempt to go in full on Thursday and will be evaluated Friday to see if he can play this weekend.

Rookie RB Alex Green had a forgettable night. He started out by fumbling the first kickoff. He later dropped a pass in the flat that he easily could have had.

How strong is DE Mike Neal? In disengaging with OT Chad Clifton, the 294-pound Neal whipped the 320-pound Clifton to the ground.

TE Andrew Quarless had a bad-looking drop in a move-the-ball drill, but then a couple of plays later made a diving catch over the middle to redeem himself. Later he caught a red-zone touchdown from Rodgers on a nicely executed corner route.

DE B.J. Raji can lay waste to an offensive lineman if the guy isn't careful. In one-on-one drills, he blew past Evan Dietrich-Smith as though he wasn't there and then did the same thing to T.J. Lang. It took OG Josh Sitton to finally slow him down.

OLB Clay Matthews put a spin move on OT Bryan Bulaga in the one-on-one drills that left Bulaga blocking air and drew roars from the defensive players. Bulaga camp back and stymied Erik Walden and Ricky Elmore on his next turns.

It's obvious that first-round pick Derek Sherrod is more natural playing tackle than guard. He sets up better as a pass blocker and uses space to his advantage.

The defense practiced using cards, which means there was a scout team replicating some of the looks the Packers will get from the Browns on Saturday.

McCarthy said he probably will hold some veterans out of the opener, but he said they need the work as much as the younger players and he has to figure out which ones he'll rest. Rodgers definitely will play.

SCHEDULE

The Packers practice in full pads at 7 p.m. Thursday.