GREEN BAY – Alex Green didn’t watch the NFL Draft, but the Green Bay Packers third-year running back didn’t have to. When the Packers took Alabama running back Eddie Lacy in the second round, then added UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin in the fourth round, Green’s phone lit up.

“(Even) if I’m not watching it, everybody else around the world is watching it, so I was getting phone calls and text messages and things like that saying, ‘You picked up so-and-so,’” Green said Tuesday morning before boarding the bus for the team’s annual Tailgate Tour around the state.

Green, a 2011 third-round pick whose rookie season ended with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, said he wasn’t bothered by the selections, either. Having had an up-and-down season as the team’s part-time starter at running back, he said he can’t argue with the decision.

“Last year, I didn’t do anything too good in the running game, so I think it was a great thing for us to get back out there, make a step in the draft and help the team win football games,” Green said. “There’s always going to be challenges in life, there’s always going to be new guys stepping up. That’s part of the game, that’s the name of the business. I’m looking forward to it. To me, it’s a great thing. It’s going to push me more to be more focused.”

After would-be starter James Starks suffered a toe injury in the Aug. 9 preseason opener at San Diego, Green was in line to be the team’s lead back – until Cedric Benson was signed off the street on Aug. 12.

But when Benson went down with what turned out to be a season-ending foot injury in a Week 5 game at Indianapolis on Oct. 7, Green became the starter. He had 10 carries for 63 yards against the Colts, including a season-long 41-yard run, but was pedestrian thereafter.

He carried 22 times for 65 yards against Houston on Oct. 14, then 20 times for 35 yards against St. Louis on Oct. 21 and 22 times for 54 yards against Jacksonville on Oct. 28.

Green didn’t get a carry against Detroit on Nov. 18 after the bye week, and after carrying a combined 48 times for 192 yards over the next four games, he was inactive against Tennessee, did not play in either the regular-season finale or the NFC Wild Card playoff game against Minnesota and was inactive for the season-ending loss to San Francisco in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. He finished the season having rushed 135 times for 464 yards (3.4-yard average).

Running backs coach Alex Van Pelt revealed after the loss to the 49ers that Green’s surgically repaired knee was giving him problems with scar tissue causing stiffness, discomfort and pain.

Asked Tuesday morning if he was ever 100 percent last season, Green replied, “No, I wasn’t. I wasn’t. I came back, I got close to (100 percent), but once I got close, then I had a couple setbacks. I was never really quite where I wanted to be, but I made great strides in the offseason. I’m definitely getting ready for this year.

“I just couldn’t handle it any more. It got to the point where it was getting worse and worse. We just had to cut back and let it heal a little bit more.”

Because Adrian Peterson had such a phenomenal season after tearing his ACL on Christmas Eve 2011, it’s easy to forget that not every player bounces back in such superhuman fashion.

“I just came back a little bit early and just kind of wore down late. I didn’t really expect it but I knew that’s what I was heading towards, coming out of surgery a few months out,” Green said. “I always knew that next year (2013) was going to be the strongest year, so I’m looking forward to getting back stronger.

“Injuries are always a frustrating thing, especially not being able to get fully healthy throughout the whole season was definitely not something I was expecting. But like I said, I have to look past that and keep working and get better for next year.”

Green didn’t sound like he regretted pushing the knee last season, knowing that he could easily be replaced – a lesson that was even more obvious after last month’s draft.

“This is a business, (so) you don’t really want to sit out too long,” Green said. “But coming back from an injury, you never want to sit out and not play. It wasn’t really pressure, it was just me wanting to get back out on the field and play football.”

GREEN BAY – Randall Cobb has arrived, but he hasn’t peaked.

The Green Bay Packers third-year wide receiver is coming off a breakout 2012, catching 80 passes for 954 yards and eight touchdowns. With Greg Jennings leaving as a free agent to join the archrival Minnesota Vikings and franchise all-time leading receiver Donald Driver retiring, Cobb’s role will only become more prominent this season, along with James Jones and Jordy Nelson.

And that works out well for Cobb, who believes he has plenty more to give.

“I really don’t think I’ve peaked yet. I’m 22 years old. I’ve got a lot of learning still to do. I have a long way to go and I just hope I continue to get better over the next years,” Cobb said Tuesday morning as he, running back Alex Green and special teams ace Jarrett Bush prepared to board the bus for this year’s Packers Tailgate Tour.

“It’s really crazy to think that I’m 22 years old, going into my third year and I’m getting as much attention as I am. You really just have to embrace it, you have to love it and have fun with it. I’m really excited about this tour to give me an opportunity to have fun with it.

“I think definitely with Donald retiring and Greg leaving, it’s definitely going to be a lot more weight on me, James and Jordy’s shoulders. But we’re taking on the challenge head-on. We’ve been really excited to get back and work. We’ve got some young guys, some drafted guys that’s coming in. We’re excited to get back to work and see how it’s going to turn out this year.”

Cobb, who caught only 25 passes and had his greatest impact on special teams as a rookie, said he wasn’t sure if he would remain the team’s primary return man in 2013. Jeremy Ross is among the options to replace him, despite his costly fumble in the season-ending playoff loss to San Francisco, but Cobb said he’s fine with whatever the coaching staff decides.

“I don’t know. If I’m able to do it and they want me to do it, perfect. If not, perfect,” Cobb said. “We have one goal and that’s to bring the title back home. Whatever it’s going to take to bring us there, if that’s me returning, if that’s me not returning, that’s something we’ll figure out over the next few weeks going into training camp and early on in the season.”

A few moments before, quarterback Aaron Rodgers drove past en route to IPW (Individual Position Work) workouts at the Don Hutson Center and blared the horn on his Ford pickup truck, interrupting Cobb’s train of thought. (“And that’s your quarterback,” Cobb said, shaking his head.) Cobb said the NFL’s highest-paid player hasn’t taken his wide receivers out to lunch or anything just yet, but he’s not complaining.

“I need to get on him about that. He needs to do something with us,” Cobb said with a laugh. “He took me to the (Kentucky) Derby this past year. But that’s pretty much my home, so I pretty much took him to the Derby. It was fun. We had a good experience. We had a good time down there.”

GREEN BAY – This is Mark Murphy’s sixth Tailgate Tour, and with his first having come in 2008 shortly after Brett Favre announced his retirement, the Green Bay Packers president /CEO has gotten more than his share of questions about the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback.

“I think each year it’s lessened a little bit,” Murphy said as the bus prepared to pull out of the Lambeau Field parking lot Tuesday morning. “My first year was 2008, so we actually thought we might see Brett along the tour.”

Murphy has repeatedly said that reconnecting the estranged Favre with the organization he’d come to embody during his 16-year run as the team’s starting quarterback is a priority to the franchise. Murphy reiterated that position at the NFL Meetings in Arizona in March, saying of a Favre jersey retirement ceremony, “I don’t know the timing of it. Certainly I don’t want to put a deadline on it, but it’s going to happen.”

On last year’s Tailgate Tour, Murphy said during a stop that the team hoped to retire Favre’s jersey in the next year or two, adding that the team wants to do it “when it’s meaningful to Brett.”

If and when that happens, Murphy is hoping Favre will eventually board the Tailgate Tour bus with him.

“I envision someday he’ll be on this with us,” Murphy said Tuesday morning.

Favre, of course, announced his retirement in March 2008, informed the Packers of his decision to unretire in July 2008 and, after one of the ugliest splits between a franchise and a star player in league history, was traded by general manager Ted Thompson to the New York Jets in August 2008. Favre then retired from the Jets following the 2008 season, only to unretired again and go on to play two seasons with the rival Minnesota Vikings in 2009 and 2010. He shared the stage with his successor, Aaron Rodgers, at the NFL Honors event in February before Super Bowl XLVII.

Asked if Favre’s close friend and center Frank Winters, who is on the Tailgate Tour with Murphy, might be an ally who could help him convince Favre, Murphy chuckled and replied, “That’s part of it.”

GREEN BAY – Five tryout players earned their way onto the Green Bay Packers’ 90-man roster with their performances during the rookie orientation camp over the weekend.

The Packers announced that they had signed Washington fullback Jonathan Amosa, New Mexico State linebacker Donte Savage, Arizona State cornerback Brandon Smith, Illinois State wide receiver Tyrone Walker and Prairie View A&M linebacker Jarvis Wilson, all of whom tried out during the camp.

The Packers also released outside linebacker Micah Johnson, who was signed in the offseason after being on the practice squad, and fullback Ryan Roberson, an undrafted free agent from Texas whom the Packers had signed immediately after the draft.

Amosa, 22, played in 24 games over his final two seasons with the Huskies after joining the program as a walk-on linebacker in 2008. As a senior in 2012, he appeared in all 13 contests and caught two passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg.). Amosa played in 11 games as a junior and caught a 7-yard TD pass.

Savage, 24, played in all 12 games at defensive end for the Aggies in 2012 and led the defensive line with 45 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, three sacks, four QB hurries, two blocked kicks, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed. As a sophomore in 2009, he registered 53 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two passes defensed and a blocked punt.

Smith, 26, entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent wide receiver with Carolina in July 2011 and spent time with the Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks that preseason. He played in 19 games with three starts during his career at Arizona State and caught 10 passes for 196 yards (19.6 avg.) and two TDs.

Walker, 22, finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (250), receiving yards (3,565), receiving touchdowns (32) and 100-yard receiving games (16). He earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors in 2012 after leading the conference in receptions (90), receiving yards (1,319) and TD catches (nine).

Wilson, 22, appeared in all 11 games as a senior in 2012 and registered 63 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, a half-sack, a forced fumble, four QB hurries and two passes defensed. As a junior in ’11, Wilson posted 59 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, a forced fumble, three QB hurries and two passes defensed.

Last year, tackle Shea Allard, wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, guard Grant Cook, wide receiver/running back Curenski Gilleylen and cornerback Otis Merrill were all signed to the active roster after the camp ended, and tight end Brandon Bostick was added later that month. Boykin, who’d been released by Jacksonville a week earlier after taking part in the Jaguars’ rookie camp, ended up making the 53-man roster coming out of camp. Bostick spent the entire year on the practice squad and was taking part in this year’s camp, too.

There was no rookie orientation camp in 2011 due to the lockout, but in 2010, the Packers brought back wide receiver Shawn Gore, safety Anthony Levine and nose tackle Aleric Mullins. Levine ended up on the practice squad and saw time on the 53-man roster.

In 2009, cornerback Trevor Ford, offensive tackle Dane Randolph, defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi and punter Adam Graessle were signed. In 2008, cornerback Condrew Allen, cornerback Kyle Ward Lafayette and offensive tackle Ryan Considine were brought back. And in 2007, defensive end DeVon Hicks, offensive lineman Pete Bier and fullback Corey White were signed.

GREEN BAY – Although the full training-camp schedule hasn’t been finalized, the Green Bay Packers’ Family Night Scrimmage is set: The annual Lambeau Field event is set for Saturday, Aug. 3.

Now in its 13th year, Family Night features an intrasquad scrimmage between the Packers’ offense and defense. Evening activities get underway in the stadium at 5:30 p.m., followed by on-field football drills at 6:30 and the scrimmage at approximately 7:30.

Tickets, priced at $10, will go on sale June 24 at 9 a.m. Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster, over the phone or via the internet. Tickets also can be purchased at the Packers’ ticket office in person. There is no ticket limit on purchases. All individuals, regardless of age, require a ticket for admittance. The event benefits the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids foster care adoption program, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

A group ticket program (minimum of 50 tickets) will be offered again. The application form is available online on Packers.com or in person at the Packers ticket office. Group ticket orders are restricted to approved groups and organizations, and are to be used for the sole purpose of accommodating a group or organizational outing. Resale is prohibited.

Included in the evening’s activities will be the popular Chili’s “Jerseys Off Our Backs” promotion with approximately 20 jerseys – all of which will have been worn by Packers players in the just-completed scrimmage – to be given away in a random drawing.

Parking for the event will be $5, with net proceeds to be donated to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Program.

In case of inclement weather, no refunds will be issued unless all stadium activities – from 5:30 p.m. until the end of the fireworks show – are cancelled.

For fans not attending the event, WLUK-TV FOX 11 again will originate a statewide telecast. In addition to Green Bay, the event will be televised on WITI-TV in Milwaukee, WMSN-TV in Madison, WFXS-TV in Wausau, WLAX-TV in La Crosse and WEUX-TV in Eau Claire. It will be hosted by Drew Smith and other members of the Fox 11 sports and news staffs.

The entire training camp schedule is being finalized and will be released in the near future, the team said.

GREEN BAY – While he reminds himself – and others – every year that it’s only a three-day camp conducted in helmets and shorts, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was clearly pleased Sunday with what he saw from his freshman class during the annual post-draft rookie orientation camp.

“As I told the rookies at the end of practice today, I felt it was clearly one of our better rookie camps, if not the best,” McCarthy said Sunday afternoon, following the eighth post-draft camp of his tenure. “I'll let this final day of video make that clear, but I thought the practices increased as far as the production and efficiency, seeing guys get on the same page.

“I thought the work was very good. The professionalism this group conducted themselves I thought was exemplary. We definitely feel good about the quality of the men top to bottom that were here this weekend.”

Asked if anyone stood out to him, McCarthy again praised undrafted free agent running back Angelo Pease, whom he’d singled out after the first practice on Friday, too.

“There's always surprises. I'd like to watch today (on film) before I point anybody out specifically,” McCarthy said. “You're always excited about your draft picks. I thought the summer free agent signings were excellent. I'm going to do it to him again, I thought Pease of Kansas State had a very good weekend. He had another run today. I think he's a good young back."

Asked how Pease, who had only 96 carries at Kansas State in two seasons, slipped through the cracks, McCarthy replied, “Well, he’s here for a reason. So that’s a credit to the player and that’s a credit to our personnel department. You’re also practicing in helmets and shorts – and that’s why you have to be practical about what you saw today. It really confirms movement ability, athletic ability. Are they systematic? Do they fit what you’re looking for? The real football doesn’t start until training camp and we all realize that.”

As McCarthy spoke with reporters, general manager Ted Thompson and the scouting staff were discussing the 27 tryout players who participated in the camp, along with 11 draft picks and eight of the team’s nine undrafted free agents (defensive tackle Gilbert Pena was excused). The Packers traditionally have signed a handful of tryout players after the camp ends.

Players on the roster Monday will then join the rest of the team during the final week of Phase II workouts. Phase III, with organized team activity practices, starts May 21.

The Packers had 84 players on the roster at the start of rookie camp, leaving room for the team to sign as many as six tryout players.

“The process of who stays and who moves on will be determined throughout the day,” McCarthy said.

Over the past five rookie camps, the Packers have brought back at least three tryout players each year.

Last year, tackle Shea Allard, wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, guard Grant Cook, wide receiver/running back Curenski Gilleylen and cornerback Otis Merrill were all signed to the active roster after the camp ended, and tight end Brandon Bostick was added later that month. Boykin, who’d been released by Jacksonville a week earlier after taking part in the Jaguars’ rookie camp, ended up making the 53-man roster coming out of camp. Bostick spent the entire year on the practice squad and was taking part in this year’s camp, too.

There was no rookie orientation camp in 2011 due to the lockout, but in 2010, the Packers brought back wide receiver Shawn Gore, safety Anthony Levine and nose tackle Aleric Mullins. Levine ended up on the practice squad and saw time on the 53-man roster.

In 2009, cornerback Trevor Ford, offensive tackle Dane Randolph, defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi and punter Adam Graessle were signed. In 2008, cornerback Condrew Allen, cornerback Kyle Ward Lafayette and offensive tackle Ryan Considine were brought back. And in 2007, defensive end DeVon Hicks, offensive lineman Pete Bier and fullback Corey White were signed.

“You spend more time on the video than you normally at camps like this because you really want to make sure you watch every play, every guy and make sure you have a clean evaluation. Because you don’t want to have someone here and you move on (too) quickly and they go on and (play elsewhere),” McCarthy said. “Obviously you didn’t give them a clean opportunity.

“That happens, too, but the reality is you’re looking for players who fit, and I told the players the same thing. It’s a two-way street. If it doesn’t work out here, you may fit somewhere else, so this is an opportunity for competition. That’s the theme of the weekend.”

GREEN BAY – Just how much B.J. Coleman has improved since last season will not be measured during this rookie orientation camp. The Green Bay Packers No. 3 quarterback should look better, since he and a handful of other holdover players are surrounded by 20 rookie draft picks and 27 tryout guys going through their first pro football practices.

Nevertheless, knowing how difficult last year’s rookie camp was for the seventh-round draft pick from Tennessee-Chattanooga, there’s no denying the 6-foot-3, 231-pound Coleman has a greater command of the Packers’ offense after a year on the practice squad – and that’s translating into more confidence, more accuracy and more plays that end in completions.

“I think part of it, if not the majority, is the playbook. And once you get into that playbook and you feel comfortable and you’re not thinking so much, that helps you take your body to the throw a little bit quicker, which is going to make you more accurate,” Coleman explained Saturday after the second practice of the rookie camp. “A lot of times, you get thrown in there and you’re like, ‘Oh man, I don’t even remember the play I just called in the huddle.’ You get to the line and then you’re thinking too much. And then you’re late. And the coaches are, ‘Why are you late?’”

In the one practice open to reporters on Friday afternoon, Coleman showed the same strong arm he’d exhibited a year ago, but his decisions appeared to come more quickly and his accuracy was significantly better than it had been even in training camp.

“(With) B.J. Coleman – and really I look for that whole group as second-year players who are able to participate in this weekend’s camp, you look for them to be a cut above,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s a real indicator that the coaching staff and personnel department pay a lot of attention to because if they’re not, that’s obviously not a positive sign.

“I thought B.J. exhibited that (Friday) as far as his command in the huddle, where to go with the football and doing things because obviously he’s been here going through the offseason program with the rest of the team. Based on what I saw, I was pleased.”

Whether Coleman has improved enough to beat out incumbent No. 2 quarterback Graham Harrell for the top backup job behind starter Aaron Rodgers will be decided in training camp and preseason games. But with three weeks of quarterback school and the extra time doing on-field, 11-on-11 work in the rookie orientation camp, he’s certainly helping himself.

“I like being the guy in control and being able to kind of put my hand on things. Which is good, that’s what you want a leader to do,” Coleman said. “But watching these guys going at it and having them come in for two days and really just sitting down and learning it overnight, that’s the job of the quarterback and the leader – you’ve got to make sure everybody’s in the right position, you’ve got to make sure everybody understands what they’re doing, the routes they’re running, the protections we’ve got, and making sure they understand all the adjustments.

“That’s been fun, and really having that year under your belt, that’s how you really kind of shine there.”

GREEN BAY – Andrew Datko never redshirted at Florida State, so spending his first NFL season on the practice squad while recovering from the shoulder injury that plagued him throughout the final two years of his college career was a challenge.

Now, the Green Bay Packers offensive lineman believes he’s ready to make a push for a spot on the 53-man roster – because he’s healthy both physically and mentally.

“You probably see it with (Chicago Bulls guard) Derrick Rose. He may be healthy, but you’ve got to be healthy in the mind first,” Datko said of Rose, who has been cleared by doctors after reconstructive knee surgery but has yet to return to the court. “When people come back, that mind’s got to be right. You see people with ACLs, they favor the leg when they come back. So it’s really another process coming back (mentally) from injuries.”

Datko was one of the team’s two seventh-round picks last year and watched as undrafted free agent Don Barclay made the team coming out of training camp and undrafted free agent Greg Van Roten was promoted from the practice squad at midseason. He was inconsistent throughout training camp last year, in part because of his troublesome shoulder.

Datko started for four years at left tackle for the Seminoles, including as a true freshman, making 40 career starts. But he hurt his shoulder during his junior year and played through it, then reinjured it in the fourth game of his senior season and didn’t play again after September. He was viewed as a medical risk by most NFL teams and tumbled down draft boards as a result. In camp, his technique was often poor as he wasn’t confident in his shoulder.

This weekend, Datko has been able to participate in the rookie orientation camp again because he – and a handful of others – have not accrued a season of pension credit. Players who have spent three or fewer games on an active NFL roster are eligible for the camp.

“Coming out of college, I was rehabbing and stuff and really didn’t get into it that hard. Now I had a real good offseason to really train,” Datko said after practice Saturday. “Even last season, about probably Week 4, really the confidence in my shoulder really came back.”

During the one practice open to reporters on Friday afternoon, Datko worked at guard for the first time since high school. Coach Mike McCarthy said no one should read too much into positions on the line, and Datko could be back at tackle when the full squad begins organized team activity practices later this month.

For now, he’s just happy to feel like himself again.

“Last year was just a good (experience). I got to see how the offense was run, I got to see what’s expected of you, because really, as the season was progressing, I was just getting better and better,” Datko said. “Now, I’m trying to carry that through the offseason.”

GREEN BAY – When it comes to the rookie orientation camp, Mike McCarthy seldom doles out high praise. The Green Bay Packers coach sees the annual post-draft camp as being important for reasons beyond on-field drills, so he only has one of the practices open to reporters and tries not to read much into each session.

But even McCarthy couldn’t help himself when he saw undrafted rookie free agent running back Angelo Pease during Friday’s first practice on a run play during an 11-on-11 team period. In fact, when Pease started right, cut back left and took off on a long run, McCarthy didn’t even realize it was the guy who carried the ball only 96 times in two seasons at Kansas State. McCarthy thought it was second-round pick Eddie Lacy, the odds-on favorite to be the team’s starting running back.

“That’s a big time cut. Frankly, I thought it was Eddie Lacy, the way he dropped his weight and hit the hole,” McCarthy gushed. “Those are things we’re looking for.”

Pease, meanwhile, is simply looking for a chance. The first he’d heard of McCarthy’s praise for him was when a reporter told him about it, and he certainly wasn’t letting it go to his head with two rookies (Lacy, fourth-round pick Johnathan Franklin) and three veterans (DuJuan Harris, Alex Green and James Starks) already ahead of him on the depth chart.

“I have two dudes ahead of me, and I’ve always had to work and make a name for myself, so I think it’s very important for me to make a first impression to the coaches,” Pease said after practice Saturday. “All my life I’ve been in competition. I’ve never backed off any competition.

“Just because I heard (what McCarthy said) now, that doesn’t mean I’ve got some type of role over somebody. I’m still going to bust my tail every play just like he didn’t say that.”

Pease, a Georgia native, started out at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, where he played quarterback as a freshman before moving to running back and rushing for 834 yards and nine touchdowns on 155 carries as a sophomore. He transferred to Kansas State and saw his most extensive action as a senior last year, carrying 60 times for 333 yards.

“In college, I feel like my talented were hidden a little bit. I know what I’m capable of doing. As soon as I get an opportunity to show what I can do, I try my best to do it,” Pease said. “Whenever I get my opportunity, I try to shine.”

Pease said he signed with the Packers after going undrafted because his agent told him it was a good fit – even though the Packers had just drafted Lacy and Franklin. Pease also said he never asked his agent if any other NFL teams had expressed an interest.

Now, he’s making the best of a challenging situation.

“I’m going to go out there every day and give it my all in everything I do – if it’s running back, if it’s special teams,” Pease said. “Anything they want me to do, I’m going to give it my all.”