Green Bay has switched to the 3-4 defense, and young linebacker A.J. Hawk is expected to excel in the new formation. Hawk will be paired with Nick Barnett at inside linebacker in the team's new scheme under defensive coordinator Dom Capers. The fifth overall pick in the 2006 draft will have more responsibilities playing the run and blitzing in the new scheme, and less pure man-to-man coverage. "(Hawk) is a good football player, and I think this scheme will help him," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He'll be playing downhill a little more, he won't be playing match coverage as much as he was in the old scheme. This will definitely help him."

The Packers are expected to look closely at Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins at this week's scouting combine in Indianapolis. Jenkins is reportedly a potential candidate to become the Packers' first-round draft pick. "We predicate a lot of their true football speed on what they run (in the 40)," NFL Network's Mike Mayock said. "I know a lot of guys that can backpedal, turn, move much (more) naturally that way, and because they didn?t run track or whatever (it hurts them). So, if a guy runs 4.6, and then he goes to a special place to learn how to start and explode out of the blocks and run 4.48, is he any faster a football player? "Probably not. That's where the functional playing speed, versus manufactured speed, comes into play for me. I think you really have to be careful, because as an evaluator, I think there's a trap inherent in the times."

Brett Favre told ESPN that he feels as though he could still play, but felt it was the right deal to retire. For the first time, he also talked at length about his divorce from the Packers. Favre said he got the feeling the Packers didn't want him back after the 2007 season. "Crickets," he said of the postseason silence. "They didn't tell me anything." When he 'retired' in April 2007, he had immediate apprehensions. "I knew flying there [for his teary retirement news conference] ... you're leaving early," he said. "I knew I still wanted to play," he added later. "Part of me still wanted to play."