News and Notes from Mike McCarthy’s Friday Presser

Mike McCarthy met the media for the first time since the start of training camp, and unsurprisingly, most of the news regarded injury.

DuJuan Harris, one of the surprise additions to the Packers' PUP list, is expected to miss 1-2 weeks due to an undisclosed knee injury. It was previously believed that Harris' absence was the result of the cyst he had surgically removed from his lung. Unlike OTAs, missing multiple weeks could be the death knell for Harris' starting aspirations. It also opens the door for Alex Green and James Starks to steal his job.

The PUP's other surprise inclusion, Mike Neal, apparently is suffering from an abdominal injury. McCarthy felt comfortable providing a recovery timeline of "a couple weeks." Perhaps as a result, Datone Jones lined up with Raji and the ones in the nickel package.

McCarthy confirmed our suspicions that J.C. Tretter won't be ready for the season. As a rookie with only one practice to his resume, don't expect the Packers to burn a roster spot on him. Tretter is all but officially on the injured reserve.

As if those injuries weren't enough, Casey Hayward endured a hamstring injury while training away from Green Bay prior to camp. Like Harris and Neal, McCarthy estimates his return is a couple weeks away. Hayward is competing with Sam Shields to start opposite Tramon Williams.

Jarrett Bush oppositionists will be pleased to learn fifth-round pick Micah Hyde had a strong first practice. McCarthy singled him out with the praise, "If you asked me one player who stood out today, I'd say it was Micah... I thought he got off to a good start." Hyde and Bush are widely believed to be competing for the same roster spot.

The backup quarterback job is indeed an open competition. Reps were evenly split between incumbent Graham Harrell and potential usurper B.J. Coleman. This is Coleman's first offseason attending McCarthy's famed "QB School" which should give him a better chance at winning the job. It's important to note, though, that a tie will favor Harrell. Because Coleman spent all of his rookie season on the practice squad, he remains eligible to return there once again. Harrell, however, no longer possesses practice squad eligibility due. The Packers will keep three quarterbacks between their 53-man roster and the practice squad, which means choosing Coleman as the number two will force the team to either carry three quarterbacks or sign a new one right before the start of the regular season.

McCarthy said his theme for the 2013 season is "Protection, Connection, Reflection." Hopefully the latter refers to the team's defensive plans for Colin Kaepernick and the read option.

That's all from McCarthy. The Packers will open up the locker room to the media later today. Keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company for the latest news and updates.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn