Packers Training Camp Practice Notebook 8/14: Mike Neal impresses at Outside Linebacker

As the Packers took the field on Wednesday for practice, a few Packers put the pads back on, while a few others dropped out. It's been the status quo of camp thus far, but as many have noted, it's better to be smart than tough. Let's take a look at some of the notes of interest from practice.

• After appearing bothered by his bicep injury during yesterday's practice, Randall Cobb was not in pads on Wednesday.(PD)
• The more surprising non-participant was James Starks. Starks was off to a promising start in training camp, but appears to be once again bothered by an injury. (RD) We'll have more on that shortly from Mike McCarthy.
• Also out were: Johnson, Richardson, Hayward, Tramon Williams, Tretter, Bulaga, Datko,Sherrod, Quarless, Worthy, Datone Jones, and Nelson.(RD)
• On a more promising note, Ryan Pickett, T.J. Lang, and Ryan Taylor all returned to practice.(PD)
• Sam Barrington is the only rookie getting reps with the first-string special teams unit (RD), which will likely put him on fast track to earning a roster spot.
• The kick and punt returner jobs appear to be Jeremy Ross' to lose, after James Nixon was not seen getting reps as a returner (WH) However, Ross continued to struggle at wide receiver during team drills. Are his skills as a returner enough to warrant a roster spot?
• Vince Young showing progress?

Vince Young makes 3 in a row into the netting on a QB drill rolling to the left. Young was the #Packers' most accurate QB in the drill.

— Paul Imig (@Paulimig) August 14, 2013

Nice pass from Young on goal line touchdown pass to Mulligan. Kept his throwing motion higher it seemed

— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) August 14, 2013

• Mike Neal impresses at OLB

Mile Neal having good day at OLB, blew up run in half-run drill, just tackled Gillett short of first down on 3rd down pass drop

— Pete Dougherty (@PeteDougherty) August 14, 2013

• Eddie Lacy improved his chances of becoming the third-down back with a solid performance in pass protection, and blitz pick-up drills.(RD)

• With Lang returning at RG, Don Barclay started ahead of Newhouse at RT in team drills (WH). This is somewhat surprising, but Coach McCarthy has been very vocal with his praise of Barclay in recent press conferences.

• DuJuan Harris took the first reps at running back in team drills.(TS)
• Micah Hyde started over Davon House at cornerback during team drills, and made some nice plays during the team red zone drills.

Micah Hyde with an acrobatic INT of a corner route intended for White from Coleman. Hyde was falling down and tipped it to himself.

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 14, 2013

• Coleman continues to struggle.

Low throw by Coleman picked by Sam Shields. Next play, misses Jarrett Boykin deep. Nixon with decent make-up speed to get there.

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) August 14, 2013

Two more Coleman misses in the end zone.

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) August 14, 2013

• The team ended practice with a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to James Jones during a no-huddle drill.

Today's practice was one of the longer ones of training camp, and provided some insight into who might be edging ahead of who in key position battles. As far as the battle for back-up quarterback duties, it appears B.J. Coleman is all but locked in as a practice squad player, as he continues to struggle. Graham Harrell continues to perform well in practice, but will have to translate that to live competition in order to beat out Vince Young for the back-up role. Young is slowly making progress, and is beginning to look more and more comfortable within the offense.

We hope to learn more on injuries, position battles, and performance evaluations during Mike McCarthy's press conference following today's practice. Keep your browsers locked in at Acme Packing Company, for more coverage on all things Green Bay Packers.

Josh VanDyke covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Company. He is also currently a sports writer for MLive.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JVanDyke24

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