Packers center Evan Dietrich-Smith. Photo by Corey Behnke of CheeseheadTV.com.

Following Tuesday’s news that rookie offensive lineman J.C. Tretter had broken his ankle during a recent Packers OTA practice, a scary thought entered my mind: What if it was Evan Dietrich-Smith that suffered a freak injury?

A lot of offseason attention has focused upon the restructured offensive line with Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton moving over to the left side, but an injury to “EDS” could weak real havoc in the trenches if such a situation were to occur.

There had been speculation that Tretter might be converted from college left tackle to NFL center. Even Tretter himself acknowledged that most pro football personnel types see him as an interior offensive lineman.

But now that Tretter is injured, those plans will be on hold for several months, if they come to fruition at all.

The Packers may regret not taking Alabama center Barrett Jones or USC’s Khaled Holmes in the fourth round when they had the opportunity, but that’s hindsight. All they can do now is move forward and make contingency plans.

The backup center situation is as shaky as it’s been in years for years in Green Bay, and that’s not exactly a good thing at a position that delivers the football and protects the highest-paid player in the NFL every single snap of the game.

For the past two seasons, Evan Dietrich-Smith has backed up Jeff Saturday in 2012 and Scott Wells before that. Jason Spitz was Wells’ understudy basically dating back to when Rodgers took over the starting quarterback job in Green Bay.

As for now, the plan at backup center isn’t so cut and dried. But the Packers need to figure it out, stat. There’s a roster spot at stake.

Not only will the Packers carry a backup center on their 53-man roster, that player also has to be active on game days as part of the 46-man active roster just in case anything were to happen to Dietrich-Smith.

The Packers began to train Greg Van Roten as a center last season, in a situation that bears a striking similarity to that of Tretter. Van Roten was an Ivy League left tackle at Penn and never played center until getting to the NFL.

After coming to Green Bay as an undrafted free agent last season, Van Roten was originally signed to the team’s practice squad after the final cutdown at the end of training camp. When injuries struck, however, he was called up to the 53-man roster at midseason.

Van Roten saw playing time primarily on special teams and occasionally as an extra tight end in the team’s jumbo packages in 2012, but they never needed him at center with both Dietrich-Smith and Saturday in the fold.

The reality is, Van Roten still hasn’t taken a single snap at center in so much as a preseason game. In the unfortunate and hypothetical situation that “EDS” were to get hurt, it would be a major risk for the Packers to rely upon Van Roten over the course of a 16-game season.

In addition to Van Roten, the Packers currently have two true centers on their offseason roster, but each of them are inexperienced and considered longshots to make the team.

Garth Gerhart was signed to the team’s practice squad late last season and later offered a futures contract after the season was over.

Then following the NFL Draft in April, the Packers added another undrafted free agent, Patrick Lewis of Texas A&M, who is an intriguing candidate after serving as the center first for Ryan Tannehill and then Johnny Manziel each of the past two college seasons.

But again, whether either of those players is ready for primetime is uncertain. The Packers might be happy to stash them on the practice squad or even as an eighth or ninth offensive lineman on the 53-man roster, but they’re probably not yet ready for the rigors of the week-in, week-out 16-game season.

T.J. Lang has practiced from time to time as an emergency center, but his experience at the position consists of nothing more than a few practice snaps. Entering his fifth season in the NFL, it might be a little late to get Lang comfortable at the position.

All this uncertainty actually sets up well for Dietrich-Smith and his long-term future with the Packers. He entered the 2013 season as an undrafted free agent and signed his one-year tender offer worth approximately $1.3 million.

Following the 2013 season, Dietrich-Smith is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but unless some other center steps up in a big, big way, it would be dangerous for the Packers to allow “EDS” to test the open market.

For the time being, the Packers might want to avoid doing any fumble recovery drills with Dietrich-Smith.

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Browns announce signing of WR Tori Gurley, waived QB Thaddeus Lewis. Hoyer in meant Lewis out. — NFL: AroundTheLeague (@NFL_ATL) May 23, 2013

Tori Gurley joined the Packers in 2011 as an undrafted free agent and spent the entire season on the Packers practice squad, despite an offer during the season to join the Vikings 53 man roster. Since being released by the Packers, Gurley has spent time with: Minnesota, Oakland, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Baltimore and now Cleveland.

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More on Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre appears at ESPNMilwaukee.com, NFL.com, PackersTalk.com and the podcast of the interview at JimRome.com.

Aaron Rodgers also had more to say on the Packers wide receivers at JSOnline and the offensive line at PackersNews.com.

Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly spoke to WBAY-TV in Green Bay following his graduation from a drug treatment program in Houston on Wednesday. “I don’t know anyone who sat out three years and was able to go back to the same team,” Jolly is quoted as saying by reporter Chris Roth. “I met with the Packers a couple of weeks ago. They understand my situation and they are willing to be there for me, so I’m just doing everything I can to be in shape and do everything I need to do for my team. They have been there, and I’m going up there to do my best to show them what they want to see this year. So I’ll be doing everything in my power to get ready.” Jolly is expected to join the Packers for Organized Team Activities beginning next week. With plenty of depth on the Packers defensive line, however, Jolly is going to find a tough road to make the team’s roster.

More on Johnny Jolly appears at the Press-Gazette, ESPNMilwaukee.com, ProFootballTalk.com, JSOnline and PackersTalk.com.

Cornerback Tramon Williams recently talked about taking over a leadership role in the Packers secondary now that Charles Woodson is gone, going so far as buying a Star Wars Yoda t-shirt. “We know that when Charles was here, he had that role,” Williams is quoted as saying by Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He was the leader of this group. He taught us things. And I’m going to keep that alive — I’m going to keep that alive. I’m going to come out and do the same thing. The younger guys usually come to me for things anyway. So whatever they need, I’m going to try to get those guys up to speed to play.” Williams’ personal trainer said the cornerback’s shoulder has re-gained its full range of motion and is ready for a Pro Bowl season. We’ll see.

More on Tramon Williams comes from Packer Report.

Articles on the restructured Packers offensive line appear at Fox Sports Wisconsin and Associated Press.

Attention on the Packers wide receivers comes from the team’s official website and PackersNews.com.

The youth amongst the Packers’ starters is analyzed over at Acme Packing Company.

An 11th wide receiver was added to the Packers’ roster on Wednesday, a roster move noted at AllGreenBayPackers.com and JSOnline.

Items on Sam Shields and J.C. Tretter appear at Lombardi Ave.

Video: Former Packers wide receiver Donald Driver visited a school in Grafton, Wis. on Wednesday…

Brian Carriveau is the author of “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America,” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.

Johnny Jolly graduated from court-ordered drug treatment program in Houston today and will report to Packers. Even received a diploma

— Chris Roth (@rothchris) May 22, 2013

Jolly suggested on Twitter yesterday that he’ll return to Green Bay on the 28th, presumably of May.

@jrehor 28th

— johnny jolly (@JJolly97) May 21, 2013

Seeing OTA practices wrapped up for the week on Wednesday and don’t resume until next Tuesday following the Memorial Day weekend, it makes sense that he’ll be present for the rest of the offseason starting next week.

The support shown from the Packers organization is refreshing. According to WBAY-TV sports producer Pat Mayo…

In attendance for @jjolly97 graduation from drug program were @alonzohighsmith and Rob Davis.

— Pat Mayo-ABC (@patmayo) May 22, 2013

Highsmith and Davis are front-office executives within the Packers organization.

Jolly is expected to appear on a WBAY broadcast at 10:00 p.m. local time, per Roth.
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Listen here…

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According to a release from the Packers:

Gillett (Jill-LET), a 6-foot-1, 214-pound rookie out of Eastern Michigan, played in 45 games with 33 starts during his career, with 30 of the starts coming at quarterback and three at wide receiver. He completed 349 of 660 passes (52.9 percent) for 4,448 yards and 35 touchdowns with 34 interceptions during his career. At wide receiver in 2012, he caught 14 passes for 132 yards (9.4 avg.) and a TD, with all of his catches coming in the final four games. Gillett will wear No. 7 for the Packers.

With the addition of Gillett, the Packers’ roster now stands at 88, meaning they still have room to add two more players before they reach the 90-man roster limit, if they so choose.

The signing of Gillett is reminiscent to that of Diondre Borel two years ago, a former college quarterback the Packers are attempting to convert to wide receiver. Of course, they did the same with Randall Cobb as well, although Cobb had more extensive experience as a wide receiver.

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First we heard that head coach Mike McCarthy sent the defensive coaching staff down to Texas A&M on a reconnaissance mission this offseason to see coach Kevin Sumlin’s team in action.

Then we learned that the Packers courted pistol formation innovator Chris Ault before he was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as a consultant.

The stress on the read-option apparently continued on Tuesday during the Packers’ first practice open the public and media.

If you listen to Packers broadcaster Larry McCarren ask Clay Matthews a question in a locker room press scrum (about two minutes into the video), you can hear him ask the following:

Clay, the first time you lined up as a defense… they lined up in the pistol, read-option… a big point of emphasis, I guess?

By “they,” I am working under the assumption that McCarren means the scout team.

Based upon watching the Packers practice in the past, the offense and the defense typically begin by breaking up on opposite ends of the field. The players further down the depth chart form a scout team to give the starters different looks.

I can only assume this is what happened on Tuesday before the offensive starters “scrimmaged” against the defensive starters later in practice. If anyone was at practice and has information to the contrary, feel free to clue us in.

When speaking with Jay Sorgi from WTMJ 620 in Milwaukee, Toll said:

“This is about football, about tradition…this experience would be like none other the Super Bowl has ever had….”

WTMJ 620 created a four part series discussing the logistics of Lambeau Field hosting a Super Bowl. Read the first part where Sorgi and Toll analyze the stadium and practice facilities options for a Green Bay Super Bowl.

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Following the first open practice of the 2013 season, Chris Terlop of WDUZ in Green Bay joins Railbird Central to talk about what happened on Clark Hinkle Field on Tuesday. Discussion ranged from the new-look offensive line to J.C. Tretter’s injury to Sam Shields’ absence to Mike Neal at outside linebacker.

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Brian Carriveau is the author of “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.

Head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed after the practice that the Packers are looking at new ways to get Neal involved.

“Depends on how you use big guys in space,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to expand Mike Neal’s role. Going to wait on specifics until Week 1 of the season.”

Despite playing his entire NFL career as a 290-pound or heavier defensive lineman, Neal spent unexpected time at outside linebacker in the base defense Tuesday. He was asked to both rush the passer from a two-point stance and drop into coverage—two mostly foreign tasks to the Packers’ second rounder in 2010—during 7-on-7 drills.

According to Neal, the Packers told him—in no specific terms—that his role would be expanding.

“When I got here, it was, ‘Hey, go upstairs. We’ve got to talk to you about something,” Neal said, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ”We’re going to try and move you around a little bit. We’re going to try and expand your role. We want to get familiar with all facets of the game and we’ll take it from there.”

Whether or not Neal continues to see time at outside linebacker—a position the Packers remain obviously thin—is yet to be seen.

But considering how effective Neal was a pass rusher last season, it’s no wonder why McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers are attempting to devise new ways to get Neal after quarterbacks.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Neal finished the 2013 season as the third best 3-4 defensive end in pass rushing productivity. Only J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans and Arthur Jones of the Baltimore Ravens were more productive on a per snap basis than Neal, who tallied 20 total quarterback pressures (sacks, hits and hurries) over just 191 pass-rushing snaps.

Neal, 25, was at his best late last season.

After serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, and then dealing with a number of nagging injuries (knee, ankle, shoulder), Neal went on an impressive five-game stretch from Week 13 (Minnesota) to the NFC Wild Card (also Minnesota) that included 16 total pressures. His pass-rushing grade at PFF during the span was +7.6, the best on the team from Week 13 on.

Neal would eventually struggle holding the edge in the base defense against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, but there were very few bright spots that Saturday night in terms of stopping the run. Neal was no exception during his 28 snaps, 17 of which came in pass-rushing situations (he recorded just a single hurry).

Overall, Neal finished 2012 as Green Bay’s highest graded pass-rusher along the defensive line, and second on the team to only Clay Matthews.

Neal admitted following Tuesday’s practice that he has very little idea what the staff plans to do with him, especially as an outside linebacker. Officially listed at 294 pounds, Neal is an unlikely candidate to remain as a standup passer rusher off the edge.

And considering the Packers were without backup Dezman Moses Tuesday, it’s entirely possible that Neal’s try out at outside linebacker was nothing more than a placement made possible out of necessity.

However, the Packers drafting of Datone Jones in the first round could rob a player like Neal of precious snaps along the defensive line. Jones, who has vast experience in the 3-4 defense, is likely capable of playing all three downs early in his NFL career.

But considering how effective Neal was as a pass-rusher in obvious passing situations last season, the Packers will now want to create new ways of getting Neal in situations were he can disrupt the quarterback.

Neal had little idea of whether or not the defense’s effort to do so would include long-term snaps at outside linebacker.

“This is OTA’s and it’s just them getting a feel for something,” Neal said. ”If I knew I would tell you. I have no clue.”

Neal may not be in the loop on his role for 2013, but the Packers are making no secret about their desire to create more opportunities for Neal next season. An unrestricted free agent after 2013, Neal should have every chance to prove he belongs in Green Bay’s plans long-term.

Zach Kruse is a 24-year-old sports writer who contributes to Cheesehead TV, Bleacher Report and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also covers prep sports for the Dunn Co. News. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at zachkruse2@gmail.com.

Only one OTA session per week is open to the public and the media, and those will occur on Tuesdays.

After today’s practice, the team will take a short break for the Memorial Day weekend and make a small shift in their schedule.

Whereas this week’s practice schedule occurred on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, next week will happen on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Also on Wednesday, the NFL Spring League Meetings wrap up in Boston. Representatives of the Packers will take part in final day of the meetings before heading back to Green Bay.

No Shields means Casey Hayward is the starting CB wide, opposite Tramon Williams in team’s base defense.

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 21, 2013

Quick take: Sam Shields is a restricted free agent that still has not signed the tender offered to him by the Packers. If there’s honest negotiations toward a multi-year contract, then Shields may be justified in holding out for the best deal. But if he has relegated himself to playing on a one-year deal and hitting free agency again next season, Shields isn’t doing himself any favors by staying away from practice. Casey Hayward is getting a fantastic opportunity, receiving reps as the starter at cornerback with Shields not taking part and Davon House still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

More detail on the injury to J.C. Tretter. Injured while sliding (like a baseball player) during FR drill: jsonline.com/blogs/sports/2…

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 21, 2013

Quick take: I’ve seen offensive line coach James Campen run this drill before. He rolls a football as if it were a fumble, and then the offensive linemen slide feet first to recover it. First of all, sliding feet first seems like a terrible way to recover a fumble to me. Exhibit A is Leon Lett. Maybe the purpose is to protect their head, but taking actually taking time to practice sliding seems to be over-thinking it. Rarely is there enough time to make a premeditated decision to make a feet-first slide. Just fall on the football, preferably with your hands, the fastest way possible. Now that someone has been injured, it seems even worse.

Alex Green opens as starting RB during team drill, then drops or fumbles ball on swing pass.

— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) May 21, 2013

Quick take: Green reportedly dropped a swing pass later in practice as well. It’s great that the coaching staff is not giving Eddie Lacy a sense of entitlement by making him the starting running back right away, but it probably won’t be long until he surpasses Green. I’ve said since the NFL Draft ended that Green and James Starks are probably fighting for one roster spot between the two of them. If Green isn’t careful, he won’t only lose his default starting spot, he might lose a job altogether.

Brad Jones and Finley exchange shoves and punches after whistle.

— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) May 21, 2013

Datone Jones in the middle of a scrum. Looked like he was getting into it with Bulaga.

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 21, 2013

Quick take: These aren’t fringe players on the bubble fighting for their roster lives; these are established veterans and first round draft picks getting into a little scuffle at practice on Tuesday. As long as the fighting doesn’t get out of control, and there was no indication that it did, there’s nothing wrong with a little chippiness at this time of year. It shows the players are eager to prove themselves and put last year behind them.

Coleman and Harrell have had some errant throws today.

— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) May 21, 2013

Harrell and Coleman are both getting a lot of action today at QB. A lot of overthrows so far with both.

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 21, 2013

Quick take: It would be premature to get down on either Harrell or Coleman after one day of practice. But the Packers clearly need a more reliable backup than they had a year ago. Mike McCarthy has indicated he wants to cut back on some of Aaron Rodgers’ reps in the May and June timeframe, so OTAs are the perfect time for Harrell and Coleman to see increased action and establish themselves. One or both needs to take the reins and show some marked improvement.

Packers offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga. Photo by Corey Behnke of CheeseheadTV.com.

For the first time at a practice open to the public this season, Bryan Bulaga lined up at left tackle in a team environment at Tuesday’s Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Green Bay.

Bulaga’s switch to left tackle comes as part of a larger philosophical change by head coach Mike McCarthy in the offseason that is aimed at the traditional football school of thought that puts the quicker players on the left side of the offensive line and the stronger players on the right side.

Even better news for the Packers is Bulaga’s health. While teammates such as Desmond Bishop, Derek Sherrod and others are still sidelined by a variety of ailments at the onset of OTAs, Bulaga is showing few ill effects from a fractured left hip that landed him on injured reserve last season.

“(He) looks good,” said McCarthy during a press conference. “Really, I think if you asked Bryan Bulaga about his hip injury, he probably felt like he could have played at some point later in the season in his mind. But it was definitely a path of rehab that was in his best interests for the long term, for his career.

“He looks great. He’s been here the whole offseason. I’ve seen Bryan it seems like almost every day since the season’s ended.”

Read into it what you will, but last week Bulaga carded at 39 in a recreational round of golf at a local course, as published in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. It’s probably dangerous to put much stock into it, but for a sport that requires as much trunk twisting as golf, it can only be a good sign that the new Packers left tackle is out hitting the links in the month of May.

“I feel good,” Bulaga told reporters. “The hip healed very well in the offseason. There’s no issues with it, no setbacks, nothing kind of stopped the progression we were going with.”

Bulaga only played in nine games last year before his season was in ended in early November in a game against the Arizona Cardinals. His leg awkwardly locked in the turf while setting up for pass protection and he later landed in a heap on the ground.

The 2012 season started slowly for Bulaga, lowlighted by his performance against the Seattle Seahawks when he alone was responsible for giving up two sacks and eight quarterback hurries (according to ProFootballFocus.com) in a game that the Packers allowed eight sacks in one half of football.

From that point forward, however, Bulaga appeared to be progressing and hitting his stride just as injury struck.

This season, he’ll make the transition to the left side of the offensive line along with Josh Sitton who will be moving from right guard to left guard.

“I’m excited for them personally because I know they look at it as a great opportunity,” said McCarthy. “They accepted the challenge, and they were excited about the challenge when we sat down and talked about it.

“Frankly, it’s my responsibility to give them the reps and work against Clay (Matthews) and our defensive line, just the speed of it right now is excellent work for them. We feel good about the move.”

Making the transition easier for both Bulaga and Sitton is that they’ve gained a degree of comfort lining up to each other for parts of the past three seasons. Communication shouldn’t be much of an issue.

There will still be apprehension about the muscle memory it will take to get used to dropping and setting with opposite foot and handwork as compared to the right side of the offensive line.

For Bulaga, he can fall back upon his college days at Iowa when he was used at left tackle for the Hawkeyes, but as for Sitton, he played primarily right tackle at Central Florida.

Still, there’s no turning back now. Bulaga and Sitton will be protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blind side, for better or worse, during the 2013 season. The Packers can only hope it’s better after Rodgers endured a league-high 51 sacks last season.

“I’ve been playing next to Josh every snap since I’ve been here,” said Bulaga. “It’s comfortable having him over there. We’re both kind of going through the same transitions. It’s good to have him.

“We’re learning together; we’re trying in sync over there on the left side like we were on the right side. Like I said, it’s going to be a process. But it’s a good start with these OTAs, just so we can kind of bounce back into it gradually where we need to be.”

Brian Carriveau is the author of “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America,” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.

Cornell offensive lineman J.C. Tretter. Photo by Brian Carriveau of CheeseheadTV.com.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged on Tuesday that rookie offensive lineman J.C. Tretter suffered an injury on the first day of Organized Team Activities Monday in Green Bay, but he did not have any specifics.

“J.C., one of our new rookies, was not there,” said McCarthy during a press conference. “He was injured yesterday. He will not be available for the rest of the OTAs.”

When asked whether Tretter would be available for training camp, McCarthy declined to speculate, nor did he provide the area of the body in which Tretter sustained his injury.

“Tretter’s going through the medical process right now,” said McCarthy. “I don’t have a clear-cut, exactly where he is.”

The day before he was scheduled to leave for the Senior Bowl back in January, Tretter suffered a broken nose while training. It’s unclear whether his most recent injury is anything related to his nose, however.

Seeing as the right tackle spot is basically up for grabs in Green Bay, it’s been speculated that Tretter would get a chance to compete for the job. His injury will put him behind others trying to win a spot in the starting lineup.

The fourth round draft choice has also been speculated to make the move to center after playing left tackle the last two years of his college career and tight end before that.

UPDATE: As reported by JSOnline, Tretter broke his ankle, according to his agent, Alan Herman.

He’s expected to miss the next several months. It will probably take some time to determine exactly how long he’ll miss and whether he will come back in time to play during the 2013 season.

According to Brian McIntyre of Yahoo Sports, “The Chicago Bears ($29,500) and Green Bay Packers ($35,500) are the two NFL teams to spend under $40,000 in guaranteed money on undrafted rookie free agents.”

Based on those numbers, it’s unlikely the Packers gave any of their undrafted rookies any guaranteed money apart from signing bonuses.

As the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported recently, offensive lineman Lane Taylor led the way among undrafted Packers with a $7,000 signing bonus.

In the grand scheme of things, however, the difference between the guaranteed money spent on undrafted free agents between the top and bottom teams in the NFL is not very much.

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At a recent tailgate tour stop, Justin Felder from Fox 11 spoke with Bush regarding the move.

“I have played safety in the past, I have played every position in the secondary. If I were thrown in a safety, I wouldn’t lose a step, I wouldn’t miss a beat….Any spot. The corner spot or the nickel spot. I’m a competitor, I’m going to go in there and compete like I am the starter.”

Bush went on to say,

“I’m definitely looking forward to stepping up my role this year on defense as the nickel or corner. Just have to go and prove it. I’m very focused, I feel like more than last year, because I’ve got more experience underneath my belt, so I’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”

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OTAs mark the beginning of Phase Three of the offseason, in which the team can practice together in a team environment. It follows Phase One of strength and conditioning and Phase Two of individual position workouts.

The session begins at 11:30 a.m. at Clark Hinkle Field on the west side of the Don Hutson Center. Typically the team has used Ray Nitschke Field for OTAs  in the past, but will move over to Hinkle as Nitschke is being prepared for training camp.

One OTA practice per week is open to the public in Green Bay, each Tuesday on May 21, 28 and June 11. They’ll also have two minicamp practices open on June 4 and 5.

Following practice, head coach Mike McCarthy will hold a press conference that will be broadcasted live on the team’s official website at 1:35 p.m. CT.

Also on Tuesday, the NFL’s Spring Meetings take place in Boston, where presumably team president Mark Murphy and others in the Packers organization are representing Green Bay.

Among the topics being discussed are moving the NFL Draft and other events in the league’s offseason calendar such as the Combine and the start of the league year. They’re also discussing potential changes to the Pro Bowl.

One thing that will be decided with certainty on Tuesday will be the host sites of Super Bowl L (50) and LI (51). San Francisco and Houston, respectively, are expected to be the winning cities for the upcoming Super Bowls held in 2016 and 2017.

As OTAs begin in Green Bay on Monday, Ray Rivard of LombardiAve.com joins Railbird Central to talk about his website and some Packers football. Topics range from running back James Starks, kicker Mason Crosby and position battles to watch this offseason.

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Brian Carriveau is the author of “It’s Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America” and editor of Cheesehead TV’s “Pro Football Draft Preview.” To contact Brian, email carriveau@uwalumni.com.

The Packers announced on Monday a couple events at the end of July that will coincide with the start of training camp on Green Bay.

Although the team has yet to release its training camp practice schedule, several media outlets have announced that the first practice will take place on Friday July 26.

That same evening, the Packers will hold a 1K Kids Run at 6 p.m., presented by WPS Health Insurance, which includes a lap around Lambeau Field. Registration for the Kids Run is $10 and all participants will receive a Packers 1K Run t-shirt, a logoed bag and a participant medal.

Following the 1K Kids Run will be the annual Movie Night at Lambeau Field starting at 7:30 p.m. Disney’s Wreck it Ralph will be shown on the TundraVision. The event is free and open to the public, and concessions will be available throughout the movie.

Then on Saturday July 27 will be the fourth annual 5K Run at Lambeau Field at 6:30 p.m.

Details are provided by the Packers:

The computer-timed run is highlighted by a neighborhood route that ultimately takes participants into Lambeau Field and around the famed gridiron. The event has a special finish line – the Packers’ ‘G’ painted on turf located in the parking lot.

Bellin Health will be contributing its race expertise to the event through logistical and medical support. The organization’s 10K race, the Bellin Run, is among the nation’s most popular races. This year’s Bellin Run will mark the 37th running of the 10K race.

All participants will receive a Packers 5K Run T-shirt, a logoed bag, and a bib number and timing chip. In addition, photos will be taken on the course and will be available at no cost on the Packers 5K Run website.

Packers-themed awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each age group. An awards ceremony will take place following the conclusion of the race.

Registration, which is $25 for adults and $15 for children (12 and younger), will be available online beginning Monday, May 20, at www.packers.com/5k. Mail-in registration is also an option, with forms available online and in person at Lambeau Field. Runners can also register at the Bellin Run Expo on Friday, June 7, at Astor Park in Green Bay. Early registration is encouraged. After July 14, registration fees will increase to $30 and $20, respectively.

The Packers are partnering with local charities to raise money with the event. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross, Volunteer Center of Green Bay and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

WIXX 101 is serving as the radio partner for the event.

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