The Sports Xchange

DE PERE, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have made no secret the last few months about what their long-range intentions are for this season.

Consider what Randall Cobb had to say after Green Bay re-signed the Pro Bowl receiver to a hefty four-year, $40 million contract in early March to keep him from hitting free agency: “I’ve said it multiple times, I think (quarterback) Aaron (Rodgers) is going to be the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. And, to be able to play with him and be a part of his legacy and hopefully be able to get him more (championship) rings, just to have a hand in that is a blessing, and I look forward to that.”

Then, fast forward to late July and what team president/CEO Mark Murphy had to say with regard to expectations for the team after its 2014 season ended with a crushing overtime loss at the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game: “A great year last year, just a disappointing ending. I think our players are going to really use that as motivation and come back and learn from that experience and benefit from it, and hopefully go beyond it and win another Super Bowl.”

Make no mistake, Green Bay has its sights squarely on playing in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 7 and winning its first league title in five years.

The favorable opinions of oddsmakers notwithstanding, the Packers have the team to do just that.

A mostly quiet offseason of activity with personnel underscored how Green Bay is without only one player from the starting lineups it used in the unforgettable 28-22, season-ending setback to the Seahawks on Jan. 18.

Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams left as a free agent, signing with the Cleveland Browns.

The Packers kick off training camp with their first practice Thursday morning, and identifying a suitable replacement for the talented Williams is one of a few compelling storylines the next five weeks.

Rather than make one notable acquisition in free agency, particularly at cornerback, general manager Ted Thompson stayed true to his draft-and-develop process. He used his first two draft picks on potential fill-ins for Williams by taking converted safety Damarious Randall and former basketball standout Quinten Rollins, though fourth-year player Casey Hayward will have first dibs on trying to win the spot.

Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt spoke to the uncertainty that is permeating the starting spot opposite Sam Shields, a first-time Pro Bowl participant last winter.

“There’s only two guys (Shields and Hayward) in that cornerback room who have played any snaps in the NFL,” Whitt said. “I think that’s being lost in a lot of this. There’s only two guys! I played just as many snaps (zero) as everybody else (in that room) in the NFL. We have to teach them how to play.”

Moving parts also will be in play at linebacker this preseason, but the learning curve won’t be as profound.

After the team jettisoned underwhelming veteran starters A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones shortly after last season ended, head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers seem ready to showcase All-Pro outside linebacker Clay Matthews on the inside. Matthews made such a transition the second half of last season, a boon for a then-sputtering defense.

“I think Clay likes the challenge and he knows the importance of him being able to play both places,” Capers said. “From one week to the next, he could be lined up outside, he could be lined up inside. What we’ve got to do is see how some of the guys go around him.”

The likes of longtime star Julius Peppers, Nick Perry, Mike Neal and a few young prospects as pass rushers on the outside should give Capers the luxury to liberally move around Matthews. Capers is hoping to further patch up the middle of his linebacker group with young starting incumbent Sam Barrington and rookie Jake Ryan, a fourth-round draft pick.

Green Bay’s defense also will have to brace for the possibility of not having two returning line starters available for the Sept. 13 season opener at the Chicago Bears. Former first-round pick Datone Jones, an end, received a one-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Veteran Letroy Guion, who performed well as the replacement for an injured B.J. Raji at nose tackle last season, may be facing a three-game suspension, pending an appeal for his drug-related arrest in February.

As for Green Bay’s vaunted offense, it’s all systems go.

Rodgers, who collected his second league MVP award in February, has his full arsenal of pass catchers (led by Cobb and Jordy Nelson) as well as his complementary heavy lifter at halfback with Eddie Lacy back this season.

The only notable change on that side of the ball is that McCarthy relinquished the play-calling duties for the first time in his 10 seasons as coach. Those duties belong to associate head coach Tom Clements.

Yet, as he heads into his eighth season as a starter, Rodgers has essentially the last word at the line of scrimmage — and expects to be more vocal with an eye on getting the Packers back to the Super Bowl that incredibly eluded them six months ago.

CAMP CALENDAR

July 29: Entire team reports

July 30: First practice

Aug. 31: Camp ends

–Team strength: Offensive line.

While few will dispute Aaron Rodgers has ascended to No. 1 among all current NFL players, the preservation of the reigning two-time MVP hinges greatly on the beefy guys in front of him. Rodgers hasn’t made it through a full season healthy the last two years. At 31 years old and going on season No. 8 as the indispensable leader of the Packers’ offense, Rodgers doesn’t downplay the importance of the team’s offensive line. He calls it the best he’s played behind, and that’s high praise for a group of five that’s been together in full only one season. Corey Linsley emerged as a pleasant surprise at center as a rookie last season. Pressed into duty late in the preseason because of an injury to JC Tretter, Linsley solidified a predominantly young line that jelled and flourished throughout the season.

Rodgers didn’t absorb many hits, though he was slowed by a calf injury late in the season, and the line paved the way for Eddie Lacy to rush for more than 1,100 yards for the second time in as many pro seasons. What’s more, the line of, from left to right, David Bakhtiari, All-Pro Josh Sitton, Linsley, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga accounted for only one missed start. The re-signing of Bulaga to a whopping five-year contract worth almost $35 million before he reached the free-agent market in March should give Rodgers many more games with his vital line of protectors.

–Breakout player: Wide receiver Davante Adams.

It’s easy to be forgotten when all-stars Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are ahead of you on the depth chart and were on the receiving end of most of Aaron Rodgers’ throws in his MVP-earning 2014 season. In respective career-best fashion, Nelson had 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns, and Cobb made 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season. By much diminished comparison, Adams came up with 38 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns. Even with only one football for Rodgers to throw on any snap, look for Adams’ decent numbers as a rookie to shoot up this season. He had a whale of an offseason with Rodgers and others feeding him the football, so much so that head coach Mike McCarthy touted Adams as an MVP in those spring workouts. And, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Adams, a second-round draft pick, had a few moments when he stepped out of the shadows of the dynamic duo of Nelson and Cobb last season. Buoyed by six catches for a season-high 121 yards and a touchdown in the divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys, Adams ranked second on the team in the playoffs with eight receptions.

–Work in progress: Cornerback.

A position of depth in recent years took a big hit when longtime starter Tramon Williams and heir apparent Davon House left Green Bay early in free agency, signing with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.

Then, April rolled around for the start of the Packers’ spring workouts and Casey Hayward promptly suffered a foot injury. Hayward’s absence from the field most of the next two months didn’t help fill the starting void opposite first-time Pro Bowl selection Sam Shields. Hayward, who when healthy has been a playmaker out of the slot his first three pro seasons, is penciled in to shift outside and replace Williams.

Still, there’s no telling the readiness for Hayward in a full-time role until he is back contributing on the field, which is expected to happen at the outset of training camp. As insurance, general manager Ted Thompson invested his first two draft picks this year in cornerbacks. First-round choice Damarious Randall, a converted safety out of Arizona State, projects to contribute right away in the slot, at the least.

Former basketball star Quinten Rollins, who set records stealing the ball on the hard court, is an intriguing second-round selection from Miami (Ohio). He stepped in for Hayward on the perimeter during the spring work.