Team president Mark Murphy has plans to host a season-opening football game at Lambeau Field on the Thursday night of Sept. 8, as he recently wrote in a form letter to Packers season-ticket holders.

Murphy's eternal optimism amid the ongoing lockout about the 2011 NFL schedule starting without a hitch notwithstanding, there's a good chance one of Green Bay's receivers will be stamping "return to sender" on a different missive from the club.

James Jones would like nothing more than a starting opportunity, and he acknowledged earlier in the offseason that he would have to look elsewhere for that since Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are entrenched at the top of the depth chart.

"I don't know if that will ever happen here with Donald playing until he's 40," said Jones, whose rookie contract expired after last season.

That is indeed the golden age to which Driver, who turned 36 just days before the Packers' Super Bowl XLV victory Feb. 6, aspires to play. Yet, the team's fringe No. 2 wideout is descending in the twilight of his record-setting, 12-year career as he produced his worst numbers in nine years - 51 catches for 565 yards and four touchdowns - and ended his injury-laden season watching the second half of the Super Bowl on the sideline after suffering a high ankle sprain.

The talented Jones would be a worthy successor to pair with emerging star Jennings. Jones, however, doesn't seem inclined to wait out Driver for the day he's relegated to spot duty and figures to have suitors' clamoring for him once the labor dispute ends and free agency begins.

The Packers delivered a one-year tender to Jones before the lockout on the chance the four-year veteran would be a restricted free agent, per the 2010 CBA parameters. Such a gesture, rather than reward Jones with a long-term deal following his career-best season (50 catches, 679 yards, five touchdowns), speaks to reservations the team has with its former third-round draft pick.

Jones' big-play abilities often were mitigated by a penchant for key drops. He had 10 last season, including potentially damaging would-be touchdowns in postseason games against Philadelphia (wild-card round) and Pittsburgh (Super Bowl) that Green Bay held on to win.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemingly grew tired of Jones' yo-yo performances. Although he never called out Jones, Rodgers indirectly levied some criticism when he spoke of Jordy Nelson's breakout effort of nine receptions for 140 yards in the Super Bowl.

"Jordy is a consistent contributor for us," Rodgers said.

Even with Jennings, Driver and a budding Nelson back in the fold for next season, along with playmaking tight end Jermichael Finley after he missed most of the 2010 campaign because of a knee injury, look for Green Bay to target a receiver early in the draft.

The Packers, as they sit at the end of Round 1 with the No. 32 pick, won't be in the running for top-10 wideouts A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama.

There's a dropoff to the next tier of receivers, but Green Bay could get good value if it were to trade out of the first round and position itself higher in Round 2 - as it did in 2008 with Nelson - to take Maryland's Torrey Smith, Miami's Leonard Hankerson, Kentucky's Randall Cobb or Troy's Jerrel Jernigan.

Smith, Cobb and Jernigan have the dynamic versatility as speedy receivers and kick returners that would be endearing to head coach Mike McCarthy. He wants to bolster the team's ineffective return game by having a player who would have to contribute at another position.

Contact between team officials, including coaches, and the players is forbidden during the ongoing lockout.

That doesn't mean talking, texting or tweeting in this ultra-interactive age can't be done in roundabout ways.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy didn't say so directly to Chad Clifton, but McCarthy recently heaped praise on his veteran left tackle. McCarthy gushed at the league meetings in New Orleans that the last six games of the 2010 season, which culminated with the Super Bowl XLV victory, were the best in Clifton's illustrious 11-year pro career.

That's reassuring for an organization that would like to do without some substantial rebuilding in the afterglow of winning a 13th league title.

As it is, general manager Ted Thompson must prepare for the day the resilient Clifton can no longer overcome countless physical setbacks and be effective as the trusted blind-side protector for first Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers. Clifton, who earned a second Pro Bowl nod as he started every game for the first time in three seasons, turns 35 in June.

Replacing Clifton is probably a decision that won't have to be made for at least another season, but having an insurance policy in place is advisable given Clifton's gimpy track record the last few years.

Thompson actually went about finding an heir when he took Iowa's Bryan Bulaga in the first round of last year's draft. Bulaga, however, played a modicum of snaps at left tackle as a backup and instead started 16 games, including the playoffs, at right tackle after Mark Tauscher suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the first month. Bulaga endured growing pains in making the adjustment from his natural position, but he acquitted himself down the stretch.

Bulaga will remain the starter on the right side - Tauscher, who had manned the position since he broke in as a seventh-round draft pick in 2000, is iffy to remain with the team - but at some point he will be in line to replace Clifton.

Or, if the Packers feel good enough about keeping Bulaga where he is, then they will need Clifton's ultimate successor in place after paying the price for trying to plug in the likes of left guard Daryn Colledge and T.J. Lang as emergency stopgaps in the past.

So, don't put it past Thompson to target offensive tackle on the opening night of the draft for the second straight year.

As many as six tackles could be taken in Round 1, which is slated to end with the Packers' picking 32nd. Other than USC's Tyron Smith, who is projected to go in the top 10, any of the other elite prospects could be sitting there for Green Bay to take.

The rest of the best includes Boston College's Anthony Castonzo, Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi, Colorado's Nate Solder, Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod and Villanova's Benjamin Ijalana.

If the punishing Carimi were to fall through the cracks and remain on the board when Green Bay's turn is up, Thompson surely will hear from outside the Lambeau Field draft room a loud refrain from fans wanting him to take the home-state standout. The 6-7, 327-pound Carimi started all four years on the left side for the Badgers, won the Outland Trophy in 2010 and had the audacity at the February Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to proclaim himself the best tackle in this year's draft class.

"You're always hopeful to work with these Wisconsin guys," McCarthy said after watching Carimi at Wisconsin's pro day in early March.

Changes are in store for the reigning Super Bowl champions, on and off the field.

Whenever the next football game is played at Lambeau Field, spectators will be treated to new state-of-the-art, HD video boards and an enhanced sound system thanks to a $13 million offseason project.

And, once football activities resume after the ongoing lockout, the team will have undergone some anticipated changes. Among them is a facelift on the defensive line.

The Packers presumably will go into the start of this year's draft April 28 with a mindset that they will have a starting spot to fill at defensive end, whether or not the league's labor conflict is resolved. As soon as free agency opens, Cullen Jenkins is expected to pull up stakes and find a new address after calling Green Bay his in-season home the last seven years.

"You get to a point where you want to go where you feel you're wanted," Jenkins told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in late February after the Packers didn't show interest in retaining him by either looking to sign him to a contract extension or placing a one-year franchise tag on him.

"The way everything came down, it's just time for a new start," Jenkins added.

With age (30) and an assortment of past injuries to consider, Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson evidently feels the time is right to move on without the versatile and productive veteran. Jenkins ranked second on the team in 2010 with a career-high seven sacks despite missing five games in the regular season because of a recurring calf injury.

Although Thompson said in recent weeks he hasn't ruled out bringing back Jenkins, it's all but certain the Packers will have a major piece of their Super Bowl XLV-winning puzzle to replace. Jenkins' formidable pass-rushing skills at right end enabled defensive coordinator Dom Capers to move star outside linebacker Clay Matthews from the right side to the left side before last season, and that forced opposing offenses to account for both sides with their pass blocking.

If Jenkins indeed is left to walk, the Packers won't have a dynamic bookend to pair with Matthews, whether it's a defensive lineman or another outside linebacker.

Mike Neal, a second-round draft pick out of Purdue last year, has the talent and Jenkins-like power and tenacity to assume the lead role. However, not enough of Neal was seen in 2010 - he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 - to know whether he can be a full-time difference maker.

The Packers also will have back a couple young prospects in C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn, but it's unclear whether they will hold onto Justin Harrell and retain the services of Johnny Jolly. Harrell has been an injury-riddled bust as the team's 2007 first-round draft pick; he missed all but the first quarter of the opening game last season because of a torn ACL. Jolly, a former starter, applied for reinstatement with the league after the Super Bowl after sitting out the entire season for violating the substance-abuse policy.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said at this week's NFL league meetings in New Orleans that Jolly is in the team's plans, pending a decision by commissioner Roger Goodell. But Jolly's time with the Packers is likely coming to an end following a March 25 arrest for being in possession of codeine.

With so many unknowns about their personnel along the defensive front, the Packers figure to give strong consideration to bolstering the depth chart there in the draft. They don't pick until No. 32 in the first round, but a deep class of D-linemen could yield a starting replacement for Jenkins or perhaps a successor to left end Ryan Pickett, who will be 32 in October.

NOTES, QUOTES

Running back Ryan Grant said he has never felt better. Grant said he could play now if necessary.

Asked on April 4 about his condition, Grant said, "Awesome, I feel great. This is actually the best I've felt in a long time."

Grant was among 11 Packers players that threw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers' home opener.

Despite the ongoing lockout, the NFL is still expected to announce the regular-season schedule within the next two weeks.

Along those lines, the Green Bay Packers have told their fans to begin preparing to host the season-opening Thursday night game. That's no surprise because the tradition over the last several years has been for the defending Super Bowl champions to be the home team for that first game of the season.

In a letter to season-ticket holders, club president Mark Murphy wrote, "We appreciate your continued support of the Packers, and I look forward to seeing you back at Lambeau Field this fall for another thrilling season. As defending champions, we're especially excited to host the NFL's season opener Thursday night, September 8. We have some tough issues to resolve between now and then, but I'm confident that we will be able to find a resolution that works for the players, owners and fans."

DT Johnny Jolly was denied bail March 30. He has been in a Houston jail since his arrest the Friday before for possession of codeine, and will spend the next three weeks there until his next court date on April 20. Stopped for a traffic violation, police learned his driver's license is suspended and ineligible for renewal. In a search of his car, police found 600 grams of codeine. Jolly was suspended by the NFL for the entire 2010 season.

His suspension occurred when he settled charges for possession of codeine. Jolly entered a pre-trial diversion program in which his record would be wiped clean if he remained out of trouble for a year.

After Wednesday's hearing, prosecutor Todd Keagle said Jolly's arrest voided the probation agreement the defensive lineman had with the Harris County District Attorney's Office to settle that 2008 drug charge.

Said Keagle, "His pretrial diversion is being voided because Mr. Jolly did not adhere to the terms of his contract, in our opinion."

Keagle added that Jolly will now face both charges in court.

At the league meeting, coach Mike McCarthy was asked about the futures of LBs Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar, who both finished the 2010 season on injured reserve.

Said McCarthy "You have to look at the whole football team and how it fits together. Ted (general manager Ted Thompson) has made it clear from day one that we're going to keep as many good football players as possible. I don't look at that position any differently. That was an extremely competitive position going into camp last year. We felt from a depth standpoint it was clearly one of our better positions, and thank goodness it was with the injuries to both Brandon and Nick, we didn't miss a beat and A.J. (Hawk) and Desmond (Bishop) had excellent years and deserved those contracts. I don't really like to ever comment on medical situations because really a lot of this lays in the hands of what the doctors think.

Kicker Mason Crosby had a career-low four touchbacks on kickoffs last season, due in part to special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum's amended scheme that put an emphasis on placement kicking.

The strong-legged Crosby's touchback numbers figure to spike if a proposal by the NFL competition committee is approved by league owners at their annual meeting in New Orleans next week. The point of kickoff would be moved up five yards to the kicking team's 35-yard line. Any touchback, however, would result in a starting spot of the receiving team's 25-yard line, an advancement of five yards from the longstanding policy.

Crosby is headed to free agency whenever the league resumes business but is expected to be re-signed by the Packers.

He was among the league leaders in touchbacks his first three years as a pro with 14 in 2007, 17 in '08 and 12 in '09.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I do feel like there will be football at some point. But, maybe this needs to happen. Being a part of this from my stance might hurt me individually and might hurt my age group, but maybe this needs to happen for the younger guys down the road so that they're in a better position, so that for the future this doesn't have to happen (again)." - Running back Ryan Grant, on the league lockout.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

The Packers were awarded a fourth-round compensatory in next months' draft. The pick was awarded as compensation for the free-agent loss of LB Aaron Kampman.

TEAM NEEDS

Defensive end: The Packers could enter next season without their bookend starters from 2009. Prospective free agent Cullen Jenkins, 30, wants out after not receiving a contract extension - the right-side veteran had a career-high seven sacks despite missing part of last season with a calf injury. Johnny Jolly, who missed the entire Super Bowl-winning season because of a league suspension, is in a Houston jail and may be headed to prison after being arrested March 25 on another drug charge.

Offensive tackle: This could be the position general manager Ted Thompson targets in the first round for the second straight year. Iowa's Bryan Bulaga, who was pegged as the eventual successor to left tackle Chad Clifton, wound up replacing an injured Mark Tauscher at right tackle. Having two starting tackles of the future, if not the present, in hand is a must.

Wide receiver: Donald Driver vows to play until he's 40, but the team's fringe No. 2 wideout is descending at age 36 after producing his worst numbers in nine years - 51 catches for 565 yards and four touchdowns. James Jones, if he can rectify his penchant for key drops, would be a worthy successor to pair with Greg Jennings, but Jones may leave as a potential free agent.

Running back: Ryan Grant and James Starks give Green Bay potentially a dynamic 1-2 punch in the backfield. However, there's no telling what kind of player Grant will be after he missed all but one game last season because of an ankle injury and whether Starks is the real deal following his breakout performance in the playoffs as a rookie. Plus, free agent-to-be Brandon Jackson could bolt.

MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.

DRAFT ELIGIBLE PLAYERS WITH PRIVATE WORKOUT OR VISIT

CB Antareis Bryan, Baylor (March 23)

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

LB A.J. Hawk: FA, had been released by Packers; $33.75M/5 yrs, $8M SB/$1.8M RB.

S Charlie Peprah: Potential RFA; $2.25M/2 yrs, $150,000 SB.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED: None.

PLAYERS LOST

TE Donald Lee (released).

S Derrick Martin (released).

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