GREEN BAY -- The Great Kicking Competition of 2013 is underway -- and Giorgio Tavecchio has the lead by a nose.

Tavecchio, signed in the offseason off the street to compete with incumbent kicker Mason Crosby, won the first head-to-head battle of camp in Friday's opening practice, connecting on 5 of 6 field goal attempts. Crosby, meanwhile, was 4 of 6.

Alternating from the same spot and with Crosbygoing first, Tavecchio made his first four kicks: From 33 yards out from the right hashmark; from 36 from the left hash; from 44 from the right hash; and from 50 from the left hash. He then missed from 53 from the right hash before making it on his second try from that location.

Crosbymade his first three kicks from 33, 36 and 44 but then missed the 50-yarder. He missed the 53-yarder on his next attempt, then made it on the re-try.

Crosby, who made just 21 of 33 attempts during the regular season last year, is facing head-to-head competition in camp for the first time since his rookie year in 2007, when he was the challenger as a sixth-round pick and beat out incumbent Dave Rayner.

Coach Mike McCarthy said there will be more kicking periods throughout camp than previous years because of the compeition.

"Well, (there will be) more attempts. It's something we want to make sure we have plenty of information. I think that's obvious," McCarthy said. "Anytime you have two kickers, as opposed to one. When you have one kicker, you really worry about too many reps. So that's something you've got to be very conscientious of both with your punter and your kicker. So just the reps will be higher this training camp than in past training camps."

Jason Wilde  wrote: