GREEN BAY — Taking a closer look at the Green Bay Packers' first practice of training camp from Saturday:

Thumbs up: Casey Hayward played in just three games last season, the victim of a hamstring injury that began before he reported to camp last year, was aggravated during the third preseason game and finally shelved him for the remainder of the season in November. But he sure looked to be back to his old, 2012 self Saturday, breaking up multiple passes while working as an outside corner with the No. 2 defense (behind Tramon Williams and Sam Shields). Hayward had participated in organized team activities and the minicamp last month, and he certainly looked like the guy who finished third in the NFL defensive rookie of the year balloting after picking off a team-high six passes two years ago.

"Yeah, I thought Casey had a good day," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "He's back.

"[He's] so instinctive, his ball skills. You [saw] him jump off the spot a few times and make a play."

Thumbs down: For the second straight year, defensive end/outside linebacker Mike Neal opened camp on the physically unable to perform list. He battled some sort of core muscle injury in his abdominal area last season, and apparently it's still an issue for him, causing him to flunk his physical on Friday.

"I don't feel bad. A little sore than normal, but, that's expected sometimes when you come off an offseason. But I feel pretty good," Neal said. "I felt a little bit of [pain] in my lower ab, and like last year, [we said], 'You know what, just chill it out for a minute and we'll see how it is.'"

At least Neal, who practiced throughout OTAs, can point to last season, when he played all 17 games (including playoffs) for the first time in his career, as proof that he can get healthy. Like Neal in his first two seasons, third-year outside linebacker Nick Perry hasn't been healthy yet. His rookie season ended after six games because of wrist surgery, and he played 11 games — some of them in pain — because of a foot injury. He also opened camp on the PUP list with what McCarthy termed a "foot and knee" injury.

McCarthy did indicate that Perry and Neal are "close" to being cleared, however.

Play of the day: It was only the first day, but newly minted $39 million receiver Jordy Nelson and his pal Aaron Rodgers hooked up on a beautiful deep ball against Sam Shields and Micah Hyde, with Rodgers dropping a 40-yard rainbow to Nelson on a corner route on the left sideline that left Shields laughing after Nelson's catch — because what else was he going to do?

Camp confidential: While the TV timeout/regeneration periods were instituted in training camp last year so players could lower their heart rates and make sure they stayed hydrated, the team has added another item to the break menu: Snacks. Athletic trainers made their way onto the field during the three regeneration periods Saturday not only with Gatorade and water but with Tupperware containers filled with Jell-O squares and other snacks. (The gelatin squares aren't the jigglers Bill Cosby once hawked; rather, they are fortified with nutrients for energy.)

"I had one thing, it kind of tasted like a dessert," fullback John Kuhn said. "It was some chocolate-peanut butter thing. And then I had a fig bar."

Please don't stop the music:"Spaceman" by The Killers, "Days Of Gold" by Jake Owen and "Shark Attack" by Grouplove were the three songs played during the regeneration periods Saturday.

Injury report: In addition to Neal and Perry, who opened camp on the PUP, defensive end Jerel Worthy (lower back) and defensive tackle Letroy Guion (hamstring) started camp on the Non-Football Injury list and rookie wide receiver Jeff Janis began on the Non-Football Illness list. McCarthy said it "is going to be some time" before Worthy is cleared to play.

Meanwhile, starting right guard T.J. Lang did very little in practice because of what McCarthy said was a lingering shoulder injury. Don Barclay took first-team reps in his place.

They said it: "If I was in charge of the player checkbook, we would have been way over the budget a long time ago." — McCarthy, on if Nelson's new contract makes him want to get a deal done with Randall Cobb.

Practice schedule: The Packers return to practice at 8:20 a.m. Sunday with a workout in shorts, shells and helmets.

Jason Wilde  wrote: