No. 4 nowhere in sight as Packers open practice

GREEN BAY, WIS. - With no resolution to their stalemate with Brett Favre in sight, the Packers were bracing for his possible return while standing steadfastly behind new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers as training camp began Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Rodgers and his teammates tried to stay out of the fray as best they could.

"This is really between Brett and the organization," said Rodgers, the former No. 1 draft pick who spent his first three seasons as Favre's little-used backup. "It's hard not to hear and read all this stuff, but it's out of my control. And I learned when I got here in 2005 that I need to stay focused only on the things I can control."

Cornerback Al Harris was one of several players interviewed who refused to be drawn into taking sides.

"Out of respect for Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, [coach] Mike McCarthy and [General Manager] Ted Thompson, I don't want to comment on any of this," Harris said. "However this thing plays out, it plays out."

Other than a pre-snap penalty that was attributed to Rodgers, McCarthy said his quarterback had a "very good" first practice.

"I thought he was very sharp in our meetings, and he did a very good job of detailing the finer points of our offense," McCarthy said between the team's two Monday practices. "I think he is dealing with [the distractions] fine."

Ideally, the Packers would like to resolve the Favre situation by Wednesday, when it's possible Favre could report. He told Thompson on Saturday that he would stay away from camp for "a couple of days" out of respect for his former teammates and to give Thompson more time to work on a trade.

Thompson admits there are "complications" to resolving the issue that quickly. For starters, Favre hasn't filed for reinstatement with the league despite the fact he changed his mind about retirement a month ago.

Thompson wouldn't say how many teams he has talked to regarding a trade for Favre. Asked to describe the nature of the talks Thompson's had, he said, "There have been some kicking-of-the-tires type conversations."

Two things Thompson said won't happen are a trade involving a fellow NFC North team and an outright release. Favre has asked for his outright release and is believed to favor signing with the Vikings. Thompson said releasing Favre "doesn't make good business sense."

"We will continue to try to do the right thing for all parties," Thompson said. "As a leader here, I feel a responsibility to try to do this in a proper manner. It's an ongoing thing, and we are going to do the best we can."

McCarthy and Thompson both left the door open for Favre's return, but only as a backup. Rodgers and rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn are the team's only quarterbacks.

"That's one scenario, where he comes back," Thompson said. "We have three young quarterbacks we have to prepare to play. How Brett factors into that group, we would just have to wait and see. We don't know. Time marches on. Things happen."

Added McCarthy: "I don't foresee Brett Favre coming in here as a problem. Brett Favre is a big part of the Green Bay Packers' history, and he may be a part of the future as we move forward."

Thompson was asked how he can be so certain the Packers are better off without Favre or without at least letting the future Hall of Famer compete for the starting job a year after he threw for 28 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and completed 66.5 percent of his passes.

"We've made this decision, the direction we're going has been set," Thompson said. "It will be up to history to determine whether we made the right decision."