GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews missed Green Bay's Monday morning practice with what coach Mike McCarthy termed ''knee soreness.''
McCarthy downplayed any concerns about Matthews, the centerpiece of the team's defense.
Matthews felt something in his knee during Saturday's first in-pads practice of training camp, McCarthy said. Players had Sunday off before returning to practice Monday, again in pads.
Matthews came out and watched a brief portion of practice wearing a Packers baseball cap and jogged off the field into the Don Hutson Center after his cameo appearance. McCarthy said Matthews did rehabilitation work with other injured players inside the Hutson Center during practice.
McCarthy said he does not have a timetable for Matthews' return.
The Packers are working Matthews both inside and outside this camp after changing his role at midseason last year. Because he moved to inside linebacker during the bye week last season after 4 1/2 years exclusively at outside linebacker, Matthews was forced to take a crash course in that position. The idea this summer has been to get him more work inside to improve his understanding of that role.
McCarthy said Friday he had no concerns about Matthews' practice workload.
''(His) workload hasn't changed. He's always worked this much. Where he is working has changed,'' McCarthy said. ''He's spending a lot more time at the inside linebacker position. We all understand that. I mean, he's played his whole career at outside linebacker, so the ability to keep moving him over there every third day or so is the plan. Just to get the reps from inside and get the full training because he's never had that from starting in training and going all the way through training camp.''
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