PACKERS AT A GLANCE
	Dorsey Levens
	Last year: 11-5, second place in NFC Central Key returnees:: QB Brett Favre (4,212 yards and 31 TDs); RB Dorsey Levens (378 yards); WR Antonio Freeman (84 receptions, 1,424 yards and 14 TDs); S LeRoy Butler (3 INTs); DL Vonnie Holliday (8 sacks) New faces: OL Raleigh McKenzie (Chargers); WR/KR Desmond Howard (Raiders); WR Jahine Arnold (Steelers); DB Antwan Edwards (first round pick) New places: OL Adam Timmerman (Rams); RB Travis Jervey (49ers); RB Darrick Holmes (Colts) Watch out: Levens' holdout, coupled with severe ankle injury, led to poor season in '98. He'll give the Pack a running attack in '99. Better than '98: If running game improves as expected, Favre won't have as many interceptions (23). Worse than '98: Losing Reggie White to retirement makes the defensive line younger, but White finished with a team-high 16 sacks. -- Scripps Howard News Service

Gone is Mike Holmgren, the coach who dared challenge the legacy of Vince Lombardi before leaving for all the power and money that Seahawks owner Paul Allen could bestow upon him.

Gone is Reggie White, arguably the greatest defensive end of all-time, to retirement.

Holmgren and White were two of the four prominent figures that presided over the rise of the Packers, one of the best reclamation projects in NFL history.

Left behind are Ron Wolf, the general manager who hired Holmgren and helped sign White, and Brett Favre, the quarterback many regard as the best in the business.

In January, a few days after Holmgren left, Wolf appointed Ray Rhodes as the 12th head coach in franchise history. After being fired by the Eagles in the wake of a disastrous 3-13 campaign, Rhodes rejoins an organization that he served with distinction as defensive coordinator from 1992 to '93.

Said Wolf: "I can't start over -- I'm 60 years old. I'm hoping that this guy can carry the torch. I understand Ray. He and I seem to see things the same way."

No one in Packerland expects to be starting over anytime soon. If Rhodes is to have a honeymoon, it won't be long. That's pressure, something Rhodes has dealt with all his life.

"Mike cast a huge shadow with big, big shoes to try to fill," Wolf said. "But I certainly think Ray Rhodes is up to the task."

Here's a position-by-position look at Green Bay's roster:

Quarterbacks
By Favre's impossibly high standards, '98 was a down year. He fell to 10th in passer rating after ranking second three times and third once in the previous four seasons. The main reason: too many careless interceptions. Favre has lost 20 pounds since the wild-card playoff loss to the 49ers in January and had a strong training camp. Sherman Lewis, the holdover offensive coordinator who, with Holmgren gone, now calls all the plays, has experimented with the shotgun in camp.

Rick Mirer and Matt Hasselbeck battled for the No. 2 job until Mirer was traded to the Jets. Hasselbeck, a second-year man with no regular-season experience, had a phenomenal first month of drills and looks solid. Aaron Brooks, a fourth-round pick from Virginia, was almost as impressive as Hasselbeck and can develop at his own pace in the No. 3 spot. Grade: A

Running backs
The return of Dorsey Levens can hardly be overestimated in importance. He missed nine games last year with leg and ankle injuries, but he seems none the worse for wear now. He's a classic big back with terrific hands, very good speed and excellent awareness.

		The bottom line for the Packers is Dorsey Levens. When he was injured last year, it took the versatility away from Green Bay's offensive attack, forcing Brett Favre to throw to a depleted receiving corps. Levens not only solidifies the Green Bay ground game; he also gives Favre another target out of the backfield. If Levens plays well, stays healthy and does the things he did two years ago, the Packers could return to the top in the NFC Central under first-year coach Ray Rhodes. I think the Packers are looking at an 11-5 season, fighting Tampa Bay and Minnesota for the division crown.<

FB William Henderson couldn't find his pot of gold in free agency and re-signed for about $1.2 million per year. Henderson's blocking fell off in '98, and the Packers badly need it back where it was in '96 and '97. Wolf tried to sign Lawrence Phillips, but when the NFL Europe star went to the 49ers, the general manager decided to stand pat. Late in camp, anonymous youngsters De'Mond Parker, Basil Mitchell and Edwin Watson were fighting for two backup jobs behind Levens. FB Matt Snider, a rookie free agent who was cut by Carolina, is a punishing lead blocker and a respectable receiver. Grade: B

Receivers
The retirement of Robert Brooks, who stepped down because of back problems, wasn't much of a blow because he was only a mere shadow of his old self in '98. Antonio Freeman ended a 14-day holdout by signing a seven-year, $41.82 million contract and moves to flanker, the glamour position in the West Coast offense that Brooks used to own. Freeman runs exquisite routes, has deceptive speed and runs better after the catch than perhaps anyone in the league.

The battle for Brooks' starting job was won by Bill Schroeder, with odd-man out Derrick Mayes being dealt to Seattle on Aug. 30. Schroeder is a big man with long strides and outstanding speed.

Corey Bradford is an intriguing deep threat for a team that wants to throw downfield much more than it did under Holmgren. TE Mark Chmura, a three-time Pro Bowl pick, was trying to fight through a cervical-disc condition late in camp. Backup Tyrone Davis is a receiving threat with WR-type hands who should play more and more. The No. 3 tight end, Jeff Thomason, had an ex-cellent camp. Grade: B+

Offensive linemen
Four starters return from a unit that was always serviceable under departed assistant Tom Lovat. New offensive line coach Larry Beightol is trying to establish more of a power running game, and he has changed the pass-blocking scheme from man to zone. ORT Earl Dotson is the unit's top player, but he was struggling with a bulging disc in his lower back midway through camp. Competent Marco Rivera moves from left guard, where he was a first-time starter in '98, to right guard.

Former Charger Raleigh McKenzie, beginning his 15th NFL season, will start at left guard, but he was off to a semi-slow start. Aging tough guy Frank Winters appeared to have held off a challenge by Mike Flanagan for the starting center spot. OLT Ross Verba acknowledged that he played poorly in '98 and has enjoyed a fine, injury-free camp.

Physical Joe Andruzzi was pushing McKenzie before suffering a sprained knee ligament. Andruzzi isn't due back for a few more weeks. Mike Wahle won the No. 3 OT job from John Michels, who was traded to Philadelphia. "I don't say that they weren't physical," Beightol said of the '98 unit. "I think we can be more physical." Grade: B-

Defensive linemen
White and his 16 sacks are out of the equation. Santana Dotson and Gilbert Brown remain the starters at tackle for the fourth straight season. Despite Bob Kuberski leaving for Atlanta via free agency, the Packers think Billy Lyon and Jermaine Smith give them better depth than they've had.

Vonnie Holliday will start at right end, with Vaughn Booker at left end. Booker beat out Keith McKenzie after the first exhibition game. Is there any way this unit can be better than last year, with Booker replacing White and the other three starters still the same?

"I think we have a chance to be better because of the quality of the players that we can substitute now," Wolf said. "We'll have a fresher group."

Brown was moving better than he did a year ago as he enters his contract season. Dotson signed a five-year, $25.8 million deal and now needs to play like a Pro Bowler. Holliday had a quiet camp, although he spent much of it at left end and seemed out of sorts. Booker, 31, is an overachiever who had a career camp. McKenzie is a dangerous designated pass rusher who figures to play about 50 percent of the snaps. Grade: B

Linebackers
"I have to make my players concentrate every day that we've got to rip the ball out, and anytime we get a chance, we have to make interceptions," said Johnny Holland, the club's new linebackers coach. "We have to make more plays."

In the last two years, the Packers' linebacking corps has had just seven turnover plays in 36 games. That's a pathetic number for a team with three starters averaging between $2.33 million and $2.75 million in salary per year. Weak-side LB Brian Williams can run all over the field. The Packers think he could become a Pro Bowler, but he makes mistakes in coverage and has a persistent knee problem. MLB Bernardo Harris has fine athletic ability and speed for the position and will be turned loose more this year to run through gaps in blocking schemes.

Strong-side LB George Koonce probably is better-suited for the inside, but he is a conscientious veteran who always gives an honest day's work. Cerebral speedster Jude Waddy and former Chief Anthony Davis add outstanding depth. Grade: B-

Defensive backs
This area killed the team in its final year under the late Fritz Shurmur. The Packers yielded 18 plays of 35 yards or more in 17 games last season, compared to only six during the 19-game championship run in '96. So Wolf started fresh, drafting three cornerbacks -- Antuan Edwards, Fred Vinson and Mike McKenzie - in the first three rounds. The early results were mixed.

McKenzie is hungry, physical and fast and has been a pleasant surprise to the organization. Edwards still was trying to play through the effects of turf-toe surgery and appeared cautious. Vinson was worse off physically after surgery to repair a torn ligament in his arch. All three are in position to challenge Craig Newsome, a veteran who has lost some confidence in his speed since undergoing knee-ligament surgery in '97. The Packers regard Tyrone Williams as one of the top six or seven cornerbacks in the NFC.

SS LeRoy Butler might be the best safety in football and will be used in myriad ways by new defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas. FS Darren Sharper is coming off a bad season in which he missed too many tackles and made almost no plays on the ball. Solid camps by Scott McGarrahan and Rodney Artmore improved the depth at safety. Grade: C

Special teams
New special-teams coach Steve Ortmayer isn't afraid to gamble, something Holmgren's units simply never did. "We're going to be more aggressive," Ortmayer said. But first things first. Having failed to re-sign punter Craig Hentrich in February of '98, the Packers struck it rich with golden oldie Sean Landeta, who set a club record for net average with a 37.1-yard mark. But the Packers didn't lift a finger when Landeta signed with the Eagles. Instead, they drafted Oregon product Josh Bidwell in the fourth round and paid him a $185,000 signing bonus. Bidwell, however, was terrible in the first two exhibition games.

Kicker Ryan Longwell, an 83.6 percent marksman on field goals (including the playoffs) since taking over for Chris Jacke two years ago, is money in the bank, but Longwell's kickoffs are ordinary. Signed to boost the return game was former Raider Desmond Howard, who had two so-so seasons with the Raiders after a career year with the Packers in '96, when he returned five kicks for touchdowns (including the postseason). Grade: B-

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