In just his sixth practice with the team, QB Vince Young has really started to get comfortable in the Packers' offense and has gotten rid of a lot of the rust that he came in with.

During an individual drill in which the quarterbacks faked a handoff and rolled out to throw a pass into the target netting, Young was on top of his game. Rolling to his left and throwing across his body, Young went 3 for 3 in the drill, successfully landing each of his passes into the small netted opening. He was by far the most accurate quarterback in that drill, even better than Aaron Rodgers.

In team drills, Young was throwing downfield with much more frequency than he had been. He connected with Myles White down the seam and later hit Matthew Mulligan for a touchdown.

"Vince Young is clearly different today than he was this time last week," McCarthy said. "He's progressing. We've been able to spend some extra time with him. It's been beneficial."

This comes as comforting news for Packer fans, as Young could serve as a solid stopgap option if Rodgers were to get injured.

Third-year Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spent most of training camp in the pocket, with new offensive coordinator Mike Shula only occasionally breaking out the read option.

Newton interacted more with teammates – whether it was making one-handed catches before practice or playing cards between meetings.

Seems like all good signs for Newton. The story also added he's been working real well with WR1 Steve Smith. He could easily be the fourth QB taken in just about any draft, behind Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. He'll still collect the rushing yards and TDs despite the team wanting him to stay in the pocket more.

Broncos QB Peyton Manning at 37 appears improved physically over the 36-year-old version that statistically had a season for the ages in 2012.

"It's hard for me to tell that," Manning said. "But when the cornerbacks like Chris Harris say there's less reaction time (to cover his throws), I value that feedback. That does tell me something. I can use that. Maybe I can hold it an extra second against the rush."

Hard to believe, but Manning continues to get better and better it seems. We have him locked into our third spot behind Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees in our QB rankings. With QBs slipping, it's hard not to consider Manning, especially if he's there in the third round, and especially with the group of WRs surrounding him.

Eddie Lacy was the star of the Green Bay Packers' intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday night. But coach Mike McCarthy isn't ready to give the rookie the starting halfback job quite yet, at least not until he gets a look at DuJuan Harris.

"I'm excited to see when DuJuan Harris comes back, because I view him as our starter," McCarthy told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. "I want him to get back in there and earn it like he did all of last year. He made an impact in our offense."

Harris, 24, ran for 257 yards on 62 carries (4.1 average) over six games, including two playoff contests, after injuries made room for his promotion from the practice squad Dec. 1.

But he missed time in the offseason after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from one of his lungs, then opened training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list because of a knee injury that might keep him out another week or two.

It may be only a matter of time until the Packers give the job to Lacy, the second-round draft pick out of Alabama who ran for 65 yards on eight carries in Saturday's scrimmage and is a more physical presence at 5-11 and 230 pounds than the diminutive Harris (5-8, 203).

"I think everybody's been really impressed with Eddie and how he's looked in pads," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "He offers something a little different — a big back who's got incredible vision."

This is probably just McCarthy keeping his big back (Lacy) motivated. That said, he has never been afraid to use multiple backs when necessary.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was complimentary of TE Jermichael Finley:

"He's been running his routes really well," Rodgers said. "Something clicked last year midseason ... and it's carried over this spring.

"He's got himself in unbelievable shape, and he's come in and been dominating out there. I'm really proud of him and the steps he's made."

Finley has a tantalizing skill set, but drops have been a serious problem throughout his career and he tends to put the blame on some mysterious lack of chemistry with Rodgers. But over the last seven games, Finley averaged 4.6-57-.14, which equates to TE10 numbers over the course of a full season. HC Mike McCarthy said that Finley was a 'different man' after the team's Week 10 bye, so Finley's strong finish may translate to 2013.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers commented on rookie RBs Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin.

"It's exciting to see both of those guys doing what they were brought in to do,'' Rodgers said. "I think Johnathan from the mental side has a slight edge right now, just because he understands [passing game] progressions well and he's done a little bit more of that at UCLA. But Eddie obviously has the physical stature and downhill running style that [head coach] Mike [McCarthy] has always appreciated in this running game.

Franklin was reportedly struggling in pass protection, so it's no sure thing that he's on the field as a third-down back.

Catches have been few and far between for Packers TE Jermichael Finley in camp. He just hasn't seen the ball much. However, Aaron Rodgers polished off a four-play, 70-yard drive in two-minute with a TD strike to his tight end.

Packers HC Mike McCarthy on TE Jermichael Finley: "He's where he needs to be, he's in a very good place. I think he's having a heck of a camp."

Finley has a tantalizing skill set, but drops have been a serious problem throughout his career and he tends to put the blame on some mysterious lack of chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. But over the last seven games, Finley averaged 4.6-57-.14, which equates to TE10 numbers over the course of a full season. HC Mike McCarthy said that Finley was a 'different man' after the team's Week 10 bye, so Finley's strong finish may translate to 2013.

QB Matt Flynn is solidifying his role as starting quarterback for the Raiders one year after losing that same job in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks.

Flynn entered camp with the inside track over Terrelle Pryor and rookie Tyler Wilson to replace Carson Palmer in Oakland and has done nothing in the first week to change that equation.

Flynn has been the most impressive of the three quarterbacks so far in training camp with the most accurate arm, a good grasp of the offense and strong leadership on the field.

Flynn has started two games in his career. In 2010, he filled in for an injured Aaron Rodgers in a tough 31-27 loss against the Patriots in Week 15, throwing for 251 yards, three TDs and an interception. In 2011, with Rodgers resting in Week 17, Flynn torched the Lions for 480 yards and six TDs (with one interception). His stock took a dive after he couldn't beat out rookie Russell Wilson, but he was dealing with an elbow injury and Wilson turned out to be pretty good. The Raiders have not been a favorable situation for QBs in recent years, but Carson Palmer was 8th in the league in pass attempts in 2012, so if Flynn finds himself in garbage time as often, he should put up decent fantasy stats. He doesn't have great arm strength, but has shown good accuracy and anticipation on his throws.

Raiders QB Matt Flynn is clearly the No. 1 guy at this point, and looked the part with several accurate passes to the right receivers. Coach Dennis Allen liked Flynn’s effort but wants more consistency than the quarterback and other members of the passing game showed on Friday.

Flynn has started two games in his career. In 2010, he filled in for an injured Aaron Rodgers in a tough 31-27 loss against the Patriots in Week 15, throwing for 251 yards, three TDs and an interception. In 2011, with Rodgers resting in Week 17, Flynn torched the Lions for 480 yards and six TDs (with one interception). His stock took a dive after he couldn't beat out rookie Russell Wilson, but he was dealing with an elbow injury and Wilson turned out to be pretty good. The Raiders have not been a favorable situation for QBs in recent years, but Carson Palmer was 8th in the league in pass attempts in 2012, so if Flynn finds himself in garbage time as often, he should put up decent fantasy stats. He doesn't have great arm strength, but has shown good accuracy and anticipation on his throws.