Whether the Green Bay Packers’ five-time Pro Bowl linebacker really likes the idea or is continuing to toe the company line, this much was clear during Thursday’s first open-to-the-public organized team activity practice.

The Packers intend to keep using him there, at least on a part-time basis and perhaps more often than he plays his old outside linebacker spot.

”Am I happy about it? Yeah, of course. I think you saw our team and our defense, how well we did the second half of the season and how well we improved – run, pass, win column, everything down the board, as well as my personal statistics,” said Matthews, who shifted inside at the bye week last year, when the Packers’ run defense was last in the NFL.

”It’s definitely going to provide a good challenge – and I’m up for it as far as learning a different position.

”I’ll still rush the passer and I’ll still get after the quarterback, but maybe I’ll do it from the inside this time and drop into coverage other times. I think what you saw last year might be an indication of what you’ll see this year. We’ll always have something up our sleeve.”

Matthews’ move inside didn’t just help the Packers’ defense as a whole. The group improved to finish 23rd in the league against the run and finished ranked 15th in total defense, tied for 13th in scoring defense and 10th against the pass, but Matthews’ production also spiked.

He finished with 11 sacks, 69 tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles after having just 2 1/2 sacks at the time of the move.

”There’s no question in my mind that we became a better football team when we put the best 11 players on the field toward the end of the season,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said after practice Thursday.

Since the season ended, the Packers have cut their two opening-day starters at inside linebacker from last season (A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones) and let a third part-time starter (Jamari Lattimore) leave as a free agent.

The team didn’t do much to address the position during the offseason beyond taking Michigan inside linebacker Jake Ryan in the fourth round of the draft. And the other returning players at the position besides starter Sam Barrington (Carl Bradford, Nate Palmer) didn’t play a regular-season snap last year.

The Packers didn’t feel a need to add other inside linebacker options because they planned on using Matthews there again this season.

”(Matthews) is a great pass rusher, and he’s going to continue to play as many different positions as we could possibly get out of him,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. ”We need to utilize Clay as much as we can. He’s a great player and we need to give him as many opportunities as we can to make plays.”

It’s also possible that the reason Matthews spent so much of his time inside during Thursday’s open practice – and presumably will continue to do so throughout the OTAs and the team’s mid-June minicamp – is that he has so little experience at the position.

After playing exclusively outside his first five seasons, last year’s switch forced him to take a crash course on playing inside, so this offseason provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the job’s responsibilities.

”The thing that I like about Clay working at inside right now – because he could go right back outside and play because he’s obviously got a lot more experience there – (is) we had to transition him during the bye week with maybe two or three extra practices and get ready to play against some pretty good teams,” Capers said. ”If you look at his production the second half of the season compared the first half of the season, it was much greater.

”Now, our whole defense was a lot different, but I think Clay likes the challenge, and he knows the importance of him being able to play both places. And based off of injury, he could be doing that. Next year from one week to the next, he could be lined up outside, he could be lined up inside. What we’ve got to do is we’ve got to see how some of the guys do around him.”

NOTES: Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson isn’t practicing in OTAs after undergoing hip surgery earlier in the offseason, but he downplayed the seriousness of the procedure. ”I got things cleaned up but everything’s going well,” said Nelson, who refused to say exactly what the surgery entailed. ”We’re excited where we’re at and continuing to move forward. Everything’s good.” … Fourth-year cornerback Casey Hayward, in line to start following the offseason departure of free agent Tramon Williams, is not practicing because of a foot injury but said he expects to be ready to go for training camp in late July. … Defensive tackle Letroy Guion, who was arrested in Florida on Feb. 3 on marijuana and gun possession charges but had the charges later dismissed after paying a $5,000 fine, apologized Thursday for ”what happened in the offseason,” but repeatedly redirected the conversation with reporters when asked about the incident. ”I’m grateful to be here. I’m glad my team stuck behind me, and I’m ready to start a new chapter,” Guion said.

—

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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Carl Poston, the agent for Woodson, first told NFL.com that the club would be releasing his client.

“They’re getting ready to release him. It’s part of the business,” Poston said. “I just talked to him. He sounds like he has a lot of football left. He’d like to play for a contender, win another Super Bowl.”

Woodson was set to make $9 million in 2013 and would count for $10 million against the Packers’ salary cap.

Woodson, who signed a five-year deal before the 2010 season that was worth as much as $55 million, missed nine games last season because of a broken right collarbone and played in two playoff games for the Packers. He moved from cornerback to safety last season because of diminishing cover skills.

“We had a good run,” Woodson wrote to ESPNWisconsin.com in a text message.

Woodson was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him out of Michigan with the No. 4 overall pick.

He’s the only player in NFL history with touchdowns off interceptions in six straight seasons, a feat he pulled off each year from 2006 to 2011, and leads the league with nine touchdowns off interceptions since 2006.

Woodson was productive for the Packers, but they have some tough decisions to make this offseason to manage the salary cap. Woodson had a year left on his lucrative deal and linebacker A.J. Hawk is under contract next year for a team that probably wants to give long-term deals to receiver James Jones, linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive tackle B.J. Raji because each of the relatively young standouts could potentially be free agents following next season.

Despite his age and recent injury, Woodson will likely be an in-demand free agent. He was injured last October, bounced back in time to defend two passes in the playoffs.

“Charles has been a stud in this league for 15 years, so whenever he’s on the field with us, he’s always a huge threat,” Hawk said in January. “Not only is he a threat to make huge plays throughout the game, but quarterbacks, I think they know where he’s at every single play. He seems to know what receivers are running before they do. And I think he has an intimidation factor as well.”

Woodson had a career-high nine interceptions in 2009 and picked off seven passes in 2011 and made one interception in seven games during last year’s injury-shortened season.

The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner led Michigan to the 1997 national championship and has donated more than $2 million to the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital, where he supports pediatric clinical research. With the Packers, he was a leader as one of the best players on the team and as a mentor to younger players.

“He’s like a big brother to all of us,” former Green Bay safety Nick Collins once said.

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Green Bay at San Francisco
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 12, 2013
Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FOX.
Line: 49ers -3. O/U: 44.5

Oddsmakers currently have the 49ers listed as 3-point favorites versus the Packers, while the game’s total is sitting at 45.

Green Bay has most of its defense healthy for the first time in weeks and spent the wild-card round attacking Vikings backup quarterback Joe Webb. Clay Matthews, looking fully recovered from a hamstring injury that has limited him at times, had a pair of sacks and forced a fumble while Charles Woodson played for the first time since breaking his collarbone on Oct. 21. With those two playmakers back, the Packers forced three turnovers and managed to hold Peterson under 100 yards rushing. The focus this week will be on Rodgers facing a San Francisco defense that has held opposing passers to 200.2 yards – fourth-best in the NFL – and finished second in the league in scoring defense. Rodgers passed for 303 yards but struggled until late in the game and was intercepted once in the first meeting. He should have a better rushing attack behind him in Saturday’s game, with DuJuan Harris and Ryan Grant taking handoffs. Rodgers was the leading rusher for the Packers in Week 1 and could be without one of his top receiving targets Saturday in Jordy Nelson, who is questionable with a knee injury.

In their last action, Green Bay was a 24-10 winner at home against the Vikings. They covered the 11-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (34) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.

Green Bay: 11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS
When playing in January are 7-3
When playing on grass are 10-0
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing outside the division are 6-4
Green Bay is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Francisco
Green Bay is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Green Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Green Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

San Francisco has a solid candidate for Defensive Player of the Year in Aldon Smith and has surrendered an average of 13.9 points in eight home games. That defense is keyed on the front line by tackle Justin Smith, who has been dealing with a triceps injury and missed the final two games of the regular season. Justin Smith was wearing an elbow brace but has been practicing and is listed as probable for Saturday. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers will be giving the Packers a much different look than in Week 1. Kaepernick passed for a career-high 276 yards in a Week 17 win over the Arizona Cardinals and has opened up the playbook with his ability to extend plays with his legs and one of the stronger arms in the league. The 25-year-old finished up the regular season with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions and was at his best in some of the biggest games, including a four-touchdown performance at New England in Week 15.

San Francisco won its last outing, a 27-13 result against the Cardinals on December 30. The 49ers failed to cover in that game as a 16-point favorite, while the 40 combined points took the game OVER the total.

San Francisco: 11-4-1 SU, 9-7 ATS
When playing in January are 6-4
When playing on grass are 8-1-1
After outgaining opponent are 6-3-1
When playing outside the division are 8-2
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Francisco’s last 8 games
San Francisco13-2-1 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games when playing Green Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games at home

Prediction: 49ers 27, Packers 24

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