GREEN BAY -- Ryan Pickett let out a belly laugh -- and at 330-plus pounds, we're talking about one big belly -- when asked if he was ready for the regular-season opener Monday night against Minnesota.

After what he's been through the past five days, he said, how could he not be?

While his Packers teammates had gotten most of the Labor Day weekend off, the run-stuffing defensive tackle had spent all three days at work getting treatment for the injured hamstring that had forced him to miss all of training camp and going through a battery of tests to prove he was physically ready for action.

"They put me through a lot," Pickett said. "I had to do a lot of running and agility drills, hitting the sled, going live with a lineman (center Scott Wells) in one-on-one pass-rush, I had to do a lot of stuff to show 'em I was ready."

Yeah, but had he done the pre-camp run test, which he'd missed because of the hamstring and is the bane of most hefty defensive tackles' existence?

"No, and we don't need that. Please don't remind coach of that," Pickett said, laughing again. "I hope I can slide by on that."

What the Packers cannot slide by without -- and why Pickett was put through grueling workouts every day inside the Don Hutson Center during camp -- is Pickett in the middle of their defensive line with the Vikings and super-back Adrian Peterson coming to town. That's why Pickett was actually enjoying his time practicing on Clarke Hinkle Field and steering clear of the Hutson Center the last two days.

"I don't ever want to go inside that center ever again," Pickett said following Tuesday's practice. "It was the worst. They had me locked up in the thing and had me running the whole time. It feels good to be out there practicing with the guys. I'm happy."

And so is coach Mike McCarthy, who pronounced Pickett definitely ready to play. He'll definitely be in there on first and second down, and we'll see how much more he can handle."

Asked if Pickett's return shores up the interior issues that resulted in a few long preseason runs by opponents, McCarthy replied that attitude and fundamentals, and not Pickett's absence, were to blame.

"When those types of individuals play, it obviously improves your chances to be productive. But the run game -- both offense and defense -- it's about attitude and fundamentals," McCarthy said. "So when things did go right, those were in place. When they didn't go right, it was not in place."

There's a better chance of them being in place with Pickett in place, however.

Peterson, who rushed for 1,341 and 12 touchdowns as a rookie last season, gashed the Packers for 112 yards on just 12 carries in the teams' first meeting, at the Metrodome Sept. 30. In the rematch at Lambeau Field on Nov. 11, Peterson had 45 yards on 11 carries before leaving with a knee injury sustained on a low tackle by cornerback Al Harris.

"We're going to need everyone to stop Adrian Peterson," Pickett said. "The first time we played him last year, we got out of our gap and gave up a couple big plays to him. The last game, we kind of shored that up and played him pretty tough. (But) I think it's important that we have everybody, not just me. He has a good offensive line and he's a great running back. They have a good scheme, a good running scheme.

"It's going to be a great test for us the first week. But I think we're going to be ready. I think we're going to answer that call. We'll be ready for him."

Asked how his return helps against Peterson, Pickett replied, "It'll take 11 guys to stop (him), man. Especially when you're playing Adrian Peterson. He's not just going to run in the middle. He's everywhere. But you're definitely going to need to be sound up front, and hold that up, because that's the worst kind of running, when they run it right down the middle. That kind of destroys the heart of a defense, whenever a team does that. In that regard, (being back) is important."

After entering last season with six defensive tackles on the roster (although only four were active for the season opener against Philadelphia), there's only three this season -- Pickett, fellow starter Johnny Jolly and Colin Cole, who started the four preseason games in place of Pickett.

A fourth, 2007 first-round pick Justin Harrell, is on the PUP list with a back injury and will miss at least the first six games, while Corey Williams was traded to Cleveland in the offseason and Daniel Muir was cut on the final roster reduction.

"I think a lot of us would rather have it this way because we have more plays to play," Pickett said. "I think it's set up perfect for us. Of course, we're going to miss a guy like Corey, and we wish Justin was healthy. But we feel pretty good about what we can do. I'm looking forward to having more plays."

Wells sidelined -- again: The offensive line mix is up in the air yet again after center Scott Wells suffered what McCarthy termed "a setback" with his lower back injury. Wells returned to practice Monday but was back on the sideline Tuesday.

Wells, who missed virtually all of training camp with the injury and played in just one preseason game (at San Francisco on Aug. 16), was thought to have returned to form after taking more than two weeks off and focusing on rehabilitation.

"I think it was 16 days that he has been going through the rehab, and this is unfortunate," McCarthy said. "I know Scott is frustrated."

As a result, the Packers' offensive line for Monday night's regular-season opener against the Vikings will likely look like it did in the preseason finale against Tennessee and it did in practice Tuesday: Chad Clifton at left tackle, Daryn Colledge at left guard, Jason Spitz at center, Tony Moll at right guard and Mark Tauscher at right tackle.

The timing couldn't be worse, either, since the Packers will face what McCarthy called "the best defensive tackle tandem that we will play" in Minnesota's Pat and Kevin Williams.

"It's a concern with the whole offensive scheme and what you are trying to do, but we've trained for this particular situation," said McCarthy, who had Colledge also taking snaps at center in case of emergency. "I didn't think we would be experiencing it in Week 1, but that's part of the game. I'm not really concerned about it. I'm just planning and working through it."

Grant fine, Hawk waiting: While McCarthy called halfback Ryan Grant not practicing Tuesday "a legitimate concern," Grant did not have with his hamstring the kind of setback Wells experienced with his back. Grant said there's no doubt he'll be ready to play against the Vikings.

"They're just being cautious with me because it's a long week," Grant said. "I'm fine."

Linebacker A.J. Hawk (chest), wide receiver James Jones (right knee), guard Josh Sitton (left knee), safety Charlie Peprah (hamstring), linebacker Tracy White (ankle) and defensive ends Jeremy Thompson (groin) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) did not practice.

McCarthy said Hawk, who hasn't participated since straining a chest muscle in the preseason opener Aug. 11, is "way ahead of schedule," but that the medical staff has yet to clear him.

"The doctor has a criteria of what he thinks the time frame may be, and then you have the individual, who has no history of being injured, and (has) just attacked (rehab)," McCarthy said. "If you asked A.J., he'd say he could play yesterday."

Getting to know you: Mason Crosby said he, new long-snapper Brett Goode and new holder Derrick Frost had no problems while kicking together for the first time in practice Tuesday.

"It felt like we had been doing it awhile already," Crosby said. "There were really no instances where I was like, 'This a change at all,' because they really took care of business."