PALM BEACH, Fla. - If the St. Louis Rams move their training camp to Wisconsin-and they're seriously considering it-they might have a practice partner in the Green Bay Packers. | NFL page

During the NFL owners meetings this week, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Rams coach Scott Linehan had preliminary discussions about practicing and possibly scrimmaging together during training camp this summer. The Packers are interested in holding a joint practice as long as they don't have to commit to practicing anywhere but on their own turf.

"The difficulty with our setup is we're never going to take-or we never have and I doubt if we ever do-a practice or two practices or a scrimmage away from Green Bay and take it somewhere else," general manager Ted Thompson said. "I think I'd be on very shaky ground if I propose that. So there's no reciprocity."

That probably wouldn't be a problem for the Rams, who would be practicing at least 350 miles away from their fan base anyway. There would be no reason for the Rams to object to going to Green Bay, especially if they could scrimmage in front of 60,000 fans at Lambeau Field.

Linehan would like to move training camp away from St. Louis so his team can bond together away from the distractions of home and also have the ability to practice against someone else.

Initially, the Rams looked into practicing at UW-La Crosse, which once hosted the New Orleans Saints when the so-called "Cheese League" was at its height with Chicago in Platteville, Kansas City in River Falls and Jacksonville in Stevens Point. But UW-La Crosse is doing renovations on its field and stadium and wasn't prepared to welcome the Rams this year.

As a result, the Rams are looking into UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater as potential landing spots. Another option is Macomb, Ill., where they conducted training camp at Western Illinois University for nine years before moving back to St. Louis in 2005.

Whitewater is just 140 miles from Green Bay and Oshkosh just 50 miles. In both cases, the Rams would be less than 300 miles from River Falls, where the Chiefs still train.

"He was telling me they're thinking of coming to Wisconsin," McCarthy said of Linehan. "He asked me if I'd be interested in getting together. I said I'm open to it. I said call me in a week when the (exhibition) schedules come out. I need those dates."

Thompson agreed to host Buffalo in 2005 during his first season as general manager and considered the experience a success. The Bills took part in three workouts with the Packers over three days, culminating in a controlled scrimmage at Lambeau Field in front of 62,492 fans.

It was the first time in 14 years the Packers had conducted a practice with another team.

"There's always room for good work like that," McCarthy said. "The speed, the competitiveness, it's a good break in camp. The first week everyone is full of (aggression), the second week you get that lull and if you look, most of your wrestling matches are in the second week. You're hitting the same guys and working against the same guys day in and day out."

The Rams are expected to make a decision on where they train in the next month or so.

A nay vote: Despite objections from seven teams, including the Packers, ownership passed a proposal to allow one defensive player on the field to wear a speaker in his helmet to receive play calls.

The Raiders, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Buccaneers and Redskins joined the Packers in voting no. All seven teams have offensive-minded head coaches.

"I think the intent is excellent and I understand what the (competition) committee is trying to do as far as communication," McCarthy said. "I think the practicality of it is what is in question. Just the mechanics of it. I'm curious to see when it turns on and when it turns off, the actual use of it. I've been opposed to it since Day One."

McCarthy said it was unclear how the system would work if the player on defense with the radio also plays on special teams and can't get his helmet changed. The rule does make provisions for injury, allowing a second player to have a helmet with a radio available.

Schedule change: Rather than hold a full-squad, mandatory minicamp in the middle of May, McCarthy has decided to hold it on the final week of off-season workouts.

Rookies will take part in a minicamp the weekend after the draft and then the team will go into its schedule of organized team activities. From June 17-19, the mandatory minicamp will take place and then the players will be excused until training camp.

McCarthy said the new schedule should allow the rookies more time to catch up, thus making the final minicamp more efficient.

"We leave June as a football team, as opposed to coming together as a football team in May," McCarthy said. "I always felt we kind of splintered off at the end of OTAs."

(c) 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.