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."

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