By Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Aug 28, 2010 at 1:10 PM

Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, where we promise not to write about Brett Favre -- except to mention that he'll be playing a full half tonight when the Vikings face Seattle at Mall of America Field at the Metrodome.

On to the important stuff...

SUPER QUESTIONS: The Packers' offense has been impressive during the pre-season, but there are plenty of questions heading into the last days of camp:

How healthy is linebacker Clay Matthews?

Will cornerback Al Harris miss the first six games?

What will Tramon Williams take away from his disappointing showing against Indianapolis?

Can Ryan Grant hang on to the football?

Other than Matthews, who will pressure opposing quarterbacks?

Did Tim Masthay win the punting job with that impressive blast last week?

And, finally, how much (if any) should the starters play in the exhibition finale on Thursday?

RIP THE UMPIRE: One of the more interesting sub-plots in the Packers-Colts game was Indianapolis adjustment to the new officiating setup.

In an effort to protect umpires, the NFL competition committee moved them to the offensive backfield instead of near the linebackers, where they were often used as "picks." Now, umpires are to spot the ball and get behind the running backs before the snap.

The Colts, who often utilize a no-huddle offense, felt like their rhythm was stymied and objected when Manning was called for two illegal snaps.

It might sound like whining, but the Colts raise some interesting points. What if one referee is out of breath or out of shape? What if the referee spots the ball instead of the umpire? Why should the offense have to wait for officials to be in place?

The NFL seems unlikely to change its rule now, but it'll be interesting to see if there are modifications. And, it'll be interesting to see if there is a dip in holding penalties.

PREVENTIVE MEDICINE: The only thing worse than not having promising young pitchers (we're looking at you, Brewers) is seeing one of your young guns go down with a major injury.

The Nationals endured a gut punch when rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, along with a strained flexor tendon. As soon as it was announced, the questions started.

The Nationals knew of Strasburg's workload in college. They were being conservative with his innings. It doesn't seem as though it could have been avoided.

But, the Brewers are trying.

With in put from big-league pitching coach Rick Peterson, the Brewers are using biomechanical analysis to pinpoint problems with pitchers' deliveries. They might not have pitchers on par with Strasburg or Edinson Volquez or Mark Prior, but they also want to avoid major injuries.

SCARY NEWS: Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo and clubhouse attendant Alex Sanchez escaped serious injury when they were robbed at gunpoint early Friday morning. The episode, which appears to have been a random act, had to be frightening for both men.

LARRY KING LOUNGE
Roger Clemens was with the Astros after they ditched the funky orange striped jerseys. I wonder how he'll look in an orange jump suit... Memo to the White Sox, who claimed Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez on waivers: Be careful what you wish for... The Badgers are favored by 19 1/2 points in their season opener at UNLV. Given the heat, the travel and the fact that it's the first game, the Rebels could have a chance to cover that... Despite reports that he was considering a job with the Bulls, assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is staying with the Bucks... I'm digging the Dennis Krause marathon on Time Warner Sports 32. Krause is a solid journalist and a great interviewer... I've only seen a few minutes of this year's "Hard Knocks." Is it worth watching?... Speaking of HBO, I think Ari Gold would make a great NFL owner. He can't be worse than the bozos running the Chicago Bears... Can Roy Oswalt now be used as a leftfielder in fantasy baseball?... I'd like to publicly thank Elin for reminding me why I don't read People Magazine.

 

Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.