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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Perhaps there's something about recent linebacker play in Green Bay that only makes fans notice how good they are when they're missing.

That certainly was the case two seasons ago, when middle linebacker Nick Barnett's value to the Packers became obvious when he sat out a game at Seattle with a broken hand and the defense suffered in his absence.

And now, after the Packers were gashed for too many long running plays in the preseason, perhaps the value of injured weak-side linebacker A.J. Hawk is becoming more clear.

"For some reason, since I've been here, linebackers have been under the radar," Barnett said. "You don't really notice until they're gone sometimes. You notice what they do and the effect that they have."

Hawk and pass rush specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila returned to practice Thursday, boosting hopes that the team will get back two key defensive players for Monday night's season-opener against Minnesota.

Hawk has sat out since spraining a chest muscle in the Packers' first preseason game, and Gbaja-Biamila has done very little in training camp because of nagging soreness in his knee.

Both were among the 12 players listed on the Packers' injury report Thursday -- a large number of injuries for a team that has been fairly healthy under Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

According to the report, Gbaja-Biamila fully participated in practice while Hawk's participation was limited. But McCarthy said the Packers didn't go out of their way to make sure Hawk avoided contact when he was practicing.

"He was right in the middle of it," McCarthy said.

Hawk -- who was not present in the Packers' locker room when it was open to media Thursday -- hasn't missed a start since joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2006. He also was extraordinarily healthy at Ohio State, starting 37 straight games to end his collegiate career.

So McCarthy wasn't surprised when Hawk was ready to come back before the team's medical staff was ready to let him do so.

"We knew that A.J. was going to rehab at a rapid pace, and in his mind he feels he has been ready for quite some time," McCarthy said. "So it is a combination of the individual and it is a combination of the doctor's report."

Hawk has proved to be a solid and consistent player over two seasons in Green Bay, but he has drawn some criticism for not making enough big plays.

Packers linebackers coach Winston Moss acknowledges that Hawk made more big plays as a rookie than he did last season. But Moss said that has more to do with what the Packers asked Hawk to do.

"I think the first year, he was more impactful," said Moss, who also is the Packers' assistant head coach. "I think the second year, he did a real good job just settling down in the scheme and was executing fairly well. (But) he didn't get a lot of opportunities. You didn't see him drop a lot of balls, you didn't see him miss too many tackles. Everybody misses tackles. But the bottom line was, I thought he was very efficient from a standpoint of, what he was asked to do, I thought he did it very well."

Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said Hawk's playmaking ability might be underrated because his contributions to the defense often are subtle.

"A lot of times, A.J.'s guy doesn't catch the ball," Sanders said. "He blows up a lead blocker so someone else can make a tackle. A.J. is a very, very good role player and he makes a lot of impact plays for us. Even on those rushes sometimes, where we may get a sack, he may be blowing someone out so all of a sudden, Aaron Kampman makes a sack."

Still, Moss expects Hawk to approach this season as if he has something to prove.

"A guy of his kind of ability and talent, we're going to expect big things from him," Moss said. "And I think he expects that of himself. So when it's all said and done, we're going to try to get him in some positions to make some plays. Whenever he gets back healthy again, I'm still excited about A.J., I always have been."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)