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"I'm pretty sure they would want to see me practice tomorrow," the wide receiver said Thursday afternoon, after missing team workouts for the second straight day.
Ferguson, who was unsure if he'll be cleared for the practice today, has been confined to rehabilitating the sprained medial-collateral ligament in his right knee and a severely sprained right ankle.
He suffered the injuries while trying to score a touchdown on a pass play in the fourth quarter of the season-opening loss to Minnesota last Sunday. Ferguson still was listed as questionable on an updated injury report issued by the Packers on Thursday.
With top receiver Donald Driver declared out for Sunday's game after straining his neck and sustaining a concussion against the Vikings, Ferguson feels a need to play this weekend and anchor the injury-battered receiving corps.
"That's all up to Mike," said Ferguson, awaiting a "yes" or a "no" from head coach Mike Sherman. "I'm just going about what they tell me to do." In the absence of Driver and Ferguson, second-year Javon Walker and newly re-signed Antonio Freeman lined up as the starters in practice for the second straight day.
Freeman said he has yet to be told he will start at split end Sunday. "We'll see come tomorrow and come Saturday, when all decisions are final," Freeman said after Thursday's practice.
As for how he's adjusting to running routes and catching passes from quarterback Brett Favre after being away from the team for a year, Freeman has made strides the first two days.
"The overall picture, it's a work in progress," Freeman said. "We're not too far off."
Also of interest. ...
According to PackersNews.com staff writer Rob Demovsky, Wesley Walls got through the toughest practice of the week on Thursday and almost certainly will be available for Sunday’s game.
Now the Packers have to decide how many tight ends they will use against the Lions. They rarely activate all three tight ends on the 45-man game-day roster -- they did so only twice last season -- but considering their weakness at receiver because of injuries to both starters, Sherman could decide to dress starting tight end Bubba Franks along with both backups, David Martin and Walls.
Walls missed last week’s loss to Minnesota after he pulled his hamstring last Thursday during practice. He tested his leg during pregame warmups but didn’t want to risk starting a game that he couldn’t finish because Sherman planned to have only two tight ends active.
"It’s unusual for us to have all three (active)," tight ends coach Jeff Jagodzinski said.
Last season, the Packers dressed three tight ends for the regular-season finale against the New York Jets. They also had three tight ends active for the Dec. 8 game against Minnesota, but Martin did not play.
This could be a week to do so, considering Martin also is an emergency receiver. Martin was a receiver in college at Tennessee and finished Sunday’s game as the No. 3 receiver after Driver and Ferguson went down.
"David is real versatile, and that gives you a lot of flexibility," Jagodzinski said.
Walls, a 15-year veteran who was signed early in training camp, said the Packers’ medical staff told him his hamstring probably won’t be 100 percent for another week or two, but he believes it is strong enough to function this week.
"There’s no magic cure," Walls said. "It’s just going to take time. If I can get to the point where I can go out and run and not risk a severe tear, then I’m going to play. I have nothing to lose. I came here to play and win, and this is the time they need me."
Jagodzinski said Walls did not appear to have any setbacks during the nearly two-hour practice -- about half of which was conducted with players in full pads.