Welcome to a soggy edition of Saturday Scorecard, your reminder that there are fewer than nine shopping days left before Favre vs. Packers at the Metrodome.

It's a busy weekend, and there is a Badgers game to watch this morning, so we've got to get to it.

Five things: Here are five things to watch when the Packers face the Rams Sunday afternoon in St. Louis.

Lining up: Nothing is more important to the Packers than the health and well-being of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Playing behind a jumbled offensive line, the second-year starter has been sacked 10 times and knocked down several others in the first two games. The Packers must do a better job protecting Rodgers and the key guys in that endeavor are the tackles, Daryn Colledge and Allen Barbre. Colledge, normally a guard, is filling in for Chad Clifton (ankle). Barbre won the starting job and has been shaky at best. The artificial surface will provided a fast track for the Rams defense and Colledge and Barbre will have to be ready. Rodgers can help his own cause by getting rid of the ball a beat or two more quickly than he has in the first two weeks.

On the rebound: How will wide receiver Greg Jennings rebound after going without a catch against Cincinnati? Donald Driver was solid during Jennings' "hiatus," but Packers fans (not to mention fantasy football owners) expect Jennings to bounce back with a solid outing -- or at least a few catches.

Safety dance: Nick Collins will start at safety for the Packers, despite a chest injury. Atari Bigby is out, but Derrick Martin -- picked up from Baltimore in a trade for tackle Tony Moll -- will start in his place. Street free agent Matt Giordano will back up those spots and play special teams, but the safeties will be in the crosshairs Sunday. So will Ted Thompson, whose decision to keep Aaron Rouse over Anthony Smith in training camp will be second-guessed for weeks. Rouse was cut and signed by the Giants. Smith is with the Rams.

Action Jackson: Rams running back Steven Jackson had to have liked watching film of Bengals runner Cedric Benson gaining 141 yards last week at Lambeau. Jackson is a much stronger runner with four 1,000-yard seasons in the past four years and a 5.2-yard average this season. The Packers will try to stuff the run, but may be without B.J. Raji, who tweaked an ankle injury in practice Friday and is questionable for the game. The linebackers will have to help and the tackling will have to be better than it was last week.

Just for kicks: Packers kicker Mason Crosby and punter Jeremy Kapinos, who have been inconsistent and largely unimpressive this season, will have a chance to boost their confidence amid perfect dome conditions this week in St. Louis and next week in Minnesota.

Rising star: If you haven't heard of J.P. Tokoto before today, rest assured you will hearing about him a lot in the next few years. Tokoto, a sophomore at Menomonee Falls High School, is regarded as one of the top prep basketball players in the country. He's being recruited by Wisconsin and Marquette, but also gaining interest from powerhouses like Duke, Kansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams visited the Falls for an open gym on Monday. Tokoto, who is 6-5 with great jumping ability, led the Indians to the WIAA sectional finals last year. He's expected to choose a college next year, which means the next 12-18 months will be very interesting.

Larry King Lounge: Brewers left-hander Manny Parra turned in the kind of strong outing Friday night against Philadelphia that the Brewers expected all season. Some fans would like the team to give up on Parra, but that's hard to do given the scarcity of pitching in the big leagues.... Boxing returns to Milwaukee as Eric "Butterbean" Esch headlines the inaugural "Brew City Brawl" Oct. 3 at U.S. Cellular Arena. Tickets start at $10.... It's a big year for the number 50 at Homestead High School. In the 50th year of the school's existence, the Highlanders won their 50th straight North Shore Conference game Friday, beating rival Cedarburg, 21-7.... The Admirals lost their exhibition opener, 5-1, against Chicago on Friday night at Wilson Park. The only thing newsworthy about that development is that hockey season is underway.... Indiana beat Wisconsin, 1-0, in the Big Ten men's soccer opener. Marquette beat Cincinnati by the same score -- in double-overtime -- to improve to 1-1-1 in the Big East....
Pete Von Allmen, who was a dominant figure in girls basketball for more than two decades, died Thursday at age 65. Von Allmen coached 17 seasons at Arrowhead, where he led his teams to six straight state tournament appearances and two titles, including an undefeated season in 1988. He also coached at Fort Atkinson and UW-Whitewater.