TACKLE TO GUARD: How do you attempt to stop LUTHER ELLISS, JOHN RANDLE and WARREN SAPP? By moving one of your best lineman – ROSS VERBA -- from tackle to guard. That’s how the Green Bay Packers plan to defend themselves against three of the game’s best defensive tackles -- who also happen to be in their division.

Known for his aggressive and physical play, Verba dominated his new position at a recent minicamp.

"I felt very confident, very comfortable there," said Verba. "Every play (at guard) you're hitting hard, whereas at tackle sometimes you can hit or you can pad it up a little bit just because that's the play. But that aspect (hitting hard) is my game. I enjoyed it. I loved it."

Verba’s play was so dominating that he surprised his coaches and raised their expectations. "We're looking for it right away, that he becomes one of the top guards in the National Football League," said offensive line coach Larry Beightol. "It just shocked me how into it he was. I'm so pleased."

Beightol says having a dominant guard can improve the offense by freeing up running backs from blocking assignments. "You don't have to chip at them (defensive tackles) as much and you can get your backs out in the passing game," said Beightol. "There's so much more you can do. In the running game, you couldn't block Sapp or Randle or Luther Elliss."

"I have great confidence," said Verba. "I came out of this thing real strong. I was able to dominate all camp. This was a major hurdle. I enjoyed left tackle but I'm consumed by left guard."

CRIMSON PRIDE IN MINNEAPOLIS: Harvard University – one of the nation’s most prestigious schools -- is known for graduating eminent scholars, accomplished politicians, and successful businessmen. It has not had as much success recently in churning out NFL football players. Minnesota Vikings center MATT BIRK is trying to change that.

Selected in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, Birk – the first Harvard grad in the NFL since ROGER CARON (Indianapolis) and JOSEPH PELLIGRINI (Atlanta) in 1986 -- has applied an Ivy League work ethic to his vocation and now stands on the verge of breaking into the starting lineup. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Birk is seeking to become the first Harvard player to start since Pelligrini started one game for Atlanta in 1986. A brief Q&A with the "Crimson Kid":

What is the biggest misconception about Ivy League football?

That it’s powder-puff football. It’s not big-time football, but the guys who play take it very seriously and work just as hard at it as people at other schools. But the Harvard football player has many other interests besides football. Some of the guys I played with were phenomenal football players but even better students. Anybody that can spend 20 hours a week in football, do pre-med and compete against other Harvard students for grades is pretty spectacular. We took it seriously. Our coaches took it seriously. We worked hard and we played to win.

What was your most difficult class at Harvard?

Calculus. For whatever reason, my brain just doesn’t think that way. I could never get it down. I got a "B" in Calculus and was never so happy to get a "B."

What would you be doing if you were not in the NFL?

I never really had my sights set on the NFL until the end of my senior season at Harvard. During the summers, I interned for a financial advisor in Minneapolis. After graduating, I had a job set up on Wall Street to be a financial analyst with Prudential Securities. I thought that was the route I was going to go after graduation.

Why is center such a difficult position?

The center makes all the line calls. Everyone is waiting for their assignment based on what he calls. The center for the Vikings has a lot more responsibility than other centers in other systems. Sometimes he has to tell the quarterback to change the play. He’s got to be a version of the offensive coordinator on the field.

What do you plan on pursuing when your football career is over?

It depends on how long I play, but something I really like doing is working with kids – junior high and high school kids. Playing for the Vikings, I’m able to do a lot of things where you can go into schools and talk to the kids. If I had a long career, I’d like to be a high school teacher. I own a gym and during the offseason we work with a lot of kids and help them with their training. So I’d probably be a teacher/coach.

CLOSE-KNIT GIANTS: Chemistry is the one factor that no one can measure when trying to predict the success of a football team. The New York Giants were not content with their team chemistry in 1999, so they addressed it this offseason. So far, the results have been encouraging.

"This is probably the tightest team at this time of year since I’ve been here," said linebacker JESSIE ARMSTEAD.

Among the activities the Giants organized to improve team chemistry and morale were a cruise around Manhattan Island and a team golf tournament friendly enough to cater to players who had never teed it up before.

"I think it will translate on the field, I really do," said quarterback KERRY COLLINS. "I don’t want it to be just rhetoric. I think the mindset will carry into the season."