MEQUON, Wis. — Greetings from the banks of Lake Michigan.

The 2008 Rams season starts officially Friday, when the team gathers at 9:15 a.m. for its first meeting of training camp. The kickoff practice is scheduled for 4:20 p.m.

The players reported to Concordia University on Thursday. The team’s charter flight landed in Milwaukee at about 3:15 p.m., with the buses arriving on campus at 4:35 to an enthusiastic reception from a gathering of about 75.

The players were impressed with the scenic, lakefront setting and excellent weather. Their posh digs in the university’s brand-new Coburg Hall includes a 37-inch flat-screen TV. And their first meal, which featured huge strip steaks and lobster tail, earned rave reviews.

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The enthusiasm was dampened a bit when running back Steven Jackson didn’t arrive with most of the rest of the squad. Jackson is entering the final season of his original four-year contract and is seeking an extension.

Could that mean a camp holdout? Coach Scott Linehan said he didn’t think so, explaining that he had given Jackson permission to travel alone. A team official reported that discussions with Jackson’s new agent, Eugene Parker, were continuing late Thursday night.

Obviously, we’ll have more on this Friday.

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Myself, Jim Thomas, columnist Bryan Burwell and photographer Chris Lee are on site. We’ll strive to provide as comprehensive and up-to-date a package as possible.

We hope you enjoy our reports.

All for now… but I plan to have two more reports Friday.