GREEN BAY -- Over the last 13 years, I've heard lots of players talk about how difficult it is to be sidelined by injury. Almost all of them would say that, if you miss more than a day or two, you start to feel like you're no longer part of the team. Season-ending injuries are, of course, the worst.

I get it now.

When I came back to work today and roamed the Ray Nitschke Field sideline for the last 30 minutes of practice, I did so with a better appreciation for what those players were talking about, and I'm certainly thankful my recent unexpected surgery and hospitalization forced me to miss only two weeks instead of the season.

I was touched by all the warm welcomes I received, from both my colleagues in the media and from Packers players, coaches and staff. Of course, my favorite came via Twitter from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat guy Greg Bedard, who Tweeted, "Good to see @jasonjwilde back at practice. He had been in the hospital. Press conferences will now be 20 minutes longer."

Which reminds me, while I'm no master of the Twitterverse like Greg is, we will be Tweeting now, too.

Since I'm not able to attend full practices just yet, the posts will be a little intermittent for now, but if you'd like to follow them, sign up at http://twitter.com/jasonjwilde.

You can also have links to all of the State Journal's stories Tweeted to you if you follow the paper at http://twitter.com/WiStateJournal.

I'll have a blog post up shortly -- about real football, instead of myself -- and I'll be writing about Packers safety Nick Collins for tomorrow's editions of the State Journal. That is, if I remember how to write.