Just ask Chris Brooks, Chris Banjo and the list goes on and on.
Wes Hodkiewicz
Stu from Mesa, AZ
Spofford types “I liked both versions of Van Halen equally,” then sprints out to his already running car, and splits for a week to parts unknown. Sorry Hod, this is gonna be brutal for you.
I’d expect nothing less.
Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL
Mike and Davy from Watertown, Wi said a mouthful in Friday’s II that bears repeating. Empathy. “What a concept.”
One more timefor those in the back.
Paul from Hewitt, WI
How many spots on the 53-man roster truly open for competition? What have you seen or heard about a player likeKarsen Barnhart? Is his goal to make the practice squad?
Anyone on the 90 has a shot at the 53. Now opportunities aren’t equal to everyone on the roster, but they are there. Just askChris Brooks, Chris Banjo, Tim Boyle and the list goes on and on. Even if you don’t make the initial 53, there are countless examples of players who started on the practice squad and turned into key contributors (e.g. Tramon Williams, Allen Lazard, Lucas Patrick, etc.). My point is you can’t stop dreaming if you’re on the bubble. Your NFL career depends on it.
Corey from Richland, WA
I know the baloney doesn’t stop until the regular season kicks off, but I can’t wait for training camp to start and end the ranking/listing season commonly known as the dead zone. Of the new free agent class (Javon Hargrave,Benjamin St-Juste,Zaire FranklinandSkyy Moore), whom would you like to see play above their contract this season? Which of the players lost in FA this year (Romeo Doubs, Malik Willis, Rashan Gary, Rasheed Walker, Kingsley Enagbare, Elgton Jenkins) are you quietly rooting for most? I will be watching Willis’ highlights and checking his stats.
I like the collection of free agents the Packers signed because it’s a low-risk, high-reward bunch and all four you mention have something to prove to varying degrees. But if Moore can help solve the Packers’ return woes, that’s a premium return (no pun intended) on a relatively modest investment. As far as the departed free agents, I’m pulling hardest for Willis to succeed in Miami. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but it’s been annoying having to listen to critics rip Willis’ performance in Tennessee while also diminishing what he accomplished in Green Bay. The sample size is virtually the same, so which is it? You can’t have it both ways.
Ross from Hudson, WI
Is Cam Achord a dark-horse candidate for the most impactful offseason acquisition? (How do you pronounce his name BTW?). Special teams has been lowkey a sneaky Achilles heel for this team for a few years now and if “Do Your Job” ever needed a home it’s Packers’ special teams
Special teams admittedly are an area in which the Packers have struggled during my 14 years covering the team. Again, I think the horizon is brighter than most fans would say. Regardless, Achord (It’s pronounced “Eh-cord”) is tasked with helping the third phase realize its potential. Undoubtedly, this is one of the biggest hires Matt LaFleur has made in his seven years at the helm.
Keith from Lincoln, IL
Offenses strive for rhythm. Defenses can get into a rhythm. Do you want your special teams to get into a rhythm?
Yes, but getting into a rhythm isn’t just returning kickoffs for touchdowns. It’s consistency: Protecting the football, making field goals and winning the battle for field position.
Adrian from Oregon City, OR
Observation on cap and personnel managementthe Packers let Quay Walker depart in free agency, a good young and athletic linebacker, but with some weaknesses in coverage and/or diagnosing plays. The stage is set to commit toEdgerrin Cooperlong term, a player with potentially more upside. Sign the veteran Zaire Franklin as Cooper’s mentor, andIsaiah McDuffieas a reliable backup on an affordable deal. How about that for taking care of the future, and the present takes care of itself?
Speaking of sneaky, perhaps the most underrated thing about the Gutekunst era is the emphasis the Packers have placed on the inside linebacker position. For years, Green Bay plugged the middle with late-round draft picks, converted outside linebackers, late-summer waiver claims and even safety Morgan Burnett for a short time. No more. With how important nickel defenses have become, you need inside linebackers who can do it all and complement one another. The Packers have not messed around over the past five years whether it was signing De’Vondre Campbell, using early draft picks on Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper or trading for Zaire Franklin. I’d argue their top two “reserves” in McDuffie andTy’Ron Hopperwould’ve started on defense in the post-Matthews era.
Jay from Lutz, FL
Will the smoke from the Canadian fires impact the number of outdoor practices in camp? Would MLF adjust accordingly or stick to the plan?
That’s difficult to say nine days out from the first practice. We’re close to camp but not that close. I’m sure the team is monitoring it, though.
Al from Brookfield, WI
As we get close to training camp, why are pass rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Joey Bosa unsigned by any team, especially the Packers? We lost all five games last year whenMicah Parsonswent down. Where is our pass rush coming from?
The NFL is a young man’s league managed through a salary cap. For that reason, mid-tier veterans often don’t sign until training camp or shortly thereafter because teams are balancing their books while waiting to see how prospects develop. If you bring in Clowney or Bosa, you’re not doing it to just throw them on special teams. You’re doing it for them to play. That means allocating resources to them, including money and playing time. Parsons is coming back at some point. Until then, I’d rather see whatLukas Van Nessand Co. are capable of than hoping 30-plus-year-old veterans hang on for one more season in the sun.
Pete from Hillsborough, NC
There is additional data for John from Lake in the Hills. NCAA Basketball also used to have a consolation game. It was ended due to lack of coach and player interest. In the NFL, there is also risk of serious injury in a meaningless game.
I’ve always maintained that the World Cup should not play a third-place game. That belief was solidified after watching the Netherlands beat a downtrodden Brazil squad 3-0 in 2014.
Dar from Mansfield, TX
Wes, a bonus OI tale about “cherished” mementos: My late pal Andy has much-older brothers. As kids at a Lombardi training camp, they lovingly got all the big stars to sign a ball, then perched it in a place of honor in the basement rumpus room. A decade-plus later, after a keg and some rumpus-ing there, some friends seemingly added their own signatures to the ball. So next to the likes of Starr, Hornung, and Wood are now names like Skeeter, Dave, and Mikey (names changed to protect the guilty.)
Ha, this reminded me of the time a young Wes asked Jim Gantner to sign his Brewers cap. There was only one autograph on it Robin Yount and wouldn’t you know itGantner hastily signed over the top of it in black Sharpie and handed it back to me. Devastating. Also, shout out to the “Carousel of Progress” for educating me on what a “Rumpus room” is.
Scott from Sauk City, WI
Ha, Mike, you really undersold Lombardi’s distaste for the Playoff Bowl. I had to Google his thoughts on it, and they were both colorful and hilarious. “A losers’ bowl for losers.” There’s a joke in there somewhere, I can feel it.
The man had a way with words.
Phillip from Corona, CA
“Any comparison to what the England coach did against Argentina is off-the-rocker misguided.” Mike: That entire reply was awesome. Great job.
10/10, no notes.
H.R. from Henderson, NV
I’d like to just remind all the Richard from Greenwich’s and the Derek from Sheboygan’s that, if y’all thinkJordan Loveis being held back, or the team is sitting on a lead…go rewatch the Thanksgiving game vs. Detroit from last year. Four TDs, and that throw on fourth-and-3 with two Lions in his face was ridiculous. That is the epitome of being aggressive with the lead AND letting Love be Love.
When you have a franchise quarterback, you trust him to play like a franchise quarterback.
Gavin from Albuquerque, NM
My reply on the prove-it question is this, it’s a prove-it league. If you want a starting job, prove it. If you want anything more than you woke up with today, prove it. If you want to win championships, prove it. Nothing in this league is given, goes along with most real life. You want something? Prove it. If you don’t, the next person up will and you’ll have nothing to show for it. In a league that pays handsomely compared to the average household income in the nation, prove it or move over.
I don’t have a problem with the “prove-it” mentality as much as I do some fans verbally weaponizing the philosophy. Yes, the NFL pays handsomely, but that’s because it’s a job without security. Replacement is nonstop. Players and coaches live with that reality every day they enter the building. If you don’t perform, the keycard will cease to work.
Phil from Paris, IL
Unfortunately, I just read a “season preview” on a sports website that I frequent, the writer projected the Packers to go 6-11 and the Bears to go 11-6. Maybe I’m crazy but that seems like a huge gap! I don’t think our teams are that far apart at all. I just had to share, looks like there will be some disappointed bears fans when the baloney stops GPG.
If you’re picking the Packers to go 6-11 with most of their roster coming back from a playoff team that doubled as the NFL’s youngest squad, you’re either ignorant or trying to be provocative. Either way, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t care about predictions. I prefer production.
Jeffery from Monticello, WI
Hi guys, it’s “HOT.” That is all. Carry on.
Thank you.
Dale from Aurora, CO
With less than two weeks before camp, is there a list of players that may be on PUP at the beginning of camp?
We won’t know until players report and undergo physicals, which happens the day before the first practice.
Doug from Green Bay, WI
Okay, so maybe play calling wasn’t the issue but the sheer number of late game collapses we had last year is simply unacceptable. I certainly hope everyone in the organization from the GM to the lowest equipment guy is doing some self-scouting to find out why it happened and get it fixed, especially the players.
Yes. We’ve literally spent six months talking about that.
John from Austin, TX
Another candidate for long time off due to serious injury was Lynn Dickey. After the gruesome broken leg vs. Rams on last play of that game, he missed much of next two seasons yet returned to play at a very high level. Was such a great “thrower” of the ball but couldn’t move well.
It would be one thing to mount that type of comeback in today’s NFL with all the advancement in medical and training technology. However, Dickey did it during an unrelenting era of pro football where QBs were not protected like they are today. He took a chance every time he stepped on the field and proved his mettle. Legend.
Craig from Sussex, WI
Sorry Mike, but the most impressive view in Lambeau is walking out of the north end zone tunnel and seeing the upper deck addition! Just majestic!
I’ve done that a few times on gamedays while making my way to pregame radio. It is breathtaking.
Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN
Jon Rahm tomahawks his club after a bad shot, could have jumped back and hit someone, and he gets a warning. Bryson goes into waste deep grass to play a shot and gets a two stroke penalty for stepping on grass and “improving” his lie. Was he supposed to hover in the air to hit that shot? It’s the dead zone so I’m talking golf with you, sorry.
As someone who’s known to have trampled some pine straw in my day, I can understand why the penalty was levied. Still unfortunate, though.
Doug from Neenah, WI
“Anger. Rage. Rage and anger.” Let’s hope the Packers are better football players than golfers. Did Mike and Wes have a chance to compete (off camera) in the Lambeau Invitational in their studio?
No, but we were on the winning team at the Packers Digital & Social Golf Invitational on Thursday morning. So, we have that going for us
Ryan from Sheboygan Falls, WI
Will we be winning this preseason?
Like in the literal sense or are we talking like Charlie Sheen?
Tim from Killarney, Ireland
Normally Tim from Elmhurst, Illinois, over in Ireland on holiday. I am at a bar listening to Irish music getting a pint of Guinness and I see a fellow packer fan sporting his green and gold. Packer fans are truly everywhere. Go Pack Go.
Now that is winning. Have a great Monday.
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