He hasn't changed the plan

Here's another thing to consider

Feb 07, 2018 at 12:40 AM

Mike Spofford

packers.com editor

Steve from Las Vegas, NV

Lifetime Packers fan since 1958. Saw an Eagles fan on Sunday morning getting coffee at my local bagel shop. He was wearing his Dawkins jersey and his dog an Eagles sweater. We talked football, congratulating each other on our respective HOF entrants from the night before. He asked me a Packers question I could not answer. How many Packers are in the Hall of Fame and how does that compare to the other teams? He thought we were No. 1 or 2 in entrants and I agreed with him. Perhaps the Insiders could clear up this question.

Jerry Kramer will be the Packers' 25th individual enshrined. That's second only to the Bears, who will now have 28 with Brian Urlacher.

Johnny from Boulder City, NV

While it was great to see Jerry Kramer on stage at the NFL Honors, I couldn't help but notice the physical size differential between Jerry (6-3, 245...his playing weight) and the other inductees. The game, and the players, have certainly evolved over the last 40 years.

Indeed.**

Claus from Honefoss, Norway

Mike, thank you for a great article on the next potential Hall of Famers. In your opinion, Rodgers aside, have any current Packers or active ex-Packers done enough yet to warrant a jacket and a bust?

Julius Peppers is going to be a Hall of Famer, but I don't expect the Packers to consider him one of "theirs," as they (and the Raiders) will with Woodson.

Ned from Chippewa Falls, WI

Gentlemen, I believe if Terrell Davis can make the HOF, then Sterling Sharpe should be in! Agree or disagree?

I contended last year Davis got in despite the shorter career largely because he was so dominant over multiple postseasons. Sharpe was great in his two '93 playoff games (11 catches, 229 yards, four TDs), but he only had the one postseason, missing the '94 playoffs and never playing again. So I suspect his odds will remain long. It'll help if a guy like Tony Boselli gets in, because while Boselli also played in more postseasons (three, reaching an AFC title game once), it's not about playoff "numbers" for an offensive lineman. Also, Boselli's regular-season resume of five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections is identical to Sharpe's. The naysayers will contend the Packers got better after Sharpe retired, but that was due more to Favre's development and the defensive draft picks from the early-mid '90s (Butler, Simmons, Evans, Newsome, etc.) coming into their own.

Brad from Alexandria, VA

Has any team won back-to-back Super Bowls with different starting QBs?

No. The Giants (Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler) and Redskins (Doug Williams and Mark Rypien) each won with different QBs four years apart. That's the shortest time span between a team winning two Super Bowls with different QBs.

Mike from Novato, CA

A lot of (justified) congratulations for Pederson's aggression. It should be noted that Lombardi's only playoff loss was when he went for it, twice, deep in Eagle territory on fourth down. No guarantee the game plays out the way it did, but on the drive that ended just short, they could have been playing for a game-winning field goal. Just sayin'.

They don't call it gambling for nothing.

Matt from Plover, WI

If Gronk would have caught that ball, we would all be talking about Doug Pederson going for two in the second quarter.

Maybe, maybe not. A lot of PAT decisions from there on out were affected by the Eagles' choice, so the point differential could have changed any number of different ways after that.

Dan from Wausau, WI

Two comments following the Super Bowl. First, I hesitate to call it a classic with the largely putrid defense save for one play. Second, having the man at QB is your best chance to win. All things being equal, this is why I'll take my chances with Rodgers and a shaky D over a team built largely on defense.

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Me, too. New England's defense was nothing special, all year, and the Patriots still almost won another title thanks to Brady.**

Tom from Westfield, MA

Just a comment, if I were the Eagles, I would not keep Foles. First, he has great trade value right now and second, do they really want fans screaming for him when Wentz has his first bad day?

Remember back in 2016 when Jordy Nelson had that "hiccup" with his other knee following his ACL recovery and had to miss all of training camp, putting the start of his season in jeopardy? That's why I'm hanging onto Foles.

Jim from Sioux Falls, SD

To all the fans, pundits, talking heads, and "experts" out there talking about all the money Nick Foles is going to get (and I have no doubt he will), I have two cautionary words for you: Joe Flacco.

Here's another thing to consider, and I'm not trying to take away from what Foles accomplished. Pederson masterfully reworked the Eagles' offense to fit Foles' strengths and turned him loose in the Minnesota game after a clearly conservative approach in the first playoff contest vs. Atlanta. There was very little film to study to prepare for this Pederson-Foles offense that was unleashed. I'm just saying it's something to keep in mind.

John from Denver, CO

I will admit I (and the rest of the Packers' fan base) thought it was a bit outrageous when Doug Pederson said that his Eagles team had more talent than the Packers' Super Bowl teams of the '90s. Was that just a coach with confidence in his team or did he make the biggest "told ya so" prediction since Broadway Joe?

Perhaps some of both, or a third element was in play – his team needed to hear it.

Jake from Greenville, NC

If anything, I took Rodgers' comment to mean the only way he'll play anywhere else is if Green Bay decides to move on from him, but I guess the networks need some storylines to beat into the ground while we wait for next season. With all the mess about "fake news" these days, do you think sports TV will ever try to climb its way out of the pit of speculation it's dug?

Not if fans don't stop watching and clicking.

Corey from Albuquerque, NM

I'm guessing that Chuck from Lonepine doesn't remember Up With People at Super Bowl XVI.

Uff-da.

Tim from Spooner, WI

We've already seen a few teams utilize their running backs more in the passing game like New England and Philadelphia. If it's a copycat league, do you expect more of this strategy? New England and the Eagles utilize their running backs as wide receivers at times, with downfield throws in favorable matchups. Teams like the Packers have used their backs in the passing game, but mostly in the flat or shorter type routes. Hopefully, the new playbook and a premier draft will allow the Packers to adjust to the "new" NFL.

Ty Montgomery, anyone?

JW from New Braunfels, TX

I'm not surprised at the talk of drafting a pass rusher or DB as our defense has again been sub-par. However, A-Rod should be our No. 1 focus. With the injury history of Bulaga, would you be surprised if we draft OT in the first round if the top guy/guys are available?

It wouldn't shock me, but Spriggs was drafted in the middle of the second round to be a starting offensive tackle, and Kyle Murphy proved he can hold down the gig, too. If there are no concerns about their long-term health, I think it would take a top-five pick falling to 14 for the Packers to select a tackle in the first round.

Liana from Madison, WI

Do you see the Packers making a move for Malcolm Butler? Seems like he's not going to want to stick around New England after the stunt Belichick pulled, and that could be a way to get some experience at corner.

I think everyone in the league is waiting to find out the whole story on Butler.

Kevin from New Milford, CT

In response to Chase from SD – Tyreek Hill vs. Dallas.

My thought exactly.

Jason from Ringle, WI

A lot of people saying the Eagles cornerback gave Hogan a cheap shot on the Hail Mary. The CB was looking at Brady and likely saw him start to scramble out of the pocket. At that point you can hit a receiver as long as the ball hasn't been thrown yet. Just ask Richard Sherman.

Correct, no illegal contact before the pass is thrown with the QB out of the pocket.

David from Cake, WI

In response to Bruce (on the play call with 2:03 left), I disagree with both of you. I think it shows Coach Pederson is a good student of history. In the last two Patriot Super Bowl victories, deciding plays were passes in dead-certain run situations. Not because they anticipated it but because they needed a big defensive play. A sack or a turnover. New England played pass in those situations and the fear of Brady allowed them to surprise the Seahawks and Falcons who thought like you do. The Eagles avoided that trap.

Completely different situations in all cases, in my book. The Falcons giving away field position for the game-icing field goal, and the Seahawks throwing from the 1-yard line, had nothing to do with the fear of Brady, and they were all pocket throws. You could safely run a play-action rollout with Foles, giving him the option to tuck it and run, or throw it away, if the first down isn't available. I'm not being critical of the Super Bowl-winning coach. I was just surprised, given how aggressive Pederson was the entire game, he dialed it back when the clock (2:03) gave him a low-risk opportunity to deliver the knockout blow. He ultimately put it on a rookie (who had missed a PAT) to make a 46-yard field goal to guarantee no worse than OT, when he had the perfect situation to make a surprise but safe throw for the first down and kneel out the clock if successful.

Paolo from Turin, Italy

Hi guys, what's your take on the hit delivered by Jenkins that left Cooks unconscious? I understand that the WR had become a runner at that point, but pushing at the line of scrimmage with your head is one thing, blindsiding someone in the open field at 20 mph is totally different. I say that if you hit with your helmet a player who's not standing right in front of you, that should be a flag. DB's should lead with their shoulder when coming in from the side.

I thought Jenkins was going for a big, clean body blow, and the helmet contact looked incidental and unintentional to me.

Josh from Dodgeville, WI

I'm not saying trade Rodgers, but this is the only year a team (Browns) would have enough draft picks to do it. First pick, fourth pick, and 33rd pick for Rodgers, giving the packers five picks in top 50 and the No. 1 for QB. It not totally crazy, right?

Wrong. You're totally crazy.

Bill from Schofield, WI

With a new general manager, and new offensive and defensive coordinators, is it possible that some Packers players will be evaluated more objectively, or possibly more harshly? They are no longer the draft picks or developmental projects of the old regime. I wonder if there is a tendency for a general manager and coordinators who have been in place for a long time to become invested in their past decisions for too long sometimes.

I understand where you're coming from, but I believe, by and large, players who aren't getting the job done get replaced – when there are better options. If there aren't better options, the perception can be what you outlined. Personnel executives and coaches know much more than fans do if their alternatives are viable.**

Jim from Fairview Heights, IL

With all of this Sam Shields comeback talk, would you give him another shot, knowing that he already stated that one more concussion and he's finished?

I'd want to know what the medical experts think.

Chris from Naples, FL

For the fourth consecutive year, a No. 1 seed has won the Super Bowl, and the last three out of four Super Bowls the opponent has been a No. 1 seed. I think it just goes to show how important home-field advantage in the playoffs really is. I remember when Vic used to do this column and every year he responded to this topic as "just win the division first." Almost all the time with Rodgers, we do. But clearly the Packers need to do more to get that No. 1 seed besides win the division. Our beginning goal needs to be bigger than that. Rodgers needs home-field advantage come 2019 in January.

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Singer Christina Aguilera sings the national anthem before the start of Super Bowl XLV on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

AP Photo