Inbox: His time is now

John from Lexington, SC

Correctamundo?! Wow an Arthur Fonzarelli reference. II never ceases to amaze me.

Hasenpfeffer Incorporated. I've always wanted to announce my presence with that line. I'll abbreviate: HI. I'll see myself out in a bit.

Keith from Lincoln, IL

So, we're dying to know, how did Hod leave the II-digs when you got back? Empty root beer bottles and Culver's wrappers all around…or as neat as a pin?

He didn't mess with my desk, as far as I could tell, which is all I really cared about.

Josh from Nicaragua

Welcome back Mike, hope you enjoyed your time to disconnect. I stumbled across an article that said you graduated with a dual major in English and Spanish. ¿Todavía hablas español? Have you ever considered putting that degree to work by publishing a Packers article in Spanish? Have you done any traveling in Latin America? Mi casa es su casa!

I studied a semester in Seville during college, but I've never been to Latin America. Unfortunately, I have not used my Spanish in about 30 years. It was never the plan to add a second major, it just sorta happened. Anyway, I can still understand a good portion of the language when I hear or read it, but my ability to speak or write it has dwindled considerably.

Tommy from Washburn, WI

"The Platteville Prince" is one for the ages, Wes. Welcome back, Mike! Another thought on II milestones: asking a question that leads directly into a featured story for the day. I had asked last training camp about Nate Hobbs' aggressive hits at practice, and there was a feature article on the topic the very same day that I was published. I thought that was pretty cool.

Your submission was a great excuse to promote my story. Ha.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

I see the league approved the Jaguars to play their home games in Orlando for the 2027 season, due to stadium renovations in Jacksonville. Any chance, with the schedule rotation, that the Packers may play one of those games? I would love to see the Packers in my 11th stadium, about 90 minutes from my house!

The Packers aren't scheduled to play any AFC South teams in '27, and Jacksonville is slated to visit Green Bay in '28.

Dan from Lisle, IL

I'm glad the naming rights topic has been put to rest in the time being, but wouldn't it seem like we won't have the same needs for the revenue? We have a natural offset by not having a wealthy owner taking cash out or paying family members' salaries?

That's the one advantage the Packers have in this race for cash resources. That said, this new era of private equity stakes places an even greater importance on maintaining and growing Green Bay's corporate reserve fund, which sat just a shade under $600M when I posted the most recent financial report last July.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Welcome back, Spoff! Hey, from the “5 things learned from Ed Policy” article, wondering if you know which subcommittee Matt is on? Competition committee? If so, I wonder what he might have to say about the league no longer considering a Friday game a "short week." That only seems like fair competition if everyone gets the same number (unlikely) and that change seems sneaky impactful.

LaFleur is on the head coach subcommittee, which is not the competition committee but provides, I believe, some input there. No longer considering Friday games a "short week" within the scheduling limitations makes zero sense to me, outside of the league just wanting less to worry about in putting the schedule together.

Keith from Grand Rapids, MI

"Still, the biggest carrot remains in the garden." Nice.

Whale of a line by Weston.

Bob from Emmaus, PA

The renewed emphasis on finishing games will require the three phases of the team, offense, defense and special teams to do their job. Do we need to be deep into next season to know if the offseason changes are successful?

It'll be about the collective body of work, as it always is. If the Packers finish off a team in Week 1, it won't mean they're never blowing a fourth-quarter lead again. If the opponent rallies late to steal a game in Week 2, it won't mean the 2025 season is on repeat. Even if the media narratives focus there and then when a small sample size is all that's available.

Darren from Wakefield, MI

Welcome back Mike. My question is about tight end. I always love when the Packers have a special one on the roster likely back to the Coffman years. Tucker Kraft's return date is unknown, Luke Musgrave will likely need to be the guy. Who on the long list behind them do you see as possibly developing in to the next man up or is he possibly not currently on the team?

As Wes mentioned while I was away, at 6-7, 259, Messiah Swinson remains an intriguing but as-yet unknown prospect who might really benefit from a full NFL offseason. But I'm also very curious to see what the Packers do in this upcoming draft at tight end. If the right guy is there at the right value slot, I don't expect Gutey to hesitate.

Jake from Lansing, MI

Insiders, thank you again for all your content. I was a bit surprised to see Wes predict that Jordan Morgan would surprise many next year, let alone confirm that Morgan has secured the LT position. Could you share why you believe this? I'd be happy if Morgan secures and succeeds as the LT, I'm just not sure there's been sufficient evidence. What am I missing?

The Packers didn't re-sign Rasheed Walker when they obviously could've brought him back on the cheap, and Gutey has stated his desire for Anthony Belton to keep plugging away at right guard. So all signs are pointing to Morgan being the left tackle in 2026. It's the position he was drafted to play, and his time is now. Yes, he'll have to prove he's up to it, but the Packers wouldn't be setting things up this way if they had any serious doubts based on what they've seen over Morgan's first two seasons playing everywhere but center.

Justin from Thousand Oaks, CA

If it does, in fact, turn out to be his best position, what is it about center that translates better to Sean Rhyan's game than guard?

Interesting question, and I'm not sure of the answer. Unless there's a true nose tackle lined up straight across from him, the center often doesn't have one-on-one blocks. He'll combo block with a guard and then make his way toward a linebacker. Or he'll retreat in pass pro, keeping his head on a swivel to pick up a blitzer or help with a chip where needed to either or both sides. The center is also the key communicator on the unit, keeping assignments straight and everyone on the same page. There's a lot to learn about playing that spot, but Rhyan seemed to pick it all up pretty quickly.

Jenna from Lowell, OH

Will the Golden boy see more playing time this year?

That is firmly my expectation. But I'm going to take a moment (or three) to express my weariness with this offseason narrative surrounding Matthew Golden's usage and playing time as a rookie. Because a look at the facts is in order, and I've dug into this quite a bit here. Beginning in Week 2, Golden played 40-plus snaps in six straight games, catching 19 passes for 237 yards in that span. That's pretty solid work for a rookie on an offense that at the time was featuring Kraft, Doubs and Josh Jacobs (whose production in the passing game was way up early on). Then, in Week 9 vs. Carolina, Golden got hurt in the third quarter after playing two dozen snaps (on pace for 40-plus again). He proceeded to miss three of the next four games with shoulder and wrist injuries. Upon his return, he played just five snaps in the first game against the Bears. If you'll recall, Jordan Love threw a terrible INT down the middle of the field on the game's first possession. It didn't get much attention when the Packers prevailed on Nixon's game-saving INT in the end zone, but the next day, when LaFleur was asked about Love's head-scratching pick, here's what he said: "I mean, it was just one of those plays that you're like, 'I can't believe I did that.' Now there was some detail within the play that wasn't correct, either. I'm not saying that's why it happened, but it certainly didn't help. That's something that we absolutely cleaned up today." A glance back at the film shows the receiver running the middle-seam route closest to the throw was Golden. Was that "the detail within the play that wasn't correct"? Can't be certain, but it's a reasonable inference, as is that all the missed practice time from his injuries had negatively impacted Golden's development and progress. From there, he played roughly two dozen snaps each of the next three games – he was still on the injury report with the wrist and limited in practice for two of those weeks – before playing every snap at Minnesota in Week 18 and then having the breakout playoff game in Chicago. My point is when the tired narratives about him not playing enough or not getting enough chances are set aside and the facts and context are studied, his rookie season makes a lot of sense. More important, a ton of promise awaits. Sorry for the soapbox speech, but thanks for indulging.

Don from Boise, ID

Any of the rule changes stand out to you? They all seem insignificant to me.

The procedural change with PUP activation could come into play in a significant way with Micah Parsons this year, depending on his recovery timeline. Previously, a player who began the regular season on PUP couldn't practice for the first four weeks of the regular season (reduced from six weeks several years ago), but now that's been reduced again to two weeks.

Tom from Keota, IA

Hi II crew. I freely and frequently complain to whoever will listen about decisions made by "the league" and the folks at the top. But hearing Goodell unequivocally say that the Rooney Rule wasn't going anywhere brought a stirring to my crabby old heart. Sometimes people stand up for what's right against significant pressure when us skeptics least expect it.

To do away with the Rooney Rule coming off the results of this most recent hiring cycle would've given Goodell a lot more questions to answer.

Jeff from Ogden, UT

Replacement officials! Yikes! Better not let any game come down to the last play.

The officials' union contract with the league doesn't expire until May 31, and there won't be a preseason game in need of officials until August. There's plenty of time to get this sorted out, no matter how much posturing on either side.

Richard from Madison, WI

Do you suppose that AI-assisted referees would FINALLY get the calls right on all the times Micah Parsons is being held?

I'm not holding my breath, no pun intended.

Dave from Gwinn, MI

Nice reply to Matthew from Clarkston. Good questions and answers for this year's April 1, but could I make a request for next year? Pick and answer all the worst questions you receive for April Fools, to give us an idea of what you deal with every day. The ones with the grammar of a kindergartner, the ones where we suggest to trade back for Malik Willis or the long tirades where you can't even identify what was being asked. It could prove entertaining and/or enlightening.

In all honesty, it won't.

Scott from Issaquah, WA

Were the Inbox submissions per day so high just because Doug was asking you so many times every day how many Inbox submissions come in per day? The data nerd has to know.

So glad to be back. Happy Thursday.

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