Inbox: If he does, look out

Larry from Hudson, WI

Polaroid? Oh, you mean Instagram in the '80s...

Something like that.

Brian from Twain Harte, CA

First no math and now no physics in the II. Is geography still on the table? The last time I checked Carson City was the capital of Nevada and not located in southern California.

I meant to say Carson but wrote Carson City. My bad.

Craig from Cortland, NY

Presumably the only logical opponent for Spoff's game in the Colosseum would have to be the Lions. You're welcome. ISMO (I'll see myself out)!

You and countless other readers with the same submission.

Colin from Milwaukee, WI

Christian Watson taking on the Lions in the Colosseum. Are you not entertained?

That's actually not bad.

Brett from Cincinnati, OH

RE: Tim from Rosario, Argentina regarding Friday games. Per a CBS article by John Breech, under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the NFL isn't allowed to televise any games on Friday or Saturday from the second weekend in September through the second weekend in December. The NFL always kicks off the season on the first Thursday after Labor Day. If Labor Day falls on Sept. 3 or later, then the first NFL weekend will be the second weekend of September, and Friday games won't be permitted. Labor Day is Sept. 2 this year.

Interesting. Upon further review, that also applies to Saturday NFL broadcasts during that same time frame.

Dwight from Brooklyn, NY

Do the Packers (or any team for that matter) keep a book, metaphorical or otherwise, on players that were on their board but were chosen by other teams and said players wound up on practice squads?

Yes, they track it all, and hold onto their scouting reports of players who weren't on the board, too. You never know how a prospect might evolve and/or when he might become available.

Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL

Well Mike, you mentioned during “Unscripted” how Gutey likes to be prepared with options at position groups and along comes Andre Dillard. It makes the question I sent in earlier about Rasheed Walker and his positional versatility even more interesting with the Zach Tom scuttlebutt, though Wes in Five Things states that Dillard has played some right tackle. Is his strength pass or run blocking?

All the metrics consider Dillard a better run blocker, as he had his struggles in pass pro last year at Tennessee. But this is exactly the type of signing we were talking about on the show, adding depth at a position so Gutey doesn't feel forced into any particular pick in the draft. It's a new opportunity for a former first-rounder so let's see what he does with it.

Ross from Hudson, WI

The Packers like to draft top 30 visits and Senior Bowl participants. The players on both those lists are: Kitan Oladapo, Michael Hall Jr., Austin Booker, Marshawn Kneeland, Ray Davis, Trevin Wallace, Ty'Ron Hopper, and Tyler Guyton. What is your over/under on how many of them are drafted by the Packers?

Your guess is as good as mine, but thanks for the list.

Dennis from Denver, CO

Do the Packers do their own mock draft to determine who might be available for them to draft, or do they consider that to be an exercise in futility?

I don't know if they'll try a full mock starting with the very first pick, but they'll develop plausible scenarios to study. I would think that's even more difficult this year than other years due to what seems like a larger amount of trade talk than normal, with three teams (Bears, Vikings, Cardinals) all having two first-round picks.

Brian from Maple Grove, MN

An ESPN article I saw today quoted Tampa Bay's GM Jason Licht, whose team holds the pick after Green Bay at No. 26, quoted as saying about his team's first pick, "I would say that the biggest challenge, at least for me, is you're trying to target who might be there," Licht said. "Right now, we have five to seven guys we think might be there." I'm guessing Gutey is in the same boat but with more draft pick ammo to move up. If you had to bet, would Gutey move up, move back or stay at 25 and pick?

Again, I have no idea. It depends what the board looks like as the first round unfolds. I'm sure they have various scenarios and contingencies at least partially mapped out. "If this guy is still there after 15, let's look to move up," or "If all four of these guys are still there in the early 20s, let's start exploring a move down." There are times it's fluid all the way along, which is why any discussions about who fits where on the draft board take place in advance. There are no more debates once the starting gun is fired.

James from Appleton, WI

I'm putting on my Gutey hat. The Packers could trade up to No. 8 by packaging their first-round and both second-round picks, or a first, second and both thirds. But only if the top QBs and WRs fell right so GB could grab the top edge. Otherwise, maybe pair a first and second to get an OT. If not, try to trade down for a high second and a third. What I'm saying is, where do I go to bet the house that the Packers don't make a pick at No. 25?

Not Bushwood.

George from North Mankato, MN

How does an eight-start college career translate to the NFL? What concerns would you have with such a small sample size?

It just makes it that much harder to project how a player might develop. When scouts dive in on a player they like, they're reviewing his early college film as well as his most recent play to see what changed over time and with more experience. With Mims there's less evidence to go on in that regard, but if the traits are attractive enough that lends a measure of confidence to the less certain projection.

Hannes from Glendale, WI

With the Cowboys owning the 24th pick and having a Tyron Smith-sized roster hole at left tackle, trading up has to be in consideration if the Packers like a prospect at the position. How far up do you think they would have to go?

Well, the Cowboys have only six picks total in the draft, so they'd be making a big sacrifice to move up themselves to get one guy. If that's as unlikely as it looks, the Packers would just need to leapfrog them, which wouldn't cost much. But this draft might be deep enough at OT for everyone in the market for a good one to come away happy.

Vince from Green Bay, WI

There is not math in the Inbox, but there is physics. Newton's Third Law of Physics for defense states: "Pressure up the middle, the quarterback can do very little." I would love to see more pressure right up the middle of the pocket, whether that be Jer'Zhan Newton or somebody else I haven't heard of, whoever it is that can do that … sign me up for two of them.

Byron Murphy and Johnny Newton were our **two interior D-line Prospect Primers**, and I'm not sure I could pass on either guy, but it also seems unlikely they'll make it to 25. Draft aside, I think the biggest question this year for the Packers up front is whether Devonte Wyatt has a Year 2 to 3 jump in him that mirrors his Year 1 to 2. If he does, look out.

Travis from McCordsville, IN

Spoff, I like to think of you as the real-life version of Ray Romano's character on "Everybody Loves Raymond." In a good way. Anyway, what do you think the RB room will look like come Week 1?

More people probably think I'm an idiot wrapped in a moron, to quote Ray himself, but I digress. For the RB room in Week 1, I'll take Jacobs, Dillon, Wilson and two draft picks, with either Wilson or one of the draft picks on the practice squad.

Jeff from Mequon, WI

I'm building my mock draft over here for a friendly competition with my buddies to see who can get more picks right. Rumor has it the Vikings want to hold on to pick 23 in any trade up to snag a QB, which would likely mean trading next year's first-rounder. How do teams assess the value of a future first-round pick, especially with a team like Minnesota with a lot of unknowns?

They take their best guess that it's probably a top 20 pick from a team not likely to make the playoffs with a new, young QB, but there's no way to know. Anyone who would've guessed that with the Packers (Jordan Love) and Texans (Stroud) last year would've been wrong. Supposedly back in 2018, the Packers made an offer to the Raiders similar to the one the Bears made for Khalil Mack, and the Raiders traded with the Bears because they figured the future draft choices would be better picks. Then the Bears won the division that year.

Jerry from Calgary, Canada

Any word on what Eric Stokes is doing for his hamstrings? Lots of discussion on Christian Watson going to Madison but nothing on how Stokes is addressing the same problem.

Stokes went to Madison with Watson, as far as I know.

Scott from Sauk City, WI

So, the 2024 playoff loss to the 49ers was a big II day, huh? I really felt differently after that one. I know you guys don't believe in the "playing with house money" mantra, but it really felt like the 2024 Packers were in that situation going into San Fran. The shellacking of Dallas the week prior gave me perhaps unnecessary belief that we were going all the way, but I didn't really expect a win like I was the couple of prior attempts. Road game, young team, Kyle Shanahan, etc.

Inbox-wise, last January's playoff loss wasn't as bad as the prior two postseason defeats, but the combination of kicker frustration, knowing the NFC title game would've been eminently winnable, and, yes, legitimate optimism for the future created a sizable volume of submissions.

Steven from Seymour, WI

Why not get rid of the chains for marking yardage and rely on lasers?

It's only a matter of time.

Nate from Hartford, WI

Mike, as a baseball purist I imagine you would not be a fan of a (laser?) automated strike zone, and generally nor would I. However, Angel Hernandez is making a strong one-man argument for why it's necessary. How inevitable do you think is?

It'll be a reality in either the 2025 or '26 season in MLB. It became inevitable the moment a baseball telecast included the strike-zone box on the screen. And don't get me started on Hernandez.

Kevin from Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Not a question but a memory of the Halloween game. I was there and remember four Packer fans in front of us. They were shirtless with hollowed out pumpkins on their heads. I'm sure they had plenty of antifreeze in their system.

I remember watching that game from my grad school housing unit in Evanston. That might've been the best truly bad-weather performance I've ever seen from a quarterback, and the numbers from that night don't do Favre justice. Whenever I'm reminded of Ron Wolf's axiom about players who "tilt the field," for some reason I think of that game.

Allen from Fairhope, AL

II: Wes's suggestion for windiest game as the Halloween 1994 matchup with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field is solid. I don't know if the video is available, but I remember seeing one punt that started forward normally, then went straight up vertically in a gust and ended up behind the line of scrimmage – essentially a block by the wind!

The windiest game I ever covered was definitely at Soldier Field, in late December 2007. The wind chills were brutal. John Kuhn told me it was the coldest, most uncomfortable game he's ever played in. Rob Davis' punt snaps almost didn't make it back to Jon Ryan that day. Late in the game I left the press box early to get to the locker room, and I thought I'd take a walk down the tunnel to see just how bad it was out there. I only got halfway through the tunnel and turned around.

Steve from Plover, WI

Ah, the question of standing versus sitting has come up yet again. We pay for seats, so we should all be sitting. But we're in the stands, so we should all be standing. My brain hurts.

Happy Friday.