Inbox: It's a long road

Paul from Richmond, VA

OK, gotta call out Wes on this one. He chose Fleetwood to win the U.S. Open, not Clark, in this very space last Thursday. And if you don't predict it here, it doesn't count. Nice try, though! On the bright side, the clubhouse lockers at Shinnecock Hills lived to see another day!

In Wes's defense, he only said he's "pulling for Fleetwood," and he didn't publish an actual prediction. But I'll razz him for it anyway.

Steve from Cedar Falls, IA

I know a lot can happen between now and roster cutdown but if Trey Smack "loses" the kicking job, should the Packers use a roster spot to keep him? I would think with a dearth of kickers in the league, hoping to slide him to the practice squad could be dangerous.

Didn't Wes just say something about catastrophizing roster hypotheticals during the dead zone?

Chad from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

As Wisconsin sports fans, we should understand that players' time here is limited, and even the best players eventually move on. In fact, we should understand better than anybody that this is often times the best course of action for the franchise. But seeing the Bucks terrible for a better part of 40 years until Giannis arrived…this one hurts.

I'm not a huge NBA fan, but when my son was young he enjoyed getting to a Bucks game every year, and during our annual visit we slowly watched Giannis come of age, culminating in witnessing a 50-point night a few years back. It was a tremendous era of Bucks basketball, and having watched the '80s Bucks teams of my youth come up agonizingly short against the Celtics and/or 76ers year after year, the Giannis-led title provided some catharsis for this old sports fan. I have nothing but appreciation for what he brought to, and meant for, the franchise. But rather than cry because it's over, I'll smile because it happened.

Connor from Minnetrista, MN

Who could be the biggest surprise when the season starts based off of what happened at OTAs? Lukas Van Ness, Savion Williams, a rookie, MarShawn Lloyd?

Nothing would necessarily surprise me from players who had their moments in OTAs. But in training camp, someone always emerges that nobody was really talking about, and sometimes that emergence doesn't happen until the second or third preseason game. It's a long road, and while there will be roster projections out there one day after the pads go on, they won't mean much.

Alex from Fort Collins, CO

Which game are you anticipating most this season?

From a matchup standpoint, I'm most intrigued by Buffalo coming to Lambeau Field in mid-December. Two cold-weather teams on a Sunday night and the first Jordan Love vs. Allen showdown.

Monty from Velva, ND

Hey Mike, my two favorite players on our roster are Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft. You can call me a homer because both played in the Dakotas and proved the toughness and competitiveness of Missouri Valley Football Conference. My fear is that these kind of underdog stories will become a thing of the past due to the current landscape of college football. Do you foresee stories like this becoming extinct?

Maybe not extinct but certainly more rare. You can't blame college kids for looking out for their financial interests, and there's just no way MVC schools will be able to pay what the Big Ten and SEC ones can for top talent. Players that establish themselves at smaller schools will have options, and an NFL talent getting drafted from that smaller school without having first made the jump to the big-(dollar)-time will get more and more unusual.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Did Jager Burton take any snaps at center in the OTAs and minicamp or was he strictly at guard? Could he be a consideration at both backup guard and center. If so, where does Monk sit on the roster? Does anyone else on the current roster have experience at center? No more questions at this time your honor?

Burton's first-team reps this spring came at guard, but the Packers definitely view him as a viable candidate at any of the three interior spots. Jacob Monk injured his biceps during the playoff game at Chicago in January and was rehabbing all spring. John Williams took some reps at center this spring but did not play there in college.

Jay from Lutz, FL

The rookie edge DDS will have an opportunity early in the season to get into the mix during Micah Parsons's absence. With that foot in the door, it's his time to shine. Most successful edge rushers don't need a lot of time to develop, or learn, they're good right away. Agree?

No. Most edge defenders coming out of college aren't complete players in terms of the ability to both rush the passer and defend the run well. The best approach early on is to put the young player in situations where he can be effective while developing the rest of his game along the way.

Mike from Sebasco, ME

Can you tell us what some of the elements of an offensive and defensive game plan might be?

The best way to understand how a game plan is constructed is to appreciate situational breakdown – normal down/distance, third down, red zone, goal line, etc. Plays (which include personnel groupings, formations, concepts) are selected that are deemed best against the upcoming opponent for each situation, and repped in practice. Then adjustments are made as the week goes along and practice is evaluated. At the end of the week, each segment is prioritized with the favorite plays listed first, and others might be starred for when a specific moment presents itself. It's a massive undertaking every week, with different position coaches usually taking charge of one situation or segment, and with the play callers putting on the finishing touches and then studying the plan so calls can be made quickly in live action with that 40-second clock ticking.

Bruce from Travelers Rest, SC

While paling in comparison to some of the other "what if" hypotheticals, I have wondered what might have been different for the player or the team if Christian Watson had caught the first pass thrown to him in a regular-season game.

I don't think much would be different for Watson, honestly. He came back later that rookie year to score eight TDs in a four-game span. He was forced to show resiliency right away, which has proven to serve him well. As for the '22 team, that season was forever altered when Rodgers broke his thumb on the final snap in London. Change that rather than the Minnesota result in Week 1 and it's a different year.

Eric from Kenosha, WI

Arizona's winning play in Rodgers' first playoff game was also an uncalled hit to the helmet. We'll never know if that saved Green Bay some danger the next week, but young Rodgers could really scoot out of trouble. He would have been a different animal for those bounty hunters to chase than late career Warner and Favre.

Fair point, but any opportunity – even few and far between – to hit him on the run in the open field strikes me as more dangerous than anything that might've happened in the pocket to the older guys.

Steve from Dodgeville, WI

Hi all. Win, lose or draw Packer fan since '60s (yes there was NFL before FOX, betting, fantasy and anything.com) an addiction inherited from my Pa. A part of the total fan experience has been blaming the officials, it's obviously impossible for our heroes to be outplayed. Do you think this plays into the fact that the NFL seems to make it harder to officiate. As Bart Starr once said, I play for the love of the game and fear of Lombardi. We read/submit for love of II and fear of Spoff's editing.

Ha. I've been saying for years the NFL has made the game harder and harder to officiate, which is why it's on the league and not the officials themselves to get calls right as often as reasonably possible.

Chris from Waukesha, WI

I forget which iteration of "Madden" it was, but I know there was a year Larry Fitzgerald had a 99 special catch and 100 normal catch. I feel like he wasn't talked about enough. Yes, everyone knew who he was, but it felt like he was never discussed amongst the best at the position throughout his career.

I've never played "Madden," but I've said in this space before when I saw Fitzgerald in person, he's one of the few who appeared to be a man among boys in the NFL. Just beyond impressive. I'd say he wasn't discussed more for two reasons – (1) his team went to the playoffs only four times in his 17-year career, and (2) Santonio Holmes.

Jeffery from Monticello, WI

Hi guys, this may have been asked and answered already but why is Jayden Reed called birdman?

"Bird" is a nickname his dad gave him as a kid, apparently from watching him fly around the field, or something like that.

Brian from Chaska, MN

After reading Spoff’s article of the growing chemistry between Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams … Williams went from a hesitant rookie dropping his first pass without gloves to leading the team in interceptions last year. How has his vocal presence in the locker room and film room changed as he enters Year 3? Is he starting to challenge or command the defense alongside McKinney, or is the dynamic still strictly mentor-and-protege?

Williams continues to establish himself as a trusted teammate and a leader in his own right. McKinney is still the primary signal-caller in the back end, but he no longer has to handle it all.

Craig from Sussex, WI

Assuming the Brewers will be buyers at the trade deadline, where do you feel they will go in terms of position? I think they'll get another bullpen arm. I just hope they don't give up the farm for a one-year rental.

It's not in their nature so I don't expect that. I think they'll look for a bullpen arm and a bat at third base.

Phillip from Wonder Lake, IL

With all the great picks through the draft and free agency, how will the Packers cut to get down to a 53-man roster by regular season?

How? By making tough decisions, and the tougher the better. Happy Wednesday.

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