Inbox: It's always a great atmosphere

Dave from Lake Hallie, WI

Is the photo leading Friday's article really of the "admin"?

Indubitably.

Scott from Berrien Center, MI

Kudos to the admin guest writer – nicely done! And thanks for the Easter egg, also… In the background of the mystery admin's photo we can clearly see the three amigos shooting "Three Things," and Wes's green and white Nikes are completely within the frame on full display. Nice!

All part of her plan.

Marty from Rancho Cordova, CA

Can I ask who Elbow from Madison is connected to?

Please see yourself out.

Mutt from Blaine, MN

Good morning II. Thanks for the admin respite. It's always fun to learn more about people helping keep us all entertained. Hope to hear from her again in the future and so glad it wasn't some AI attempting to take your jobs. My question: We always here about splash plays. But how much do the splash plays really matter if the basics aren't solid? When we hear about splash, are they above and beyond fundamentals or just fun things that happened? Simply, how much do splash plays matter?

That depends, and it's why the coaches and personnel department evaluate every snap of every practice. Is a player sound in his assignments and makes a splash play from that foundation? Or is he not reliable assignment-wise because he's chasing the big play and happens to make one? Huge difference.

Devin from Bondurant, IA

Boys, no one does it better than the Packers. Family Night remains unmatched. Since I love your "5 Things" blog here is my very own 5 things about Family Night: 1) MarShawn Lloyd, if he stays healthy, can be a force. He runs behind his pads and it's incredible. 2) Jordan Morgan held up good in pass pro. 3) Drake Dabney can make this team. 4) Matthew Golden looks way more polished than last year. 5) Trey Smack needed this confidence booster! And boy did get it (or so I believe). What say you?

See for yourself. Regardless, it's always a great atmosphere.

Randy from Raymond, IA

It was nice to see Trey Smack have a good Family Night. But I always wondered why a kicker, with the first name of Trey, is not assigned the No. 3 when no one else on the roster has it? Wouldn't that make sense?

Not when it's been retired for a Hall of Famer.

Davy from Watertown, WI

Did you watch the Hall of Fame game? Any thoughts on the younger LaFleur's start?

No offense to Mike LaFleur, but if I'm ever caught watching a preseason game for a team I don't cover, I oughta be committed.

Harry from Bessemer, MI

With so many different iterations of offensive line being tried out, do you think the ones will play a full half in preseason to get a look at who's functioning best where, or is this already addressed with the practices?

I think that'll depend on how LaFleur feels about the group up front as camp goes along. Based on their injury/recovery situations, it wouldn't surprise me if Zach Bako-Bewele and Aaron Banks don't take any preseason snaps at all.

Chris from Lake Hallie, WI

If Zach's last name is Bako-Bewele (I believe I heard him say in an interview, one paternal and the other maternal), where did Tom come from?

He said it was his paternal grandfather's first name, and it became his dad's last name when the family emigrated.

Patrick from Marvin, NC

Looks like we are cycling through TEs quickly. Any opinion on looking at a veteran to bring in to camp, or do you think that team will stick with TEs in camp and look at waiver wire close to camp cutdowns in a few weeks?

That may hinge on what they ultimately find out about Luke Musgrave's neck injury, which seems very uncertain at this point. Fingers crossed some good news is coming for Luke.

Gary from Cross Plains, WI

While I get the need to make moves to get healthy TE bodies in camp for practice, why a waive-injured designation versus putting a player on PUP? Is the team able to re-sign those players at some point if they are healthy enough and team still likes them?

Anybody who has practiced is not eligible for PUP. IR is an option, but the player counts against the 90-man roster limit. By waiving the player injured, he reverts back to the team's IR when he goes unclaimed (which is a virtual certainty when hurt) but then doesn't count against the 90. At that point, an injury settlement is typically forthcoming, and the original team can't re-sign the player until three weeks after the injury settlement period ends.

Bob from Emmaus, PA

Tucker Kraft fits in great with the team and has tremendous potential. When he states he wants to be Packer forever, does that hurt his position in contract negotiation?

No. Saying he wants to play his entire career in Green Bay doesn't mean he's taking a hometown discount to do so.

Steve from Waukesha, WI

It seems like the Packers have a lot of good young players on the defensive line and rush ends. Who do you believe are the odd men out at this point in camp? We can't keep them all.

No, they can't. But there hasn't been even one preseason game played, let alone three.

Duane from Oak Creek, WI

Do you think we need another kicker in camp?

As Wes and I both said earlier and Gutekunst reiterated at the podium Thursday, a second kicker is likely to be brought in when they get back down to one long snapper.

Tom from Woodbury, MN

Do kicking specialists regularly practice inside Lambeau?

During the regular season, yes, and they've been doing some in training camp (aside from Family Night) this year, too.

Al from Brookfield, WI

Due to the problems at CB last year, is it possible for Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste to be the starting CBs this year?

I won't dismiss the possibility out of hand, but I'd consider it unlikely.

Dale from Aurora, CO

From reading Inbox and Unscripted I get the feeling the Packers DB position, both safety and corners are in good shape. Do you guys concur?

I like the depth at corner better now than last year, and the safety room might be the most dynamic since the days of LeRoy Butler, Eugene Robinson and Mike Prior.

Jonathan from Osceola Mills, PA

Has there been any standout performances for the battle for RB2?

MarShawn Lloyd is RB2 as long as he and Josh Jacobs are healthy and available.

Jim from Prairie du Chien, WI

Good morning all! First, big Trey Smack fan. I'm not concerned about a small sample of kicks missed. I'm confused reading Cam Achord's latest comments where he said the wind at Nitschke Field can be gusting to 25 mph at the practice field while hardly noticeable in the stadium. In the past, Mason Crosby spoke about the unique wind patterns inside Lambeau. Are both correct?

The patterns inside the stadium are unique the way the wind can swirl around the bowl and with the south end zone built higher than the north. But generally speaking, you don't get 25 mph gusts in Lambeau, at least not before a really bad winter day.

Bob from Fredericksburg, VA

Greetings gentlemen. I enjoyed the coaches' comments about the team so far. I noticed that the ST coach addressed the returners' duties but no mention of the block in the back and holding calls that constantly plagued us. Do we wait until the roster is finished before these techniques are practiced?

No. They work on technique all the time in practice, and then the live drills and preseason games are evaluated to see how those techniques are applied.

John from Stevens Point, WI

Your positive comments about Anthony Campbell got me to thinking about a comment Ted Thompson supposedly made. I'm paraphrasing, but Thompson said, "The Good Lord only made so many big guys." Glad to see Campbell is "not throwing away his shot," and that the Packers may have found a diamond in the rough. Can you remember someone with such an insignificant college career ever making the Packer roster?

Long snapper Jack Coco had a rather nondescript college career, and QB Tim Boyle had a flat-out unimpressive one.

Mike from Verona, WI

How do players get from practice field to locker room once the season begins and the bicycle UBERs are no longer available?

They walk or carpool.

Alex from Bethany, CT

Regarding getting the play calls into the QB more quickly, in watching the current season of Netflix's "Quarterback," you get an appreciation for how hard it is for the quarterback to hear/understand the call coming through his helmet speakers. There is a lot of information that has to be communicated in a span of 5-8 seconds. I'm hoping MLF can figure out ways to simplify the process.

It's a complex game at this level. Play calls include a lot of information. Some teams, including the Packers, have tried the wristband with the menu of plays, but the QB has to take the time to read that and spit it out in the huddle anyway. In a perfect world, a play caller can always be thinking at least one play ahead, but that's only if everything goes smoothly, and plenty can go wrong. He's got no idea what the next down-and-distance will be.

Bill from Menominee, MI

Couple of training camp observation questions. Is Jordan Love throwing a lot of risky 50/50 balls to see who makes a play? I recall AR12 letting a few rip just to see who does something special. Also, how is Skyy Moore looking in the WR role? From social media clips of camp, he looks much more physically imposing than I anticipated.

Love hasn't taken a lot of deep shots in camp yet but maybe more are coming. As for Moore, he's stronger with the ball in his hands than his 5-10, 195-pound listing might indicate.

Rich from Grand Rapids, MI

To all the scheme lovers out there, a recent article from a reputable source explains in detail why a two-high safety scheme is here to stay. Has to do with odds of explosive plays and the resulting chances of scoring. Explosive plays are 90% pass, explosive runs are relatively rare. Odds of scoring TD on drive go from 22 to 43 percent if drive has an explosive play. DCs not worried about 5-yard runs, they are worried about explosive plays. Fascinating analysis by Ted Nguyen.

Without the specific numbers, that's what we've been trying to explain in this column for years.

Greg from Perkasie, PA

Playing devil's advocate to Mike's response saying Micah Parsons's/Tucker's absences had nothing to do with a botched onside kick recovery, a fumbled snap in overtime, a dropped pass in the red zone in the final minute, and a bunch of missed kicks, those all seem to be focus based errors. With so many stars of the team getting hurt, it felt like the air got sucked out of the team's sails. Not saying it was the only factor, but I can certainly see how injuries may affect the psyche and focus of the team.

Yet they had enough focus and a strong enough psyche to build two double-digit leads in Chicago midway through the fourth quarter. Every player must do his part regardless of circumstance.

Randal from Suamico, WI

Not related to football, I've been watching a lot of Brewer baseball. I have noticed on multiple occasions, when a player hits a foul ball, they will smell their bat. Why?

If a foul tip goes straight back, the bat can give off a little burn smell from the high-speed friction between the edges of bat and ball. It's like a smelling salt for a baseball player. Even if I hadn't used primarily aluminum bats in my career, I don't think I ever had enough bat speed to create that burn smell. So it goes.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

"We've got to put the work in." Words from Micah Parsons as he projects when he might come back from his injury, and this goes right to the type of person and player he is. No excuses, no short-changing the process, not shying away from what has to be done. They should print this out and put this on every door in the building so nobody forgets what needs to happen to get where they want to go.

Amen.

Jeff from Indian Lake, NY

Jordan sure seems comfortable in his own skin doesn't he? He strikes me as a QB poised to enter the prime of his career. Total command of his offense, and coming into his own as a leader.

Yup.

Russ from Peosta, IA

Good morning II! As you look ahead to the first game of the season which of the following would best set the tone for the season: Tucker Kraft TD catch, MarShawn Lloyd TD run, Zaire Franklin INT for a TD or a Devonte Wyatt strip sack recovered for a TD?

Sure. Have a good weekend, everybody.

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