Inbox: It's not beyond the realm of possibility

Dennis from Parrish, FL Please let Mark in Bettendorf, Iowa, know that "candlesticks" make great gifts! Or maybe a silverware pattern. Steven from San Diego, CA What are the Packers missing in order to make it to the Super Bowl? One more win, and playing their best game on the day that win is needed. Matthew from Olathe, KS Do you know if the NFL will mandate the players/coaches get a COVID vaccine before playing in 2021? The league has said it will not require the players but will strongly encourage it. It did announce that any team personnel who would need to have Tier 1 or 2 status for the coming season must be vaccinated. Ron from Waukesha, WI Hey, it was a great party and everybody had a good time but it’s now time to pay the bill. And that bill is pick No. 29! The NFL Draft has 32 selections in the first round but there are never, ever 32 players graded as first-round prospects. So do the Packers have a first-round pick or is it really just a very high second pick? It’s true, there aren’t normally 32 players with first-round grades, but not every team has its first-round grades on the same players. So we’ll see. Cam from Pekin, IL Good morning Spoff, yesterday Wes came up with a DII player drafted in the third round. I would argue the BEST lower-division player drafted into the NFL was Ken Anderson, QB from DIII Augustana College. His accomplishments were long and impressive. Could it be Wes is too young to remember Ken? Are you just trying to make me feel old? Anderson wrapped up his NFL career as I was starting high school, which was before Wes was born, so, yeah. James from Appleton, WI If Aaron Jones becomes more involved in the short passing game this season, do you think there's a possibility AJ Dillon could end up with more rushing yards? With 17 games, the Packers could end up with two 1,000-yard rushers. I don’t see Dillon finishing with more rushing yards than Jones, and getting both guys over 1,000 would be a pretty mean feat. But with 17 games, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.George from Manassas, VA Mike, in a pregame chat last year, I asked you how long it would be until opponents figured out Aaron Rodgers' keys to make audible play changes. I believe you responded they don't know what Rodgers' keys are. With Tim Boyle signing with Detroit, won't the Packers have to change their approach to audibles? They’ll just change the hot words that make the audibles live, which they do all the time anyway because of all the sound picked up by the television broadcasts. Scott from Sussex, WI How much time and effort do you think the Packers are spending debating the grades and order of players they have almost no chance of drafting? For example, do you think they are spending as much time as Miami debating Ja'Marr Chase vs. Devonta Smith? Not necessarily, but they’ll do their due diligence and get them ranked appropriately so as not to take anything for granted. One faulty assumption 16 years ago would’ve changed this franchise’s course of history. Tim from Braceville, IL How are the Packers going to address the tight end issue in the draft? I’m not saying the Packers won’t draft one, but I fail to see a tight end issue. They have a double-digit TD guy, a top-notch veteran blocker, a pair of third-round draft picks from the last two years, and a promising undrafted rookie from a year ago who made a late-season impact. There are far more pressing areas of the roster to address. Peter from Wellington, New Zealand Hey guys, how’s Josiah Deguara progressing with his injury? And if he’s the player as was advertised I’m excited to see what a full season means for him and the Packers’ offense. Will his presence open up the playbook a little more? Cheers. I’ve heard no updates on Deguara so we’ll see. I do think his varied skill set gives LaFleur one of those players about whom the defense can’t know for sure what he’s up to when he’s in there. Hap from Graham, WA Good morning II, watching Pack greats like “The Rock,” Nitschke, White, and Woodson brings one word to mind: “NASTY.” Technique can be taught, but attitude is born. When reading draft reports about 2021 OL prospects, “nasty” gets my attention. Which OL has a rep for nasty? Jenkins? Mayfield? Other? Thanks! I’ve read that about linemen like Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State) and Samuel Cosmi (Texas), but I don’t put much stock in it until a guy establishes himself at the NFL level. I’ve seen plenty of guys bring an “attitude” from the college ranks get humbled pretty quickly once the pads go on in training camp. Mike Tyson’s famous line about having a plan, or in this case an attitude, comes to mind.Steve from Lake Stevens, WA If you could, would you be in the war room on draft day, and what would interest you most? I would love to just watch sometime how the board is laid out and how it “falls,” as well as listen to the trade conversations with other teams that happen over the phones. Rhys from Jackson, MI The first rule about the draft board is don't talk about the draft board! Something like that. Gary from Cross Plains, WI Mike's response: Ultimately, it comes down to having the courage of your convictions. Agree, GMs have to trust their board and the info their scouting/personnel team is gathering. But that's also why the GM is in the hot seat – too many poor convictions (reaching for picks/overestimating their abilities and passing on players that, in hindsight, were way better options) and they are just another talking head doing a mock draft. Am I allowed to laugh at that, because I don’t do a mock draft? Patrick from Valrico, FL Thought this was a good one for II especially while free agents remain available and with the draft approaching. The one player that every team can use is a guy who has experience at multiple positions, never makes a mistake and always knows what the opponent is trying to do. Unfortunately it’s difficult to get those guys to put down their snacks and drinks and get up off the couch, let alone get them on the field of play. This crowd is blazing its own trail today. Chris from Chillicothe, OH Mike, I hate to be that guy, but surely you forgot the Golden Boy when stating Lofton was the highest Packer pick in Canton. Hornung was probably pretty highly regarded going into the draft as Heisman winner out of glory day Notre Dame. Keep up the good work. Yeah, that’s my bad. In quickly researching the pick numbers of the Canton guys, I only saw “bonus choice” next to Hornung and glossed over it. His No. 1 status didn’t immediately register. I stand, shamefully, corrected. Craig from St. Paul, MN Mike, as a kid I was absolutely crushed when my favorite QB and tough-as-nails certain HOFer was traded to San Diego to end his career. U must know his name? Of course, but for the record that HOF QB list was from the salary-cap era only. And to those who thought I neglected to acknowledge Brees starting his career in San Diego or Montana’s late-career move to Kansas City, read my answer from Monday again. They’re covered. Potential omissions – if Eli Manning and Philip Rivers both get the call from Canton, that would add one more to each side of the ledger. Eric from St. Jacob, IL Just read updates on proposed rules changes and this one, outside of game play, caught my eye. "Prohibit teams in the playoffs from signing players waived or released by clubs whose seasons have already concluded." This rule appears to be a direct response to the Packers adding two players last year. Any insight into who proposed this new rule (my guess is it was 'da Bears!). What are the chances it will be approved? That’s a bylaw proposal made by the competition committee, on which Mark Murphy serves. I expect it to pass. Mark from Sturgeon Bay, WI How do intentional leaks work? Does GM Spoff go to scout Hod and say "tell your friend at ESPN GB is picking QB Jordan Love in the first round"? If so, how many times can Hod get away with this before his friend won't listen to his tips anymore? Or don't the reporters care if a scoop is good or bad intel, as long as they get a scoop? All great questions, on many levels. It’s all part of the game being played, though it seems that type of noise has quieted down compared to 5-10 years ago.Craig from Cortland, NY Hey, Spoff. How will Lane Taylor's signing with the Texans factor into next year's compensatory picks formula, or have we reached the point in the year where he was considered a street free agent with no compensation consideration? We have not yet reached that magic date, which is usually after the draft, sometime in early May. I have not seen any specifics on Taylor’s contract, other than it being a one-year deal. If the salary isn’t high enough, it might not factor in. Dan from Cross Plains, WI What kind of reaction do scouts have when a player they scouted gets drafted? Just curious if there is any sort of excitement from them or if it's business as usual? I’m sure they take a lot of pride in their legwork coming to fruition for their team. But I’ve also heard scouts share a lot of stories about guys they really believed in whom their team passed on, and they went on to live up to their billing elsewhere. They remember those just as much, if not more. Robert from Pawnee, OK What do you feel is the most underrated aspect of our Green Bay Packers organization? It could be anything: players, coaches, playbooks, fans, etc. After sharing what you feel is the most underrated aspect, please emphasize the importance of this aspect to our organization. Thank you! I would say it’s that football decisions are made for football reasons only, not to satisfy an executive’s ego or to make a splash or to sell tickets or any other overall business/financial considerations. Whether the football decisions work out or not is another matter, but there are no motivations beyond what is believed to make the football team better and help it win. Tony from Chanhassen, MN When these new contracts for players like Kevin King void, will they become unrestricted free agents that, when signed by other teams, apply to the compensatory pick calculations, or street free agents which do not? That’s an outstanding question. I’m not 100% sure on the answer, but I would think a voided contract would be treated the same as a terminated one, not an expired one, so therefore those players become street free agents who don’t factor into the comp-pick equation. But don’t hold me to that. Scott from De Pere, WI Going into the draft CB is a position that seems to be of need for the Packers. I was happy to see Kevin King re-signed (not resigned) because if the Packers do draft a CB, that gives the rookie a year to get acclimated. People seem to think that Jaire Alexander was a stud right off the bat at as a rookie. While he performed well, it wasn't until his third year that he really flourished. Look no further than the Vikings’ young CBs last year, they had plenty of growing pains. True that. Alexander showed as a rookie in ’18 he was on his way, particularly with the performance at the LA Coliseum in that gut-punch loss to the Rams. But he learned a lot that year, too. Dale form Lima, NY Welcome back Packers Unscripted! Following up on your discussion of what the OL will look like in Week 1 … You both made valid points (per usual). I'm curious, though: How much do you think who the Week 1 opponent is will factor into deciding which five players start? Little to none. James from Santa Maria, CA Good morning II, so with Wes looking forward to seeing his coworkers for the draft I got to thinking will there be new safety protocols for lunch procurement from the break room fridge for Spoff during the pandemic? I'm picturing haz-mat suit and long salad tongs? The draft can’t get here soon enough. Happy Wednesday. HAVE A QUESTION?