Inbox: It's remarkable what he's done

Bill from North Liberty, IA

A favorite baseball dig I remember is when an outfielder takes a circuitous route to catch a fly ball, the opposing bench yells, "Nice catch Magellan!"

We used to say, "That circus needs three rings."

Tucker from Belton, TX

I respectfully disagree about two-a-days. Some of my favorite high school and college memories are from hanging with the team all day long in between practices. I understand why the NFL doesn't allow it anymore, but man we had fun in that locker room.

There's no way I could've survived two-a-days in the summer heat in my youth. I barely survived a 95-degree high school doubleheader out in left field when I don't think a single ball was hit to me all day.

John from Rhinelander, WI

I remember the Lombardi two-a-day practices, and Wes said that in today's football, players have many meetings, with less practice. Are today's offenses and defenses more complex than the past and require way more study? It seemed like Lombardi kept it simple and said this is what we are going to run, try and stop it!

All true, and in today's game they would stop it. Specialization and constant substitution have made the game way more complex than yesteryear.

Steve from Plover, WI

If (or when) the NFL goes to an 18th game, would you rather the preseason will start a week earlier and leave the bye between pre and regular season, start the regular season a week earlier, eliminate the bye week before the Super Bowl, or play the Super Bowl one week later? I don't see what's so sacred about starting the season before Labor Day, but football into mid to late February seems ridiculously brutal. Then again, I'm not a fan of a team that plays in a dome or the Sun Belt.

I think when the regular season goes to 18 games, it will be opening on Labor Day weekend, which the league has avoided for years for fear of not getting the ratings it wants over the final summer holiday. I suspect that's not much of a concern anymore. Just my hunch anyway. There will only be two preseason games, and there might be other adjustments via collective bargaining regarding the offseason or start of training camp, etc., that will factor into everything, too.

Terry from Green Bay, WI

Good morning II. Bob from Rome, NY, had a good question posted yesterday but it wasn't really answered, so I'd like to ask it again: With the chains no longer used to measure for first downs, will the coach know exactly how short they are? Preseason TV coverage has shown a computer-generated image of the ball and the line to gain. Is that also on the scoreboard? Can a coach request that similar to requesting a measurement in the past? Thanks.

A coach will be able to make that request, I believe.

Brandon from Imperial, MO

Good morning, I have a question on what feels like recent terminology. When did we, collectively, start saying "the line to gain" instead of "first-down marker"? Was there a timeline shift around 2022 because that's when I first remember it being said all over different football broadcasts and rarely prior. Was there a memo that went out from the league since they were getting ready to change to the "Hawk-eye" tech or did everyone just decide to start using it fulltime?

I can't pin it to a moment in time, but the more common it became to hear in-game officials over the mic refer to "line to gain" when discussing a replay, it seemed to seep more into the general football vernacular. It's the language of the rulebook. I've always said "marker" and always will. That's just me.

Chase from Diamond Springs, CA

In Joshua's defense, I only know about compensatory picks because of this column. I totally get the logic too, but then you look at last season and realize how big those two wins came out to be. Then there's the added value in practice and potential for creativity now that he's in his second year here. Even if those picks weren't a thing, I still see too much value to trade away with no cap concerns and the abundance of youth already.

Couldn't agree more. It took 11 wins to get the final seed in the NFC playoffs last year, and the Packers needed Malik Willis for three of them. As for the comp pick, as Wes said, there's a good chance Willis could fetch the Packers a third- or fourth-rounder, which would mean any trade compensation talks now should start with at least a second to even consider it, and I don't see a team surrendering that at this stage.

Lee from Centerville, OH

In 7-on-7 drills there are no OL so what position is the seventh offensive player?

The snapper (when the QB is actually taking snaps), which is usually an equipment staffer, not an actual player.

Larry from Carney, MI

If I remember correctly, if a vested veteran of over four years (who doesn't have guaranteed money remaining on his contract) is on a roster Week 1 the entire year's salary becomes guaranteed. If a team were looking for help at a certain position for 4-6 weeks until a player comes back from injury/suspension, why not wait until Week 2 to make the call? Have you seen that happen?

Yes. The Packers did it that way when they signed receiver Koren Robinson back in 2006, my first year with packers.com. They've done it another time or two but the details escape me now.

Keith from Lincoln, IL

Spoff's comment about one team game planning and the other team not made me wonder about the differences between preseason and regular-season games. Every play called in a regular-season game is designed to win the game, I would presume, unless it is a blowout. What percentage of plays called in a preseason game are called not to necessarily win the game but get a desired 1:1 or test out a look or understand the skill depth of a player?

That occasionally occurs. I wouldn't say it's a factor in a large majority of play calls, but some.

Kevin from Rockton, IL

Piggybacking off of Mike and Herb's (not "Ike's") conversation on the "Mike" linebacker, do defenses often try to disguise the Mike designation in an effort to disrupt the blocking assignments of the offensive linemen?

All the time.

Kevin from Rockton, IL

Hey Spoff, when you're observing the Packers' practice beyond the end zone, with the offense driving your way, has Elgton Jenkins ever pointed at you?

Mercy.

Craig from Laramie, WY

Nuance question regarding the center's identification of the Mike linebacker: Is it just to provide a starting point from which other linemen count out from to determine their blocking assignments? Or does the play called in the huddle provide the center with enough information to optimize the play call according to which LB he then designates as the Mike? If so, this suggests a more complete, almost instantaneous, and frankly amazing grasp of what he sees as they line up.

I don't know how much the latter comes into play. Maybe sparingly. The greater goal is to have a declaration made so everyone is on the same page with regard to assignments, to avoid mixups resulting in the QB getting smacked or running for his life.

Tim from Greensboro, NC

Morning gents. I have seen commentary on SI.com, Fansided, etc., claiming Isaiah Simmons had another bad outing at Indy. I watched the replay on NFL Network and am confused. I saw 28 showing up in the frame all night. Once he is covering a WR in the flat for a small gain, or meeting a ball carrier at the one and knocking him backwards out of bounds or coming from the D's right side down the line and barely missing on a flying attempt to tackle the RB. What am I missing?

It's about consistency. I think Simmons has done a lot of good work in training camp, but in learning the system and being asked to play a role he hasn't necessarily done fulltime in the NFL before, he's been up and down. This weekend could be big for him.

Chuck from Richfield, WI

I heard a Cubs announcer stating that each head-to-head game vs. the Brewers carries twice the importance of other games, his logic being that after a single game, you've either advanced a full game or dropped a game behind. If rudimentary math is allowed in the II, have you ever heard a Packer coach mention this "double weight" aspect of a rivalry game? Or is one game one game?

Nobody has belabored the math, but both McCarthy and LaFleur often have referenced the importance of division games, in terms of getting a win while simultaneously handing your rival a loss, with the opposite result as detrimental as the desired one is beneficial.

Kyle from St. Charles, MO

With two weeks after this Sunday to prepare for Detroit and the immediate, quick turnaround to face Washington, do the coaches try to siphon some of the practice time leading up to the home opener to prepare for them as well or will all the focus be on the Lions and as much as possible on the Commanders Monday-Wednesday?

The coaches will definitely do some prep in advance for Washington, if they haven't already. As far as on-field prep for the players, my guess is some gets worked in as well but I don't know exactly when or how, and they may not tell us.

Sandy from Green Bay, WI

How much of a concern is this rash of early injuries on team confidence moving forward? I heard that they might dial back practices in an effort to let the players recover, and while that may be the prudent course of action, how might that affect preparedness for the start of the regular season?

It's a legitimate concern, but I get the sense LaFleur has done more dialing back now to get through this phase with the hope things will be closer to normal when the full-on prep for those first two games gets rolling.

Dave from Hollywood, MD

After several weeks of practice and two preseason games, BG and ML likely have most of the final 53 figured out. Typically, how many players could flip that decision in the last week and game?

I figure there's still a handful of undecided spots, and the final decisions hinge on performance this final week (good or bad) and injuries.

Lynn from Somers, WI

Herb from Mosier, OR, got me thinking about cut-down day. There has to be some players who have nothing to worry about. I'm thinking Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney. Call them the safe players. Then there's the next group, the guys who are not sure, and worry about the phone ringing. Is there also a group of guys who are pretty sure they are not going to make it? They don't want the phone to ring, but they know it probably will?

There are guys who know they haven't risen on the depth chart far enough throughout the course of camp. But they're hoping when they get called in they're told the team is interested in bringing them back on the practice squad should they clear waivers.

Ross from Hudson, WI

I imagine figuring the initial 53-man roster is a group effort with GM and head coach leading the discussion. Do coordinators or other coaches have a say? Do they start discussions in camp and then keep a fluid board going until next week? Walk us through that process.

I'm not privy to the specifics. The assistant coaches' opinions are solicited, and that kind of communication goes on throughout camp. But it's mostly the head coach, GM and personnel department making the final calls.

Dustin from Kansas City, MO

At this point in the preseason, which position battle has surprised you the most so far, either because it's closer than expected, or because someone has seized the opportunity and pulled away from the pack?

The fact that we're talking about Jordan Morgan possibly starting at left tackle over Rasheed Walker is a bit surprising, because I thought Walker would hold down that spot. His injury has factored, but we'll see what happens. The story of this camp to me, though, has been Bo Melton. I think he's going to make the 53, and usually a position switch like that is a kiss of death for a player's chances. It's remarkable what he's done.

Tom from Columbus, NJ

Hey guys, can you give us a couple names to watch for this weekend on either side of the ball? More specifically, guys that have a chance to make or break their opportunity at a roster spot. That has always intrigued me the most in these preseason games. Thank you!

As I mentioned on our latest "Unscripted," I think the decisions surrounding Mecole Hardman and Isaiah Simmons are really intriguing. How cornerback shakes out with a bunch of late-round draft picks in the mix – Kalen King, Micah Robinson, Kamal Hadden – will be interesting, too.

Markus from Aurora, CO

Day by day, we are getting closer: Closer to the final preseason game. Closer to "cut-down" day. Closer to the "wire" period. Closer to knowing for certain who's on the initial 53, who's on then practice squad, and who hasn't made it initially. And closer to Week 1 at home when it starts counting for the ultimate goal.

Happy Friday.

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