Inbox: It's the nature of the biz in the NFL

Patrick from Ashland, WI

I was 9 years old.

I was 7 (Hi, the old guy is back), but there's still no comparison, nor will there ever be.

Gary from Davenport, IA

I guess a hot goalie is the main ingredient to winning a gold medal. Some of those saves were beyond belief. But to me, the highlight of the morning was seeing the team have its photo taken with the uniform of the late Johnny Gaudreau and his two oldest children. I wasn't chopping onions at the time, but it had the same effect. What did you think about the game?

I confess I did not see it in its entirety, but there is something very real about the "hot goalie" phenomenon in hockey that's akin to a baseball pitcher getting locked in, seemingly taking over a game, and frustrating the opponent to no end. What Team USA did to honor Gaudreau and his family was truly special.

Jon from Willmar, MN

Should there be concern with finding a special teams coach this late after SB?

It's not ideal, but once again some big news broke while I was away, so it's good to know some traditions will never die. The timing is certainly a challenge, but there are still a lot of good coaches out there looking for their next opportunity. Maybe someone who wasn't going to rise to the coordinator level until next year gets a shot ahead of schedule. We shall see.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Welcome back Mike! As a HC does MLF approach this season with excitement for the opportunity that comes with change or angst for the heavy lifting necessary to integrate so much "new" into an established program?

Some of both I'm sure, but I don't think he sweats it either way. It's the nature of the biz in the NFL and familiar territory for him. Gannon will be LaFleur's fourth defensive coordinator and the new hire on special teams will be the fourth there as well. Both phases got a new coordinator at the same time in 2021 as well. This is nothing new.

Scott from Noblesville, IN

Compliments to all fans humble enough to realize our knowledge level truly IS "tip of the iceberg." With all the new analytics, all I can claim is "fan since Lombardi era ignorance" – at best. So please help an old guy out and tell me if you believe, or if any modern analytics show, a correlation existing between off/def starters' injuries and below average ST coverage/return performance in NFL rankings. It seems to me there would be when key ST players have to replace starters on off/def. Thanks.

I've never seen a specific analysis with all the data laid out. Intuitively, a domino effect of some sort would make sense. The best teams either get lucky on the injury front or simply overcome with depth, which is why no decision regarding the 90-man offseason roster, 53-man active roster or 16-man practice squad is ever taken lightly.

Camden from Altoona, WI

Now that we're going to get a new special teams coach do you think we'll keep our kicker or find a new one?

As Wes mentioned last week, Brandon McManus is due a roster bonus in mid-March, so that's the first big decision. Gutekunst's comments earlier this month would seem to indicate he'll remain the incumbent and Lucas Havrisik will be the challenger.

Kevin from Kirkland, IL

Regarding our punt return problems, why did teams go away from having two returners line up for returns as they did in the past? Especially if you don't have an All-Pro. It can't be because you expect to block more punts, that only happens once every three years. The extra returner can block the gunner that gets loose for extra return yardage or keep the gunners from downing the bouncing punt inside the 10, etc. Seems like common sense, but I'm sure there is some analytics muddying the decision.

I'm no X's and O's expert, but I would imagine the rationale is that player is more useful on the outside as an extra blocker on a flyer (because it's easier that block that guy before he gets up a head of steam) or in the box to guard against a fake.

Keith from Lincoln, IL

A couple of years ago safety was a weak position on the team. A free agent signing (Xavier McKinney) and some smart drafting (Evan Williams and Javon Bullard) and now it's one of the strongest positions on the team, if not the league. Which defensive position most lends itself to such a quick turnaround this year? Corner? D-tackle? Somewhere else?

CB and DT are the positions everyone's watching closely, obviously. I could see both getting two-pronged attention – free agency and the draft – but whether any reinforcements will constitute a "turnaround" won't be known until well into next season.

Steve from Madison, WI

We often hear we should be grateful we're not a perennial losing team. But that feels like settling. The GBP standard shouldn't be "at least we're not bad." It should be championships. We're also not KC, Philly, NE, or Seattle, all of whom have reached the SB three times since 2010. Why do we never hold the GBP to this standard? What if their process is the issue? Their process is not resulting in SB appearances. The achievements of KC, Philly, NE, and Seattle suggest it's more than just luck.

If somebody wants to figure it out, be my guest. There's no concrete formula, and searching for it feels futile to me. I put the overwhelming success of KC and NE mostly on their QB play. Two of the greatest to ever do it who rarely if ever missed the playoffs, played at home a ton in the postseason, and performed their best in many of the biggest moments. And obviously Mahomes is far from done. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Seattle went 11 years between appearances in the NFC title game, had missed the playoffs entirely in three of the last four seasons, and got the most consequential and fortunate replay review of a two-point conversion, ever. Philly's story is even more all over the board, from making a Super Bowl run with a backup QB, to knocking the 49ers QB out of an NFC title game, to getting a key third-down, red-zone sack in the snow to hold off the Rams. People will accuse me of oversimplification, but I believe every path to a championship is filled with moments that easily could've gone the other way. You have to make enough of those plays, and get enough luck on some of the others, to go all the way. A foundation of success followed by momentary failures doesn't mean a "process" is inherently inferior or someone else has a different "standard." That's just not how I view it when the margins are forever small.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

Seemed like the WR room was a strength but now that Romeo Doubs will be leaving, how can the Packers replenish their WRs?

Replenish? They spent first- and third-round picks at the position last spring. The Packers have been planning for the eventuality they would not be able to re-sign all the receivers they drafted in 2022 and '23, which I think is a prudent approach because the non-QB position whose market value has skyrocketed the most over the last handful of years is receiver. They command gonzo dollars now on second contracts, and making those commitments judiciously while always having younger, cheap talent in the pipeline there is cap smart.

Rod from Chugiak, AK

Wasted time on a piece of click bait the other day criticizing GB's latest rookie class for rather zilch contributions. Starkly jumped off the page to me how little all-32 talking heads understand the current Packers roster. My opinion (WCBW) is that lack of rookie contribution last season was more attributable to loaded draft classes just ahead of them (reference Matthew Golden's situation) than BG failing to draft well last year. Please expand.

Golden could become this franchise's next star receiver. Anthony Belton could be a 10-year starter up front. We don't know. Nobody does. If somebody wants to rank draft classes based on rookie contributions, fine, but that's the context. Rookie contributions are as much a function of roster construction and opportunity as anything.

Dustin from Kansas City, MO

Sounds like I'm one of the few willing to admit it these days, but I was fine seeing the Packers move on from Eric Stokes. I'm also happy to see he was able to stay healthy and put up a good season last year. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed for someone to really hit their stride. Sometimes it goes in your favor (Rasul Douglas) and other times it doesn't. Such is life I suppose.

It's a human game, as much attention is paid to analytics and statistics and whatnot. I, too, am happy Stokes has found health and success. He's a genuinely good guy who was enjoyable to talk to and always carried a positive attitude. But there's no blaming the Packers for letting him go, all things considered.

Dave from Germantown, TN

Last week Wes answered a question about transfers and NIL money. Back when I went to college in the late '60s the jocks were always looking for easy A's but they had to be making progress towards a degree and maintain a certain GPA to be eligible to play. Have all academic eligibility standards gone out the window with the transfer portal? How do NFL teams view a player who goes to three or four schools for college? What percentage of drafted rookies have a college degree?

I have no idea on your first and third questions. As to your second, a player who was well-traveled used to raise red flags. Not anymore. It's the norm. Teams still look into why draft prospects transfer as they get to know their story, but the reasons are often different, and more obvious, now.

Greg from Denver, CO

So...the Gary Bears?

Sounds more like Hammond, actually.

Dave from Marshfield, WI

What happens with the rivalry if the Bears move to Indiana?

I don't see much changing in that regard.

Larry from Woodridge, IL

It's the bologna season so a Bears move to Indiana seems a fitting topic. I see no chance. The Bears bought land in Arlington Heights so they could build and OWN their own stadium plus entertainment district. They want the state to pay for local improvements and a reasonable property tax rate. They are teasing a move out of state as leverage in negotiations with the state and local governments. An Indiana-owned stadium would take away the income from non-football uses and entertainment district.

I'm with you. I've felt all along this whole saga has involved political posturing to the hilt. Said so from the start. Maybe we're wrong. But at some point, somebody's calling somebody else's bluff.

Steve from Plover, WI

With talk of a new Bears stadium, wherever it may end up, it's virtually certain it'll have a roof. I know there are no plans to replace Lambeau for the foreseeable future, but I fear the day the Packers play indoors at home may eventually arrive. Is the health of the stadium monitored regularly by an engineering team? Can we expect it to last another 70 years?

Another 70 years is probably a bit ambitious. I don't know the life expectancy of Lambeau, and the Packers haven't discussed it, but the stadium's bones are properly monitored and studied. At some point, annual maintenance costs will get too high and a new stadium will become the better investment. But that's not anytime soon. The Bears will be putting a roof on their new one, wherever it's built, in order to be able to host a Super Bowl. With the Green Bay market not meeting the minimum requirements, that won't be a consideration when the time comes.

Jason from Austin, TX

In honor of the great Vic, I hope we finally get to see the famous (not so famous) Vic Ketchman defense at some point. For those that don't know, it's a 0-0-11 defensive scheme for prevent defense on a Hail Mary. Let the QB have all day. You have a huge numbers advantage. Do you think we'll ever see that?

Probably. I mean, I know I've seen Hail Mary attempts against two-man rushes. The "Ketchman prevent" will show up on an all-22 at some point, and it'll be glorious.

Stephen from Eagle River, WI

Does 15 years give the Insider Inbox Packers Hall of Fame eligibility? The laser goalpost display would be spectacular.

The first thing Vic covered for packers.com was the scouting combine in Indy, which is where I'm headed this morning as we speak. Just a short trip to cover Packers-related media availability tomorrow, and I'll do my best to keep everyone updated. Happy Monday.

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