John from Temple City, CA

I am very intrigued by Micah Parsons riding the three little sisters' bikes. I searched around, but I was unable to find it. Would you be able to provide a link for other curious viewers of II? Thank you for all II provides for us.

Here you go.

Tracy from Green Bay, WI

When does training camp actually get up to live game pace?

It doesn't. There's no live tackling, and the QBs don't get hit. Fully padded 11-on-11 in practice comes close, but only close.

Yotam from New Zealand

Not a question, but a comment. Seeing the Baker Mayfield situation in Tampa Bay made me appreciate how the Packers do business. I don't remember ever seeing a player come out and say out loud anything about how negotiations are made here. Speaks volumes to the front office and culture of Green Bay.

I've said it many times in this space. Agents and players know how Green Bay does business, and that way is respected by all involved. I'm not saying there isn't contention or that every negotiation goes smoothly from start to finish. But there's an understanding when engaging with the Packers that what's behind the scenes stays behind the scenes.

David from Greeneville, TN

As training camp progresses, which three players would you most like to keep an eye on, if you had to select one from each category: returning player, draft pick, and acquisition via trade or free agency?

Matthew Golden, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste. But regarding the last category in particular, we haven't seen Zaire Franklin in pads, and Javon Hargrave hasn't practiced.

Drew from Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Maybe it's just me, but Benjamin St-Juste seems a lot like Al Harris – savvy, veteran backup with some length.

I'm not putting him in the company of a Packers HOFer after just a few practices, but St-Juste's length really does stand out. All of 6-3 with the limbs to go with it. Harris was "only" 6-1, by the way.

Vince from Warm Springs, GA

Hi Mike and Wes! I enjoyed the piece on Matthew Golden. He really seems to have the right mental makeup to go far. It's one thing to flush a bad play to move on to the next, but quite another to avoid lingering over a good one, especially one so impactful. It's very hard to parlay one success into a whole career, unless you are Men Without Hats or Buster Douglas.

I can't pass up a good Buster Douglas reference. But in listening to Golden speak with the media last week, I couldn't help but feel he was being too nice when asked again – after he was asked about it ad nauseum in the spring – about the TD in the playoff game. If he would've said, "I'm done talking about that play," it would've come off wrong and been misinterpreted. I was doing the interpreting in my story.

Jaime from Nevis, MN

Will Golden get 1,000 yards this year?

I'm not putting any limitations on him, but he doesn't need to get 1,000 yards to be a big-time player in this offense and for this offense to be really good.

Nate from Canada

It's amazing how much draft position has an effect on player evaluation. Take a player like Lukas Van Ness, say he's drafted in the third round instead of the first, he'd be considered by most to be a great player. But since he was drafted in the first, expectations are sky high. How many good football players have been considered letdowns simply due to the draft? Immeasurable. Just the luck of the draw, I guess.

Goes with the territory.

Jim from Palm Bay, FL

Penalties are killers. Do the Packers watch/call out penalties starting with these early practices? With the different groups, first, second, third teams practicing separately, do they stress penalties during those drills? Who watches and calls them out? Coaches? Or does the team employ practice officials? I know some players get extra "exercises" for goofs, like dropping a pass, but do they get them too for penalties?

There are practice officials who throw flags, and usually a pre-snap penalty (false start, offside) gets a player yanked from that rep, though not always. The practice officials don't catch everything, though, and the coaches review the practice film meticulously as they evaluate the players. If there are consequences for penalties behind closed doors, they aren't shared.

Dar from Mansfield, TX

Mike, good ol' Vic used to say that it's sometimes good to be new. The artist formerly known as Zach Tom has heeded that mantra, and he has a new last name. Can you tell us how to pronounce it?

It's spelled Bako-Bewele. It's pronounced BOCK-oh be-WELL-aye.

Joe from Ashburn, VA

Any standout and exceptional rookies?

I'd say the standout from the UDFA class so far is receiver J. Michael Sturdivant. He's got a presence out there, consistently making catches. He's also had two bad drops on passes over the middle that must be caught. But what's most eye-catching is this: He's getting open a lot, and the reserve QBs keep looking for him.

Josh from Newhall, CA

Alec Pierce's contract and now Olave's extension seem to make Watson's extension look like a bargain to me. While I do watch other teams, I admit the Colts and Saints aren't high on my list, but I would take Watson every day of the week and twice on Sunday over those two. Am I just being a homer when I get frustrated over national pundits opining that GB overpaid Christian Watson but praising Olave's deal because (in my opinion) Olave was a bigger name and a first-round pick? I know I shouldn't care but…

I agree on all counts.

William from Newburgh, IN

Next to mental mistakes I think missed tackles bother the fan base the most. Having said that I think the vast majority of fans haven't a clue at how difficult it is to tackle an NFL-level RB. Their strength/elusiveness makes for a very difficult task. You add in the TEs and WRs, which I gather most WRs are way stronger than they appear, and none of them are easy. That being said, it's always disappointing to see a defender make a great read and then miss the tackle which allows YAC.

One guy's job is to make the tackle. The other guy's job is to make him miss. As an old friend used to say, it's a game of human confrontation.

Dana from Eau Claire, WI

What are you seeing so far in the new defense that gets you excited?

Lots of players getting a taste of first-team reps. There seems a concerted effort to get a deep group of guys fully engaged in this installation.

Ethan from Milwaukee, WI

The uncertainty at kicker the last couple years and the swap of Krieg for Havrisik has had me wondering about why we don't see more players that both punt and placekick. Certainly the skills are different, but there is some crossover too (good under pressure, leg speed, accuracy). If Shohei can both hit and pitch, do you think we may also see another kicker/punter combo someday? Or does some component of the jobs make them mutually exclusive in today's NFL?

I have no doubt most kickers/punters can do both. But doing both at an NFL level is a whole different conversation.

Graydon from Menomonie, WI

With the Packers releasing Lenny Krieg, is Trey Smack now the guy, or do you think Green Bay will bring in another kicker to compete?

The Packers may bring Krieg back once there's no longer a need for a second long snapper. But barring something totally alarming, Smack is the guy.

Kevin from Bettendorf, IA

A lot has been said and written about the Packers' need to "finish" games better this season than last. I'm certain no one's internal fire is burning brighter to make sure that happens than Head Coach Matt LaFleur's. It's very early, but have you noticed anything different he and his coaching staff are working into practices or are emphasizing during this camp compared to his previous camps? Thanks.

Not really. As I've said all offseason, there's no real way to practice the focus, drive and resolve needed at crunch time in this league. There just isn't. Maybe others disagree. But numerous games come down to the final minutes, and players learn from the ones they win, and learn even more from the ones they don't. The Packers were very good in crunch time last year against the Cowboys, Cardinals, Steelers, Giants, Lions (T-giving) and Bears (first game). But their biggest failures in crunch time came late in the year and cost them their season. Will that put them mentally in a better place in those situations in 2026? Nobody will know until the time comes. Anyone saying anything else is just talking to fill space.

Dale from Owatonna, MN

Mike's insight about deadlines got me thinking. What game comes to mind where you were writing about a game perhaps thinking it would be a loss and in the end it flipped to a win or from a win to a loss when you thought you writing about a win?

The obvious answer is the Miracle in Motown. Another that comes to mind is the San Francisco road game in 2021, with Rodgers to Adams (x2) and Crosby from deep. The other way? Cleveland last season, the Fail Mary, and Pittsburgh in '09.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Mike. When should we expect to see the linemen compete in one-on-one drills?

Perhaps today, which will be the first day in full pads.

Shannon from Ovilla, TX

I know it's the first day of padded practice but man it got harder for the Crew to win a pennant over the weekend. The imbalance in baseball shows why the current system the NFL uses for revenue sharing and a salary cap lets everyone feel like they can win it all this time of year. I would think this puts the finishing touches on a lockout for next baseball season.

The lockout was coming regardless, but if the Dodgers indeed win their third straight World Series with the acquisition of Skubal, it might steel the resolve of the rest of MLB's owners to make sure the economic structure of the game undergoes meaningful change. It'll be painful. Might cost an entire season. But it'll also be worth it.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

Who needs to step up while Parsons is out?

Who doesn't? But later this week, we have somebody stepping up for us. An unnamed co-worker, whom we'll generically refer to as "admin," will be writing this column for Friday morning, the day of Family Night. So send along your non-football Packers questions this week and we'll collect them for our special guest writer. Happy Monday.

HAVE A QUESTION?