Ross from Newmarket, Ontario
So the Packers have an unfortunate 13 players on the injury report, but the 49ers have 15. I guess both teams are thankful for the extra day off this week.
Did I mention the bye week is only four short days away? Good morning!
Al from Green Bay, WI
I'm calling my shot – Monday night will be a "bounce-back" game. I'm looking forward to strong performances from Mason Crosby, Randall Cobb and Kevin King. Each, for different reasons, has something extra to play for on Monday night. What other players might you expect to have a significant impact?
The 49ers are coming off a game in which they turned the ball over five times in a 28-18 loss to Arizona. The Packers' defense needs to keep the turnovers coming on Monday night. I could see this being a big game for ball hawks such as Jaire Alexander and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. San Francisco quarterbacks have been sacked 18 times this year, so it could be a bounce-back game for Green Bay's pass rush, as well.
Steven from Silver Spring, MD
Has Mike McCarthy at any time this year addressed DeShone Kizer's status or development? Has he gotten any extra reps or shown improvements? I am assuming he has been running all the practices without AR12 in there. Plenty of teams with veteran QBs have used a young RPO-style QB to give a different look and vary the personnel groupings.
The coaches have talked about how much the first-team reps help a young QB like Kizer when Rodgers is rehabbing his knee. As far as in games, however, I've been adamant about how you don't need gimmicks when Rodgers is under center. If Rodgers is available, I want him touching the ball on every offensive play.
Bart from Tucson, AZ
Cris from Davenport, IA, asked about players from the same college roster on the same pro team. I think Blake Martinez and Kyle Murphy were both drafted from Stanford in 2016, and Ty Montgomery in 2015. Don't they qualify?
The question was asked about college teammates in the same draft class, so I missed on Martinez and Murphy. I'm not proud of that, either.
Jared from Pewaukee, WI
For all the folks saying Jimmy Graham is off to a slow start, consider this: when looking at just TEs he's eighth in receiving yards and seventh in receptions. Considering he's learning a new offense and has been game-planned against, he's still a top 10 TE. I'd argue he's off to a great start!
Graham is on pace for 70 catches, 784 yards and four touchdowns…and he hasn't even had a 100-yard game yet. He's doing exactly what the Packers need him to do.
Josh from Oshkosh, WI
The Cleveland Browns are currently 2-2-1 and their fan base is over the moon about that record. Maybe Packer nation needs to chill a little? We've lost two games on the road to conference and division opponents, respectively. I haven't seen anything that says this is a bad team. I just see a team in need of cleaning up a bit. Even Aaron "The Dude" Rodgers says he thinks it's coming soon. Let's think of the Rams next week, and just beat the 49ers, yeah?
It's a chase to 10 wins. More often than not, that's the magic number for playoff contenders. You can't get win No. 4 this week – you can only get No. 3. That must be the focus. Like I said after the shutout of the Bills, you can't get too high or too low. The Packers know what they need to do. Now it's time to do it.
Paul from Madison, WI
I know this is beating a dead horse but could the fact Mason Crosby is used to adjusting for the wind at Lambeau affect his kicks in a dome with no wind?
Crosby is a pro. He knows how he needs to adjust to kicking inside a dome. I mean he had arguably the best game of his career at AT&T Stadium two years ago. I saw no signs in pregame warmups of Crosby struggling on Sunday. He was lights-out in warmups at Ford Field. To quote Ron Zook, "I'm not one bit worried about him."
Tom from Fairfield, CT
Where is J'Mon Moore? Is he inactive, injured or something?
Moore has been active the last few weeks, but the next men up so far have been Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown.
Rob from Aiken, SC
My question is for everyone. How about "MoVeS" as a nickname for Marquez Valdes-Scantling?
The jury has spoken. It's "Quez" or MVS.
Lori from Brookfield, WI
Green Bay's defense is currently ranked No. 4. Why aren't they getting more accolades in the Inbox?
It's all about wins and losses. Most fans look at 2-2-1 and draw conclusions from there. The defense has done some positive things, but coordinator Mike Pettine admits there's still work to be done. For my money, Pettine and Joe Whitt Jr. have done a good job of navigating early injuries in the secondary to keep Green Bay in these games. The road to consistency is what leads to championships.
Dale from Owatonna, MN
Sorry, but Kevin King's hand doesn't come close to touching the ball. You have to take both angles into account. From one angle you can see that King is about 4 feet from the ball as it bounces up. The other angle makes it look like his hand is on the ball and that it is touched on the way up, except if you use both angles you realize it could only have been touched by the Detroit guy. This was a poor piece of booth review and the referee should have been asked what he saw before the review.
It's not quite the Clay Matthews sack/non-sack, but it's equally mind-boggling to me how that play was officiated. Whether it touched King or it didn't, everything that followed seemed to indicate it was Green Bay's ball.
Bob from Birchwood, WI
What's happened to Josh Jones? A second-year, second-round player, at a position of need, should be able to get on the field other than on special teams. I remember him being hyped as the next coming of Morgan Burnett.
I've been sitting in this seat long enough to remember when these same questions were asked about Burnett, Davante Adams, Casey Hayward and James Jones. The path to development isn't a straight line. There always are ups and downs along the way. Jones will get his opportunity here at some point. You have to stay ready. That's just how the league works.
Bruce from Green Bay, WI
I recently read that the coaches were to blame for all the penalties. I think we are the second-most penalized behind only Pittsburgh. An argument can be made there, but shouldn't the blame be put on the players?
You can point fingers or you can make corrections. Only one of those options leads to improvement.
Nick from Portland, OR
Saw Aaron Rodgers quote Vic with his "Players, not plays" comment during an interview. Think he reads the Inbox?
I hate to burst your bubble, but that saying didn't originate with Vic. Coaches have been saying that since players were wearing leather helmets.
Jake from Mukwonago, WI
Favre's birthday was last week and the NFL had posted a 20-minute video as a tribute to Favre. Watching it brought all of the nostalgia of the gunslinger back. Do you think there are still a good amount of Packer fans with a bad taste in their mouth? I try and take it as we should count our blessings and be happy for what he did for this organization.
Those fences were mended years ago. If you're still bitter, I don't know what to tell you.
Bruce from Menomonee Falls, WI
Regarding records that will never be broken, I think we're overlooking the obvious: interceptions thrown. Favre is more than 100 above Eli Manning (age 37) and Drew Brees (age 39). I doubt anyone else will remain a starter long enough (either due to age or giving the ball away) to approach that record.
Also true.
Daniel from Delta, PA
First off, deepest condolences for Wes's grandmother. His sign off on "Unscripted" brought tears to my eyes. In regards to the rules protecting QBs and giving them a chance for Favre's record, those folks are forgetting the types of QBs colleges are putting out: guys who can and will run. Scrambling or designed QB runs greatly increase the risk of injury, regardless of the rules. Just ask Watson, Wentz or Rodgers. Favre had superhuman toughness.
That's a good point and illustrates why adaptation is pivotal. Favre wasn't without fault, but the resurgence he enjoyed during his final four seasons was partially due to altering his play style and understanding what he can and can't do past 37 years old. The rules certainly help but you have to play 19 straight years without injury or benching to have a realistic shot at it. That's a big ask for anyone.
Pancho from New Castle, PA
Harkening back to your days in print, when deadline has passed, you prop your feet up on the desk and revel in finishing the job. But now the web is 24/7. When do you get a chance to put it into neutral?
My favorite memories at the Press-Gazette were always driving home after covering high school football because I had the whole weekend off. Friday nights were the best. Now, it's very rare. The closest I probably come is after filing the Saturday Inbox and take a breath.
Chase from Great Falls, MT
Watching the Eagles-Giants game and I noticed one of the kickoffs landed in the end zone, but did not bounce out the back. The ref whistled it dead like it bounced out the back. Is this the rule? I always thought if the ball stayed in bounds it was in play.
I think it's a touchback as long as it lands in the end zone and the receiving team doesn't touch the ball.
Tom from New York, NY
When are the Brewers going to make the old ball and glove the official logo again? The current "M" is so generic.
I've always loved the ball and glove, but it has been fairly prominent for a number of years now. I mean wasn't the ball and glove hanging from the clubhouse inside Wrigley Field when the Brewers clinched home field?
Jay from Land O' Lakes, FL
Guys, does the Brew Crew stand a chance against the mighty Dodgers? After living there, I know that L.A. is a big baseball town and nothing would crush them more than a Midwestern team from Wisconsin beating them. The fans there aren't even entertaining the thought of losing to the Brewers. You say?
You ask if the Brewers stand a chance. I ask why not? Everything the Crew has done this year seems so improbable. What's one more mountain to climb?
Robert from Valrico, FL
I wanted to offer my condolences to you, Wes, for the passing of your grandmother. It is truly a gift the unconditional love I hope all people receive from their grandparents. From whatever a person can glean from being a daily visitor to this site, you and Spoff seem like great people. I'm sure you'd credit your grandma with a significant part in that, and in that sense she'll always be a part of you. All the best to you and your family and always thank you for the great work.
Thank you to everyone who passed along well wishes. I can't tell you how much they mean to me and my family. I now have something to ask of all of you. Please take five minutes to call up someone close to you and remind them how much you love them this weekend. My biggest regret is I didn't get a chance to call my grandma since the NFL season started. I intended to go to Lena to spend a day with her during the bye week. I know it's not always the most fun to pick up a phone, but do it for me. I'll see you guys on Monday.
