Andrew from Chicago, IL

Apologies for the math, but what's half the cost of free again?

And once again we're off, so we might as well get going.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

"If there is no excitement, then why are we even here? There are plenty of other things in life willing to make you miserable for half the cost." Oooh Wes, coming in with the sage wisdom. In chat rooms for other outlets I often see the same handles with just constant miserable takes and I pity them for enjoying spending their free time spewing vitriol. And I often think of you guys because I know you get that here but filter some of it out. Thanks for being a sane zone.

We do our best.

Jim from Prairie du Chien, WI

Good morning all! Was anyone mic'd up for Family Night? Who decides when a player is chosen to get mic'd up? GPG!

Edgerrin Cooper was wearing the mic last Friday. I think the video team just tries to pick different guys over the course of the year, and the player has to be willing.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Let's just acknowledge it. Last year's version of the guardian helmet left a lot to be desired visually. This year's look is a definite improvement. With that in mind, do you think the utilization of this helmet will increase from last year? Is there a point where it becomes the norm and not the exception?

I have no idea. There's no doubt the look is sleeker and more stylish now, but I don't know if it was the previous look that deterred players from wearing it.

Richard from Madison, WI

Come Thursday evening, is there anybody left on the Packer roster that Aaron Rodgers would likely stroll across the field to shake hands with and ask, "How's it been going, old buddy?"?

Aside from the obvious (Jordan Love), the other current Packers who were here for Rodgers' last season in Green Bay are Keisean Nixon, Isaiah McDuffie, Devonte Wyatt, Christian Watson, Sean Rhyan and Zach Bako-Bewele. Plus a bunch of coaches.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I tend to pick a mid-round player I'm really excited about in each draft. In 2022 it was Sean Rhyan. His rookie season didn't go so hot and when he did play in subsequent years it was often in platoon. In 2024 it was Jacob Monk. I thought he was going to be in the mix from Day 1 and was far from it. Now Rhyan is a starting center on a second contract and Monk is getting some first-team reps. Maybe I was just early. Does O-line take longer than most positions to settle into the NFL?

It can. It depends on the player, and you just never know until the process plays out. One thing I've come to appreciate about Gutey's approach is he's always drafting and bringing in offensive linemen. Always. Because for every Rhyan, Monk, Bako-Bewele, Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, et al, there are plenty of guys who don't work out or the timing isn't right (Jake Hanson, Simon Stepaniak, Cole Van Lanen, …). There's no pause when it comes to developing the position group because so much depth is needed.

Jimmy from Chicago, IL

You said you were surprised by a sluggish night for Jordan Love at Family Night, noting, "He's been so good on a daily basis at Nitschke Field and he just wasn't razor sharp on Friday night." Outside of Friday, what's been your impression of Love compared to camps past?

I think he's been darn good. It's hard to compare because Gannon is throwing so many blitzes at the offense this camp has been a different kind of challenge so far. But he's been up to it.

James from Appleton, WI

Is Jordan Love throwing to just the top five WRs and watching the other WRs trying to grab the last one or two spots, or does he throw enough to the latter to get a sense of a developing connection?

All the QBs throw to everybody in drills, but in 11-on-11, the receivers further down the depth chart are catching their passes from Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord and Kyron Drones. Love did have a chance to work with a few of them this week due to Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed missing time, but otherwise, reps with the ones must be earned.

Kyle from Ooltewah, TN

I've decided to drive over to Pitt to catch the preseason game this week. My focus is going to be seeing how the defense deploys its rotation of linebackers and DBs in various situational coverages. Any other under-the-radar things I should look for being it's only the first preseason outing?

I'm not sure how much Gannon is going to show scheme-wise in the preseason. I would imagine he wants to keep a lot of Xs and Os off the game film, just have players execute basic assignments, and focus on tackling, which they don't do live in practice.

Tom from Bismarck, ND

I just read where Jon-Eric Sullivan commented on rewarding the performances of three standouts at Dolphins camp. He said, and I hope I have his quote somewhat accurate, "When we pay our players around here, it will be based on their performance." I could choose to take that as a standard comment typical of many. I also will take that as somewhat of a jab at what prompts the GB organization to reward players. I agree with his take. Do you read anything into it or choose to ignore it?

You're immediately assuming the comment was a shot at his former team rather than at the culture he inherited with his new one? That's a fascinatingly obtuse take, given over the last 25 years the playoff scoreboard between the two franchises reads 19 appearances to five, and 15 wins to zero. I hope Sully and Haf kill it in Miami (except in Week 15 of course), but you're free to believe what you wish.

Sam from Odenton, MD

A follow-up to your answer to Venny from Montgomery's question: Do you know of any teams that don't hold any public practices?

I'm not aware of any, but some hold fewer open practices than others. Robert from Saginaw mentioned the Jets have six practices for season ticket holders but only one for the general public. That doesn't seem conductive to cultivating a fan base, but what do I know.

Kevin from Indianapolis, IN

Injuries to starters are always a bad thing. Getting that out of the way, how impactful is missing some time from camp in terms of being prepared for the regular season weighed against the benefit of seeing some of the potential next guys up running with the 1s and 2s and getting that valuable experience in the event that we need to call on them sooner rather than later?

Injuries to starters this time of year are treated with extreme caution. It's only a matter of weighing the risk of turning something minor into something nagging and problematic later on. The elevated reps for the reserves is always the added benefit, but one isn't weighed against the other in terms of the health decisions, if that's what you're asking.

Dale from St. Cloud, FL

I'm assuming here that MarShawn Lloyd plays with the No. 1 unit to start the game, or do you see him getting more reps? GPG

I'm sure he'll start at RB, but whether or not he'll stay in after the first-team O-line exits remains to be seen. It's a balancing act. I wouldn't think they'd push things too far with him right away, but at the same time, they need to see what he's got and what he can handle.

Neil from Altamonte Springs, FL

With the preseason underway, which under-the-radar player from training camp do you think has the best chance to earn a meaningful role on the 53-man roster this season, and why?

In our last two "Unscripted" episodes, Wes and I have talked about two players who are becoming the potential underdog stories of this camp – DT Anthony Campbell and CB Jaylin Simpson. Now they have to take it from practice to the game.

Mark from Big Bear City, CA

Good morning all, just wanted to say the piece on Bo was once again a great job, Wes. Talk about a guy you want in your locker room and to line up next to. He's definitely a Packer through and through. I can think of a better guy for the younger players on the team to watch and learn from on how to be a professional.

Bo Melton is not a star in this league and never will be. But any locker room would benefit from Bo's presence. I don't know how else to say it other than he's the ultimate teammate.

Dennis from Toledo, OH

Hello, preface with, "truly trying to know" … The II forum has educated a lot of us about the nuances of ST that often get overlooked. Based on credible updates including II, we've got some bubble WR balling out so far, but Melton seems like an incumbent that can't be bumped due to ST value. As noted ST are more nuanced but to date the results are universally agreed underwhelming. Can you opine on what he excels at on ST, that would win a spot over an equal or better WR contender this summer?

Melton is an expert flyer on the punt team. He's so reliable and impactful in that role, which factors greatly into field position. When the Packers lost both Zayne Anderson and Melton for the playoffs due to injuries, Bears returner Devin Duvernay had punt returns of 37 and 22 yards. The longest punt return allowed by the Packers all regular season was 24, and the average was 10.6, with only 21 of 49 punts returned.

Gary from Davenport, IA

Mike, it was a bittersweet weekend here in the Quad Cities. It was great to see Roger Craig (Davenport native) make the Hall of Fame but was sad to hear about his dementia. The school district is naming the football stadium after him, which was a well-deserved honor. Then the news of Don Nelson's passing brought me back down. He grew up in Rock Island and was a next-door neighbor to my former co-worker. Definitely a coach ahead of his time. Do you remember Nellie during his fish tie days?

Absolutely. I grew up with those '80s Bucks teams that were so much fun to watch, and came so close so many times. That's when I truly enjoyed watching NBA basketball. Not so much anymore.

Darren from Wakefield, MI

I love the preseason. Provides a great opportunity to see the backups or potential next backups perform. It also provides me the time of year where I usually find at least one guy that's absolutely killing it only for him not to make the 53 and maybe not even the PS. It helps to remind me I have zero ability to evaluate players and to trust the management. Wonder if other folks experience the same?

All the time, whether they admit it or not.

Tony from Davenport, IA

I know it's only preseason, but I'm really excited to watch the game on Thursday. There should be a lot of interesting position battles going on and I'm looking forward to seeing how all the young talent performs.

Aren't we all, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions to answer about that on the flight back from Pittsburgh. Happy Wednesday.

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