Inbox: Teams don't stay the same

Mark from Sheboygan, WI

I'm probably not the first to chime in on this, but Chris Berman "borrowed" "The Bay of Pigs" description from Pete Axthelm, who coined the term in the 1970s. GPG!

You were actually the only one to chime in, and I wasn't aware. Thanks for the knowledge.

Frank from Scottsdale, AZ

How often do you update your profile pics? I've never met you in person. Do you two really look that young? GPG!

Wes will always look really young to me. I'm too old to remember when my last profile pic was taken.

Noel from Norwalk, CA

Greetings II! A baseball observation. I wasn't aware of the rule that stated infielders must remain on the skin part of the infield before the pitcher delivers their pitch. How long has that rule been in effect? What is the penalty?

That was part of the banning of infield shifts back in 2023. If a defender is found in violation, the hitting team can have a ball added to the batter's count, or take the result of the play if the ball was hit. If the batted ball is first touched by the illegal defender, the batter gets first base and all baserunners advance one base (or, again, take the result of the play).

Jim from Palm Bay, FL

One week past. What has been the mood/atmosphere around the players, the building, especially as compared to previous weeks?

Not a whole lot different. It's very businesslike, which is normal. This team knows what it must do.

Kerry from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Not wanting to be bearer of bad news, but the weather forecast for Sunday in Tampa is a high of 90 with a 60% chance of P.M. thunderstorms. It could be a repeat of the Bucs vs. Browns game on Sept. 20 which took over five hours to play because of weather delays. Just hope the results are the same for the visiting team.

Weather is always a factor, one way or another, down there this time of year. Hopefully coming off the mini-bye the Packers will be able to withstand four full quarters in that heat.

Megan from Stevens Point, WI

What is your one key to the game on Sunday, aside from the offensive line being able to block?

Winning the special teams battle. No major miscues (like the missed PAT or blocked FG), and get Skyy Moore loose. Minnesota's punt-return TD last week in Tampa was a huge reason the Vikings won that game.

Jan from Colgate, WI

What do Packers need to do to win?

Aside from that already mentioned, be ready for anything, including perhaps a healthy dose of read-option runs from Bucs QB Jalon Daniels.

Ron from Roscoe, IL

Several sites say that the Eagles planned more to stop the run and were surprised by the amount of passing from Case Keenum. Seems like it really threw them off and they weren't able to change mid-game. Going into Tampa this week, do you expect the Bucs to try the same formula to keep the defense off-balance since their QB is an unknown?

See above. Make no assumptions.

Brad from Lisbon, WI

Do you think given what happened with the OL, Gutey may be rethinking his apparent fixation on youth? I know he eased off a bit recently, like signing Franklin, but especially for the O-line as a position group, having all youth might be fine for a rebuild, but doesn't seem to be a winning recipe for a contending team.

The plan wasn't to go all youth on that unit, but the most experienced guys, ZBB at right tackle and Banks at LG, got hurt again, and that left the line without veteran anchors. To say the Packers counted too much on ZBB coming back from a significant knee injury, and on Banks after a shaky health year of his own, is fair critique. They also went into camp thinking Darian Kinnard would remain a veteran backup, but he didn't prove worthy of a roster spot. It's reasonable to manage bringing a new guy or two along on the line, but not that many. So the plan wasn't for the O-line to become so young so fast, but that's what happened and now adjustments are being made.

Steve from Seven Devils, NC

Three weeks into the season and no jars on the shelf they are confident in. Signing three veteran OL just this week. What were the coaches seeing all preseason? How did Gutey have these guys rated so high? Is it just me? I have never seen this team or any team so desperate at offensive line. Injuries aside, they seemed ill-prepared to start the season.

As I noted in my mid-week chat, there's no way to pinpoint a timeline on draft-and-develop, nor to know if it's going to pan out for everybody. This is also another indication of how preseason football isn't real football. Neither is Week 18 when you're resting starters and the other team is playing out the string. You don't really know if a player is ready until he's facing front-line competition with game plans in place and high stakes for all involved. That's when it becomes sink-or-swim time.

Sean from Springfield, OR

So, reinforcements have arrived. How does this affect the salary cap? Does GB just have the headroom to work these kinds of deals without long-term burden?

The only significant salary amongst the new additions is Kevin Zeitler's, and the Packers always leave wiggle room in their cap to make moves like this when necessary. Also, most of the Packers' veteran contracts have per-game roster bonuses for being active on gameday, so when injuries strike and vets are inactive, it creates some small cap savings that can be applied elsewhere.

Paul from Lansing, IL

So Mekhi Becton Sr. signs to practice squad, what keeps another team from "snitching" him from the Packers? GPG!

If another team calls his agent and is interested in signing him, the agent will usually give the current team the first chance to sign his client to its active roster. Not always, but that's generally how it works.

Darrel from Pueblo, CO

II, Jager Burton got a lot of hype during training camp but has not performed very well so far. Just being a rookie or not as good as expected? Does he still have upside going forward as he adjusts to the NFL?

I think so, but the jump from the college ranks to the pros is never a small one. The Packers aren't giving up on Burton because of one rough start. He just wasn't quite ready, and he wasn't the only one.

Gary from Bear Valley, WI

With three new OL players signed this week, are the coaches allowed to spend extra time with these players outside of practice?

There's a lot of additional meeting time, yes.

Dave from Howard, WI

Nothing like waking up to a 1,000-pound delivery of linemen to fix what ails ya. It will take time to get everybody up to speed. How long before we can reasonably hope the new line works together as a cohesive unit?

It starts with simply doing what it takes to win. Play winning football first and the cohesion will come later.

Shannon from Ovilla, TX

Do you think the continued cross-training of offensive linemen has hurt this team? I know in the past we have had some guys do great, but with so many young guys not settling into a position I believe it has hurt this year's offense. I don't see us trying to make safeties cornerback or inside linebackers an outside linebacker so why all the desire to do this on the offensive line? If we are draft and develop shouldn't we develop guys at one spot first before moving them around?

Lots of folks have asked this. In theory, sure. But you're only going to have eight active on gameday unless you plan on shortchanging other positions, so you'd better have guys who can play multiple spots. I don't think the philosophy per se is the problem. Individuals are different and some take to cross-training better than others, or are more capable of doing so successfully. The mixed results over time bear that out.

John from UK

When all is said and done I would rather have issues on the O-line (or anywhere else for that matter) in September than December…

There is that, but there's never a guarantee the adversity is done.

Brian from Menomonee Falls, WI

The NFL/NFLPA has been working to reduce injury for reasons such as player safety, long-term health, and improving the quality of the game by keeping the best players on the field. Work has been done through rule changes, fewer padded practices, no two-a-days, shorter preseasons, etc... Does it seem like we are no closer to this goal? Maybe it's just me, but compared to even 10 years ago we have been seeing more injuries and slower starts to the season. What are your thoughts?

The league's safety rules have been mostly geared toward curbing concussions and head/neck injuries, and they've produced positive results. The elimination of two-a-days and limits on padded practices are geared toward reducing injuries in practice and keeping players in peak form for gameday. But none of that can impact the inherent violence and physical demands of the sport. Bodies are still going to collide at high speeds and awkward angles.

Eric from Watertown, NY

With all the injuries happening across the league, especially season ending injuries, I was wondering about the future of the league. It is only a matter of years before there will be 18 games per season, perhaps in a few decades 20 games per season which got me to thinking, do you think the NFL will at that point allow teams to increase their regular-season rosters to perhaps 58-60 players? Also, at that point, shouldn't they give teams another bye week as well?

Whatever transpires, it'll all be collectively bargained, with give and take in some fashion on both sides. I'm sure bye weeks, roster size, offseason commitments, and a host of other issues will be in the mix, along with revenue share and cap structure of course. There's no way to predict how it's all going to shake out.

Jose from Albuquerque, NM

I understand both the criticisms and defense of Love's leadership style. Frankly, he's not an inspiring player to watch, but things may be different behind the scenes. The more relevant questions are regarding his talent. He doesn't look any better to me than his first season starting. Agree or not?

Not.

George from Lacey, WA

Do you think Micah Parsons is staying out to ensure the offense can be competitive and to allow himself peace of mind he's healthy enough to sustain the season?

I think Parsons is listening to the medical experts and following their plan for him.

Mike from New York, NY

Every team is faced with adversity. The Packers hit theirs right away this season. Other teams will face theirs in the coming months. We have 14 more games to play. We need to fix things now, but we still have most of the season to play through before the "end" is even a real consideration.

Get to 2-2 and go from there.

Craig from Elkton, MD

The best moment of watching football this past Sunday was when one of the commentators said, "September football lies to you." Here's hoping that's true. Still watching, still a fan. GPG

Teams don't stay the same throughout the course of a season. I say that every year because it's true, without fail. This team will be different in November and December than the one we saw in September.

Justin from Wausau, WI

Maybe this is my green-and-gold glasses at work, but there's a possibly epic story unfolding here. Three salty veteran lineman with tons of experience and success under their sizeable belts, in the twilight (or beyond) of their careers, knowing they are here specifically to try to salvage an offensive front in disarray for a team that's otherwise a Super Bowl contender. That's gotta be motivating for what are surely prideful men. Imagine the legacy should they pull it off. Too much to hope for?

Just beat the Bucs.

Daniel from Fond du Lac, WI

Can you remind everyone that, unlike other professional sports leagues, the NFL has achieved competitive balance. That means there are no truly bad teams and no truly great teams. They all have similar levels of talent, it's not that GB plays down or up to their opponents' talent level, our perception of "good" and "bad" teams is flawed, the differences are vanishingly small. Any Given Sunday is an adage for a reason and it's why the NFL is the most watched sport in America, right?

Happy Friday.