Jeff from Montclair, VA

Hey guys! "Admin" answered this during their takeover, but it's worth asking again going into Week 1's tough opener against Ragnar's Vikes: Is the piss hot yet?

Technically, I think that applies only to noon games.

Mike from Holmen, WI

How do the Packers travel to Minnesota and Chicago when they play? Bus or plane?

In my 18 previous seasons traveling with the team (20 at packers.com minus two Covid years), I've never left Wisconsin on a bus.

Maclin from Jacksonville, FL

Wes, fascinating back story on Dream U...I had no idea. Two new guys to root for. Thanks.

If you haven't checked out Wes's fantastic piece that was posted yesterday, please do.

Jeff from Indian Lake, NY

Which do you believe is the bigger key to the game? JL10 and company handling the Vikings pressure? I'd add not only handling it but making them pay to the tune of big plays down the field and touchdowns. Or, containing Kyler Murray's legs and preventing him from creating big plays outside the pocket? Either way, just beat the Vikings! Enjoy the game everyone.

I don't care how they're ranked, but they're 1-2 on my list, while No. 3 is managing the environment.

Ted from Amherst, NY

In a different kind of fantasy football, you'd have Micah Parsons available for every game. But given that he is going to some games at the start of the season, would you want games like this – where the D-line's primary goal is containing the quarterback not sacking him – to be scheduled when he's out or saved for when he's back?

That's what I find rather ironic about this opener. All the talk has been how the Packers are going to generate QB pressure without Parsons, and their first matchup is one that doesn't require sacks at all, just keeping the QB in the pocket.

Paul from Sycamore, IL

You said the Vikings will have the element of surprise with how the new QB will run O'Connell's system. I think the Vikings will have just as much to figure out with our new D-coordinator's system. Do you think it's harder for a defense to plan for a new, unknown offense or vice versa? I hope we give Murray a thing or three to think about pre-snap. GPG!

I'm sure that's one of Gannon's goals. I think the surprise element favors the offense, especially with a veteran QB who has seen many a defense. Fronts and coverages compose a somewhat finite list. Offenses generally can dip into a deeper well.

Robert from Brookeville, MD

Mike's choice of Brandon Cisse vs. Jefferson as the featured matchup gives me some chills. It's a lot to ask of any rookie. To what degree would Cisse need to contain him to be considered a success? I expect sturm and drang (just wanted to have that appear two days in a row on II).

To be clear, I don't expect Cisse to shadow Jefferson. I believe Keisean Nixon will line up across from him at times as well, and the Packers will mix in plenty of zone coverages. It's just about limiting the explosives. O'Connell schemes things up to get Jefferson opportunities down the field. The Packers have to make those plays difficult.

Tim from Virginia Beach, VA

OK, now that the first shoe has dropped with the Josh Jacobs no contest plea, is there any idea when the NFL will hand out their punishment?

No.

Tom from West Palm Beach, FL

I don't understand how anyone can watch Jordan Love play and not think he's elite. Advanced metrics say he's elite too. The only thing I can think of is it's people looking at box scores/stat lines instead of watching games, which brings me to my question. Is there any evidence MLF intends to speed up the offense or throw more? I think I read last year we had the fewest possessions per game of any team in 10 years(?) which to me is bizarre when you have an elite QB. Fewer possessions = more variance.

The question about going up tempo and speeding up the offense more gets raised every year. It just doesn't seem to be LaFleur's philosophy. He prefers to attack a defense with specific concepts, hunting for the explosive play along the way. Get a defense on its heels by gashing it, not hurrying all the time. I believe he's considering the potential defensive strain on his own team, too. More possessions on offense means more on defense. The Packers up-tempo'd like mad back in 2011 and set all kinds of scoring records, but also had one of the worst defenses in the league statistically that relied solely on turnovers. Then when the offense had one rough day in January and lost the turnover battle, the season went kaput. So I'm not a believer that tempo is always the answer.

JMAC from Hoffman Estates, IL

Longtime reader and thanks for all you guys do to keep us informed. Great job! In my humble opinion, the Packers could be on the verge to becoming the next Air Coryell with the receiving corps that they have. I have concerns for the O-line and was wondering if you think a flip the script from a balanced running attack to a more potent passing attack would be something LaFleur would turn to. They have the players to make it happen. Thoughts?

LaFleur is going to do what he feels gives the Packers the best chance to win any given game, which is a week-to-week proposition in the current NFL. I was a huge Air Coryell fan as a kid, but this isn't the early '80s anymore and the game is played differently.

Steve from Cedar Falls, IA

We learned Wednesday night that once again a No. 2 QB is very important. Defense wins championships in the end. Do you think our defense was watching the game?

It's also important for a No. 1 QB to protect the football.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

I know we are all human, but I will never be able to understand why guys take their eyes off the ball when catching it. Looking it in is football 101. That pick is almost entirely on Doubs. He catches that and it's first-and-10, not third-and-14.

Fans roll their eyes at coaches who harp on shoring up fundamentals, but plays like that are exhibit A – fundamental lapse. That's a first down in opposing territory with nine minutes left in a tie game. For as much as the second half had already started to go sideways for the Patriots, I like their chances to win the game if Doubs catches that.

Jeff from Wausau, WI

Do we have a Packers receiver that left and did better than when we had them?

Maybe I missed someone, but I went back through the last 30 years or so of stats and the only Packers receiver I could find who left Green Bay and topped his best Packers season elsewhere was Corey Bradford, with Houston in 2002. Jackie Harris would also qualify as a tight end (1995 with Tampa Bay). That said, based on opportunity alone I think Dontayvion Wicks could produce more in Philly than he did here.

Mike from Green Bay, WI

It seems like a lot of punt returners call for a fair catch inside the 10-yard line. Didn't coaches used to teach them to let those balls go, and not call a fair catch?

That changed a while ago, when punters started using the Aussie techniques with end-over-end ball flight that allows the ball to check up. The line of demarcation is more like the 5 now.

Richard from Greenwich, NY

Watching the first kickoff of this season, it occurred to me that I've never seen an NFL kicker flub it, so that it just dribbles a few yards off the tee. What would be the result under the current rules? Thanks for any insights on this.

Any kickoff that doesn't reach the landing zone is treated the same as one going out of bounds, which places the ball at the receiving team's 40-yard line.

Mike from Vancouver, WA

As is usual at the beginning of the season, there are questions and concerns relative to new players, coaches and schemes. One thing I've noticed during my 60-plus years of Packer fandom is that tomorrow's prime players often emerge unexpectedly at the strangest times from down-roster positions. This always gives me perennial hope for the new season. One thing I would like to see this season are explosive runs up the middle. Do we have an O-line that can make this a reality?

We'll find out. This early portion of the season might tell us if the pass can truly open up the run.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Spoff, among the many storylines ahead of the season is the new pairing of Edgerrin Cooper/Zaire Franklin as inside backers. Please help me and your (awesome) readers to understand your expectations for this tandem this season. How will they operate differently? Is this the year Cooper becomes a force to be reckoned with? Will the mentality of Franklin inspire greater overall play of the D?

No way to know that in advance, but I made the point a while back on "Unscripted" that pairing a playmaker like Cooper with a seasoned veteran like Franklin may be the key to unlocking him. Quay Walker played plenty of good football for the Packers, but he wasn't much older than Cooper and was forced to learn two defensive systems in four seasons here. Wearing the green dot as a young player navigating so much change, he had a lot on his own plate that maybe, and I stress maybe, prevented Walker-Cooper from being the best pair together. I'm curious how this works out. Either way, Franklin is here at half the price it would've required to keep Walker, and the Packers have been using that cap space to lock up other long-term pieces to the roster.

Tim from Greensboro, NC

I absolutely do not understand y'all's constant hype about the depth of our CB room. Nixon's best year by far was when he was playing the slot and performing on special teams. His production as a self-proclaimed CB1 is definitely wanting. Benjamin St-Juste was much better as a part-time nickel last year than any of his other years as a CB. Carrington Valentine is a very good cover corner who cannot tackle. Cisse has potential but is unproven. What am I missing since I am not there everyday?

Eight months ago the Packers went into the playoff game at Chicago with the following cornerbacks: Keisean Nixon, Valentine, Trevon Diggs, Johnathan Baldwin and Jaylin Simpson (who was inactive). Now they're heading to Minnesota with Cisse, Nixon, Valentine, St. Juste and Hadden. Depth-wise, that's a night-and-day difference in my book.

Troy from Menomonee Falls, WI

I think criticisms of the defense for late-game collapses last year are a bit misdirected. Often they kept the team in the game until then in spite of the offense not being able to stay on the field. It seems they often ran out of energy and luck late in the game. I think the bigger issue this season will be whether the offense does a better job of controlling the ball in the second half and keeping the defense off the field so they have to carry less of the load.

It is indeed a team game.

TK from Grafton, WI

Trying to be ahead of the curve here: One of the cheapest, lowest-hanging ways to fan is to complain about playcalling. Every game has plays that work and plays that don't. Of the ones that don't, it is easy to say it was a bad call. But was it? How about the execution of it? The other problem is the "Monday morning" aspect: Wait until a play is unsuccessful, and THEN proclaim it to be a bad call. I pledge to keep my whining off this subject, starting right now. Without expiration. GPG!

Much appreciated.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

I'm reading the article on Micah Parsons from the yearbook, and saw the mention of sacks not being an official stat until 1982. I've heard that plenty before and it got me wondering. What other statistics we rely on today are relatively new? What is the most important stat when discussing individual player impact, and which one is overvalued and/or overused?

Your last question is an endless debate for some day after I retire. As for the implementation of "new" stats, the current passer rating system came about in 1973, though since it's a purely statistical calculation that just needs the numerical data (attempts, completions, yards, TDs, INTs) it's easy enough to figure out passer ratings prior to that. In the Packers' team record book as published in the media guide, interceptions have been tracked only since 1940, fumble recoveries since '45, tackles since '75, and net punting average since '76.

Samuel from Skokie, IL

I am excited as anyone about the start of the season. But, I agree with John from St. Albert. With all the time, money, expertise and energy that goes into building a roster, how the team does largely depends on injury luck. I truly believe we had a SB chance if we didn't lose arguably four of our top eight players last season. Our 9-3 record was real. Injuries are the Achilles heel of being a football fan. Did I just make a pun?

Ask the door on your way out.

George from Edinburg, VA

As any regular on Mike's gameday chat, I am extremely impressed with his ability to watch and relay game action, as well as respond to our questions and comments, while Wes is writing game summaries. You guys mean so much to us, I have one concern. After years of military service, construction, shooting, and loud music, I am left with tinnitus and hearing loss. Do you guys protect your hearing in loud stadiums, in venues like Minnesota?

No, because I need to hear Wes next to me answer my questions when I miss something. Happy Friday.

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