Inbox: That dude just has a blast

Scott from Lake Wissota, WI

I've been away from II for a very busy month of July and I return to find references to the Gong Show and goat simulators, and a mystery guest writer! Insider Inbox never fails to satisfy, thanks for the cheap entertainment!

You get what you pay for.

Gary from Sheboygan, WI

G'morning Insiders. When someone gets hurt, I see many fans wanting the team to "bring in a veteran." I'd just as soon see a rookie or the "next man up" be given a shot. How prevalent is the request for a new veteran in the Inbox?

Prevalent would be an understatement.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

Is it factually true that Larry Fitzgerald had more tackles than dropped passes in his career? If true, incredibly incredible!

I've seen it reported that he had 41 career tackles and anywhere between 29 and 35 dropped passes in his career, depending on the judgment. Insane. Still wild to me that the infamous Nathan Poole catch in the Cardinals-Vikings '03 finale, which got the Packers into the playoffs, cost Arizona the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and slotted the Cardinals at No. 3 instead, where they took Fitzgerald and he played his entire career there. If they've got the top pick, do they take Eli Manning and does all sorts of stuff unfold differently? We'll never know.

Jim from St. Paul, MN

I'm putting together a 1974 Topps football card set. The backs of the cards list each round the player was drafted. MANY were drafted after the seventh round, which would equal a free agent by today's standards. What accounted for so many low-round picks making it back then? Is it simply a matter of today's scouting being more advanced?

Everybody knows about everybody now. There's no trying to keep secrets about a guy so others don't find out. Also, sorry for the math, but back in '74 there were only 26 NFL teams, so … 6x7 plus the modern-day 32 comp picks, that's a total of 74 fewer draft selections in seven rounds then compared to now. Those 74 picks pretty much represent rounds 8-10 from back then, if the perspective is the top 250-plus college players available.

Richard from Caledonia, WI

What was the biggest surprise for you at Family Night 2026?

I was surprised Jordan Love had kind of a "meh" night. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't bad, but he's been so good on a daily basis at Nitschke Field and he just wasn't razor sharp on Friday night. Happens to the best of them. He was back to his smoother, more precise self on Sunday.

Jay from Lutz, FL

What is your favorite story thus far in camp?

I don't know if I'd call it my favorite, but I continue to be intrigued by Jacob Monk's push for a starting job on the offensive line. Originally, his first-team reps could be chalked up to the injuries up front, but there's clearly more to them now. I'm posting a more detailed story on Monk later this morning.

Bill from Menomonie, MI

Watching Xavier McKinney in one-on-ones, I think he might be the top shutdown corner on the team. He's a glue stick. Not something we get to see often with him in centerfield in game situations.

Most of McKinney's one-on-one reps come against tight ends, but it was impressive to see him take that slot corner rep vs. Jayden Reed on Friday night and get the pass breakup. I'm not sure he could do that regularly as a boundary corner, but he has an uncanny knack for anticipating what route his opponent is running, and it's why he's rarely out of position when playing centerfield.

Brendon from Mexico

Do we have any choice but to keep Anthony Campbell on the roster at least through the Vikings game, so he can swat down Kyler Murray passes?

Ha, yeah, speaking of knacks, right? LaFleur noted after Family Night how intense the competition is at defensive tackle for roster spots and playing time.

Justin from Thousand Oaks, CA

Is batting down passes a valued enough skill to make a roster push?

Feels like we're going to find out.

Dale from Downers Grove, IL

Hi Insiders, Devin from Bondurant, IA, stated that Trey Smack needed the confidence booster from his Family Night performance. Based on past submissions to the Inbox, would you agree that it was Packers fans that needed their confidence in Trey boosted more, than Trey?

Yes, but Smack still needed it based on how camp had started for him.

Dar from Mansfield, TX

Please let me add to the discussion about Cam Achord's holding tutorial last week, and how much unseen detail goes into special teams that we fans can't imagine. On a flight once, my seatmate was the cousin of longtime Packers snapper Brett Goode. She told me that a perfect snap for him meant having an exact number of revolutions on the way to the holder's hands, thus the holder could just put the ball down without having to spin/turn the laces into the correct position. Astonishing precision!

Right, which is why as he puts his hands on the ball, a long snapper will turn/rotate it to a specific position to make a snap based on the number of revolutions of his snaps so the holder catches it just right. Different snappers start with the ball in different positions due to that.

Connor from Minnetrista, MN

Who is looking like they're going to step up while Micah Parsons is out? Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-Sutton?

They all need to, along with Brenton Cox Jr., who's running ahead of Oliver based on the reps he's getting. Cox and Sorrell are the two who have caught my eye the most thus far, but LVN, DDS and Oliver are holding their own, too. The group has been solid thus far.

Michael from Houston, TX

How do you pronounce Benjamin St-Juste's last name?

saint-JUICE.

Jon from St. Louis, MO

The family and I loved making the trip from STL for Family Night. I also enjoyed watching Evan Williams celebrate with the high schooler who caught five balls during the kick fielding contest. His enthusiasm was infectious. I'm assuming that's just Evan being Evan? We'll need that enthusiasm during a long and, at times, challenging season.

That was absolutely Evan being Evan. That dude just has a blast anytime he's on a football field, no matter what he's doing.

Nicki from Kingsford, MI

Hi! We attended Family Night for the first time last night and we noticed they let families on the field to watch the fireworks. I was wondering if that was something you pay extra for a just a randomly chosen perk for families?

Those on the field were the families of players and coaches and football operations personnel.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

Does the CBA dictate the number of "contact" practices allowed during the preseason like it does during the regular season, or is it up to each team to decide? Obviously Matt prefers to limit the amount of full contact on his own, but I was wondering if there was any established parameters.

Players can't practice in pads more than three consecutive days, and three straight days in pads can occur a maximum of three times during the course of training camp.

Jeff from Waterford, WI

Which rookie seems to be having the biggest impact at his position?

Brandon Cisse, without question.

Jeff from Ely, MN

Every year a couple of friends and I have a competition picking the final 53 on the roster (most correct picks) with the PS being the tiebreaker. This year seems like it's going to be particularly difficult given the depth at most positions. Watching Family Night, I was impressed by Isaiah Neyor, J. Michael Sturdivant and Will Sheppard yet there are six likely WR roster spots taken ahead of them. Yes, we have preseason ahead of us but man, I'm going to lose sleep thinking this over (any tips would be appreciated).

Sounds like you've got a case of wide receiver fever. It'll be worth watching in the preseason games if any of those reserve receivers can make an impact on special teams. It's tough to make a roster as WR6 in this league without a special-teams role.

Mike from Geneva, IL

Maybe I'm a homer and overly sensitive Packer fan, but I can't understand the way many Packer fans and national "experts" dismiss Jordan Love's ability. When healthy, he has proven to be a top-level NFL QB and producer. What type of individual statistical season and team performance (wins, playoff outcome) do you think he would need to be regarded more highly?

Winning the division and advancing in the playoffs would change the perception of Love. The way he finished his first season as the starter in '23, he had everyone's attention. But the Packers haven't won the NFC North or a playoff game either of the last two years. He threw three INTs in the playoff loss at Philly, and he threw for 323 yards and four TDs in the playoff loss at Chicago, and it hasn't mattered in terms of the national conversation around him. It's why I don't pay it much mind, because the outside pundits are analyzing team results, not his actual play.

Christine from Cochrane, WI

I enjoy reading the Inbox every day. I enjoy it even more when there are baseball questions thrown in. Smelling the bat? Now I know the rest of the story. I so wish the Brewers had a daily Q&A like this. I love the Packers but my true passion is the Brewers. Thanks for providing little snippets here and there.

I have to keep myself entertained, too, ya know. Happy Monday.

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