Inbox: That's when they're in attack mode

James from UK

How can the infamous 88 scandal be nine years ago already? As for the game that can't be mentioned, that's 10½ years ago. I feel like life's moving too fast, so I'd better take time to enjoy it. Has anyone else thought that?

Preaching to the choir, my friend.

Tom from Hoboken, NJ

Regarding No. 88, my first visit to the original Packers HOF, was in 1986. Outside stood a statue, twelve feet tall, in full color of an anonymous Packer wide receiver hauling in a pass … and wearing No. 88. Wonder what ever happened to that thing?

It's been repainted and repurposed as No. 80 in honor of Donald Driver and resides outside the old train depot downtown where Titletown Brewing is located.

John from Del Mar, CA

Isn't a football writer not knowing about "North Dallas Forty" akin to a mob historian never hearing of "The Godfather"? Yikes!

That's quite the analogy. I'll cut Wes some slack, though. I believe I was only 6 years old when that flick hit the theaters.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Mike, training camp is about determining the final roster. What questions do you have as we approach that process? For me it's a matter of curiosities … Will QB3 be relevant? Who is RB4? Do the Packers keep seven WRs? Does it matter who is the third TE? Do the Packers have enough talent in the secondary regardless which 10 they keep?

For being curious, you seem a bit dismissive of some topics. Of course no one wants QB3 to be relevant, but you never know, and it could be highly relevant come 2026. I'm not convinced RB2 is decided just yet, let alone RB3 or 4. The number of wide receivers is far less interesting to me than others. The third TE almost certainly will matter on special teams. And the depth at cornerback is largely unproven.

Jeff from Ogden, UT

Which five linemen align with Josh Jacobs' power-oriented style of rushing?

All offensive linemen prefer to run power plays. That's when they're in attack mode, and their jobs are easier. But the power run game is only half the equation. The best power run blocker in the world is not seeing the field in this league is he can't pass protect.

Rick from Trempealeau, WI

Considering that it usually takes two, and sometimes three or more, guys to tackle Josh Jacobs, do you see coaches Stenavich and LaFleur scheming more to get Jacobs outside one-on-ones with linebackers and safeties, or continue to just let him do his thing bulling through the middle and then making people miss with his quickness? I think that second and third effort is really what separates him from other running backs.

I guarantee there are schemes in every game plan designed to isolate Jacobs, as well as calls to isolate Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, etc. It's just a matter of whether the situation, flow of the game and/or rhythm of the offense get to those calls and how often. Jacobs caught 36 passes out of the backfield last season. I could see that number rising. But nobody on this team caught more than 55 passes last season, so I think everyone's numbers in that regard could possibly rise. But not everyone's will.

Kevin from Pewaukee, WI

So training camp is around the corner. Through the CBA we got away from rookie draft picks staying out of training camp and holding out for contract reasons. Now we have the fiasco of guaranteed contracts for second-round picks. Which team started this mess and will it get worse?

It's never simple, and I don't see the point of playing the blame game. Guarantees have been creeping further and further along with second-round picks for years now. Back in 2022, a second-rounder got his third-year salary fully guaranteed for the first time. This year, Houston guaranteed the fourth-year salary for a second-rounder for the first time. He was pick 34. Then Cleveland followed suit with pick 33. But nobody else in the second round has signed since. From what I've read, the holdup is with pick 40, Saints QB Tyler Shough, who is looking for his fourth year fully guaranteed because he's expecting to be New Orleans' starting QB right away following Derek Carr's retirement. For comparison's sake, looking at last year's second round, fourth-year salaries were guaranteed at 80% from the first pick down to 2.5% for the 11th pick, with no more fourth-year guarantees after that. If Shough gets the full fourth year, picks 35-39 will all (rightfully) demand it, too, and then the sliding scale will likely start after that. Regardless, the shift underway this year is already significant. The recent collusion ruling by an arbitrator has teams treading carefully, too. Either Shough needs to sign, or someone from 35-39 needs to take less than a 100% fourth-year guarantee, for the rest to fall into place.

James from Appleton, WI

Maybe when Elgton Jenkins starts snapping I'll lose that tic in my left eye. In the past couple of years, with prominent centers retiring in Philly and Detroit, the All-Pro door is ajar. When the Packers' offense powers up to another level, Jenkins could put the spotlight on centers. RBs were pooh-poohed and came back making deals. Is Jenkins' future contract more in his own hands than he realizes?

Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that the league's highest-paid center has a contract APY equivalent to the eighth highest-paid guard, and that 21 guards, including Jenkins, have an eight-figure APY ($10M or more), while only seven centers do.

Monty from Velva, ND

I am amazed at how the value of players goes up and down. Malik Willis was projected as a possible first round pick, got drafted in the third round, traded for a seventh round, and is now projected as a top free agent after this year. Wouldn't you agree that player evaluation is quite schizophrenic?

Which mirrors player development. There's no automatic path onto which every player steps.

Benjamin from Bear, DE

I recently saw on a national network, NFL journalist ranking the top 10 QBs in the NFL. Jordan Love didn't make the cut. I'm sure it doesn't matter to Jordan, but what does he need to do to get some national attention from the so-called experts? In my humble opinion, I think he's definitely a top 10 quarterback. Your thoughts!

I have better uses for them. Lists don't make the list.

Ted from Amherst, NY

I just want to say to Kenton from Rochester – Amen! I often wonder how Aaron Rodgers' last season with us might have ended if the Packers had let Love start a couple of games after the great thumb injury.

I've often wondered that, too.

Grant from Green Bay, WI

Regarding Davante vs. Reggie: I'm not picking sides because both are great, but I wonder if it says something more about Davante that two of his top five best seasons, statistically, came when he went to the Raiders. I'm sure HOF voters likely won't weigh that nearly as much as his TD proficiency, but to the normal fan's eye, Davante always seemed QB-proof, whereas there's not much evidence of that with Wayne who played almost solely with Manning and Luck.

I've felt one of the greatest testaments to Adams' career, and where he was headed, came in 2017, when he made his first Pro Bowl despite playing half the season with Brett Hundley. In an eight-game stretch during which the Packers went 3-5 with Hundley, Adams caught 46 passes for 543 yards and five TDs, which over a full season translates to 90-plus grabs for 1,000-plus yards and double-digit scores. That said, the Colts slogged through a 2-14 season in 2011 with QBs Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky and Kerry Collins sharing those 16 starts, and Wayne still registered 75-960-4, which can't be knocked. If I may quibble with the credentials, though, all three of Adams' All-Pro nods are first-team selections, while two of Wayne's three are second team. I think that differentiates their HOF resumes a bit.

Rob from Ravenna, OH

Can I get a way too early prediction of who will lead our defense with nastiness?

I'm not dismissing the role attitude plays in a game of intense, physical confrontation, but it's more collective than individual, and an effective attitude on defense is fostered by a belief in what's being taught/schemed, followed by success to reinforce that belief. Jeff Hafley has this group on the right track.

Austin from Hillsborough, NJ

Good morning II, what is your opinion on the process of appointing team captains? Do you prefer permanent leaders for an entire season or game-by-game selection and new faces? Leaders and Dawgs? Thanks.

Interesting question. I think it depends on the current makeup of a given locker room. Have enough voices established themselves that appointing permanent captains won't discourage others from stepping forward and speaking up? Or are those weekly opportunities needed to push potential emerging leaders into the spotlight? I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. It's about what fits best in any particular year.

Craig from Appleton, WI

Spoff, what's your general opinion about the rhetoric on the need to shut young pitchers down early to not put too many more innings than the previous year on their arms?

I applaud the effort to try to protect players and their careers (as well as teams protecting their investments), but I've just come to accept that anyone throwing in the upper 90s or 100-plus is going to suffer a serious arm/elbow/shoulder injury eventually. It's practically inevitable.

Joe from Liberty Township, OH

Of all the OI responses the one that touched me the most was Margeaux recalling sitting behind the goal posts and her father not being able to catch an extra point kick from Paul Hornung because he only had full use of one arm due to a WWII injury. Injured parachuting from a B17 and then becoming a POW. That truly was the Greatest Generation.

Stories like that humble me to my core.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Al, Wes, everyone … Wow. I'm sorry for my delay as I was traveling but all the passengers in the terminal got to hear my gasp and yelp. That stunned and delighted me to no end. IIFOY is going to sit in my heart and act as a buoy. Before the music runs me off, I have to say: Wes & Spoff, your talents as writers, et al, can only be outshined by the men we've come to know. It says a lot that I bet every one of us would love to buy you a root/IPA beer and call you friends. And my fellow IIers … some bring football knowledge, some bring insightful questions, some love to speculate, some bring optimism, some bring wit, some bring heart, some bring absurdity and fun facts … thank you all for your part because it's our culmination that makes it great. To have a tactile way to engage with all of you and the sport and team I obsessively love is a gift! Thank you! I'm so grateful. And I'm TOTALLY making myself a T-shirt and will rock that puppy with pride!

You better. Enjoy the well-deserved accolade. Happy Wednesday.

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