Ethan from La Crosse, WI

"If social media was around 25-30 years ago, fans would've lost their collective minds on a weekly basis." We still lost our minds on a weekly basis. We just went outside to yell at clouds about it rather than online.

Where there's an endless supply of clouds, right? Or something like that.

Trevor from Cheyenne, WY

I hope, Jeff from Indian Lake, NY, doesn't get to "enjoy" another Monday press conference with Coach LaFleur again till next season.

Ha. Point taken.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Ugh, Spoff, after watching the morning shows today, I'd like to scold them with some "believe, don't assume." There is way too much assuming and forgone conclusions happening that our D will destroy Dallas, Micah Parsons will have at least two sacks, their D will be pitiful, the game will be over at the half, etc. I agree that things are lining up in our favor, and I believe we have potential for a great game. You want to fill in the blank on the don't assume part?

Shouldn't be necessary after last week.

Chris from Netherlands

Hi Mike, great job in the live chat. Could tell you were deflated but you remained professional. What is the one improvement you want to see on Sunday whatever the outcome?

The penalties, particularly the pre-snap kind now that it's been two games in a row. Those are mistakes totally within the Packers' control, and without them (or with fewer), I still think they win last week despite everything else. When you have a false start that pushes your game-winning kick back 5 yards, and an offside that moves the opponent's 5 yards closer, those are unforced errors with the game on the line make winning so much harder.

Keith from Bakersfield, CA

I saw an interview recently where Clay Matthews related Kevin Greene telling him he's allowed one offside penalty per game. Pick a spot, time the snap count and go. For an aggressive group of pash rushers, the occasional offside seems like an acceptable tradeoff for maintaining that aggressive disposition. Obviously the situation matters (not on fourth-and-4!) but do you think differently about errors on the side of aggression than other types of penalty?

I don't see a big-picture benefit to that approach. Matthews may have had such a green light, but he was mostly a disciplined player anyway who could win with tools, not tricks. If Parsons, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness all take that mindset as pass rushers and you're getting three offsides per game, that's not helping anyone.

Kelly from Green Bay, WI

Sorry for an Xs and Os question, but something has to give when Cowboys' Jake Ferguson is the most targeted tight end this season with 27 and the Packers' defense has given up the third most yards to tight ends at 215. Since it's crystal clear that we know that they know what we know, how do you think the Packers scheme up a defensive game plan with this in mind? Go Pack Go!

I've always felt if you're scheming to take something away, draw up different options. They can cover Ferguson with the nickel, or with a safety, or with a linebacker, or bracket him in certain instances. Keep them guessing so they can't lock with in a simple counter.

Herb from Mosier, OR

In "Packers Unscripted" you said Elgton Jenkins criticized his performance against the Browns. Did he also have a private meeting with the rest of the O-line? If so, that's more inspiring than anything the coaches say. I believe the O-line will come out of the chute with fire in their eyes. I sure hope I'm right.

Led by Jenkins, I think we're going to see how much pride the Packers' O-line has Sunday night.

Steve from Algoma, WI

For the sky-is-falling fans: Remember that if Jordan Love throws that rainbow just a few inches further left, or Matthew Golden realizes he has 5 yards of separation and plants his foot to turn up field, that becomes a 96-yard TD pass and the Pack is up 17-0 with 11 minutes to play. The Packers likely win that game (decisively) and suddenly we're talking about our team being unbeatable. It's a game of inches – always. Don't let the highs get you too high, or the lows get you too low.

Golden talked about that play after practice Wednesday, saying he thought the safety was much closer to him, he had no idea how much space he had, and his momentum took him out of bounds. When he saw the film, he regretted the missed opportunity big-time.

Dale from Prairie du Chien, WI

Do you think the running game and then the passing game being able to use play-action would be better off if Love played under center more? Does he prefer the shotgun or is that what MLF prefers with this offense?

I always think play-action is more effective from under center, but the Packers also perform a lot of run action with RPOs from the gun, and their game plans are very opponent-based. Last year felt shotgun heavy in part due to Love's health issues. Is his left thumb factoring into that now? I don't know, and they're not going to tell us. I don't want to draw any over-arching conclusions after three games.

Ryan from Chippewa Falls, WI

Morning II, been reading a lot lately about needing to get the passing game going to open up the run. This has always been a chicken-and-egg thing for me, last year it was the opposite. Mike mentioned in the mid-week chat that teams are adjusting to Josh Jacobs after his first year as his reason. My question is what are you seeing that is telling you that? Have you been seeing more loaded boxes than usual? My untrained eye doesn't see much of a difference in how teams are defending us.

The Packers have seen an extra run defender near the line of scrimmage a lot. That doesn't excuse Jacobs getting contacted near or behind the line as much as he has, so the run game still should be functioning better. But the Lions and Browns in particular are man coverage defenses. They man up on receivers and then decide whether the second safety can attack or must stay back. It's often the former. Not every team majors in man coverage like that, but those matchups come down to pass pro. It was great vs. Detroit, not so great at Cleveland, and the offensive results followed accordingly. In a nutshell, you have to be able to run the ball against cover-2 and throw it against single high in this league. If you can't, the opponent isn't adjusting, you are.

Tom from Keota, IA

Hi II. RIP your Inbox this week. It's too bad the Pack won't go undefeated this year like we were all promised and has happened every other year. I understand people's angst, what a letdown. But if people need something positive – a lot of people said that maybe the best thing about acquiring Parsons was how it would give other players room to explode. Parsons said that himself. And lookee what player is leading the league in sacks after three weeks. Love to see it.

What happens when opposing offenses devote more attention to Gary out of necessity? Let's wait and see.

Bill from Clive, IA

Has anybody examined those two long runs by the Cleveland RB to see what broke down there? We were handling the run so well up to that point. I know, the other guys get paid, too, but was it really all credit to the RB?

On the 14-yarder, there were two obvious missed tackles in open space. On the 38-yarder, it was 7-on-7 in the box, and literally nobody got off a block. Plus a stunt up front by the Packers had one lineman cut across but the other didn't replace. Guess where the gap was?

Chris from New Canaan, CT

Part of our DNA, regrettably, seems to be the inability to put together a "take control" game-killer of a drive on crucial possession(s), often in the mid to late third quarter. Instead of extending our lead to two scores, inevitably there is a three-and-out, or back to back three-and-outs, that allows the opponent to hang around (CLE is a recent example). Do I speak nonsense, or is there something to this? And, in my opinion, this has bedeviled us for many seasons now ...

In Week 2, the Commanders scored a TD early in the fourth quarter to get within 17-10, and the Packers responded by going 65 yards in nine plays for a 24-10 lead. All last season, I don't recall the Packers having the lead and the ball in the late third or early fourth quarter of any of their losses. Have they won some games over the years that felt closer than they should've been? Sure. They've also come back against opponents in the same way. In reality, most games in this league are going to come down to the last 5-6 minutes, and crunch time defines your record more than anything. Week 3 was the first crunch-time test for this year's team, and it failed. Prior, the Packers didn't need crunch time against two playoff teams from last year that are both 2-1 now. That shouldn't be overlooked.

TK from Grafton, WI

I've heard this argument several times, so I decided to inquire with my best source: When the Packer offense snaps the ball just before the play clock expires, can the defense get a jump on the ball? Where is the play clock located? Can the defense even see it without trying to look in some awkward direction?

It depends on the stadium. The play clock is in the end zone somewhere, but it can be along the ground or in a ribbon board between stadium decks. Defenses can try to time up the snap based on the play clock expiring, but there's still a risk of getting flagged for offside before they'd call a delay if the ball isn't snapped in time.

Larry from Carney, MI

Good morning, how long has it been offensive strategy for receivers to run directly at defensive backs and hit them so hard that in order not to get run over they hang on for a second which the referee then calls illegal defensive contact?

Oh, don't get me started. I've been saying for years the college game functions fine without an illegal contact penalty. If it's not defensive holding or DPI, the contact is rarely significant enough to impact the play, in my opinion.

Brian from Somerset, WI

Hopefully neither LaFleur nor Love becomes gun shy from the mistake in Cleveland. Continue to be aggressive, push the ball down the field, impose your will on the other team. I think to be great in this league, you have to. Mistakes are going to happen, just learn from them. Your thoughts?

In general, I don't see the Packers shying away from anything. That's not in the head coach's or QB's nature. Situationally, thoughtful and measured responses are always required. Even then, nothing's guaranteed to work out swimmingly, but a blanket approach that doesn't take circumstances into account isn't the answer either.

Leandro from Lexington, KY

Was that a plane that flew over the studio just over 11 minutes into the taping of "Unscripted"? Got a kick out of picturing an air compressor kicking on in the next room over and an intern sprinting to unplug it. Love you guys.

Ha. There's construction of our new office space and studio going on all season just outside of our current studio, and sometimes if the communication wires get crossed on when we need it quiet, the construction noise enters the show. We'll just keep plowing ahead, as will the crew building our new digs.

Jim from New Ulm, MN

The number of fans who think they're smarter than NFL coaches amazes me. As a DIII D-coordinator, I attended countless clinics featuring NFL coaches/coordinators and they've forgotten more about football than I'll ever know. I listened to a QB coach spend an hour on the mechanics of throwing a football and there was enough math and physics involved to get him banned forever from these premises. Bottom line: I don't know how you do it when said fans enter the room, but I'm grateful you do.

Over my two decades here, I've had the privilege of the occasional, highly enlightening one-on-one interview with people like McCarthy, LaFleur, Capers, Pettine, Philbin, Hafley, Rodgers, Love, Adams, Nelson, Woodson, Jacobs, Xavier McKinney and the list goes on. Anytime those conversations have turned to the nuts and bolts of football – preparation, game plans, film study, etc. – I'm reminded how surface level my knowledge is.

Eric from Keene, NH

Clearly there's a lot of room for improvement, but if you had told me in July that three games into the season we'd be 2-1 with an elite defense, I'd have taken it with no questions asked. That's pretty much where I'm at until this team proves me wrong.

That's not a bad outlook. My concern, bigger picture, is if everyone else in the NFC North beats the Browns, that becomes a really damaging loss. Detroit gets Cleveland next, followed by Minnesota. We'll learn soon enough.

Tommy from Washburn, WI

Redemption is certainly a motivating factor, but I wonder who has a larger need for redemption. Both the Pack and the Cowboys are coming off a loss, but Dallas also has those bitter memories of our last appearance in Jerry's World. Which team will want this W more?

We'll sure find out, won't we? Happy Friday.

HAVE A QUESTION?