Inbox: The transition looks complete

Chris from Hartford, WI

I don't know, Roger from Facilities still needs to change that lightbulb.

How many Rogers does it take to … oh, never mind.

Don from West Chester, PA

Is there really a "Roger" in Facilities?

Yes, actually, there is, and he might be the eldest of all this building's employees as well as one of its most dedicated.

Carl from Onalaska, WI

There's no way…I've now seen any possible complaint. Someone watched Christian Watson's second TD and felt the need to write in to complain about it. Absolutely amazing.

Never mind that Jordan Love threw the ball from his own 40, seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, so the insistence of 15 yards of field in front of him would've meant a net 8-yard gain leaving the Packers with a 63-yard field goal they weren't going to try anyway.

Jeff from Foothill Ranch, CA

Is it fair to say Dallas isn't going to be playing much single high safety? I would expect them to play two deep and make the Packers run the ball. Week-to-week league, and we better be ready for something very different this week.

Dallas' defensive struggles would indicate they'll have to do everything they can to limit explosive plays. The Packers will absolutely have to run the ball in this matchup.

Tom from Herndon, VA

Now that the Packers have completed their preseason against five teams playing their backup quarterbacks due to injuries, do you think our defense is ready to stop a team like the Cowboys who have an experienced playmaker like Prescott and his full complement of weapons?

Well, just so we have our facts straight, I believe the backup QB team total is at three, not five. That aside, Prescott and his crew can go off at any time. They had scored 30-plus in three straight games before the Thursday night dud vs. Tampa, and they're coming in with extra rest. They're converting nearly 50% on third down. I would argue CeeDee Lamb is the most dynamic and explosive receiver the Packers have faced since Justin Jefferson in Week 1. Prescott has been sacked only six times in five games. This is a major test for Jonathan Gannon & Co.

Scott from Manson, IA

Sunday it seemed like Evan Williams was everywhere…and Javon Bullard was making plays too. Of course, Xavier McKinney is one of the best safeties in the league, and with the emergence of Brandon Cisse as a strong corner, and the continued high level of play by Keisean Nixon, the Packers' secondary has to be considered elite. It makes the thought of facing Dallas' high-octane air attack less daunting, to be sure.

I like the Packers' collection of DBs and the varied skillsets they bring. But there's nothing "less daunting" about this Cowboys passing attack. They're gonna come in slingin' it.

Ken from New York, NY

My biggest concern for the first few weeks is that there didn't seem to be much for the team to build on. It was all about figuring out why almost nothing was working. That changed this week. I know that there are things to clean up, but we now have some solid foundations to work with.

Those would be called the trenches. The offensive side started to come around in Week 4. The defensive side has had just one rough game out of five, in my opinion.

Phillip from Wonder Lake, IL

What took five games before Jordan Love to be so consistent in completing passes?

Did you not watch the offensive line in September?

Josh from Nicaragua

Any insight on how or why Laken Tomlinson was able to take the field after only six days with the team, yet Kevin Zeitler, the bigger name getting paid 3x as much, still wasn't ready after two weeks? Considering LaFleur made it sound like Travis Glover had earned his playing time over Zeitler, it sounds like we have a log jam at a position that was a mess only a few weeks ago. With that said, barring injury, has Aaron Banks played his last snap as a Packer?

Tomlinson had been on the Cowboys' practice squad, and practicing football, for three weeks before coming to Green Bay, while Zeitler had not been with any team since last season. Also, Tomlinson had more familiarity with the offensive system from his time in San Francisco. As for what happens with Zeitler/Glover at right guard and Banks/Tomlinson at left guard moving forward, I honestly don't know. But the Packers have a much better problem now than their previous one.

Mike from Montpelier, WI

Let's see. First two series. No penalties, no dropped passes, no negative rushes, two scores. Now THAT makes someone a great play-caller.

Amazing how that works.

Jerry from Grantsburg, WI

I read on X that the TD bomb to Watson was a "rage call" by LaFleur in response to the refs. Insiders, can you please do the Lord's work and let it be known, yes declared thusly, to LaFleur that the fans want "rage coach" every week?

No, you don't. Trust me, you don't.

Steve from Ellison Bay, WI

Something TV can never give justice to is the shocking speed of Christian Watson. It is effortless and amazing to see how quickly he separates from the defenders we know are not slow. I sensed similar speed from Matthew Golden when effortlessly fielding a couple of punts and racing to the sidelines before he could be hit. What do you think?

Their combine 40 times didn't lie, and when receivers know the offense and don't have to think about their routes and decisions, their speed can be on full display.

Blake from North Hollywood, CA

Great to see Christian Watson's name show up in the top five for receiving yards to this point in the season. Even greater to see Matthew Golden's name show up at No. 8 (he's also drawn several PI calls, imagine where his total receiving yards could be!). This question is about Golden: Given his impressive improvement from his rookie season, what are you seeing as the biggest points of improvement from him this year?

I'm not sure of any specifics, other than to say the transition looks complete. I just see a young, uber-talented receiver who's healthy now, practicing every day, confident in what he's doing and coming into his own.

Ben from Northbrook, IL

Could you explain why the OPI penalty on J. Michael Sturdivant was what one reader called a "garbage" call? I don't know the technical definition of OPI, but the TV replay showed Sturdivant putting his hand on the defender's helmet and pushing the man's head back just before he caught the ball. That created separation Sturdivant wouldn't otherwise have had. Why isn't that OPI? Just asking!

I saw it as hand fighting by both sides, and the receiver should be allowed to get the defender's hands off him. If the defender is in position only because of contact he initiated, and doesn't know where the ball is, I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Elliot from Hopkins, MN

Could you shed some light on the incident involving the penalty for holding on the punt where the player fumbled it into the end zone? How did they manage to get it at the 10-yard line? I thought the play ended at the 17- or 18-yard line.

Normally, a penalty that occurs before a punt return is initiated is marked off from where the returner gains possession. If I understood the ruling correctly, because the returner got possession in the end zone (after the muff), it's viewed as a quasi-touchback, so the penalty was marked off from the 20, and the ball was spotted on the 10. Had the Packers tackled the returner inside the 10, they could've declined the penalty and taken the result of the play.

Lyn from Oshkosh, WI

What does it mean, run behind your pads? What does it mean when they talk about 13, 11, etc., personnel? I am old and have watched football religiously since 1965 but all these new ways of describing things have lost me in enjoying the games, or reading about what happened.

Running behind the pads means lowering them and leading with them to get full body weight behind the contact, not running upright and exposing the torso to a clean, momentum-stopping hit. Those personnel numbers refer to backs and tight ends. The first digit is the number of running backs in the formation, the second is tight ends. So "11" personnel is one back, one tight end (and three receivers), and "13" personnel is three tight ends, etc.

Tom from Dell Rapids, SD

Since Trey Smack got to GB, I've heard a lot about how he has the right mindset for a kicker. I believe he will handle and learn from this bit of adversity in his young career and come out better on the other end. What is the process he will be going through to recover from this rough outing?

I don't know what Smack's process is, but all kickers (all players for that matter) have their own. There's no handbook to follow. It's about what works for them. He's not the first kicker to overcompensate for the wind inside Lambeau. As I mentioned on "Unscripted," Crosby always said it's better to trust a truer line than play the wind in that bowl.

John from Mt. Horeb, WI

Packers special teams continues to be extremely volatile. Five games in and the trend continues with missed extra points, missed field goals, a blocked field goal, and giving up a 60-yard kickoff return. We all know how this trend can come back to haunt you in the biggest of games. Do you think it is time for the Packers to add a free agent kicker to compete with Smack?

No, but I do agree the special teams have work to do.

Michael from Mesa, AZ

Didn't Gervon Dexter hit Love in the head after the flea-flicker play or was it just my imagination?

LaFleur certainly thought so.

George from Louisville, CO

Just wondering if the Packers are thinking of wearing those great uniforms again? Seems a waste only wearing once. Maybe home games vs. Lions and Vikings?

Presumably next year.

John from Madison, WI

For the fans who have been wanting Matt LaFleur to respond to Ben Johnson's comments, that game was Matt's response.

And he didn't even mention the Bears in his postgame locker room speech, because the two teams play again on Christmas, and both will be in different spots 2½ months from now.

Dale from Owatonna, MN

Mike had a series of questions about fans failing to understand that a team can improve over the course of a season. There is hype at the beginning of every season and when things don't live up to the hype, well, fans have reacted this way forever. It is now just a public thing, since forums make it publicly available. As a fan in enemy territory, the purple team not to be named fans are about to implode. The optimism is unlimited for a mediocre team, and they don't see it coming.

Yet you're also assuming they can't or won't improve.

Eric from Keene, NH

I'll take a shot at answering Mike's question, but I can only speak for myself. I've been watching long enough to know about September football, but I think I also know when I'm seeing problems that October won't solve. At that point, my attitude switches from "This too shall pass" to "I'll believe it when I see it." On the strength of one game, it looks like the Packers are working through their difficulties, but the body of work over five games causes me to be cautious in my optimism.

And that's fair. But even "believe it when I see it" feels different from the hopeless, apocalyptic gloom that consumes so many when (stuff) goes wrong, as though it'll never get better. Nobody can promise problems will be fixed, but they aren't blindly just hoping they go away. To wit, I appreciate the various submissions exploring this topic, from injury resignation (Dave from River Falls, WI) to reductionist thinking (Clay from Avondale, AZ) to inherent pessimism (Mark from Salisbury, MD) to feeling helpless (Jake from Apple Valley, MN). The human psyche remains forever fascinating.

Ray from Clark, NJ

As a follow-up to support Monday's comment on Mike Ditka entering the HOF ahead of John Mackey … Mackey had Johnny Unitas for a QB, Ditka had Billy Wade and Rudy Bukich. Doesn't that matter? Let's stack wins this week. GPG!

Thank you.

Jon from Guttenberg, IA

Mike, another Bears-Plattevillle training camp anecdote. In '87, my future wife was an employee at UWP and an ex-athlete there. She was doing a workout on the track when a Bears coach and player told her they needed the track. In her style, she told them to wait until she was finished. They impatiently waited. She noted when she was done the player wore a blue and yellow college workout jersey with the name Harbaugh on the back. Their No. 1 draft choice that year. Still makes me chuckle.

That's funny.

Craig from Sussex, WI

Who were the Packers that attended Game 2 in Milwaukee?

I'm not sure of the full contingent, but I saw Daniel Whelan and Matt Orzech leaving the building Monday afternoon in Brewers jerseys (one Chourio, the other Turang). I also heard Zaire Franklin and Mekhi Becton Sr. were there.

Tom from Nolanville, TX

What a great night for sports Monday night was. The Brewers bullpen of superheroes came through in a big way, not allowing a base runner and shutting down the Bums. The Bills and Rams game had a wild finish, too. Here's to Milwaukee extending their lead in LA, and ideally closing out the NLCS on the road. But the Dodgers will give the Crew all they can handle!

Indubitably.

Doug from Eugene, OR

Gentlemen, would I be overstating things if I said we are deep in the throes of Jim McKay's "Human drama of athletic competition"?

When are we not? Happy Wednesday.

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