Jordan from Osterdock, IA

Do I need a handwritten apology? Absolutely not. But would I take one? You betcha and put it in a frame next to my stock certificate! GPG!

Fair.

Alyssa from Pleasant Hill, IA

Bye-week plans?

This.

Chris from Highlands Ranch, CO

Wes, Thursday's cooking was a little spicy. Hope you get plenty of rest over the weekend and get to enjoy family and no-pressure football. The GBP fans will always have their opinions. I enjoy your refreshing approach to everything Packers.

Sorry, I had a little Cayenne pepper I needed to get rid of.

Al from Green Bay, WI

With the bye week, I'm assuming the coaching staff is immersed in some "self-scouting." On the offensive side of the ball, I expect that improving the run game will be a focus. What else may be requiring bye-week attention?

I'm sure all three phases looked in the mirror after how September ended. The Packers showed they can be as good as anyone in the league with the wins over Detroit and Washington but also went winless on the road against teams with a combined 2-5-1 record. It's up to those players and coaches to decide which team it wants to be coming out of the bye week.

Blaine from Greenwood, IN

Is it too early to say with Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson we have the next best RB duo?

I don't want to compare/rank RB groups because frankly I don't know enough about the depth charts of all 31 teams. The Packers learned a lot about Wilson and the depth of that position when AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd went down last year. If Lloyd can finally put the injuries behind him, I think the Packers easily could have the best all-around backfield in my time covering the team.

John from Stevens Point, WI

What first-year Packer are you expecting to take the biggest jump after the bye week? Matthew Golden has already had some good moments, but my money is on him to take a nice jump after the bye. It's all part of the natural progression of a talented rookie.

It's Golden. The way he catches the ball is just so natural and he finally got that explosive play we've been forecasting. With Romeo Doubs in a groove and Christian Watson nearing a return, I'm expecting big things from Golden against defenses that can only pay attention to so much.

Herb from Mosier, OR

The Packers-Cowboys game ended in a tie…that's disappointing. The game lasted four quarters and an OT…that's amazing. The game swung back and forth for hours…that's exhausting. I'm reminded of the Warren Spahn vs. Juan Marichal pitching duel. Both pitched 15 innings to a 0-0 tie. Both guys were gassed but kept going. I'd have loved to see that game. The entertainment barometer was off the charts! Question, have the Packers asked for a review of the Prescott intentional grounding pass?

Micah Parsons likened it to a 12-round boxing match. I don't know for a fact if the Packers asked the NFL to review the Prescott play, but they send film to the league each week for clarification. I imagine that would be part of the cutups.

Larry from Green Valley, AZ

Living in Arizona, I occasionally tune into the Cardinals HC show. Guess what – he has the same coach speak as they all likely do. From correctable errors to we are playing hard to tackling needs to improve, etc. I have been a lifelong Packers fan and remain so. I sometimes feel that we fans are more passionate about the game than the players are. Maybe we need to hear more of "What the hell is going on out there" than what we see and experience on Sundays. Thoughts?

It goes back to one of my favorite movies, Paddy Chayefsky's 1976 classic "Network." When people (or in this case fans) are angry, they want someone who will articulate the popular rage for them. But you're fishing in the wrong honey hole if you think that's going to be a head coach. That's not how they operate – not any head coach with a future in the profession, at least. Fracturing and finger-pointing doesn't promote improvement, it obstructs it.

Randy from Klamath Falls, OR

Just watched Sean McVay's press conference from Thursday night after the Rams' loss. If you only heard the audio, you might have thought it was our coach. He took the blame for not putting his players in a position to win at the end, for the play call, and more. Sounds like a real leader, leading. Plus, they have had four kicks blocked. I think we are going to be OK with the direction our coach takes the team.

The amount of blocked kicks this year leaguewide is staggering.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Wes, is it overly simplistic to think we could see a clear indicator in each phase that would signal the Packers have learned from Q1 of the season and are moving on up? What will you be looking for as a sign of growth (against the Bengals)?

Curtail the unforced errors – penalties, protection issues, etc. The Packers are going to make mistakes. Jordan Love will throw another interception at some point, and somebody will fumble this season. But correcting the mental/pre-snap errors can absolve of you of the competitive mistakes.

Clipton from Pasadena, CA

We Insiders have been critical of ML for game management but the Rams' loss to the Niners offers some perspective. Sean McVay is considered one of the premier coaches in the NFL and yet has been criticized for losing two close games this year to game management. The NFL is a tough, competitive business with narrow margins for error. Even the best make mistakes. To quote the classic line from the film "Some Like It Hot," finally a cultural reference for older Insiders: "Nobody's perfect!"

The view is different in the arena, too.

Bret from Stevensville, MT

I have been a Packers fan for more than 60 years. That leads to occasional flashbacks to previous teams when watching games. The Cleveland game was a déjà vu moment to the Scott Hunter-led Packers. Great defense, no offense. The Dallas game was a reminder of the Lynn Dickey-led Packers. Great offense, no defense. My wife and I will be traveling from Montana to attend the Bengals game. Can you dial up a combination of the two? Explosive offense plus smothering defense? Thanks in advance.

As Matt LaFleur said before the break, Green Bay has yet to play a game where all three phases have been clicking in concert with one another. Hopefully, the Packers edge closer to that goal against Cincinnati.

Jonathan from Lake Geneva, WI

Earlier in the week you stated that the players during the bye week could not practice Thursday through Sunday. Did the team watch film or practice Monday through Wednesday this week?

The team worked through Wednesday, I believe.

Jeff from Mesa, AZ

Maybe a good question for a bye week. For the third year in a row, the Packers are the youngest team in the NFL. The Packers' model is primarily draft and develop, with almost all draft picks making the team in the year drafted. That puts about 40 players on the roster on their first contract. Sprinkle in a handful of second contracts, free agents and specialists and you get to 53. So how do you get to not be the youngest team? Any stats on average number of players on their first contract?

The Packers committed themselves to this path during the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love in 2023, but I don't think it was purely wanting to "get younger." Green Bay needed to clean up its books a little but also drafted well from 2022-24. When you have an abundance of homegrown talent, there's less need to sign veterans like Brian Gutekunst did in his first few seasons as general manager.

Pete from Farmington, MN

Is it just me, or is Jordan Love not one of the best at handoff sleight-of-hand as to is he keeping it or is it already done? He fools the camera guys all the time.

The two biggest traits that carry over from Love's time behind Rodgers are his ability to catch defenses with 12 men on the field and the guitar-fake handoff.

Mark from Amarillo, TX

Is Chris Brooks injured? I don't remember seeing any news item about that. He was conspicuously missing the last couple of games.

There's only so many snaps to go around, especially with a workhorse No. 1 back like Jacobs. Wilson also played more snaps in Dallas.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Dallas threw mostly short passes to backs and TEs to stop our rush. Thursday night the 49ers threw a bunch of short passes to backs and TEs and really controlled the clock and moved the chains, The Packers' offense has been good but could be better if ML called more short passes to the backs and TEs. Is this a valid take?

Hmm…I don't want to say you're wrong. There's probably truth somewhere in that argument, but Tucker Kraft is playing like a Pro Bowler right now, John FitzPatrick has a receiving touchdown, and the running backs just had their best receiving performance of the year against Dallas. The offense is doing some good things. It just needs to do them on a more consistent basis.

Scott from Hamlin, NY

I bet the Rams fans wish they tied the 49ers.

The butterfly effect of a tie or a loss is real, folks. The Packers don't claim the NFC North with the win over Chicago in the 2013 regular-season finale without Matt Flynn leading a second-half comeback to tie Minnesota, 26-26, a month earlier.

Marty from Rancho Cordova, CA

I hate doing laundry in November.

Sounds like someone may have had a tumultuous October.

Paul from New Braunfels, TX

I've always felt that the first four games of the season are what it takes for most teams to figure out who they are and get into midseason form. Since every team plays all the teams in one of the nonconference divisions, I'd like to see those scheduled for the first four games. That way, the losses would be less impactful when it comes to tiebreakers and the intraconference games might be more competitive. Thoughts?

The NFL is never going to paint itself into a corner with shorter bye-week windows, early non-conference games, etc. The league sets the schedule to suit its needs. Everything else comes secondary.

John from Lexington, SC

Wes/Mike, will there be a Packers pep rally in Pittsburgh?

Not in Pittsburgh, unfortunately. Only Arizona and Denver.

Garin from Edina, MN

A bit late to the tie party, but at least we can have a nice round 16 games in the W-L column, like the good ole days.

A 13-3-1 record is welcomed but still doesn't look quite right to me.

Markus from Aurora, CO

Insiders, no Packers football this weekend! I will be lost! What should I do?

I'd suggest relaxing a bit because we are in for a 13-week marathon after this brief reprieve.

Scott from Sauk City, WI

Someone should tell the wonderful human beings at Cenex that Mike and Wes are allowed a "No II Monday" following a loss. I like to think of myself as a respectful fellow who won't send rants as "questions" after a game like either of the last two. But I still have to make liberal use of the backspace button at times. I would think that this would be a happier place if you were allowed to say "nope" sometimes. Thanks, Cenex! The store for all your gas and snack needs. (See? I can help!)

That's the price of playing Packers poker. But a huge thank you to the wonderful folks at Cenex for sponsoring this column, which allows me to buy my son Ollie Bearman merch.

Mark from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA

All I know is if I start my round of golf with two birdies, a bogey and a par I'm not throwing in the towel and heading for the 19th hole. You guys, and most the readers, are amazing and bring me great joy. Thanks, one and all.

And that's why we do it. Have a nice weekend.

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