Inbox: There is no ceiling with this guy

Jack from Gotham City, MI With the variety of questions about converting a Packer player to a new position, I can't believe the obvious hasn't been asked. Move No. 12 to ILB. He would easily decipher the opposing offense's plays and be in charge of a shutdown defense. I'm sure the reason this hasn't been proposed is Aaron would have to change his number, and No. 88 is already taken. A good time to remind everyone – and myself – training camp is only 41 short days away. Good morning! Tony from Kaukauna, WI Davante Adams has his sights set on 20 touchdowns in 2018-2019. Although my fantasy team would appreciate it, I feel like that will be very tough with Graham, Lewis, Cobb, and a bunch of other tall, talented skill players. Do you see it happening? I’ve stopped doubting or questioning Adams. I mean hasn’t the 2015 season taught all of us that? If Adams has his sights set on 20 touchdowns, who is to say he can’t do it? He has one of the game’s very best throwing him the ball, the same quarterback who has thrown at least 38 touchdowns four times in his career. There is no ceiling with this guy.Dean from Leavenworth, IN Wes, I've seen/heard "route tree” and “he can run the whole route tree" numerous times. Specifically what constitutes the "whole route tree”? It’s just a term coaches and personnel folks use to describe receivers who can run any route effectively – corner, go, post, in, out, curl, comeback, slant, flat and screen. Mark from Wisconsin The comment this morning about false tells by a receiver got me thinking. Every once in a while you'll hear a defensive player say they discovered a tendency of a receiver, lineman, etc., while watching film. Do players ask their teammates to watch film of them to see if they see anything being given away? Seems having a corner watch film and study his own receiver teammate would discover those tendencies. All the time. What’s the first thing they teach receivers in Pop Warner? Don’t point your toes in the direction of your route. Self-scout is essential to excel at this level. It’s why Mike McCarthy actively promotes the “across-the-hall” meetings between position groups. It’s a game of awareness. Zach from Rochester, NY With the emergence of newer “positions” in today’s game like the hybrid safety/linebacker and the decay of other positions such as a traditional blocking fullback in most offenses, which positional change of trend could you see happening next in the near future? Defensive tackles looking more like Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark than Gilbert Brown and Howard Green.Jake from Greenville, NC Coach Raih said in his press conference Tuesday that the receivers were really focusing on “the first five yards” and “getting into the defense” at this point in camp. Is that coordinated with what Joe Whitt and the DBs are emphasizing right now, so that both groups can get the most out of their practice matchups? Winning the line of scrimmage is the first step toward winning the play. That goes for linemen, receivers and defensive backs. Players are trained to meet that challenge.Marty from Cuenca, Ecuador Thanks for the Jason Spriggs story. He hasn’t gotten much love from the blogs. When I saw that pic of him at practice the other day the change jumped off the page. He is apparently sleeping in the gym. I thought he had turned a corner before his injury, in control of his feet and generally more comfortable. Physical maturation takes time for NFL offensive linemen and no two players follow the same development pattern. Fortunately, Spriggs was healthy enough this winter/spring to train at his pace and participate in the Packers’ offseason program. That experience is so valuable, especially with the snaps currently available at right tackle. Spriggs knows he needed to add weight and took it seriously. We’ll see how it translates when the pads go on in August. Aaron from Sour Lake, TX How has DeShone Kizer looked so far? Is he taking reps with the twos or the threes? He has an NFL arm and frame. The Packers are starting from square one with him and structural changes take time. Training camp will be his proving ground, but Kizer has all the tools to be an impact player in this league.John from Yakima, WA Shutdown corner = QB throws someplace other than where this corner is playing. Kind of reminds me of my playing days when I was a shutdown receiver, meaning the QB throws someplace other than where I was playing. Tom from Vista, CA What does it mean to a young kid trying to make the Packers squad when he is signed to the practice squad, or he has an invitation to try out? During which step of the process does he begin to get paid? Do invitees have any perks, or is the entire cost of the trip and tryouts to Green Bay born by the invitee? Trying out for an NFL team is a job interview. While the player doesn’t collect a salary, the team covers all travel expenses, lodging, food, etc. If signed to the practice squad, the player gets paid each week of the regular season. Connor from Kamoenai-mura, Hokkaido Is the running back committee the future of the NFL backfield? The number of teams employing this strategy has steadily grown in recent years. New Orleans, Atlanta, and Tennessee all have committees, as well as the two teams in the Super Bowl this past season, New England and Philadelphia. Green Bay has three backs with different skill sets that help them excel in different situations, so the running back committee strategy seems to fit well with the Packers. Your thoughts? When I was a child, it seemed like every NFL team had a running back you could pencil in for 250 touches every September. For one reason or another, that isn’t the way the league works today. Teams want options for depth and skill. It’s a copycat league and the two teams that played for the Lombardi Trophy last season finished the year with 11 combined running backs on their rosters. You tell me.Bones from Ripon, WI Wait, whaaat? They eliminated the 10 worst helmets? How many different helmets are there? At least 20 others. Ed from Minneapolis, MN With a 90-man roster to begin, those are a lot of human interest stories. Do you ever find yourself regretting not doing a piece on a really “good guy” who doesn’t make the final cut? One. I wish I would have gone cat-fishing with Mitchell Henry. I joked with him during his rookie season that maybe I’d go with him and his father down in Kentucky if he made the roster. Mitchell was an incredibly respectful individual with a kind heart and gentle personality. As you start to get older, you get a sense for how fragile life is and how you should never take it for granted. I cannot believe it’s almost been a year since Mitchell’s passing. Twenty-four is far too young. Thank you for your question. Willy from Isny, Germany Hi Insiders, I just saw Quinten Rollins working out with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Kentrell Brice on the minicamp photos. Is he moving to safety? The cornerbacks and safeties are now under one coach, pass-game coordinator Joe Whitt, which is why you probably saw Rollins with Clinton-Dix and Brice. Rollins is a cornerback. That’s where he’s been playing this spring. Scott from St. Louis, MO Regarding player safety, in the past, one would hear announcers talk about the quarterback's responsibility to protect receivers by not leading them into the danger of waiting linebackers or safeties. Now it seems that the onus is entirely on the defensive players, and I no longer hear that aspect of it discussed. Is this something that current quarterbacks are still coached to keep in mind, or are they now relying solely on the rules, the defense, and the officials to protect their receivers? It’s still on the quarterback to protect his receivers. However, defenders no longer have the green light to target receivers, particularly in the middle of the field. It’s not asking linebackers and defensive backs to allow receivers to catch the ball. It’s simply encouraging them to use their body against their body for both players’ safety. Matthew from Las Vegas, NV Assuming the verdict stands, would the Rams' payout to Reggie Bush have salary cap implications? No. It’s simply financial. Matthias from Hartford. WI Are the upper decks in the south end zone a success? And might we see any more decks installed above the 50-yard line boxes or north end zone? I think it has been. The goal always was to eventually fill out that south end zone. The second part of your question might be better suited for Mark Murphy. Right now, I don’t foresee any further seat expansions in the near future. Arthur from Chippewa Falls, WI I watched Reggie Roby punt for the Dolphins and his plant foot never left the ground. Man, did he boom the ball. If the new punter for the Packers is half as good, the team and fans will be very happy he was drafted. It’s a preferable technique for a punter. There just aren’t many examples of those type of players. Most human beings aren’t built like JK Scott. He’s unique (6-6, 208) and done everything possible to maximize those gifts. Dennis from Elk Mound, WI According to the 100 Seasons website, the Packers did not have a general manager between Bart Starr and Ron Wolf. Who served as the final decision-maker between 1981 and 1991? Tom Braatz, the director of football operations, and Packers coach Lindy Infante each had say in personnel decisions. Before that, Dick Corrick was the Packers’ director of player personnel from 1981-86. Vinny from Arlington, VA Hey Wes, with the Washington Capitals celebrating their first ever Stanley Cup victory through the streets of DC, it made me wonder what did past Packer Super Bowl celebrations entail (parade, events, speeches from coaches and players, fireworks, etc.)? The two Super Bowls in my lifetime both included parades and celebrations at Lambeau Field. In February 2011, the Press-Gazette dispatched me to Washington Street to see how fans were celebrating. It was interesting, to say the least. Derek from Eau Claire, WI Which last-place team in their division a year ago has the best chance to finish first this year? Which first-place team could finish last? I’ll say Texans and Kansas City. That’s nothing against KC, but the change at quarterback probably makes it the biggest question mark from the eight division champions. Houston is a force to be reckoned with if Watt and Watson are healthy.Josh from Denver, CO I know Vic didn't care about soccer, but are the current insiders excited by the USA hosting the 2026 World Cup? Oh, absolutely. Fingers-crossed Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t play the role of spoiler again. David from Nierenberg, Bavaria, Germany Germany is a sleeper? They are the defending champs. Would be the same to say the Patriots are a sleeper for the SB title this year :) But it will be hard to defend this year I think. The last World Cup was four years ago. I can’t remember what I ate four meals ago. Chad from Troy, MI Wes, what do you think of “Madden ’19”? Buy, rent, or wait for next year? Truthfully, I stopped playing “Madden” about four years ago. I’ll again be sitting on the sideline in ’19. John from Wausau, WI When you do the photos, why does every picture have credits for photographers but never names of players in pictures? Because Evan doesn’t have a jersey number for identification like the players do. You’re welcome. Chadro from Janesville, WI I was just thinking about "Thrones" (big surprise) and I was wondering, if you had to take one character from "GOT" and put them on the Packers, who would it be? What position would they play? And a bonus question, could Brienne of Tarth play in the NFL? I would put Khal Drogo as a pass rusher. And Brienne could play in my opinion. Thank you. My first two picks would be Jon Snow at quarterback and The Mountain at left tackle. I’m with you on Brienne of Tarth, though. Joe from Asbury, IA First week of July is going to be the Outsider Inbox, correct? Still up for it, Biff? How is it going to work? Will you post your questions on Sunday so that way we can answer them overnight and they'll be posted Monday? We’re still up for it. After thinking about it, however, I will first post my questions at the end of the Tuesday morning Inbox on July 3, and you all will have 24 hours to post your replies. The July 4 Inbox will belong entirely to you, the people. HAVE A QUESTION?