Inbox: They're part of this championship formula, too

Brett from Plover, WI Are you worried about losing all three games? Am I? No, but I’m sure there are a few guys in that locker room who are bummed they got fitted for preseason championship rings for no reason. Gary from Pulaski, WI For those who are concerned about the Packers’ winless preseason, a couple of observations. The 2008 Detroit Lions won all four preseason games and then went on to lose all 16 games that season. The Baltimore Ravens are currently on a 20-game preseason win streak. How many Super Bowls have they won during that streak? Um, that would be zero. Get a grip people. Preseason in not a predictor of how the regular season is going to play out. The preseason is for preparation. If Matt LaFleur feels this is the way, then who are we to argue with the guy who is 28-8 during his first two seasons as an NFL head coach? The guy knows what he’s doing. Furthermore, how many times does Aaron Rodgers have to say, “I get more out of training camp practices than the preseason games” before people start believing the NFL’s reigning MVP? Sam from La Mesa, CA I know we can't do a true evaluation of the 2021 draft until well into the future, but at this point I feel Gute did a great job on this one. Even if Eric Stokes doesn't eventually pan out, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Kylin Hill in the seventh and my favorite sleeper Isaiah McDuffie. I also hope Christian Uphoff makes it. He plays with confident abandon. How do you feel at this point? I feel like they’re ready to contribute. The rookie class took a lot of reps this offseason, the most I can recall during my time covering the team. Stokes, Myers and Co. will still have their rookie moments, but they know what the expectations are. They’re part of the championship formula, too. Jeff from Milwaukee, WI Which rookie will play the most snaps this year? Myers. He’s playing every snap as long as he’s healthy. Paul from Saint Paul, MN Hello Insiders – this question is in regards to other offensive coaches calling the plays during preseason games. Do these coaches have input into the game plan during the regular season? If so, then wouldn't play-calling during a game help with game-planning? They most certainly do. LaFleur, Nathaniel Hackett and Rodgers are the inner circle of that process but all the offensive assistant coaches have a hand in building out the game plan and formulating situational offense.Jeff from Vandenberg SFB, CA Over/under 50 of the initial 53 on Tuesday being on the 53 come Sept. 12? Over. There might be a player or two carried on the initial 53 who’s then added to injured reserve to be eligible to be designated to return, but I don’t expect wholesale changes. This roster is too deep for all that. Thomas from Evansville, IN With the arrival of Randall Cobb and loss of Devin Funchess, what do our No. 3 and 4 receiver sets look like? Is it Davante Adams, Cobb, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or do the rookie Amari Rodgers or Malik Taylor have much of a shot at starting? It’s not going to be one “11” personnel set like it was five years ago. You’re going to see a lot of Davante Adams and four other skill-position players. Lazard and MVS will see significant minutes, but there will be packages tailored to Cobb and Rodgers, as well. Depth and versatility are two of the biggest strengths of this year’s offense. That combo makes it difficult for defenses to see what’s coming. Carl from Sheboygan, WI Love the Inbox and all the insight that comes from it...both from the two of you and the fans. No question really. Just a comment on how "stacked" we think our receiver room is, and how most of the reporting outside of Wisconsin still feels this is a one-WR-target team. Teams that go 13-3 two years in a row have way more than one WR target, and GB proved that last year. Thanks again and Go Pack! Pundits can say whatever they want, but the proof is in the production. This offense is a winner. Chuck from Cincinnati, OH Do you think Marquez Valdes-Scantling will have a big year with the signing of Randall Cobb? Sure. The more Cobb (and others) do underneath, the more dangerous MVS becomes down the field. I don’t know how many other ways I can write it, but everything is there for the taking with MVS. This is a massive opportunity. Thomas from Cedar Rapids In making the final cut, how much do you estimate is talent vs. desire? By that I mean, I saw a couple times where guys let up at the end of a play. With a difference of $250,000 between the 53-man roster or 17 games on the PS, one would think that is plenty of motivation. Without calling anyone out by name, did you see the same red flags I did? But overall, the second-team D giving up only 13 first-half points to one of the best offenses in the league is impressive. I agree. How bad do you want it? Many times, desire and effort determine who claims those final two or three spots on the roster. Jack Heflin, Christian Uphoff and several other rookies bumped their stock the final two weeks of training camp, too. Now, all we can do is wait until the deliberations are over and the 53-man roster is set. John from Denton, TX Was Coach just being coy with you journalists at his press conference, or does David Bakhtiari really have a chance to play Week 1? I was preparing myself not to see him suit up until Week 5 at the earliest, but his answer to you guys left me with questions. As it should. Some information is best kept closest to one’s chest. The day the Packers can pick up an extra win for disclosing when a five-time All-Pro like Bakhtiari is coming back, then they can put his return update on the Jumbotron. Jeff from Eveleth, MN Aaron Rodgers hanging out with Bakhtiari is a good thing. Bak keeps him lose and happy. Kind of reminds me of Favre and Bag of Donuts. Their “Question of the Day” montages have become must-see TV, as well.Martin from Evansville, IN What do you think about the new alternate uniforms? I know a lot of people are huge fans of it and I like it alright, but I prefer white letters and numbers. It's good to have alternates though! Uniforms have one box to check with me – do they burn my retinas. These do not, so I am in favor of them. Plus, it’ll be nice to have some variance after a decade-plus of the ACME Packers look. Chun from El Monte, CA This was probably one of the healthiest preseasons I have seen the Packers have. Even though there were limited to no starters playing, no one got hurt. Best preseason ever. I used to think it was important for veterans to play in the preseason…and then I went to Heinz Field in 2015. That took the air out of the balloon for a Packers team with lofty expectations after 2014. Unless you’re preparing a young quarterback to start, I wouldn’t play veterans in a preseason game ever again. The juice is not worth the squeeze. Stephen from Menomonee Falls, WI I can’t be the only one who would love to see Jordan Love run a series or two with the No. 1 offense. Maybe in Week 18…once the first-round bye is clinched. Jordan from Virginia Beach, VA Is a possible strategy releasing a player earlier than a deadline in order increase their chances of making it through waivers and onto the practice squad? Or does waiting until the final deadline increase chances because so many guys are being reevaluated by the other 31 teams at once? I’ve been covering the NFL for 10 years now. I cannot recall one example of the Packers cutting a guy early to get him on the practice squad. I’m not sure how other teams do it, but that would seem counterproductive to me. Michael from Portland, OR With so many players not making a team or practice squad, what do they do to keep their dream alive? Join another league, work out full time and wait (or seek other employment)? Some guys hang it up and begin their post-football careers, but most will jump on that “workout circuit” that Brian Gutekunst talked about a few weeks ago, where players travel the country for tryouts in hopes of landing on a practice squad. It’s not fun but it’s what players have to do to keep their NFL dreams alive once the regular season begins. Noel from Norwalk, CA Morning II! This year's preseason gave me a lot to ponder. Just my observations. Joint practices seemed to work well because they allowed the players from each team hit someone other than their own during practice. Playing starters or playing those who fill the lower half of the roster? I believe joint practices influence this issue because starters can get their work in and avoid the preseason game and allow the coach to get a longer look at those on the bubble. The biggest thing I learned this summer is teams get out of joint practices what they collectively put into them. The Houston Texans came in two years ago and treated those sessions like a preseason game – very bland (other than a rookie safety taking a cheap shot across the middle). The Jets and Packers weren’t afraid to open it up and the practices were noticeably better, even to a layman like me. Kevin from Indianapolis, IN I saw the Saints announced Jameis Winston as their starter against us. Has he shown significant improvement from his 30-interception season in 2019, or is this a game that our DBs are salivating over right now? This is assuming we can slow down Alvin Kamara on the ground, of course, which is no easy feat. We’ll see how far he’s come over the past year with Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Winston looked good in the preseason but did throw one INT on his 22 pass attempts. His talent is undisputed, but so, too, are the turnovers.Joel from Green Bay, WI Gentlemen, first let me say I feel for those in New Orleans and pray that their recovery will be prompt and complete and that loss of life is at a minimum. That being said, how crazy would it be if the Week 1 game was unable to be played in the Superdome and the Packers were able to dodge the outrageous noise levels in road games against the Saints two years in a row? Respectfully, that’s the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I pray New Orleans pulls through Ida OK. We can figure out the football part later. Matt from Burlington, WI How do you pronounce Olivadotti? Like it’s spelled. Julian from Las Cruuces, NM Do you recall a time when a player was drafted by a team in the first round and was cut in the first year? The Minnesota Vikings cut their first-round pick, Dimitrius Underwood, like two weeks into training camp in 1999. I don’t recall any others since then. I’m sure there have been. Tyler from Cartersville, GA Let's say a player receives a fine from the league for something he did in a preseason game (late hit, etc.). He is then cut by the team. Does he still owe the fine? If not, will it be reinstated if he is signed by another team? I believe the fine is taken out of his first NFL regular-season paycheck, whether it happens that year or down the road. The NFL obviously isn’t going to fine an undrafted free agent $10,000 when he’s making $800 a week during the preseason or whatever it is. Arthur from Eau Claire, WI Mea culpa. I had a complete brainfart on the Packers equaling their record from last year. My apologies. In my defense, though, I always was terrible at math. Enjoy the season everyone, no matter how many games! And also, in your defense, I wish the Packers had a chance to match their record from last year instead of playing 17 regular-season games. John from Aesch, Switzerland Not a question, but a suggestion for Shannon of Ovila. I don't think Wes was doing incorrect math in the Inbox, I think he was paraphrasing the great Yogi Berra. Look up some of Yogi's best-known quotes and I think you'll see what I mean. And you'll enjoy all the other ones as well! It’s like déjà vu, all over again. HAVE A QUESTION?