LJ from Chicago, IL

In regards to all the recent talk of not completing the extra point at the end of the game, what if the TD (six points) only results in putting a team up 1-2 points? Even though said team would take a knee and not risk a ball being blocked and returned for two points, it still needs to be attempted for that very reason.

I don't see the point when the kicking team can just take a knee, and it's an untimed down anyway.

Steve from Phoenix, AZ

Just once, I'd love to see a receiver get up gesturing about the missing flag, get in a ref's face to plead his case and then rejoice when the flag comes out only to learn it's for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Count me in.

Stephen from Chicago, IL

Mike, Matt's statement got me thinking and as much as it pains me to say it, given I must live amongst their fans, I don't think the '85 Bears needed any bounces to go their way during that Super Bowl run. Even if the bounces went against them several times a game, they still win it all. Can you imagine a run like that happening in today's free agency/salary cap era of the NFL? Said another way, could you imagine having no doubt who'd win it all when the playoffs start (and be right) ever again?

San Francisco in '89 would be another example like the '85 Bears. The Niners won their three postseason games that year, including the Super Bowl, by a collective 100 points, more than Chicago's 81 four years earlier. But that's a bygone era.

Mitch from Bettendorf, IA

Every football game I watch, I see the same thing and it just rubs me the wrong way. The receiver goes deep and is covered well by a corner so the QB underthrows it so the receiver can "act" like he is trying to come back on it just to draw the PI. How is a corner supposed to cover this play? If he is in man he is not even watching the QB.

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It bothers me as well when off-target passes, whether intentionally underthrown or not, draw PI flags. Fair or unfair, it's incumbent on the corner to at some point turn his head and find the ball. When a corner does that, he at least has a chance of receiving the benefit of the doubt.**

Shelby from Daleville, IN

Drew Brees is really a class act. On Instagram the day after the Saints' heartbreaking loss, he posted a picture of him and his daughter as he was painting her toenails. It really reminds you of what's important, and as much as I'm sure he wants another Super Bowl win, getting to spend some quality time with his family is just as intangibly valuable. I see this same sentiment throughout the Packers organization, and it makes me really proud to be a fan.

As epic as that final play was, Brees knows it's not the first heartbreaking loss of his career, and it won't be his last.

Shane from Cedarburg, WI

Jan. 16 marks the second-year anniversary of the franchise postseason record-setting performance (seven rec., 145 yards and 2 TDs) of Jeff Janis against the Cardinals. Being that Janis is a UFA, and only saw the offensive side of the ball enough this year to catch two passes for 12 yards, I don't expect the Pack to make an effort to re-sign him. What single-game performance from a developing player this year do you see as something to build on for next year?

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I'm not writing Janis off. I don't know what the front office is thinking, but he could have a Jarrett Bush-type run in Green Bay as a special-teams ace capable of filling in at his position when called upon. As for your question, Geronimo Allison against the Bengals in Week 3 definitely stood out, but Allison's ability to work more with Rodgers was obviously curtailed.**

Alan from New London, WI

The way I see it the Brett Hundley experiment was a disaster. They let a really good quarterback slip away in Taysom Hill. Do you think they will try to deal Hundley for draft picks? Could they try to make a deal with the Saints to bring Hill back into the fold? BTW, thanks for the honest, clear answers.

I wouldn't call 3-6 as a starter a disaster, but everyone certainly expected more and Hundley didn't live up to it. I've said before I expect Hundley to be competing with either a veteran signee or draft pick for the backup job next season. The Packers aren't getting Hill back. They have to live with that one.

Joe from Pittsburgh, PA

With the NFL suffering from fan negativity and low ratings, this playoff season has to be their worst nightmare. Except for Brady, who could be out after this weekend, the marquee quarterbacks (Brees, Roethlisberger, Newton and Ryan) are all off the board. Can you really envision a Foles or Keenum versus Bortles as a ratings bonanza for the league?

If the Jaguars win on Sunday, the league is probably in for its lowest-rated Super Bowl since the turn of the century.

Scott from Palos Park, IL

I am embarrassed to admit it but I read my first mock draft article today. They had the Packers taking a RB because "Rodgers needs options on offense." How do I get a job doing uninformed mock drafts?

Figure out what compelled you to click on it, and start building a business plan.

Jeff from Kenosha, WI

Hi guys, I've heard that, like Dom Capers, Pettine runs a complicated D. It's hard for me to believe that MM would hire such a coach unless he knew Gutekunst was going to use FA instead of low draft picks and UDFAs. What are your thoughts?

Interesting take. I'll be curious to hear what McCarthy says when asked what drew him to Pettine.

Chris from Victor, ID

If I were Pettine or McCarthy, I'd be pretty nervous bringing in a new defensive scheme to a roster that didn't include Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett. That defense would be incredibly young and unproven, and the last thing either coach is going to get after next season is any grace period due to "newness." Those two veteran defenders have shown so much versatility in their careers and could be vital for a transition to a new defense.

Also worthwhile to ponder.

Alex from St. Louis, MO

I'm surprised by all the articles I'm reading about the Packers getting rid of Jordy this offseason. His play may have dropped significantly after Aaron went down, but I think that had more to do with the QB-to-WR relationship he had with Hundley. Adams just meshed better with him. When the season was in its infancy, wasn't Jordy once again leading the league in TD receptions? I think people need to tap the breaks on that line of thinking. Maybe ask him or Cobb, or both, to take a bit of a pay cut, but we can't cut the man. The AR12-to-Nelson connection is too good.

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I would agree. Nelson played four of the first five games of the season (he left the Atlanta game in Week 2 with an injury in the first quarter), and he had 21 receptions for 230 yards and six TDs in those four games. He may not be the same boundary receiver anymore, but if he wants to, I think he can still play for a while as a slot and red-zone target.**

Brian from New Port Richey, FL

I love Coach McCarthy's statement that the defense needs to be better than the offense. He saw his team struggle immensely when Rodgers went down and the defense couldn't lift them up. At the same time he watched the Vikings and Eagles excel when their quarterbacks went down and their defenses were able to maintain their drive for a Super Bowl. Yet the Packers have been focusing on the defense for quite some time through both the draft and free agency. If they are going to be successful in meeting McCarthy's expectations for the defense, it's going to have to come from the changes at GM and defensive coordinator. How do you think Gutekunst and Pettine will shape the defensive improvement?

That's what we're all waiting to find out, isn't it? I expect Gutekunst to provide more experienced depth for when injuries hit. Pettine I can't predict, because we haven't yet heard from him or McCarthy on why he was chosen.

Gary from Crossville, TN

Why is it that a long, sustained drive is harder on the defensive players than on the offensive players given that they are all on the field for the same amount of time? Do defensive players typically expend more energy?

Defending the run and rushing the passer are probably the most physically demanding and exhausting duties in the game. The longer you make players do that, the harder it is to give sustained effort and execution.

Jake from Greenville, NC

How different was your job the last time the Packers changed DC/GM?

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I had only been with packers.com for three seasons when the defense transitioned from Bob Sanders to Dom Capers, but the summer of Favre had preceded it, so it felt rather tame on the scale of tumult. Last change in GMs? My job didn't exist.**

Cindy from Oshkosh, WI

Any thoughts on how the Vikings may handle their quarterback situation next year? After the season Keenum had, do they shove him aside for Bridgewater? Is Bradford now expendable? I think it will be interesting to watch.

Indeed. Money will talk the most.

Tim from Mesa, AZ

Hey Mike, I don't like listening to all the complaining from Packers' fans about "wasting" Rodgers' career and needing to fire everyone. I often debate their logic with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who haven't been to a Super Bowl since we beat them. Yet they have a multi-Super Bowl winning QB with arguably the best WR and RB in the entire league. Their defense is typically higher ranked than the Pack's and they play in the somewhat less competitive AFC. If they aren't blowing up their roster and organization, then why should we? In comparison, do you think it is more disappointing for the Packers or Steelers to not have made it back to a Super Bowl since XLV?

Not sure how to differentiate. Seattle in 2014 was the most devastating missed opportunity for either team by far. For Green Bay, Rodgers has been hurt two of the other six years, and Pittsburgh had not earned a first-round bye since 2010 until this year, when they lost the heart and soul of the defense in Shazier. The Steelers had the No. 1-ranked scoring defense in 2011 but bowed out in the wild-card round on the famous Tebow overtime TD. Since XLV, that might have been their best team before this year.

Matt from Cedar Rapids, IA

I love listening to players mic'd up, they say some off-the-wall things. Listening to Favre, he was the king of it. If you could choose any player or coach to listen to mic'd up for a game, who would you pick and why?

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I'd be curious what the in-game conversations are like between David Bakhtiari and the opponent's top pass rusher. The back-and-forth, assuming Bakhtiari doesn't just stay silent, would be enlightening.**

Derek from Eau Claire, WI

This past weekend showed us that playoff football is the most unpredictable animal that exists. MLB, NHL and NBA all have playoff series to determine the winner. The PGA has 72 holes over four days to determine the winner. It seems like the 60 minutes of NFL playoff football are more susceptible to the rub of the green than any other professional post season. Is that a fair assessment?

It's the nature of one-and-done formats, like March Madness.

Zach from Clarkfield, MN

With the NFL game rules that clearly seem to benefit the offense, how important is it for the NFL that of the final four teams, at least three of them have top defenses?

I'm not drawing too many conclusions based on one playoff season, particularly this one. If not for a miracle play, we'd be talking about the top defense in the league giving up 24 points in a little over a quarter and not getting past the divisional round. Another top defense gave up 42 points in a victory. The NFL postseason is a creature all its own.

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