Hey everybody, hope all is well. Thanks for logging on today. Go ahead and start sending in your questions and I'll get rolling shortly.

Hey Mike! Thanks for hosting another mid-week chat. Question about in-game communication: Do you have any insights on the number of different people that are in Coach LaFleur's gameday headset? All three coordinators? More? Less? I've always wondered.

My understanding from a conversation I had with McCarthy many years ago is the head coach has three channels on his headset -- one each for offense, defense and ST. So he can switch to whichever channel he needs to communicate with the appropriate people.

Morning Mike, fancy a job as a QB at Indy?

Amazing story with Philip Rivers coming out of retirement. If he wins one game as Colts QB, that should cement his status as a Hall of Famer.

How do you see the packers offense matching up against Denver's defense?

That's the big story this week. The Packers' offense has been on a pretty good run these last four games but this Broncos defense, as LaFleur said, is no joke. I think it's all about staying balanced and keeping third downs manageable distances.

How was Matthew Golden looked in practice this week? He was a non-factor Sunday and needs to get going.

He was out there today in the brief portion I saw. LaFleur said his snaps were limited last week because that wrist was still bothering him. Hopefully it's doing better.

The weather is going to be 63 and dry. Any concerns other than the elevation?

I think when the plane leaves GB on Saturday it'll be like 10 degrees, so it's going to feel downright balmy out there.

I'm a sucker for snow games. In the spirit of winter, what's your favorite Packers snow game or memory?

2007 divisional playoff vs. Seattle. Hands down.

Mike, how do you train for Denver's thinner air, as Wisconsin has no mountains?

I don't think you can train for it. I've heard hydration is a big part of preparing the body for it. Other than that, I don't know much.

Mike, we're off to play the NFL's No 1 ranked team on the road, at altitude, they are full of confidence after 10 straight wins, they are well coached and good at winning close games. Is this our toughest assignment of the season to date?

Maybe. Haven't thought about ranking things really. Going to Pittsburgh for a primetime game was no picnic certainly.

No conspiracy theory here as it is equally bad across teams and sports, but something has to be done to improve officiating in professional sports. Four steps and no traveling in the NBA, neighborhood calls at second base in MLB, and a whole litany in the NFL including holding, interference, and on and on. Do you believe officiating is diluting the quality of games and what can be done to fix it?

I wish I had all the answers. I think baseball has made the most progress with replay and now a ball-strike challenge system (though they should just go fully automated eventually anyway). Football needs to embrace the technology better to get calls correct. I'm not saying every judgment call (holding, DPI) should be subject to review, but review can cover more, like safety rules, and take that off the officials' plate on the field. I think that would help them do their jobs better, honestly.

Hey Mike! I take nothing away from any team in the NFL, but looking at their schedule it doesn't really seem like the Broncos have had too much of a challenge from anyone they have played this year, good team or luck of the schedule?

You don't win 10 games in a row in this league by accident. Their defense gives them a chance to win every week, and their young QB has come up clutch in a lot of fourth quarters. That's not a bad formula.

You mentioned in II today about the 2015 travel west to Denver. Any insight on departure timing to Colorado?

We're leaving at the normal time as far as I know.

Bo Nix as a second-year starter. How do you rattle him?

Get a double-digit lead to take away that running game a bit and then see. But that's easier said than done against them. Nix doesn't rattle easy. He's a pretty cool customer back there.

Offense looks different with 11 on the field.

That, and with Christian Watson playing like he is, and the O-line settling in, etc. It's been a process but the progress in the post-Tucker Kraft offense has been evident.

That is better than what it will be in Chicago.

Oh no doubt, but that's next week.

How fast is the Denver defense in particular the linebackers? Do you feel some jet sweeps and outside run concepts can loosen up their pass rush?

I don't know what the answers are, and obviously many teams around the league haven't found those answers. As I said in II this morning, I'm curious what GB's run plan will be and how they'll attack on the ground.

Great call, Spoff. Do you ever hear from Ryan Grant?

Haven't talked with him in quite a while. He was back a few years ago for a Monday night game and it was cool to say hi.

I was at the game. The Keisean Nixon interception was amazing. People around me were crying. Husbands were hugging wives. Marriages were healed. My frostbite toes spontaneously were restored. Could it get any better?

Marriages were healed? Wow. The power of the Packers.

What does Green Bay have to do to protect Jordan Love this week against the league lead team in sacks?

Guys have to win tough matchups up front. It's not just Bonitto on that pass rush. They have seven guys with at least 3 sacks each this season. They keep guys fresh and keep coming after you.

If you told me we would go 4-2 in the division this year I would gladly take. However, with all the strong records from 9 different teams, GB almost needs to go 6-0? True?

The Packers need a couple more wins to get in the playoffs and maybe another one on top of that to take the division. One at a time.

As fans are the expectations on officiating unrealistic?

As far as the officials on the field, yes. But my contention all along is the league can't have results on the field not match what fans are seeing at home on all the replays. So you have to do your best to get calls right. Sometimes that happens, often not.

In terms of holding, GB OL does it fair share as well,

Every team does. But when it's one-on-one against one of the best players in the league and he can't get a call, like, ever -- I think the last holding he drew was in Week 3 or 4 -- that's a problem.

Did we better understand what a catch was before they put so much into defining what a catch is?

Super slo mo replays have helped create all the confusion. If the TV broadcasts never slowed down the replays, it all would be a lot easier, but they're paying billions to broadcast the games so they're going to do what they want for the best viewer experience.

My happy place this week is that image of 3 defenders on the ground behind Josh Jacobs still rumbling towards the end zone.

One of the best runs I've seen in a long time, all things considered.

What is your take on Notre Dame not playing in one of the college bowl games?

I don't follow college football nearly as much as I used to, but I think it's kind of funny that a prestigious program would just rage quit on the season. Like it's a video game and they threw the console in the trash.

You play who is on your schedule. They are legit

Absolutely.

When will we hear on how Lukas Van Ness and Golden are doing?

LVN returned to practice today.

How can our D generate more turnovers, it seems if we could do that….we may be unstoppable!

Easier said than done, and the defense was trending in the right direction there for a while. They're around the ball enough I think more are on their way.

Mike, do you feel the Altitude effects in Denver ?

Not a lot, but one time out there I remember just bending over to tie my shoe while I was out for a walk outside the hotel, and then I stood back up too fast and almost fell over. That's when I realized.

Didn't Brandon McManus play in Den? I predict w walk off FG to win @ Den 23-20 :)

Yes, McManus played the bulk of his career there.

Nixon had too big personal fouls against him. Love the guy, and the interception was amazing. But how does that get corrected, like Quay Walker did? It cost us so much at times, and I find myself yelling at the tv for him to knock it off, lol

The hands to the face was just in the flow of the play, and that happens. When you look at the replay of the personal foul, what he did was honestly nothing. It's an embarrassing look for that crew to not only call that but have missed the more egregious foul.

I parked in someone's lawn at Lambeau. They had little appetizers and drinks in their garage. I used their bathroom. I could sit on coach and watch Redzone. Is there any better fan base?

The environment and atmosphere around Lambeau on game days is unlike anywhere else. The only one that compares to me is Buffalo.

Do you think Watson has 'arrived' ala Davante and Jordy?

Indubitably.

Expectation for longer field goal attempts in the thin air?

We'll see what the range is in warmups. That's when the kickers really find out.

I live in Idaho and often get the Broncos games as my featured game of the week. Their pass rush is ferocious, and the defense is for real, but they've looked kind of pedestrian to me offensively.

Losing Dobbins hurt their offense, but Harvey has done well picking up the slack with the running game. Nix likes to spread the ball around to a lot of targets. I don't think they're flashy, but they're effective and they know they've got that defense backing them up.

It seems we have had a few opponents on "the ropes" to put them away and we go 3 and out or get sloppy (penalties, poor execution etc). Is not having the killer instinct going to be the achilles heal for this team we are just going to have to go down the wire on a lot of games to win...or lose?

I wouldn't say there's a lack of killer instinct. It's hard to put teams away in this league before the fourth quarter. You have to execute when those opportunities arise. The Packers didn't in the second half against the Bears when they could build on their lead, but then they got it together at crunch time and scored. Whatever it takes.

Defense should have done opportunities for INTs this week. Would Evan Williams be your guess as to who would get the first one Sunday?

I'll say Valentine.

The Broncos beat the Jets, Giants, Raiders x2, Commanders, and the Bengals without Burrow. The only win by more than 7 points was against Dallas and the rest could have gone either way. I think the Broncos are looking at the Packers as their toughest test of the season too.

Very well could be. Not often teams from separate conferences with records like this meet toward the end of the season. It's a really intriguing matchup.

Goodness Jordan Love is playing well.

Yes, yes he is.

Seems like Jim Leonhard has found a home there. Is he in line for DC job soon somewhere?

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

Worrying about officiating is a waste of time. Just beat the team across from you.

That's what teams have to do. The rest is for us on the outside to jabber about.

On a positive note, Shedeur is on a roll and maybe, just maybe, the Brown can keep the Bears behind us. What do you think of the Bears/Browns match up?

I'll be curious if Myles Garrett can sack Caleb Williams, just as I was with Micah Parsons last week. The Browns just lost to the Titans, though. I know, week to week and all, but the Bears should take care of business at home.

Should we be worried about Rashan Gary's lack of production after a white-hot start to the season? Is there anything Hafley can do to help him get home?

I know there's been a lot of talk about Gary and the lack of production. He's not having the season many envisioned, especially after a strong start. But I still think he's a key piece down the stretch. One of Devonte Wyatt's sacks vs. Minnesota was thanks to Gary, and Gary got a piece of McCarthy's arm on the late INT. He also drew the only holding penalty called last week. There's more out there for him and the Packers are going to need him.

Thinking back to Nixon's INT, on a 4th down situation, do the coaches go over whether the defender should go for the INT or knock the ball down? Both choices carry risk (e.g., a tipped ball becoming a catch, or a dropped INT turning into a completion).

I think it's up to the player to react naturally to the play. What if Nixon tries to knock it down and knocks it off his own leg and it bounces up and gets caught for a TD? His body was in an awkward position when he jumped. They just have to do whatever it takes.

I think those defenders on Jacobs' run just cancelled each other out.

Something like that.

Egregious missed calls, like the Evan Williams interception and the choke of Keisean Nixon, are the ones that bother you the most.

For sure. The call on the Williams play was just wrong on so many levels.

Have you ever asked anyone like Romeo Doubs if they can feel the extra weight of the helmet cover? Seems like a no brainer to wear one of those.

I talked to the equipment staff once and they said those caps don't weight much at all.

Will you and Wes both be at Wally's Tavern Saturday? Any former players scheduled?

We will be there. I'm not sure of the alumni, though.

Is Micah Parsons the best acquisition in NFL history since Reggie White?

I don't know how to rank them. Defensively around here, there's White, then Woodson, now Parsons.

Of the recent DTs we signed, who do you think will have the most positive impact?

I'm not all that familiar with either player, so I'm as curious as the rest of you.

That one year extension for Watson was pure genius.

It was good for both sides at the time, which are the best kind of contracts.

Do you have any memories from games at Denver?

I'll never forget the '07 game with the Favre to Jennings bomb on the first play of OT. That was my second season here. Incredible game.

Reading Broncos news and fan sites today they are incensed at being betting underdogs. They believe pretty unanimously they will beat us handily. Do you think the players read/hear any of this noise and use for motivation?

No idea. It is pretty wild that an 11-2 team playing at home is a Vegas underdog, though. Weird.

That slant to 9 was like a blast from the past hope to see them use those more often if situations allow for it. Seems lately the passing game has been deep ball to the outside or swing passes out to the flats

It's mostly dictated by coverage. A slant against a zone coverage only sets up your WR to get clobbered.

I think our defense can generate some turnovers on a young quarterback. But our offense will need to make the Broncos pay if that does happen Sunday.

Exactly. Cash in when the opportunity is there.

I live in Oregon and the Seahawks game is broadcast at the same time as the Packers on Sunday so I won't get the Packers vs. Broncos. Appreciate so much the live blog and the ability to tune into the radio broadcast.

Thanks for logging on.

Any behind the scenes explanation of how you do the in-game live blog, while still taking notes to write your post game stories, AND doing your best to keep Wes well behaved? Impressive on all fronts.

I don't take notes. No way I can while live blogging. The notes are all mental in my head as the game is going on.

Your thoughts on the current Packers O-line members?

Banks has played better now that he's healthy. Sean Rhyan seems to be settling in nicely at center, and Belton has boosted the running game at guard. Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom at the tackles have been steady all season. This is their biggest test to date, no doubt.

I heard a host on Chicago sports radio say he went up to GB with his family as a fan last weekend and they all wore their Bear gear everywhere. He said people were so nice to him and his family wherever they went and he had a great time, except for the last play by the Bears. Does this surprise you?

Not at all.

The linebacker play has been fantastic… I Love the fact of how far Quay has come from the first couple years where he had some issues… development is a good thing…

This GB group of linebackers -- Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty'Ron Hopper -- is the best I've been around.

What did you think of LaFleur not calling a time out late in Q2 with the clock running and the Bears taking their sweet time to attempt a field goal? My son, who is much better at this stuff than I, and I both thought he should have taken one there.

The Packers got it back with more than a minute left and had all 3 timeouts, so they were in a good spot. If you get it back with, say, 140 left and go 3 and out, you're just giving the opponent another possession.

FYI, Rivers is a coach in our area here in South Alabama, he is notorious for smack talking with the officials as he was while playing. Who has been GB's best smack talker during your time?

Boy, I don't know. Josh Sitton could give anyone an earful.

What's the most underrated adjustment the Packers coaching staff has made this season that fans might not notice?

The biggest thing I've noticed is just their confidence in attacking man coverage on the outside. They want to make teams pay for thinking they can man up on GB's best weapons. And for the most part, they have.

Key to the game will be our O Line, can they protect JLove and give him time. Broncos pass rush is scary

Right, and a huge help to that protection will be a productive run game. Third and 3 is a world of difference from third and 7.

If you had to catch your breath after just tying your shoes, tell the guys to keep their celebrations after a big play to a minimum to conserve energy!

Well, I'm not exactly a world class athlete. I just play racquetball once or twice a week.

How late do you expect to get back to GB on Sunday. How will this impact Game prep for the Saturday game?

We will probably get back around midnight, give or take. I'm not sure how LaFleur is adjusting the prep schedule for next week, but there will certainly be more walk-throughs because I doubt they'll hold three full practices like they normally do.

Lynn Dickey and Paul Coffman at Packers Everywhere pep rally.

Cool, thanks. I'm sure they'll talk about that snow game out there in 1984 on a Monday night. I remember that one on TV.

Love the closeness of this team as evidenced in postgame locker room videos.

Culture matters.

Based on the Path To The Playoffs article, it doesn't seem likely that we're going to get a lot of help from other teams this week. But it is the NFL, so you never know. Any particular matchups from that article that you think might be ripe for an upset?

Nothing that jumped out at me. A lot of playoff contenders are strong favorites this week. The Detroit vs. Rams should be a great game.

If anybody missed Love with his Toyotathon jacket on during his McAfee interview yesterday I encourage to check it out. Mike, what do you attribute to 3 years of ascending 2nd half play under different circumstances each time?

Year 1 was Year 1. Year 2 was his own health. Year 3 has been in part the health of the guys around him. That's it in a nutshell to me.

Who is a Packers player you think is having a great year but flying under the radar?

Zach Tom

Regarding the Watson contract for 2026, don't you think both sides will want to renegotiate before 2026?

Certainly possible.

I was at that OT game in 2007. That play was used earlier in the game and I told my friend just wait and see, they will use it again. Then Boom TD in OT!

I remember James Jones having a long TD catch in that game too.

Just keep feeding Weston the root beer and he'll be just fine.

Will do.

It seems the Packers lost the field position game against the Bears. Need a short field against the Broncos.

One or two can certainly change a game.

How do you have the mental capacity to keep all those notes ready for post game coverage? I sometimes barely remember the first quarter by game's end, ha.

Occupational hazard. It's how my brain is wired because this is the job I've been doing for so long.

This the best Packers defense since?

Probably 2014 (the second half, after Matthews moved)

Is this a decent press box for you guys this week? Food, view, etc?

Yeah, Denver has a nice one. We're sitting pretty high up in the corner of the end zone, but that's typical these days. No complaints.

Of the 5 starting OL from Sunday who has the largest nasty streak?

I'd probably guess Rhyan.

Do you ever get trolls from the fans of other teams commenting on the in-game blog?

No idea. The comments come in so fast and furious I'm only able to read a small percentage of them, honestly.

Have the submissions to the Inbox, Mid-Week Chat, and the Packers Preview got more positive as the year has progressed, and does that make those particular job responsibilities more enjoyable?

I always say this job is more fun when the team is winning, but I put the same effort in after losses. That's what I owe to everyone kind enough to read my work.

Are you in your dream job?

I actually like baseball better as a sport, and it's the one I played. But I can't complain. I mean, c'mon.

How many current Packers hace played in Denver's Mile high?

The Packers just played there two years ago.

What is your take on Jordan Morgan losing the starting position to Anthony Belton? Is it a better fit for him at Tackle?

It would seem Morgan's best position will be tackle, which isn't a surprise because that's all he played in college.

Although you were young, you must have remembered the game at Denver in mid-October of 1984 when there was a foot of snow on the ground and Denver had two scoop-and-scores on the first two plays from scrimmage. I remember James Lofton having more receiving yards than Denver had total yards, but the Pack lost due to the turnovers.

Yeah, I think I had to go to bed after those early defensive scores by the Broncos, and when I got up in the morning and saw the highlights of how close GB came to rallying for the win, I was pretty amazed.

Does Denver have a good run defense?

Yes. First in the league in yards per carry.

Best way to help the defense to not get gassed due to the altitude is for the offense to avoid three and outs.

Bingo.

Favorite Xmas cookie?

Just the classic sugar cookie with white frosting will do.

Did you get to watch any of the Steelers game? It was so fun to see Rodgers bring Rodgers, especially bringing out the belt. Good for him!

I just caught the highlights. Talk about some controversial officiating. Mercy.

I was at that MNF game in 84. Snowed like you wouldn't believe. Wearing Packers gear. My buddy and I were getting pelted with snowballs because we were making so much noise.

Ha. Wow.

Watsons contract can't be renegotiated until after 1 year has passed fyi. So middle of next season at the earliest.

Right, thanks.

I think part of the decision for the bears going for two when they did, was they had our defense gassed.

Maybe. They also weren't confident they could stop Love and the offense. Johnson said as much on Monday.

How did the Colts beat the Broncos?

Last-second FG, and if I recall, some controversy because of a penalty at the end, too.

Watch out for that extra altitude in the press box.

Ha, yeah. But I haven't really noticed it when I'm working. Only when I'm outside.

Just saying that I really appreciate all the quick articles after each game (Five Takeaways, etc.). Impressive that you and Wes get those articles out so quickly. I read all of them with great interest.

Really appreciate that. We do try to crank them out and get them up ASAP. For road games, my goal is always to get the game recap done and sent back here for posting before the bus gets to the airport.

Struggle to get your attention gameday ... just wanted to give out a big thanks for what you do on a Sunday

Hey, anything you send into the live blog that's not acknowledged, don't take it personally. If you saw how fast those comments are scrolling by, you'd be floored.

During Sunday's broadcast Tom Brady mentioned that when Love canned a play they invariably ran the ball. Do you ever see cans turn into pass plays? A dummy can call on occasion could fool the defense into thinking a run is coming.

I've seen cans turn into passes, though it's not as often. But also, sometimes a can will change the direction of the run from one side to the other. So it's a run either way.

Do other teams have an in-game live blog? Do any have their version of II?

I know the Patriots and Vikings do in-game live blogs. Not sure of any others. I don't think any other team site does a fan mailbag six days a week. Many do once a week or so.

Like to see a lot more of reed as a possession guy to facilitate run game and create a few more time consuming drives

I think Jayden Reed is going to play a huge role down the stretch here.

Amazing to think that our starting TE, C and DT are out with season-ending injuries, yet this team is actually picking up steam!

That's why roster building is so important. Nobody cares about your injuries. The job is still to find ways to win.

I think with Dallas (almost) out of the equation does that tie suddenly swing things more in our favor ?

I think it helps. Obviously if that tie had been a win, even better, but it wasn't a loss and that has mattered here.

Maybe I'm too negative, but I'll never forgive Payton for the deplorable lack of integrity involved in bounty-gate and I want the football gods to give him bad football karma for the rest of his career.

You're not alone there.

Do you usually work on the bus ride and flight back or take some time off?

I'm always working until I get everything done -- game recap, rapid reaction, morning Inbox. I might stop for 5 minutes to eat something, but that's about it.

By the way, when the Bears o-line pushed the back in for the 2 point conversion, Kevin Berkhert said what a great run and what great blocks. Can you imagine?

That was awful.

I really appreciate this CALM mid-week chat compared to game day chaos LOL

Ha, me too.

My wife said that you look like Clark Kent when you had Wes' glasses on last week.

Oh boy. That's a new one. Often when I wear my own glasses, people don't recognize me. Ha.

Wondered what you thoughts are on if Chicago move to a dome that the Packers are alone as an outdoor team? I get the revenue calculus, but it was great to see a number of physical games being played outdoors last weekend.

Yeah, it'll be sad to see the Bears playing inside in a few years. Bums me out.

Shame you don' get paid the same as the players for that "sacrifice"

Ha, this job is a lot of work but a long tenure here has been good to me and my family.

Great big win on Sunday, but still work to be done. Realistically what do you think the odds are of Green Bay taking the #1 seed? Both LA and Seattle have some tough games ahead, potentially leaving room for the Pack to rise

It's not out of reach, but I don't think the Packers can lose any more games if they want a realistic shot at it.

PLEASE don't take offense but curious if you and Wes are using an AI tools to help with post-game writing and reactions

Ha, no. We do all our work the old-fashioned way.

Saw Josh Jacobs didn't practice today. Any cause for concern there?

Hopefully not. Might just be resting that knee for a day. They were also practicing inside because the outside field wasn't ready after the big snowstorm here overnight. So maybe he didn't want to pound on that knee on the indoor turf.

All right, well it sounds like practice is ending so I'd better get downstairs. Thanks for all the participation today and we'll talk again soon. Best, Spoff