There's plenty left to be written

Tristan from Durham, NC When packers.com writers emeritus Spoff and Wes are writing the article for the Packers’ 150 seasons, what will be the highlights from years 2019-2069? **I’ll be 81 by then, so hopefully I’ll be on a beach somewhere and leaving those articles to the next generation of writers. However, I look forward to telling my son and grandkids about the run the Packers had with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. I can’t forecast what will happen in these next 50 seasons, but I’m excited to see it. There’s plenty left to be written. Good morning!* Nolan from West Salem, WI Tell me if I'm crazy for thinking this, but I feel this draft is going to be a home run for the Packers. My reasoning is that Ted Thompson has had more time this offseason to scout, which is his passion. I think he drafted superbly well in his time as GM and now his recommendations will be that much better since he is focusing on it. If Brian Gutekunst follows Thompson's lead, I think they'll score big. Thompson is a valuable asset to the Packers’ front office, especially with it being Gutekunst’s first offseason as GM. At the same time, it’s Gutekunst’s car now. He’s the only one who can drive it, but having Thompson in the building will help that transition. Nicholas from Portland, OR With full respect to the misery over our recently departed Hail Mary heroes, didn’t Cobb get one at the end of the first half in a recent playoff game against the Giants? Seems like we get a lot of Hail Mary’s these days....karma for the Fail Mary? I never put two and two together, but you might be onto something there. Cole from West Point, NY Virginia Tech LB/DE Tremaine Edmunds gives me goosebumps when I watch his tape. Bradley Chubb is the real deal but Tremaine Edmunds seems like a once-in-a-generation type of athlete that can quickly become an elite defender. It's always hard to see the player of your dreams swallowed up by a team only a few picks ahead of yours. *Uncovering a potential franchise player and seeing him come off the board right before you has to be demoralizing for an NFL GM. Just imagine how Ron Wolf felt after seeing Ray Lewis get drafted in 1996. Edmunds is another one of these intriguing pass rushers. He hails from a football family and comes equipped with necessary size and speed to excel as an NFL pass rusher. He offers scheme flexibility and the athleticism to beat his shortcomings. He’s a first-rounder in my eyes.* Benjamin from Bear, DE Let's just say for the sake of argument the Packers decide to load up on offensive weapons with their first two picks in the upcoming draft. Will the defense improve by simply adding a new DC and infusing a little life from the coordinator change? I think the Packers need to use at least one of those picks on defense and not just for 2018. With how deep those rotations run for one reason or another, you need prospects to develop at edge rusher and defensive back for the future. Just look at how far Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez came over the course of one season. The Packers need their returning rookies to take a jump and find more to strengthen those rooms. Chris from Bloomington, MN I think it would be appropriate for the Packers to open their 100th season against their longest-standing rival. Packers-Bears, for the 197th time, on Sunday Night Football to kick off the Packers' 2018 campaign. *There would be no better way to start the 100th season than the Packers hosting the Bears at Lambeau Field. Green Bay wants to host its opener this year and I have to believe the NFL will approve the request after the Packers had to open stadiums the past two seasons in Minnesota and Atlanta.* Venny from Montgomery, AL If the NFL does away with kickoffs, I expect FG accuracy to improve across the NFL. How much time do kickers dedicate to kickoffs/onside kicks in practice? I assume that a kicker's full practice would be dedicated to field goals and fake field goals. I don’t think it would have much impact because it’s kind of a running joke that specialists aren’t exactly the most overworked players in practice. They’re usually doing their own thing off to the side most of the time and Mason Crosby doesn’t often strike the ball during kickoff drills. Gerry from New Berlin, WI Is Doug Pederson the first person to have a Super Bowl ring as both a player and as a coach? There have been quite a few guys who have won Super Bowls as both a player and coach, including Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Tom Flores. Shawn from Kissimmee, FL The excitement of the opening kickoff. The smell of fall in the air, the fans cheering, the college bands playing the drum roll up to the actual kick, the sound of the first tackle or hit, and the possibility of the kickoff going for a TD is too much in my mind to just throw away. Some fans live for that opening. *Change challenges the status quo, which is hard for people. It’s only natural to feel that way because that’s the only way NFL games have started for however long you’ve watched. I had a similar feeling when the league pushed up the kickoffs and moved touchbacks to the 25-yard line. Sometimes change is good and sometimes it isn’t. It’s up to the league to determine what effects altering the kickoff would have on the game.* Ian from Kirkwhelpington, England Many of last year's roster are still free agents. Is that a fair reflection of how our roster has weakened over the years of low draft picks and our poor season last year? Only one of the Packers’ remaining unrestricted free agents actually started his career with the Packers (Davon House), so I don’t think that had much to do with anything. Coincidentally, the five UFAs who have signed contracts (Davante Adams, Corey Linsley, Morgan Burnett, Richard Rodgers and Jeff Janis) were all drafted by Green Bay. So what does that tell you? Matt from Oshkosh, WI What benefit does re-signing Aaron Rodgers bring to the team? He still has (two) years left on his contract and is coming back from a significant injury. Why isn't the smart move to wait and watch to see how he performs coming back from an injury? Why not look to draft a QB in the early rounds and start planning for the future? Was I the only one who watched the Panthers game and witnessed an underwhelming Rodgers? *Can we give Rodgers a pass on the Panthers game? The guy hadn’t played in two months and barely practiced. You ask why re-sign Rodgers with two years left on the deal? Because he’s the man, and when you’re lucky enough to find the man, you pay the man.* Tom from Iron River, WI Why do so many fans complain about the Packers’ 2017 draft and lack of immediate impact? Are they the same ones that complained when Rodgers was drafted? Or the ones complaining about Davante Adams after 2015? Dave from Liverpool, England Who do you think got the best deal in the Kizer and Randall trade, and how do you think both players will do for their new teams? Time will tell. The Browns have the best chance at getting immediate returns from Randall with his move back to safety, but Kizer is a long-term investment on the Packers’ part. This is the type of question that requires three years to decipher. Scott from Las Vegas, NV Brett Hundley was on the team for two seasons and when he didn’t play as expected, McCarthy stated they didn’t realize he wasn’t prepared. What makes Kizer any different in being better prepared? I still didn’t see that as an indictment of Hundley. It’s on everyone involved and also shows the obstacles NFL teams face in getting a young quarterback ready in this CBA environment. Kizer took more than 800 snaps last year in Cleveland. That gives him something to build on. Dave from Huntsville, AL Sure the Browns went 0-16 last year. But look at it this way, Kizer only lost one more game than the previous year in a new place with all new teammates. Most rookie QBs would be happy to say that. *The next step is all that matters for DeShone Kizer because one season doesn’t define you. Peyton Manning threw a league-high 28 interceptions as a 22-year-old rookie in 1998. He learned from that experience and is now destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. * Steve from Chicago, IL Does the NFL really risk missing out on Rodgers-Brady due to another injury? It has to be the Week 1 matchup, right? I don’t know about Week 1, but I’d be tempted to schedule it in the first six weeks of the season. I know the NFL probably would love to have it during November sweeps, but we saw how that backfired last season. Jeff from Campobello, SC Am I crazy for thinking when a future foe, such as the Eagles, signs one of our own it's for intel about our offense? RR was an asset for our team but not one of the top FAs in the league. Why did they really pick him up? They needed a veteran tight end behind Zach Ertz. The other two tight ends on the Eagles’ roster have played in eight combined NFL games. Jeff from Kenosha, WI If I were a GM in the league and knew I was going to pay my No. 1 draft pick a lot of money, I would hire someone to follow the kid around for a week to see what he's up to. Do you know if some teams do this? Teams do their research on potential draft picks. They check social profiles, talk to people close to them and do everything they can to understand the human being they’re dealing with. Yet, I’ve never heard of anyone hiring a private detective to follow them for a week. That has to be against the CBA. Bob from Colby, KS When it comes to the draft, what percentage does character get? If it's a good percentage I would think that teams must do some serious background checks? *Every team views it differently. I can tell you it’s a strong consideration in Green Bay. The locker room is sacred. You’re looking for good people to add to your culture, not diminish it. * Jeremy from Rincon, GA Regarding potential draftee's visits, are teams obligated to divulge who they are inviting? Do teams spend any effort in trying to verify said visits? I see some benefit in trying to gain access to this knowledge. Teams are limited to only 30 pre-draft visits, so the NFL keeps track. Unlike regular-season visits, however, I don’t believe pre-draft visits run on the league wire. Don from Cedar Rapids, IA Several years ago during the draft, the timeclock ran out on the Vikings and the team choosing behind them quickly selected a player before the Vikings could make their pick. What exactly happened and what effect did the ultimate choices have on the teams later on? The Vikings missed their pick in 2002 and wound up taking Kevin Williams at No. 9 after the Jaguars (Byron Leftwich) and Panthers (Jordan Gross) rushed their picks up. If memory serves me correctly, it created a big headache when trying to negotiate rookie contracts. Steve from Wauwatosa, WI Why no corners in your Primers yet? I hear we might need more corners. *We’ve been writing some. They just haven’t run yet.** Gary from Oostburg, WI On draft day, are there other assets that can be traded for draft picks besides other draft picks, such as veteran players, cash, coaches, cap space, etc.? Draft picks, veteran players and coaches are fair game. However, you cannot trade cash or cap space. Aaron from Phoenix, AZ Wes, you would hit a six iron on the 12th at Augusta? It is only 155 yards! Time to renew that gym membership. I cannot hit a seven-iron and my eight is fairly erratic, too. That’s why I’d use the six, putting a half-swing on it. Matt from Hartford, WI What is the meaning of life? Watch “The Tree of Life” and get back to me with an answer. Mike from Somerset, WI Wes, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Green Bay area. It must be difficult living in such a beautiful area and not being able to enjoy it when the weather is nice. Especially in this long winter. Remember when Andy and the guys bribe the guards to allow them to tar the roof of the prison in summer? That’s me during training camp. I haven’t had a day off in August for seven years, but there are worse ways to spend a work day than standing outside at a training-camp practice. Nothing like it. HAVE A QUESTION?