Fearn from Rolling Meadows, IL
Hey Spoff, as much as people are excited to get the younger guys (namely Davis) out there for KR/PR, I still love me some Cobb. You don't need to be the fastest on the field to place one foot out of bounds when fielding a free kick, or to gamble on an illegally touched scrimmage kick. Can anyone on the roster match the rulebook savvy if they were to be the returner?
Montgomery pulled the sideline trick once on a kickoff, but I think we know he's not slated for returns at this point. I'm fine with Cobb handling the duties. He's proven and reliable. But I don't mind having options, either, especially an option as fast as Davis.
Collin from Mechanicsville, VA
Do professional football teams send out an "alert" notifying all undrafted free agents of which positions they are looking for to fill their rosters, or do agents and players just know which teams suit them and allow them to have the best opportunity?
That's a big part of what a player pays an agent for.
Will from Milwaukee, WI
With the news that the Packers let Guion go, my question is why now? Is this just a part of a process, or was there some observation during camp that led to his release that was a "final straw" for the team?
I can't speak to the timing of the move. I've found over the years with off-the-field issues that we never really know the whole story, and it would be irresponsible of me to speculate. Regardless, talk about a huge opportunity for young linemen like Price (**about whom I wrote yesterday**), Ringo and Lunsford just as the preseason dawns. Guion's roster spot isn't available just for the first month now.
Daniel from Tyler, TX
The Vikings' $975 million stadium already has problems with the roof tiles falling out and having to spend millions to fix it. There may be ceiling tiles falling during the Super Bowl.
Chicken Little should take the mascot gig.
Kevin from Jacksonville, FL
Could the real reason Roger Goodell wants the Super Bowl played indoors in perfect conditions is because the people at the game are mostly corporate sponsors, and the league wants to keep them happy spending mega dollars on the NFL? Sitting in a cold rain wouldn't make for a lot of happy corporate sponsors.
'Tis a business, after all.
Jon from Charlotte, NC
How has Nick Perry looked? So little media attention but it is him, not Clay, in my mind that will be the key to our pass rush.
I want to see the bookend duo that was envisioned when Perry was drafted in the first round back in 2012, but I don't need to see it now. With veteran mainstays, I just want them to get through the rest of this month healthy. They know how to get ready.
Alan from Milford, CT
Why is it you guys have to take so many breaks during "Unscripted"? Does Wes have a small bladder as well?
They're commercial breaks. You don't see them, just like you don't see us on the podcast.
Glen from Eugene, OR
I am in New York for the week on business. I saw a guy wearing a faded green T-shirt with Favre and 4 on the back. As I passed him, I said, "Go Pack Go." He turned around, and it had "Jets" on the front. Oh yeah, I forgot about that year.
Was that really nine years ago already? I'm getting old.
Jeremy from De Soto, KS
I fractured my clavicle Sunday from a bicycle accident. It made me think of Charles in the Super Bowl as I was walking the bike back with my good arm.
A lot of people don't remember just how awful a shoulder injury Woodson played through in his first season here in 2006. He was wearing a highly restrictive harness under his pads, and after every game he could barely move his bad arm. I had never seen a guy hide the pain so well, and play so effectively doing so. I remember thinking then the only thing that would prevent him from playing is a broken bone, and even then I wasn't sure until the Super Bowl. Woodson was a warrior of the first order.
Thomas from Altoona, WI
Wouldn't it make more sense to keep Hundley until his contract expires and let him leave as a free agent? Unless you can get a first- or second-round pick for him, the odds are you will get a third-round compensatory pick if he signs a big free-agent deal. He would be the best insurance policy at backup QB until that time.
As Wes said, it would all depend on the offer.
Neal from Fort Worth, TX
When talking about defensive linemen, they are often referred to as three-technique or five-technique lineman. Please explain the difference.
OK, the annual tutorial. The technique number refers to where the player lines up. Head up on the center is zero, between the center and guard is one, and you count out from there. The three is on the outside shoulder of the guard, the five is the outside shoulder of the tackle, etc.
Phil from Ashland, WI
I remember the first time a televised game went commercial-kickoff-commercial, in the latter half of the '70s. A naive college student, I was incredulous with indignation and thought surely such a practice would lose viewers. It only took 40 years.
Back then the commercials were needed in order to see the score of the game. Otherwise, we never knew.
Marjorie from Roseville, CA
Insiders, I'm very excited to see Joe Callahan during this preseason after time in the Packers' QB "school." How about you?
He's just fun to watch play, period. He made the preseason for me, for a lot of us, last year.
Brian from Superior, WI
Insiders, after watching the latest "Three Things" video, I was wondering why Larry looked so cool and Wes and Spoff looked, well, should I say "plain"? Then I realized it was the hat...that cool hat – you guys need one!
Only if I get a free bowl of soup with it.
Mike from Joliet, IL
Wes, I was standing near you and Mike at practice Monday. Seeing Mark Murphy talking to Larry McCarren, did they ever face each other on the field?
Three times, I believe, including the famous 48-47 Monday night shootout at Lambeau in 1983. It still bothers me my dad made me go to bed at halftime.
Doug from Lilly, PA
My family and I just spent a week at training camp. We were wondering, who is the guy at practice that screams the down, distance and direction during team drills? Is that his job, or is he just the "designated screamer." We've seen (and heard) him at training camp for multiple years.
That would be Tim Odea, one of the team's equipment assistants. I don't know how he keeps that voice going all season long, year after year, but I've never heard it fail him.
Jeremy from Victoria, BC
I read that Rodgers went fly fishing in Montana this offseason and I'm wondering if there are any other players who fish or hunt. I imagine deer season is pretty much out of the question for these guys.
Not at all,**not even for sports writers**.
Jonathan from Paducah, KY
Are you as worried as me that Eddie is going to dominate out in Seattle? He strikes me as a guy that needs several carries to get going and I feel Seattle is going to give him those touches he needs. I fear, not necessarily in Week 1, but in the playoffs we will see Beast Mode 2.0. Are there grounds for my fear?
I'll spare you the Jim Mora "playoffs?" rant. It's August. It's a long season. Let's let it play out.
Mark from Bettendorf, IA
Guys, McCarthy talks about the practices/Family Night making "excellent video." Is that his way of putting a positive spin on "a lot of mistakes were made"?
As a coach, you can tell a player he did it wrong (or right), or you can show him and everyone else the results when he does it wrong (or right). It's obvious which is the better teaching tool.
Brad from Lakewood, WI
Are we at the point where the Pro Football Hall of Fame classes are too large? Baseball has their HOF voting issues, but you can't fault them for being protective of the greatest honor in the sport.
I always liked Vic's take here. Don't look for reasons to put them in, look for reasons to keep them out.
V from Cross Plains, WI
If you had to guess, who's gonna wear the helmet radios on defense this year?
My first two suggestions would be Burnett and Clinton-Dix, because you'd prefer to have the helmet speaker worn by a player who never, or rarely, comes off the field, and who's accustomed to communicating. Both fit the bill.
Tony from Southington, CT
I'm intrigued by Michael Clark. He seems to be the typical Packers developmental player. I'd hate to lose an athletic, raw, 6-6 receiving talent. Has he opened the coaches' eyes, and can he realistically make this team at an already deep WR group?
Clark has a long ways to go. He's played one year of college football, and he was sidelined all spring due to injury. Development in cases like this doesn't happen in one summer. His immediate future depends on his preseason game tape. Let's see what transpires.
Dave from Fairbanks, AK
Nathan from Oconomowoc had a great question regarding moving the POV of the camera behind the QB instead of the profile view. They give a close-up of the QB as he's making his reads, but we (the viewing audience) have no clue as to what look the defense is giving him. Use your massive influence with the NFL to make it happen!
I'll text Roger pronto.
Justin from Sturgeon Bay, WI
Since 1989, the Green Bay Packers have had just four kickers in nearly 29 seasons (five including Borgognone, who played two games in '95 along with Jacke). In that same span, the Packers have had considerably more punters, totaling 18. Can you give insight as to why there is a disparity in the numbers between the two positions?
It's harder to part with a player who reliably scores points, and the Packers have had their share of steady legs in Jacke, Longwell and Crosby. I think scouts would agree there aren't as many cut out for the pressure-packed job. At punter, both Hentrich and Ryan should have enjoyed longer Green Bay tenures. Their post-Packers careers proved that.
Clint from New Berlin, WI
I was reading the 2017 Packers Yearbook (very nice product, by the way) and I noticed a stat which I'm sure has been asked about before but I don't remember the answer. For individual sacks, "Team" is credited with one. What does that mean/how does it occur?
They're just odd occurrences when a statistical sack can't be attributed to an individual. Last season, one happened in the Dallas regular-season game, when Prescott fumbled the ball in the pocket, all on his own, and his teammate recovered for a loss of 10 yards. Lost yardage on a pass play, without a pass being thrown, counts as a sack, but no Packers player was involved.
Charlie from Milwaukee, WI
I haven't heard a peep about Jason Spriggs this training camp. Any concerning reason for that?
No. With the starters playing little to none on Thursday, I expect Spriggs to play a fair amount. He'll get plenty of reps and attention over these four games.
Ryan from Irvine, CA
I hear everyone talking about "Q" and his step up this offseason. Feels like not too long ago the Inbox was ready to laud Damarious Island. With the importance of depth at CB, how has Randall been looking so far?
Healthy, like he's having fun again.
Mathies from Copenhagen, Denmark
I've just re-watched the divisional round game against the Cowboys, and no matter how incredible Cook's sideline catch and Brice's hit were, my favorite play is still Kenny Clark sniffing out the screen pass and tackling Zeke for a loss. As a former D-lineman I may be biased, but watching that big man read and run was a thing of beauty.
Let's see if Clark can pick up where he left off.
Paul from Gorham, ME
Hi Insiders, on the TV show MAS*H, Radar O'Reilly always drank grape Nehi. With Wes's fondness of root beer, can we re-nickname him Radar?
Isn't Snoopy the root beer drinker?
