What's the real definition of click bait?

Deborah from Myersville, MD I am a diehard Packers fan who is bored out of my skull by draft discussions. Does this make me a bad person? Cannot WAIT for it to be here and done, so I can read the Insiders' articles about our new Packers. Thanks for all your hard work, Wes and Mike! **I’ve learned to enjoy the pre-draft process without getting too consumed by it. I think we have a decent idea who might be available when the Packers are on the clock. Now we just wait and see how it unfolds.* Tim from Normal, IL Mike, I have to ask this. What would Vic’s demeanor have been if two feet of snow fell in April when he was here? He would have powered through all the stages of grief, but he would have gotten stuck on depression for a while. Mike from Somerset, WI Mike, pick one quote from yesterday's interviews that was most surprising: “I am 6-7 and still run a 4.5," or, "I have played in the league (12 years) and have never had a surgery." I don’t know about surprising, but eye-opening for sure. Both of them. Scott from Woodland Hills, CA A two-hour special just to release a schedule? Have we hit analysis overload yet or what? Just be thankful we still get to announce the schedule in full, all at once. I dread even the remote possibility of a piecemeal approach someday to crank up even more hype. Dennis from Troon, Scotland Super excited for Thursday. Last chance for you to do a mock schedule. Good one. Tim from Upland, CA So, Aaron spoke. Much ado about nothing. *I thought he made it pretty clear that he’s not happy with what went down, but it doesn’t affect his desire to play his entire career in Green Bay. I don’t blame him for being upset. He’s entitled to feel that way. But he knows as well as anyone this is a hyper-competitive business, and everyone’s jobs are on the line with every decision made. He understands he has to stay in his lane, even if he’d like to veer out of it at times, like we all do. He’s only human, but it’s how it is.** Ralph from Oklahoma City, OK Jimmy Graham believes he was part of the best TE draft class. Does the Spoff-clopedia concur? I don’t have all the lists in front of me, but this one would certainly be difficult to top: Gresham, Gronkowski, Dickson, Moeaki, Graham, Hernandez, Pitta, another Graham (Garrett, from Wisconsin), Quarless. Louis from Warrington, UK Considering the click-bait stories out there regarding Aaron’s apparent frustration with the Packers, how surprised would you be if it’s announced that he’s signed a new contract within the next week? Five years ago, the extension was announced right before the draft started, though this one might not get done as quickly. Rodgers said to him it’s not about who signs when, but it might be to his agent, who could be waiting out the Falcons and Ryan.Jeff from Green Bay, WI Wait a minute, I thought players and management didn't bother to read the Inbox or articles on packers.com...Then AR12 blows up the internet with a tweeted response to Spoff's article and calls it fake news! How will life go on in the Inbox after such delightful banter between player and journalist? Inquiring minds want to know. I appreciate Rodgers’ sense of humor and hope he never loses it, especially with how he relates to the media. I would think for a player in his position, it’s almost a requirement to ward off insanity. For me personally, I’d like to think I’ve done a commendable job over the years summarizing and interpreting Rodgers’ words and thoughts to the fans, reading between the lines when appropriate and necessary. That’s my approach to staying in my lane. Nathan from San Diego, CA Did you read those articles written by people who were reporting on what they had read in other articles where the reporters were writing about another article where someone reported what some other person thought Aaron Rodgers might be thinking? If you had time to read all of those and then still had time to actually talk to Aaron Rodgers and write an article about what you actually heard him say – well, then, kudos to you! **This was priceless.* Jacob from Glendale, AZ How is Spoff doing after being called out by Aaron Rodgers on his lack of a "click bait" title? I reached acceptance rather swiftly. Lori from Brookfield, WI Mike, what are your initial impressions of Jimmy Graham? *He strikes me as highly motivated, and pretty jazzed up about being in a McCarthy offense with Rodgers at the helm. I think he’s out to prove the reports of his decline have been greatly exaggerated.* Derrick from Rockaway, NJ It appears that Rodgers does in fact read some of your articles. His one critique being you don't use enough click bait. We need flashy titles for the Inbox now. What’s the real definition of click bait? David from Cable, WI Aaron Rodgers’ happiness and comfort level can’t be the priority. The offense needs to be better. No one likes change. But it is needed. Everybody needs to be challenged including him. Now we will see who the true leaders are. And Rodgers will remain one of them, through and through. I have less than zero doubts about that. Ric from Longmont, CO I think some fans are married to the idea of an every-down back because those fans want to know who to draft for their fantasy team. Of course, but as long as they recognize what’s driving their thought process, that’s OK. What chaps me are the folks who go on play-calling rants that are rooted in their fantasy football interests, and they aren’t willing to admit it. Evan from Rochester, NY What ever happened to the pistol offense? Rodgers seemed to be pretty vocal about his enthusiasm when it was all the rage a few years ago. Do you think Philbin brings it back and gives the offense more of a rootin’, tootin’, six-shootin’ look during extreme makeover playbook edition? The Packers employed the pistol, primarily late in 2014, as a way to help Rodgers navigate his calf injury. It changes some of the timing elements, so I don’t know if there have been, or will be, plans to make it a more regular part of the offense. Steve from Montclair, NJ Why do fans insist on determining what positions we should be drafting prior to the draft even starting? Don't they realize it all depends on who is still on the board at that pick? *That’s what I’ve been trying to stress with virtually any draft speculation.* David from Coeur d’Alene, ID Playing with the draft value numbers, here is how Green Bay could get two first-round picks without selling the farm. At 14, our perfect guy is not there, but Baltimore’s is and they are worried Arizona will take their guy. Green Bay moves back two spots and trades their first-, third- and a fourth-round picks (14, 76 and 33) for Baltimore’s first and second picks (16 and 52). Now, Buffalo wants to add picks, so GB trades their two second-round picks (45 and 52) to Buffalo for one of their two first-round picks (21 overall). Green Bay now has two first-round picks, 16 and 21 and gets two impact players! (Sigh. In a Charles Schultz-Peanuts thought bubble.) Tony from Eau Claire, WI I read a comment on this site about being two injuries away from lacking depth at any particular position. With that said, aside from QB, I think all teams generally have the same amount of elite-level play out of elite-level players. The perennial powerhouses differentiate themselves at the bottom of their rosters. Thoughts? I disagree, somewhat. I think the number of elite-level players and their performances swing games, and seasons, more often than not. The top teams are the ones whose elite players stay healthy, and the other contenders are the ones whose bottoms of the roster are strong enough to withstand injuries better than others. Steve from Siren, WI With the draft looming ever so close, I hear lots of mention about the Packers’ draft board. Just wondering if you guys know (roughly) how many players they actually have on their board. This will be the 12th Green Bay draft I’ll have covered in this position, and I’ve yet to set foot in the draft room, let alone get a look at the draft board. Gary from Sheboygan, WI Guys, people always talk about how many Super Bowl rings a QB has. Other than QBs, what player has the most Super Bowl rings? *Hall of Famer Charles Haley has five.* Garrett from Hugo, MN Edge or CB? Neither. Give me R. Smith or T. Edmunds at ILB if available. Why? Because getting pressure on the QB does no good if he can dump it off to his tailback and gain large chunks of yardage. I think a negative pattern in Capers’ scheme was he became too predictable in all his sub-packages. Draft an ILB who can cover the new breed of pass-catching RBs, put him next to tackle-machine Martinez, and run the base defense. And from my memory of last season, we got shredded on tailback screens. A speedy ILB would improve that, too. We’ll see what Pettine’s plan is based on the personnel he’s given, but the Packers’ defense on screens – whether to backs to receivers – was a huge sore spot last season. The inability to contain them with some measure of consistency made it feel like opposing offenses could always go to one to seize momentum. Spencer from Florence, KY I really don’t understand the thinking of choosing a WR in the first round. With all of the new additions in the NFC North with the Vikings getting “their guy” and the Bears having “their guy” and now he has someone to throw to. I think that we have no option to either go DB or DL. Is there anything that would cause the Packers to choose a WR? *I’m not big on wide receiver fever, but if Ridley is there, Green Bay would at least have to consider him. If he’s there, that could mean a potential Packers defensive target is gone. But I still believe the Packers are going to have their pick of a couple of attractive defensive players.* Courtney from Butte, MT An offensive player with the ball is touched by a defensive player who is out of bounds. Is the offensive player down? No. Jordan from Sturgeon Bay, WI I have been reading a lot about “Ted Thompson’s best draft picks” and there is a name I never read and it bums me out, Matt Flynn. Seventh-round pick beats out the second-round pick, has most TDs in a game in franchise history and kept our playoff streak alive when Rodgers was lost the first time to a collarbone. I think you should post this rant and show Matt Flynn some love. Yours is the most polite rant I’ve ever posted. I hope you are no longer bummed out. Brad from Elmhurst, IL It's strange to see Quenton Nelson touted as a potential Hall of Fame guard. If he's that talented, why don't they make him a tackle? Lack of size, maybe? He’s good in both the running game and pass protection, but he’s a road-grader first. Those guys are guards. Zach from Fort Myers, FL Insiders, I was thinking about the unique perspective that a career franchise quarterback has. Someone like Favre who had multiple completely different teams built around him over his Green Bay career. Now Rodgers is seeing that type of transition. Does he talk about what it's like to be one of the few stable spots (amidst) constant turnover? He talks about it every year, and he did again yesterday. It’s a challenge to relate to young players who were in elementary school when you came into the league. Favre isolated himself from the rest of the locker room in the latter stages of his tenure in Green Bay. I don’t see Rodgers ever doing that. Gregg from Forest, MI Insiders. Note no apostrophe. Help me understand why design specific offensive plays based on player ability. This would allow the defense to narrow their call on how best to stop the play if given player is on the field. A specific package of plays for a player aren’t the only ones he would run. It’s more of a subset of his overall game, and the defense doesn’t know when it’s being pulled out. John from Jefferson, WI Reading about the NCAA allowing fair catches on kickoffs, I felt I ought to mention when I made nearly the identical suggestion to the Inbox a couple weeks ago, I had no clue this was in the works. Chalk it up to being extremely ignorant of NCAA propositions, but I certainly wasn't trying to be ironic at the time. *I’d imagine the NFL will watch closely how this rule plays out in the college ranks.** Don from Cedar Rapids, IA It seems Packers fans’ most intense intra-divisional feelings are directed against either the Vikings (as currently) or the Bears. When was the last time Packers fans felt that way towards the Lions? Might it go all the way back as far as the 1960s or 1970s? It was definitely there in the ’60s from what I’ve read, but I think the Vikings’ and Bears’ success in the ’70s and ’80s, respectively, swung things those directions, and the Lions haven’t done anything to swing it back. There’s only so much intensity to go around. Jonnie from Detroit, MI Hello, Insiders! I have a couple questions about the timing on draft picks. Is there an advantage to announcing your team's pick earlier when on the clock vs. announcing it in the closing seconds of your team's time? Historically speaking, do some teams take more of their allotted time than others? Teams looking to explore any and all trade possibilities will often use the maximum allotted time. But if they have their guy, and there are no trade offers worth considering, they’ll just turn in the pick. Maximillian from Sydney, Australia Will there be a “100 years” badge on the players’ jersey this upcoming season? Yes, the Packers will be wearing a “100 Seasons” patch this year. The last time they regularly wore a team-oriented patch on their jerseys was 2007, for 50 years of Lambeau Field, but that was just for home games. My understanding is the “100 Seasons” patch will be worn for all games in 2018. Theodore from St. Louis, MO Mike has Van Halen. Wes, G-Eazy. Who controls the radio in the office? The interns. Jim from McLean, VA Mike, you missed an opportunity yesterday when responding to Herb from Albuquerque by not saying, "Class dismissed..." You’re right, but it works well for today. Enjoy your Wednesday, everybody. HAVE A QUESTION?

What's the real definition of click bait?

Elite players and performances swing games, and seasons