Inbox: Fair solutions aren't a given

[Cheesehead]

Paul from Schenectady, NY


I was looking forward to watching Jordan Love play in preseason games this year. How do you think the absence of those games will affect his development?


It's less than ideal, obviously. Those are opportunities for young QBs to work out a lot of nerves, adjust to the speed of the game, get the communication down with hearing the play call and spitting it out in the huddle, deal emotionally with botching a third down and trudging off the field to get an earful from somebody, … I could go on. All those things are part of practice, but the preseason games are the bridge between practice and the real thing, and for the toughest position to play, that bridge is more important for a young quarterback than anyone else.


Ryan from Appleton, WI


How big of a challenge do you think Brian Gutekunst will have evaluating the bottom of the roster this year without preseason games?


Pardon the broken record, but again, it's not ideal. With young players who show promise in practice, making a strong bid to stick, there's usually a progression. The coaches start moving them up from the third- and fourth-string reps in practice to get some work with the twos, and if they hold their own, they get some preseason game reps with the second string as well. That last step isn't an option. It's also very hard for practice reps on special teams to really replicate game reps, so that facet – which is typically a young guy's best path to a roster spot – becomes harder to gauge as well.


Christopher from Frederick, MD


I hope Mason Crosby and Jace Sternberger take care of themselves. I can easily say Mason Crosby is my favorite kicker of all time, and based on the playoff game, Jace looked like he was going to make quite an impact this season. Get well soon, boys!


To be clear, just because those players are on the COVID reserve list does not necessarily mean they've tested positive. You can also be placed on the list if you're known to have been in close contact with someone who's contracted the virus.


Jennifer from Middleton, WI


Upon telling my nurse practitioner friend working in a COVID-only unit in FL that COVID testing is different in Madison depending on the facility, she remarked, "A good test should feel like it's poking your brain." Having experienced it, I have to say it's pretty awful and the spot inside my head was irritated for days. Spoff had his without comment so I'm curious if a less invasive method is being used by the team given the frequency, or if Spoff is just that tough.


Ha. The tests I've had – and I'm getting tested every day now – have been nostril swirls, not the probe. Baseball has been doing a saliva test, to my knowledge.


Cameron from Wayland, MI


Has the coaching staff talked about increasing their efforts to train players in multiple positions even more given the COVID list? Any chance we see a return of two-way players?


I don't know if I'd go that far, but I would imagine there'll be as much cross-training with certain position groups (offensive linemen learning multiple spots, tight ends knowing fullback and receiver duties, safeties working at inside linebacker) as time will allow.


Lori from Hartford, WI


I don't need a top 10 countdown, but throw some names at me. Or would this be a better question for Cliff? Who are some of the better but underappreciated/underutilized running backs in Packers history?


Fullbacks like William Henderson and John Kuhn became fan favorites and were greatly appreciated, for good reason, but when I was a kid I always thought Jessie Clark was overlooked, partly due to the backfield combo of Eddie Lee Ivery and Gerry Ellis being so productive. As far as running backs I've covered, I'll always maintain Ryan Grant was underappreciated by this fan base. Even after a 200-yard playoff game and back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons, he never seemed to be good enough in the eyes of many.