Cheesehead
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,854
- 0
Bill from Wilmington, DE
Wes, do you expect any free-agency moves anytime soon?
Not at this point. Frankly, I was surprised to see the Raiders sign Prince Amukamara a couple days ago.
Jeff from Belton, TX
With everything still being closed, how much time does the staff get with players or is it still hands off? I believe the longer things are closed the more difficult it's going to be to install new schemes. You can only do so much via computer but you need muscle memory to get things to stick.
NFL rules mandate all teams must keep classroom sessions and video workouts to no longer than two hours apiece a day.
Tom from Sylvania, OH
First-time, longtime. Is it just me, or is there a striking resemblance between Mark Tauscher and Simon Stepaniak?
I see it, especially if Stepaniak grew his hair out.
Tony from River Falls, WI
What is the earliest Packers game you remember watching as a kid? Any stories are appreciated.
Diehard readers will remember this story but my first memory was the Packers losing to the Patriots 17-16 in 1994. I was 6 at the time. Green Bay pulled ahead late but botched the point-after attempt, and New England drove down to win the game on a 33-yard field goal.
Philip from Fishers, IN
I know a balanced team is the end goal for every head coach, but do you think that teams tend to build their offense and defense slightly more to the strengths/weaknesses of the other teams in their division? Example: Mike from Mount Prospect's question of the AFC West being a track meet and the NFC North having a tendency to run the ball more.
That's how the game has been played in the NFC North during my lifetime. Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago all bolstered their pass rushes and defenses to battle Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, whereas Green Bay invested a lot of resources into its defensive front to defend Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson.
Matt from Minneapolis, MN
In terms of the defensive line, the Packers have Kenny Clark who can do everything well, and Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster who can hold the point of attack and control gaps. Do you think Montravius Adams can step up to play in defensive schemes that call for penetration and disruption? Many thought Adams would break out last year and he is already going into his fourth year. If he and/or Kingsley Keke don't improve it could be a challenging year for the D-line.
Adams is right up there with Clark as far as natural ability but he has to put it together in Year 4 because Keke is going to be pushing for playing time, as well. We've seen flashes in each of the last two seasons and a great locker-room guy, but Adams has to be more consistent if he's going to live up to the status of a former third-round pick.
Ben from Los Angeles, CA
Insiders, watching "The Last Dance" and dreaming about playoff basketball, the NBA (and other leagues) seem to have the best method of determining who was the best each year based off the multiple seven-game series it takes to win. In a fictional NFL, where say a three-game series was played in the playoffs, do you think the Packers would have more championships?
Yeah. I think the 1997 and 2011 Packers would have been tough to beat in a three-game series but they also might have lost one or two others, as well. That's the way it goes. Each team has 60 minutes to make its point.
Marc from Gainesville, FL
To Bill from Bloomfield Hills, MI, re: referee bias and Spoff's answer: The Wall Street Journal (4/24/20) reported on a study by Swedish economists who looked at the home field/ref bias issue in European soccer. They compared games with fans to games in Italy with no fans due to riots. Small study, but they found that nearly all of home-field advantage came from referee bias – and that the effect was stronger at stadiums where the seating put fans closer to the action.
We are exactly four months away from the Packers' road opener against Minnesota. If fans aren't allowed in the doors this year, it's going to create the evenest of playing fields we've ever seen in the NFL. I won't argue that.
Roger from McGrath, AK
A Bears writer wrote that "the Packers have moved on from Tramon Williams..." Is that a fair assessment? It seems premature.
Premature.
Daniel from Potosi, WI
With the passing of actor Jerry Stiller, I started wondering why hasn't a Hollywood movie been made about Vince Lombardi? I feel like it would make for a great inspirational sports movie up there with the likes of "Remember the Titans" or "Friday Night Lights." Who would you cast as Lombardi and what would you have the movie plot focus on? Early or late in his career? I think it'd make a great movie with the right director and actor.
That's a great question. I don't know why we haven't had a "Lombardi" movie yet. The play was great. I thoroughly enjoyed that but his story deserves the silver screen treatment. I think it would perfect if centered on that first championship season in 1961 and everything that led up to it.
Mike from Ames, IA
Follow-up question from an answer in Mike's Mid-Week Chat: Why did the league need to outlaw 00 jersey numbers? Was it a ploy to sell bobbleheads without owing a player a cut? Or was it just too similar to 88?
I'm not sure but it's the way it's been since the NFL began its numbering system in 1973. That alignment determined quarterbacks, kickers and punters were the only positions that could wear Nos. 1-9, leaving 0 and 00 in the dust.
Nic from London, UK
Have you ever had an II flu game? Like Wes lets Mike know he's not feeling well so Mike gets ready to replace him on II, but at the last second Wes comes marching down the hall clutching his trusted laptop, answers question after question visibly straining and finally signs off with the zinger off all zingers before collapsing exhaustedly on his desk?
I can't think of a flu game, per se, but I wrote Inbox from the hospital on the day my son was born, because Spoff was having to cover the Packers-Panthers game solo in Carolina.