Inbox: That'll give defensive coordinators nightmares

[Cheesehead]

Doughbert from Cairo, Egypt


Hey Mike and Wes and Mike and Spoff, let's break up the monotony. Can you tell us Insiders who your all-time starting lineup of favorite interviews is? You have to pick one player from each position group and it has to be someone you have interviewed directly. Side note: Spoff, can you give my wife, Carole, a shout-out? She thinks you're kind of a hunk! LOL. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I kind of look like you, so I guess it's OK!


Good question. I'll go with Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Danny Vitale, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marcedes Lewis, Justin McCray, T.J. Lang, Corey Linsley, Lucas Patrick, Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Ricky Jean-Francois, Chris Ringo, Andy Mulumba, Jayrone Elliott, Blake Martinez, Sam Barrington, Casey Hayward, Tramon Williams, Micah Hyde, Morgan Burnett, Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay and Rick Lovato. My returner would be Jeremy Ross. I'll leave the proposition for Spoff.


Scott from Lincoln City, OR


Wes, you said the Packers are fiscally responsible and not "one of those teams that have to cut good players because they can't afford them." Yet many good players have been "let go" in free agency because the price to retain them was deemed too high. Aside from the possible compensation pick, is there any difference? Also, if a team has an outstanding draft one year it's highly unlikely they'll be able to re-sign them all 3-5 years down the road.


There is a huge difference between affording the lamp and having your power turned off because you can't pay the utilities.


Andy from Kalamazoo, MI


Dear Insiders, thanks for helping keep us sane and connected during crazy and alienating times! I find Facetime pre-draft interview recordings super intriguing as potential historical artifacts. Who wouldn't want to see Rodgers-McCarthy or Brady-Belichick conversing for possibly the first time? Are these FaceTime interviews actually recorded? Might they at some point be publicly sharable? Have such interviews been recorded in the past?


I don't know how many FaceTime interviews are conducted on an annual basis but teams often record their interaction with players at the combine and during pre-draft visits. But that's confidential and privileged information. I agree it would be cool, though, to look back at videos 20 years from now if Joe Burrow becomes a Hall of Fame QB.


Alan from Madison, WI


I know there is a lot of buzz about Green Bay-area native, quarterback James Morgan, and the Packers taking him in the draft. How about western Wisconsin native and Iowa quarterback, Nate Stanley? He doesn't have the numbers Morgan had, but he was grinding against Big Ten teams every week with no real receivers to work with this past season.


I talked with Stanley a little in Indy. He is all business and played that way at Iowa. He's a field general. Morgan is a very confident and extroverted guy, so it doesn't surprise me to hear how he's impressed coaches and scouts in interviews.


Joe from Concord, CA


Hey Insiders! Last year, I traveled to Lambeau to watch them play against the Redskins. During pregame, Tim Boyle was out there playing catch (along with Jamaal Williams) with not only the kids, but the adults, as well. It was a small but significant gesture to him to be out there interacting with fans like that, and it's a rich memory that I now cherish. Do you have any good stories with/about QB2?


Tim Boyle stories. Man, you could fill an entire Inbox with Tim Boyle stories. Several longtime beat reporters have compared Tim to Matt Hasselbeck – just a fun-loving, personable dude who loves the game of football. My favorite story to date is when he purchased and wore the Aaron Rodgers jersey the day after Green Bay's remarkable comeback against the Chicago Bears in the 2018 opener. There were so many smiles in the locker room that day when Tim strolled in wearing that No. 12 jersey. Legendary.


Josh from Edmonton, Canada


This is the most public yet of my many humiliations. Love it. As a Canadian I watch the CFL closely, and Bo Levi Mitchell has torched the league in most passing stats the last seven years, with the exception of an injury-riddled 2019, and he's won two Grey Cups in that time with the Calgary Stampeders. He's garnered a bit of interest from NFL teams, but never enough for anyone to actually sign him. He's not a small guy so I don't know what gives.


I'm officially starting the "Get Bo Levi Mitchell to the NFL" hype machine. Somebody sign this dude.


Tyler from Stevens Point, WI


Hypothetically, if the highly touted WR draft class is as accurate, is it possible to see the overall dynamic of the game change? Has a position group ever had that kind of impact, where the game sees a quicker evolution?


Yeah, just look at that 1983 class of QBs you guys were talking about last week. If this receivers class is as good as everyone says it is, it could change how the game is played in 3-5 years. If there are a few Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins or Larry Fitzgeralds in this group, that'll give defensive coordinators nightmares over the next decade.


Thomas from Altoona, WI


Blake Martinez blames the system in Green Bay for misusing him. He's putting a lot of pressure on himself to prove that. He needs to stop running backs in their tracks instead of being pushed back three or four yards after making contact.


Many have asked for my thoughts on Martinez's comments to the New York media. It's quite simple. He'll have the opportunity to prove it next season, with the team he picked in free agency. That's it. Whatever happens will speak louder than any words we're saying.


Dan from Twin Lakes, WI


I can't help but wonder if the Chargers are planning to make a run at Tagovailoa. A premium RT like Bryan Bulaga would be a wonderful thing to have with a left-handed rookie QB. Your thoughts?


I like Tyrod Taylor and think he can assist this rebuild with the Chargers but my feeling is they have to take a QB in this draft. Maybe Tua is that guy, especially if he doesn't have to play right away.