Inbox: He's made of the right stuff

Steve from Orem, UT

Thank you II. I absolutely love what Mike did with the first question yesterday! Genius!

The best intro to an Inbox we've had this year.

Tom from Fayetteville, AR

I had softened in my opinion of Bill Belichick over the last few years. His comment about renaming the Lombardi Trophy to the Brady Trophy reminded me of why I dislike him so much. And ESPN conveniently never mentioned the many titles Vince won pre-Super Bowl era. Maybe the NFL really is forgetting they played football before SB I…

Ya think? Belichick also was the last person I expected to say such a thing.

Matt from Kula, HI

Can't root for Philly because of its numbskull fans. Could never root for any team but the Packers to three-peat. Guess I will watch anyway, though.

Won't we all.

Dean from Leavenworth, IN

The QB position has changed over the years and the true pocket passers have become a vanishing breed. Just look at the conference championships. All four were a major threat with their legs (not just scrambling but also designed runs) and that threat had to be accounted for by the defenses on every play. By design Jordan Love has seldom run the ball the last two years and usually only takes off as a last resort. Does he have that ability athletically if the Packers and Matt LaFleur choose to use it?

100%. Love falls into the category of a traditional pocket passer, but he has mobility in his toolbox. He was clocked at 4.74 in the 40-yard dash, a few ticks faster than Patrick Mahomes. Love ran less this year, but I'd wager that was mostly a product of his injuries the first half of the season. As the Packers move into next season, I'd expect Love to use his legs more.

Grant from Janesville, WI

Carrington Valentine went from not even playing a couple games early in the year to finishing as a part of our best rotation of DBs. Congratulations to him and his hard work. What were his snap count highs and lows? And I wondered if there's been a feature article that I could read about him.

Valentine went from playing 129 defensive snaps over the first nine weeks to again becoming a defensive catalyst down the stretch. He didn't see a defensive snap in Weeks 6-7 against Arizona or Houston and winds up playing 100% in the final three games. I love every part of Valentine's game. We talk so much about him being a former seventh-round pick, but Valentine doesn't play that way, athletically. To quote Larry McCarren, he's made of the right stuff. It's on me I didn't write more about C.V. last season. I'll rectify that in the spring.

Jessi from Sterling, KS

With the retirement of Mark Murphy coming in July, will one of you be doing a human-interest story for the fans on Ed Policy as his time to step into the spotlight approaches? I for one would enjoy that.

That's the plan.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Wes, we don't know where Brian Gutekunst will go with the draft, but how would you rank or prioritize the Packers' needs?

Inbox veterans know what my answer is going to be – it depends on how free agency goes. There's a stark contrast between the Packers' needs at center and kicker depending on whether Josh Myers and Brandon McManus return at their respective positions. Generally speaking, Green Bay could use reinforcements at receiver, cornerback and defensive end. How the Packers go about doing that is up to Gutekunst and Co.

Bryan from West Salem, WI

Do you think the addition of a veteran receiver would be beneficial to our group of wideouts? Having a role model with a wealth of experience and knowledge, something that has not been present the past couple seasons, might help these guys gain insight as to what it really takes to sustain success and consistency at the position. I'm not talking an alpha like Tee Higgins, but there is a solid list of veteran FA available. Brandin Cooks is a name that intrigues me, and he's a field-stretcher.

He's also going to be 32 and coming off an injury-riddled season. There's one veteran receiver who interests me and the man currently has an employer. There aren't many pending free agents out there I want taking snaps away from Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson once he's back.

Gary from Sheboygan, WI

Insiders, what is with some fans' desire to trade away players for more draft picks? I believe one of Ron Wolf's disservices to the team was his success with multiple late-round draft picks. Too many fans think that is the route to go. Not every GM can be that successful. I think it is stupid to consider trading someone like Malik Willis just to get more draft picks.

What I find quizzical is the number of fans who lament trading Rasul Douglas for a third-round pick and then questions like this pop into the Inbox. The goal of every NFL team is to find a good backup quarterback whom you can count on in a pinch. Gutekunst understood the assignment and Willis proved him right. The end.

John from Mount Horeb, WI

Thank you for your journalistic integrity. I know if I see information on this site, it's the real deal, not some jackwagon's clickbait! My question is how does the "green dot " helmet work when the person who's wearing it goes out for injury or whatever? Does the "dot" travel to the replacement player's helmet or are there multiple helmets pre-wired for them? Are there green dot helmets on special teams as well, in case the coaches see something and want to communicate it before the snap?

The equipment staff always has a backup helmet pre-wired for the "next man up" that week. You may have noticed when Quay Walker went down in Philadelphia, Isaiah McDuffie immediately went to the sideline and swapped his helmet to take over communication duties. There is no green dot on special-teams plays. The radio automatically turns off with 15 seconds left on the play clock.

Markus from Aurora, CO

It's interesting that many fans and historians of the old NFL (pre-merger) teams are quite aware of the pre-merger football ear and/or history, but many others "forget" about it. I think it's less "forgetting" and more seeing the merger of NFL and AFL as a new era (in part to expansion and the number of teams) and see the post-merger league championship as different or even superior to the pre-merger NFL championship game. I appreciate Cliff's reflections.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. In good conscience, I can't say anything but. There is no senior writer Wes Hodkiewicz without Vince Lombardi, Curly Lambeau, Bart Starr, Johnny Blood, Jerry Kramer or Mike Michalske paving the path forward for this game's popularity. Failing to recognize their achievements undermines everything the NFL means to this country in the here and now.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

At the end of their first year, Luke Musgrave was clearly the top of the tight end depth chart. Year 2, Musgrave gets injured, and Tucker Kraft has a breakout year and now he is clearly the No. 1 TE. If both are healthy in 2025, what role do you see for Musgrave? Could we see more two-TE sets or might Musgrave be good trade bait?

Musgrave isn't going anywhere. He's a valuable part of what the Packers are building. I sound like a broken record but hopefully we see him and Kraft on the field together more in Years 3-4 than we did Years 1-2.

Mark from Bradenton, FL

Mike/Wes, you two, rightfully so, have become extremely critical of the refereeing in the NFL. As employees of the Packers, could you be subject to an NFL fine for such criticism?

I just have to put another quarter in the complaint jar.

Caleb from Cedarburg, WI

Seeing Love and Co. chow down on the platter our Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler prepared was something special. It's small things in these non-championship seasons I try to carry with me. What is your favorite moment from the 2024 season?

It's gonna be difficult to top looking at that leftover tray of Thanksgiving dinner in an empty locker room once availability ended after the Miami game. That was a fun evening at Lambeau Field.

Tom from Dubuque, IA

Now that the offseason is here, I was wondering if the NFL will look into the disparity of facemask calls between the offensive and defensive players after watching Dallas Goedert not once but twice place his hand into Valentine's face mask and being glorified by TV analysts. If Valentine did the same, it would be a 15-yard penalty. Thanks for all you do in keeping us informed.

It's something the NFL probably needs to take a deeper look into because offensive players are sort of weaponizing that privilege.

Pete from Farmington, MN

Is it a reach to make a correlation between judgement calls by officials being made to favor one team, and the huge increase in the prevalence of online sports betting in recent years? Or is that touching the "third rail"?

I don't know about that. I'd argue it's more fans having a vested interest in these games than before sports betting was widely legalized.

Ken from Boynton Beach, FL

What say you? Which ref will determine the Super Bowl? The one who gave the ball to the Eagles when Nixon clearly recovered his own fumble on the opening kickoff, or the one that didn't give Josh Allen the first down after the other ref called it a first down?

Neither? Ron Torbert has the assignment.

Bob from Covington, KY

Hi, guys. Please post a list of 2025 Packers free agents. I've looked at various websites and get inconsistent results (one still has De'Vondre Campbell as a Packer).

Packers have 11 unrestricted free agents (McManus, Myers, offensive lineman Andre Dillard, linebackers McDuffie and Eric Wilson, and cornerbacks Eric Stokes, Robert Rochell and Corey Ballentine, defensive lineman T.J. Slaton, running back AJ Dillon and tight end Tyler Davis) and one restricted free agent (tight end John FitzPatrick). Once we get closer to the new league year, we'll post our free-agent rundown with a more thorough look at things.

Brandon from Imperial, MO

Good morning, the picture of PM15 along with the first question from Markus from Aurora, CO, were diabolical and we're here for it! Kudos to you and the II team for making it happen! Any idea if our three Pro Bowlers are going to attend the games so we get one more weekend to watch some of our GB players?

Rashan Gary, Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs are all participating to the best of my knowledge. We have a video/social media team heading down to Orlando to cover the Pro Bowl Games as we write.

Kevin from Savage, MN

ATMR (WCBW) the home schedule next year (outside of division) is against teams that are 19 games over .500, and away game opponents are 21 games under. I am trying to decide if this discrepancy is a good thing or not. Thoughts appreciated. And thanks to the Packer app for bringing this to my attention.

I never read too much into perceived strength of schedule (see: the 2022 Packers). But I suppose I'd rather have it line up this way than the other way around.

Bob from Saco, ME

Why has there been no mention of the head slap in the fourth quarter by Eagle lineman on the center for Commanders? I did not see it on live play, but the replay showed it. Should have been 15 yards and ejection.

Oh, Jalen Carter's take on the Diaz Bros.' "Stockton Slap." Yeah, Clete Blakeman and his crew missed that, too. Playing Eagles' advocate, Carter's actions came after Tyler Biadasz contacted his facemask first.

Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN

What's the deal with this movie, "Green and Gold"? Looks like an interesting one, no?

I was lucky enough to attend the premier at Lambeau Field earlier this month. We only saw a portion of the movie, but I thought it showed the film's grittiness and heart. It has an "Angels in the Outfield" kind of vibe. I'm definitely planning to check it out in the next week or so.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

Do you think folks would like the Chiefs more if the NFL put asparagus on them?

Indubitably.

Chuck from Sun Prairie, WI

First, I backed the Pack. Then, liked the Vikes, followed by stepping into the arena with the Lions. Last week, an Insider commanded I pick Washington. For my SB pick, I'm cheering for the Chiefs. We all gotta do our part.

They can't keep getting away with this.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Wes, it may be an over-generalization, but I believe Philly has the superior player talent overall, and the Chiefs have the better coaching staff. First, do you agree with this? Second, which of these advantages is more likely to lead to a Super Bowl victory?

I agree the Eagles have more talent, but their coaching staff is pretty loaded. Philly is my pick to win the Super Bowl for those two reasons. That said, coaching goes a long way when you get deep into the postseason. Because everyone is talented now. The question is can you be the X-factor for your team taking home the Mahomes…I mean, Lombardi.