Joan from Virginia Beach, VA

Regarding "No more ifs, just do." To quote an old Jedi master from long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away: "No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." Full commitment, no excuses, determined mindset. GPG!

An entire column now, I must write.

Mike from Keshena, WI

I guess the Falcons might be pretty good.

It would help the Packers if they are because they still have to play the rest of the NFC North.

Troy from Holmen, WI

Great line referencing "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" in the Inbox. One of my favorite movies ever. The win in Tampa was ugly, but I think progress was made. I loved that our offense went to more shorter throws to help out our offensive line. My question, do you think Matt LaFleur will continue this more ball-control style while we search for a running game? I think it would be wise as we get new offensive lineman up to speed.

If the defense is going to give that short stuff, sure. Once the opponent starts to tighten up, then the pass pro needs to stand tall enough to push the ball down the field. The Packers must come into every game ready to adjust to the flow and the opponent's actions.

Glen from Leesburg, VA

I keep reading about how the Packers are going to replace Edgerrin Cooper. To me the answer is simple. You can't replace him. They have an offense that should be able to start putting some points on the board and that creates pressure on the other team. Force them to into a pressure situation where they make mistakes. The Packers will have a body/scheme on defense, but until they move the ball consistently and score, it won't make much of a difference.

Ding ding ding. If anyone had told me the Packers would score only 73 points (three of them in OT) through their first four games, I wouldn't have believed it.

Aaron from Portland, OR

In response to how MLF addresses the GB/Chi rivalry: "Because this game is about players and so we'll keep it about the players. I'm not the one out there they're playing." What a stealthy way to take a dig at Ben Johnson. Love it. :) GPG

Call it a dig if you want. To me it sounded like an "I'll be me, you be you" kind of thing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

How is the Bears' defense looking, compared to last season?

I think it's better in many respects, more sound and not as reliant on takeaways. It has six through four games, still a healthy amount but off last year's pace. Chicago is allowing only 282 yards per game, well below its 362 mark from last year, and opponents are converting just 24% on third downs compared to 41%.

Martin from UK

Has a team ever started 3-1 with three different QBs winning one game each? Hopefully by the middle of Sunday afternoon those quarterbacks will still only have one each! GPG.

Research-wise, I lucked into finding the 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars started the season 3-0 with wins by QBs Rob Johnson, Steve Matthews and Mark Brunell, who started every game from Week 3 on.

Owen from Pasadena, CA

Onto the Bears … Are you surprised to see Bagent get the nod for QB over Keenum? What should we expect to see out of this QB?

I was surprised because Keenum didn't just win against Philly, he played very well. But that whole organization has praised Bagent since he arrived three years ago. They really like him. I only watched highlights of their Jets game, and I saw a lot of very accurate touch passes. There were questions about Bagent's arm strength when he came out of D-II Shepherd, so I'm wondering what it looks like when he has to drop back and let it rip. Maybe we'll find out Sunday.

Jason from Austin, TX

I don't think it matters who the QB is at Chicago if Williams is out. We all know the Bears are going to run, run, run, and they're likely in four-down territory all game (which means don't give up 7 yards on a third-and-8)! Does the prevention of Atlanta 2.0 come down to gap discipline or did you notice any scheme adjustments during this past game to make you think something else changed? It's going to be a tall order with Coop. A good way to slow the run game is to have a big lead...

The Packers tackled much better against the Bucs than Falcons, and they didn't let runs outflank them. Those weren't scheme adjustments just better play and fundamentals. But your point about four-down territory stands. You can't assume the Bears are throwing the ball on third-and-5. They might be running it to set up fourth-and-1 or 2.

Tim from Superior, WI

Regarding Evan Williams' seemingly expanded role after Cooper went down, I couldn't help but think of Harrison Smith's role with the Vikings. Do you see a similar comparison in the future?

Williams' play is opening those kinds of doors to utilizing him at all three levels, but I'll also say another guy who could be turned loose a bit more in Cooper's absence is Javon Bullard. He's worth watching. He's at or near the line of scrimmage on many snaps already anyway.

Shane from Colton, NY

With the problem in our RB room, when do you think the coaching staff will seriously consider elevating Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad? He had a solid preseason and it would seem to be a good time to see if he can spark this run game.

I agree. It's unfortunate he was injured the first couple weeks of the season or he'd have gotten his chance already. As Wes alluded to, the Packers are going to find out what Strong can give them at some point, and that might be very soon.

Alan from Richland, WA

I think Travis Glover played better than we expected. What's your take?

I tip my hat to Glover. The last we saw him in a game, he was having a rough playoff afternoon in Philly and then got hurt. He dealt with major health issues all last year, and when he finally got his number called again, he came through. Kevin Zeitler is going to take over at right guard eventually, perhaps as soon as this week, but Glover has given the Packers the option not to rush that, as well as a depth piece when it occurs.

Glenn from Newark, DE

With Laken Tomlinson entrenched at LG and Kevin Ziegler targeted as the RG, what do you see as Mekhi Becton Sr.'s role on the OL?

Another depth option.

Dan from Maquoketa, IA

I wonder how this game would have turned out if Tampa hadn't tried to ice Trey Smack? Those were the winning points.

Wes and I talked about the whole "icing the kicker" strategy on our latest "Unscripted."

Tom from Germany

"I was late on the read," Jordan Love said. "I can't make a mistake in that area." One of the things I really appreciate about JL is he owns it. Thoughts?

I've never heard him shy away from responsibility.

Larry from Green Valley, AZ

I watched MLF's presser (Sunday) and he was "pissed off." It is about time he calls his team out for all their mistakes. His comment about "the bench being a great teacher" was spot on. I am sure Coop's injury played a part in his attitude, but I appreciated his approach rather that his mundane coach speak after each game. Thoughts?

That's exactly why I wrote what I wrote in my Rapid Reaction piece after the game (and the presser). It wasn't the typical postgame exchange with the media.

Randy from Suamico, WI

Is this the first time an official has ever been suspended by the NFL for unprofessional conduct?

No, but the first time since 2018 and only the fourth time since 1988 from what I found.

Bo from Las Vegas, NV

Since Packer games are rarely televised here, I go to a local casino to catch the game. The GB game is on one of eight large screens and a one point six games had a referee calling a penalty. I know your take on the NFL not changing things while game ratings remain high, but I feel this is different with flags flying.

That's a screenshot someone needs to send to 345 Park Ave. – a bank of eight monster-screen TVs with six of them showing a penalty being called at the same time. There have been 963 accepted penalties through Week 4, the most at this stage of a season since 1978. The idea the product is being damaged by the officiating is not anecdotal.

Alan from Fresno, CA

We are all anxiously waiting for Micah Parsons to return. But realistically how long after he starts practicing does he play? I'm guessing he doesn't play in a game the first week he is back, or does he?

I would doubt that based on the Packers' history with such injuries.

Eric from De Pere, WI

I agree with your view of Carroll Dale's HOF future, but slightly disagree to generalizing it to Lombardi Packers. The HOF veterans system should consider the late Gale Gillingham quite seriously. Now most of his playing career was post-Lombardi so possibly that wouldn't be as big an influence. Maybe he wasn't Larry Allen, but if that's the standard for OL in the HOF, it will be a pretty small HOF going forward.

I've heard a lot about Gillingham over the years, and five straight Pro Bowl nods from 1969-74 (minus a season lost to injury in '72 when he switched to defense) plus two All-Pro selections is nothing to sneeze at. There weren't nearly as many Pro Bowlers back then, either. Then again, nothing against Gilly specifically, but I've looked at enough HOF resumes to know if every player with two All-Pro selections deserved induction, the Hall would never catch up.

Bryan from West Salem, WI

Most dropped passes. Most penalties. Worst third-down conversion rate. Bottom of the league in touchdown percentage in the red zone. These are a few of the statistics that I heard during the broadcast on Sunday. Before the season started, a lot of folks looked at these first four games as the "easiest" part of the schedule. The next four? Bears/Cowboys/Lions/Panthers, all while missing several injured cornerstone players. I know it's early, but this really feels like a crucial stretch, does it not?

Anytime you're looking up at your two biggest rivals in mid-October, everything becomes crucial.

Erich from Sheboygan, WI

I chuckled to myself all summer when everyone was saying just wait till we get healthy without realizing as we get healthy we're losing more players to injuries at the same time. This is the NFL, every team has injuries to key players, it has never been or ever will be an excuse. The difference between teams isn't who had the most injuries, it's who handled it better with coaching, personnel, and performance.

There's plenty to be said for that. There's also the reality that the two teams playing in the Super Bowl last year were among the healthiest all year relative to the rest of the league. Both things can be true.

Eric from Wrightstown, WI

No question, just a compliment. I really appreciate that, although your paycheck comes from 1265, your opinions are your own. It would be easy for a homer reporter to blame all woes on the injuries but, as devastating as the injuries have been, you hold the team responsible for the things they can control, penalties, ball security, communication. Also, you hold us responsible for our posts (I use the dictionary app frequently when posting a comment).

Just keeping it real, and always willing to reciprocate legitimate effort.

Ryan from Satellite Beach, FL

When watching MarShawn Lloyd make that hurdle, I found myself channeling my best Lou Brown voice, "Nice (hurdle), (Lloyd). Don't ever ******* do it again." I'm sure I wasn't the only one who let out an audible "gasp" when it happened followed by a "whew" when he did it without creating some kind of injury. Let's try and stay healthy guys.

Jobu's rum yesterday and now Willie Mays Hayes. "Major League" references on back-to-back days. Must be playoff time.

David from Chestertown, MD

Hello II. It feels like this team needs a galvanizing moment to instill a deeper belief in their ability to win despite adversity. Do you think that moment might be beating the Bears? I sure hope so, GPG!

Works for me.

Wally from Tigerton, WI

Good morning guys! Thanks for all you do. No question, just a comment on "Holy schnikes." I believe it was Velma from the "old" Scooby Doo cartoon where I first heard it. JUST BEAT THE BEARS! GPG!

Is Wes old enough to have seen Scooby Doo? Happy Wednesday.

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