Inbox: It can't be taken for granted

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I trust you both have your all-white Packer threads ready for the press box Sunday? I hope Wes doesn't drip asparagus juice from his brat on his shirt.

If he does I'm getting a picture and posting it here.

Jeff from Modoc, IN

Not a question, but a one word thought for Mike on participating in the Whiteout. Toga!

Are you suggesting I turn the Lee Remmel press box into the Faber College Delta house?

Craig from Appleton, WI

Greetings Spoff, if at the end of a long career in NFL media you were offered the chance to become a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, would you accept the honor and responsibility?

Oh, in a heartbeat, but it'll never happen. The HOF will keep the selection committee in the hands of independent media, as it should, rather than team media. Cliff Christl had to give up his spot on the committee when he became employed by the Packers as team historian.

Tom from West Palm Beach, FL

Do you think the Packers missed an opportunity with the "Winter Whiteout" uniforms by not using them in winter? It's not too different from the Vikings celebrating winter in their climate-controlled stadium. I think we have to root for the Lions this weekend, for the simple fact we play them twice more with only one more contest against the Vikings. Glancing at their schedules, the Vikings also seem to have a distinct strength advantage. They need one in the "L" column and soon.

First of all, I don't get Minnesota's "Winter Warrior" thing when they play indoors. Sorry. Second, my understanding is the Packers are officially calling this "Winter Warning," as in winter is coming, which in mid-October makes sense, Sunday's unseasonably warm forecast notwithstanding. Third, your perspective on the Lions-Vikings matchup sounds reasonable.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

This will be a huge challenge. What are the keys to picking up a win versus the Texans?

Contain Mixon on the ground, stay balanced on offense, and have the offensive line – coming off its best game to date – rise to its biggest challenge of the season thus far.

Sean from Springfield, OR

Mad props for "Razing Arizona." Turning the page, what should we know about the Texans? Several of their wins have been close, are they eking them out or stepping up in crunch time?

Mixed bag. They blew a 17-point lead against Buffalo but then won on a monster (59-yard) walk-off field goal. They also were shut out in the second half by Jacksonville until driving 69 yards for a TD in the last three minutes to get the win.

Mike from Ames, IA

Maybe this is trauma speaking, but if it's a real stat I'd like to mention it to jinx it: Has Stefon Diggs still scored every time he's played the Packers?

Every game since his rookie year. He's at eight straight, nine total TDs.

Josh from Long Beach, CA

I read a stat that the Packers are only giving up 4.8 points on average in the second half per game over the last four games. I seem to recall second-half defense being a problem before. That combined with the crazy amount of takeaways I think makes for championship defense. Hafley obviously knows how to adjust. What's your take on that stat?

It bodes well. Allowing just 19 points in the fourth quarter through six games is noteworthy. It can't be taken for granted. The Eagles and Vikings put together clutch fourth-quarter drives that played a big part in the Packers' two losses, but the crunch-time stop against the Rams was hopefully a significant building block in those situations.

Thomas from Mapleton, WI

Brandon McManus brings un-Packer like baggage to Green Bay, along with a historically better leg. Let's see if this guy's any good, I guess. Sure wish MLF never gave Narveson a public statement of confidence. It calls into question his credibility behind the podium. Coachspeak is alive and well.

Folks have to understand that while LaFleur has input in the process, he can't just go to the podium and pre-emptively announce a change. It's primarily up to Gutekunst and the personnel department. So until a move/decision is made, the head coach is going to publicly support the players on his roster. Most coaches prefer to get through press conferences without creating issues for their locker room. That's their No. 1 goal. Everything else is secondary.

John from Jupiter, FL

Morning Mike. A lot of information coming out about our new kicker's stats. My question is when did he actually last kick and could there be some rust to knock off? Thanks.

He kicked all last season for Jacksonville, going 30-for-37 on field goals (25-for-27 inside 50) and 35-for-35 on PATs.

Larry from Knoxville, TN

16 hours after I read the Packers brought in McManus and were expected to release Narveson, and II doesn't even mention it. Are you going to say it's because there was no official team announcement? If that's the case, then your news will always be late and you will just remain Packer ambassadors and not journalists. Anyone getting their news from you is getting it last and biased.

Do you have company policies where you work? Just checking. Limitations are a fact of life. They don't change how I apply my professional training to the job at hand. If you aren't satisfied with the content we provide and how/when we provide it, why are you still here to complain?

Austin from Appleton, WI

Everyone should watch the latest Rock Report. While reviewing Keisean Nixon's long punt return, you can see Colby Wooden pancake the punter and then let him go. The punter then gets up to make the TD-saving tackle and Wooden was FURIOUS with himself. It was nice to see his passion. I like this team.

You weren't the only one to notice that.

Steve from Scranton, PA

Mike, everyone understands how a team's injury status greatly impacts their week-to-week performance, and the Packers have been fortunate in recent weeks, with the Rams missing several starters and the Cards losing multiple players in-game. But what about the impact of the schedule itself? Both the Cards and Texans will have travelled to GB after playing (and winning) road games the previous week. To me, Arizona looked a bit sluggish as the game wore on. Is this a factor that may be overlooked?

Consecutive road games make for tough stretches as a writer in this job, so I would imagine there's some impact on the players. I have no empirical data to support that, but every team's schedule has its challenges in that regard.

Jim from Cedar Rapids, IA

Did the Jacksonville Jaguars stay in London for a week? I saw that (they had) two consecutive London games.

Yes, they've stayed in London all week to play the Patriots before coming back to Jacksonville to host the Packers.

Jordan from Osterdock, IA

I'm confused about replay assist and penalties. In Monday night's game it's used to overturn an ineligible man downfield penalty but not used for a defensive PI on the uncatchable ball that lands well out of bounds down the sideline. What's the point?

They can use replay assist to correct calls that are not judgment calls. Ineligible downfield is defined as a lineman being more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage before the pass is thrown. It's measurable, and therefore correctible with replay assist, as are issues with spotting the ball, the clock, etc. An uncatchable ball is a judgment call, so no replay assist.

Jack from Moweaqua, IL

As much as it might help our cause this year, I hate to see the injury to Hutchinson. As much as I love the Packers, I love good football and good players even more. Can you guys speak to how this might affect their season, as I believe right now they look like the most dominant team in the NFC?

That's a huge loss, and that injury looked horrific. Hopefully Hutch comes out the other side OK. You hate to see that. Losing a player like him will affect how every team game plans against the Lions now. All the double-teams, chips, protection help, etc., slid toward him are resources that perhaps can be applied elsewhere. I think the Lions have a well-built roster to withstand his absence and remain plenty formidable, but guys like that are called difference-makers for a reason.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Great team win Sunday. My "unsung hero" for the game was Ben Sims. That shoestring catch he made along the sidelines was athletic and impressive, and it provided yet another big play for the offense. Do you have another player whose game quietly impressed?

Javon Bullard. The way he closed the gap a couple of times when Murray tried to get out of the pocket caught my eye.

Bri from Farmington, MN

What else can we expect with Xavier McKinney?

Who knows? But it should be fun finding out.

Steve from Savannah, GA

I have to believe Gutekunst is not solving just this year's weaknesses in the draft. He appears to time up positions by strength of draft. Last year Packers were weak at safety but brought in a bunch of reasonably priced stopgap safeties. This year was a strong free agency and draft for safety and he hit a home run. Do you agree that Gutekunst sees multiple years out when building rosters?

They try to project the big picture in that regard but there are never any guarantees, in terms of which players actually hit the market and prospects declaring early for the draft or staying in college.

Mike from West Bloomfield, MI

We all know the Packers lead the league in defensive takeaways getting 2.83 per game. But did you realize the next top three teams in takeaways per game are the Vikings, Lions, and Bears? Speaks volumes for the divisional clashes coming later this season. Buckle up is right! GPG.

It also speaks volumes as to how much turnovers factor into wins and losses.

Chris from Waukesha, WI

If you had asked me, when the 2024 regular season schedule was released, to give odds on the Chicago-Washington game being flexed to a late afternoon "game of the week" time slot, I would have said, "You're dreaming." Yet here we are. No one but diehard fans of either team would have believed rookie QBs could improve their squad's fortune so quickly. And the Pack gets to play the Bears twice. Just when you thought the league was starting to make sense…the games actually get played.

Funny how that works.

Mike from Granite City, IL

"Football is a numbers game at the end of the day" – Mike Spofford in "Unscripted." Are you two secretly taking math lessons or something?

Let me clarify something here. I'm rather good at math. I'd put my numerical skills up against anyone's (except maybe Rain Man's). The reason for the no math rule is my desire to not have to check everybody else's math before I publish anything. It's too much work and I don't have the time. Hence the rule, which out of fairness I do my best to follow as well, with the occasional exception. Capiche?

Tom from Two Rivers, WI

Given the current records of the four from the North, do you think the Packers need to win the rest of their division games, with some help and a few other wins, to win the division?

(Sigh.) Just … ah, wait. I'll say this: If the Packers lose this game, they'll be in last place in the division all by themselves after seven weeks. Let's not.

Dan from Cross Plains, WI

I was watching Ohio St. and Oregon last Saturday and saw Geno Smith in attendance and it got me thinking, do you think pro athletes can turn it off when watching a game as a fan? Or do you think their brains are still analyzing defensive alignment, decisions they would have made, etc.? How about you? When not watching a Packer game are you still analyzing every play through the eyes of a writer?

Pretty much. Any sporting event I watch, my brain is processing it as though I have a story to write, whether I'm rooting for a particular team or not. The only real difference is when the game is over, I don't actually have to do the work.

Derek from Neshkoro, WI

Good morning, Insiders. The most energetic feeling I've ever gotten at a stadium was walking out of the tunnel to a Springsteen show about one minute after he started the show and with the crowd already in a frenzy. The second, which has happened many times, is stepping into the bowl at Lambeau. It sends shivers through the entire body every time. Anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to experience should try to make it happen. It's 100% worth it. Thank you both for the daily dose.

Back before the Lambeau renovation in 2003, reporters in the press box could make their way down to the field in the final minutes of a game for ease of access to the postgame locker room, especially for the visitors' side. During my Press-Gazette days, I often worked as an extra member of the coverage team, going to the visitors' locker room after the game to write stories from their perspective. The few times I was down on the field for the final two minutes of a close game was to feel an intensity in the air like no other.

Aaron from Tucson, AZ

No question, just a thought. Thinking about league parity YOY, I believe momentum plays a big role. I think we see teams build momentum or struggle to establish it during the season. The offseason drains all positive and negative momentum and, as you alluded to an ML maxim, it has to be earned again. Success in this game, and life for that matter, relies so much on creating and maintaining momentum. I love how sports reflect life in so many ways. #GPG

Happy Friday.