Paul from St. Paul, MN
Is this page working?
As far as I know.
Anthony from Southington, CT
Easter Sunday fell on Favre-Rodgers. Also my birthday. Lucky the kids who turned Hornung, they were born on Favre-Rodgers-Starr. Have a great day!
You prompted me to look up Rodgers-Favre-Starr, and the Miracle in Motown (Dec. 3, 2015) occurred exactly 19 minutes before the clock struck midnight in Detroit.
Dave from Las Vegas, NV
Besides wide receiver, for what other position group is this a good/deep draft?
Offensive tackle, at least in the top round or two, which also bodes well for the Packers.
Tom from Highland Village, TX
Hey Mike, did you get your absentee ballot in time to vote?
Fortunately, yes. It came on election day. My wife and I filled ours out and returned them to City Hall before the deadline. Many Wisconsinites did not get their ballots despite requesting them well in advance. It's really unfortunate how everything went down last week, but hopefully it provides some guidance with elections moving forward. The country needs to learn from this, at the very least.
Kelly from Kimballton, IA
You've all missed the easiest defensive player turned terrible commentator in history – Booger McFarland. I picked this one especially for you!
Thanks, I think.
Cindy from Los Angeles, CA
II had me itching to watch "Draft Day," so I did a rewatch and it stood out to me that Jennifer Garner is an extremely lazily written character who is a very cliched version of Woman as written by men to appeal to other men. I know you can do better. What is your favorite movie with an interesting female character?
In a sports movie? Has to be Annie Savoy in "Bull Durham." She was written to appeal to other men, but not lazily. I also really liked Kit Kelly's character in "A League of Their Own."
Matt from De Pere, WI
Bulaga and Martinez received similar contracts, so why would they be projected to net compensatory picks from different rounds of the draft?
Players with 10 or more accrued seasons can only net a maximum fifth-rounder, regardless of where their contract ranks, except for quarterbacks. So that's why the projection for Bulaga is a fifth-rounder despite a contract similar to Martinez's.
Tucker from Belton, TX
Be warned, Mike. Like all replay review, the electronic strike zone is going to bring with it unintended consequences, like every change to electronic review/refereeing before it.
Oh, I'm aware.
Larry from Carney
Congratulations on OUTSTANDING answers and comments. I DON'T always get the MEANING between the LINES but had a GOOD chuckle yesterday with just the RIGHT amount of SUBTLETY.
If Wes had channeled some Seinfeld he'd have found a way to work in some exclamation points, too.
Thomas from Milwaukee, WI
2010 regular season, on the road in Atlanta. Rodgers fires a bullet to Nelson in the end zone for the touchdown tie it up in the fourth. Instantly burned into my memory. We lost the game though, so it gets forgotten.
That's always been one of my favorite Rodgers throws, and I've mentioned it more than once in this space. The velocity was stunning. It came on fourth down, too. (Easily forgotten fact: It was Nelson's first TD catch that year, in Week 12.) I've always wondered if that throw in particular, given the situation, contributed to Rodgers' ultra-high confidence level when he returned to the Georgia Dome less than two months later.
Steve from Land O'Lakes, FL
In regards to Rodgers staying with GB until the end of his career, do you think he would spend the last year or two as GB QB2, mentor, coach?
No.
Travis from Superior, WI
A lot of pundits are saying the Packers are going to draft a quarterback and develop him behind Rodgers. Isn't the model to draft a Day 1 starter and attempt to win a Super Bowl on his rookie contract?
When the time comes, that would be my preferred approach. I can't speak to how the Packers view it.
John from St. Albert, Canada
Not a question, a comment/observation. The CFL has had a first-round playoff bye for the conference champions for as long as I know. When the regular season was 16 games, the playoff results were unpredictable. Since the regular season expanded to 18 games, the conference champions are almost always the teams in the Grey Cup. The extra game(s), even with a shortened preseason, are huge (CFL has two preseason games). The playoff results in the NFL will become more predictable.
Worth filing away.
Rich from Grand Rapids, MI
Player rankings are all over the place, even among experts. Comparing three respected sources (Bob McGinn and Dane Brugler from The Athletic, and Tony Pauline) and their "top picks" reveals how much variance there is among scouts in rating players. For example, McGinn's sources have KJ Hamler as out of the top 50 players, Brugler has him 53rd, and Tony has him as the fourth-best WR in the class and a first-rounder. Beauty clearly is in the eye of the beholder.
And that's just three analysts. Now consider 32 teams with multiple scouts and personnel executives weighing in.
Don from Stevens Point, WI
I've been looking at a number of mock drafts and the "experts" are all over the map. How much do you think the actual boards vary from team to team?
Considerably, at least after the first handful of picks.
George from North Mankato, MN
I am thankful for the exceptional job that Russ Ball has done keeping the Packers' cap healthy. Does he have anyone apprenticing at this time? Seems like it would behoove a franchise to learn from a master. I envision Yoda teaching his craft to a young Skywalker.
Chad Brinker, who joined the Packers' personnel department in 2010 and is now assistant director of pro scouting, had "salary cap analyst" added to his job title about two years ago.
Lambeau Field and Titletown were joined by the City of Green Bay and Brown County in the #LightItBlue campaign on Thursday, April 9. The initiative shows support for the healthcare, frontline and essential workers who are risking their own health in the fight against COVID-19.
Jake from Shoreview, MN
I see some people talk about how professional sports should not be something that should even be considered right now due to our current circumstances. If it can be done safely and if the players are willing, would this not be something to help people with the doldrums of being confined at home? Provide entertainment, community, etc., for the masses?
Absolutely, but doing so safely for all involved will require navigating a series of gigantic logistical hurdles. I'm just hoping in time some of those hurdles can be cleared and something, somewhere will come into focus.
Aaron from Brooklyn, NY
I just saw a highlight from the game that Matt Flynn played against the Patriots in 2010 that got me reminiscing. I remember going into that game thinking that we had no chance without Rodgers and being blown away by how well the team played. We ultimately lost, but I saw that team handle adversity better than I'd ever seen before. What was the moment that season when you first realized that team was special?
What the Packers did just to get into the playoffs was pretty special, with some help from others along the way. But the bigger picture didn't come into focus for me until the second quarter in Atlanta in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Packers scored a touchdown and responded to Atlanta's 102-yard kickoff return with another touchdown. On the road, against the No. 1 seed, that was a huge adversity moment. Then Williams made a leaping interception in the end zone to thwart a Falcons drive, Rodgers took the Packers right back down the field for another touchdown, and Williams ended the half with the pick-six. All that in one quarter, in a noisy dome, against the top team in the conference that had beaten you (barely) two months earlier. They were in command of that bigger picture for the first time.
Ron from Bethesda, MD
Does the situation do anything to the Packers' draft needs?
In my opinion, not at all.
Ethan from Holly Springs, NC
I often hear people say that teams draft the best player available, with need being the tiebreaker. However, in your opinion, how much does importance of a player's position play a role in the decision?
Premier positions (passer, pass blocker, pass rusher, pass defender or QB, LT, Edge and CB) are more coveted and can factor into close calls, as can the depth of the draft (or lack of it) at a given position.
Alyssa from Kenosha, WI
Like Jake from Lansing I also grew up in the '90s and sported my Antonio Freeman jersey throughout elementary school. I recently noticed that he was the Packers' last All-Pro receiver and was pretty surprised. Has there been a Packers receiver since then who should have earned that honor in your opinion?
Freeman was the last AP first-team All-Pro receiver. Nelson was named second-team in 2014, and the vote between him and Dez Bryant for first team had to be awfully close. I think Adams deserved a second-team nod in 2018, but the Packers having a bad year didn't help. Neither did the voters making Tyreek Hill a second-team receiver after he had already been voted first-team as a flex player. That was just odd, and didn't seem right.
Chris from Eau Claire, WI
I'm a big fan of Freeman, but wasn't Robert Brooks the better receiver of that era? And I wouldn't consider Brooks in the all-time debate. Just because Freeman had the more memorable play doesn't mean he was the better player. Am I missing something here?
Brooks' injuries unfortunately short-circuited what should have been a more decorated career. Freeman caught 67 TD passes from Favre, including playoffs, most for a duo in team history until Nelson and Rodgers surpassed it.
Duane from Oak Creek, WI
Do you think there will be some hiccups with the draft the way it is being done?
Probably, but as long as the commissioner drinks from the far side of the glass before the next pick, it'll be fine.
Bill from Bernards, NJ
What's the craziest thing that you've seen happen in the press box? There has to be some pranks, oops-es, or something that has caused a scene or laughter.
I'll never forget one of my first times in Lambeau's auxiliary press box, a handful of years before the renovation in my newspaper days. Several radio reporters in there were talking a bit too loud and crossing the line into "cheering." So to try to send a message, a print reporter (not me, but someone I knew) sarcastically started talking rather loudly to "cheer" in a similar way for the opponent. The homers didn't get it. Went right past them. It would have been hilarious if it was actually funny.
Luke from Chicago, IL
Hey II, as I've been watching highlights for WR draft prospects, I'm often astounded by the acrobatic catches they make while getting one foot in bounds. Then I think, they need to get two feet in bounds once in the NFL. This shift can't come easy. Along with learning the playbook and the routes, I imagine that this gets a great deal of practice for rookies in camp. What does this process look like and have any of our WRs commented on this transition? Stay safe/sane everyone!
I haven't heard receivers really talk about it, but I've seen countless drills run in OTAs and training camp in which young receivers practice dragging their back foot while catching passes near the sideline. It doesn't take them long to catch on, no pun intended. OK, pun intended.
Bill from Maple Grove, MN
Regarding possible changes after the pandemic, I think drive-in movies will return!
No objections here.
James from Asheville, NC
While watching the 2010 NFC Championship Game against the Bears I caught something I missed the first time around. With a minute to go in the third quarter the Bears brought in Caleb Hanie to replace an ineffective Todd Collins at QB. The commentator mentioned had they waited until the fourth quarter they'd have the option of bringing Collins back in should Hanie be injured but by not waiting that option was off the table. Does such a rule still exist?
No. That was the old third-quarterback rule, where only 45 players were active on game day, but one of the eight inactives could be designated the third QB, whose entry prior to the fourth quarter effectively deactivated the first two QBs for the rest of the game. Now there are 46 active and no one from the inactive list can ever enter the game.
Don from Imnaha, OR
Gentlemen, just got done watching SB 45. I think the Howard Green pressure and hit on the arm of Big Ben was the biggest play in the game. Led to a great INT return/touchdown. There were lots of plays that I didn't remember until I rewatched the game. What do you think was the single biggest play, or top three?
I'm not sure what order to put them in, but the top three for me would be the Green hit/Collins pick-six, Matthews forced fumble on Mendenhall/Bishop recovery, and Rodgers-to-Jennings on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter.
Bob from Port Saint Lucie, FL
Will the league allow a select few (max of 10) of the top people be together in the same room (keeping social distancing) on draft night? The rooms have been empty and are virus free. You could even test those participating for virus 2-3 days before while they maintain quarantine. Let the other personnel and scouts who might have been there be on the phones from home and teleconference with those present. It might make things run smoother, be perfectly safe, and avoid missing opportunity.
Not happening. With different states under different at-home orders, the league is keeping it the same for everyone and not allowing any NFL personnel to get together, anywhere.
Adilson from Rotterdam, Netherlands
"There were a number of stills that were set up right in the community. ... One of the reasons why the mob didn't get a foothold into Green Bay was because Green Bay didn't need them." You guys are the best.
Prohibition had nothing on Green Bay. Neatest thing I learned from the second episode of the Legacy documentary.
Donna from Darien, WI
The restart of "Packers Unscripted" next week? That just made my month a little brighter! Thank you for giving us all something to look forward to.
Time to turn on the camera. Happy Monday.