Inbox: It's the ongoing battle

Craig from Tulsa, OK

Mike, do you run the plays selected for WYMM by the coaching staff in case there is something subtle you picked up that they don't want highlighted?

Ha. If I'm finding something on film opponents are not, the Packers are in great shape.

Shane from Philadelphia, PA

Daniel from Jackson's question about which Vikings QB has the most TD passes against the Packers made me wonder who has the most TD passes against the Packers of any QB? My guess is Stafford.

Correct. He's got 40, followed by Johnny Unitas with 34, then Tarkenton.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

I guess both Spoff and Tim from Olathe forgot about Charles Woodson. I know, he primarily played cornerback. But he did play safety in GB, was primarily a safety the year he won defensive player of the year, and played safety almost exclusively during the last four years of his career. To not even mention him when talking of the best safety since Collins – who he played alongside, by the by – is simply unthinkable.

Woodson was a cornerback in 2009 when he won DPOY and didn't play any safety then. He didn't move to safety until 2012, his final season in Green Bay. He had one INT that year.

Elliot from Hopkins, MN

Did Aaron Jones write that Players Tribune article to soften us fans up before playing us?! In all seriousness I am happy to have been able to watch him play for the Packers for all those years and hope he doesn't show out this week.

I consider the article more heartfelt than strategic, but either way, it's all business for both sides when the game starts.

Dick from Sarasota, FL

Happy Friday. I'm here in Florida hoping the forecast for Helene is wrong. Question: With all the talk about Aaron Jones coming back to Lambeau, do you think Josh Jacobs will have a little extra incentive Sunday to show everyone the Packers made the right decision at running back? GPG!

Stay safe down there, please. I don't get the sense Jacobs is wired that way. He's already established himself as a leader in that locker room and is very comfortable with who he is, regardless of any outside noise.

Craig from Brookfield, WI

In Week 1, the Packers' defense looked decent (not great) against an excellent QB and high-powered offense. Then they looked quite good against two QBs who scare no one. But in all three games, it looks like opponents' receivers are given a lot of space in our secondary. The INT stats notwithstanding, open receivers are a concern when we face an accurate QB with a quick release. Are you seeing it differently in-person than it looks on TV?

This defense emphasizes vision to the football in search of turnovers, and vision requires a fair amount of zone coverage. Offenses will find open spaces against zones with good pass protection. When that happens (it's not an if, but when), the key is to prevent the opposing QB from getting comfortable and in rhythm. Find ways to disrupt. It's the ongoing battle.

James from Appleton, WI

I think the safest bet in pro football is that, while neither of us are experts, you know more about X's and O's than I do. So, with Jeff Hafley's defense, is it more likely or less likely that Jaire Alexander will cover Justin Jefferson wherever he goes? I feel America is yearning for this matchup.

This type of matchup hasn't presented itself yet with Hafley, so I'm as curious as everyone else. I have to believe Alexander will be on Jefferson a fair amount. But every play start to finish? We'll see.

Craig from Lakeville, MN

Do you think J.J. McCarthy's injury has potentially finally set the Vikings up for long-term QB success? If Sam Darnold continues playing the way he has, McCarthy could sit the next year or two (a la Rodgers/Love) and then presumably be better prepared to take over? He could avoid the pitfalls of other young QBs being forced into action too soon. Or is the fact that Darnold is on a one-year contract make this unlikely and too expensive for the Vikings?

Time will tell.

Scott from Sussex, WI

Brian Flores' defense has locked down a Shanahan offense and a Shanahan disciple offense in the last two weeks. What's impressed you the most about the Vikings' defense so far this season, and how do you think the Packers might attack it or show it something different?

I'm impressed with how they've limited explosive plays, which speaks to sound fundamentals and dictating to the offense what they "should" run. The longest rush against the Vikings this year is 22 yards, and the longest pass is 34. The Packers have been one of the best explosive-play offenses in the league, with Love or Willis, so LaFleur will be hunting for those opportunities.

Greg from Big Lake, MN

Recent victims of the Vikings, Purdy and Stroud, have mentioned how difficult it was to read Minnesota's defense. Flores has always done a good job disguising it but are they doing something different this year? Being a Packer fan living in Minnesota, this is always a must-win situation. Thanks for all you do.

I think the difference this year is Flores has more veteran players to work with, and it's his second season there. So he reaches deeper into the bag, so to speak.

Jeff from Champlin, MN

Do you see the Packers running some hurry-up offense this week and limiting substitutions to give them more time to decipher the Vikings' D? Also, the Vikes have been up early in every game this year. It would be nice to get up early and keep the foot on the gas.

They may try to pick their spots for hurry-up, but whether it's Jordan Love coming back from a two-week absence or Malik Willis continuing to learn the offense, it may be difficult to get all that in sync. As for the Vikes playing from in front, I went into detail about this on our latest "Unscripted." Minnesota has trailed for all of three minutes, 26 seconds this season – 3-0 to the Giants in the first quarter of Week 1.
That's it. The Vikings have played with a lead for 155½ of 180 minutes of football. Start fast, flip the script on them and see what happens.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

How will the Packers combat the Vikings' pass rush?

Block them? In all seriousness, communication on protection calls is at a premium against these guys. They try to confuse offensive lines as to who's coming and who's not, so everyone on offense must be on the same page and stick to their rules.

Jeff from Redondo Beach, CA

II, great win and QB2 has shown a lot of promise the last two weeks. My concern is that the team has forced a significant amount of turnovers through the first three games, but has not been able to cash them in, other than the pick-six. This could really come back to haunt them over time. A perfect example was the Kingsley Enagbare strip-sack and Lukas Van Ness recovery, in what I think was plus or close to it territory. What is your take and what are the coaches saying regarding this scenario? Thank you.

The Packers definitely have not cashed in as much as they should have on their takeaways, and there's no doubt LaFleur is aware of it. Red-zone issues and penalties were the culprits in Brazil. The last two weeks, some of it is playing conservatively with a lead and backup QB. Whatever the case, it's better to lament not maximizing on turnovers than not getting them at all.

Jason from Mt. Prospect, IL

Last week we saw eight sacks! I thought Devonte Wyatt looked fantastic out there against the Titans. This Vikings' offensive line has allowed more QB pressures from the interior than most teams in the NFL through three weeks. Is the interior pass rush the biggest opportunity for success defensively for Green Bay? I imagine we will see lots of Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks on third downs this week.

I know he hasn't had any highlight-reel plays yet, but if the Vikings are indeed vulnerable on the interior, I want to see what Kenny Clark can do.

Riley from Edgerton, WI

Hey II, love the effort we are getting out of LVN. The highlight play of Sunday's game for me was the Superman effort recovering JJ's forced fumble off the sack. Got to think LVN's got a pretty high ceiling. What's your take on him and what he brings to this team?

He remains a young, developing player who can still grow while not being asked to do too much. That fumble recovery elicited one of the funniest live blog comments I can recall. I apologize for forgetting the name, but the fan said LVN's recovery looked like he won a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. It took me back to my childhood.

Dan from Richmond, VA

Now for the important question: How is it that a person without a single "J" in their name (Kingsley Enagbare) is called JJ by his teammates?

That's been his nickname since his youngest days, when he apparently was a big fan of the TV show "Jay Jay the Jet Plane."

Pat from Hudson, WI

What are your thoughts on Raiders coach Antonio Pierce's comments about some of his players making "business decisions" as opposed to playing hard in their loss to the Panthers on Sunday? Makes me appreciate the grit of our football team even more!

It's just another example of why coaches don't let any snap of game film go unreviewed. Evaluations are perpetual.

William from Newburgh, IN

So the current "book" in the NFL is your best championship window is with a QB on their rookie contract. Our writers, Gute & Co., have flipped that scrip. They paid "The Man" and all of our offensive skill people, except one, are on their rookie contract if I'm correct. What an amazing job and subject to any serious injuries they have put us strongly into a championship window.

Only one offensive lineman is on a second contract, too.

Dan from Inver Grove Heights, MN

First, a big thanks to Spoff for another enlightening WYMM, always my favorite feature of the week. Pre-snap motion has taken a huge jump since Rodgers left, but Matt LaFleur seems to have really loaded up on the eye candy the last two weeks, especially on runs. Motions, misdirections, all of it. Do you anticipate that continuing when Love is back at the wheel? And props to Malik Willis for handling those complex operations like a maestro.

I do.

Jim from Sherman, TX

Sometimes the most important lessons are learned in the face of adversity. The Packers had many moments of good use of the running backs over the last few years but didn't sustain the run for many entire games. With Love going down, MLF has gotten very creative and the team has embraced the challenge of making the run game work to put Willis in the best position to win. What will MLF take away from the run success and continue to use when Love comes back?

More than anything he'll have the confidence they can run the ball in different ways when they have to, because now they've proven it. He can use looks and formations to manipulate the defense, which can allow Love to let the offense work for him in other ways than it has in the past, which could influence situational calls, can calls, you name it.

Keith from Springfield, MO

Is there a "can" play available/assigned along with every primary play which is to be called? If so, it seems to me that every player on the offense must have the two plays clearly in mind in order to rapidly execute the play that is actually called. No wonder it takes a great deal of effort to learn the playbook-and prepare each week!

Not every play has a can call, but the ones that do are rather verbose and therefore a legitimate challenge for any new QB to spit out correctly in the huddle.

Mike from Franksville, WI

We've known about long-term trauma caused by playing football for awhile now, but Brett Favre's diagnosis hits hard. I very clearly remember how heroic it seemed when Favre, after sustaining a concussion, went back into the 2004 game against the Giants and threw a TD pass to Javon Walker. Afterwards, when Brett said he couldn't remember doing that, us fans said it "added to his legend." It's hard to reconcile fond memories of watching football when we now know what it was doing to the players.

Couldn't agree more. Side note: That '04 game against the Giants was the last time I was sitting in the Lambeau Field bowl with a regular ticket for a game.

Joe from Ormond Beach, FL

Gentlemen, I find it interesting when someone submits a question/remark/comment that solicits a comment from you they don't care for, they and others get offended. Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't the purpose of submitting a question/remark/comment to get a response? If someone can't appreciate a response different than the one they desire, I would suggest don't submit one in the first place. It's buyer beware lol …

As Vic used to say, I don't do this just to tell you what you want to hear.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, this team does not seem to rely on any one player, even QB1 being out didn't sink the ship. As the season continues there will inevitably be injuries, and this team seems well positioned to ride them out. There is no clear WR1 because there is so much depth. The Packers are rotating starting offensive linemen and corners. Jacobs gets a breather when needed from Emanuel Wilson. The D-line is constantly rotating and keeping fresh legs. This depth will be needed, and may make all the difference.

It often does. Happy Friday.