Doug from Odell, IL

What is your take on Jordan Love's contract?

My take? I don't think there's anything in it for me.

Drew from Dubuque, IA

Expectations seem high for the defense this season. If that unit makes the kind of jump many assume it will, what do you think will be the earliest, most obvious signs that it's happening? In other words, what should we plan on overreacting to when it does or does not happen immediately?

Ha, good one. I think the most obvious sign will be the takeaways. The Packers had just 18 last year in the regular season, tied for sixth fewest in the league. Hafley's play style is designed to create turnover opportunities, but please don't call this defense a failure if they go a game or two in September without one.

Adrian from Oregon City, OR

Attack and disrupt vs. read and react, will the new 4-3 be better at stopping the run, or will our defensive ends be too "light in the pants" and get pushed around? "We'll see" isn't the answer I'm looking for. Can you elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses of Jeff Hafley's new scheme?

I can't, I'm sorry. Not until I see it in games that count. So, yeah, we'll see. Every defense has vulnerabilities. How those are masked or compensated for in part determines whether a defense can reach a consistently reliable level of play in an offensively driven league. It'll take at least half a season before we see all the different ways opponents will try to find success.

Jeff from Omaha, NE

There is a definite feeling that the Packers have reinvented themselves into a championship-caliber team, but nothing is guaranteed. Given that truth, would you rather be consistently relevant (Packers), or periodically euphoric (Giants)? From 2007-21 the Giants had eight losing seasons, only made the playoffs four times, but won two Super Bowls. From 2008-22 the Packers had four losing seasons, 11 playoff appearances, a much higher winning percentage, but only one Super Bowl. Which run was better?

As a fan I'd take Green Bay's, easily. Two Super Bowls to one doesn't come close to outweighing nearly triple the playoff appearances over a 15-year stretch. Not for me anyway.

John from Green Bay, WI

Ron Wolf referred to the mid-'90s Packers team as a "fart in the wind" due to them only winning one Super Bowl. Why then are the '85 Bears so revered? They didn't even make a second Super Bowl appearance. Is it because of the "Super Bowl Shuffle"? The "Fridge"? Seems like that Bears team was an even smaller gastrointestinal emission than the '96 Packers. I guess maybe things get blown out of proportion when there isn't much to cheer for in 40 years?

Lots to unpack here, and I'll try to do so objectively. Wolf's famous quote was his frustrated answer to a question after the SB XXXII loss about whether the Packers were a dynasty, as many wondered at the time if the '90s Packers could come close to what the '60s Packers accomplished. As you noted, the Bears have won just the lone Super Bowl, and that '85 team did become a pop culture phenomenon in various respects. More to the point, it came within one Monday night in Miami from matching the '72 Dolphins' perfect season, and it won its three postseason games by a combined score of 91-10 (with the collective margin 89-3 until the fourth quarter of SB XX). That Bears team was incredibly dominant, but over a five-year stretch ('84-'88) they lost two NFC title games to Joe Montana and the Niners, and suffered two home playoff upsets to Washington.

Mike from Tyler, TX

Are there any Packers players you feel that are on a "prove it" block for this upcoming season? Eric Stokes, Christian Watson (yes, he's great but can't seem to stay healthy), AJ Dillon are the first that come to mind.

Myers, Slaton, McDuffie, Ballentine, Davis and Wilson join Stokes and Dillon as starters/regulars in a contract year, plus Joseph if he wins the kicking job. I wouldn't put Watson in that category when he has a year left on his rookie contract and no future decision is required for '25.

H.R. from Henderson, NV

Mike's response to Bob from Covington on Wednesday indicated that 60 yards was an average distance for a punter to hit on a safety kick. I'd like to know where he got that stat, because according to Pro Football Reference, the highest average in 2023 was 53.1 yards, attained by Ryan Stonehouse. How does the league expect someone on a safety kick to drive the ball 60-plus yards when the punting averages show a far lower number?

Statistically, punts are measured from the line of scrimmage and don't include the 15-yard snap. The punt is usually contacted around 12-13 yards behind the line, so a punt marked in the high 40s is carrying 60 yards in the air.

Ivan from Little Chicago, WI

Thanks for the Daniel Whelan article. Disappointed that no mention of his holding prowess.

I guess this is a day to defend myself. Paragraphs 7-10, if you'd care to take another look.

Ross from Hudson, WI

Last year T.J. Slaton was by metrics the league's second highest ranked nose tackle. Indications are he will be the interior started next to Kenny Clark. Y'all mentioned Wyatt has been showing up in camp. Where does that leave Karl Brooks? He showed more than flashes last year. Will he get his swings?

For sure. Deep rotations up front are immensely beneficial for fresh legs in the fourth quarter, but coaches don't like to rotate just for the sake of doing so if there's a falloff. Units have to have the players. There are plenty of situations and packages that can feature different guys and give the starters a breather. If everyone's healthy, Brooks isn't getting 50 snaps a game. But a couple dozen? Absolutely.

Kevin from Dalton Gardens, ID

Regarding Nate from Blue Springs, MO, I saw some pictures of the Commanders and Chargers with covers on their Gaurdian caps they look better than I expected. But will definitely take some getting used to if a player wears one in a game.

I saw those too. Seems like a good starting point.

Cory from Greenfield, WI

A lot of the focus at this stage (understandably) is on Jordan Morgan and the other high draft picks, but are any of the UDFAs standing out so far as having a good chance to eventually make the roster?

I haven't seen any really stand out and start making their way up the depth chart yet, but preseason action can start to shift things in that realm. Nobody was talking about running back Emanuel Wilson last summer until that Cincinnati opener. We'll see what happens Saturday in Cleveland and if anybody's reps change next week.

Harry from Bessemer, MI

With so much head-to-head talent and competition at LB, safety, corner, WR, how realistic is it to think we are going to be able to stash that talent on the practice squad without some other team hijacking our talented guys?

The guys who really show out in the preseason games are the most likely to get claimed, because teams don't have practice film of other clubs. That said, the likelihood of waiver claims always seems exaggerated because it's a rather bold decision to put someone on the 53 ahead of players a team knows much better from its own camp. It does happen, of course, but every year the number of waiver claims is generally fewer than many project.

Kevin from Jenison, MI

I've heard a lot about the battle for the second safety position alongside Xavier McKinney, but I'm wondering who's next up for his spot in case he would be out? Are the guys who are competing for the second spot also competing for X's backup or are there different traits required that a certain safety may possess?

The safeties are trained to be interchangeable, so when they figure out a pecking order, it applies to the position group as a whole, with the exception of certain situational sub-packages.

Mike from Winchester, TN

Hi II, Wes wrote a good article on Xavier McKinney, and his approach to the game is impressive. I looked up a few rankings on NFL defenses this season, and the N.Y. Giants are rated around 20th. The consensus knock on them is that their unproven secondary will rely heavily on inexperienced players in 2024. With that, I'm wondering on how the Giants could let him go? For whatever reason, good for us!

It was clear in the run-up to free agency McKinney was going to test the market to see what he could get as the top safety available. Individual teams' valuations of players can vary greatly based on cap space, current state of the team, etc., plus the player mostly controls his fate.

Jeff from Madison, WI

Can people please quit using the term "inside linebackers" now that the Packers have switched to a 4-3 (or 4-2-5)? It was an important distinction when the OLBs in the 3-4 were edge rushers, but now those guys are DEs and we have two (or three) off-the-ball LBs. That being said, the Packers list three LB positions in the depth chart, but there is no designation which is the Mike, Will, and Sam. Do you Insiders know who plays what, and which one is off the field when the defense is in nickel?

Hafley doesn't seem concerned with the distinctions, and all the different alignments he deploys make the labels somewhat superfluous. What I've seen mostly in base is Walker (green dot), McDuffie and Wilson as the first trio, and Wilson exits in nickel.

Jeff from Indian Lake, NY

You've both been asked this question several times already, but I'll ask it again! Who are you most excited to see in this first preseason game? I'll say MarShawn Lloyd. I want to see his speed and cutting ability in a live-action setting.

As I mentioned on "Unscripted," the preseason games give a whole different look at linebackers and running backs, because tackling is involved.

Dave from Germantown, TN

With the concern about backup tackles, why hasn't Sean Rhyan been thrown into the mix? As I recall he played tackle in college. Also, if we had a tackle go down why wouldn't either Morgan or Jenkins move outside and let Rhyan play their guard spot?

Another "Unscripted" topic. The Packers view Rhyan as an interior player now, and that's where he works. I don't think I've seen him take a snap at tackle since his rookie training camp. Morgan or Jenkins moving to tackle if needed is certainly an option, but ideally you'd like to avoid musical chairs up front. If there's a clear distinction between the No. 6 lineman and other reserves, providing for a best five available, so be it, and the Packers have adjusted that way plenty. But it's easier on everybody if there's a plug-n-play reserve at the ready for any position.

Aaron from Green Bay, WI

Since hang time is no longer an issue on kickoffs, have you noticed the kickers kicking more of a line drive kick? I imagine those would be harder to field than the high arching kicks.

I think the type of kick deployed is whatever the kicker feels gives him the best chance to land it between the 5-yard line and goal line.

Duane from Oak Creek, WI

Who do you think has the lead to win the kicking competition?

Statistically, Joseph is ahead with fewer misses than Anders Carlson, but I'd say it's plenty close. Both guys were booming the ball in practice Thursday.

Chad from Gold Coast, Australia

I saw the Packers signed an Australian kicker, Alex Hale. I'm not sure what his chances are but I'm rooting for him. Has an Aussie ever played for the Packers?

Australian punters Chris Bryan, Nathan Chapman and David Lonie have all spent time in Green Bay but never played in a regular-season game.

Mike from Niles, IL

The Packers have never used a first-round draft choice for a guard in recent history, and they weren't planning on doing it this past draft – they were supposedly looking for a left tackle prospect with more upside than Rasheed Walker. Yet they selected J. Morgan who apparently does not have the LT upside they were after. Now they seem contented to use him at RG. Does this look like a scouting/drafting failure to you and poor utilization of a first-round draft pick? It does to me.

If Morgan is one of the five best and able to start at guard as a rookie over someone who played last year, how is that a waste? That's improving the team. To say at this stage he lacks "the LT upside they were after" is grossly premature. The coaches looked at where he'd best have a chance to start this year – emphasis on this year – and the answer was right guard. Where Morgan plays now doesn't necessarily define his position forevermore. He's still a bona fide tackle prospect, and he'll give the Packers choices down the road as he develops.

George from North Mankato, MN

What are the Packers looking to see in their preseason games? Seems like with watered down O and D schemes, the coaches may be looking for continuity and teamwork.

They want to see the starters execute cleanly, and the rest of the guys fighting for their place to just compete.

Mike from Baraboo, WI

When will the Packers make their kicker choice?

Perhaps not until they have to. Happy Friday.