Inbox: The best teams are player-led teams

Bob from Emmaus, PA

When the Packers get 5 takeways in a game, will that be the 5 takeaways?

And once again we're off, so we might as well get going.

Jim from Eau Claire, WI

Big thanks to Preston Smith and best wishes to him in the future. He is the consummate professional. Do you guys think this may cause some issues in the locker room? He was definitely a team leader.

He was, and Smith will go down as a major free-agent success story in Packers history. I admired him most for his durability, which has been remarkable, and his all-around talent as an edge defender – solid and reliable against both run and pass. But teams are constantly evolving, and just as other corners had to step forward when Rasul Douglas was traded last year, several edge rushers must do so now.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

Surprised, yet not surprised, about the Preston trade. He was a great acquisition at the time, contributed probably more than we realize, and wore the "G" with pride. His veteran experience will be missed in the room, I'm sure, but it also opens the door for more reps and development of our younger players. Thanks P!

That's exactly the idea here. There's always value in having young players watch how it's done, but real strides aren't made until they play, and play a lot. Young guys across the board were forced into action, in major roles, all last season and by the end their progress was overwhelmingly evident. Opportunity is now knocking, loudly, for Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Arron Mosby and Brenton Cox Jr.. Ready or not, several pupils graduated to the next grade.

Michael from Signal Mountain, TN

Although Preston Smith is no longer a youngster, it seems to me that he is worth more than a seventh-round pick. I am going to miss his steady presence and his leadership.

The compensation is what it is. I don't make trades for a living. But I also know the Packers regained about $2M in cap space and got themselves off the hook for two big salary numbers the next two years just in case the football gods come calling on that legendary durability.

Damien from Perth, Australia

I find it hard to believe that BG traded Preston Smith without anything coming back the other way. Our pass rush was already weak, and this move only makes it worse.

If Gutekunst believed that, he wouldn't have made this move. He believes if the young guys play more, their production will improve. Is there risk? Sure. But Smith had two sacks in the eight-sack game in Tennessee when everyone was getting to the QB, and just a half sack otherwise. The GM is telling all that youthful depth to prove him right.

Caleb from Knoxville, TN

How long until Za'Darius Smith completes his NFC North tour?

Traded on the same day as his fellow Smith Bro., no less. Only the Bears left to go for Z. I'd never rule it out.

Dan from Columbus, OH

Annual reminder we missed out on a Chase Claypool trade and used that pick to take Jayden Reed. Trades are exciting but not always the best move.

Gutey made it pretty clear nothing out there was attractive enough to him. Some of his best trades are the ones he hasn't made. Anybody remember Khalil Mack?

Ed from Burlington, WI

During the bye weeks, do most of the players leave GB for some R&R? Or are they required to hang around, work out, attend meetings, etc.? Same questions for the coaches. I can see the need to continue the team activities, but also a need to get away for just a bit.

It's a break for both players and coaches, and usually the only players that stick around are the ones in need of daily injury treatment/rehab.

Gary from Davenport, IA

Being a Badger and Packer fan living in Iowa, this past weekend was especially brutal. I don't know if I've ever seen so many pre-snap penalties in one weekend. Glad both are on a bye this weekend. Besides yard work, do you have any plans for the weekend?

Rest and detachment, until the games start at noon on Sunday, then I'll tune back in.

Scott from Sauk City, WI

About a year ago, I seem to remember that we had a conversation in II about how many Packers fans didn't really "hate" the Lions. After so many years of futility, it was good to see them figuring things out and being competitive. Those feelings didn't last long. "Greenbay sucks" sweatshirts. Tell Amonrastbrown (sic) that Jaire Alexander will be ready for the rematch.

Best (sic) I've seen in a long, long time. Nicelydone.

Pete from Umatilla, FL

In reply to: Mutt's comment on shins and such and your reply of headache. Please allow me to be your Excedrin. When a toe then heel hit the ground, the runner is NOT "down," so therefore when the runner's toe is in bounds and subsequently his heel is out of bounds he establishes his foot as out of bounds. When a shin then a knee hit the ground in succession and not simultaneously, the runner is "down" when the shin is on the ground making the knee placement irrelevant. You're welcome! GPG!

That makes sense. Thanks.

Matt from Bloomington, IN

Not to absolve Jordan Love, but I thought I saw Josh Jacobs raise his hand as if to call for the ball on the pick-six. If he had been a little farther downfield it all might've been fine, but he signaled he was open while in traffic. Unfortunately, that flash of the hand might've been the reason Love forced that pass instead of just turfing it. What do you think?

If that was the case, Love still is the one who can see the field and has to process the risk. Jacobs can't.

Nate from Naples, FL

According to my perception (wcbw) it seemed No. 30 Chris Brooks saw more action than No. 31 Emanuel Wilson. I was surprised at game's end to see Wilson actually had more carries. Could you provide us with a snap count for the two RBs please?

Brooks played 17 snaps, Wilson 13.

Eric from Erie, PA

I am not one to understand the inner workings of wide receiver play, but out of our top four WR in the room three have been targeted more than 40 times and one has been targeted around 30 times. There is a large drop percentage coming from one of those players and the other star WR who is getting less than the others is around 50% in completions. We need to get some better play out of Dontayvion Wicks and Christian Watson if they are going to keep being featured players, and get the ball to Romeo Doubs who catches everything.

I'm not arguing the Packers need more from Wicks and Watson, and both guys have left opportunities on the table recently. But for the record, Doubs has had an obvious drop in each of the last two games. Nobody's been immune to the miscues.

Robert from Verona, WI

You win as a team and lose as a team, and the Packers lost as a team. When one or two players consistently make mistakes, I suppose it's easier to sit them down and limit their playing time until they correct it. It's probably not so easy when the penalties and mistakes are so spread out. How many different individuals on the team had either a penalty and/or dropped pass in the game on Sunday? If the answer isn't easy to ascertain, it's probably fair to say "too many."

By my count, the six dropped passes were charged to five different players, and of the 10 penalties, one was an intentional delay of game and the other nine were committed by eight different players.

Chase from Carmichael, CA

Part of growing is pushing the limits and finding out what doesn't work. Hopefully we'll be looking back at this game as the reason we won a more important game (lessons learned), and not because it cost us homefield and a more important win. Any other moments this season that you would categorize similarly?

I've felt since falling into an early 28-0 hole against the Vikings, the defense has been much quicker to adjust when something doesn't go right.

Scott from Manson, IA

I really like the makeup and vibe of this team, but there are two players whose attitude sometimes causes problems that are damaging (I'm looking at you, Keisean Nixon and Alexander). They are both talented and important pieces, but I sure wish they could stop with the belligerence.

If you heard LaFleur's comments from Monday, it sounds like his tolerance has reached its limit.

Everett from LeSueur, MN

What's the main focus for Love going into the bye?

Get his body right, so when he comes back he will be able to spend more energy and preparation on his game than his health.

Steve from Scranton, PA

Mike, you nailed it earlier this week when mentioning the limited practice time involving many starters, especially the QB. When Rodgers was nicked up and missed practice, he could rely on his hundreds if not thousands of prior reps with Nelson, Jones, Cobb and Adams to help him on game day. Love is still a second-year starter, as are most of his receivers. To me, the sloppiness with dropped passes, false starts, etc., can and will be overcome with experience and repetition. Patience is never easy!

It is a fact this remains a young team. Young teams need to practice and play together to improve and perform at their best level.

John from Worthington, OH

Consider me curious, but if practice changes last year to make things more competitive were deemed successful then why not always conduct practices that way?

A popular query, and a valid one. I believe the reasons are player availability for one (see above), but also because extra competitive periods between starters limits the amount of game-planning/scout team reps. There's give and take, and it sounds like LaFleur and Co. are going to examine what this team needs most down the stretch.

Tom from San Antonio, TX

OK guys, quote from Nov. 5: The Packers are still working to identify those bread-and-butter plays for those must-have situations (e.g. the quick out to Davante Adams). This far into a season … are you bleeping me?

The quarterback hasn't been healthy for any extended stretch yet. That matters.

Brian from Sugar Land, TX

It's not a lack of talent, but a lack of something else. Call it discipline. Call it whatever you like. This team is playing beneath itself despite the 6-3 record. It's more than a coaching challenge to get this team back on track to play confidently and well. Here's where leaders step up.

Couldn't agree more. LaFleur often says the best teams are player-led teams, and he's right. I believe this team, even minus Preston, has plenty of leaders in that locker room, and coming back from the bye will be their time.

Jeramiah from Appleton, WI

Welp, time to put our heads down, hands in our pockets, kick the ground, and mope about to Insider Inbox! Woe is us!

Ha, this genuinely made me laugh. With that, I'm going to wrap up with a handful of comments in the same vein I thought were worth reading but didn't require a specific response. It's the bye week, so we'll be new, at least temporarily.

Tom from Bamberg, Germany

The Lions game was difficult to watch, but if you had told me the Pack would be 6-3 at the bye after what happened at the end of the game in Brazil I'd have said "COOL"! Here's to hoping the second half of this season resembles last years. Keep up the great work and GPG!

Randy from Trophy Club, TX

If we had to lose this game, I like the idea that this team has to live with a ridiculous performance for two weeks! Hopefully it will eat at their gut the whole time and motivate them to get better fast. Their response in two weeks will be telling about what kind of team we really have.

Al from Green Bay, WI

OK, fine. It was an ugly game and an ugly loss. The good news is that the Packers QB is capable of making better throws and the talented receivers are capable of catching the ball. Get healthy and rested. Important games loom on the horizon.

Buzz from Montrose, UK

The Lions are a very good team but they're playing close to their absolute ceiling. They can't get much better. We didn't get blown away by them and, if we'd made fewer mistakes, we could have made a close game of it. We have a lot more room for improvement than they do. Let's hope we start out on that path against Chicago.

Colin from Plymouth, UK

I'm struggling to understand the defeatist attitude. The losses have come at the hands of playoff-bound teams and the Pack wasn't blown out of the water in any of them. Yes, it's ugly football at the moment but there's still a lot of road left in the season to clean it up.

Angelo from Carlsbad, CA

Disappointing results mostly attributed to their own mistakes. Clean it up, get in the playoffs and be playing their best in January still attainable. GPG

Happy Wednesday.