Michael from Keshena, WI
I beg to differ Wes, it IS all about you.
Don't we all know it.
Laura from Arlington, VA
Who from last year's draft class is going to excel this year in your opinion?
Setting aside the QB situation for the moment, I think several '20 draft picks could make huge jumps. We already know AJ Dillon will have a much larger workload. Josiah Deguara is coming back from injury after being a Week 1 starter as a rookie. Jon Runyan could start up front. Vernon Scott could get a shot at a bigger role in the back end if Darnell Savage moves around in Barry's scheme. And the one with the most unknown upside might be Kamal Martin, given what he flashed last summer before an injury delayed his debut.
Vincent from Boston, MA
Mike and Wes, have you guys taken care of the Aaron Rodgers issue yet? Sheesh, what do we pay you guys for?
I didn't know I had a second source for a paycheck. I'll prep an invoice.
Sal from Hailey, ID
"How many other teams in the league had better offensive personnel than the Packers last year, counting Rodgers and not counting him?" Cliff's latest should be required reading! Bonus: adding "mynah bird" to my Twitter vocab.
I concur on all counts.
Darren from Wakefield, MI
If Brady beats the Patriots Week 4, does he join the Favre/Manning group?
Yes, he would join Favre, Manning and Brees as the only QBs to beat every team in the league.
Randy from Westminster, CO
What do the players do at the Rookie minicamp? Besides rookies do any other players participates in the camp?
In past years, young practice-squad players were eligible to participate, and tryout players also joined the group. I don't know the makeup of the participants this year, but we'll find out later today. Generally speaking, the rookie minicamp is an introduction to how the Packers do business. How meetings and practices are conducted, etc. It's a chance for rookies to get a lot of questions answered when they have the organization's full attention.
Dar from Mansfield, TX
Going through the schedule to determine the team's potential won-loss record, one thing messes with me. Whether it's 12-5 or 11-6, the number always totals 17. Seventeen! It's a prime number, and nothing good can come of that. With apologies to Cheesehead and former Brewer Jim Gantner (the lone exception), the number 17 is unsatisfying. Sixteen was divisible, square, and really perfect. I know math is frowned upon here, but I'm pretty freaked out now that this has actually happened. Help!
What happened to Dar and who gave Sheldon Cooper the Inbox address?
Bret from Hertel, WI
Dear Wes or Mike, who was behind the very creative season schedule reveal video called "Behind the Scenes of the 2021 Packers Schedule"? It was very creative and well done.
I thought so, too. That was put together by a graphics company that does regular contract work for our social media team. The video is rather clever.
Chris from Clive, IA
Good morning! With the Packers playing the Jets at home in the preseason and LaFleur's connections with their new coaching additions, do you think that may produce some joint practices that week if allowed?
That would not surprise me in the slightest, but I have no knowledge whether any such discussions have taken place.
Sam from Fairfax, VA
What you wrote: "David Bakhtiari will be back when Bakhtiari is ready." What I read: Bakh will be back when Bakh is Bakh.
You're lucky it's Friday or I'd tell you to show yourself out.
Ryan from Baldwin, WI
Why do you think the Bears cut bait so soon into Mitchell Trubisky's average career, when they held onto Jay Cutler for much longer? Was Cutler that much better, or is the league dynamic changing where if you don't think a guy has it a couple years in the league, you go find another?
Very different contract situations with those two guys. When the Bears gave Cutler a huge new contract and a boatload of guaranteed money in 2014 – he had piloted them to double-digit wins in two of the previous four seasons – they were tied to him for a while no matter what. At that time, they decided to keep what they had and pay the going rate rather than start over. The Bears chose last year not to exercise the fifth-year option on Trubisky and had an easy way out after 2020.
Eric from Green Bay, WI
Good morning Mike! I'm wondering if the recent emphasis on interior offensive linemen has to do with the fact the rules changes have made it so QBs can get rid of the ball quicker and safer than ever before, and now defenses are having to rely on interior pass rush to get initial pressure? I don't have any stats to back this idea up but what are your thoughts?
We've certainly seen over the last decade how salaries for interior linemen on both sides have risen considerably. There's still a gap between what the top offensive tackles make compared to guards, and what the top edge rushers make compared to three-techniques, but it's not as large as it used to be.
Robert from Harris, MN
I personally do not find Aaron Rodgers' silence at all disconcerting. Actually the longer it goes on the more hopeful I become. To me it is an indication that there are (still) bridges he is being careful not to burn.
I think there's merit to that view. Rodgers will discuss it when he feels it's time to discuss it.
Brad from Nampa, ID
So we now have three first-round QBs on the roster. Do you know of any team that has had three first-round picks in the QB room at the same time?
Sorry, I don't have that list in front of me.
Jeff from Wentzville, MO
Geoffrey from Rosemount, MN: When was the last time Ohio State put out a successful pro quarterback? Wes: Man…I didn't realize how good this question was until I looked it up. I mean, who is the best Ohio State QB in the NFL? Tom Tupa? Me: Hey Wes, not that this Bear/Packer was a rousing success, but what about Mike Tomczak? Record: 42-31 Total passing yards: 16,079. Total TDs: 88. Total INTs: 106.
He's probably the answer, and when I researched the draft history for Monday's column, I didn't hit on Tomczak because he was undrafted.
Jason from Woodbury, MN
As a youth baseball coach, when our schedule comes out, every year I look it over, circle 2-3 games against teams I know will be good, and think to myself, "If we win these, we make the playoffs easy." Are there any such games on the Packers' 2021 schedule that trigger that feeling for you? Would ML and the rest of the coaching staff ever think or plan in such terms?
Personally, I see the November slate heading into the late bye as a crucial stretch – at Chiefs, vs. Seahawks, at Vikings, vs. Rams – that could tell us a lot about the 2021 Packers. But there's no way to know the state of any of those teams, or the Packers, when November rolls around. But as far as LaFleur and the coaching staff are concerned, absolutely, positively not fails to answer your question strongly enough.
Dennis from Parrish, FL
Schedule schmedule, just beat the team in front of you every week!
That works, too.
Jason from Portsmouth, UK
Hi guys, so the schedule is finally here and we all know how hard it is to win in this league, but my question is what you think is more challenging looking at the fixtures ... the first five games or the last five games?
I look at it from the perspective of importance to the team's fortunes, and the first five games include one division opponent, while the last five has all three.
Daniel from Lakeland, FL
I note the Packers' bye week is late – Week 13. Is this an advantage or disadvantage in a 17-game season?
As I noted in my schedule piece and on "Unscripted," I think it can work for the Packers in this context – the mini-bye following the Thursday game is after eight games, and then the full bye is after 12, heading into the home stretch with all three division foes as noted above. It does set up OK as long as all the early road games (six of the first nine) don't take too large a toll.
Tyler from Grantsburg, WI
The last three teams the Packers have played following their bye week (Rams, 49ers, Bucs) have made it to the Super Bowl. What does this mean for Chicago in 2021? Absolutely nothing, but it was an interesting piece of information I noticed that I thought I'd share!
So winning that game following the bye would break two annoying streaks. Duly noted.
Brant from Millis, MA
I can't recall a time when all of our home games against the division were all primetime games. Have you seen this before? Are you as excited as I am?
It happened in 2017 and since you don't remember it, that says plenty.
Jason from Baraboo, WI
While I'm no offensive coordinator, wouldn't it make sense and simplify the playbook to have similar style quarterbacks on your roster, rather than ones with conflicting styles? I would think the Patriots with Cam Newton and Mac Jones would have entirely different skill sets and play books for their skill sets. The Steelers years ago having Big Ben and Michael Vick in their QB room is another head-scratching example.
I'm going to channel my inner Vic and fire a "players, not plays" at you here.
Tom from Sturgeon Bay, WI
Wes/Mike, bar, tavern, watering hole or pub?
When and where? Happy Friday.
