Dave from Waterford, WI

Will the starters be playing in this week's preseason game?

We shall soon find out. Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and most of the starters had a heavy workload during Friday’s joint practice in Denver. Everything suggests Sunday's game will largely belong to the second- and third-team units.

Lori from Brookfield, WI

Wes, how does the redshirt rule work in practices against other teams? I heard a Denver player hit Jordan Love's arm during an attempted pass, causing both teams to interact negatively.

I think that was much ado about nothing. Obviously, you never want your QB to be touched during practice, but it's also a live rep and not done with ill intent. Love spoke afterwards and was totally cool about it. That's just what happens when both sides are going hard. Kudos to the offensive players stepping up for their quarterback, though.

Al from Green Bay, WI

My wish list for the game in Denver: 1) The defense continues to swarm and disrupt. 2) Both backup QBs have ample opportunity to display their skills. 3) AJ Dillon gets enough blocking to display his skills. 4) No kicks missed. 5) The young receivers each get their chances. 6) No injuries. What would you add?

If given the opportunity, I'd love nothing more than for AJ Dillon to run for 60-70 yards on like 12-15 carries. It also would be cool to see Emanuel Wilson play well against his former team, too. The Packers' second- and third-team units dominated in Cleveland. Now, can they do it again?

Ben from Guffey, CO

Another aspect about vanilla during preseason is it's not just about not showing wrinkles – it's also allowing guys to play fast and seeing who plays faster. Once you get game speed down, then you work on other stuff.

That was my main takeaway in Cleveland and why I wrote what I did about the Packers' physicality against the Browns. To me, it's like a short-notice UFC. You don't always have eight weeks to prepare and gameplan for an opponent. Sometimes, it's 10 days' notice and may the best man win. For example, Wilson won a spot on the 53 last year not because of how the Packers schemed up their preseason opponents. He simply ran hard, read his blocks and made defenders miss.

Dave from Germantown, TN

The Packers' two-minute offense was apparently a failure in Denver. In practice the defense is routinely keeping the offense out of the end zone. At some point in the season the Packers will need a two-minute score to win a game. What do they need to improve in the two-minute drill, so they are ready for game action?

I watched the No. 1 defense for most of practice, so some of these questions may need to wait for Mike on Monday but Denver was a great litmus test for Green Bay's offense. As Matt LaFleur said beforehand, the Broncos operate out of a 3-4 alignment. Their defensive backs played Green Bay's receivers very physically. In two-minute, it's all about that first completion and the Packers struggled to find it.

Graydon from Menomonie, WI

What would need to happen in this weekend's preseason game for the Packers to consider it a success?

By following the same blueprint as last week in Cleveland – everyone stays healthy, the offense puts together some clean drives, the defense makes a few plays, and everyone stays healthy. Did I mention staying healthy?

Dar from Mansfield, TX

Weston, please remind us how the new change to injured reserve works when setting the initial 53-man roster. The way I understand it, up to two players can now be put on IR before the initial 53 and still be reinstated during the season. Could players like MarShawn Lloyd and Kitan Oladapo be candidates for this "exemption"?

That first part is correct. Teams can place up to two players on IR without needing to carry them on the initial 53. If there's more than two, a player would need to be on the active roster for a day before going on IR. Lloyd is a candidate for it right now, but Oladapo wouldn't be. He's practicing again after starting camp on the non-football injury list.

TJ from Sheboygan, WI

In your time, has there been a certain position or position group that you would say is the most difficult to transition from college to the NFL?

I always said tight end, but Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims proved otherwise with everything they contributed as rookies. All three played wise beyond their rookie years at a complicated position. Other than quarterback, I guess I'd go with inside linebacker since that position is the defense's primary communicator and field general.

David from Goldsboro, NC

Matching up a TE with a safety on paper would seem to be the mismatch you'd want. After getting caught up with "Three Guys with Three Things," it appears that is not the case with Xavier McKinney. Can you offer more details on what's going on in those battles?

Spoff watches the one-on-one drills between skill-position players during practice more than I do, but McKinney is just an all-around playmaker. While he doesn't have the size of Musgrave or Kraft, McKinney possesses a perfect blend of speed and size relative to other NFL defensive backs. He's also very smart. All those attributes are in play during those periods.

Monty from Velva, ND

Isaiah McDuffie is an easy guy to root for. He doesn't have the "Wow" factor or draft pedigree but is solid. Does he have an advantage over the other LBs because he played in Jeff Hafley's system in college? I really would like to see him in the starting lineup.

Building off what Spoff wrote, McDuffie is a throwback. He's a gritty, fearless linebacker who would've succeeded in any era of the NFL. Experience is his best friend, both in terms of his three seasons in Green Bay and the time he spent with Hafley at Boston College. The Packers drafted two solid prospects in Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper, but even if they wouldn't have, I always felt confident in McDuffie's readiness to start on defense. He's proven it.

Jason from Mt. Prospect, IL

New jerseys this year, constant renovations to Lambeau Field and Titletown, the NFL Draft coming to Green Bay … I am really going to miss Mark Murphy. Ed Policy has some serious shoes to fill. What is your confidence level with the new President/CEO?

I have the utmost confidence. Ed is cut from the same cloth as Mark – good people, principled leaders and tireless workers who do everything to keep the light shining on Lambeau Field.

Kyle from Los Angeles, CA

Do the Brandon Aiyuk submissions suggest that we trade for him or is it general excitement that he may soon be off the dastardly Niners?

I think it's more the latter. The Packers have everything they need at receiver.

Al from La Crosse, WI

The Packers seem to have a lot of young talented receivers. Which one do you guys think will end up having the best career when it's all said and done?

The one who keeps growing and evolving his game.

Jeff from Stafford, VA

After Aaron Rodgers left, we started hearing more about competition in the room, primarily in the WR room. That worked really well last year. This year, we are hearing the same thing about WR, O-line, TE, safety, CB, and ILB. Gutey started talking about adding competition to the rooms before the draft. Is this a change in coaching/GM styles or just the new talking points for the public? It seems like a new culture-building method on the team, but how do you balance competition vs. team in those rooms?

I think it's just a product of the Packers drafting really good players. When it comes to roster construction, you have to be smart. It's no coincidence Green Bay selected three safeties and no receivers in April. I argued back in the spring the Packers already had enough competition in the wideout room and there's only so many jobs available among a lot of talented football players. Based on what we've seen in camp, the Packers clearly made the right call at both spots. The infusion of talent at safety has altered the landscape of the position while the returning wideouts push one another.

George from Kennebunkport, ME

Last year I learned that most of Kansas City's offensive skill players (Kelce, Pacheco, Toney, Moore) played QB in high school. Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs also played some QB in high school. Outside of a role in a "gadget play," how significant is having that experience for a non-QB? Are there other current Packers' skills players with that in their background?

I'm not gonna read through the media guide to find out who all played quarterback in high school, but it wouldn't surprise me if a majority of Green Bay's skill-position players did. Using the state of Wisconsin as an example, it's common for the best athlete to play quarterback in high school. Having that background can only help a receiver like Wicks get on the same page with his QB.

Roger from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Good morning, Wes. Just when the calls for a veteran backup QB are discussed, the Vikings lose their rookie backup QB. Has that opened up the floodgates for a veteran backup discourse again here at II?

Nope.

Tim from Elmhurst, IL

Regarding the No. 1 receiver debate, a question the other day referred to KC not having a No. 1 wide receiver. While in the regular season that might have been true, in the playoffs it wasn't. In four games Travis Kelce had 32 receptions 355 yards and three touchdowns – extrapolate that put for the season that is 128 receptions, 1,420 yards and 12 touchdowns. Sorry about the math. Most teams would love a wide receiver with that stat line. I like the way Love spreads it around, but KC is not the same.

If I don't want to debate the importance of WR1, I certainly don't want to get into a conversation about whether a TE counts as WR1. Kelce is a hell of a player, a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I love his girlfriend's music. I'll leave it at that.

Jamie from Manchester, UK

I thought only the top 51 players counted against the cap. How can practice-squad players count against it?

The top 51 only count against the cap until the start of the regular season. Once Week 1 hits, all player contracts count towards the salary cap – including the practice squad.

Donald from Big Flats, WI

Hey guys, great job. I like listening to "Packers Unscripted" each week or more sometimes. I'm usually whispering to myself like I'm part of the conversation! Okay, question, what is waived with injury designation?

Thank you for listening. It just means the player cannot pass a physical right now but is being removed from the 90-man roster. Assuming he clears waivers, the player reverts back to injured reserve until he can pass a physical or a settlement is agreed upon.

Kyle from Los Angeles, CA

Are they renovating our two favorite writers' offices?

Correct. We're currently working out of the old team meeting room that football vacated after the east-side expansion was completed last year.

Greg from Milwaukee, WI

The Olympic Games were great and with the addition of flag football to the Los Angeles games is there anything preventing NFL players from participating? Have you heard anything about players participating?

We're a long way away from the 2028 Olympics, but I'm sure there will be some NFL players who participate. I definitely know there will be interest.

Brandon from Billings, MT

Wes, it looks like Kenny Clark is a man of taste tweeting about starting the day with a root beer float. Looks like Kenny and yourself may need to start a new tailgating tradition (after his career retirement as a lifelong Packer of course) with root beer floats and brats with asparagus in Lambeau's parking lot. I'll book my 2034 tickets for a home game now.

I wanted to ask Clark about that but got so caught up with all the happenings at the joint practice that I forgot. In Kenny's defense, he did tweet that at like 11:34 a.m. local.

Jim from Eau Claire, WI

Wes and Spoff, do you guys ever argue or yell at each other? You seem to get along very well but there has to be times when you just have to blow off some steam.

I know Mike opened with this yesterday, but I wanted to offer my two cents. I've never gotten into fewer arguments with a coworker than Spoff. In fact, I can't really think of any – and I've yelled at my boss, Duke Bobber, twice since I started writing today's column. This can be a very stressful job, but it is special…and I relish sharing a press box with Spoff. If I'm lucky to live long enough, there likely will be someone else sitting in that seat someday and I can only hope that person is as professional, supportive and grammatically inclined as Mike. I'm a better writer today than I was 8½ years ago because of him.