Inbox: There's no overstating how valuable it is

Dave from Huntsville, AL

Mike, it seems you and Larry highlight similar topics occasionally. Any idea what that means?

If I'm waching film like a former Pro Bowl player, it's encouraging that I might be doing something right.

Barry from De Pere, WI

After Week 7, all four NFC-N teams have better records than all four NFC-W teams. Remarkable. Cannot remember ever seeing this before.

And yet, I expect the Vikings will have their hands full with the Rams on Thursday night.

Dale from Prescott, WI

It sure seems like more pep rallies at away games this year than normal. How many rallies per year normally?

We used to do just a few per season. This year we're doing one in every road city.

Phil from Carlsbad, MA

You guys constantly remind us to stop looking weeks ahead and just beat "the next team." Why? It's what fans do. It's fun to speculate. Stop looking at the season through the eyes of a coach. You're not the coach. Talk with us like fans instead of employees. This isn't a locker room, it's a forum for Packer fans who are interested in the chemistry of the entire season.

I don't spout my mantras to try to be a coach. It's honestly how I look at the landscape, analyze the team, and do my job. This league is week to week, it really is, and any other perspective to me is a waste of time and energy, so I don't engage. You never know who's going to get hurt, on your team or the opponent, or who's going to emerge as a fresh contributor or key player (or not), or what issues any club is dealing with at any given time throughout the long season. Just since the end of training camp (less than two months ago), we've already seen the Packers change backup QBs, lose their starting QB for two games, suspend a top receiver, switch kickers twice, adjust playing time for numerous rookies on defense, and the list goes on. Every team is constantly changing and evolving, yours and the opponents. It's not just some video game with weekly start times. The Lions showdown in two weeks will be a big one, win or lose this Sunday. It's not going anywhere. But anything I say right now about that game has a chance to become irrelevant or lose meaning based on what occurs this week, and I've been in this business long enough to know people will hang your words on you no matter what. So it's pointless, to me, and I believe I serve the readers better by keeping my focus and coverage on the game at hand, unless/until we reach the point of talking playoff scenarios, which I dive into as a standalone posting at the appropriate time. Sorry for the lecture, but I'm not trying to be a coach. I'm really not. I'm trying to do my job and serve the fans the best I know how.

Thomas from Anchorage, AK

Thanks for your timely information each week. Will the Packers clean up the penalties and will Jordan Love reduce the number of interceptions he is throwing? Not a question either of you can answer but if the Packers want to become a real contender to go to and win the Super Bowl this year, those two things that keep reoccurring need to be addressed by the coaching staff and the team. Have a great week.

Nobody just accepts interceptions or guys jumping offside. I'm sure the coaching staff addresses both. The former is on the QB as he continues to define the line between aggressive and risky. The latter is strictly a matter of discipline amongst the defensive front.

Tyler from Stetsonville, WI

I like what JL said in his post-game presser about taking chances. He will clean some of those up like he did last year when we went on our run, but he said he's going to be who he is. If he doesn't take risks he doesn't throw that dart to Tucker Kraft for a TD. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought of Rodgers to Jennings on that throw. Jordan continues to grow. I loved that final drive. He seemed so in command and unflustered. Keep it up, Pack!

For the record, Love indicated after the game he didn't intend for the throw to Kraft to be so far inside. He thought he could put it on him without the need for Kraft to dive. But that's why it's a team game. To your point, Love is still figuring it all out.

Matt from Madison, WI

Did Coach LaFleur talk about not going for two in the third quarter? I assume he thought it was too early and there was going to be more than six more points scored the rest of the game.

He did not address it, but the timing does matter, not in trying to predict how many points might be scored but how many possessions might remain. A lot of folks are asking about this, suggesting there's no difference between being up by one or two points. Late in a game with minimal possessions left, there isn't. But with a full quarter and a half to go, there is. After kicking a PAT to go up by two, if the Packers get a stop and then a touchdown (plus another PAT kick), the nine-point margin makes it a two-score game. That's huge. I thought the Texans went for two way early just to try to get up by seven, and instead left themselves vulnerable to losing the lead to a pair of field goals. I'm a big believer those decisions should never be dictated by the score alone.

Basil from Nags Head, NC

Wow, and thanks to Houston for throwing the incomplete pass on third down right before they kicked the FG to take the lead. If they had run the ball, I believe GB would have needed to call their last timeout. As it happened, GB got a free clock stoppage and were able to keep that last TO for the game-winning FG drive. What was Houston thinking?

Several have brought this up, too. On third-and-15, with a field goal only putting you up by one and plenty of time left, I can see throwing the ball there. But you have to either take a shot at the sticks/end zone or keep the ball in play to force burning the last timeout. A sideline route that had no shot at a first down or TD, and whether caught or incomplete would stop the clock, made no sense. On the film, I could see all the other Houston routes were in the middle of the field, for what it's worth.

Robert from Chandler, AZ

Concerning the travails of the punt returners, is it enough analysis to simply say: Keisean Nixon should have positioned himself sooner to make a fair catch … and Jayden Reed had no business running down the punt on the goal line?

Reed absolutely needs to have better field awareness. Full stop. If Nixon lost the ball in flight as he noted and won't be able to catch it, then he's got to holler to his teammates to get out of the way. Based on the lack of reaction by other players, that didn't occur. Even if it might feel too late, he must try, because one step out of harm's way by Ballentine could save the possession.

Justin from Livingston, MT

We shut down the passing game of the Texans for the most part. What do we need to do better to stop opponents' running game?

It's impossible to take away everything. I thought the Packers were in decent position much of the time on Mixon. He took an odd route to 115 yards. On 12 of his 25 carries, the Packers held him to two yards or less. That's pretty good run defense. They just have to turn some of those 10- and 12-yard runs into the 4- or 5-yard variety, which often comes down to tackling and/or one guy taking a better angle.

Kerry from Canyon Lake, TX

What did you think of the all-whites? Didn't look too bad but I have to say the sudden disregard for tradition across the league bothers me. Too many teams seem to look different every week. Just didn't look like the Packers, in my opinion.

I don't equate an occasional changeup with a disregard for tradition. Some of the Packers' different looks have been sharp and fun, like this one. Others, not so much.

Kevin from Kirkland, IL

Speaking of throwbacks, the U of I throwback helmets were awesome Saturday. They really did look like the old leather helmets of the '20s and '30s. Hope we do that someday.

The Packers tried for that leather-helmet look well over a decade ago and, frankly, failed. The Illinois attempt won by a Butkus mile.

Chris from Eau Claire, WI

How about Anders Carlson getting a second chance in Santa Clara?

How about his first game since last January coming in that same stadium and wearing the number, ahem, 41? Cue the Twilight Zone music.

Daniel from Allerod, Denmark

That was the must clutch performance from a punter in Green Bay that I can remember. Only Tim Masthay's performance in the 9-0 win in 2010 can rival that. Can you remember better or more clutch punting performance in GB than this?

I don't have that list in front of me, but you've got a good memory on Masthay vs. the Jets in '10. I looked it up – on eight punts, he put five inside the 20 (with one touchback) and even with all that placement still averaged 41.5 yards net.

Mark from Waterloo, IA

While Daniel Whelan was amazing with his punting, flipping the field at critical junctures during the contest Sunday, I am more amazed at his dedication to his craft of holder for PATs and field goals. I read somewhere that he took extra time last week after learning how Brandon McManus wanted the ball to be held for kicks. This sort of attention to detail is what separates the good from the great.

He told us last year he practiced holds in the kitchen with his mom during the time between OTAs and training camp. This was long before he beat out O'Donnell for the job.

Al from Green Bay, WI

It seems rare in today's NFL that a close game like we experienced on Sunday featured no controversial calls. Did the refs do a great job, or have we missed something?

I thought the Packers caught a huge break they didn't rule Love had thrown a backwards pass right before the Dontayvion Wicks TD. It was ultra-close, and they blew it dead so quickly I don't think Houston challenging it would've changed anything.

Jake from Decatur, GA

I really appreciated the touchdown-turnover stat yesterday. Not a lot of love out there for a defense's TO/TD margin, which surprises me, considering how useful and popular turnover margin is as a team stat. "How often do you get the ball back the good way, relative to how often you get it back the bad way?" Seems to me like kind of the perfect way to measure total defense without getting into weird abstract calculations (treating punts and field goals as a wash).

I've never looked at it that way before but I can see the appeal.

Johnny from Nasewaupee, WI

II, can't remember the last time I saw/heard network TV guys highlighting the unpredictability of the Packers' defense. Woo Hoo!

That's what made putting together this WYMM so fun.

Joseph from Sioux Falls, SD

It doesn't have to be much, but can we talk more about Eric Wilson absolutely blowing up that one screen?

His anticipation on that play jumped off the film. He knew the Texans were running a screen almost before they did.

Bruce from Appleton, WI

What do you think about Jeff Hafley's defense this year?

It continues to evolve, which is a good thing.

Brandon from Cumming, GA

One relatively unsung play from the game that drew my attention to the talent level of this team. Third-and-5, end of the first quarter, Bo Melton wins a one-on-one matchup with a filthy route to pick up 8. The offense has its issues to fix but the quality from top to bottom is captivating.

Melton got eight snaps on offense and exactly one target in the passing game. There's no overstating how valuable it is to have a guy who can answer the random bell like that.

Kevin from Tinton Falls, NJ

I know we've talked about it before, but Mahomes can't really keep getting away with this fake stepping out of bounds thing. Mahomes is going to continue doing it until he gets absolutely clocked but even then it'll probably be unnecessary roughness so he wins anyway. I don't expect the league to do anything about it but is it not a little infuriating to watch?

I went on the record last year stating I believe the league should look into considering that unsportsmanlike conduct – a QB exploiting rules designed to protect him and gaining advantages not in the spirit of those rules. I stand by that assessment. Is the league going to do something about it and come across as attacking THE face of the NFL right now? Not a chance.

Jake from Greenfield, WI

I have a Hyde jersey. Can I send it to the Packers and they replace the name on the back with Williams and send it back?

If you take it to the custom jersey desk in the back of the Pro Shop, maybe something can be done. Worth a shot.

Greg from Belvidere, IL

Could this week's game have the potential of being a trap game with Detroit the following week? Or will ML have this team focused enough on the task at hand?

Jeff has the floor.

Jeff from Foothill Ranch, CA

I'm hoping I get this in before everyone starts referring to this game as a trap game. This WOULD be the definition – big win against a tough opponent, next game a seemingly meek opponent that is very beatable and has been out of the country for two weeks, followed by a division matchup that could be for first place. BUT, Packers fans: THERE ARE NO TRAP GAMES IN THE NFL. It's soap opera talking head fodder. Don't fall for it. Just beat the Jags.

Happy Wednesday.