Bruce from Appleton, WI
Do think Jordan Love is worth the new contract he got just after one year?
Every penny. If you have a quarterback, you have hope. If a team doesn't, then it's left hoping to win the lotto. The future is bright in Green Bay with Love under center. What's more, Love is a beloved member of the Packers' locker room whose talent is only matched by his humility.
Josh from Seattle, WA
I thought I understood the cap, but this humble pie tastes really good! Massive round of applause for the work Russ Ball did with Love's contract. Keeping his yearly cap lower than market value for paying QBs was imperative to re-signing our plethora of talented players on rookie deals!
There's so much detail written into those contracts that I don't know how Russ keeps it all straight. Not desiring any adulation or praise, Ball remains one of the most important employees at 1265 Lombardi Ave. It's been that way for more than a decade. It's not just the Love contract, either. Over the past five months alone, Ball has negotiated megadeals with Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney and Kenny Clark. That's a lot of paper and ink.
Ani from Phoenix, AZ
Will Kalen King be running with the ones more often after his performance Sunday?
It doesn't hurt. King will be the first to tell you he has a lot to learn, but the Packers gave him an opportunity and the rookie seventh-round pick seized it. Tying big moments together is what led to Carrington Valentine's stellar season.
Caleb from Knoxville, TN
With all of our new positional coaches on defense, what are some differences you see in their coaching style/approach compared to their predecessors?
Intensity. Not that one approach is better than another, but Anthony Campanile and Vince Oghobaase can both be seen and heard at practice. I don't think there's been a team rep this offseason that Oghobaase hasn't sprinted over to his defensive linemen as soon as the play is done.
Jeff from Indian Lake, NY
When is the first joint practice and against whom? I'm interested to see how our new-look defense will stack up against some different competition.
The Packers will have a joint practice in Denver on Aug. 16 and another against Baltimore on Aug. 22, which will be the final practice open to the public in Green Bay.
Bill from Clive, IA
At what point in the preseason (including camp) does the depth chart begin to resemble what it will likely be on opening day? I realize not every position battle will be fully settled until cutdown or even shortly after that, but some will surely settle out well before then, yes? When can we begin to get some fairly reliable insight from checking the depth chart online?
When the music stops…or shortly thereafter. Historically, I've found the best indicator to be who's rotating behind the starting offense and defense and lining up with the first-team special teams unit during the final week of training camp. But there are surprises, too. Four years ago, Krys Barnes was the starting inside linebacker in Minnesota after not even making the initial 53-man roster.
Ivan from Little Chicago, WI
Great article on Tyler Davis. Glad we have him, while Tucker Kraft finishes his rehab.
If you haven't read Spoff's story on Davis yet, please be sure to do so. It's an excellent look into how Davis attacked his injury and the role he played on the team last year. He's the type of guy you root for.
Paul from Ledgeview, WI
Wes, is Jordan Morgan likely among the top five OL, or is it too early to know?
Too early to know but the Packers are giving Morgan every opportunity to prove he's capable of starting out of the gate. Morgan's reps remind me of how Green Bay handled Elgton Jenkins in 2019 and David Bakhtiari in 2013. In both cases, Jenkins and Bakhtiari moved around for a few practices before an injury led to them seeing the field at left guard and left tackle, respectively. You gotta keep young guys ready at all times.
Keith from Lincoln, IL
Is there a significant difference between the offseason training received by starting quarterbacks and backup QBs selected in later rounds? If there is, what is the reason for the difference? Do teams provide different levels of coaching/training, or is it just that QB1s can afford better coaches/trainers? Thank you.
I'd say it's marginal. I'm sure someone like Aaron Rodgers has a few more resources to augment his training than the average NFL QB but nothing extraordinarily different.
A look at Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love since being drafted in 2020.
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Derrick from Dell Rapids, SD
Backup QB battle, it seems that Sean Clifford is getting most of the reps. Along with that, he seems to be throwing a lot of INTs. Is Michael Pratt that far behind that he isn't getting the chances or is it simply Week 1 of training camp and defense always gels first? Or is there a problem here?
Protecting the ball is vital, but it's only been a handful of practices. Clifford has built equity here with how well he played as a rookie, so nobody is jumping to conclusions. Pratt has done some nice things, but he's also a rookie with a little more than a dozen NFL practices under his belt. Pratt's job is to control what he controls, especially once the preseason games hit. The coaches will handle the rest.
Joe from Wausau, WI
Last year the Packers' defense was 31st in INTs. Good news: the defense in camp, especially the safeties, is getting a lot of INTs! The bad news: Sean Clifford is throwing a lot of INTs. How do you think the coaches are evaluating the situation?
I'll always take a defense generating takeaways in training camp any day. Rodgers also threw his share of interceptions because he was trying different things. Clifford will be fine. He just needs to get back to playing on time within the structure of the scheme.
Scott from Norwalk, CT
Good morning II. Have there been any reps in practice for the first-team defense where "X" has sat out, and two of the other three contenders have teamed up at safety? Heaven forbid there's an injury to our star free agent, but these things happen, and it might be good to let the other three develop some chemistry with each other.
Not that I've noticed. McKinney is wise beyond his NFL years but he's still learning the nuances of Green Bay's defense, too. It's important for him to be on the field and get used to his new teammates. Plus, with how the Packers are handling the starting rotation, all these young safeties have had a chance to play with one another in the No. 2 defense.
John from White Bear Lake, MN
One name I have not heard mentioned yet in camp is Jaire Alexander. How has he looked? Are the QBs avoiding him, or is he shutting his receiver/zone down?
Better yet, why not just let Jaire tell you himself. Island life has been good for the two-time All-Pro. He's been lights out through the first week of training camp.
Ralph from Mönchengladbach, Germany
Greetings from my vacation at Lake Garda, Italy, and following up on a question from yesterday's II on who may profit if Rashan Gary is double-teamed. Last year Kenny Clark was double-teamed often, and I wondered how many players can be double-teamed in one play? Can the O-line afford to double-team more than one player?
Not unless the offense plays with a sixth offensive lineman, or a tight end entrenched in the front. Otherwise, you have free rushers and blitzers with an unobstructed lane to your quarterback.
Wade from Indianapolis, IN
I'm wondering if you think maybe during the course of the playoffs, coaches and/or players will watch the games on TV for plays or schemes that might work for their own teams and then implement them during the offseason or training camp?
NFL teams watch everything…and if it's not the head coach and top assistants, then it's a quality control coach or coaching administrator taking notes.
Christopher from Marshfield, WI
Hi guys, it occurred to me that when we talk about someone playing with the twos or threes, I imagine they're playing with a significantly less talented group. I'm sure I am mostly wrong in that thought, but for reference, how much better is an NFL third team of players compared to a typical college team? Are rookies on the third team still experiencing that huge jump in talent around them?
The typical college team? No. It's rookie mode compared to All-Madden. The NFL is comprised of 32 super-teams. The Georgias and Michigans play the toughest competition in college football but none with the talent and experience of an even a bottom-tier NFL team.
Matt from Middleton, WI
Jeff Hafley mentioned in his presser he was doing a bed check the other night. What was he referring to?
The team is staying at a local hotel for training camp. Matt LaFleur confirmed over the weekend it's the second year the Packers have handled training camp this way.
Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN
Please explain how cap money carries over to next year. If the salary cap is $100 million, and the Packers only spent $90 million, does that mean they can spend $110 million the next year assuming next year's cap is $100 million again?
Correct. Prior to that, NFL teams scrambled to get extensions done during the final month of the season because it didn't want that extra space to go to waste.
Jim from Cornwall, NY
What is the limit to how much salary cap can be carried over year to year? I seem to recall the Jaguars having to go on a spending spree a few years ago because of all their cap space. I would think a team would have gamed the system with an inflated one-year salary cap by now if that was possible.
There is a floor. I don't recall the specifics, but NFL teams have to use like 89% or more of their salary cap over a three-year span or risk losing it.
Julian from Gastonia, IN
OK guys, which one of you offered to buy Clete Blakeman's dinner?
I have been highly critical of how Blakeman and his crew officiated the 2020 NFC Championship Game, but I enjoyed our discussion regarding the 2024 rule changes on Sunday afternoon. I found Blakeman to be very cordial and engaging. Between listening to Blakeman and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, I felt I learned a lot about the new kickoff and what it all entails. Now, we just wait to see what it all looks like.
Phil from Davenport, IA
This question may have been already asked, but I'll ask again. When an NFL team signs a huge contract with a player similar to the Jordan Love contract, does the team take out some kind of insurance policy on that player to mitigate the loss they would incur if that player should become injured and cannot play?
I believe so, based on reports I've read on Aaron Rodgers in recent years. But I couldn't tell you anything about those insurance policies and their ramifications.
Thomas from Cedar Rapids, IA
In 20 years, I can see the NFL being a 36-team league with several being outside the U.S. The 18-game schedule will have two bye weeks so that teams can recover form an overseas trip, to go along with the two-game preseason, one being the "rookie game" featuring only first- or second-year players. Rosters for the rookie game will be 110 with a cutdown after, then a final cutdown after the second preseason game. Never say never.
I highly doubt there's a 36-team NFL in my lifetime. The only way I see the league having an internationally based team is if the NFL expands to have a separate international league. The idea of a game solely for rookies and second-year players is interesting, though – very interesting.
Stephie Rae from Flowery Branch, GA
Congrats to Rashan Gary for being in the top 100 NFL players at No. 50! Glad Love got his due and is back practicing with teammates, every minute counts toward the big prize. Curious what the other seven top 100 viewed shows in 2023 were that weren't NFL games. Have you been catching any amazing Olympic performances like tight swimming races, and courageous comebacks like Celine Dion's stunning closing to the opening ceremony and Simone Biles and Suni Lee gymnastics? Wow!
The other seven shows were the State of the Union address (No. 21, multiple networks), Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (45, NBC), Michigan vs. Ohio State football (58, FOX), Academy Awards (60, ABC), SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia (71, CBS), National Championship Game between TCU and Georgia (74, ESPN), and Next Level Chef (92, FOX). I haven't seen the Olympics at all unfortunately. Been a little busy lately.
Ben from Kewaunee, WI
Also, in response to James' question yesterday about the pay NFL players earn compared to doctors, teachers, etc. I feel like people often overlook the economic impact, and the amount of money these players generate for not only their respective teams, but the livelihoods they support simply through the jobs and small business that wouldn't exist without them. It's not like they don't earn it.
You're worth what someone is willing to pay you. I'm gonna leave it at that.
Chuck from Charlottesville, VA
Do you know who played the lobby piano on the eve of Super Bowl XLV? That absolutely had to serve as a truly great tension reliever! Just sayin'.
Defensive lineman C.J. Wilson…another all-time good dude.
Doug from Salem, OR
Thanks for "5 things learned in training camp." It's like having a live look through experienced eyes. Between the Inbox, "5 things" and the daily player focus, you must be a little busy. I am known for speaking the obvious but sometimes it needs to be said. Cup of coffee and the Mike and Wes show – great way to start the day.
And just like that, we're already a week into training camp.
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Insider Inbox
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