Hey everybody, thanks for logging on. Hope all is well. Go ahead and start sending in questions and I'll get started shortly.

What scares you about San Fran?

I wouldn't say anything scares me, but I think the Packers are going to have their hands full with George Kittle more than anyone else. He's just a tough matchup, and tight ends have been productive against the Packers through two games, so Jimmy G will be looking to Kittle plenty. San Fran's defense is also pretty good. Other than the last 5 minutes vs. Detroit, they've played really well.

The 49ers' offense seems to be characterized as a sophisticated scheme that can distract defenses and be productive with just about anybody at RB. Is that fair? And what are the keys to stopping it?

There is a lot of distraction and misdirection, which means it takes discipline on the part of defenders to stick with their keys and execute assignments. But also don't slow down, don't hesitate. They try to get you to react to the wrong thing, so you have to make sure you're reacting to the right thing and doing so at full speed.

Hello Mike,

Is Coach Smith OK after his exuberant sideline contact with Eric Stokes? I believe it was Coach Smith.

Yes, it was Mike Smith. He of the chipped tooth and broken wrist from offseason home improvement projects. He's speaking with the media tomorrow afternoon so we'll find out if he's all right. I suspect he is and we'll all have a good laugh.

Thought Elgton Jenkins played great week and poorly week two. Is this a case of facing a better (quicker) player or has the defense seen something they can exploit?

I don't know if I'd say Jenkins played poorly. Got called for holding, which you don't see often. But he'll be fine. Just because he can play left tackle doesn't mean he's going to be an All-Pro out there. What he's doing is still rather remarkable.

Given the talent limitations on the Dline and inside LB, how can the Packer defense realistically compete against top offenses on the upcoming schedule, in particular, stopping the run and ceding ball control to the other team seem to be huge challenges with this group.

I'm not making any grand pronouncements after two games. The Packers have plenty to work on defensively, but guys also have to play better, as they've shown previously. I think Dean Lowry and Kingsley Keke can play better than they've shown this year. Maybe Slaton plays more up front. De'Vondre Campbell had a really good game against Detroit and Krys Barnes is still a young, rising player. The pass rush can't all fall on Preston Smith, Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, though. The other edge guys, Jonathan Garvin and Chauncey Rivers, have to contribute, which they did Monday in spots.

Let's take a second to talk about Dean Lowry. The comments section continue to rip this guy but coaches say he does the dirty work. From what I see he may not make the splash plays but does seem to eat up or at least occupy two offensive linemen per play. I'd say that's doing his job.

No one expects superhuman achievements against double-teams. You just have to deal with those. I think Lowry would tell you when he gets one-on-one chances, he needs to win more of them. He was starting to late last year.

Nick Bosa vs Elton Jenkins....I cant wait

Should be fun to watch.

Liked Eric Stokes on the outside against the Lions and thought he was an upgrade over Kevin King. King seemed OK in the slot but that may have been the result of who he was facing. I think SF has the receivers to take advantage if he plays the slot this week. Is their a better option on where to play King?

That's going to be an interesting call for the coaching staff. There are certain matchups in the slot that won't suit King at all, so then the question becomes with only two corners on the field, will Stokes play over King? When it's three and the slot matchup is not good for King, does Jaire Alexander take the slot, or does Chandon Sullivan and then either Stokes or King sits? Stay tuned I guess.

What did you notice the Packers defense doing differently in the second half?

The rush/coverage combinations were different. If they didn't send extra rushers, they played zone behind it to hold up longer in coverage. If they sent an extra guy, they played man and sped up the QB's clock. They also moved Clark over the nose to get more interior pressure.

Who is the 'Tom' that Aaron Rodgers constantly refers to or looks over at during his press conferences? Rodgers puts him on the spot a lot...LOL.

Yeah, that's an ongoing thing of his. It's Tom Fanning, assistant director of communications who handles Rodgers' media obligations. He actually was my writing partner for packers.com for a few years (2008-10) before moving full-time into a team communications role.

Curious of how Josiah Deguara's health looks for this week, how does his injury affect what ML wants to do on offense?

We'll see where he is in the concussion protocol as the week progresses. Right now, Dominique Dafney is doing a lot of FB stuff and handling other alignments that Deguara might if he were available. Deguara has more speed as a downfield passing threat, though, so it adds another wrinkle when he's in there.

How's your fantasy team doing Mike?

I don't have one. Haven't had one for more than 20 years.

When is the last time we had a return as long as Kylin Hill's?

On a kickoff, I think it was Tyler Ervin back in Dec. of 2019, pretty much when he first got here.

It seems the best defenses figure out who and what to take away from the opponents offense every week. The first two games it didn't look like the Packers D had a plan of what they wanted to take away going into either game

I think Barry was counting on the run defense to be better in the early stages of the game, and when it wasn't, it created all sorts of play-action opportunities for Goff. When he went play-action, he had a ton of time in the pocket because the guys up front had to play run first, and they weren't transitioning well to pass rush after the fake.

What are your biggest takeaways from the guard battle through two weeks and how do you see it playing out moving forward with Lucas Patrick coming back?

I didn't have time to watch the offensive film start to finish so I don't really have a read on how Jon Runyan performed. But that job is definitely in play on a regular basis. If the coaches really liked how Runyan played, I could see him taking that spot. If not, they'll probably go with the more experienced Patrick when he's healthy enough to get the practice reps during the week (which last week he wasn't).

I love listening to Wayne and the Rock call the Packer games on radio. The Manning brothers (Peyton & Eli) however, have changed the way I'll watch Monday night football. They are fun, honest, and refreshing! I love it, as they give great insights into the preparation and thinking that's going on inside an NFL quarterback's head as he processes the game!

I missed the Mannings in Week 1, and obviously two nights ago as well. I am definitely tuning in next Monday.

Did Matt Lafleur Have To Nudge Joe Barry Into More Blitzing In The Second Half Of The Lions Game?

I think they discussed if they're going to rush 5, don't make it a straight 5-man rush, but do something creative with how the fifth guy is coming. And when it's a straight 4, play zone behind it. I didn't see any snaps where they blitzed in a way that threw the kitchen sink at the QB.

Will the Packers look to put Sternberger on the Practice Squad?

Perhaps, but he may look for another opportunity elsewhere, too, given how deep GB's TE room is.

When does the team announce which practice squad players get elevated to the active roster for the game?

Usually the day before the game, but if it's a night game, they can do it the day of.

Does it come down to pad level on the D line?

Sometimes, sure. Other times it's just getting off blocks. Their job is to block you. Your job is to not stay blocked.

If Kylin Hill continues to impress on KO returns - do you think there's a chance we will use him as a punt returner, also? I know Amari Rodgers has more experience but we might want to ride the hot hand

Two very different jobs, so I don't know. I think they'll still want to use Amari's skills there, but he'll learn from that first one Monday night that he has to get up the field in this league. He can't run laterally.

we talked about it so much through training camp, so 2 games in how would you grade special teams performance so far this year?

Up and down, but plenty of promising signs. Corey Bojorquez showed he has a big leg and can kick directionally, too, which is important. I think Rodgers will get better on punt returns. The coverage units have allowed a little too much, but no major breakdowns.

Did you happen to see the Europe Ryder Cup team arriving on the first tee for their morning practice? They wore Packer colors and cheeseheads! They then tossed the cheeseheads into the crowd - very cool!!

I did not see that, but I don't know if that's going to get many of the locals to cheer for them over the American team, if that's what they're after.

I'm not sure the first two games gave much of a read on who and what this team is or what they can be. Is this week more of a litmus test on the Real Packers this season?

I still think it'll be several games before we really know, but this would be an important win to get. You want to split your road games if you can, and the Packers already lost the first one, which wasn't really a road game. This will be their first game with a true hostile crowd since the NFC title game in SF in Jan. 2020.

So what are the different skills comparing a kick off vs a punt returner? Courage is definitely needed for both.

Definitely. It's a different skill tracking and catching the ball because the flights are not the same at all. A punt returner also has to be able to catch in traffic, whereas a kick returner has plenty of space. It also helps punt returners to be able to hit full speed very quickly, whereas kick returners can build up to it.

All due respect to Payton and Eli (I ended up there too for TV feed) but my new staple is your live blog. Seems more and more are feeling the same way. Thanks for doing it and how many were logged in Monday night?

Thanks for tuning in. I would say at its peak the audience was between 1,500 and 2,000 live, based on what the interface was telling me.

Have the 49ers been using Trey Lance similar to how the Bears have been working Fields into the lineup?

They did in Week 1, but I don't think Lance played in Week 2, and now Fields is taking over in Chicago with Dalton injured, so there won't really be a comparison to make anymore.

Do you still travel with the team during COVID-19? Do you have to stay in your hotel room or can you go out to grab a bite at the local burger joint?

Wes and I did not travel last year and we are not traveling this year, at least not right now. We will be watching this week's game together on our office floor in a conference room with a big TV.

Deep down, I really wanted to see Jamaal take a Lambeau Leap

I bet he wanted to as well.

I've been seeing lots of praise for Runyan Jr. after Monday night. Who do you expect as the starting OL this week?

Given how LaFleur didn't want to publicly confirm Royce Newman was the starting RG in Week 1, I have a feeling we won't be told who's starting at LG this week, unless there's an injury situation.

Do you think the wind played into the overthrows to MVS?

Aaron Rodgers didn't think so. He said he just missed him.

Who decides on what food to bring to your game viewing?

Ha, not me. The people with the budgets to spend are above me, and the interns place the orders. I have no complaints, though. If someone is going to feed me, I'll make it work.

Going into this season the three big questions; the defensive line, the MLBs, and how the OL would adjust to the loss of David Bakhtiari? Seems like those questions still remain...well a question mark? What do you think?

I think the offensive line has been fine for the most part. Rodgers has put most of the sacks so far on himself. The D-line needs another disruptor to count on aside from Clark. The coaches are relying on Keke to emerge, based on what they told us this summer. Like I said before, I thought Campbell played pretty darn well vs. the Lions. I think he's settling in, and the combo with Barnes is showing positive signs. I'm willing to give these things time in a 17-game season.

So far (3 years on) 52 seems to be average. A 12 pick wasted?

Not at all. Gary is going to get a large amount of playing time the next few weeks. It's up to him to seize the opportunity. Let's see what he does.

Is there a limit to how many times per season a team can protect a practice squad player? If the Packers wanted to protect Kurt Benkert every week, would that prevent another team from ever signing him to the active roster?

I don't think there's a limit on the number of times protecting one player. The limit is protecting four players per week.

Any chance you can talk Aaron Jones into sharing some photos of his necklace he had made for his father? It blew my mind how he brushed off loosing it in the end zone, I would have freaked.

There are some shots on his social media accounts if you want to check them out.

Mike , what do you make of very few if any jet sweeps or not even that action yet ?

Well, I don't expect them to run jet sweep action on every play, but they did run it some against the Lions and scored a TD on one such play, so I think LaFleur is picking and choosing his spots.

Who will Barry put on the Boundary? King or Strokes?

That's one of the questions everyone's wondering this week after the strong showing Stokes had. Again, I don't expect we'll be told in advance and we will have to see on Sunday night like everyone else. Reporters don't get to see any 11-on-11 work in practice, so we don't know who's lining up where once they start working on the game plan.

Any chance Weston and you could do for the Packer games what the Manning bros are doing on MNF?

Ha, I think there'd be broadcast rights and contracts involved for us to pull something like that off. For now, you'll have to settle for my live blog and Wes's Twitter account.

All right folks, with that I'm going to call it a chat. Thanks for all the participation, and we'll talk again next week. Take care.