Hell keep at it, and itll come

Mike Spofford

Gary from Cross Plains, WI

I clicked on that link of Wes in the downpour. I forgot that one and laughed again. Then I noticed there were 88 replies to that post. Of course there were.

Serenity now.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

I've got to disagree with Mike and Scott from Sauk City. I've been going to baseball games for over 30 years and never come close to catching a foul ball, let alone a home run or even a freaking free T-shirt. It's still something I want to do and if I finally catch one, it's going home with me. If I catch a second? Sure, give it to the kid.

Fair enough, and your sentiment is shared within the Inbox.

Randall from Grand Junction, CO

Got to love the Blue Angels, they were here in Grand Junction two years ago. Did you get to see them flying around Lambeau Field?

No. Unfortunately, I was on my way back from a frustrating 11-inning loss in Milwaukee.

Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN

Spoff, you mentioned the game when Rich Campbell hit Phillip Epps on a long gain. Was that the game Epps was literally hopping on one leg down the sidelines trying to maintain in bounds?

Nope. Different game.

Bill from Clive, IA

Mike, that fourth level of Ms. Pac-Man was the holy grail of videogaming for me, too. While in college a local tavern had a machine which ingested not a few of my quarters. The first time I hit that level I was so stunned and fascinated by it that I just stood there looking at it while I promptly got eaten. Cleared that level once and held the high score (~110,000) for a few weeks until some girl walked in and knocked mine off the screen. Never did meet her, but traded high scores for weeks.

I hope you found another soulmate in life because it sounds like you missed the first one who crossed your path.

Rob from Rockford, IL

What would be the biggest area of improvement we could see from the offense, defense and special teams this year? Thanks for all your hard work. I read every day.

Offense rhythm and flow, and more reliable hands. Defense pass-rush consistency. Special teams don't allow that one big return.

Gregg from Arlington Heights, IL

Mike, I wish Barnett would have called a timeout in Philly. To me, he did not look confused, instead, he looked like he recognized they were in a bad defense. I can't recall, but even if they came out of a timeout, take the 5-yard penalty, reset your defense, and play on. But as they say, the best thing one can say about a freshman is next year they are a sophomore. In the NFL, the best thing you can say about a rookie is next year they are a second-year vet. Alas, to wish and to dream.

I'm not going to relitigate fourth-and-26. It's pretty well-established it was a questionable call that was poorly executed across the board. Plenty of blame to go around, including on Barnett, who abandoned the middle of the field to pick up a tight end leaking out of a pass pro assignment at the line of scrimmage 26 yards from the first down.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Jordan Lovestaying healthy and being productive is the No. 1 key to a successful season. Right behind that is a ferocious pass rush because the reality is, the Packer corners are not proven stoppers. Therefore,Lukas Van Ness,Devonte Wyattor whoever the pass rushers are, need to have big years. Do you agree with that thinking?

Not entirely. While I believe a steadier, more consistent pass rush would definitely help the defense, I also believe the Packers' top cornerback groupKeisean Nixon,Nate Hobbs,Carrington Valentine, plusJavon Bullardin the slot is one they can win with. The question is who's next when depth is called upon. The Packers have a lot of young, unproven players at corner with a massive opportunity in front of them. Let's see where things are two months from now.

Benjamin from Bear, DE

With the exception ofChristian Watson, do you think all 90 players on the roster would be available for camp? Particularly interested inKenny Clarkand how he's recovering after foot surgery surgery. If anyone needs a bounce back season, it's Kenny Clark.

Clark was participating in 11-on-11 snaps during minicamp, so he seemed to be fine. Can't say for sure on any of the other guys who were hurt this spring, but LaFleur didn't express that anyone's injuries were serious.

Richard from Telford, TN

It seems ex-Packers are in demand. Lots of cut players are on other teams this year. I think it was last year after camp that the Packers had four players claimed off waivers. Not only the most of any team, but more than all the rest altogether. Do you think it will be more this year?

No way to know. Injuries in training camp will influence the Packers' roster decisions, and there's no telling what players will put on film in preseason games that will catch other teams' eyes.

Matty from Durango, CO

How do coaches handle the completely unexpected injuries that deplete a position in a game? All the planning in the world doesn't help if three offensive linemen or wide receivers get injured in a game.

It depends on which position group gets hit in that scenario. If three receivers go down, the call sheet shrinks and a lot more two-back to two-TE sets are used. Three linemen can be overcome as long as eight were active for the game, but if guys are forced to play out of position, there's likely a discussion on the sideline about the kinds of plays with which he's most familiar and/or comfortable.

Sam from Milwaukee, WI

I was wondering about your opinion on Jordan's deep ball. Does he need some work on it, small tweaks or better timing? I grew up with Favre. Watching both him and Rodgers, almost once a game, drop a perfect pass to a streaking receiver for a 50-plus yard TD. What is Jordan's biggest area of improvement in the deep ball game?

When the protection is there and Love's got two healthy legs under him, I don't see any alarming issue with his deep ball. But it does take repetition. I don't think Favre or Rodgers had pinpoint accuracy on shot plays in their first and second years either. In fact, Rodgers overthrew an open Jennings deep in overtime of his first playoff game at the end of his second season as a starter. Favre had the one to Sharpe in his first playoff game throwing across his body, but he was so wide-freakin'-open it didn't even need to be accurate (though it was still one whale of a throw). He'll keep at it, and it'll come.

Terry from El Paso, TX

I read over the past weekend the NFL will not have a supplemental draft this year. My question is have the Packers ever dipped into the supplemental draft when the NFL had them. If so who have the drafted? Has anyone in the NFL been any good coming out of that draft?

The Packers made three picks in the 1984 USFL Supplemental Draft who didn't amount to anything. But they made one pick in the 1998 NFL Supplemental Draft, and it turned out to be a gem offensive lineman Mike Wahle from Navy.

Tom from Keota, IA

Hi II. Regarding Jeff the So-Cal Angels fan's observations/questions about baseball players vs football players one of my favorite baseball memories from my youth was when Tommy Lasorda said, "Give me nine Jimmy Gantners and I'll win the World Series every year." Jimmy was good, but not a star but Lasorda thought you could make a winning team with guys like that. In the NFL of this century, I'm struggling to think of champion teams that didn't have multiple "star" players. Thoughts?

Sorry, but stars are difference-makers. It was a neat, quippy thing for Lasorda to say, but he knows better. His 1981 World Series champs had six guys make the All-Star team that year (Valenzuela, Lopes, Hooton, Garvey, Baker, Guerrero), with Valenzuela winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. His '88 World Series champs had the league MVP (Gibson) and Cy Young (Hershiser). Lasorda needed stars to win the World Series just like any other manager, and they're needed in the NFL, too.

Erwin from Leesburg, GA

Dead Zone! I was looking at a pic ofDaniel Whelanpunting a football and it triggered a thought I've had for decades. How high does the ball go on a punt? In stadiums I have attended to watch games, even rows 35 and higher, I was always amazed at the height of a punt. I was surprised to learn most punts reach heights of about 50 yards or 150 feet. To me that's amazing. Then a returner catching the ball dropping at a rate of 67 mph. I know, no math, but could either of you field a punt under pressure?

Not me.

Jennifer from Middleton, WI

Hey Spoff, I appreciated your answer the other day about willingness to adapt. I know we are all glad you are not just "toiling in obscurity" and provide us with so many other forms of content as well. I was curious. Have you grown a fondness for any particular part of the menagerie of other things you do? If you suddenly weren't allowed to write articles anymore and you had to transition to just one form of work of the other things you do as a full-time job, which one would you pick? Why?

I'd say two things I really enjoy being editor of the Packers Yearbook, because I've still got that old-school love for a well-put-together print publication. They're a dying breed, but when they're done right, they're still really cool in my view. The other is the "Unscripted" show/podcast. I feel like I could shoot the bull with Wes about football all day, and I love his perspective on today's game as someone who's 15 years younger and more a part of the video-game generation than I am.

Jeff from Littlefork, MN

I appreciate "the whole nine yards" explanation by Adrian from Oregon City. When multiple readers submit responses, as happened here, how do you decide who gets the named credit? Does it help to be a newbie? II all-star? Loyal contributor who hasn't been called up in a while?

Rule No. 1, Jeff. Rule No. 1. Happy Tuesday.

And with that, below from Wes are this summer's 12 Outsider Inbox questions, listed by the day the responses will be posted. But to be guaranteed consideration for publication, all responses need to be submitted by end of workday July 4.

Also, please continue to submit regular questions for this week's columns. I'm doing one more and then Wes has the remainder of this week. Thank you.

Monday, July 7

Tuesday, July 8

Wednesday, July 9

Thursday, July 10

Friday, July 11

Monday, July 14

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