Welcome back, Saturday Inbox! It’s so-o-o good to see you. You look fantastic. Have you lost weight?
I wish it would’ve lost my number.
Wow, that first Saturday Inbox came a lot quicker than I thought it would. Those LCD screens on the lockers do look neat. Who controls the content that’s displayed though? Straight line to the personnel department with screens blacking out on everyone’s least favorite day?
You’re telling me, Hannes. The football technology folks work with the equipment staff on those boards in the locker room. One funny story – it was Brandon McManus‘ 34th birthday on Friday, so they had a nice balloon motion graphic over his headshot. It’s the little things in life.
I just wanted to say I think the 1923 Classics might be our best throwbacks ever. I particularly like the leather design on the helmets. As much as I appreciated the Milk Dud helmets back in 2010, this is so much better.
I agree. While I enjoyed the 1950s throwbacks, my wardrobe is thrilled to have a blue variant back. The hand-designed helmets look great with these unis, too. It gets the juices flowing. We’ve certainly come a long way, and credit the NFL for relaxing its rules and restrictions on alternate uniforms. It’s great anytime a team can honor its past while also letting its hair down a little bit.
I know every season starts from scratch, but last season Josh Jacobs made it more likely that the Packers might run on third-and-3 or third-and-4. Don’t you think opponents would expect that to carry over? What’s Matt LaFleur’s counter to their adjustments?
I don’t get this whole “You gotta change something because the Packers showed it before” thing. This has come up a few times now, especially with the defense. Do you think the Philadelphia Eagles are just scrapping what worked well with Saquon last year? No. Evolve. Don’t reinvent. Jacobs is a good back – a really good back. There’s gonna be new things the Packers do with him (don’t ask me to predict those) and also more of concepts that worked well. This game is about innovation and staying ahead of the curve, not rewiring everything on a year-to-year basis.
I’m sitting here in Lambeau at the shareholders meeting, with front-row seats with my kids, to salute Mark Murphy in person. What a great man. We have been blessed by his leadership. Thank you, Mark!
Is this the first Insider Inbox submission sent from the shareholders meeting?
Regarding Mark Murphy’s Hall of Fame credentials, is it fair to say Mark has led a Hall of Fame life given how he has lived his professional, community and personal life?
I did an interview on Friday morning with iHeart radio in Milwaukee and said the same exact thing. Winning trumps everything, so obviously the Packers making the playoffs in 13 of Murphy’s 17 years at the helm is a big deal. However, Mark also treated every member of this organization with the utmost respect regardless of whether you’re the head coach, general manager or a lowly staff writer. It’s good to see Mark get his flowers. He deserves every petal.
Elias from White Plains, NY
It’s great to see Luke Musgrave back into the fold. What do we expect from him this season with Tucker Kraft blossoming last year?
The Packers drafted him and Tucker Kraft for a reason. If Musgrave is healthy, the sky’s the limit.
When I see MarShawn Lloyd, I think Frank Gore. Am I crazy? Very excited to see what he brings to the offense this year.
I don’t like playing the comparison game, but both pack a punch at 5-foot-9. While Lloyd is about 10 pounds heavier, he actually ran a faster 40 than Gore (4.46-4.58). You gotta do it on the grass, but it just shows the type of athlete the Packers have on their hands.
Chase from Diamond Springs, CA
The story on Isaiah Simmons has put him on my radar. I remember a willingness to take on everything asked of me early in my career, and while I showed the capacity to succeed, I lacked deeper subject knowledge for higher paying opportunities. Ultimately, I found an opportunity that leveraged my skills and the opportunity to specialize. It seems like Simmons is in a similar situation. I’m excited to see how his season goes.
Mike did a bang-up job on that story, so please check it out if you haven’t already. I mentioned on “Unscripted” this week, I don’t know if Simmons has ever had a real opportunity to be a linebacker in his NFL career. Yes, he technically played that position in Arizona, but the defense the Cardinals employed at that time heavily emphasized using hybrid linebackers/safeties in the box. He is a full-fledged linebacker in Green Bay and right now he’s making plays. Simmons is off to a good start.