Bill from North Liberty, IA

Shoot or chute? The heat must be affecting the writing!

Probably the most irrelevant question you’ll get all training camp, but out of morbid curiosity, while roaming the sidelines at training camp, do you get to partake in the Gatorade when thirst strikes or must you bring your own hydration? Asking for my dog.

I bring my own bottle of water to practice every day.

Matt from Bloomington, IN

“What’s the most memorable Packers preseason play or performance you can remember” was asked yesterday, and while Wes’s answer was great, it made me wonder about fans’ favorite preseason memories. Perhaps it has a chance as an Outsider Inbox question? Watching Ryan Taylor cement his roster spot against Indy in the 2011 preseason is mine. That final minute featured a TD, 2-point conversion, recovered onside kick, and Mason Crosby walk-off 50-yard FG to avoid a tie. It was a blast!

Maybe I’m just getting too old, but my strongest preseason memories are the fiascos. The canceled game in Canton, the 80-yard field in Winnipeg, games ending early due to lightning, etc. Otherwise they all blend together.

Mikey from Jacksonville, FL

A follow-up about Graham Harrell – I forgot all about him. I guess he wasn’t able to follow up that performance with enough to earn a job elsewhere in the league? Where did he end up?

He spent one offseason with the Jets and then became a college coach. Over the last decade, he’s been the offensive coordinator at five different programs (North Texas, USC, West Virginia, Purdue, and now Abilene Christian).

Everyone remembers the Jeff Janis Hail Mary, but people often forget why he was even on the field then. The Packers went into that game missing Nelson and Adams, and lost Cobb to injury during the game (and maybe another receiver or two). Right now, I don’t want an extra sixth-round pick next year. I want a WR5 who’s worth a sixth-round pick. That depth becomes necessary more often than not, even if it’s a “problem” in training camp.

Amen. The Packers nearly won a playoff game with Janis, James Jones and Jared Abbrederis as their only healthy wideouts, but the offense was functional because they knew the system and the QB.

With all this talk about punching out footballs to create fumbles/turnovers, I just hope they plan on tackling first … It’s frustrating when watching a game and all the players are focused on is punching out the ball and not tackling, so the offensive player ends up getting more yards if the fumble doesn’t occur.

I mentioned on “Unscripted” it’s very easy for the defense to focus on punching the ball out when it doesn’t have to actually tackle. I get using training camp to emphasize certain things and keep them in players’ heads when they start playing real football, but running around and punching at the ball is not real football. Everyone knows that.

Mike mentioned the defensive personnel formation (ex: base vs nickel) being dependent on what the offensive personnel looks like on a given play (3 WR = nickel, etc.) My question is: How much time does the DC have to respond to who the offense puts on the field? I would think last-second substitutions would be a good way to create mismatches, but is the defense protected against that somehow?

The officials won’t allow the offense, if it substitutes, to snap the ball, even when in no-huddle mode, until the defense has had an opportunity to sub as well.

Are you seeing a lot of substitution on the defensive line, or is the first string constant? I can see the point of bringing in players who are fresh, but I’d like to see four men getting used to playing as a unit, the way an offensive line does.

There’s always some rotation, but the initial front four has pretty regularly been Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness.