You had a heck of a day on Friday, Young Weston! Worked out my smiling muscles! Breathing in, breathing out. Breathing in, Breathing out. Breathing in, breathing out and once more for good measure. Breathing in, breathing out. Annnnnndddd…….. submit.
Well done, Mark. You may grab a milk carton and graham cracker from the table and take your seat.
I was just imagining all 11 players having comms in their helmet. Each player receiving communications from their respective position coaches. The position coaches each with another earpiece connected to either the offensive or defensive coordinator to keep them on the same page. The coordinators with a headset connected to the head coach to manage game flow and maybe call plays if they are that kind of HC. Finally, a line up to the owner (if the team has one) in case they need to make emergency adjustments.
I’d have mine set to Spotify.
Hello Insiders, the schedule makers have put you in charge of scheduling the Packers’ first two and last two games next season. The first two games and the last two games must be against division opponents. Since the Packers rarely get a home game to start the season, you must schedule the first game on the road and the second game at home. Then the last two weeks of the season the Packers will be on the road for Week 17 and then home on Week 18. What teams are you scheduling in those weeks and why?
Speaking strictly in terms of strategy and not accounting for TV ratings or anything, I would open the season at Detroit, host Minnesota in Week 2, travel to face the Vikings in Week 17 and hold the advantage of hosting Chicago in the regular-season finale. I don’t really care which NFC North rival the Packers play in the opener but getting the Lions out of the way would prevent Green Bay from playing in Detroit on Thanksgiving again.
Edward from Sioux Falls, SD
Here’s hoping that Javon Hargrave will be a solid addition to the Packers D-line, like Howard Green was in the 2010 season. And hopefully ending the season with a game-changing QB hit that changed Super Bowl XLV!
If Hargrave fits as well into Green Bay’s defense as he did Philadelphia’s under Jonathan Gannon, the Packers gained a key ingredient to the championship defense. The Packers needed a defensive tackle like Hargrave and they got him.
Gentlemen, I can see Micah Parsons excelling within a 3-4 defense, but what about Lukas Van Ness? Is he suited better for a 3-4 and will this help him?
The base alignment more affects defensive tackles and inside linebackers. Parsons will be successful in any scheme he plays while Van Ness is built to rush inside or outside on passing downs. So, I don’t think anything really changes. At the end of the day, the job of a defensive end/outside linebacker is to hold the edge on first down and beat the lineman (or linemen) in front of them on second- and third-and-pass.
What do you suppose the Packers’ record would’ve been last season if Parsons had gotten even half of the holding calls that he deserved? Any chance it’ll get any closer to reality in 2026?
I ain’t holding my breath.
I recently fell for some click bait, and the article was totally bogus. The writer made predictions about moves that aren’t just gonna happen. With that said, if you did hear of potential moves from very credible sources, could you or would you be able to print those before they were announced?
We don’t touch anything until it’s announced. Because nothing is official until the ink is dry. Even if it’s rock-solid information, an injury or some other concern could blow up the whole deal (See: Crosby, Maxx).
I liked what we tried to do on the offensive line last year. The problem was that no starter was in the same position lined up next to the same player as last year except Zach Tom, so no continuity. Injuries kept Aaron Banks from a much-needed training camp, so we didn’t gel until late in the season, then multiple injuries put paid to that experiment. Trust Gutey and co.
It is what it is, but the fact remains the Packers never fielded a consistent starting five in 2025 due to injury. Hopefully, Green Bay gets closer to that target in ’26.
Welcome back Wes! Doug from Odell, IL asked “Should the Packers sign a veteran QB or draft one?” You said you’d prefer the draft. I thought that it perfectly summarizes the beauty of NIL. Seasoned journeyman QBs straight from the draft!
You were legitimately the only person who got it.
Bryan from West Salem, WI
I attended college in Duluth, MN, at UMD starting in 2009, so it was very cool to learn we just hired Noah Pauley as our new WR coach, a fellow Bulldog! The teams he played on won two national championships, and during their undefeated 2010 season outscored their opponents 595-190. Mercy. I worked with a lot of those guys during the summer on campus grounds crews, they had some good times. Noah has had a lot of success throughout his coaching journey and I’m excited to see what he can do here!
I love Pauley’s story and his connections to Green Bay, most notably three seasons spent as Christian Watson‘s position coach at North Dakota State. It’s really no surprise he’s climbed the coaching ranks as quickly as he has. Matt Campbell and the folks at Iowa State absolutely love the guy. He obviously impressed Matt LaFleur during his Bill Walsh internship, as well. In addition to reuniting with Watson, Pauley brings a fresh perspective to Green Bay’s passing game. New blood is never a bad thing.
Brandon from Imperial, MO
Good morning, the new coaching recruits were announced. Thank you for the “5 Things” articles on them! Who are you most excited or intrigued to have joined the staff? Seems like LaFleur scored a couple of names who were around for the last DC interview in GB as well as a few familiar people moving up the chain. Is there a name (or names) we should keep an eye on or a position group that might get a boost from some new coaching blood?
Other than Pauley, I’m most excited for Bobby Babich to join the staff. He did a good job in Buffalo and actually was my favorite to land the Packers’ defensive coordinator job in 2024. Green Bay now has three former NFL DCs on this staff with Gannon, Babich and DeMarcus Covington, giving the Packers a good blend of experience and perspective. Babich also coached Micah Hyde in Buffalo…and there is a guy right here in Green Bay who reminds me a lot of Micah.
Terri from Fountain Hills, AZ
There have been a lot of coaching changes with a new DC. One name I have seen as a constant on the coaching staff is running backs coach Ben Sirmans. It seems like he is a good candidate for a promotion or move to another team to get one. What can you tell us about him?
This topic comes up every now and then with Sirmans, who’s quietly become one of the longest-tenured assistant coaches in team history. Hired in 2016, Sirmans is the only remaining member of Mike McCarthy’s Packers coaching staff and he’s pretty much done it all here. He converted No. 88 receivers to running backs, tutored future Packers Hall of Famer Aaron Jones and developed dozens of late-round and undrafted prospects into NFL players. Sirmans started with Eddie Lacy and his run has spanned all the way to Josh Jacobs. I’d say the resume speaks for itself.