On the Super Bowl highlights Clay Mathews blew it. He could have screamed, “Spill it, Big Grease”! That would have been historic!

It’s pretty iconic anyway, but yeah.

Rose form Lapu Lapu, Philippines

During the press conference, a reporter mentioned that everybody looked to be in shape. Matt corrected him saying not everybody. Any idea who he might have been referring to?

Wednesday on NFL Live, I saw some videos of Packers’ OTAs and noticed a building (located beyond the practice field). I’d never seen it before. The name I could make out was Great North Commons. Is it a new building (probably built in anticipation for the draft)? What is it…hotel, restaurant, etc.?

It’s a combination bar/restaurant/event hall that opened just before the draft.

Wow, your list of Packers records that still stand from the 14-game season days prompted me to check up on Irv Comp. As if picking off 10 passes in 10 games as a rookie with sight in only one eye wasn’t enough, he led the league in passing yards the following year! Will we ever see the likes of that again?

Bygone eras are, well, bygone eras.

What jumped out at me on that list of 14-game season records was the name Lipscomb. I am assuming that is “Big Daddy” Lipscomb. I had no idea he played for the Packers. I guess it must have been at the end of his career but that makes it even more impressive.

Sorry, but that was not Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb. It was Paul Lipscomb, who went undrafted in 1945 and played the first five seasons of a 10-year NFL career with the Packers. He became a four-time Pro Bowler with Washington after he left Green Bay.

Seven blocked kicks in a season! We may not see that even when we have a 32-game season…

Don’t give anyone any ideas.

Interesting choice of Edgerrin Cooper for the “stay healthy” list. Isn’t it usually a DB or edge that’s the field tilter? Is that choice more player-related or scheme-related?

Player. He had 13 TFLs last year in barely more than half of the defensive snaps. That’s just rare.

Steve from Bloomington, IL

Would it be safe to say the primary objective for OTAs is to get the new players oriented to the team’s plays and schemes and less geared toward performance evaluations (e.g. depth charts)? For returning veterans, what would you say is the primary objective for them at OTAs?

For the returning vets, it’s about processing the changes and adjustments to the playbook, assisting the learning process you mentioned for the younger players, building some camaraderie, and getting physically and mentally sharp before taking their last deep breath on summer break.

Well Inboxers, I have been thinking a lot (probably too much) about winning some division games next year. All division teams have done things to try to improve. Although we didn’t win any last year, we were very close some games. So in terms of flipping the script this year, how much does it have to do with player growth, additions, and improvement-on-paper over last year vs. just playing better? What are the biggest things we need to address to win some division games next year?

Starting those games stronger would go a long way. The Packers fell behind the Vikings 28-0 and 20-3 before losing by scores of 31-29 and 27-25. They fell behind the Lions 24-3 and 17-7 before losing 24-14 and 34-31. Throwing the first punches doesn’t guarantee who wins the game, but the Packers were staggered by those rough starts. Urgency of execution can never be a part-time thing in this league, and certainly not against your division rivals.

Richard from Greenwich, NY

Good morning again, just wondering how the practice squad players integrate into the regular-season practice. Are they in the same meetings as the others? Do they serve as the scout team? Do they practice with the others? It might be an interesting feature piece to write about the PS players’ experiences. Thanks for your approach to what you do.

Practice squad players attend all the same meetings and go through all the same drills during individual periods in practice. They just become the scout team during 11-on-11 work, executing opponents’ plays/calls to give the starting units realistic looks at what’s coming on Sunday.