Brandon from Imperial, MO

Good morning, in the answer to Kirsten from Madison, WI, Wes said something that shouldn’t be overlooked for other players. When it is crunch time for a contract to get done quickly, BG and RB can get done the largest non-QB contract ever in a small amount of time. When people are asking you why they don’t extend this player or that, do you think the answer might just be they need more evaluation? Possibly they want to see how things shake out before committing resources?

That’s always in the equation, but in this particular case, I’m convinced the Packers’ negotiation on Jordan Love‘s massive contract just a year ago had a lot to do with how quickly this came together, with the same agent, and fell Green Bay’s way.

Andy from Wisconsin Rapids, WI

If memory serves, Russ Ball, Brian Gutekunst and Elliot Wolf were all finalists for the GM job after Ted Thompson retired. I think one of the more underrated points of Mark Murphy’s career was being able to retain two of the three by promoting BG and keeping Russ Ball crunching the numbers. He very easily could have lost Ball as well as Wolf after they didn’t get the GM job.

Could there be any more sidebars to Sunday afternoon? Micah Parsons‘s arrival sure put a new spin on home opener. When it’s all said and done could we all be praising the accuracy of Brandon McManus‘s leg?

It’s difficult for me to recall so many storylines for an opener. Wes and I were discussing on “Unscripted” the ’13 opener in San Francisco as the only comparable one, and I still think this one surpasses it. As for your final comment, this game coming down to a kick would not surprise me in the slightest.

Good morning, Mike. Detroit is known for being very aggressive on fourth down. Now their OC is in Chicago. Do you expect Chicago to be more aggressive? Will the Packers (and Vikings) have to be more aggressive to keep pace? Thanks.

That fourth-down aggression comes from the head man, Campbell. That’s another topic on our latest “Unscripted,” how the Lions make you defend third-and-mediums different because they’re so likely to go for it, in reasonably good field position, if it’s fourth-and-3 or less. Being prepared for a running play on third-and-5-to-8 and reacting to the pass is a tough way to play, but that’s what they make opponents do, and I don’t see that changing with their new OC.

I know the first 25 or so plays are scripted, but I have often wondered if that plan gets tossed out depending on great or poor field position after the opening kick?

Whoever began using the word “script” for how teams start games really did fans a disservice. It’s not a script in the traditional sense at all. Game plans have priority plays for every situation – the first handful of calls in normal down/distance, the first couple for third downs, for red zone, for backed up, for short yardage. That’s what is meant by plays being “scripted,” which is entirely misleading. Rodgers referred to them as “first thoughts,” and in my yearbook interview with Love for the story that posted the other day, his term was “openers.” They’re the plays at the top of every situational listing within the game plan. Hope that helps.

Hi Mike, your article regarding the communication between LaFleur and Jordan Love was a fantastic piece. Amazing how much prep and discussion goes into a game plan, and how those two work together. The insights that you and Wes give us makes watching the games more enjoyable for a lot of us. I was wondering what it would be like to stand behind the players’ bench during a game. Have you ever been able to do that?

Ha, no. It would be fascinating, but that area is beyond off limits for someone like me.

If memory serves me, one of the areas Packers management wanted to accomplish in the offseason was for the team to get more physical. Perhaps looking at teams such as the Eagles and Lions, we will see very soon how much progress, if any, the team has made. What are your thoughts?

I thought both sides of the ball took a step in that direction last year, based on how the Packers ran the ball and stopped the run. With Josh Jacobs in Year 2 and the changes on the O-line, that trend line should continue. The defensive side is more wait and see with removing Clark from the run D at the 11th hour.

George from North Mankato, MN

What or whom do you think will be the best approach to slowing down Hutchinson and the Lions’ defense this weekend?

Nothing neuters a pass rush better than a running game to set up play-action. I expect Detroit to take the exact same approach.

Where does Lukas Van Ness fit in? Could we see all three “edge” guys on the field on the plays?

In certain situations, sure. I see defensive personnel packages evolving the more Parsons gets incorporated.