Inbox: His resume speaks for itself

[Cheesehead]

LeeAnn from Carefree, IN


So you're on your own for a few days, Wes? Does that mean Mike is headed to the SB and leaving you behind?


He's on a mission to steal every lunch in Miami, leaving me here to deal with the rest of you. Good morning!


Jeff from Belton, TX


Who is presenting the case for LeRoy Butler? Do you think he makes it this year or does he keep getting passed over?


My former colleague and mentor, Pete Dougherty, will present Butler's case to the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters and I hope they are listening closely. Butler, a first-team All-Pro selection four times, had 38 interceptions and 20½ sacks in his 12-year career. Brian Dawkins, who was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2018, had 37 picks and 26 sacks in 16 seasons. Oh, he also was voted first-team All-Pro four times. This isn't hard folks. His resume speaks for itself.


Elliot from Minneapolis, MN


You are Mark Murphy and have to set expectations. What are your expectations for the upcoming offseason, and what would your expectations be for the offense, defense and special teams next season?


Continued growth and sustained camaraderie. There was so much to like about the 2019 team you want to see carry over into 2020. Now, it's just finding the few right pieces to round out this roster and coaching staff. You want to see all three phases take another step, because on paper, this team isn't far away.


Adam from Johnston, IA


What percentage of snaps did Allen Lazard get?


Lazard played 479 of the offense's 1,078 total snaps (44.4%), though almost all of those came after Week 5.


Ronald from Panabo, Philippines


Insiders, thankfully the Packers had a fairly healthy season. But do you think a healthy Raven Greene would have significantly improved the defense?


I think it would've made the first two months of the season a lot smoother for the defense – not only having Greene in the hybrid safety role he practiced in all offseason but also keeping Adrian Amos at his natural position.


Seth from Madison, WI


Hi! Are you surprised at all by the assistant coaching changes? Do you think Coach Gray will have any more responsibilities than just the DB room?


No. There's bound to be changes every offseason when you're talking about staffs with around 25 coaches these days. There always are sub-sections to an assistant coach's job responsibilities but Jerry Gray's primary duty is to groom and develop Green Bay's defensive backs. It's a good gig with a bevy of promising pupils to work with.


Steve from Blacksburg, VA


We were a lot healthier this year as a team. It seemed like we had a lot fewer muscle injuries, for example, fewer hamstring injuries. What changes might have been made this past season to prompt this? S&C personnel? Workouts? Training room? Player commitment?


It's a little of everything, including luck – as Matt LaFleur frequently points to. For example, there's nothing Davante Adams could have done to avoid that particular turf toe injury. Sometimes football happens. However, I think players are taking care of their bodies better than ever before, and the strength and conditioning coaches and training staff have a good pulse on recovery and soft-tissue injury prevention. One area Adams felt the team has made strides is in its weight-room approach. This year, players looked to gain throughout the season rather than maintain.


Scott from De Pere, WI


This upcoming offseason, much more than one I can more recently remember, has a lot of big-time QB free agents. The list includes Brady, Brees, Rivers, Prescott, Winston, Bridgewater, Tannehill, Mariota, etc. If you were running a team and needed a QB, which one of those would you go after?


Teddy Bridgewater is the most intriguing potential free agent to me. I've always been high on his tools as a quarterback. I thought they showed up again during his spot starts this year in New Orleans. He's the kind of guy I'd look to sign to compete with a high draft pick for the starting job.


David from Pensacola, FL


I was just reading an article on the NFL's website about the 17-game season negotiations. Hypothetically, if the NFL did go into a 17-game season, what would happen to current contracts? Technically, players would be playing more games but for less money per game. I would assume that this is taken into consideration but wanted to hear your thoughts on how it could be resolved.


The NFL and players union would need to hash that part out in negotiations. Base salaries in contracts don't get paid out until the regular season begins, so I imagine the NFLPA would look for a week of proration to be added to contracts.