Inbox: It's the next best thing

[Cheesehead]

Craig from Appleton, WI


I am curious how the expanded practice squad is going to affect the salary cap. Does the salary of all 16 still take a full bite from the cap? If you sign veteran players to the practice squad, do the veteran minimums still apply to the contract you have to offer to a practice-squad player? Would teams that are up against the cap potentially not take advantage of the extra spots to save salary?


If a team signs a veteran, it wouldn't be at the same veteran-minimum rate as the active roster. And if those four extra spots are all making the practice-squad minimum, it would only add about $500,000 to the salary cap.


Bob from Grand Rapids, MI


Wes, you said that there won't be any scrimmages under these conditions, even if they are intra-squad. Mike talked about the probable increase in unscripted 11-on-11 practices. I am someone who has never been to a training camp. Could you explain the difference between the two?


Contact. I think of scrimmages as players tackling each other to the ground. During 11-on-11 periods, the offense and defense thump and run through the play. As Spoff stated, I expect plenty of 11-on-11 work. It's the next best thing to in-game action, and depending on whom you ask, it's the truest indicator of what players are capable of.


Lloyd from Rancho Cordova, CA


We seem to use number of snaps as a measure of a player's worth. What is the average number of total snaps per season offense and defense?


I don't have any 10-year averages for you but I can tell you there were 1,078 offensive and 1,040 defensive snaps in 2019.


Christopher from Bullock, NC


Can you confirm the NFL plans to have the message "End Racism" painted in every end zone of every team on opening day? If so, isn't that more than most folks will tolerate? I know I won't be watching...


I can neither confirm nor deny that, but are you really telling me having the words "End Racism" painted on the field is something you wouldn't tolerate? I didn't realize ending racism was a controversial stance?


Chris from Eau Claire, WI


Florida has been doing everything backwards in regards to medical experts' advice for this pandemic. The Marlins are in Florida. Need I say more?


No, I think you covered it.


Joseph from Fargo, ND


If the college football season is suspended or cancelled, is there any chance the NFL may "flex" the schedule to be able to show more games on Saturdays?


The December schedule has already accounted for that. The date of the Packers' game against Carolina is still to be determined because the NFL left the door open for it to be played on either Saturday, Dec. 19, or Sunday, Dec. 20.


Michael from Montréal, QC


I know this sounds outlandish, at first blush, but what about playing the entire regular season in New Zealand? Talk about a bubble-league – no new cases of COVID means you simply quarantine players, personnel, family members, league staff, camera crews, media, etc. With no tourism, there are abundant hotel rooms. And rugby pitches can easily be converted to football fields. You could even have real crowd noise (probably by giving tickets away for free). And a new international venue to boot. Thoughts?


New Zealand has a good thing going right now. It enacted stringent rules at the onset of this thing and requires a 14-day quarantine for any New Zealanders traveling back in. Not just from the public – but even the individual's family. For that reason, I don't think it would want to risk welcoming 3,000 foreign-born NFL players and personnel onto the island.


Bill from Clive, IA


According to an article I saw today: "...last month, the NFL's 32 teams were required to submit team-specific protocols. As of Tuesday, the NFL Players Association had approved 25." Is Green Bay's plan one of those approved? Any idea, even from scuttlebutt, which teams are struggling with this?


The Packers' plan has been approved.