Inbox: There's a lot to like

[Cheesehead]

Ralph from Mönchengladbach, Germany


Could you comment (statistics-wise plus your "expert gut feeling") on the seasons of JK Scott and Mason Crosby, perhaps compared to last year? I thought Mason had a good season and if you ignore that one game last season was good, too. JK's last season started good and declined towards the end. This year started good, too, then came a slump or funk, but he seemed to get out of it again. I couldn't see the last games, so I have no opinion on how it ended.


Crosby was steady, consistent and struck the ball well with a field-goal operation that remained the same for the second straight year. He also had arguably his best year on kickoffs, as well. He kept that coverage unit on its feet during a rough September. As you point out, Scott's second year followed a similar pattern as his first. Overall, he did have 10 more punts inside the 20 and cut his touchbacks down by more than half. Scott is still only 24 and has a ton of natural ability. He could be one of the league's top punters should everything come into focus.


Lori from Brookfield, WI


Wes, please tell me who would have been the punter if JK had been too ill to play against San Francisco.


They would've signed someone if Scott couldn't play because of the illness. If he were injured in a game, though, I really wonder if they'd let Rodgers take a crack at it.


Jim from Eau Claire, WI


Can you please tell me what a reserve/future contract is?


It's what NFL teams give to unattached free agents to add them to their 90-man offseason roster. Practice-squad players need them because their contracts are non-binding, week-to-week agreements during the regular season.


Mike from Fort Wayne, IN


So what are Mike's and Wes' vacation plans this year? Going anywhere fun and exciting with the family? By the way, I know Indianapolis is work, but is that sort of a nice getaway even if it involves football?


I'm probably taking a day off next week to get my oil changed. Life doesn't get much more exciting than that, does it?


Mike from New Orleans, LA


So while laser goalposts are still a long way off, I read an article about a company that has created laser first-down markers. I also heard about the NFL considering this idea back in the '80s, but it was scrapped because they would have needed to install metal tracks running along both sidelines. I don't know about you, but I'm waiting for the day when everything in the NFL is lasers. Yard markers, sidelines, players, the ball, fans. I bet you could get Pink Floyd to sponsor the whole league.


We may not have laser goalposts yet but I love how the XFL is going to test out hawk-eye technology for reviews. I feel like that's the future of subjective spot-of-the-ball calls.


Nic from Milwaukee, WI


Mike, Wes, did you enjoy the season? Why?


Yeah. This season was a lot of fun. Winning obviously helps with the tenor of this column but it was a great locker room to cover, filled with a lot of very engaging personalities.


Todd from Eau Claire, WI


Thank you Mike and Wes for the great coverage and entertainment all year long. You will both need to get your game faces on for the thousands of questions that will start to roll in regarding FA and the draft.


I really need to commission some "Free Agency Is Coming" T-shirts to pass out.


Jennifer from Middleton, WI


OK, Wes...lay it on me. How long do we have "Unscripted" before you guys go dark? My "save it for tomorrow" strategy has been the best all season to get me out of bed. By the time I listen twice through I'm ready and out the door. When will I need to find a new strategy? Any recommended substitutes?


Ha. Thanks for your patronage. Spoff and I have two more shows this week before we take a month off from recording any new episodes. We'll be back for the NFL Scouting Combine.


Scott from De Pere, WI


Are you and Mike ready to spend an offseason talking about laser goalposts again?


As long as we have two guys penning this column 312 days a year, then I guess I have to find some way of entertaining myself.


Rod from Chugiak, AK


After a long dearth of not making the cut, my yesterday's submission showed up. Know what? II's as enjoyable to me when mine go unprinted as when they appear. I love those submissions and cheer those articulate and insightful writers of our II family that top my efforts. And you two, Mike and Wes, I feast on your knowledge of the game, intimacy with the GB organization and its workings, tutorials. And now amid the storm of negativity out there, the solid voice-of-reason anchorage you provide.


Totally adding "Voice-of-reason anchorage" to the end of my business card.


Ed from Henryville, IN


On many of the social media sites not only were the "experts" against this team but so were many of the "fans." So many said that this team didn't belong in the playoffs much less the NFC Championship Game. I've been a fan for 35 years now and I don't think I've ever seen a more resilient team! Not once did I see the players give up. We won a lot of close games. I can't wait for next season! I know it will be a different team but the possibilities are endless! What say you?


They might have overachieved in the eyes of some but that doesn't diminish this team's accomplishments. They came, they saw, they battled. I hope people remember that.


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