What do the Packers expect from Russell Wilson?

Bratwurst or Cheese Curds Mike?

We have some significant injuries keeping starters out (DB, Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith). Do the Seahawks have any similar issues now that Wilson is back?

Seattle is coming off its bye week, so the first real look at their current health will be the injury report later today.

Mike, I missed the last game (was stuck with the 49er game in CA)… What were the biggest issues with special teams (it seems like every aspect was bad?), and do you think those problems can be cleaned up before the Seattle game?

They have a lot to clean up. The issues were with punt return and the FG unit. Corey Bojorquez had a solid game punting, and the KO cover team was fine. But the miscues in the other areas factored into nine points being scored (or not scored) in a close game. You can’t have that. That’s too much damage. Can they fix it in one week? I don’t know, but that’s the task at hand.

Appreciate Lucas Patrick’s versatility. In your opinion is he better at guard or center?

Great question. I’m not sure if he has a better position. I love watching the offensive film and seeing how Patrick just battles his butt off all the time. Sure, he gets beat once in a while, and it’s not always pretty, but he’s a fighter. There’s a lot to admire about his game, even if he’s not someone who’s going to be talked about for Pro Bowls like Elgton Jenkins or David Bakhtiari.

I am a big Blake Martinez fan… what does the current ILB success mean for his play several years ago? Was it him, system or missing complementary IlB?

I always thought Martinez was a solid player. But he never had a very strong partner player at inside LB, and the high-impact plays (TFLs, sacks, turnovers, short-yardage stops) weren’t frequent enough. His career stats bear that out, and I understood why the Packers weren’t going to pay him the $10M per season the Giants did. That said, the INT he had in Week 17 at Detroit in ’19 that helped the Packers get the first-round playoff bye was one of the biggest plays of the season, and his career. Martinez was a great guy to talk to and I was sad to see him get hurt this year.

How much trust do coaches have in our current RB3 ?

They’ve only seen Patrick Taylor in preseason games, and as reporters we don’t get to see any 11-on-11 in the regular season in practice, so there’s not much to go on. If he’s on the roster, they believe in him or they would have found another guy to take that spot. I think he’s got a lot of talent but we’ll see if he’s able to display it if he gets an opportunity.

Do the Packers have the deepest O-Line in the league?

I have no way to compare to all the other teams in the league, but the unit has weathered injury issues and lineup shuffling quite well both last year and even more so this year. It’s a strong group and line coaches Stenavich and Butkus deserve plenty of credit for that.

So much Drama this year, too much for this old man. As far as OBJ count me out. I just don’t need any more Drama. How about you from that aspect?

Anything to return to calmer waters would be just fine with me, and winning and calm waters usually go hand in hand, so there’s that, too. With that, I’m going to sign off folks. LaFleur is headed to the podium in about 15 minutes so I’m off to that. Thanks for all the questions today. Take care, talk again soon. –Mike