They make opponents defend the entire field

I knew it, I knew it. I knew you were keeping David Bakhtiari, Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith status from us on purpose. You Meanies!

We promise not to be so cruel in 2022.

Halbert from Loveland, CO

Good morning Spoff and II. Hearty and well-earned congratulations to LeRoy Butler for again being a finalist for the HOF! Do you have any clue as to who will be presenting Mr. Butler’s career for discussion, before the voting panel?

That would be a former colleague of both mine and Wes’s from the Press-Gazette, Pete Dougherty, who will do a thorough and exemplary job as he always does. Trust me, Pete’s presentations are not the reason Butler has fallen short the last two years. That said, I wholeheartedly believe this is his year. The best of the first-time eligibles is Devin Hester, and the rest of the finalist class in my view is headed by, in whatever order, Butler, Tony Boselli, Zach Thomas and Richard Seymour. This is Butler’s best chance and it should happen.

Are you still doing a Path to the Playoffs this week? Or will it change to Road to the Super Bowl since we clinched a playoff spot? Here’s hoping it drops as soon as I submit my question.

Path to the Playoffs is going up momentarily. It will change to Road to the Super Bowl once the Packers’ playoff positioning is solidified.

I’ve seen Mount Rushmores built with players, specific positions, coaches, etc., but John Madden’s passing had me thinking about an all-time NFL impact Mount Rushmore that would include anyone that has ever been involved in football. In your opinion is he an obvious choice, and who else would make the cut?

Madden would have to be on there. Phil from Marietta, GA, submitted a quartet of Madden, George Halas, Pete Rozelle and then Jim Brown, to include one player. I don’t have a whole lot of qualms with that group. Given how the game has evolved, I might substitute Johnny Unitas as the father of the modern passing game for the one player.

John Madden will always be remembered by the things he taught us. “One knee equals two feet.” I loved that guy. He and Pat are back together.

I had this wild thought that popped into my head, so bear with me. Another Maddenism I remember, when describing a receiver running alongside a DB, was “if he’s even, he’s leavin’,” meaning if the cover guy has given up his cushion, the receiver is taking off on a go route. Then Wes’s column yesterday brought up the back-shoulder throw, which became the counter to DBs just turning their head to run with the receiver who’s “leavin’.” It made me wonder if a Maddenism in any way contributed to an offensive innovation. Maybe I’m extrapolating a bit much, but I thought I’d share anyway.

Nick from Springfield, MO

Player of the month 10 times. That amounts to two full seasons, right? Truly greatness we might not see again in our lifetimes as Packer fans. Another offseason of uncertainty is coming but let’s all remember to soak up these last (hopefully) five games remaining for exactly what they are: Watching a master of his craft perform at the highest of levels. Can’t wait.

As Wes listed off a bunch of company names to list stadia in the NFL it struck me yet again the beauty of playing at Lambeau Field not Random Food Brand Field. Is there some rule in place to ensure this never happens? As the Bears move in the future, I assume that will be another name lost to the sponsorship team. Happy New Year.

There’s no rule, but as I’ve pointed out in the past, it was a bold decision by Bob Harlan to not sell the naming rights at the time the organization was asking for $160 million in taxpayer dollars via the 2000 Brown Co. referendum. There was pressure to sell the naming rights to ease the taxpayer burden, but Harlan stuck to his guns not to change the name and the referendum passed in a close vote (53%-47%).

So if the NFL strenuously objects to the tablet throwing, I guess Brady will take some time to reconsider.

It’s a copycat league. The Ravens were able to minimize the Davante Adams impact with double (sometimes triple) coverage all game. With Adam Thielen on IR, can you see Joe Barry implementing a similar approach to covering Justin Jefferson on Sunday evening? The guy is scary good.

He is, but I don’t see the Packers doing what the Ravens did, which was pretty extreme. I do see them shading a safety to Jefferson’s side most of the game, but the freedom to do that will mostly come down to being able to contain Cook up front without extra help.