Now is time to pull together

Bill from Maple Grove, MN

I was one of Snacks’ major professors at William Penn. Besides being a good football player he is a good person. He returns to Okaloosa, Iowa, each year for the father-daughter banquet.

Are you serious, Bill? What a small world. Move over, Kevin Bacon. The six degrees of Insider Inbox is real.

Time to call Jared Veldheer?

Unfortunately, he currently resides at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Packers have capable reserves, and the flexibility of Elgton Jenkins and Billy Turner keep all options on the table. People keep asking what the Packers will do without Bakhtiari. I really don’t know because of how many different ways they can organize their starting five.

David Bakhtiari’s knee injury reminded me that when I watch college football it seems every offensive lineman wears a knee brace on each knee every game. When I watch the NFL, I rarely notice an O-lineman wearing a knee brace. Is there a reason basically all NFL offensive linemen do not wear knee braces during games? Do they wear them in practice?

Knee brace questions…I knew you’d come.

Wes from South St Paul, MN

Just an observation. It’s great to see Jordan Love with an earpiece and standing with a coach listening and studying and watching. Those who questioned the pick need to keep in mind that this young man is also under a lot of pressure. He is expected to follow two first-ballot HOF quarterbacks, something few if any young QBs face.

Love has been watching and learning. I know it’s been a little quiet because there isn’t an open locker room this season, but Love is dialed into what he’s doing – just like David Yost said he would be.

Paul from London, Ontario

Good morning Mike/Wes. We all know that Aaron Rodgers is having an MVP season with his phenomenal passing numbers, but how much credit does he also deserve for the success of the running game? The threat of his arm is great to be certain, but how many line adjustments and RPO calls/changes does he make in the course of a game?

I think they complement each other, no different than in 2014 when he was the MVP and Eddie Lacy was one of the NFL’s top young running backs. It’s impossible to say how many RPOs Rodgers calls a game but he has a high batting average when it comes to getting the offense into the best play possible with the RPOs – and the Packers have only gotten better at it as the season has progressed.

Dan from Inver Grove Heights, MN

Am I the only one that looks at AJ Dillon and has fond memories of John Brockington, or am I just old?

I prefer the word “experienced.”

Ignacio from Madrid, Spain

Good morning Wes/Mike. I remember an amazing Larry’s Rock Report (“Best Play Ever”) after the Saints game about a play-action pass to the tight end, with a running back (and OL) fake to one side, and Rodgers rolling out of the pocket to the other side. It surprises me how unstoppable this play is. I just think that is the perfect play. We’ve done it 20 times and always got the first down. I feel like every Rock Report that I watch I learn something new about ML’s team.

I think it goes back to something offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has said a few times this year – the Packers want all their runs and play-fakes to look the same so the defense can’t get a bead on where the ball is going to go. It challenges the linebackers’ eyes and discipline, and allows Robert Tonyan and the tight ends to sneak into the flat.

Happy New Year II. Comment and a question. It is just devastating news to hear about Bakhtiari. This injury will hamper him into next season, but we’re all hoping he recovers not just to get back on the field but because he seems like the kind of guy I could have a beer with. If you get the chance, please tell him your Inbox readers are pulling for him. Do you think the Bears will plan and scheme differently now that they know he won’t be playing? Will that work to our advantage or theirs?

Maybe they throw a few more stunts at that side of the offensive line but I don’t think you’ll see anything drastic. Khalil Mack usually lines up across from the right tackle anyway.

Linda from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Is there any better way to start the new year than with a win over the Bears?

I can think of no better way to start a playoff run.