Preparation produces the best decisions

Clay from Council Bluffs, IA

Has anyone checked in on our friend Vic? These contracts and draft picks that are being traded for WRs can’t be good for his heart.

I’m sure the breakfast patrons at his favorite Edisto Island establishment have been hearing all about wide receiver fever, baby.

17 being the highest-paid WR for less than a week, that’s crazy.

It’s also the nature of the business.

Don from Cedar Rapids, IA

If receivers are a dime a dozen, do you think we might wanna buy a dozen?

Receiver obviously became a more glaring need now that MVS is headed to KC. That’s a boatload of money for a guy whose career highs are 38-690-6, and I certainly didn’t expect Green Bay to pay that. The Packers are definitely in the market for both veteran receivers and rookie draft picks. I’m curious now if the move for a veteran will come before the draft, or after when teams decide who feels expendable.

Brian from Twain Harte, CA

How much did the acquisition of Oakland’s first- and second-round picks increase the amount of money the Packers must reserve under the cap to sign their draft picks?

A couple million, maybe a touch more. I see Twain Harte is about 130 miles from Oakland so it must be hard to let go.

We have to remember that Adams wanted to play for the Raiders so the choice was more likely what they got or a disgruntled/upset player on a record-setting deal. The Packers got a haul considering they were negotiating with one team.

I hope it’s okay that even after all your math breakdown in the Inbox…I still don’t get it! I’m super glad that you do, and you can assure me that Davante wasn’t stolen from us. Because my heart still is broken, and says it’s not enough. Sigh. That being said, what year was it where Aaron Rodgers spread the ball up to 13 receivers? It may look different, more creative, but it could actually be in our favor not knowing who the No. 1 is Week 1. Agree or?

I’m not here to say the Packers are better off offensively without Adams. That’s just not reasonable when a player of his caliber leaves. It’s not a coincidence the last time Adams wasn’t a huge focal point of the offense was 2015, when he played hurt or missed games due to injury. Five players (including Adams) caught more than 40 passes each that season, but that wasn’t a great offense. It was also under the prior regime. The bottom line for LaFleur & Co. is this: All the attention Adams commanded will now get directed toward others, which puts the onus on them, the coaches, the quarterback, everyone to adjust and find ways to succeed. I believe the Packers can do that with the offensive line and running backs they have while Rodgers and the passing game adapt to their new reality over the course of a long season. There’s no point in getting into specifics at this point, when the first game is almost six months away and the last game more than nine. It’ll be a while before we know how this offense is going to function best.

David from Janesville, WI

Insiders, last year there was some anticipated “help is on the way” with the expected return of David Bakhtiari, Z and Jaire Alexander. Unfortunately it wasn’t able to really get off the ground with the Packers being eliminated by the 49ers so early. This year we’ll see help returning more so for the offense, including Bakh (again), Elgton Jenkins, Robert Tonyan and Kylin Hill. Only Bakhtiari is expected at the start of the season. Do you think it is easier to bring defensive players into the fold midseason or offensive players?

I don’t think it’s a question of offense or defense. To me, it’s more a function of the player’s level of experience, knowledge of the system(s), familiarity with teammates, and the like.

Mike from St. Louis Park, MN

Have we lost any free agents yet that would net a comp pick next year? Will we?

So far, the Packers have lost Lucas Patrick, EQ St. Brown and Oren Burks while signing Pat O’Donnell and Jarran Reed, and it’s hard to say right now if/where any of those contracts will end up in the compensatory equation either way. The whole process has to play out first.

Travis from Fort Walton Beach, FL

Spoff, do you think the Packers would have re-signed Lucas Patrick if Adams were traded prior to getting franchise tagged? I’m curious if he was considered a cap casualty, or if he’s looking for an opportunity where he’s more likely to be a first starter instead of backup? Or perhaps he was a casualty of the special teams rework … either way, more than appreciate him stepping in all across the front line.

Patrick will be missed as a teammate, and for his toughness and versatility. I congratulate him on his new contract and wish him the best. But I think he was just a victim of the numbers game. The Packers have five interior offensive line draft picks from the last two years on the current roster who don’t cost anywhere near what Patrick deservedly got from the Bears.

Hey, Mike. Your response to Larry from NV got me to thinking. Do teams have to publicly disclose which prospects they host for visits or meet with virtually pre-draft? Do they get to keep that information “in house” so as not to give the rest of the league hints into what their draft strategy may be? Are you and Wes sworn to secrecy if you cross paths with a prospect during their visit or are you confined to your cubicles?

Because there’s a limit on pre-draft player visits, they are reported to and tracked by the league. Centralizing the information also helps to coordinate the prospects’ travel schedules. When I worked on the third floor (where the coaching and personnel offices are), every once in a great while I’d run into a prospect in the elevator while he was being shown around, but I value my job and career more than one tiny nugget of information.

I was watching the 2019 draft with my 23-year-old son, who is a true draft fanatic. When the Pack announced Rashan Gary as their No. 1 pick, my son nearly hit his head on the ceiling jumping in excitement. I turned to Google to find out who Rashan Gary was (it turns out that he definitely knew what he was doing). My question is, how fun/exciting is Day 1 of the draft to attend in person? I am considering taking him if you think it is actually worth the trip?

I’ve never actually been to the draft. Almost no media member who covers a specific team has. Drafts are covered locally, because that’s where the press conferences with team officials and conference calls with the team’s draft picks take place.