Holy Night Games, Batman. And a Thursday Night Football Week 3 home opener? I can’t say I saw that coming. Schedule release video was fun though! Let’s dive into your questions.
“It's maybe too early, but do you like any of the undrafted's odds to stick with the team?” - Pedro
It might simply be because of the opportunity in the room, but tight end RJ Maryland is interesting to me. Outside of Tucker Kraft who’s going to be recovering from the ACL injury, and Luke Musgrave who largely makes the roster given his draft pedigree, that room is wide open. That leaves Maryland competing with Josh Whyle, Messiah Swinson, and Drake Dabney. I know the Packers tried to bring in Luke Lachey, but he failed his physical. So just on availability and opportunity alone, Maryland could latch onto the roster as TE3. If he shows any ability on special teams, that’ll also boost his chances. He profiles more as a receiving threat than a blocker at this point, but if he develops his blocking, he has the speed to be a fun mismatch in the seam.
“Much was made of how long the Packers waited to introduce their new coordinators to the media, but… did we learn anything from their initial press conferences? Are fans making too big a deal about these Coordinator press events? Follow up: How was your Mother’s Day?” - The Opinionated Lab
Mother’s Day was great! Thanks for asking. We kind of made it a Mother’s Weekend and I got to cram all of my favorite things into the weekend. Took the kids to the zoo. Went out for breakfast. Grilled steaks. Tried a couple of new beers. Also got to spoil my own mom a little bit. What more could I want? I listened to all of the pressers and they felt very predictable to me. Lots of coach speak obviously with the coordinators saying all of the right things, but none of that is going to matter unless they get the players to produce on the field. Jonathan Gannon wasn’t my first choice for defensive coordinator, but I did find myself really enjoying his presser. As I hear more from him I find myself being more at ease with the hire. I like that he isn’t going to go into the season with a PDF titled “2026 Green Bay Packers Defensive Playbook.” We’ve seen coaches in previous years try to fit square players into round schemes. I appreciate Gannon’s approach. But like I said, everyone is saying all the right things now in May. We’ll see how that translates to the field when the season starts.
“I am writing this before the schedule release on Thursday night. I'm assuming I will have at least one of these reactions so answer accordingly. I can't with this schedule. Can you believe the NFL did that to the Packers in Weeks _________? Wow, what a schedule! Are you looking forward to Weeks ___________ as much as I am? P.S. I hope your daughter had a wonderful first birthday!” - Tony
Hey Tony! She did have a wonderful birthday. I think adults should also have smash cakes on their birthdays, personally. Maybe that’s something I’ll look into this June. My first thought when I saw the schedule, selfishly, was “wow, this is a lot of night games for Green Package ticket holders.” Tons of night games at Lambeau this year! I’m glad the Bills are a December game. That felt like the only option. And Thanksgiving Eve was a new one for me. If Week 18 versus the Dolphins happens to fall on a Saturday, the Packers will have played on every day of the week but Tuesday this season. Weird. I do actually really like the way the schedule is setup, though. It’s pretty travel-heavy to start the season, but I like the bye week being late and the built-in mini byes that happen organically. I’m also, of course, a fan of so many home games late in the season as Lambeau gets frozen.
“Hey Maggie! Hope you had a wonderful time celebrating Mother’s Day and other family milestones! Nothing is more important than your family, and being Mom! Lots has happened (surprisingly) in Packerdom since your last column. We had coordinators finally speaking in public, NFL referees coming to a long term agreement, and the world’s shortest kicker competition, not to mention the schedule release! I’m sure there’s a ton on your mind, but before digging into the schedule, which of the other events caught your attention? Thanks!” - Jim
I can’t say releasing Brandon McManus surprised me, so maybe I’ll go with signing Tyrod Taylor? When the Packers made it out of the draft without adding a rookie QB for LaFleur to develop, I thought maybe the building was higher on Desmond Ridder than we initially suspected. Then, of course, the Packers released Ridder and Taylor entered 1265 as Jordan Love’s backup. I talked about this a little bit on Pack’s What She Said this week, but Taylor’s career really is fascinating when you look at it just by the numbers. Obviously we’re not talking about him like he’s a hall of famer or even in the upper echelon of QB talent, but the longevity he’s had to stick in the league and be such a valued mentor for so many players is something special. For example, he’s the only QB in NFL history with 10,000 passing yards, 2,000 rushing yards, 70+ passing touchdowns, 20+ rushing touchdowns, and fewer than 35 interceptions. He’s played in 100 regular-season games for seven different NFL teams and made 62 starts in his 15 seasons. Green Bay and Minnesota are the only two teams he hasn’t faced in the regular season. I’m not saying I’m expecting him to take the Packers to the Super Bowl or anything if Love goes down, and he may not even win as many games as Malik Willis did as a backup, but I think his presence in the locker room is going to mean a lot with how he prepares for game days and how he can help mentor some of the younger guys in the room.
You all have my permission to mock me for saying back in April that I would maybe take Ridder as a developmental player for LaFleur instead of an aging veteran on the wrong side of his career. I think I was just optimistic that LaFleur could find another player like Malik Willis that the Packers picked up for nothing and developed into a backup worth keeping around long-term. And maybe I was also so afraid of Russell Wilson coming to the Packers that I talked myself into LaFleur’s ability to be a QB whisperer for a player like Ridder.
Anyway, I think Taylor is an A+ locker room leader. Like I said, I’m not sure how I feel about him as a “he can win close games” player at this stage of his career, but as a human being, he’s going to mean a lot to the team.
That’ll do it for the mailbag! Let me know which game(s) you’re eyeing on the schedule. For me it’s down to the Falcons, the Bills, or the Dolphins. As always, remember to send your questions to [email protected]. See you next week!