“Finding meaning in the messy parts of life.” An excellent reminder for many of us! What’s wrong with you, Mike? What is your New Year’s resolution?

Steve from Cedar Falls, IA

Prayers to all affected by the terrorist attack in New Orleans. I expect this to have a huge impact on draft planning in Green Bay.

We let the experts do their thing. It’s tragic to hear that they reportedly repaired the street barricades in New Orleans in time for the Super Bowl, but didn’t complete the work by New Year’s Eve.

Mark from Atlantic Mine, MI

I know there is a formula for answering my question, but third place this year means what exactly does next year’s schedule mean?

This means that the three opponents on the Packers’ 2025 schedule that are not on the schedule of another NFC North team also finished third in their divisions. Once Sunday’s game is over, we will post a short story listing all of Green Bay’s opponents next season.

Hi Mike, I had never heard of Thomas Brown before his rapid rise through the Bears coaching ranks. On the one hand, it looks like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On the other hand, he was prepared for his career to fail.

Talk about a difficult task, but certainly one that no one can refuse. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone go from a non-play-caller to a head coach within the same season.

The Packers have gotten off to slow starts in too many games this year. Once they come back, they start to show what they are capable of. What will it take to get this team to come out of this with their hair on fire?

It’s not about passion or desire, but about execution. The first appearance in Detroit a month ago was a sack. A promising first drive in Minneapolis last week ended in a blunder. Protect the QB and the ball. This is an important part of execution.

Hello Mike! Cool idea for a WYMM column focusing on Edgerrin Cooper. He’s really special, but I also noticed that he had a great partner in crime in Isaiah McDuffie. In Game #2, he literally flew in from the right side to provide an aerial assist on the tackle. Play #4, he comes from the left side to finish the tackle. Play #6, McDuffie shifts to the left and creates a nice lead, so Cooper’s chase results in another tackle. I appreciate how all the moving parts have to work together – yes?

There will probably be speculation as to why Jaire Alexander didn’t have surgery sooner. That’s just a good question if he was told early on that surgery was the only option, but if he was told the injury could heal without surgery, I understand why he would want to wait. These decisions are very common among people facing possible surgery. Best wishes to Jaire and the team.

All the medical issues and possible complications are a bad part of this game, and decisions are sometimes not clear or obvious.

Jim from Whitmore Lake, MI

Good morning With Jaire most likely opting out for the year, is the Packers secondary strictly a zone coverage defense? I don’t remember seeing much man-to-man coverage without Yes on the field.

I wouldn’t call it a strict zone. Hafley will pick his spots. They were largely without Alexander, but that was partly due to other injuries. If they can go back to their preferred Alexander-free nickel group — Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams deep, Bullard in the slot, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine out — I could potentially see even more mixing and matching.

It appears that the last two losses to the Lions and Vikings were due to great performances from Tim Patrick and Jalen Nailor, respectively. In Week 16, Nailor had one catch for 5 yards and in Week 17, Patrick did not record a single target. Do you think this has more to do with the Packers’ ability to limit the big threats so teams have to rely on those receivers, or is it more to do with the lack of depth to cover those wide receivers and that’s why they are more open?

I think the answer lies in depth, not so much in terms of the personnel at kick-off, but as the games progress. In both cases, the Packers were already short-handed in the secondary and had declines in DBs along the way (Anderson in MIN, Williams and Bullard in DET), so they were on the musical chairs and scrambling around back there a bit.

Kurtis from Stoughton, WI

I think we’ve lingered enough on Sunday, so let’s linger elsewhere – if you’re Sirianni, then give Barkley a shot at the fast-paced title, knowing you’ll either get a vengeful GB team or the rival Commanders next week ? Talk about a rock and a hard place. The Giants could feel the same way after a big (?) win over the Colts. I would let him sit.

This question was asked before Sirianni announced Barkley would be sitting, and I agree with that call. I’m sure he’d like the record, but the Eagles already had their bye in Week 5, and their mini-bye after a game on Thursday was before Thanksgiving. Barkley has carried the ball 345 times this season. The decision makes perfect sense.

David from Minneapolis, MN

I know it’s not the offseason yet, but I’m hoping the Vikings pay Darnold and the 49ers pay Purdy just so they have less room for other players.

Or if you want to start over with lesser-known quantities, be my guest. Either way, a win-win for the rest of the NFC.