Inbox: No gimmicks. Just ‘Greatness.’

Arthur from Eau Claire, WI

Welcome back Weston. I hope you and your family are well. If you worked on some stories while away, I will be looking forward to reading them.

Only one. I had the privilege of speaking with LeRoy Butler again on Friday. We’ll have a not-so-secret story running on the soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer next week. Otherwise, I was in total rest-and-recombobulation mode.

Gretchen from Dousman, WI

So how was the soccer match?

I wasn’t at the game, but my wife and I brought our son down to the pre-game festivities. It was an amazing vibe down by the stadium. Unfortunately, we came up short trying to get into Manchester City’s pre-game party, but we did manage to sneak a pic with the Premier League trophy. So, our kiddo had that going for him…which is nice.

Props to Allen Johnson and team for keeping up field appearance no matter the sporting event. I struggle to keep grass growing in my backyard with a dog. So, I can only imagine the level of effort that goes into each event, especially during the regular season.

I constantly think about that. Allen and his team are wizards.

I notice that several folks speak of expectations. I remember Vic saying on many occasions that we should have hopes but not expectations – because expectations imply that something should happen because we deserve it. That sense of entitlement creates much more angst, anger, and disappointment when we don’t get what we believe we should.

Longfellow couldn’t have said it better. There’s true iron in Vic’s words. While expectations set you up for disappointment, hope is the seed that can germinate into something special. It feels good to finally get back to football.

Anthony from Sturgeon Bay, WI

Is it unusual for a team to start the season with nine players on the PUP list? That’s nearly 20% of the 53-man roster.

Good thing the roster is at 90 then.

What’s with all the players on the PUP list? Seems like we haven’t even started yet and already we are all banged up?

It’s the…