Jon from Bath, England
Who's the next QB to win their first Super Bowl?
My guess is Andrew Luck would be the popular answer.
Drew from Anaheim, CA
Vic, what exactly is the "46 Defense" and what is your opinion of it?
It's essentially "Cover Zero," and for every sack you don't get, you run a huge risk of getting beat deep.
Owen from Portland, OR
You haven't commented much on the extra point change other than to say you think it will make a difference. Do you think this difference will be a positive or negative one? I fear it will result in fewer overtime games.
A rule change eliminated a lot of kickoff returns. This rule change will add action to the game, and I think that's a positive. Look at how much interest the change has generated. I like the change. It's going to add a lot of strategy to the game, and it's the kind of strategy fans can understand and debate.
Hack from Columbia, SC
Tight end! Good Lord, people! It's a tight end league now! Look what the Pats did without Gronk two years ago. Nothing! If Rodgers doesn't emerge as the go-to guy at tight end in the red zone this year, we're doomed. It'll be field goal after field goal after field goal down there, just like last year. Get it together, people! Tight end!
Calm down, please. We're just beginning OTAs.
Ben from Madison, WI
Vic, have you ever tackled anyone?
Yes. It's a wonderful feeling.
Ron from Pekin, IL
Do you anticipate there being a NFC Championship Game hangover in OTAs and mini-camp, or have they moved on from that game?
I can tell you this, the coach has moved on. He is full of energy and brimming with optimism for this season. A team takes its lead from its coach, and Mike McCarthy is leading this team into a new season.
Craig from Brookfield, WI
Vic, the other day you wrote that the Packers' base uniform, and several other teams' base uniforms, must never change. I couldn't agree more. Can you give us your list of must-never-change teams?
Packers, Bears, Steelers, Cowboys, Giants immediately come to mind.
Jered from Sparta, WI
Just became head football coach for Cashton High School. If you became the head coach, what would your first speech to the team be like?
It would be very calm and understated. My first practice would be intense, physical and demanding. The combined message would be "Deeds, not words."
T.J. from Minneapolis, MN
What is the big deal with having one game a year with alternate uniforms? Quit being a stick in the mud, Vic.
I'm fine with throwbacks; it's the base uniform I don't want to see changed.
James from Beaver Dam, WI
The Packers' policy is to keep the team young; better to cut them a year early than a year late. Why doesn't this carry over to their reporters?
This is about soccer, isn't it?
Arvilla from Iron Rover, MI
I've always loved football, but didn't really understand it until I married Bob, who has spent the last seven years patiently answering endless questions. Can you recommend a book that explains positions, plays and rules for those who have never played the game? Bob needs a break.
I recommend the first edition of "Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League." It contains a chapter describing and illustrating the evolution of offensive and defensive formations, and a whole lot more.
Patrick from Minneapolis, MN
Given your vexation of unnecessary thats, I was surprised yesterday to find you mix up lose and loose in your response to Matthew's Field Turf question. I wondered whether you could rebound by the end of the column. You did, and then some, with the deployment of "keeping up with the Joneses" (a phrase which operates both literally and figuratively) in response to Jon's commercial development question. Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this ... and totally redeem yourself. I can imagine you smiling and chuckling as you wrote it. Nicely done, Vic.
My inbox this morning was kind of different.
Sam from Madison, WI
Would something like this make sense for players with past legal troubles? If you draft/sign a player with a prior charge and he has a repeat offense while under contract, the team loses a draft pick the following season? This needs to stop and I think you're right on about the teams needing to be held accountable in order to keep the Ray McDonalds of the world out of the league.
I give the Bears credit for protecting themselves; there was no guaranteed money in McDonald's contract, which had to have sent a powerful message to McDonald that if he got into trouble, he was gone. The new message is powerful messages don't work.
In his tenth NFL season, QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,381 yards, 38 TDs and only had 5 INTs en route to his second NFL MVP award.
Matthew from Maffra, WI
Disregarding the quarterback position, how do you think the Packers' roster compares to other rosters in the NFL?
First of all, you can't take the quarterback off the roster, because that quarterback is largely the reason this team has been drafting at the bottom every year. I wouldn't trade the Packers' roster for any roster in the league.
Joe from Kenosha, WI
If a team blocks a PAT kick, can they return it for two points or is it only if the offense goes for two?
The defense can score two points on either a kick or a two-point try.
Corey from Tulsa, OK
I'll try and help to put things into perspective about the way fans all over the world feel about their teams. On "Mike and Mike" this morning, they read the obituary of a 98-year-old woman from Massachusetts who had passed away this past week. In her obituary it read that her last words spoken were "Tom Brady is innocent." If that isn't the definition of a true diehard fan, then I don't know what it is. I hope this helped you to achieve perspective.
Loyalty is without conscience.
Justin from Los Angeles, CA
I love that the Packers give undrafted rookies a legitimate shot. Who's the best undrafted player you've ever covered, and what made him slip through the cracks?
Donnie Shell is probably the best undrafted player I've covered. He was undersized and came from a low-profile program. He also came into the league in a strike year (1974), when veterans didn't report to training camp. A lot of rookies got opportunities that summer they otherwise wouldn't have received. Training camp rosters were unlimited and teams over-signed players, anticipating a veterans strike. Would Shell have gotten the same opportunity had it not been a strike year? So much is about timing and opportunity.
