Inbox: The Pro Bowl is a great opportunity for these coaches

George from Manassas, VA The last time Ask Vic was very late, Vic was recovering from a heart attack and Packer fans were worried. Mike, are you okay? We experienced some technical issues with the website Friday morning. Our apologies for the delay in posting Mike’s Inbox. Stephanie from Northbrook, IL What are your thoughts regarding Aaron Rodgers playing the 2022 season in Green Bay? I’m in favor of it. Jordan from Virginia Beach, VA Rodgers has said he will make a decision “sooner rather than later” because he understands his decision will affect others (players and our organization). My thought is this is a way better spot than we ended up in last year. When 12 makes his decision, it will help the pieces fall in place and Gutey and Russ Ball will do what is best for the team this coming season and five years from now. It’s wait-and-see season; not clickbait season. Rodgers’ decision likely will be the first domino to fall this offseason, not the last. That’s crucial for the Packers. Derek from Eau Claire, WI Packers get beat by 49ers: Rodgers is going to retire, for sure Rodgers says he's on good terms with Packers: Rodgers stays with Packers, for sure Broncos hire Hackett: Rodgers to Broncos, for sure Brady Retires: Rodgers to Buccaneers, for sure Rodgers owns property in Tennessee: Rodgers to Titans, for sure Next week Rodgers has a layover between flights in Pittsburgh: Rodgers to Steelers, for sure R-E-L-A-X #stopclicking Listen, if you want to stay up to date on what’s going on with Rodgers, here’s an interesting idea – maybe wait, I don’t know, for what Rodgers has to say on the topic rather than subscribing to the Nashville Retailers newsletter? Rodgers discussed how his decision likely will come around the same time the Packers need to make a call on Davante Adams’ future. That’s probably later this month. So, I don’t really get why people are working themselves into a tizzy. Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL Kudos Mike for your story on Rashan Gary. I seem to remember in post-draft interviews he expressed interest in entrepreneurship or was already involved while at Michigan? If so, Gary’s growth as a leader had an established base which along with his physical gifts made for another quality individual in the Packer locker room. I love Rashan Gary’s ambition and I think it’s a catalyst for his success as a player. Coming into the league, Gary wanted to start his own agency and put people in place to help make that happen. Like Spoff wrote, Gary still has his best years ahead of him. His drive is going to take him a long way. Dave from Sparta, WI With the Packers’ coaching staff at the Pro Bowl, is this a recruitment and networking opportunity? Or mostly just a fun trip for them? It probably falls somewhere between fun and inconvenience (if that makes sense). The Pro Bowl is a great opportunity for these coaches, especially the younger ones, to gain some experience and exposure. It sounds like new offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich will be calling plays Sunday. Other than that, the event is more of a social outing than a football game. It’s not like Dan Campbell and Detroit’s staff coaching the Senior Bowl, where they get hands-on experience with hungry, draft-eligible prospects. Maybe Pro Bowl coaches get to know players a little more but football is a small world. Most of these guys already know each other.Kevin from Arlington, OH Is there a disadvantage to having our coaching staff at Pro Bowl practices while Senior Bowl practices are going on? I don’t think so. The Packers have all their scouts in Mobile and Green Bay’s coaches will have access to the film and reports when they get back into town. If there’s any disadvantage, it’s how full LaFleur’s plate still is even after the 2021 season ended. Right now, he’s having to prepare the NFC for Sunday while also forming his 2022 staff. Ray from Grafton, WI Why are the players from the GBP not playing in the Pro Bowl? It would seem to be an honor representing the team. Thanks for II. Injuries matter. The game doesn’t. Terry from Rogersville, MO Your mention of the locker rooms being used at SoFi Stadium, the Rams will use theirs, the Bengals will use the Chargers’. Are there three locker rooms, one that normal visiting teams use? According to my well-placed sources, the Rams and Chargers each have their own locker rooms, and there’s additional space for visiting teams. The more you know. Matt from Waunakee, WI Is the NFL going in the direction of the NBA? All offense, rules restrict defense. Only need to watch the last five minutes of the game. Except defense ultimately won these playoffs games, no? Thomas from Cedar Rapids, IA Mike, I'm not sure your example of the Broncos missing the playoffs six straight years is going to convince anyone of "going all-in" not working. How many of us wouldn't trade a Super Bowl for six years? The law of averages says a team should win one every 32 years. I lived through the ’70s and ’80s and let me tell you, six years without a playoff is a drop in the bucket. I'm not saying we should veer from draft-and-develop, but I think you spanked the wrong toddler there. Right, but this is all hindsight. Implementing that approach still doesn’t guarantee you anything. So, I’m with Spoff 110% on this one. My mantra used to be a Super Bowl buys a front office five years, but the Philadelphia Eagles going one-and-very-done destroyed that logic. They shipped Doug Pederson out of town faster than a double-parked Oldsmobile in front of the Reading Terminal. Either way, the past six years have vexed both the Broncos’ brass and their fanbase. I think Nathaniel Hackett is a brilliant coach and I hope Denver has the patience and self-awareness to understand he’ll need a QB and time to turn the Broncos around. Mike from Manitowoc, WI Much has been made about players not wanting to come to Green Bay due to the cold and lack of things to do. Have you picked up a general feeling among coaches (past and present) in that regard? I'm no coach, just a guy awaiting the dawn of laser goalposts, but my biased self feels like Green Bay would be very appealing for those same reasons, not to mention a fan base that more or less lives and breathes Packers football. I think that perception has changed over the years, especially with coaches. I can see why 26-year-old players wouldn’t necessarily want to spend half their year in Green Bay but this area is a good place to raise a family. The cost of living is low and it has a good school system. In fact, there have been several former coaches who continued to reside in the area after their time with the Packers was over.Dan from Edgerton, WI How close to the players do you get? This time of the year must be hard as free agency moves some of your favorites. It’s tough because you know there will be guys you’ve grown close to who won’t be back. When you spend a long enough time together, especially during the locker-room era, you get to know the players beyond their job description. I think back to 2015 during the final locker room and knowing this might be it in Green Bay for Casey Hayward, whom I haven’t seen in-person since. The same goes for Micah Hyde, Justin McCray, Andy Mulumba, Jayrone Elliott, Corey Linsley and many others. Greg from Lanark, IL Not really a question but Mike’s comment on click bait cracked me up! "It's here, it's there, it's bleeping everywhere!" Perfectly describes the misinformation world we live in today. When did we, as the public, begin to believe everything that's written just because it's written? It makes me very sad when people get their news from Facebook. Thanks for keeping us in the real world! The internet is a double-edged sword with a greasy handle. Mike from Fort Wayne, IN Mike/Wes/Wes/Mike – Are you looking forward to the Olympics and do you have a favorite event or person you're eager to follow? I love them all from the sheer tear of skiing downhill at 85 miles per hour to the strategy of curling. Go USA Go! My son is a big fan of the skiing and skating events. I’m more of a curling man, myself. Teresa from Menomonie, WI Slowly getting over the loss but happy for the teams that made it to the big game. Trivia question about the last time the Bengals played in the Super Bowl. Can you name the Bengals player and Wisconsin native who broke his leg during the game? Tim Krumrie. Come on, give me a hard one. Ryan from Noblesville, IN I just got this habanero cheddar block but I can’t decide if I should use Triscuits, club, or Ritz crackers. I feel like the Packers trying to keep all the great players but the crackers have a disadvantage because they have no say so. Hmmm. My tastebuds are saying no to this entire analogy. Josh from Seattle, WA Great line to end Friday! "Football is life.” Except not at all. It’s actually one of those things that matters but at the same time it doesn't matter at all. Football is like that coin-toss scene in “No Country for Old Men,” where Chigurh cautions the old man at the gas station not to put his newly won lucky quarter in his pocket because then “it’ll get mixed in with the others and become just a coin, which it is.” Football is the center of an inconsequential universe…that means the world to us. HAVE A QUESTION?

Inbox: The Pro Bowl is a great opportunity for these coaches

Rashan Gary’s drive is going to take him a long way