Tony from Hershey, PA
I don't understand. Russell Wilson makes average receivers look like superstars. Tom Brady makes average receivers look like superstars. Cam Newton is starting to make average receivers look like superstars. Why can't Rodgers?
Today is Festivus and we are conducting the airing of grievances. I have a grievance against your opinion: It is unfounded, unfair and misleading. Wilson has thrown for 3,538 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Rodgers has thrown for 3,379 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. Wilson is 9-5, Rodgers is 10-4. Where's the gap? Brady doesn't have a star receiver? Newton has thrown for 3,402, 33 and 10. His stats are largely the same as Rodgers', but Newton is 14-0, largely because he has the No. 3 running game, No. 3 overall defense, No. 6 run defense and No. 5 pass defense. Rodgers is having a year the equal of nearly all the top quarterbacks. He's not the problem, the fans' expectations for him are.
Tom from West Bend, WI
Why do some fans think by demanding a Super Bowl win they are merely having high standards? Do you think they apply those high standards to aspects of their lives they actually have some control over?
I do not, and you have touched on another worthy grievance: living vicariously. It's OK for kids to do that, but we're supposed to be adults. Before we can expect athletes to be role models for our children, we need to be role models for our children.
Brad from McChord Field, WA
Vic, what kind of overtime rules do you favor, college or NFL?
I favor the NFL's rules because they include field position as part of the overtime strategy. Football without field position is a scrimmage, not a football game. Be that as it may, I have a grievance with you and others who make the same mistake: You misspelled your location, forcing me to look it up and correct it. I find myself having to do this often, and it's unfair that I should have to do that.
Kerry from San Antonio, TX
Vic, I found this interesting among all the angst about the absence of a deep threat. Aaron Rodgers is No. 3 in the league with 25-plus-yard completions (34). Am I the only one optimistic about this offense, Vic?
It's a dink-and-dunk league. No one is getting that. Plus, I called it before last season began, and I'm not getting the credit I deserve for being a visionary, so I have a grievance about that. I would like more credit.
Zack from Miami, FL
I have a grievance, Vic. Too much fluff out of the shotgun.
I accept your grievance. Line up and knock them off the ball. That's big-boy football, and this team has the personnel to play it.
Jim from Traverse City, MI
Vic, do you ever just get exhausted from the doom-and-gloom questions, no matter if the team wins or loses? Merry Christmas, Vic!
Yes, I do. It has become an especially acute problem since the sun has been removed from the sky in Green Bay. It is raining again today. I have a grievance against the weather. Merry Christmas!
Dave from Des Moines, IA
Happy Festivus! My grievance is the NFL doesn't have a minor league. I'd love nothing more than to watch unsigned free agents getting some more development opportunities. The Des Moines Packers, Iowa Packers, whatever, just give me more football.
I reject your grievance because the NFL does have a minor league in Iowa. It's called the Big Ten and it's been producing young football talent since long before there was an NFL. We have enough football.
Bryce from Iron Mountain, MI
My only grievance is you're out of the thing.
Yesterday, I had two things. I gave one of them to a co-worker and told her I had a thing for her. Now I only have one thing and it's mine forever. You had your chance. I reject your grievance.
Lori from Winona, MN
The past two episodes of the Mike McCarthy Show have not yet been posted, and all season the episodes have been posted late and/or without links from the app or the mobile site. I am quite aggrieved. Happy Festivus!
I accept your grievance and will work toward achieving FULL CONSISTENCY.
Bill from Sidney, MT
My grievance is the Packers have way too many late games. Green Bay should play home games at noon on Sundays, not later in the day or at night.
I accept and applaud your grievance. I think the NFL should adopt a rule that no team may play more than half of its home games at a time other than the early-Sunday kickoff time – do they have that rule and I missed it? When the Packers' schedule was first announced, four of the team's eight home games were set for noon on Sunday. I have a grievance against flexing: It's unfair to the ticket-buyers, the most loyal and valued of the team's fan base.
Craig from Laramie, WY
My Festivus grievance: Vic paints the Packers fan base with too wide a brush. That, and he's a contrarian, in a capricious and arbitrary way. Can I get banned on Festivus for airing my grievance?
Your grievance is contrived. I reject it.
Jerry from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Festivus Grievance: Vic, in order to enjoy your humor and football analysis, I am now required to read a column filled with comments from a spoiled fan base. They are not satisfied with 10 wins and multiple consecutive playoff appearances. The team I root for hasn't been to the playoffs in years.
I accept your grievance. I, too, was once from the mean streets of Ponte Vedra Beach. I know the feeling of hopelessness that accompanies life along the First Coast. The salt air carries the sour scent of defeat. Packers fans have been spoiled by the sweet smell of victory.
John from Flanders, NJ
Specific grievance: Aaron Rodgers' presser after the Oakland game. Listening and watching him you would have thought we just lost the Super Bowl instead of winning by 10 on the road. Be the leader that you have always been and pump it up a bit. I know this team does not look like what we have become accustomed to seeing, but they are 10-4 and going to the playoffs, and although he did say as much, I feel he could have been a lot more positive.
I reject your grievance. He was asked for his thoughts, and he graced us with them, honestly. You want a performance. I want the truth. The truth shall set us free.
Kevin from Tucson, AZ
Vic, Happy Festivus! My airing of grievance: I'm annoyed by the six or so regulars in the comments section that chide and ridicule part-timers! Not everybody can commit their entire day to trying to sound smarter than everybody else regarding Packers football.
I accept your grievance.
Jeremy from Grande Prairie, Canada
Does Coach Vic load the box against David Johnson or pull the safeties deep to defend against the deep play? I know how you usually feel about stopping the run, but is Palmer throwing bombs a greater threat?
Coach Vic thinks Coach Capers is going to have to be real good with down-and-distance and personnel packages this week. The Cardinals' balance and big-play potential make it impossible for most defenses to play it straight. Your question does not include a grievance. You didn't follow instructions. I have a grievance against that.
David from Madison, WI
My grievance: those sticky gloves.
I accept your grievance. The gloves receivers wear today have made one-handed catches common place. If they had been available when Lester Hayes played, he wouldn't have had to smear stickum all over himself.
C.J. from Edinboro, PA
My grievance is why an old, ink-stained wretch such as you has such a problem with Madden? It's increased football's popularity among my generation, which increases the pool of revenue from which you draw. So, in other words, Madden has been very, very good to Vic.
I accept your grievance, but I will not change my stance on Madden because it's deluding fans into believing they know football. Football is about the human condition. Madden is not. If you lack feel for the human confrontation football provides us, you know nothing about the game. I want fans to know and appreciate the most wonderful game in the history of the world.
