Tyler from Neenah, WI
Revisiting your comment about Buddy Ryan. Do you think the promotional aspect of a coach's job is the reason for Rex's, we'll call it, bravado? I now look at them both in a completely different way.
Sure it is. Rex is the son of a coach. He gets it. He understands a big part of being a head coach is creating energy within and for the team. A big part of selecting a head coach is matching his particular kind of energy and personality to that of the team and the city, or to what the team and the city need. Buffalo needed Rex. He's perfect for them. Buffalo has a good, physical team and the town and the team needed to come out of the shadows and let everyone know they belong to this league, too. The team also had tickets to sell, and Rex helped the Bills set a ticket-sales record. Rex Ryan is a brilliant man. He's above getting emotionally involved with the people who don't care for his bravado. He knows what works for him and for the style of football he wants to play. If he gets in Buffalo the kind of quarterback play every team needs, look out.
Kairos from Sacramento, CA
Vic, if Lambeau Field were to build another statue right next to Lombardi and Lambeau, who do you think should stand with them?
Bart Starr. Lambeau founded the franchise and Lombardi saved the franchise, but one play made it what it is today, and Starr made that play.
Dave from Lufkin, TX
When the AFL and NFL merged and Pittsburgh moved into the AFC, what were your thoughts and feelings at the time? I can't imagine how I'd have felt had that happened to my Packers.
I was fine with it because Cleveland was moving, too. When you drive from one city to the other, you literally leave one market as you enter the other. At the time they moved together into the AFC, they had been playing a Saturday night game in Cleveland for several years. It was that region's equivalent of the Florida-Georgia game, and Cleveland Stadium had a seating capacity of nearly 90,000 at that time. If the Steelers and Browns had moved into their own two-team league, that would've been fine with us.
Dan from Seattle, WA
Do you expect to see Jayrone Elliott play more on defense on Monday?
Yes, I do. Mike Neal didn't practice on Friday due to a groin injury. Plus, Elliott's arrow is pointing straight up. I like that.
Lou from Vancouver, WA
Vic, why all the hype over Super Bowl 50? Your column mentions it's the 50th anniversary of the first-ever meeting. Wrong. It's the 49th anniversary, just like the wedding day is not the first anniversary, but the year after is. That's why No. 50 will be held in 2016 and No. 1 was held in 1967. Do the math; 49. I'm glad all reporters aren't as loose with the facts.
The column says the Packers and Chiefs "will preview the 50th anniversary of their first-ever meeting." I think that's a fair representation. You're bored, aren't you?
Evan from West Bend, WI
If you couldn't cover the Packers, what team would you choose and why?
I would choose either the Jaguars or the Steelers, because I enjoyed covering those teams and I have friends in Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. Oh, wait, you mean which team would I cover because I'm a fan of that team, don't you? It never ends.
Tom from Phoenix, AZ
Don Nottingham and Jack Lambert.
James "There Goes The Wildcat" Harrison and Josh Cribbs.
Nate from Green Bay, WI
Do you think James Jones is good enough to keep after Jordy comes back, or will we end up releasing him so we don't have to make room for him?
Jones wasn't released in the first place. He left in free agency because he was such a talented football player the Packers couldn't afford to keep him. If he keeps playing football the way he's playing football right now, the Packers could face the same problem again. It's football in the salary cap era.
James from Whitewater, WI
Vic, Aaron Rodgers always seems to be good friends with his fellow quarterbacks, but I really get the sense he has no desire to add Russell Wilson to his list of friends. Why do you think that is?
It was just playful banter. I thought it was funny. Do we need confrontation to entertain ourselves? Thanks, cable TV news, for making us so darn sensitive.
Glenn from Vancouver, BC
Vic, I keep reading about this fast start. Are we, as fans, missing the hard lesson from last year? I'm thrilled my beloved Packers are 2-0, but it wasn't the start that killed us last year, it was a failure to finish. This year, I believe Coach McCarthy has his team focused on finishing strong. In Weeks 1 and 2 we witnessed that determination in the fourth quarter. Could finishing strong and playing your best at crunch time become the Packers' 2015 identity?
I hope so. It is the identity of a champion.
Mike from Cullowhee, NC
Is swagger overrated?
Not if it's the result of winning. It's overrated by people who think it's the cause for winning. I have another name for that, and it's not baloney.
Mike for North Hudson, WI
Vic, great column. I have really appreciated your perspective on being positive and enjoying the game. With that said, teams after playing the Seattle Seahawks are 0-11, and the Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 at Green Bay. Here's to enjoying a Packers win on Monday night.
How many of those 11 losses were by teams on an extra day of rest? I think your data is incomplete. Once you get the complete data, ball it up and throw it away.
Jana from Duluth, MN
My husband and I will be at the game on Monday night. Are fans able to meet you before the game?
Previously they could, because we did the pregame radio show on the floor of the Atrium, but this year the show has been moved onto a podium that looks down onto the floor of the Atrium. I don't like it. I miss yinz. Let's do this. I go on the air in the pregame show at 5:50 on Monday. Look up and wave at us. I'll wave back; so will Mark Tauscher.
Preston from Tallahassee, FL
Vic, I have a different take on Lombardi. Based on what I remember and what my father told me about him, I think it would be impossible for Lombardi to use the word courage to describe football. There is no way a person of that generation could do so. Within the context of his time, Lombardi was not wrong.
You might be right. We weren't as open about such personal issues back then. We were more reserved in every way. Had a player celebrated a touchdown or a tackle back then the way they do today, it would've been received as an affront by every player on the opposing team. He would've been brushing his teeth off his shirt.
Ed from Henryville, IN
Vic, I've asked you a few times but I haven't gotten an answer. I'm coming to Green Bay for the first time. I will get to see our Packers beat the Chiefs. Since it's my first time there I was wondering what you would recommend doing besides the game. I've only got a few days there and I want to do as much as possible.
Folks, I get hundreds of questions every day, so please don't be offended if I don't select your question. Ed, I recommend you spend your time interacting with people such as yourself, who are also coming to Green Bay from out of town and are looking for things to do. They're the attraction. Green Bay isn't where I'd go for beach time or to see a Broadway musical, but it is where I'd go to meet Packers fans. Isn't that your real interest, the Packers? Share your joy with others, and allow them to share theirs with you. Get a sammitch and a beer, and introduce yourself to the guy next to you. You won't wanna leave.
