Thad from Covington, KY
Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?
I've always been a big Brady backer, mostly because of his postseason record. He hasn't won in the postseason in recent years and that causes me to wonder if that part of his game has left him. I believe winning in the postseason is a special skill. Some quarterbacks have a special gear for the postseason. No quarterback has ever made it look as easy as Manning does. In the regular season, he's without peer. In the postseason, however, he hasn't been the same guy and that's a turn-off for me. Obviously, I would take Brady over Manning.
Dave from Meridianville, AL
Sorry if already asked, but with the number of players coming off injury in 2010, do the Packers feel like the lockout may have been a blessing in disguise?
I can't imagine they feel that way, as it pertains to players coming off injury. You want players coming off injury, especially guys coming off surgeries, to work along the sidelines with the trainers during OTAs. You want their rehabs to be supervised. You certainly want to monitor their progress. I think the lack of OTAs and supervised rehabs will hurt a lot of those guys. One news item I expect to become very prominent at the start of training camp is the number of players that'll be put on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start training camp. Without information on guys' rehabs, I would think a lot of teams will put those guys on PUP until they know where those guys are in their recoveries. How about the big guys, the nose-tackle types that have to walk a fine line between being big enough or being too big? I would expect some of them to report to training camp overweight and to be put on PUP until they get their weight down and pass a conditioning test.
Andy from Fort McMurray, AB
Who do you think are going to be some of the key leaders on the team once Woodson and Driver retire?
The Packers are loaded with young, leader-type players: Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Greg Jennings immediately come to mind. This team is loaded with players that appear to have leader-type personalities.
Paul from North Olmsted, OH
Just a comment on the "Lambeau Leap" comment: Perhaps the league exempts it because most celebrations are selfish and not in the interest of the league, whereas the "Lambeau Leap" is fan-based, thus, good for the league.
That's absolutely why the league allows it and that's why I said that maybe leaguethink isn't dead, which refers to the fact that I haven't heard much in the way of complaints from other teams about the league allowing it. Hey, it's good PR, good marketing, and that's good for everyone. If I was the coach of one of the Packers' NFC North counterparts, I couldn't resist ordering the first player on my team to score a touchdown in a home game against the Packers to jump into the stands, just to see if it would draw an excessive celebration penalty. I'm devilish like that.
Donn from Oakland, CA
While I believe Trevor may have been a little bit over the top, I like his passion and devotion to the Packers organization.
I'm fine with it.
Jordan from Riverside,CA
John Mackey is one of my favorite players. I am too young to have watched him as he was playing, but have watched him in plenty of replays and highlights, as well as NFL classic games. Do you have any memories or stories to tell?
I saw him play for Syracuse during the Ernie Davis era when I was a kid. His size immediately caught my eye. I saw him play when he was with the Colts. He was dominant. He and Mike Ditka kind of invented the modern tight end position, which is now being reinvented. Mackey would've been an even bigger star in today's game.
Martin from Brookfield, IL
I don't know why this bugs me so much, but a few football talking heads state that the only reason for Aaron Rodgers' success is that he has "the best receiving corps in the league" and Dom Capers' defense. Really? Why the dismissal of Aaron Rodgers achievements?
If there was a draft of NFL players today, Rodgers might be the first player picked. He'd be my first pick.
Sean from Leeds, UT
In your opinion, do you think the lockout will be lifted in time to save the preseason?
Yes, I do, for the reason that the preseason begins the revenue season and lost preseason games means lost revenue. Professional football may be a game of the heart, but it's also a game of the checkbook.
David from Sammamish, WA
Packers signature play? The seam route.
That's a good one; the Packers certainly have the tight ends to make it a staple. They also have a quarterback with the arm strength and the touch to make that throw. Never forget that the head coach was a tight end. He favors that position.
Trevor from Ocean Springs, MS
I find you slightly more tolerable for posting my last e-mail, in full with my criticisms. Kudos, Mr. Vic Ketchman.
Trevor, we all belong to the same fraternity, the fraternity of football.
