Rick from Calumet, MI
Vic, my wife and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary by attending the Packers/Seahawks game. I witnessed special teams that promised improvement and was much improved, a defense determined not to let Marshawn Lynch dominate and he didn't, a quarterback that refused to be baited into mistakes and was flawless, an offense that overcame adversity because it had jars on the shelf, a coaching staff with an impeccable game plan and a fan base as jacked up and loud as I've ever seen it. Did I miss anything?
No. You witnessed the perfect Packers game.
Zahir from London, UK
Coming from a relatively temperate climate, I can't imagine how cold it gets in Green Bay in the winter. Do you think visiting teams that don't have extreme winters where they play, fear coming to freezing Lambeau?
Nobody likes to play in frigid weather, but it's not the issue it once was, and that's due to the equipment available to these players that wasn't available in the Lombardi era. The gloves they wear are better than the players' hands. Sideline heaters and light thermal underclothing make sub-zero temperatures bearable. The key is to get warm on the sidelines between series. Be that as it may, I still don't know how they do it. I can barely get to the car.
Don from Swaledale, IA
I thought Nate Palmer played well against the Seahawks. What was your take on his performance Vic?
The deep pass-coverage play, when the ball hit him in the back, really impressed me. When a linebacker can maintain coverage that far downfield, you have a player worthy of playing time.
Rick from Charlotte, NC
The Packers did a great job on defense with stopping the running back. How do we do a little better on containing the quarterback when they do option plays? We seem a little weak with running quarterbacks. But maybe the answer is you can't stop everything.
Mike Neal showed us how it's done: He won his one-on-one. It's what has to happen out in space. You have to be more athletic than the quarterback, and that's difficult against running quarterbacks because they've been the best athletes all of their lives. The other key is this: When he runs, the quarterback must go down, and the quarterback must go down hard. He must be made to pay for his choice.
Jay from Wilmington, NC
I attended the game this weekend with my father. I am so rich with great memories I still have a smile on my face, even though I'm back to work. I take great pride in the fact we were the loudest crowd at Lambeau since you have covered the team. I still have no voice. I hope the feeling I have right now lasts a long time. We were told the attendance record was broken by two. Is that correct? If so, I'd like to believe my dad and I broke the record.
I heard it was two guys from North Carolina, but the names weren't mentioned.
Joe from Luck, WI
Merril Hoge talked about the Jets, in their defensive scheming, creating a free defender that helped create turnovers. What is a free defender?
He's a player without a specific responsibility. He's allowed to freelance for the purpose of making a splash play. He's Troy Polamalu, but it doesn't have to be the same defender on every play. What it often means is the defense is good enough to stop the run with six.
Brian from Port Washington, WI
How do the Packers avoid letting the emotion of last week influence their preparation for this week?
What you feel isn't what they feel. Fans just don't get that part of it. You spent last week focused on your emotions. They spent last week focused on doing their job.
