Chris from Bellingham, WA
Vic, do you agree we should take a minute to recognize the stability and success this GM and coach have given the Packers?
OK, let's do it. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy were united in 2006. Since Mike Holmgren left following the 1999 season, the Packers won three division titles and two playoff games. Since the 2006 season, the Packers have won six playoff games and a Super Bowl title, and are on a three-year run as division champions and a five-year playoff run. Most experts would agree the Packers have been one of the elite teams in the league over the past six years. I think the facts speak for themselves.
Nick from State College, PA
Looking at the scores this past weekend, the average difference was 13.5 points with only four games decided by fewer than 10 points. Should the lopsided scores concern the NFL? Do you think they're a result of increasing offense?
I think they absolutely should concern the NFL. The league's success is built on competition and I think competitiveness has declined this season. Something is wrong with the formula and I think the over-emphasis on offense is it. Not every team has a great quarterback and a great offense capable of taking advantage of the offense-friendly rules. In 2014, if you don't have a franchise-caliber quarterback, you have no chance, and I think that's a problem. The rules should allow for more than one way to win a game.
Keith from Greendale, WI
Vic, it's disappointing to hear Derek Sherrod's career is over in Green Bay. First, because this is a young man who wasn't able to accomplish his personal goals in Green Bay. Second, because the Packers are a draft-and-develop team, so when our draft picks don't develop, it sets the franchise back. Did his leg injury just set him back too much to make it with the Packers?
Yes, that's my belief. It was a catastrophic injury.
Matt from Verona, WI
How do you feel about plays where the receiver appears to drop a pass but the offense rushes to snap up the ball before the challenge occurs?
I'm not quite sure what you're describing, but it bothers me that the replay-review system can be subverted, as it was last night. Early in the game, a Colts receiver was incorrectly ruled to have made a catch. The Colts went into hurry-up mode to beat the review that would certainly result in a challenge by Tom Coughlin that would be upheld by review. The Colts got the ball snapped quickly enough to avoid justice. That's a good system? It needs to be fixed.
Hans from Front Royal, VA
Vic, in light of the Packers signing Coach McCarthy to a contract extension, can you give your opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of the coach who will soon become second all-time in wins in Packers history?
All great coaches have stable personalities. That's the first thing I noticed about Coach McCarthy. His message never changes. Maybe that doesn't make for a great press conference, but it makes for a sharp focus in the locker room. Secondly, McCarthy's football acumen is for the offensive side of the ball, and in a game built on offense, I think it's important for the head coach to take the lead on that side of the ball. It's his job, so he might as well win or lose with his plays; that's my opinion. I'm a defensive guy, but I consider the man who determines the direction of the offense to be the most important man on the sideline. Beyond that, Coach McCarthy is a leader of men and somewhat of an old-fashioned renaissance man, though that's contradictory. He believes in old-fashioned fundamentals, but he's open to change. That might say more about him than anything else.
