Dallas from Saskatoon, SK
Vic, this was your crowning achievement. I died laughing. It was the best day of "Ask Vic" ever.
It was something different and I enjoyed it. It was a chance to see how fans would answer questions on touchy subjects. What I found so interesting was the political correctness of the answers. This was a chance for fans to let it rip and they did not let it rip.
Kevin from Northport, NY
Vic, I love the column; I read it every day. I appreciate your attempt on April Fools' Day, however, I found the two days' columns to be rather boring. I would have rather you done a Q&A about soccer. Stick to what makes this column fantastic.
I don't agree. Sometimes we need to break the routine. Coaches like to do that in training camp. That was one of the purposes of combined practices. They were seen as a means for breaking the routine. You can get stuck in a rut if you do the same thing every day. The column was not my idea, but I loved it the moment it was suggested to me. I wanted to read what the fans had to say on a few subjects. I wanted to give them a chance to express themselves, and they took advantage of it by flooding my inbox with hundreds of e-mails, most of which answered every question. I wasn't expecting that. This is the first week of April. We're halfway between the start of free agency and the draft. It's a kind of no-man's land. I think we needed something like this. We needed to lighten up a little bit.
Gene from Los Angeles, CA
Thank you for great entertainment. I was home yesterday with the flu. My stomach ached from laughing at the responses.
Laughing is good. We spend half the year worrying about football games. We need to at least spend some time in the offseason laughing.
Vernell from Raeford, NC
How come the Packers aren't more worried about the secondary than anything else? We lost two good secondary players over the last two seasons.
I think the Packers have drafted well for their secondary and I have no doubt the team believes in the young players they've acquired. Casey Hayward was a home-run pick last year. Everyone knows how I feel about Davon House. Jerron McMillian showed a lot of signs of future growth. Sam Shields stepped up to a higher level last season. Morgan Burnett is on the verge of becoming an elite safety. I think the secondary is one of the strongest areas of the team; it might be the strongest.
Abraham from Marquette, MI
So we're finally getting an outdoors Super Bowl in a cold climate. That seems the way it should be. The final game. The gauntlet. The conditions should be tough, right? Why has it been so long since the NFL made this move?
The Super Bowl is a big deal. It's not the kind of event you can reschedule. Playing that game in New York is awfully risky. A storm can blow in there and paralyze the city. Remember what happened in Atlanta a few years ago? How about Dallas? I think this will be a one-time thing. I don't think anybody in the league office is going to exhale on this until the game is over.
Nate from Tucson, AZ
What was your favorite answer from the fans?
My favorite answer was Owen's from Los Angeles. He regrets having been angry at Mike McCarthy for having his team come back onto the field for the obligatory extra-point play in the Seattle game. In other words, what Owen is saying is he regrets allowing his emotions to have gotten the better of him, and now that he's thinking clearly, he respects Coach McCarthy for having kept his cool and maintaining the Packers' dignity when it would've been so easy to lose it.
Austen from Collingwood, Ontario
Vic, the offseason means off topic. What do you think the state of the Packers would be if Tom Landry took the job with the Packers rather than Vince Lombardi? How do you think Landry's system would've affected the Packers culture?
I think Landry would've won some titles. What must be understood about the expansion franchise Landry inherited is that the Cowboys entered the league too late to participate in the 1960 draft. Other expansion franchises began with extra picks; the Cowboys got no picks. What Coach Landry did in Dallas to get the Cowboys to the championship level as quickly as he did is phenomenal. Had he inherited a Packers roster that was beginning to bulge with talent acquired by Jack Vainisi, one of the best and most underrated personnel men in the league at that time, Landry would've no doubt won championships. Would he have had the same cultural impact Lombardi did? I don't know. I don't think Coach Landry had the kind of powerful personality Coach Lombardi did.
Matt from Tallahassee, FL
How do you rank all the positions in terms of need for the Packers?
I think they need in-the-box players on both sides of the ball, and a running back.
Matthew from Baraboo, WI
What defensive strategy would you use to stop the read option?
The draft.
Vincent from Ellison Bay, WI
Vic, with a deep draft at some positions, do you see the Packers drafting a safety in the first round?
Safety is one of the deepest positions in this draft. The likelihood that a safety will be at the top of the Packers' board when it's their turn to pick is distinct.
Damon from Bakersfield, MO
What game are you looking forward to next year the most and why?
I'm looking forward to going back to San Francisco. It'll be a measuring stick game that could go a long way toward deciding the postseason picture, and I look forward to seeing how the Packers will do against the read option.
Michael from Manitowoc, WI
Twenty-one million dollars a year? What is Aaron going to do with that, buy North Korea?
The first thing he's going to do is prepare to give a major chunk of that money to the United States and the state of Wisconsin.
Dustin from Jacksonville, FL
I don't understand the notion that because you work for the team you should be a fan of the team. Do people want a reporter or a blogger? Do they even know the difference? Did Larry Fitzgerald's dad cheer when he caught what very well could have been the Super Bowl winning touchdown? Players play, coaches coach and reporters report.
Larry Fitzgerald's father most definitely did not cheer when his son caught that touchdown pass because Mr. Fitzgerald is a sportswriter who understood where he was and what was expected of him professionally. We all know what was in his heart. We didn't need the show.
David from Memphis, TN
"Why do so many readers get angry at me?" A multitude of reasons. You come off to many fans as arrogant, cocky and unwilling to agree with any opinion besides your own. Your previous work was with the Jaguars and the Steelers. People don't see someone come in, claim to know so much about the Packers and football and have no true connection with the team as a fan. Whether you have been around the NFL forever or not, you have not been studying the Packers forever. You do know a lot, but you think you know more than you do. It isn't an issue of smarts; you are on the ball a lot of the time. It's the cockiness and the not being able to admit you can think about all ideas. You come into a home and insult the guests. Ulysses survived his hubris. I don't know if Vic Ketchman can.
David, I've got some bad news for you. I am what I am. This is the way it is, and this is the way it will continue to be.
Ben from Spartanburg, SC
This one has me stumped. The point in signing Tavecchio? McCarthy defended Crosby through his rough season. Now they have two. Is there a difference in opinion between coach and Thompson?
Why not sign another kicker? Competition is good for us all. It has a way of clearing our minds and focusing us on what's important. Why does everything have to be decided in April? Why not decide it on the field in August?
Bill from Neenah, WI
Am I nicer to my fellow human beings when the Packers win? Unfortunately, yes; sad commentary on me. Thanks for your column. I really enjoy it.
Like it or not, our emotions rise and fall with the Packers' fortunes. They dictate how we behave. That's a powerful attachment.
Isaac from Mequon, WI
Vic, I really liked these questions. I'm really curious what your answer is to number 12 because I think two more Super Bowls with Aaron Rodgers is fairly realistic.
To expect one more Super Bowl championship would mean the Rodgers era would have produced two titles, and that would represent a significantly successful era in any team's history. Have we become too demanding? Have we lost some appreciation for just how difficult it is to win a Super Bowl?
Brett from Marietta, GA
Another Packers website referred to you as a "fuddy-duddy."
The truth is the pure defense.
Sean from Brighton, MI
Vic, what are your thoughts on the Cardinals acquiring Carson Palmer. Arizona gave up a minimal amount for a quarterback that Oakland wanted out. I keep thinking back to when Fitz actually had Warner throwing to him. With Palmer under center, the Cardinals may sneak up on some teams this year.
I have long considered the Cardinals to have one of the best young rosters in the league; all they've needed is a quarterback. Now they've acquired one, but it might be too late to take full advantage of it because the NFC West has become a powerhouse division.
Daniel from Duncanville, TX
My daughter was born on 9/24/12. My wife was kind enough to allow me to watch the Packers-Seahawks game in the hospital room only hours after our precious baby girl had been born. With my little girl sleeping peacefully in my arms, I watched in abject horror as the replacement referees did their best to ruin one of the happiest days of my life. They did not succeed. I kissed my baby's head.
What a traumatic way to come into the world. She'll require a lot of love.
