Skip to main content
Advertising
Powered by

How many draft picks will get playing time?

Addressing the unexpected is the key to success

160530-ask-vic-950.jpg


Beto from Los Angeles, CA

How's the Packers lineup for this year looking?

I think it looks good. The team addressed all of its perceived needs. The outcome of the season will likely be determined by unperceived needs and how they are addressed.

Vincent from Seattle, WA

How was Rocky Bleier to interview? He was from Wisconsin and a wounded veteran. He is one of my all-time favorite Notre Dame players. Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

He was always accommodating. On this day, as we honor Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice, Rocky's story continues to resonate. It's a story of patriotism, courage and football. Vince Lombardi would've loved Rocky.

Ken from Wolcott, CT

How would the '85 Bears defense do in today's game?

I'm sure it would do fine, but it couldn't play its famed "46 Defense." The cornerbacks wouldn't be allowed to be physical enough on the outside to allow the rush to get home.

Adam from Turin, WI

The two best soccer players in the world, Ronaldo and Messi, have more social media followers together than all NFL, NBA and MLB players combined. Even your small-minded American brain can surely get your head around that one. Good luck trying to conquer that.

I don't even know who they are. They won't call me, will they?

Mike from Jacksonville, NC

Will the single wing offense ever make a return to the high school or even college level? I love watching teams run it.

No, it would require too many hours of practice on live blocking to make it work. It's a player danger offense. That won't work today.

Chris from Eau Claire, WI

I really like the sweep play because it gets your best playmaker out into open space. It also forces the defense to open up the middle of the field. Is there a play Vic really likes, and why?

I think today's gap-control defenses are vulnerable to being trapped, but you need offensive linemen who are quick enough to cut off the penetration and small enough to move in tight spaces, and those types aren't ideal for pass blocking, and pass blocking is Job 1 for today's offensive linemen.

Conor from Kouts, IN

Is the lawnmower a metaphor for the salary cap?

You've made my day.

Sam from Richfield, MN

Is it harder to maintain an elite defense than an elite offense under the salary cap? As long as you have "The Man" on offense, you are going to be good. On defense, you need more than one man, and paying for more than one man is increasingly difficult.

Traditionally, offense is the expensive side of the ball, and that's what makes it difficult to build an elite defense. Generally speaking, defensive coordinators have to do more with less.

Michael from Elizabethtown, KY

"Your goal is to lose four games?" That was the best answer I've seen in a while. I love it. What is a realistic goal, in your opinion? Are realistic goals even goals at all?

Everybody wants to win the Super Bowl. It's every team's ultimate goal, but I prefer a bit more nearsightedness. I think every team's goal should be to make it into the playoffs. When that happens, the goal changes and it becomes real.

Greg from Perkasie, PA

Vic, I just saw an article with the first line reading, "Most of the Packers' offensive issues from last year have been alleviated." How can anyone claim to know that after two weeks of OTAs?

It's just one of those feel-good spring stories that breeds hope for the upcoming season. Every season brings the unexpected. There was no talk at this time last year of playing without Jordy Nelson. How could we know one play in one preseason game would change everything we expected of the Packers offense in 2015? What will it be this year and how will the team deal with it? That's the issue every team faces, because every team will have to address the unexpected and how they address it will determine their fate.

The Green Bay Packers conducted an offseason practice at the team's practice facility. Photos by Ryan Hartwig, Packers.com.

Colin from Tripoli, WI

Happy Memorial Day, Vic. I think often about the ones who gave it all to keep us free, to enjoy football and every other good thing. What do you most enjoy?

I enjoy and treasure my right to free speech. Driving a car is a privilege. Saying what we please is a right. We don't have to pass a test or acquire a license to do it. Yes, this is the greatest country in the world, and that's why we're disliked. It's jealousy.

Brian from Red Wing, MN

I've been a reader and now a huge fan of "Ask Vic" since the beginning of the 2015 season. How many of the Packers' new draft picks do you think will get playing time in regular season games this year, and who might they be?

Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez appear to have solid opportunities to log playing time. Kyler Fackrell is a pass rusher and there's always room for pass rushers. I don't want to see Jason Spriggs forced to do what David Bakhtiari did in 2013, but injuries are a fact of life on the offensive line and Spriggs will likely log playing time if he can position himself as a rookie. Dean Lowry might have a chance right from the start, as the Packers will likely need a rotation of defensive linemen to deal with the heat in Jacksonville. Trevor Davis is a speed receiver. He'll have an opportunity to stretch the field and return kicks. Kyle Murphy appears to be a "jar on the shelf" type of player, but you never know. At close examination, the draft class appears to have the opportunity to be immediate contributors, but I don't think that's a fair expectation. Let's make sure we give them time to grow.

Richard from Madison, WI

You've often spoken in glowing terms of Tony Boselli. I've heard the Bengals' Anthony Munoz referred to as the greatest offensive tackle ever. Could you compare the two? For good measure, throw in something about Forrest Gregg.

Gregg is the greatest right tackle ever, Munoz is the greatest left tackle ever, and Boselli was the best pass blocker of his time.

Michael from San Jose, CA

You mentioned Webster putting the center position on the map. I grew up when Bednarik and Ringo were pretty famous. Of course, there wasn't much TV coverage back then, so I don't know how famous they really were. How is Webster that much different?

Chuck Bednarik was famous and infamous mostly for his play at middle linebacker. He's celebrated for his "death" hit on Frank Gifford and the picture of Bednarik standing over Gifford's lifeless body, and for his "you can get up now" remark to Jim Taylor on the final play of the 1960 NFL title game. Jim Ringo was probably the least celebrated of the Packers greats from the Lombardi era. His seemingly inconsequential trade to the Eagles kind of sealed his low profile. Mike Webster's fame was the result of NFL Films. I think it's NFL Films cameraman Bob Angelo who fell in love with Webster as a subject for Angelo's camera, which caught Webster in intriguing slow-motion shots, Webster's bulging arms stretching the limits of his jersey as his eyes surveyed the pass rush. NFL Films helped Webster popularize the position.

Nate from Pueblo, CO

McCarthy has the most to prove? He's won the Super Bowl! In an offseason filled with meaningless opinionated polls, I feel it's the dumbest opinion I've heard. Do you agree with me?

He's one Super Bowl win away from the Hall of Fame. I guess he has to prove he can win one more Super Bowl.

Kevin from Delavan, WI

"The most important touchdown in NFL history was scored by a Wisconsin native. Yep, Alan Ameche." Please, details.

It was the winning touchdown in the 1958 NFL title game, "The Greatest Game Ever Played." He ran right into our living rooms.

Paul from Milwaukee, WI

I was born in New York but have lived in Wisconsin most of my life. When we got here in 1971, I couldn't believe people put ketchup on hot dogs. In New York, it's mainly mustard and sometimes relish. Yes, I was a Packers fan before we moved here! I still don't do ketchup!

It must be a regional thing. When I was a kid, I was at a Pirates game with my cousin from Michigan. The hot dog vendor – remember the metal tubs they carried concealing the hot dogs in dirty water? – asked my cousin if he wanted mustard on his dog. My cousin said he wanted ketchup, and all of the people around us looked at my cousin and in unison said, "Ketchup?" The vendor said he didn't have ketchup, so my cousin ate his dog with nothing on it but dirty water.

Eric from Arlington, MN

In your last article, you mentioned how Vince Lombardi was a wordsmith. Do you have a certain phrase or quote from another coach that sticks with you?

Yes, I remember my high school coach saying, "Ketchman, you couldn't block a toilet seat."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
Advertising