Bob from Melbourne, Australia
Vic, Baltimore's kicker had two consecutive quarters of wind-assisted crunch time. Don't objective conditions factor in how you view crunch time performance?
That trail wind was a difference maker, especially when it gusted to four mph.
Roxanne from Helena, MT
Why do people write you mean comments?
My opinion doesn't agree with theirs, and they don't like it. The crazy part is that's why they keep reading.
Steve from North Pole, AK
Vic, I think the word great is way overused. TV announcers say it 4-5 times a game, maybe more. We will be talking about great plays 45 years from now, not these routine catches or blocks. Thoughts?
Cliff Christl and I were discussing the most recent class of Hall of Fame nominees. Cliff said he thought it was a weak class. I told him I've felt that way about recent classes. Are we inducting too many into the Hall of Great every year? Have we hit the saturation point? Football might be guilty of trying to create greatness it ignored for too many years.
Eric from Fort Walton Beach, FL
West Virginia: Sam Huff and Don Barclay.
Pacman Jones and Don Knotts.
Steven from Pampa, TX
Vic, thank you for another year of making the time between games more enjoyable for me. I've noticed something this year I have seen no comments on. Our defense seems to be tackling much better in the open field. Do you have a comment on the subject, or is it even worth mentioning?
Running backs are supposed to make people miss. Wide receivers are judged by their ability to run after the catch. Defenders are expected to be sure tacklers. Somebody has to fail, right?
Woody from Apopka, FL
Vic, do you know the difference between alumni and alumnus?
I do. Do you know the difference between further and farther? If you do, you might've caught the error I made in yesterday's column, which a co-worker called to my attention as I was leaving for the airport. This has been a tough week. It began with no sleep on Monday night, and ended with a long flight that further challenged my Circadian rhythm. It's four a.m. in San Jose as I'm writing this column. As an alumnus of the Kent State School of Journalism, I apologize for my mistakes and thank you for yinz understanding.
Jamie from Thamesville, Canada
Why do some Packers fans hate winning?
They don't hate winning. They hate the price they have to pay for it. They want it to be easy, but if winning was easy, it wouldn't be meaningful. Losing is winning's best friend.
John from Atlanta, GA
You inspired me to start writing a few years ago, and on Saturday I'll be covering a football game from the press box for the first time. Any advice or suggestions?
Say nothing and see everything. Football is going to change for you today.
Bill from Minneapolis, MN
If a player gets injured badly in an away game, do they fly back on the same plane?
There have only been a few cases in my time covering football a player has been too injured to return with the team. With the medical team to assist the player on his return, and with a charter flight to accommodate the player, it's usually the safest, fastest and most comfortable way to get the player back home.
Andy from Valparaiso, IN
Is Aaron Rodgers the best QB you have ever seen?
It's a question I'm not going to answer until much deeper in his career. He might be, but I don't want to invite the wrath of the gods, if you know what I mean. Let's just let it happen. Maybe it'll be a question that won't need to be asked. What I'll tell you is this: My admiration for him grows. I've known for four years I'm covering a special player. Yesterday, I saw something off the field I liked. It was in a hotel elevator. Aaron stepped on and a fan in a Packers shirt was awestruck. He fell all over himself acknowledging Aaron's presence, and Aaron graciously acknowledged the fan. It was a respectful and beautiful exchange. It might be the defining moment in the fan's life. It touched me. I'm fortunate to have witnessed it. I like the guys who get it.
Fred from Longmont, CO
Decades ago, I yelled at Bart Starr. I was a Packers fan from Chicago and we were getting blown out 50 something to not a lot. The place was empty. I went down behind the bench and yelled, "Starr, get out of coaching." He turned around. I yelled at Bart Starr!
When I came to Green Bay, I bought a home I would learn was directly across the street from what had been Bart's house. The first day I lived there, I couldn't find my mailbox and learned I shared a mailbox with the house across the street, the one that had belonged to Bart. As it was explained to me, when Bart was the Packers coach, fans would knock down his mailbox following a loss. Because my mailbox was next to his, my mailbox would often suffer collateral damage, so he built a big, brick mailbox that couldn't be knocked down, and he invited the owners of my home to share the mailbox with him. Knock down the mailbox of the greatest players in Packers history? Attack the author of the defining moment in team history? What is wrong with us?
Isabella from Alameda, CA
Living in the East Bay area, I'm over the moon my boys will be here not once, but twice. I haven't seen Rodgers play live since his Cal days. Vic, are there any Packers gameday events you can tell us Bay Area Packers fans about?
I can tell you about today's Packers Everywhere pep rally. It begins at 5 p.m. PT at San Pedro Square Market in San Jose. Packers alumni Antonio Freeman and Derrick Mayes will attend. I hope I see you there.
