Brian from Louisville, KY
Do you or Tony see any late-round steals like Tom Brady?
Like Tom Brady? No, that'll never happen again. It becomes more mind-boggling with each passing season. Spergon Wynn? Really? Spergon Wynn? How could this have happened? Where would the Browns be today if they had selected Brady instead of Wynn? That's how fragile the draft and winning are. One pick can change everything.
Isaac from Nashville, TN
Vic, how would you contrast Coach Capers' and Coach Fangio's approaches to running a 3-4?
They're similar, for good reason: They coached together with the Stars, Saints, Panthers and Texans. They're each creative in how they use personnel.
Patrick from Park City, UT
Tom Brady at 199 takes the cake; no contest. My No. 2 is Richard Sherman at pick 154 in 2011. What's your No. 2?
I won't play the Unitas, Starr and Berry cards, because they were drafted when teams were picking from "Street and Smith's." The one that always tickles me is Richard Dent, an eighth-round pick. Dent was picked at a time when over-drafting pass rushers was common and it was producing a litany of laughable busts. So how does one of the most feared pass rushers of his time slip to pick 203?
Bobby from Madison, WI
If you have the best (fill in the position) in the league, do you pay him like the best in the league?
If you trap a guy in a bad contract and you're not willing to do an extension to pay him what he deserves, you're running the risk of creating strife in your locker room. Treat your players well.
Paul from Hartland, WI
Vic, I know you won't post this because you're rightfully careful about posting negative comments about players, however, I've seen several accounts citing Eddie's dramatic weight loss and how it will likely result in a more productive year for him. I like a heavy hammer and I'm concerned ours may be losing the ability to drive a nail through the heart of opposing defenses.
Grits will fix that. It does for me.
Derek from Eau Claire, WI
In general, which is more important, rounds one and two or rounds 3-7?
One and two are the money rounds. That's where you build the core of your football team. Rounds 3-7 are where you build depth.
Mike from North Hudson, WI
Vic, most everyone knows the "Twelve days of Christmas." What would Vic's 12 days of the NFL draft look like?
Since there are seven rounds, how about seven days of the NFL draft? On the first day of the draft my true love gave to me, a big guy for the defense. On the second day of the draft my true love gave to me, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense. On the third day of the draft my true love gave to me, speed at wide receiver, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense. On the fourth day of the draft my true love gave to me a, a trade up in the fourth round … speed at wide receiver, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense. On the fifth day of the draft my true love gave to me, a tackle for the future, a trade up in the fourth round … speed at wide receiver, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense. On the sixth day of the draft my true love gave to me, a tight end to silence the wolves, a tackle for the future, a trade up in the fourth round … speed at wide receiver, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense. On the seventh day of the draft my true love gave to me, a running back that can catch, a tight end to silence the wolves, a tackle for the future, a trade up in the fourth round … speed at wide receiver, an inside linebacker and a big guy for the defense.
John from Pewaukee, WI
It seems many of the young athletes entering the NFL do not gain an appreciation for the importance of nutrition and hydration until they have been in the league several years. What are teams doing to address this issue and how has the approach changed over the years?
Teams are stressing the importance of nutrition and hydration? Let's see, we're changing the rules to make the game safer, we're stressing nutrition and hydration – is that why all of us are carrying around gigantic bottles of water everywhere we go? – we're providing rookie symposiums to teach players how to spend their money and not say anything meaningful to the media, we've eliminated two-a-days and capped full-pads practices … the players in this league have never had it better.
Jeriah from Las Cruces, NM
Vic, I happened to agree with your statement about teens and motor vehicle safety and I also happen to disagree that vehicles are a necessity, just as cell phones are not a necessity. These items are a luxury. In 2013 alone, 2,163 teens in the United States ages 16-19 were killed and 243,243 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That means six teens ages 16-19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. I'm not saying football is the safest activity in America, but it is not the most unsafe activity either. One thing I find absolutely absurd is the state of New Mexico has done away with its drivers ed programs. And we're worried about teen safety? Come on.
If you fear injury for your child on the football field, then protect your child from it by forbidding him or her to play. I get that. No one is ordering your child to play football. If your child, however, is one of those kids who is ordered by his soul to play the game, your child will find a way onto the field. The game is for those kids. They need to satisfy their adolescent urge for confrontation to learn about themselves and to pass gracefully into adulthood. Please, don't deny those kids a game that has served them well for a very long time. I was one of those kids. I don't know where I would be today without football, but I'm sure my life wouldn't be as good as it's been.
Dave from Lake Zurich, IL
In draft history, fewer mistakes have been made on offensive linemen than on any other position.
That's why I say get the big guys early. It's usually money well spent.
Steve from Racine, WI
A national holiday for the day after the Super Bowl? Political pandering by a third-place candidate. It's the fall of the American empire if it happens. Hard work, sacrifice and education have been replaced by fat, drunk and stupid.
I don't like that. Not everybody is a drunk.
Brad from Oshkosh, WI
Vic, the controversial Super Bowl halftime show is old news, but now I see the NFL has pressured the governor of Georgia to veto a religious freedom law. My love for the NFL lies in the elemental values I saw growing up in the Lombardi era: courage, teamwork, loyalty. I'm ready to concede fossils like us are not the demographic of the league's future, but is the NFL playing with fire? Shouldn't the game be apolitical?
There are new American elemental values: Fear the wolves, always say the right thing, avoid being sued.
Peter from River Falls, WI
Vic, it's always "Ultra-Serious Literal Day" in Minnesota, the state "where absolutely nothing is allowed."
That's too bad. I'm looking for the couple from Minnesota that recently went to Bo's Po Pigs Bo-B-Q (because they read about it in this column), only to find it was closed. Bobo told me they traveled 22 miles off the highway to eat at Po Pigs, and I regret their effort was unrewarded. I wanna make it up to them.
