Keith from Greendale, WI
Vic, I hope I never see this but with the NFL so conservative with concussions, could you see defenders intentionally going for an offensive player's head to give him a concussion to get him out of the game? You mentioned losing Finley greatly impacted the Packers' game plan against the Bengals. If one player is that important, taking a 15-yard penalty to remove a player from the game could be very tempting.
Until the culture is fully changed, it's an issue.
Trevor from Atascadero, CA
I grew up playing sports all the time. I am always one of the slowest guys on the field, but I play like I think I am Randy Moss out there. I have never ever pulled a muscle or anything. My take is my body doesn't move fast enough to hurt myself. What do you think?
Fast things break more easily? Absolutely they do. Even machines are more likely to break at higher speeds.
Mark from Regina, Canada
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made the playoffs. What are your thoughts?
I'm glad this isn't one of those Mayan years.
Steve from Eau Claire, WI
Vic, the talk about putting an NFL team in London is in the headlines again and it sounds like the players absolutely hate the idea. Ryan Clark said he would retire before going there and having to uproot his family in such a drastic way. I know your thoughts about it being inevitable, but do you think Goodell would back down from the idea if there was enough pressure from the players, coaches, team executives, etc.?
It's going to happen and the players don't have to worry about uprooting their families to live in London. The team will have a U.S. base, likely in tax-free Florida. I doubt the players will complain about not having to pay state income tax.
Thomas from Crown Point, IN
I just read the NFL will now be throwing flags for profanity. What do you think about that?
I'm immediately reminded of the NFL Films production that made Bill Saul the first player to be wired for sound. No one seemed to mind back then. Of course, the NFL wasn't as popular then as it is now.
Gary from Tompkinsville, KY
Do you have any idea why the Packers have so many hamstring injuries?
Apparently they have misaligned hips; something about them tilting in the wrong direction. Maybe that's what the scouts mean when they say a prospect has a "good bubble."
Marc from Madison, WI
How much does it irk you that you are answering questions about yoga?
I was working for the Jaguars when they offered a health and wellness program for employees. The trainer, who helped me through the unhealth and unwellness years of my life and to whom I will always be indebted, suggested that I participate in the program. As an incentive, he told me he would arrange for me to have a free yoga lesson at a local yoga studio. Every day for a week, he would stop in my office and ask me if I had called the instructor yet. Finally, I did. This was before my heart attack, but after two low-back surgeries, one neck fusion, one cancer surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy. I went for my free lesson. The instructor had great health and wellness and she demonstrated some yoga positions. I pulled a hamstring. My hips were probably misaligned.
Garrett from Austin, TX
It appears "Ask Vic" has adopted a new controversial topic of running up the score. I admittedly was part of the problem when I coached high school rugby. We never intentionally ran up the score but the teams we played could not compete with us. We were often asked to replace our starters and put in second string. Here's the issue: We only had a limited number of games until national tournaments where we would face teams that were as good or better. Those games when we ran up the score were the only live competition we would have before the big games. Benching our team would not help us achieve our goals. Our intentions were not to humiliate but to practice.
Hey, if you have to do it, you have to do it. Some things can't be helped. Look at it this way: Things have a way of evening out. This was your chance to have fun. The next time, it'll be somebody else's turn.
