Vic, glad to have found your blog. I have read “Ask Vic” since I was in school in 2011. You once said that what impressed you the most about Rodgers was how easy he makes the game look. After three games, what impresses you the most about Hundley?He was able to lead his team, on the road, to a must-win victory against its rival. That tells me the game isn’t too big for him.
Mike from Somerset, WI
Vic, the Packers defense was good enough against Trubisky. Did the Packers show enough to win the next three out of four against Flacco, Roethlisberger, Winston and the Browns? I believe they need to be 8-5 after Week 14, assuming Rodgers returns, to get a wild card.
Yes, I think the Packers can win three of the next four, and I think your formula for making December meaningful is spot on. This week’s game against the Ravens is another must win.
Eric from St. Paul, MN
These touchdown celebrations are getting absurd.
They sure are. Leap frog and sack races? It’s childish to the point of being nauseating. I’m being asked if the anthem protest has cost the NFL viewers. I suppose it has, but I also had two people tell me they’ve quit watching the NFL because they can’t stand the player celebrations. What disgusts me the most is they do them so they can get on the TV highlights. I miss Joe Greene so much.
Max from Milwaukee, WI
Do you think the Patriots are bad for the game?
I assume you’re referring to the Martellus Bennett drama, which has a nefarious quality to it that further darkens fans’ opinion of Bill Belichick. Al Davis and the Raiders possessed the same dark qualities, and the game flourished. Black hat football is good for the game because it’s for people who like sports with an edge. The lesson to be learned from the Bennett fiasco is: Expensive free agency is a trap for fools.
Lori from Brookfield, WI
Vic, Green Bay held Chicago to 55 rushing yards. They must have read the concern you shared about the Bears’ running game in your last column. Besides this accomplishment, what were the main keys to the Packers’ victory?
If you’re a one-trick pony and running the ball is your trick, Dom Capers will take it away. That was key No. 1. Key No. 2 was executing Mike McCarthy’s game plan. The Packers played on Sunday as though they were being moved about a chess board by their coach.
Paula from Minneapolis, MN
Vic, can you recall a more unexpected result from a challenge than the Bears actually turning the ball over? Sorry, coach, but not only is that not a touchdown, it’s also not your ball anymore.
The moment I saw the replay, I knew the Bears were at risk. John Fox got bad advice from his coaches’ booth. Be that as it may, I don’t think the call should’ve been reversed because I don’t think the replay proved conclusively the runner hadn’t stepped out of bounds. The Packers got lucky.
Mark from Bettendorf, IA
Vic, I still sense some hesitation in Hundley’s decision-making as he goes through his reads, leading to some late throws. Do you see this, and can this improve as he continues to get more comfortable?
If he doesn’t achieve FULL CONSISTENCY in his fourth start, he needs to be cut.
Alab from Albuquerque, NM
Did the Packers play well or did the Bears play poorly?
The Bears are not the standard by which a team should judge itself, but for a team on a three-game losing streak and clinging to playoff hope, this is a feel-good win. It creates a new identity the Packers will need to maintain to have any chance of making it into the playoffs. The Packers can’t play as they have in the past. They must be new. Yesterday, they were.
Josh from Tucson, AZ
Well, the Jags have now shown they can have offensive explosions, defensive shutdowns, road warrior persona, and are now on a streak. The win over the Chargers might be the most impressive, simply because they shot themselves in both feet at the end, yet, still managed to focus enough to pull out the win. The only complaint is quitting completely on the run and putting it in the hands of the quarterback, but if we want to get to where we want to go, Bortles will eventually have to have a few clutch drives.
All of that is true, but you forgot about luck. The Jaguars had a lot of it in the magical season of 1996, and they were lucky to win yesterday. The roughing-the-passer penalty on Joey Bosa is the worst call I’ve seen in the NFL this year. Also, the Jaguars are fortunate Chargers coach Anthony Lynn decided to curl up in a ball when the Chargers got the ball back. Immediately, I knew the Jaguars would tie the game, or win it outright. You can’t play that way anymore. Coach Lynn learned that lesson yesterday. He will never make the same mistake again.
Bret from Millani, HI
Vic, you’ve answered several of my questions over the last five or six years and I’ve always valued your opinion, even if we don’t agree on everything (I’m an “Ask Vic” Hall of Famer). In your honest opinion, is there still hope for the Green Bay Packers’ season?
Yes.
Dan from Sebastopol, CA
Vic, who are your top four BCS teams this week?
Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Miami.
Patrick from Milwaukee, WI
Is Jim Brown better than Barry Sanders?
Yes.
Greg from Danbury, CT
The idea for the draft came to Bert Bell when his financially troubled Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t compete for or attract quality college players. The first draft class was inaugurated in 1936. The Eagles’ first winning season came in 1943 when they finished third in the NFL East at 5-4-1. They lost the league championship in 1947 and won it in ’48 and ’49. The draft and the sword share but one quality: By them shall you live and die.
You are what you draft.
Jeffrey from St. Clair Shores, MI
You still have a great sense of humor. Your bird answer was classic. What is your take on the Steelers this year?
For three quarters yesterday, Ben Roethlisberger looked old. Then, with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, he took his offense down the field as though he was 10 years younger. I think he’s lost mobility and his ability to extend plays, and I think he’s struggling to be a get-it-out-quick quarterback. For a lot of years, Roethlisberger carried the Steelers as they were rebuilding their defense, now the defense is carrying him.
Jamie from Cross Plains, WI
Who do you think will win McAdoo v. wolves?
The more wolves there are, the louder the howl. There are a lot of wolves in New York.
Dustin from Orlando, FL
Are the Jaguars a product of the inverse draft order? They spent a lot of years slumming with top draft picks.
As I look at the current standings, there are only three teams in the league that aren’t a product of the inverse draft order: Patriots, Packers and Steelers. They’ve managed to stay at or near the top of the league despite drafting low each season. I think in every other case, you can point to a period of losing that resulted in recovery, or a period of winning that has caused losing. The Jaguars and Rams are prime examples of the former.
Luther from Coronado, CA
What cliché most rankles you in postgame interviews?
Anything dismissive rankles me. Reporters represent media outlets that have dedicated a lot of money and resources to covering the team. They deserve to have their questions answered respectfully and intelligently. Reporters also represent fans, who’ve poured their hearts into the fate of the team. Those fans deserve honest answers to questions only the players and coaches can answer. I allow for the emotions of the game, but if a player or coach is continually hostile to the media, I think it’s only fair for the media to treat him as dismissively.
