Go gentle into that good night

"Ask Vic" will publish on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the football season.

Matt from Georgetown, TX
Vic, I saw an article detailing how Rodgers' passer rating when throwing to Adams, Cobb and Allison is 115. When throwing to Graham, St. Brown and Valdez-Scantling, it is 83. Assuming that's accurate, what does it tell you about the offseason and next year?
I'm not surprised Aaron Rodgers has been more successful throwing to veteran receivers with whom he has a rapport, than he is throwing to raw, low-round draft picks. His lack of success with Jimmy Graham is the surprise. Graham is a high-dollar free agent. He was supposed to be a game-changer. The rookies are learning their craft; Graham is supposed to be a skilled craftsman. What does Graham's lackluster season tell me? It tells me the Packers have a big decision to make on whether or not to pay Graham a big roster bonus in March.

Adam from Wausau, WI
What skill do you wish you would have spent more time mastering throughout your life?
I'm OK with being a sportswriter. I think I got the most out of my limited intelligence.

Mike from Berlin, WI
Does GM Vic try to sign Bashaud Breeland to a new contract?
Yeah, as long as he can be signed at a No. 2 corner pay grade. Alexander is a No. 1 and he's going to cost a lot of money to re-sign in a few years. The problem with signing No. 2 corners opposite stars such as Alexander is the No. 2 guy tends to get a lot of interceptions and passes-defensed because teams avoid the star corner, and the stats inflate the No. 2 corner's value. This might be a good time to lock up Breeland.

Cliff from Washington, DC
I'm tired of this either/or crap about the Packers' next head coach. Will they pick an offensive mind? Will they pick a defensive mind? I say bologna. I refuse to think great coaches privilege one over the other.
This bologna stuff needs to end. It's not bologna, it's baloney. Look it up, if you don't believe me. You wouldn't say someone is full of meat, you'd say they were full of something else, right?

Kevin from Greenacres, WA
I'm of the opinion if your franchise QB is healthy, he plays. Can you imagine the offseason baloney if Rodgers did sit and the Packers won their last two games?
Well done.

Isaac from Nashville, TN
Vic, is Derrick Henry as good as he's looked the last few weeks, and can you still build an offense around an outstanding power back?
Henry is an upright power runner. So was Eric Dickerson. Once upon a time, there was an extreme prejudice against power runners that didn't play behind their pads. Today's game fits them, because of head-injury awareness and the emphasis on not lowering the helmet. I see more of them coming into the league every year. James Conner is an upright power runner. Can you still build an offense around a power runner? The Titans are No. 5 in rushing but No. 27 in total offense. I guess the answer is no.

Blake from Normal, IL
Vic, what will it take for you to believe in the Bears? Week after week, the offense improves and the defense continues to do its thing. Do you need a Super Bowl to finally believe?
I need to know they can put the game in Trubisky's hands at crunch time and feel confident he'll deliver. For example, the Steelers had the ball deep in their territory midway through the fourth quarter with a four-point lead over the Patriots. The Steelers needed to kill time and score points to win; everyone knew it and the pressure was on Roethlisberger to get it done. He did. I don't get the sense the Bears can do that with Trubisky. I still think they try to play around him, protect him from those situations. Elite teams don't do that.

Margo from Chicago, IL
And why do we have a losing record, Vic?
I don't know, Margo. Actually, that's not true. I do know, Margo. The Packers have a losing record because they don't have enough good players and Aaron Rodgers didn't play well enough this season to overcome the Packers' deficiencies.

Tim from Lancaster, PA
Did the Rams and Chiefs peak too soon?
I don't know the answer to that question. What I can tell you is some coaches put a priority on developing plays, and some make it a priority to develop players. The ones who develop players are usually the ones whose team plays its best football late in the season.

Jerry from Savannah, GA
Vic, who you got Sunday night? Chiefs or Seahawks?
Seahawks. Pete Carroll develops players.

Jillaine from Star Valley Ranch, WY
What is your opinion? Should Aaron Rodgers sit out the last games to insure he does not get hurt again before the next season, thereby protecting the expensive contract? Or should he play, since the young team members need all the practice with the real QB to help them improve, especially since he just got an expensive contract that should keep him here for the foreseeable future?
A few weeks ago, I was against the idea, but since then the remaining games have become meaningless to the Packers and to their opponents, so I've changed my mind: Shut him down. A big part of my reason for not wanting him to play is we need a break from the Rodgers analysis angst. I think we need to let this season go gentle into that good night.

Roger from Auburn, CA
Aaron Jones has shown flashes but I don't think he can stay healthy. If you were the Packers' GM, would you use one of those top 50 picks on a stud running back?
If one is at the top of their board, pick him.

Aaron from Wausau, WI
You talk about not cutting a player who has a large cap hit or a lot of dead money. I'd say it's better to err on the side of releasing players whose performance doesn't match their price. Are you falling to the sunk cost fallacy?
If a team is convinced a player lacks useful talent, then cut him. If they think he has useful talent but it's not the equal of his contract, then try to re-do his contract. Maybe the Packers should try to do that with Jimmy Graham, but I doubt he would agree to a lesser deal. He'd probably welcome another tour of free agency and a chance to sting another team. Are you willing to let that happen? Are we sure Graham can't play to the equal of his contract? That's a big question to answer. It's what the Packers have to decide.

Neil from Cheddar, UK
How do you feel about the fact NFL.com had to close their comments section but yours is getting bigger and with sensible conversations in it. Makes you think there is still some humanity out on the worldwide web and it likes to read Vic!
I'm intensely proud of the "Ask Vic" comments section, and I hope it is, too.

Steven from Jacksonville, FL
After following football for so many years, do you ever get tired or bored of it? What keeps your interest after all of these years?
It's the confrontation. That's why I like football. I think football features confrontation more than any other sport I've known. Everything is a competition, from the scouting combine to the Super Bowl.