McCarthy's last act might be his best

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

Justin from Boston, MA
Vic, what's your advice for 20-somethings or 30-somethings that are trying to find careers and jobs that make us as excited to wake up in the morning as sports journalism does for you?
Mike McCarthy had a sign in his office that read, "Find something you'd die for, and then live for it."

Charlie from Philadelphia, PA
When Gutekunst was hired as GM, I had no problem with the restructuring under Murphy, but I figured it would be temporary until the McCarthy era was over. I understand Murphy has more football acumen than owners across the league, but I prefer the football decisions to be in the hands of the GM. What are your thoughts on Murphy having the final say on the decision?
I like the restructuring. I think it's a mistake for football operations to be granted autonomy. How can you expect the players to be accountable if the department isn't accountable? Under Ted Thompson, football answered to no one, and I think that's why it got a little stale down there. I sensed a bunker mentality. Hey, everybody needs to answer to someone. Under Murphy's restructuring, he will oversee the top rung of the football ladder. Don't underestimate Murphy's football smarts. As athletic director at Northwestern, he hired Pat Fitzgerald, who is one of the best college football hires of the last two decades.

Skip from Wisconsin
Regarding the tweet by Winston Moss: Honesty is a great thing.
In my mind, the tweet confirmed the si.com story.

Daniel from Richmond, TX
Vic, was it you who said if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one? If so, is that true for play-callers, as well? It seems to me, when a QB feels he is equal to the head coach, this can only work if the coach's specialty is defense.
Play-caller is a function, not a title. Maybe that distinction got blurred in the play-calling mania that became a suffocating soap opera in recent years. Head coach is a title, and if you have two head coaches, you don't have one.

Dan from Lindenhurst, IL
It wasn't McCarthy. It wasn't Rodgers. The Packers are 0-2 at making the playoffs after Vic retired.
I didn’t know until this day that it was Barzini all along.

Andrew from Grand Cayman
What are the signs of a franchise not deeply committed to winning?
It's like pornography. You'll know it when you see it.

Matt from New York, NY
I think Jim Harbaugh checks all boxes as a potential head coach for the Packers. Strong leader, tough, former QB and apparently the rumor is he wants out of Michigan. Your take?
I don't have that information in front of me right now, Matt. I couldn't resist. My concern is for Coach Harbaugh's reputation for not working well with others. That won't work in Green Bay.

Bruce from Greenville, WI
What happened to the Falcons?
I'm perplexed. All I can figure is they got hot late in the 2016 season and rode it to the Super Bowl, but that wasn't who they really were. They just got hot. Two years later, I see age creeping up on Matt Ryan, and the wear and tear has turned Julio Jones into a possession receiver. The Falcons are facing big offseason decisions.

Chase from Rapid City, SD
Vic, with all the struggles on offense this year, do you think Philbin could be coaching to keep his offensive coordinator job?
With McCarthy gone, we need a new guy on the hot seat, right? Chase, when a team decides to fire its head coach and hire a new one, the new guy usually hires a new staff. Coach McCarthy's staff is under contract to the Packers and will coach the team through the remainder of the season. When the new coach is hired, I would expect McCarthy's staff to be terminated to make room for the new coach and his hires. It doesn't have to be that way, but it commonly is. A new broom sweeps clean. I have to believe the current staff is already looking for their next jobs.

Dave from Madison, WI
From your time with the Packers, what was your opinion of Winston Moss?
Moss is intense. If there was a position on a coaching staff for a designated pep-talk-giver, Moss would be the guy. He's a get-in-your-face and get-it-done kind of coach, and he's a physically imposing presence, especially when he gets fired up. Moss is a fan's kind of coach because losing hurts him as much as it hurts the fans. He's one of those guys for whom football is about more than the money. Winston wants to be a head coach. The problem is today's trend is for hiring CEO-type coaches and that's not Winston. I hope he gets a head job. I'd like to know if there's still a place in football for a man of his style and personality.

Tony from Colorado Springs, CO
With Kareem Hunt clearing waivers and becoming a free agent, does that mean if/when a team is interested in signing him they can offer him whatever sort of salary they want? Or does it mean he has to be offered a minimum deal of someone with two years? If it's the former, the interesting thing is being cut by the Chiefs would stand to benefit Hunt financially if more than one team thought he was worth the risk.
Tony, do you understand there is a video showing Hunt attacking a woman? Your fans might get upset you've decided to bring that type of person into their community. Be that as it may, you can pay him whatever you please, but not beneath the minimum.

Nicholas from Toronto, Canada
Have you ever witnessed a defensive lineman play at a higher level than Aaron Donald is playing at right now?
I've never seen anyone like him. With four games to play, he has 16.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and 32 quarterback hits, but watching him play gives you an even higher opinion of him. I can't believe what I'm seeing is happening. It's as though he can't be blocked. He flashes past blockers so quickly I have to watch the replay to see how he did it. He won the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik awards in his final college season, but he was being projected as a second-round pick. At the Senior Bowl, he abused a center who is a starter in the league today, and he sent the Outland runnerup through the air with the guy's arms and legs sticking straight out. Following the final pass-rush/pass-block drill of the week, Zack Martin kissed Donald on the top of the head. Second-round pick? He just turned in the greatest performance in Senior Bowl history, after winning the four most prestigious awards a college lineman can win. Sean McVay knew what he was doing when he drafted Donald. Oh, wait, Jeff Fisher was the coach of the Rams back then.

Randy from Medicine Hat, AB
Why didn't the Packers push out Aaron's contract like the Pats did with Brady, so they could bring in some difference-makers at, for example, the wide receiver position?
Ted Thompson was a flat-capper. He believed in protecting a team's future by not spending disproportionate amounts of future caps on the present. I also believe in that approach, but quarterback has become an exception due to its disproportionately high contract amounts. Aaron Rodgers' new deal is so expensive the Packers had no choice but to push a disproportionate amount of it out -- he's due a $19.5 million roster bonus in 2020 that could force a restructuring of the contract; that's when the contract reaches the back end and Rodgers' cap hit begins exploding. So why didn't they do this earlier in his career? Because Thompson didn't like free agency. Hey, why do fans ignore the dangers of expensive free agency? Jimmy Graham is due a $5.3 million roster bonus in March that threatens to end Graham's time with the Packers without any kind of significant contribution.

Paul from Brasília, Brazil
This long-suffering Jaguars fan stayed up late last night with the flu to watch that embarrassment. Looks like the Jaguars defense had the flu, too! Wouldn’t this defense look much better if the offense could score points? Major changes are coming, Vic.
The Jaguars are at ground zero at quarterback. Roster change begins there.

Mike from Chicago, IL
Vic, Henry had a great night and is a good guy, but that was a facemask on the first stiff arm. Drives me crazy this is allowed. It was not the equal to Dorsett's run. Seems there's a fabrication now (and for awhile) to generate excitement. I will probably continue to watch, but I miss the old NFL.
I don't like the exception to the hands-to-the-face rule running backs enjoy. Why do they get a pass? It makes no sense.

John from St. Augustine, FL
Jalen Ramsey just flopped after an offensive lineman gave him a little shove. It’s 30-9 Titans. He is an embarrassment.
He's a cancer that's killing that team.

Jim from Yulee, FL
What do the Jaguars need?
The Jaguars need a young Tom Coughlin. They need the ruthless discipline of his youth. In OTA's in the Jaguars' inaugural season, Coughlin was all about sending a message of discipline, beginning with the concentration line he had drawn across the entrance to the practice field. A young player had a Mohawk haircut. Coughlin ordered the player to get rid of the look, which he did. A few hours later, Coughlin cut him, and everybody knew who the boss was. Hair will grow back, but you only get once chance to make a first impression.

John from Merrimack, NH
Say what you will about whether it was time to move on from Coach McCarthy but, if nothing else, he is a class act all the way. I’m impressed with him addressing the team and staff. He’s said great things about the organization in a difficult situation and always did the same through his tenure as coach. It’ll be hard to find a better coach and even harder to find a better man. I’m pleased the Packers gave him the opportunity to show what a class act he is.
The Packers won't find a better coach, just another coach.

Jonathan from De Pere, WI
Vic, I saw Coach McCarthy asked and was granted one last chance to talk to his team on Wednesday. A well-deserved moment for a true "leader of men" that appears to have ended with a standing ovation from his players. I hope we all learned some life lessons during Coach McCarthy's era.
Loyalty is a lesson taught best by guilt.