No-win deal for Chiefs

"Ask Vic" will publish on Mondays and Thursdays through the offseason.

Brad from Libertyville, IL
On a lighter note, how is the shark tooth hunting in your area? I hear it’s a fun hobby, especially after storms.
I live on a shell sand road and recently I noticed my neighbor walking along the road slowly and looking down, as though she lost something. She was looking for and finding shark teeth; she had a handful of them. On the road? Do sharks drive?

Joe from Bloomington, IN
Chiefs overpay Mahomes?
Of course they did, but that's common for a team with a great quarterback at the start of a new contract. I think Mahomes is a great-looking talent, but Tyreek Hill creates the kind of space that would make a lot of quarterbacks look good. This contract isn't without some anxiety.

Dennis from Las Vegas, NV
Vic, can't help but notice Russell Wilson's unique style. I was trying to think of a comparable and the closest I can come up with is Fran Tarkenton. Thoughts?
Tarkenton ran around in circles. Wilson is a more purposeful runner. I see a cross between Doug Flutie and Donovan McNabb.

Craig from Cedarburg, WI
Do you foresee COVID-19 and technological advances devaluing big-city living, creating a more dispersed population? Or has the gradual migration over the last few decades caused an irreversible shift?
The start of the next great migration? It's an interesting thought.

Braden from Milwaukee, WI
Who won, Mahomes or the Chiefs?
It's impossible for the Chiefs to win in a deal that big and that long. If Mahomes becomes injured or his play declines, the Chiefs are big losers. If Mahomes raises the contracts of other quarterbacks to a yearly average above his, he'll become dissatisfied and want a new contract.

Mike from McFarland, WI
Would we have been better off if social media had existed in the '60's? Or are we fortunate it wasn't around then?
I'm glad I grew up in the transistor radio generation. It was a cool time. I wouldn't trade my transistor radio memories for today's technology.

Grant from Wauwatosa, WI
What about the 1984 Steelers carried them to the AFC championship game? Were they new or still over the hill?
They found some new talent, led by rookie Louis Lipps, Mark Malone played the best football of his short career as a starter and the Steelers played in an extremely weak AFC Central. Coach Noll peaked them at the right time and they won a playoff game in Denver in what was John Elway's first full year as a starter. Dan Marino torched the Steelers in the Orange Bowl the following week. That might've been the first time I heard Coach Noll say, "How do you wish to die?" The '84 Steelers were a snowman. Four bad seasons followed.

Morgan from Little Chute, WI
Is it better to gather all the facts before you react?
If you keep your mind open, you can change course along the way.

John from Philadelphia, PA
How do you feel about major social media platforms censoring content?
I don't think I have ever deleted anything from the "Ask Vic" comments section other than for bad language. I'll let that be my answer, but I'll add this: I make no money with this column, so I have no advertisers to appease. I have an LLC which means about the only thing I can lose in a lawsuit is the laptop. So much changes when it's not about the money, doesn't it? Money compromises us. Having said all of that, if I felt the comments section was being abused or used irresponsibly, I'd shut it down. I won't allow hate language.

Joe from Bloomington, IN
Wearing masks protects our economy. Vic, how do you get people to see that? How do you get people to see it’s not political?
I think it has to begin with the president. Until he wears a mask, his followers will reject the concept.

Larry from Jacksonville, FL
If we do have a football season this year, are you putting an asterisk on the Super Bowl winner?
As I've written, without a vaccine I don't think the NFL can conduct a meaningful season, so I would tend to discredit a champion. I think the NFL should announce ASAP it will not play until there's a vaccine or the threat of the virus being spread has been eliminated. At this point, I don't see how the games can be played safely or meaningfully.

Jack from Middleton, WI
Aside from Jim Brown, who are some star players that retired at the heights of their career, especially those that appeared to have much football success remaining?
Mike Reid was in the prime of his career when he retired. He was largely considered to be the second-best defensive tackle in the game.

Eric from Hudson, WI
Your hero Colin Kaepernick describes the Fourth of July as a celebration of “white supremacy." I thought he was protesting police brutality, but clearly I was wrong. Do you have any advice on how we should deal with our white guilt?
Obviously, your question is with sarcastic intent; I'm sure you feel no guilt at all. I do. My father went to college on the GI Bill. He became the first person in his family to attend and graduate from college, and the GI Bill made it possible. Since then, every one of his children and every one of his grandchildren have graduated from college, and one of them got his PhD from his grandfather's alma mater. The GI Bill changed the course of history in my family. Unfortunately, the black men with whom my father fought in World War II didn't have the same advantage. The GI Bill wasn't made available to the 1.2 million blacks who served in World War II. I guess we didn't want them to change the course of history in their families, and for that I feel guilt. How do I deal with it? With understanding.

Mark from Madison, WI
Just learned about the the Freedom House Ambulance Service of Pittsburgh. I continue to be amazed by the ideas and people that have come from that corner of the world.
It's a wonderful story of community, in this case the Hill District of Pittsburgh, a predominantly black community. From Wikipedia: "When services began, Freedom House Ambulance Service had two donated police vehicles and took 5,800 calls, transporting more than 4,600 patients in their first year, primarily in African-American neighborhoods in Pittsburgh." I'm big on the feeling and merits of community. It becomes an extended family that provides for and protects its members. Freedom House is also an example of what can be done with support from government.

​Richard from Truckee, CA
I’m a liberal because I legitimately want life to be better for as many people as possible, yet, our president has just labeled me an enemy equivalent to Fascism, Communism, and terrorism.
The line is drawn.