Packers not a high-profile team?

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

Mike from Orange Park, FL
I'm 64 and I tried finding Scott Creek on Google Maps but could not find it. Let me know if you need a partner on your swim. If I can't find it on Google Maps, I'm sure I can handle it.
It's on Maps. Find Jeremy Inlet and you will have found Scott Creek.

Randolph from Saigon
Brett Favre is back in the news, again, for all the wrong reasons. Brett is returning the $1.1 million non-appearance fees in installments, even though his net worth is estimated at $100 million. How should fans and society react to this?
I think the whole thing is disturbing.

Jim from Cadott, WI
I appreciate your comments and observations concerning Kent State. Were you a journalism major at the time? Or did that event change your career direction?
I was a journalism major from the beginning. Taylor Hall was the journalism building and I was headed for the porch that surrounds Taylor Hall as I passed through Johnson Hall. When I stepped onto the sun deck at Johnson, I saw the porch at Taylor was packed, so I decided to stay where I was. The young journalism students on the Taylor porch, which offered a panoramic view of the events, were being given the greatest press credential to the most significant event they would ever cover.

Marty from Grafton, WI
Seventeen and 20 vs. six and 32. Do you or Tony (or anyone else) have an explanation for such a stark contrast?
It's said the talent surrounding Jordan Love last season wasn't as strong as it was in 2018, and there were changes to the staff that might've also contributed to his decline. I think those are understandable excuses, but I still don't like the long delivery. It needs attention.

Josh from Merrill, WI
Do you think the Packers' roster has such a talent deficit because they gambled and lost on too many unproven high-upside picks to win now?
Again, drafting at the bottom of the order is the main reason for the talent drain, but I also think there were too many need picks disguised as best available.

Dustin from Fairchild, WI
Vic, Vernon Scott is listed as a safety, but the Packers are sure to use him as a CB, if you watch the tape. You should have said DB and you could have stayed dry.
I'm aware of that, but a swim in Scott Creek will give me a chance to introduce you to the centerpiece of where I live. The swim will have to be delayed, however, due to an outbreak of jellyfish.

Will from Julian, CA
According to draft "experts," the Packers get a D, last place among all 32 teams. Do you think that will be true three years from now?
The low grade is based on not having addressed what were perceived to be glaring immediate needs. I can't guarantee the Packers picked players who will be successful three years from now, but I don't think a draft should be graded on what it can provide for immediate need.

Randy from Medicine Hat, AB
If more wide receivers played the game like Hines Ward used to play, would you have a greater respect for the position?
Ward turned the hunter into the hunted, and after years of seeing defensive backs punish defenseless receivers without fear of reprisal, I delighted in the revenge Ward exacted. I have great respect for receivers. They're fearless playmakers and every team needs to have them and should have them because their supply is plentiful.

Robert from Jacksonville Beach, FL
Vic, I think a good color analyst plays an important role in radio and TV broadcasting. My all-time favorite was Johnny Sauer on the Pitt broadcasts in the '70’s, '80’s and part of the '90’s. Do you have any Johnny Sauer stories?
Sauer was hired to lead The Citadel into the big time of college football. The Citadel was going all in for major college football and Sauer, who played quarterback for Red Blaik at West Point, was the perfect choice as head coach. He made one big mistake: He hired Al Davis. Davis had designs of getting the head job for himself and sabotaged Sauer in a way that killed the entire football emphasis movement at The Citadel. I was never a big Al Davis fan. Slick is a good read.

Curt from Portland, OR
The Packers/Vikings series done before the season is half over? What were they thinking?
I don't want to overanalyze the schedule because I think it could undergo a lot of change. If there's no college season or it's delayed, the NFL will move a lot of its games to Saturdays. Also, if the start of the NFL season is delayed, we could see some of those early-season games moved to the back of the schedule. In my opinion, flex is the word to describe the schedule the league released last week, and I'm still not convinced there'll be a season. Be that as it may, based on the schedule the league handed the Packers, I get the sense the league doesn't think the Packers will be one of the high-profile teams in the NFC this season. The two Vikings games should be headliners, yet, they're not being featured. I also see eight noon starts and the bulk of the premier-type games will be played by the first week of November.

Joe from Bloomington, IN
How did everything being important change the rest of your life?
I think we're beginning to pick on every little thing I say, and that might be the result of a lack of subject matter, but I'll say this: When everything becomes important, it becomes more difficult not to take yourself too seriously. Achieving perspective is the fix. Not everything is important.

Justin from Titonka, IA
How are a backup quarterback, running back and tight end going to stop the 49ers from rushing for 200 yards against the Packers?
I get your point, but my inbox last season was full of concern for what was considered to be a decline in performance by Aaron Rodgers. "Is Rodgers losing his accuracy?" was a weekly question. The inability to convert short yardage was also a major issue, and the mania for throwing to the tight end is never ending. In my mind, the Packers addressed needs in this draft. My hope is by not addressing the more obvious needs, the Packers truly did draft from the top of their board.

Paul from Cumming, GA
Is there any other team whose class stuck out to you?
I love the Panthers' draft. Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos are Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood. Jeremy Chinn is a big, fast and athletic safety who possesses star potential. All seven of the Panthers' picks are on the defensive side of the ball. Fixed the Newel post!

Ben from Madison, WI
Are there Magnolia trees where you live? The arboretum near my house has a few dozen and they have just begun to bloom! They sure do smell nice.
They're not so nice when they cover your lawn with hand grenades.

Elten from Pleasant Lake, IN
Is it your expectation Aaron Rodgers, barring injury, has two more years in Green Bay and will finish his career with another team?
If he doesn't finish his career with another team, the Jordan Love pick will have been a mistake.

​Adam from Washington, MO
Is it possible to achieve too much perspective? I love watching Packers football as much as the next fan. Years ago, I was a mess if the Packers lost a game. However, over these last few months, I have realized football (sports in general) is/are not necessary. If the 2020 season is canceled, I wouldn’t miss it. Have I gone too far in attempting to develop a healthy balance between life and sports, when we may lose all sports for a year or more and I am not upset?
You have a healthy perspective.