Soon we'll know if Packers are all in

"Ask Vic" is published on Monday and Thursday through the offseason.

Bill from Sheboygan, WI
Are the Packers going all in?
We have to wait. We should know by the end of the week what the Packers' strategy is.

Barry from Hayward, WI
All in with Aaron Jones, Vic?
Or maybe it's cold feet.

Blake from Wayzata, MN
Now that Aaron Jones has been re-signed, what would GM Vic do next?
Sign Linsley. I'm not a fan of all in, but half in doesn't make sense.

Scott from St. Charles, IL
So I guess this is what all in looks like.
Not yet. There's more to go.

Joe from St. Paul, MN
What does the Aaron Jones extension tell us about A.J. Dillon?
It says to me they don't think he's as good as Jones. Dillon becomes the new Jamaal Williams. What was wrong with the old one?

Santiago from Bogota, Colombia
Vic, speaking of the original TB12, he seemed to be the quintessential big-game QB, just like his modern counterpart is. The game-winning throws in the Super Bowl, plus, out-dueling Staubach in XIII seems so impressive to me. He's the most underrated QB in NFL history. Could you share your thoughts about him?
Like of all of the great quarterbacks of the '70's, Terry Bradshaw will never be mentioned in the GOAT debate because he doesn't have the stats to compare with what today's quarterbacks are compiling. Bob Griese completed six of seven passes for 73 yards in a lopsided win in Super Bowl VIII. Bradshaw was nine of 14 for 96 in IX and Staubach was 17 of 25 for 183 in XII. Those were in the pre-1978 rules changes era, which was punctuated by defense and the running game. Quarterbacks were brutalized in that era; passing was kept to a minimum. Then came the rules changes of 1978 and that's when we began to see the real Terry Bradshaw. He threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns in XIII and for 309 yards and two touchdowns in XIV. His stats exploded and he was the MVP of both games. Put Bradshaw, Staubach, Griese, Anderson and Stabler in today's era, and one of them might be in the GOAT conversation.

Hannah from McFarland, WI
When's the last time a team with no holes won the Super Bowl?
The pre-cap Cowboys with Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.

David from Saint Paul, MN
What is the most pressing question for the Packers front office this offseason?
All in or keep chopping wood?

Mitch from Brown Deer, WI
2014 Green Bay Packers or 2020 Green Bay Packers?
Which one was more heartbreaking? I'll go with the '14 Packers. They truly should've won it all. The '20 Packers gained my respect as the season wore on, but I still think they were a little bit of a weak schedule impostor. Their best wins were over the Saints early in the season and against a slumping Titans team that lost five of its last 11 games following a fast start.

Mike from Milwaukee, WI
Vic, with regard to Wellington Mara, leaguethink and revenue sharing, I like the famous quote from Art Modell that the NFL owners were a bunch of "fat-cat Republicans who vote socialist." A light-hearted quip, but it's pretty accurate, isn't it?
I love the book "The League" because it includes a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff from that NFL era. Rams owner Dan Reeves wasn't all in on surrendering his TV rights to the league, and there's a conversation in the book in which Dan Rooney tells Reeves not to bring his TV people to Pittsburgh next season because they won't be allowed in the door. Oh, what a wonderful time it must've been to be a reporter.

Joseph from Acworth, GA
Regarding bringing a player's salary cap hit onto the current year, couldn't you convert future salary into a current-year roster bonus? That would mean you could restructure without reducing the length of the contract, I think.
I interpreted the question in Thursday's column to be about proration and how to avoid it becoming dead money. Salary is not proration and, unless it's guaranteed, it goes away when the player does. What you're suggesting is dangerous. It's like paying someone now to cut your grass next year.

Justin from Delray Beach, FL
Do you think the Packers get in their own way by sticking to their identity as a franchise?
No. The Packers have been a model franchise and manager of their football operation. They just need to play better at crunch time in conference title games. The title was there for the taking, and then what had been the strength of the team all season became its weakness.

Michael from Eau Claire, WI
Call me an old curmudgeon, but I sure didn’t miss the cheerleaders on the sideline. I’m hoping it doesn’t return.
Coach Noll called it "the jiggle show."

Mike from Goshen, IN
Vic, how do incentives count against the cap?
If the incentive was equaled in the previous season, it's considered LTBE (likely to be earned) and is charged to the current year's cap. If it was not equaled, it's considered NLTBE (not likely to be earned) and won't be charged to this year's cap but will be charged to the following season's cap if achieved. NLTBE incentives are another mechanism for pushing money out. A top player who was injured in training camp and placed on injured reserve the previous season could have his contract restructured to include an incentive for being on the active roster on opening day, and the incentive would be considered NLTBE.

Eric from Brooklyn, NY
And so it begins (Preston Smith).
Restructuring Smith and Adrian Amos is a way to create cap room, and every team is doing it in a cap-challenged year. Are the Packers all in? Again, not yet, but they can make additional room very quickly.

Luke from Port Alsworth, AR
If you could go back in time and change one thing about replay, what would it be and how would it affect the game today?
I'd get rid of the coach's challenge. I don't think coaches should bear any responsibility for officiating the game. I dislike everything about the process, especially how the opponent can hurry to snap the ball and and steal a play or a timeout. If a team loses a timeout for getting it wrong, shouldn't they be awarded a timeout for getting it right? The whole thing is nuts. College football does it right. If there's doubt, review it. Yes, the game would get longer, but it would be in pursuit of fairness.

Wes from Jacksonville, FL
I was reading an article that said Trevor Lawrence has been participating in Zoom calls with the Jaguars. I know the NFL has rules about interacting with players during the offseason, but is there a loophole with regards to unsigned players? The No. 1 pick affords the Jags a unique opportunity to get the playbook to Lawrence and work with him ahead of the season, if that's the case. Is this a possibility and are there any drawbacks to this approach?
All teams meet with draft prospects. Yes, the team with the first overall pick has an advantage because it can make its pick long before draft day, which is effectively what the Jaguars are doing. It's only a drawback if you fail to use this time to get it right. Are they absolutely sure Lawrence is the guy? I'd feel better if they kept an open mind and used all of the time available to them in making that decision.

Scott from Lake Greenwood, SC
Predicting the necessary player when you’re "a player away" feels like predicting momentum; borderline impossible. However, recognizing momentum after, even during, is not so hard. It strikes me in retrospect the Packers were one player away -- quality second cornerback -- from reaching the Super Bowl. Thoughts?
Kevin King had a bad game and he'll be blamed forever for the Packers' loss to the Bucs. I tend to focus more on an offense that went dead at crunch time. The Packers were down by five heading into the fourth quarter. They were at home and with the league MVP under center, and following consecutive interceptions by the Packers defense the offense went three and out each time. Then, with the goal line eight yards away, they threw three consecutive incompletions before kicking a cowardly field goal. A year earlier, it was eight passes by the 49ers. This time, it was eight more yards. One player away? Are you sure?