Still not good enough for Packers fans

"Ask Vic" will publish on M-W-F during the football season.

Paul from Chicago, IL
Was the win over the Bears good enough for Packers fans this week?
No.

Matthew from Oshkosh, WI
Good thing we pay Rodgers all this big money now to be a mediocre game manager. Taking that sack outside of FG range makes me question his football IQ. This offense stinks! Outside of Adams, the receiving corps is college level, at best. I’m so tired of seeing this squad struggle against (poop) teams at home. Packers fans better have their helmets on next Monday because the Vikings are going to blow us out.
OK.

Tracy from Sioux Falls, SD
The final score made the game look a lot closer to me against a resurgent divisional rival than it was. What did you see?
I would agree the game wasn't as close as the final score would indicate, but the stats are alarming: 415 yards, 20 first downs, nearly nine minutes more time of possession and 83 plays. That was Mitchell Trubisky, not Sammie Baugh.

Paul from Bluffton, IN
Dak, don't "kick to the clock." That moment made me smile after reading your column all these years. Memories make us rich.
Abner Haynes where are you?

Mike from Bridgeport, CT
"We'll kick to the clock." Now the NFL is even using replay on a coin toss! I'm not sure why Walt Anderson took blame for botching it. Was this the Cowboys' first coin toss? I heard the word kick several times before I heard the word defer.
If Jason Garrett can't coach his player on what to say, why should the league do it?

Matt from Waxhaw, NC
Why doesn't saying you want to kick mean you want to defer?
Years ago, I was puzzled by my readers' lack of understanding of the coin toss procedures. They believed if you kicked to begin the game, you would automatically receive to begin the second half. I explained it wasn't that simple, which confused them. A reader then explained to me it was kick-then-receive in the Madden video game, which probably was the cause of the confusion. I explained the procedures. Maybe it's time to do it again. If you win the coin toss, you may select one of four options: kick, receive, defend a goal or defer your choice to the second half. For the start of the second half, the team that lost the opening coin toss may select one of three options: kick, receive or defend a goal. All of these options must be carefully weighed. For example, if you're playing at Heinz Field and you don't want to kick toward the open end of the stadium in the fourth quarter, then you probably shouldn't defer your choice if you win the coin toss. Why? Because if you elect to receive the second half kickoff, your opponent is likely to elect to defend the closed-end goal in the third quarter, which means you'll be kicking toward the open end in the fourth quarter. It would be better to elect to receive to begin the game, which would likely cause your opponent to elect to receive to begin the second half, which would allow you to then elect to defend the closed-end goal in the third quarter, so you could kick to the closed end in the fourth quarter. Remember, each team exercises an option at the start of each half.

Pat from Collierville (wherever that is)
Is Rodgers still "The Man?" His game seems to be slipping away. Doesn't make the throws like he used to.
I know, Pat, and thanks for noticing.

Travis from Indianapolis, IN
The pregame network shows have become difficult to watch. Do you watch them?
No, I try to find something to do in the hour before kickoff. Yesterday, I cleaned the pluff mud off the bottom of my kayak.

Lane from Orlando, FL
Vic, did you enjoy the Presidents Cup?
The golf was outstanding and the course was a delight to see, but I didn't enjoy the event. The nauseating Patrick Reed saga, the heckling, taunting, over-the-top celebrations and overall crass behavior were distasteful. This has become the norm in Ryder Cup-type events and it upsets me. I think I need to avoid watching these international team events in the future.

Oscar from Milwaukee, WI
Vic, you wrote that Dan Rooney blew the whistle on the Steelers when he discovered a discrepancy with the way they (capped) one of their players. This cost the Steelers a third-round pick. You said the Steelers were in the clear, yet, Rooney did it anyway. Why?
Your question bothers me greatly. What cost victory? Apparently it's our honor. Our culture has been infected by a tolerance for cheating and lying. If the Patriots' recent violation had gone undetected and it was the innocent mistake they claim it to have been, would they have reported themselves? I doubt it and I suspect few fans believe they should've reported themselves. This is who we are. Is it who you want to be?

Stern from Cedar Rapids, IA
I buy the Patriots' explanation because of how electronics are used. Nowadays, the QB and a defender are radioed the plays. Unless you're hacking that, I don't get what filming the sideline signals, besides the personnel, could tell you. I think a fine would suffice for Spygate 2.
OK.

Joe from Bloomington, IN
Vic, what does freedom mean to you?
This column.

Dave from Savage, MN
Do you have a favorite snow game?
It's from the Sunday after Thanksgiving in Cincinnati in 1976. As the teams left the field for halftime, the first snowflake fell. Then, as the last helmet disappeared in the tunnel, the skies opened up and the field turned almost instantly white. I'll never forget the reaction of the players as they came back out of the tunnel following halftime and saw the white-out conditions. They literally recoiled. Joe Greene said he thought he was in the wrong place. It was a late-afternoon game, so the snow made for a magnificent contrast to the darkening skies. Riverfront Stadium was a snow globe, and the flakes sparkled as they fell softly into the violence below. I'll always remember the game for the beautiful photos it produced in Sports Illustrated, and I'll always remember how the game ended, with Isaac Curtis wide open in the end zone and with Dwight White on the ground, clinging to one of Kenny Anderson's legs. Kenny would pump his arm and then Dwight would yank Kenny's leg. Eventually, Kenny forced the ball from his hand, but the pass wobbled weakly to a snowy landing. It was more than a football game, it was a beautiful painting that featured the brush strokes of icy hands that belonged to some of the greatest players I have ever covered. If I could cover one game over again, I think that would be the game. It was a combination of beauty and drama acted out for grateful eyes to write.