Supplemental draft could be loaded

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

Robert from Rotterdam, The Netherlands
What do you make of the Jaguars having 12 draft picks but not being involved in any trades? Did they feel they had enough positions of need to require all 12 picks, or could it simply be a case of not considering any player to be good enough to move around for?
It means they didn't target anybody. Their needs and the depth of talent in this draft allowed them to sit and pick.

Roger from Auburn, CA
Vic, I’m guessing that with the Packers going into rebuild mode and your support of the decision, your real opinion of the team is the 13-3 season was a complete fluke and their talent level is closer to 9-7 or 8-8?
Why is this just hitting you now? We talked about this all last season, Roger. The Packers were getting all of the breaks -- remember that hands to the face game? -- and they were eking out wins against backup quarterbacks. Their offense/defense rankings were befitting a bottom-half team and they ended the regular season with an uninspiring win in Detroit that, in my opinion, should've adjusted our expectations accordingly. The Packers were a will-o-the-wisp and we followed them willfully into the darkness. With all due respect to Bill Parcells, you are not always what your record says you are. Sometimes, the record lies.

Matt from Madison, WI
Do you have any stories about Hugh Green at Pitt? I was 13 when I used paper route money to buy a Pitt windbreaker after reading about and then watching him on TV. He changed my football viewing. I really loved great defenses. Still do.
Green once used his legs to tackle a guy. He scissored him and twisted him to the ground. Green is another example of finding a player while scouting another one. Jackie Sherrill found Green while recruiting a star running back named Rooster Jones. Jones never equaled expectations for him; Green instantly became a star.

D.C. from Virginia
"When Dillon and Deguara are in the game together, Rodgers better not change the play, if you know what I mean." No, I don't know what you mean. Will you please spell it out for me?
I didn't know it had gotten this bad. I am sad for a fan base that was once defined by a play known as the "Packer sweep." Too much play-calling, not enough pounding. It means just run the ball.

Kevin from Silverdale, WA
You're right, we absolutely need to toughen up. I just don't understand why we haven't gotten any help at WR two years in a row. And more importantly, our run defense still has not gotten help. Mostert is still running and I want to know why.
You can't draft everybody, Kevin. This was a shift-in-philosophy draft. Transformation takes time. It begins now. Be that as it may, this year could end up being a two-draft year. I was talking to my most trusted scout friend yesterday and he said he thinks this summer's supplemental draft class could be the best ever. Would you draft a player you like in this supplemental draft and give up a corresponding pick in next year's regular draft, which could become one of the weakest ever? I would.

Ben from Hilo, HI
If months pass and the season still seems in doubt, do you see a major push by the NFLPA for the games to be played, since most players' careers are so short?
No. Based on what I've read, the players will be paid their salaries should the season be canceled. It's professional football, Ben. It's about the money, and everybody loves free money.

Jon from Cedar Rapids, IA
Am I the only one excited about the Packers drafting a big power back? Running the ball controls the clock, makes the other team's defense tired and gives your own defense a rest. We missed out on all of this last year. Give me more of this new way of thinking, please.
Statistically, the Packers had a decent running game last season. It was No. 15 in total yards. Be that as it may, I have long believed you aren't running the ball unless you're running with power. Why? It's because defenses use the same light-in-the-pants defenders to stop speed backs those defenses use to stop the pass. A finesse running game is an extension of the passing game. When you run with power, however, the defense has to get bigger bodies on the field, and now the defense is at a disadvantage against the pass.

Steven from Summerville, SC
What did Mike Shanahan do for John Elway during his Super Bowl runs with the Broncos and are there any similarities to what the Packers are looking to do with their new approach on offense?
Shanahan's power running game extended and crowned Elway's great career. It would be wonderful if that happened for Aaron Rodgers.

Jared from Sugar City, ID
Vic, how do you feel about the drafts of the Packers' opponents in the NFC North?
Cole Kmet will make the Bears' passing game better. The Lions got decidedly better with their first four picks (Jeff Okudah, D'Andre Swift, Julian Okwara and Jonah Jackson). The Lions quietly assembled a nice big-guy draft and I think Okwara is outstanding pass-rush value in the third round. The Vikings went hard for defense and Mike Zimmer's acumen for evaluating talent on the defensive side of the ball must be respected. On offense, they got a big-time receiver to replace Stefon Diggs and a second-round tackle to address need up front. I think the Lions and Vikings are big winners in this draft.

Aaron from Forest Grove, OR
Vic, I have not gone soft. The most balanced and best team the Packers have had in recent memory was the 2014 squad. Vital to that balance was a seasoned offensive line and a true pounder in his prime, Eddie Lacy.
Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang were tough-guy guards, and Lacy was the pounder that made defenses focus on stopping the run. Opponents didn't dare play two-deep safeties against the '14 Packers, and that played right into Rodgers' wheelhouse.

Joshua from Milwaukee, WI
I thought the Packers were dead wrong when they moved on from Favre, and though Rodgers proved I was incorrect, I think they’re dead wrong now as well. Hall of Fame caliber QBs, even past their prime, are so rare. What do you think is a safer gamble: Riding out a proven franchise QB into their late 30's or early 40's, hoping their skills don’t erode too quickly, or moving on to an unproven young QB in the hopes he evolves into a MVP talent?
How do you wish to die? I can tell you this: If you try to hang on, you almost surely will die. Young is good; old is bad.

Chris from Kitakyushu, Japan
The game that told the tale as to why change was needed was Week 17 in Detroit. In the first half, Rodgers was awful and the Packers went down 17-3. In the second half, Rodgers was great and the Packers eked out a win. Sure, the quarterback is the guy, but a truly good team is not so dependent on one player.
You're describing "Little Girl With A Curl" football. Power teams don't play that way.

Rich from Manitou Springs, CO
Why would the FBI railroad Gen. Flynn? It’s going to come out.
OK.

Paul from Blufton, IN
"We're trying to get a seal here and a seal here and run this play in the alley." You understand that Aaron?
Imagine Lombardi saying, "We're trying to get a hut here and a hut here and make them jump offside."

Curt from Portland, OR
Does this end ugly, Vic?
Unitas was wearing lightning bolts, not horseshoes. Marino lost 62-7. Montana was in Kansas City; Namath in Los Angeles; Favre in Minnesota. Tittle's head was cracked like an egg. Bradshaw was begging to be allowed to go on road trips. Kelly was carted off in a home playoff loss. The Broncos had to play around Peyton Manning. Brady was left to leave in free agency. Starr's mailbox was being knocked down by angry fans. Sad endings are common.