These are our shiniest days

Jerry from Savannah, GA
Vic, what are your thoughts on coordinators being in the booth versus the sideline during games?
It's all about communication. If a coordinator can sit in the booth without compromising communication along the sideline, I think he should. I think it aids the coordinator's thought process to get away from the chatter and sit in a place where he can order his thoughts and access his information. If he needs to feel the game, the sideline is the place for him.

Ben from El Paso, TX
Do you think there is a relationship between black folks being overrepresented among the ranks of college basketball/football players, whose labor is not being compensated monetarily, and their enslaved ancestors who built these universities, whose labor was not compensated monetarily? Aren't the power five conferences essentially operating a modern day plantation economy?
A college scholarship satisfies every IRS criteria for it to be considered revenue and taxable. College athletes are not slaves and they are handsomely compensated with the opportunity to acquire one of the great treasures of civilization, a college degree.

Randy from Medicine Hat, AB
Did you collect football or baseball cards when you were a child?
I was a baseball and football cards addict. They cost five cents a pack and I can still taste the stale sweetness of the gum inside. What I remember most is getting the same cards over and over. It seemed I couldn't buy a pack of baseball cards without Larry Sherry or Roman Mejias being among them. In football season, it was Buzz Nutter. I had a million Buzz Nutters.

Mark from Bettendorf, IA
Vic, do you believe any of the three Minnesota QBs are "The Man?"
We can't know until it's determined to what degree Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury has affected his mobility. Bridgewater was on the way to becoming "The Man."

Joseph from Dillon, MT
Vic, in the past you have said you don't want to be 8-8 because the draft will just keep you there, but you have also said the Packers can get the help they need at No. 14 in this draft. Is the difference the fact they already have "The Man" in Rodgers?
Every draft has a cliff, where the talent falls off dramatically. Based on what I'm hearing, this draft class won't reach the cliff until after the Packers pick.

Bill from Seattle, WA
Do you continue this column out of a love for the game or do you somehow make a living at it? I truly wish it was daily. Your insights and opinions are enlightening and enjoyable. Thanks.
Within the next few days, I'll assemble my tax information to send to my tax man in Jacksonville. I'm soon going to find out how much money I've lost doing this column. Whatever it is, it'll be a minor cost compared to the joy and financial reward this column provided me during my it's-about-the-money days.

Richard from Buffalo, NY
Do you think LeVeon Bell is worth $14 million?
He was certainly worth it in 2017. I think the Steelers need to do a better job of developing James Conner as Bell's pounder complement. I was unimpressed with how Conner was used in 2017. Bell desperately needs a complement.

Justin from Waukesha, WI
When did politics become a sport? When did compromise and humility become pejoratives and signs of weakness to be despised? Right or left, majority or minority, refusing to give up a single yard will be our legacy, to whatever end. Are these politicians but a reflection of us, seen through a mirror darkly? Was Hunter Thompson right? Is football season over for the shining city on a hill?
When did the stock market become gambling instead of investing? The answer to all of these questions is: When life got easy. These are our shiniest days.

Bill from Sheboygan, WI
What would you do to end these mass shootings?
Give everyone a gun so they can shoot back?

Aaron from Indiana
Vic, you recently mentioned one route for the Packers would be to franchise Rodgers. I had also thought that would be an interesting possibility. If they did this, however, it would probably sour relations between Rodgers and the Packers. What are the pitfalls and benefits, in your opinion, of going down this route?
Wait a minute, I'll get my violin.

Jonesy from Pikeville, WV
A few years back, I worked on a project with Jeff Rohrer, who used to be a middle linebacker for the Cowboys in the early 1980s. I asked him who was the toughest running back to tackle. He said it was a tie between John Riggins and Earl Campbell. Which one do you think was the toughest to bring down?
Campbell.

Bronco from Lake Mills, WI
My dad said you could always judge a man by how clean he keeps his car (inside and out). Well, if Vic was judged by his car, what would be the verdict?
I like a white car with black interior. The interior of my car is always pristine. I live on a shell-sand road and the exterior gets dusty very quickly, so I hose it off every couple of days. You will never, ever find a fast-food cup or wrapper in my car. Only cretins eat fast food as they drive.

Dave from Madison, WI
Vic, what do you call Packers beat reporters who were screaming for change at the end of the season, now screaming because it was too much change or not the kind they wanted?
When Coach Noll was asked play-calling questions, he would often answer with: "What you're really asking me is why didn't we win?" It's the same with comments about changes following a losing season. What they're really saying is we don't like losing.

Marc from Hartford, VT
Vic, I just found out today what the hardest job in the entire world is: working at Ed's Barber Shop. Thanks for the insight.
A year ago, I sat down in the chair, the barber asked me how I wanted my hair cut, and I said short on the sides and leave it full on top. The next thing I knew, he ran the clippers over the top of my head and a big glob of hair fell onto my lap. I said, "What did you do?" He said, "You said you wanted it short on the sides and use a No. 4 on top." When I explained to my friends what happened, they expected me to say I'll never go back there again, but what's the chance of that happening again? I just don't use the word full anymore. I just tell him to "make me look sexy." I think he's doing a pretty good job.

Lee from Marshfield, WI
Vic, what is stopping colleges from freeing themselves of this dumpster fire that is the NCAA? What is stopping the athletes from doing something like this?
I think the answers to your questions might begin revealing themselves soon because college football is dying. It was revealed last week college football attendance suffered its worst attendance drop in 34 years this past season, and the most alarming stat is a 7 percent decrease in student attendance since 2009.

Mike from North Hudson, WI
What would be in order for the Packers to return to the upper ranks in the NFL? How would you prioritize pass rushers, speed at receiver, a dominant tight end, defensive backs, offensive and defensive line depth?
In my opinion, the Packers' top three needs are for a pass rusher, muscle at linebacker and big-play ability at wide receiver.

Duwilly from Macon, Canada
What do you think of a person who cheats at golf and/or football?
A person who cheats at football should be punished. A person who cheats at golf should be avoided.

Tyler from Greenfield, WI
Football is a beautiful game. The games unfold in a way that amplifies the drama, far more than baseball and basketball. I think they unfold best when the game is played physically and the ball is run. Do you really think the game is inevitably headed towards basketball on grass?
Run-the-ball football is a game of physical attrition. Pass-the-ball football is a game of strategic chance. I prefer the former, but the game has been moving toward the latter since the rules changes of 1978, and the trend isn't going to change because fans prefer the unpredictable to the expected.

Nancy from Shiocton, WI
I don't get it. You're retired. Why isn't there a new column every day? What else could you possibly be doing?
I read, I ride my bike, I belong to men's clubs, including a breakfast club that's more about giggles than grits. One night I saw a bunch of cars at the civic center, so I stopped to see what was going on. A local woman was giving a presentation on bird photography. I stayed; I had never seen a presentation on bird photography. I've sat through lectures on Lafayette and Lincoln. All of that is new to me, which was my commitment when I left Green Bay in January of 2016, a few days after the Packers' playoff loss in Arizona and following a professional lifetime of covering football. Be new. I am and I'm glad I am. I have a shell collection and I've learned left-valve shells are rare. I caddy and kayak and I'm happiest on a hot summer day when I can coast with the tide. Coasting is good at my age; I got tired of paddling upstream. All of this might seem boring to you, unless boring is what you seek. I was burned out.