Top two-gappers likely to be gone

"Ask Vic" will publish on Monday and Thursday through the offseason.

Lynn from Los Alamos, NM
“You lost with them; you can lose without them.” Sounds like a Pittsburghism. Branch Rickey to Ralph Kiner?
Yep. "We finished last with you; we can finish last without you."

Craig from Benicia, CA
I enjoy reading your blog. How can I send you $20? I know you don’t do it for the money and that is great. I sure would like to show some financial support. Maybe there's a charity you want to receive (money) on your behalf?
I considered the charity idea, but I decided I want this column to maintain its distance from any kind of attachment to money. All of my working life, it was about the money. Not now. Be that as it may, I encourage everyone to donate to the charity of their choice.

Jason from Spokane, WA
What's your opinion of Minshew? Do you feel he could be the real deal or just a hype machine?
I think he's the perfect quarterback for a team that needs to blow it up. New, young, affordable quarterback and a new, young, affordable team growing together. This time, do it right and don't be deluded by a flukey flirtation with success. Coach Noll said you never arrive.

Steven from Doctors Inlet, FL
Packers fans should be prepared to do whatever they did during the '70's and '80's. Welcome to the club, from a 25-year Jaguars season ticket holder.
Ouch!

Freddie from West Valley City, UT
All the stats you need to know about Covid19 are at Coronavirus Worldometer. Someone in your age group with pre-existing conditions should be a little cautious.
OK.

Evan from Chicago, IL
Who does Tony see as the top two-gappers in this draft?
Tony told me Andrew Epenesa of Iowa and Raekwon Davis of Alabama are the top two-gappers, but he doesn't expect either player to be available at pick No. 30.

Pete from Rescue, CA
What is your favorite memory (good or bad) of Notre Dame football growing up.
My favorite memories of Notre Dame football are from the resurrection era under Ara Parseghian. One of the best games I've ever seen is from the 1964 season. John Huarte was the quarterback and Notre Dame was undefeated and No. 1 when they played at Pitt Stadium late in the season. The game came down to a fourth-and-short play in Notre Dame territory. They stopped Pitt quarterback Fred Mazurek to preserve a 17-15 win. A few weeks later, Notre Dame lost at USC, where several controversial calls left Notre Dame to believe they were jobbed. Two years later, after Notre Dame played Michigan State to a 10-10 tie in the true game of the century, Notre Dame ran it up on USC, 51-0, as payback for the jobbing they got two years earlier. My all-time favorite Notre Dame memory is of Tom Clements' game-winning pass to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and claim the 1973 national title. Given the circumstances, it might be the greatest pass completion in college football history.

Will from Lake Julia, WI
Do you have concerns the accelerating melting of the polar ice caps will put your home at risk? I mean, don’t you live close to sea level and close to the ocean?
Yes, I do have concerns. Do you have concerns the accelerating melting of the polar ice caps could cause the loss of coastal cities and create a devastating migration of people, loss of land and commerce that could collapse our economy? No one will escape the effects of that kind of catastrophe. Salt intrusion into our fresh-water drinking sources is already a major problem. The Colorado River is drying up and threatening to paralyze the West. We're all in this together. Fortunately, my age suggests I'll be dead before the really bad stuff begins, so I have that going for me, which is nice. I suspect you're young and I'm glad to see our young people are showing a true concern for a crisis that threatens America's future.

Mike from Neenah, WI
Why do you think Nick Perry isn't on a roster?
Production didn't equal potential and eventually the guys with the great potential run out of time and chances. Nick is the perfect example of what Coach Noll preached. Football was an opportunity to earn a lot of money before Nick got on with his life's work. I always had the sense Nick got it, that he had football in its proper perspective.

Peder from Denver, CO
When the Combine starts, do you say to yourself, “The balogna starts here,” except you don’t say balogna?
No, I don't do that, and even if I did, I wouldn't say balogna, I'd say baloney. Maybe it's a Pittsburgh thing. Growing up, baloney was a word we used often. "That's baloney" or "You're full of baloney." It's not a colloquialism. It's in the dictionary. It's a word!

Justin from Waukesha, WI
Rodgers says 17 games are too many. Is he right?
I don't think he is. Expand the rosters. America is loaded with football talent. Rest players. Develop and play a second quarterback. Maybe that's a way to devalue the position; supply-side economics, so to speak. Hey, these teams have 20-some coaches, so coach. Less scheming and more teaching.

Keith from Springfield, MO
I know there's no cheering in the press box, but is laughing allowed?
I think you're missing the point of no cheering in the press box. It's a work area. Loud noises are forbidden because they are a distraction. The press box is also much more than a place for the media. It's a place for statisticians, team and league executives and scouts, and maybe even a Patriots incognito video crew spying on an upcoming opponent. These people don't get paid to cheer, they're paid to perform a task. Yes, there is laughing in the press box, but it's a quiet laugh.

Ted from Green Bay, WI
Regarding defensive line prospects for the Packers, what type of player in this draft would complement Kenny Clark and the Packers scheme on the defensive front?
The Packers need a star. They need a physically dominant defensive player, a "killer," so to speak. They need a player Clark can complement.

Eric from Colorado Springs, CO
The dominant Steelers teams of the '70s were created because of a couple of really good drafts close together. With all those rookie contracts, how long could they have kept that group together in today's salary cap?
The '69-'72 haul of talent would've been heading into their second contracts when the '74 draft produced Swann, Lambert, Stallworth and Webster. Greenwood almost certainly would've been lost in free agency. On defense, the Steelers would've kept Greene, Ham and Blount; everybody else would've been at risk to leave. On offense, Bradshaw, Harris and Kolb would've been re-signed; everybody else would've been at risk to leave. Of course, it would've been the same for every team in the league. The Raiders would've been decimated by free agency. The NFL would've never adopted a salary cap at that time because to do so would've allowed the WFL a ready-made roster of big-name players to launch that league.

John from Yakima, CA
Do all NFL players pay dues to the NFLPA? The question is based on a news article that said only dues-paying players would be voting on the new CBA.
There's no rule requiring a player to belong to the players union.

Derek from Eau Claire, WI
This is the one time of year when help is on the way. What kind of help do the Packers need?
They need help on defense. I think they need to get a big guy up front on offense, a tight end and a wide receiver. Some would say they need to draft a quarterback. Frankly, that's a lot of needs for a team in the conference title game.