'Why are you here?'

"Ask Vic" will publish on Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the NFL draft.

Eric from St. Paul, MN
Can you help me get a better understanding of special teams? First, I heard Zook was awful and (rightfully) so Green Bay let him go. They brought in their current special teams coordinator and were worse. After a carousel of returners, they finally found one who was able to gain positive yards on kicks. Players, not plays?
Ron Zook wasn't the problem, the bottom of the roster was. Dom Capers wasn't the problem, drafting at the bottom of the order and drafting poorly was. Largely, the Packers have been Aaron Rodgers and a bunch of guys since 2015. Brian Gutekunst will change that, but it's gonna take time.

Pat from Altoona, WI
Are the LA Rams a soccer team? That new logo stinks.
I could create a better logo for the Edisto horseshoe crabs.

Steve from Lake Stevens, WA
When you say get the big guys first, does that mean quality big guys are harder to find in later rounds than other positions?
Yes. Their supply is limited.  Don't yinze know about George Young's "planet theory?"

James from Nogojiwanong, Canada
First, thanks for expanding the column. What about Clowney? Why hasn't he been signed? Could the Packers use him?
He's got knee issues that make him older than his football years. It's a young man's game, and age is often measured by injury.

Christopher from Hagerstown, MD
“He's all about winning football games, and it's what I like best about him.” What do you like least about him?
I don't like that he breaks the rules, but I think I even dislike more that he violates the spirit of the rules. I'm not sure he's welcome in my fraternity of football.

Ben from Chicago, IL
Vic, doesn't it get expensive for a team to perpetually be drafting in the top 10? Seems a large part of the team's salary cap would be taken by their first-round draft picks.
The draft is affordable free agency, but you have to wait your turn to pick one.

Gladdys from Rolling Meadows, IL
Vic, the Packers have replaced Blake Martinez and Brian Bulaga with Christian Kirksey and Rick Wagner. Do these seem like upgrades to you?
I think Bulaga is an overrated player and Martinez is just a cut above a guy. Let's see what the Packers do in the draft before we pass judgment on those two positions.

Mark from Wausau, WI
By the time the pandemic runs its course, do you think there will be a long-term negative impact on spectator sports from people re-prioritizing or finding different ways to spend their time?
Yes, because there's likely going to be a great economic downturn as a result of this virus. Fans aren't going to have the disposable income they've had to spend on sports. Waiting list? Now might be your time.

Samuel from Milwaukee, WI
Your comments on free agency got me wondering what else, in your experience, is often a trap for fools?
I think firing coaching staffs is often a trap for fools. The damage can be long term because it usually results in the new staff cleaning house and causing the franchise to re-trace its steps. The change in scheme and philosophy might be a bad fit for a player and he can be acquired affordably in a trade. Jerome Bettis immediately comes to mind. You get weaker and the competition gets stronger. Also, there's the matter of paying off salaries, and how about the information on your players that now belongs to the teams that have hired the coaches you've fired?

Paul from Cumming, GA
Have the Bears admitted defeat with Mitchell Trubisky?
I think the bigger question is: How are they going to get out of this mess they've made for themselves? Drafting Trubisky was a mistake, but they compounded that error by trading for Mack. Now, they lack the draft capital to draft a new quarterback and that's caused them to cause even greater damage to their salary cap by trading for Nick Foles. The Bears have mismanaged their future as badly as the Rams have mismanaged theirs.

Phil from Marietta, GA
Are you staying safe on Edisto? Your readership community hopes so!
I hope I'm safe, but the cars with the out-of-state license plates keep coming across the bridge. I met a couple from Delaware yesterday. I wanted to say, "Why are you here?" I'm angry about this. I'm angry America isn't affording this pandemic the respect and fear required to defeat it, and I'm angry at the leadership in Edisto Beach for placing their greed above the health and well-being of our citizens. Shame on all of you, and you know who you are. This is not how you make America great again.

C.T. from Jacksonville, FL
What are the expectations for Tampa Bay and Tom Brady this year?
When a team's quarterback will be 43 when the season begins, the future is now. The Bucs must be a Super Bowl contender for signing Brady to have been a good move.

Mike from North Hudson, WI
With the Olympics being postponed by up to one year, what are your thoughts on playing out the 2020 NFL season?
I think there's an element of doubt. Can we defeat this virus completely enough by fall to bring thousands of people into close quarters without re-starting the spread? Yes, the games can be played without fans and there's enough money in the TV deals to make that happen, but in the salary cap era TV has largely been regarded as paying the players' salaries and everything else going to the league and its teams. There would have to be some kind of special agreement or adjustment to the CBA for the games to be played without ticket revenue; the owners aren't going to pay 100 percent of the costs to receive only a fraction of the revenue, and the players aren't going to volunteer for a pay cut. As we near summer, this issue could become bigger.