Ask Vic Causing Trouble

[pbmax]

Packers with an unwise posting about Aldon Smith on Twitter and in their Ask Vic blog.

Writer responds with 2 bad examples and two good ones.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/the-green-bay-packers-oddly-went-after-aldon-smith-this-week.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://cdn.bloguin.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/2014/04/packtweet.jpg

Hey @49ers, please respond to the @Packers with a picture of Mark Chmura. Or Brett Favre. Or Johnny Jolly. Or Darren freaking Sharper.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 17, 2014

[red]

i don't really see where a "shot" was taken at anyone

heres the actual question from the chat


Vic, it seems the Packers place a high emphasis on character during their selection process, as can be shown by the tremendously low arrest rate. This seems like a simple strategy to sustain success, yet, it seems more of a rarity in the NFL than the standard. What other teams are as committed to personal character?

Nobody wants a locker room full of criminals. All teams place a premium on character. Draft picks are too valuable to waste on guys in jail. It’s all a matter of where you draw the line. Some teams are a little more willing to gamble on a guy with some issues in his past. Santonio Holmes was one of those guys, and those issues eventually caught up to him with the Steelers, but not before he won a Super Bowl MVP. Aldon Smith had some red flags when he was coming into the draft, and it might be catching up to him just as it did with Holmes, but the 49ers have gotten a pretty nice return from their investment in Smith. Where do you draw the line? Every team has to answer that question in its own way. George Young said it’s not a game for the well-adjusted, and I am a George Young devotee. I don’t need a locker room full of choir boys. My line has some loops in it.


its a valid question and topic. where is the line? smith has been caught up in some minor mishaps, he's not out killing dogs or people, or raping chicks. so does the distraction of his numerous minor mishaps warrant the team giving up on his talent? or does his talent level force the team to keep him at the risk of future larger mishaps?

vics really not saying taking a shot at smith or the 49ers but asks a general question based on talent level and off field distractions

[RashanGary]

Seemed like a good answer to me, no moral superiority read in by me. He was saying all teams weigh personality into the equation. Sometimes a risk pays off, sometimes it doesn't. I don't know where they got that from, but a picture of Aldon Smith is a touch cocky.

[pbmax]

Its the Tweet, not the Ask Vic answer.

Character Questioned ------> Picture of Aldon Smith in a 49er uniform. On an NFL Team site. That is pretty straightforward.

Why not a picture of Smith in his civvies?

Intended or not, its an absolute negative connection about a fellow NFL franchise by its sister organization. There is a reason they took the Tweet down.

[RashanGary]

I don't think it was fully intended that way. It is a real issue. But yes, if Vic wouldn't make that same headline about Jolly, he shouldn't do it about the 9ers guy.

[mraynrand]

who writes tweets for @packers? Is it solely Vic?

Twitter seems perfectly suited for causing controversy and then hiding behind anonymity (Who wrote that? We are investigating!) - at least for larger organizations.

Vic's response probably should have included Packers instead of other team's problems. Johnny Jolly, Koren Robinson, and (distantly) Chumura and Favre are more relevant than Sharper in describing where the Packer line of character death is drawn.

[Just Jeff]

I wasn't aware of our former QB having any character issues while with GB

[pbmax]

I wasn't aware of our former QB having any character issues while with GB

That's how Miller blew his response. Neither Sharper nor Favre had a string of incidents like this, though Favre did have the painkiller problem.

[red]

That's how Miller blew his response. Neither Sharper nor Favre had a string of incidents like this, though Favre did have the painkiller problem.

favre and chewie terrorized the bars, strip clubs and restaurants of northern wisconsin and the UP in the mid 90's

i know lots of people that reguard favre as a complete piece of shit after running in to him during those escapades

even after he "got clean", he would still get shit faced and carry on like an asshole, but thats something that us packer fans in the area covered up and buried for him so the rest of the world could go on thinking our QB was one of the good guys. favre wouldn't get arrested if he got drunk and tore up a bar, the cops would show up and take him out the back door, and no one would ever hear of the incident.if favre had been caught for drunk driving, he would have been escorted home by the cops, not arrested

in reality favre got away with tons of shit in the 90's, he really was a piece of shit

[pbmax]

favre and chewie terrorized the bars, strip clubs and restaurants of northern wisconsin and the UP in the mid 90's

i know lots of people that reguard favre as a complete piece of shit after running in to him during those escapades

even after he "got clean", he would still get shit faced and carry on like an asshole, but thats something that us packer fans in the area covered up and buried for him so the rest of the world could go on thinking our QB was one of the good guys

in reality, he really was a piece of shit

True, but that wasn't common knowledge outside of certain WI precincts. And outside of painkillers and that goofy 1 on 1 interview he had with Bradshaw where they obliquely talked about trouble that caused in the family, it was his later exploits that made him infamous. Unlike Sharper, there was evidence in Packerland of what would happen later but it was very low key. Deanna had a hand in this by smoothing some of the rougher edges and eliding details of their struggles in her book and media tour. All his previous carousing was bottled into one episode of "here is your suitcase, make a choice" and that confrontation was treated as though it was one and done.

[mraynrand]

FWIW, I hate twitter. For killing language #Newspeak. For turning a generation/society into solipsistic zombies #Addiction. Twitter, I titter (laugh )@you #mocking.

[Smeefers]

I don't see an issue with anything the packers did. Are they not supposed to talk about touchy topics in the NFL? How many other team reporters show green bay in an unfavorable light? You do realize that when they call us cheeseheads that it's an insult, right? This is a non story. It would be worse in my eyes if they'd thrown up a picture of someone who hasn't had very public, very recent off the field issues. Aldon Smith made his bed, he gets to lay in it.

[pbmax]

I don't see an issue with anything the packers did. Are they not supposed to talk about touchy topics in the NFL? How many other team reporters show green bay in an unfavorable light? You do realize that when they call us cheeseheads that it's an insult, right? This is a non story. It would be worse in my eyes if they'd thrown up a picture of someone who hasn't had very public, very recent off the field issues. Aldon Smith made his bed, he gets to lay in it.

49ers didn't buy that bed though. And the fact that the Packers took it down seems evidence that this was a transgression inside the League. You either don't use a picture, use a generic one, or picture Smith in his civvies.

Reporters calling the fans cheese heads isn't the same as a team owned website calling out a player in a team's uniform.

[pbmax]

FWIW, I hate twitter. For killing language #Newspeak. For turning a generation/society into solipsistic zombies #Addiction. Twitter, I titter (laugh )@you #mocking.

Its ridiculous to use as a form of communication, but so were telegrams. Limited and emphasis on brevity to the point of confusion.

But as a wire service, an alert to something larger and more intereting, its fantastic.

[Just Jeff]

An NFL player, getting hammered and hanging out in bars. Please tell me that you just made this up and just don't like our former QB. Otherwise this is just too much to imagine.

[mraynrand]

Its ridiculous to use as a form of communication, but so were telegrams. Limited and emphasis on brevity to the point of confusion.

But as a wire service, an alert to something larger and more intereting, its fantastic.

Most if not all technologies have a very positive aspect. The bad of twitter doesn't negate the good, but I think it overwhelms it. That's generally what I think of all social media.

[denverYooper]

favre and chewie terrorized the bars, strip clubs and restaurants of northern wisconsin and the UP in the mid 90's

i know lots of people that reguard favre as a complete piece of shit after running in to him during those escapades

even after he "got clean", he would still get shit faced and carry on like an asshole, but thats something that us packer fans in the area covered up and buried for him so the rest of the world could go on thinking our QB was one of the good guys. favre wouldn't get arrested if he got drunk and tore up a bar, the cops would show up and take him out the back door, and no one would ever hear of the incident.if favre had been caught for drunk driving, he would have been escorted home by the cops, not arrested

in reality favre got away with tons of shit in the 90's, he really was a piece of shit

My neighbor out here in Colorado grew up near Lambeau. He's told me similar stories and threw in a few regarding girls from his high school.

[mraynrand]

My neighbor .... He's told me similar stories and threw in a few regarding girls from his high school.

What your friend did with his girlfriends in high school isn't relevant here. But we'd like to hear about it anyway.

[Smeefers]

49ers didn't buy that bed though. And the fact that the Packers took it down seems evidence that this was a transgression inside the League. You either don't use a picture, use a generic one, or picture Smith in his civvies.

Reporters calling the fans cheese heads isn't the same as a team owned website calling out a player in a team's uniform.

Actually, the 49ers DID buy that bed, having kept him around after he was discharging a firearm in his home while it was full of party guests. Just because the packers are playing extra politically correct does not mean that they were told, by the league, to take it down. The packers do thier best to be a class act org., so the second it smelled of controversy, they pulled it. There was no apology, no disciplanary action, no nothing. You're infering quite a bit from one action that could be taken any number of ways.

And i disagree. The infractions are just about as aggregious as the other- which is to say extremely minor.

[Bretsky]

favre and chewie terrorized the bars, strip clubs and restaurants of northern wisconsin and the UP in the mid 90's

i know lots of people that reguard favre as a complete piece of shit after running in to him during those escapades

even after he "got clean", he would still get shit faced and carry on like an asshole, but thats something that us packer fans in the area covered up and buried for him so the rest of the world could go on thinking our QB was one of the good guys. favre wouldn't get arrested if he got drunk and tore up a bar, the cops would show up and take him out the back door, and no one would ever hear of the incident.if favre had been caught for drunk driving, he would have been escorted home by the cops, not arrested

in reality favre got away with tons of shit in the 90's, he really was a piece of shit


After Brett Favre refused to sign an autograph for my very very intoxicated wife (she was trying to get it for me) on her bachelor party in Milwaukee.....she proceeded to stand up on a bar stool and scream at him for being a loser and a moron who throws way too may Interceptions anyways. She then got kicked out of that bar and puked. Two seasons later Favre won his first MVP.

[bobblehead]

So let me understand this. Vic is under fire for telling the truth...a truth that nobody disputes.

On a completely different note, I can't believe what is happening to our culture (and world).

[woodbuck27]

After Brett Favre refused to sign an autograph for my very very intoxicated wife (she was trying to get it for me) on her bachelor party in Milwaukee.....she proceeded to stand up on a bar stool and scream at him for being a loser and a moron who throws way too may Interceptions anyways. She then got kicked out of that bar and puked. Two seasons later Favre won his first MVP.

Did you ever get anything autographed by Brett Favre?

I once got the book Guy Lafleur NO. 1 autographed by him at an Old Timers game in Saint John, NB.

I was privileged to be one of a very few fans selected to enter the dressing room and see the great Red Storey sitting to the right of Guy Lafleur and got their autographs. That was a pleasure I'll die cherishing.

Guy Lafleur:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Lafleur

Red Storey:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Storey

[pbmax]

Actually, the 49ers DID buy that bed, having kept him around after he was discharging a firearm in his home while it was full of party guests. Just because the packers are playing extra politically correct does not mean that they were told, by the league, to take it down. The packers do thier best to be a class act org., so the second it smelled of controversy, they pulled it. There was no apology, no disciplanary action, no nothing. You're infering quite a bit from one action that could be taken any number of ways.

And i disagree. The infractions are just about as aggregious as the other- which is to say extremely minor.

This is precisely my point. He has been a knucklehead before. So have Packer players. But teams don't advertise this fact on Twitter unless there is a CBA coming up. The Packers don't need the NFL office to call to realize they need to take it down because they don't want the 49ers to post a photo of a Packer uniform the next time a Green Bay player does something stupid.

Teams exist to increase the value of teams and the League. Newspapers exist to increase their readership. The issues are not the same.

[pbmax]

So let me understand this. Vic is under fire for telling the truth...a truth that nobody disputes.

On a completely different note, I can't believe what is happening to our culture (and world).

It was the Twitter blurb about Vic with the picture that got taken down, not the Ask Vic answer.

[Fritz]

Whenever you're not sure, it is wise to remember that this whole structure exists to make money.

[pbmax]

Whenever you're not sure, it is wise to remember that this whole structure exists to make money.

Always follow the money. If that doesn't answer the question, then ask, "Who controls the flow of money?"

[Smeefers]

This is precisely my point. He has been a knucklehead before. So have Packer players. But teams don't advertise this fact on Twitter unless there is a CBA coming up. The Packers don't need the NFL office to call to realize they need to take it down because they don't want the 49ers to post a photo of a Packer uniform the next time a Green Bay player does something stupid.

Teams exist to increase the value of teams and the League. Newspapers exist to increase their readership. The issues are not the same.

The next time a packer does something stupid, I fully expect other teams reporters to write about it and advertise the fact that they're writing about it - especially if it's an interesting subject that will pull page views. That's sort of what reporting is. You initially made it sound like vic did something wrong by writing about it. Is that the stance you're taking or did I miss the boat there? I'm not arguing why it was taken down, I'm arguing that it shouldn't of been taken down because it was a valid topic.

[pbmax]

The next time a packer does something stupid, I fully expect other teams reporters to write about it and advertise the fact that they're writing about it - especially if it's an interesting subject that will pull page views. That's sort of what reporting is. You initially made it sound like vic did something wrong by writing about it. Is that the stance you're taking or did I miss the boat there? I'm not arguing why it was taken down, I'm arguing that it shouldn't of been taken down because it was a valid topic.

No, I did put a mis leading headline up there, not intentional, but poor none-the-less. Or good, if its traffic you want. :)

I was referring to the Tweet and not the Q&A. Vic was his usual boring, smarmy self in the Q&A.

Next question is how did NFL.com cover it? They haven't been too in the bag for ownership, but I wonder if they venture into this territory when a player (or Jim Irsay) is in trouble with the 5-0?

[Fritz]

The next time a packer does something stupid, I fully expect other teams reporters to write about it and advertise the fact that they're writing about it - especially if it's an interesting subject that will pull page views. That's sort of what reporting is. You initially made it sound like vic did something wrong by writing about it. Is that the stance you're taking or did I miss the boat there? I'm not arguing why it was taken down, I'm arguing that it shouldn't of been taken down because it was a valid topic.

So the next time a Packer FA signs with Minnesota, you're expecting other teams' reporters to write about it, then?

[bobblehead]

It was the Twitter blurb about Vic with the picture that got taken down, not the Ask Vic answer.

Yea, I get the subtle diff. Point is that the individual pictured has been a complete asshat and nobody is disputing that. Giving visual aids to enhance an answer doesn't strike me as a big thing. As an organization you gain a reputation based on the totality of things. As a whole I think the niners are a bunch of assholes and it starts with their narcissistic coach. If they don't like the picture, stop drafting morons. I wouldn't have any problem with a picture of Jolly when discussing guys from bad neighborhoods that have trouble breaking free. (Did I even come close to spelling narcissistic correctly?)

[pbmax]

Yea, I get the subtle diff. Point is that the individual pictured has been a complete asshat and nobody is disputing that. Giving visual aids to enhance an answer doesn't strike me as a big thing. As an organization you gain a reputation based on the totality of things. As a whole I think the niners are a bunch of assholes and it starts with their narcissistic coach. If they don't like the picture, stop drafting morons. I wouldn't have any problem with a picture of Jolly when discussing guys from bad neighborhoods that have trouble breaking free. (Did I even come close to spelling narcissistic correctly?)

I agree that a picture doesn't convey everything about an org yet it can convey a particular problem the org has. I just found it amazing the Packers would even step into the kind of situation.

ESPN has this debate all the time when reporting on player mis-behavior. The fact that an NFL team used that photo was interesting, if not remarkable. In ESPN's case, I think the photo of the uniform is a double edged sword. Yes, it can tell you about a franchises current state and should be fair game, but a decision needs to be made whether the report is about the team or the individual.

For the Packers, its like gossiping about your own company's problems. You just don't want to get caught up in it.

[mraynrand]

The fact that an NFL team used that photo was interesting, if not remarkable.

That's the issue. Other teams should leave this stuff alone. These guys, fairly or not, are all under the microscope from the media anyway.

[channtheman]

I really get a kick out of this bit that paints A. Smith as a victim in all of this!


The ongoing situation with Aldon Smith is sad. Over the last two plus years, he’s been arrested for DUI twice, been stabbed at his house, entered rehab, and most recently, been arrested after an incident with the TSA at LAX. There’s really no need for any more dirt to be piled onto him, yet that’s exactly what the Green Bay Packers have done this week.

Give a freaking break. Yeah I'm the one that forced him to get in his car and drive while he was intoxicated. I put him in a situation where he would be stabbed. Oddly enough, I've never even been close to being stabbed in my house. Oh and I made him say he has a bomb at one of the largest airports in the US. The guy deserves everything he gets.

[mraynrand]

There’s really no need for any more dirt to be piled onto him, yet that’s exactly what the Green Bay Packers have done this week.

:roll: I have come here to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

[channtheman]

LEAVE ALDON SMITH ALONE!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc&feature=kp

[mraynrand]

Knock it off!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMe0Rz1frdE

[woodbuck27]

Yea, I get the subtle diff. Point is that the individual pictured has been a complete asshat and nobody is disputing that. Giving visual aids to enhance an answer doesn't strike me as a big thing. As an organization you gain a reputation based on the totality of things. As a whole I think the niners are a bunch of assholes and it starts with their narcissistic coach. If they don't like the picture, stop drafting morons. I wouldn't have any problem with a picture of Jolly when discussing guys from bad neighborhoods that have trouble breaking free. (Did I even come close to spelling narcissistic correctly?)

"narcissistic" is real close to the actual spelling of narcissistic.

[woodbuck27]

Sir what's your opinion on San Francisco 49ers DE Aldon Smith...?

Man's response:

Well well let me see...ahh well.....ahhh:

http://www.sugarspunmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ManYawning.jpg

[woodbuck27]

http://www.mercurynews.com/49ers/ci_25637733/49ers-gm-baalke-want-keep-aldon-smith

49ers GM Baalke wants to keep Aldon Smith

By: Cam Inman ... cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com

Posted: 04/25/2014 12:27:45 PM PDT ..... 3 Comments

Updated: a day ago

[pbmax]

Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde 1h
Vic rip? RT @art_stapleton: With @packers signing Lyerla, I'd say it's within @49ers' rights to question where they draw line on character.

[mraynrand]

"Once you give up your integrity, the rest is a piece of cake." - J.R. Ewing

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3hChlgjCLk/ULKIOkhVDRI/AAAAAAAACfM/zWpGbgYWT5Y/s1600/fangirl+j.r.+ewing.jpg