Q. Is it possible Charles Woodson and Nick Collins were selected for the Pro Bowl for their 2007 performances rather than 2008?

A. There's absolutely no way Collins was selected on his 2007 season. He was a huge disappointment last year. He looked like a completely different player. Of late, he has looked more like that 2007 guy, but the start of his season was outstanding. Woodson, I believe, is having a better year this year than last. He should have made the Pro Bowl last year but he definitely deserved to go this year. He has done it all: interceptions, sacks, broken up passes, touchdowns, played safety. I think he just plain deserved to go.

Q. Do you see the last few weeks as the potential "nail in the coffin" for the Thompson/McCarthy regime?

A. No, I really don't see them being in trouble at all. They both have new contracts, they're coming off an NFC Championship Game and it wasn't as if they were blown out of a bunch of games this year. That would be way too much of an overreaction to fire them. Did they make mistakes? Absolutely. They had to make some tough decisions this year and they faced the same hangover that losers of championship games usually do. They've got a chance to rectify it this offseason. That will go a long way in determining their future.

Q. With the success the Vikings are enjoying, partly due to their aggressiveness in Free Agency and the offseason trades, do you think Thompson should feel a bit more pressure to actually use some of the team's cap space and go after an impact, Pro Bowl -quality player?

A. I don't think Thompson will ever go on a spree as the Vikings did. It's just not in his DNA. Someone up there, however, has to convince him he can improve his team through Free Agency. He continually says he's not afraid of Free Agency, but that's a bunch of hooey. He is, and he'll never spend big. However, the teams that sign midrange free agents and strengthen their depth are usually the ones that succeed the most.

Q. The past five weeks we have heard about miscommunication and misalignment causing problems for the Packers. This seems to reflect poorly on the coaches because it appears the players are not prepared to play and handle situations. Do you agree?

A. I think it reflects poorly on both players and coaches. Some of the things they're screwing up are basic principles that these players should understand. Nevertheless, it's easier to fire coaches than players, and the coaches are in charge of teaching their system to the players. I think there's a little bit of a disconnect there and it's hurting them on defense.

Q. Can you explain why Ryan Grant is not as good as last year?

A. It's possible he's a one-year wonder and that his success was a result of the dominance of the Packers' passing game last year. Teams paid a lot of attention to it and then all of a sudden Grant came in and gave them a breakaway threat. One thing that has occurred to me with Grant is that his training program while away from the facility bulked him up too much and robbed him of his speed. It's just conjecture on my part, but he doesn't look as elusive or as explosive as a year ago and it's possible he worked on the wrong things during the offseason.

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