Speaking of Dynasties

If the New England Patriots had won the Super Bowl that would have solidified the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady Era as the greatest dynasty of all time with its sixth Super Bowl titles tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers and snapping the tie they are currently in with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys with five Super Bowl titles.

Just noting the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants are next with four Super Bowl titles. Another note the Packers lead the league with 13 total titles and the Chicago Bears next with nine, including one Super Bowl title just two years after George “Papa Bear" Halas died with the Mike Ditka led Super Bowl Shuffle team.

There Are Legacies And Then There Are Legacies

There are the New York Yankees in MLB with 27 titles, the Montreal Canadians in the NHL with 24 titles, the Boston Celtics in the NBA with 17 titles, including 8 in a row and Brazil with 5 World Cups championships, but the most storied team in the history of sports is the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers from the smallest town (105,139 population) to field a major sports team and the only sports franchise to be owned by stockholders and not by a deep pocket owner.

2012 Dancing With The Stars Champion Donald Driver

The Packers story is the story of the NFL itself. The immortal Curly Lambeau founded the team in 1919 and joined the fledgling NFL 2 years later. It was by shear will and personality that Lambeau kept the team alive as general manager and as coach he built a team that along with NFL founder George “Papa Bear” Halas ruled the league during his official 29 years at the helm (1921-1949).

Lambeau’s Packers won 6 championships (1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944) becoming the first and only team to win 3 championships in a row until the Packers under Vince Lombardi did it again in 1965, 1966, 1967. In comparison Halas won 6 championships (1921, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1946, 1963) over his 48 years as coach of the Bears (1920-67).

New Stuff and Old Stuff

New Stuff

The NFL.com power rankings are out and if having the Detroit Lions tied for the North Division lead with the Packers didn’t impress you then get this the Lions are ranked No. 2 up from No. 4 and the Packers No. 5 up from 10.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART TJUGOETT

(Swedish)

 

The Best Rivalry In Sports In My Opinion

RIDICULOUS

 

George Halas and Curly Lambeau



Recently MSN.com (9/28/16) ran a FoxSports.com list of the 8 Best Rivalries in the NFL Today ranked. Of course, the Packers and Bears, the longest rivalry in sports, was ranked first, as it should be, but I'm getting ahead of the story. Read on McDuff.

 

So now we'll go the list of the Top 8 Best Rivalries in the NFL Today starting with their premise: Familiarity breeds contempt-- an idea that’s reaffirmed between NFL division rivals twice and sometimes three times a year. But especially in the era of NFL parity, rivalries ebb and flow. It helps a rivalry when both teams are riding high, the games are closely contested, the combatants win a relatively equal share of games and there’s a lot at stake. With that in mind, we’ve ranked the top eight rivalries in the NFL today.

 

Vince Lombardi and 'Papa Bear' George Halas

Damn You, Joe Johnson And The Sherman You Rode In On

Damn You Joe Johnson

Every franchise has key dates in its history that defines what the franchise is, turned it around or started a downturn, or defined the philosophy of the front office . In the case of the most iconic professional sports franchise in the history of sport, Manchester United, included, there has been too many to list here, but there is one in my estimation that has resulted in the situation the Packers find themselves in today.

Big Changes Needed

Eliot Wolf - The Future GM of a Super Bowl Team Not Named Packers

I want to state right up front I've been a big critic of General Manager Ted Thompson and finally a publication of significance (The Milwaukee Journal) has agreed with me and broached the subject of Thompson being fired.
 

I think all the problems the Packers had this season stem from Thompson's leadership and philosophy. So I think it's time to fire Thompson and elevate Eliot Wolf (son of Hall of Famer and former Packers GM Ron Wolf) from Director of Player Personnel before he is hired away like Seattle GM John Schneider in 2010, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie in 2012 and Chiefs GM John Dorsey in 2013.
 

This becomes more urgent because Detroit and Tennessee made inquiries about talking to Wolf before the end of the season, but Thompson refused them permission. This only means that next year the 33-year old Wolf might be a hot commodity and will become the fourth Thompson protégée to leave and set up successful programs.

What the hell is going on out here?

On the whole, except for the later part of the third quarter and fourth quarter against the Chiefs Dom Capers seems to have a clue the past two games. The aggressiveness of the front two and three combined with the outside linebackers has been dominating in both pass rush with 13 (should have been 14) sacks and against the run allowing just 76 yards a game (although at still a high 4.1 carry) and 225 yards passing a game.

 

Over the first two games the Packer defense gave up an average of 154 yards rushing (5.3 average), 215.5 yards passing and 20 points a game.

 

Post-Game Analysis: Special Report

Mason Crosby watches his successful field goal attempt

Special teams weren't so special against the Patriots although place kicker Mason Crosby did well. He made his only field goal attempt and his only 33-yard extra point. All of his kickoffs were short and returnable and I was worried. However, in the post-game interview Coach Mike McCarthy said he told Crosby to kick them short so they could work on kickoff coverage. So I give Crosby an A+.

 

I was going to talk about punter Tim Masthay next, but let's jump on the kickoff coverage. All five were returned for an average of 24.6 average with a long return of 35. His first one was returned 31 yards to the 26 and his next two were stopped at the 17 and the 13. The second half kickoff was returned 35 yards to the 37. His fifth on was returned 24 yards to the 27 and his last I give the kickoff coverage team a C+.

 

Now I'll get to Masthay. He punted three times for an average of 34.0 with two inside the 20. Throw the average out since he was punting near the 50. His first was from the Green Bay 47 and was downed at the 18. His next was from the Patriot 47 and was downed at the 15. His last was from the Green Bay 13 and it was downed at the Patriot 37. There were two fair catches and one went out of bonds. I give Masthay a A-. As far as punt return coverage I give an incomplete for no action.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART ZWEI

FROM THE SUBLIME

 

If any of you are keeping score 10 posts ago in the first edition of "From the Sublime to the Ridiculous" I was talking about Mr. and Mrs. Sean McEvoy from North Carolina who had purchased a genuine Vince Lombardi artifact - his West Point sweater - from a local Goodwill shop for $0.58. At the time if was estimated the value at auction (I love Antiques Roadshow) would be around $20,000.

 

As Paul Harvey used to say, "and now for the rest of the story". The sweater was donated to the Goodwill by Ann Wannamaker, the widow of Bill Wannamaker, a fellow coach at West Point with Lombardi.

 

The McEvoys put the sweater up for auction at Heritage Auction in Dallas and the winning bid was $36,000 and after a 19.5% buyer's premium is tacked on the total came to $43,020. Add kudos to the auction house for donating their share of the transaction to Goodwill like Mrs. Wannamaker had requested.

 

THROUGH THE INTERESTING

 

Packers left offensive tackle David Bakhtiari introduced a game to the locker room that has turned into an addiction. Most of the offensive line and many others spend long nights at "The Shrine" or at Bakhtiari's house playing the board game "Settlers of Catan". I guess there's not much to do at night in Green Bay, although I have heard from a very reliable source there are some very friendly strippers near to Lambeau Field. But since James Lofton's unfortunate liaison back in the day I guess you won't be seeing any current Packer players inside or in doorways near a strip club. So game on, guys.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART ISA

This will be my 10th post since starting this enterprise and to celebrate this event you get lucky. Every 10th post will be a hodgepodge of interesting (hopefully) little tidbits of stories around (and sometimes very far around) and about the Green Bay Packers.

 

So to begin what from now on will be called "From the Sublime to the Ridiculous" is a story about a couple who bought a genuine Vince Lombardi sweater at a thrift shop for $.58. I would call that sublime.





The Sublime

It seems a man named Sean McEvoy from North Carolina was watching a documentary on Vince Lombardi when he noticed Coach Lombardi was wearing a sweater that looked like one they had purchased from a local thrift shop. The wife remembered a name tag and it turned out it was that sweater and it was appraised at $20,000. The only decision they have to make is to sell it on ebay or donate it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Why can't I be that lucky? I can tell you I don't buy clothes at thrift shops. Maybe I should begin to? But maybe not I'm not that lucky.