Bottom 20 Packers of the Past 30 Years

[vince]

Some blasts from the past. Each of these guys had 10 or more starts with the Packers.

http://packerupdate.net/?p=12305


20] WR Aundra Thompson (1977-1981/46 starts) – He’s probably best-remembered for being part of the big John Jefferson trade, but before that, he started for three seasons opposite All-Pro and future Hall of Famer James Lofton. Despite seeing single-coverage on every snap, he managed to catch only 91 passes and score 7 TDs in 46 starts. That’s because he never figured out how to harness his great speed. Having hands of stone didn’t help either.

19] LT Karl Swanke (1980-1986/61 starts) – It’s inconceivable that he started over 60 games at the most important position on the offensive line. That tells you all you need to know about the acumen of GMs Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg. He weighed 260 pounds and was often overpowered in pass protection by bigger and stronger defensive ends. His lack of size also proved to be a problem when the Packers attempted to run the ball to the left.

18] SS Aaron Rouse (2007-2009/10 starts) – He proved to be one of general manager Ted Thompson’s biggest mistakes. The third-round pick from Virginia Tech had great size (6-3, 225) and straight-line speed (4.4), but he was extremely stiff. That made breaking down as a tackler extremely difficult and staying with quick receivers a virtual impossibility. His play so exasperated the coaches in ’09 that he was released after only two games.

17] RB Eric Torkelson (1974-1981/21 starts) – He was tough, determined and slow as molasses. In short, he was the stereotypical white running back. He actually makes John Kuhn look nifty. There’s certainly no crime in having an overachiever like him on the roster, but giving him 21 starts and handing him the ball 351 times should get any general manager and/or head coach a life sentence with Winnipeg in the Canadian Football League.

16] DT Steve McMichael (1994/14 starts) – It’s easy to forget that the ex-Bear spent the final season of his 15-year career in Green Bay. That’s because he was awful. He later admitted that he “stole money” from the Packers. Anybody who watched him meander through 14 starts would wholeheartedly agree. The 35-year-old had nothing left in the tank.

15] LT Tim Stokes (1978-1982/40 starts) – He lost his starting job in 1980, but filled in for the injury-prone Swanke quite often in 1981 and 1982. He epitomized the word journeyman. Played for five teams over the course of 9 nondescript seasons in the NFL. He ingratiated himself to Starr by working hard, but his glaring lack of physical talent was evident every time he took a snap. You want to know why Starr was a failure as a coach? Look at how many guys on this list played during the time he was on the sidelines.

14] LB Hardy Nickerson (2002/15 starts) – He’s far and away the most accomplished player on this list, but his one season with the Packers was an unmitigated disaster. One of coach/GM Mike Sherman’s many free agent acquisitions who simply couldn’t get the job done. He went to numerous Pro Bowls earlier in his career with the Buccaneers, but he had very little left in the tank by the time he got to Green Bay. The more you look at some of the starters on defense in 2002, the more you have to respect the job done by coordinator Ed Donatell.

13] CB Ahmad Carroll (2004-2006/28 starts) – Yet another Sherman blunder. He was selected in the first round of the ’04 draft despite a lack of size and a long history of mental lapses and physical breakdowns while in college. He impressed the Packers by running a 4.3 at the Combine, but that speed could never make up for an alarming lack of instincts. His three-year career in Green Bay came to an abrupt end when he was unceremoniously released after an embarrassing loss to the Eagles early in the ’06 season.

12] TE Tyrone Davis (1997-2002/27 starts) – He somehow managed to survive under three different coaches. That was possible because each one thought he could get more out of the former wide receiver from Virginia. Each was ultimately proven wrong. Despite good size and speed, he never learned how to get open. And on the rare occasion when he was able to extricate himself from a defender, he could never be counted on to actually catch the ball.

11] RB Michael Haddix (1989-1990/13 starts) – He was signed as a Plan B free agent. He played more like a Plan Z free agent. After flopping in Philly, the former first-round pick averaged 3.16 yards on 142 carries in his two seasons with Green Bay. Amazingly, that was better than his career average of 3.0. He led the Packers in rushing with a paltry 311 yards in ’90. He was big and fairly fast, but few running backs took longer to hit the hole.

[vince]

10] QB David Whitehurst (1977-1983/37 starts) – Replaced an injured Lynn Dickey and nearly led Green Bay to the playoffs in ’78. Despite a winning record, the passing offense was hardly a strength. He completed only 51% of his passes and he threw seven more interceptions than TDs. He started for only one more season before handing the reigns back over to Dickey. The fact that such a talentless quarterback could start 34 straight games tells you all you need to know about the state of the franchise in the late 70s and early 80s.

9] RT Tony Mandarich (1989-1991/31 starts) – The greatest collegiate offensive lineman I ever saw couldn’t block anybody in the National Football League. He wasn’t able to beat out journeyman Alan Veingrad as a rookie and only “won” the job in 1990 because of his big name and his big salary. Not taking steroids reduced his size, his strength and his confidence. He still had the talent to be a pretty decent right tackle, but he seemed to lose his desire once it became obvious that he could no longer physically dominate his opponent.

8] NT Bob Nelson (1988-1990/39 starts) – He wasn’t talented enough to make the woeful Buccaneers in ’87, but he wound up starting over 30 consecutive games for the Packers. That tells you all you need to know about the state of the defense under coach Lindy Infante in the late 80s and early 90s. Veteran coordinator Hank Bullough was well-respected before coming to Green Bay, but he never had the personnel to make his 3-4 effective. One of the biggest problems was having to start a slow-footed 272-pounder at nose tackle.

7] CB Estus Hood (1978-1984/32 starts) – He was Ahmad Carroll before Ahmad Carroll. He started for two seasons opposite the very underrated Mark Lee. That meant he saw a lot of balls thrown his way, and more often than not, he failed to step up. He finally lost his starting job in 1981, but hung on with the Packers for another four seasons. After he was cut, not a single team was willing to even bring him to training camp. That came as little surprise.

6] RB Harlan Huckleby (1980-1985/14 starts) – How bad was the situation at running back after Eddie lee Ivery suffered a season-ending knee injury on opening day in 1981? Bad enough that the coaches had to hand the ball to this pedestrian second-year player from Michigan 139 times. That he averaged only 2.7 yards per carry wasn’t a surprise. He lacked size, speed, strength and vision. And to think, many fans weren’t satisfied with Brandon Jackson as the No. 2 running back last season. My how things have changed in Green Bay.

5] OG Will Whittiker (2005/14 starts) – He, along with Adrian Klemm, were the starting guards in ’05. Heck, maybe Thompson was trying to drive Brett Favre into retirement. Or have him killed. The rookie from Michigan State won the job at right guard almost by default, and then proved on a weekly basis that he wasn’t up to the challenge. He was massive, but he didn’t move very well, and even worse, he wasn’t very aggressive. Being slow-footed and passive is not a recipe for success in the NFL – at any position, let alone the offensive line.

4] LB Kurt Allerman (1980-1981/11 starts) – He was an undersized and slow inside linebacker whose claim to fame was getting his nose broken by guard Ron Hallstron during a training camp fight. He played at 222 pounds, and not surprisingly, didn’t hold up very well at the point of attack. Other starters on defense in ’80 included nose tackle Charles Johnson, linebackers Jim Gueno and Ed O’Neil and cornerbacks Estus Hood and Mike McCoy. That unit gave up 371 points. Coordinator John Meyer should’ve been given a raise.

3] P Ray Stachowicz (1981-1982/25 starts) – He was B.J. Sander before B.J. Sander. Starr drafted him in the third round, and the payoff was a career net average of 31.6 yards. Starr stuck with him for way too long in an attempt to justify the high pick, but one line drive after another eventually forced him to admit his mistake. The Bears took a chance on the former Michigan State star in ’83, but he somehow managed to punt even worse in the Windy City.

2] QB Randy Wright (1984-1988/32 starts) – Gregg did many things wrong as coach/GM of the Packers in the mid-80s, but thinking he could win with this quarterback was his biggest blunder. The Wisconsin native made for a nice story when he was drafted by his hometown team, but it turned into a nightmare as soon as he started to play. A lack of talent around him didn’t help, but he lacked accuracy, and even worse, wasn’t much of a leader. Those negatives translated in brutal career stats (53%/31 TDs/57 INTs) and only 7 wins in 32 starts.

1] K Tom Birney (1979-1980/13 starts) – Fans today aren’t satisfied with Mason Crosby because he converts only 78% of his field goals. Well, this guy converted only 75% of his extra points. Believe it or not, he made only 21 of 28 PATs in parts of two seasons with the Packers. His low point was choking on two short field goals against the Buccaneers in 1980. The first miss came at the end of regulation and the second occurred with just seconds left in overtime. He was ultimately replaced by Jan Stenerud. Talk about an upgrade.
I personally think this guy gives Ahmad Carroll way too much credit for being only the 13th worst Packer in the last 30 years with 10 or more starts. He was way worse than that - especially as a first round pick that Sherman traded up to acquire I believe. Mandarich has to be way higher too.

Guys like Joe Johnson and Jamal Reynolds didn't get enough starts to qualify for the list.

[Guiness]

Joe Johnson didn't have 10 starts? lol

How did Davis rack up 24 starts? He was around when Chewy and Franks were here, and other than Chewy's last year with his neck injury those guys got all the starts, didn't they? I don't know I'd rank Davis one of the 20 worst. He wasn't awful, just wasn't very good.

[Gunakor]

Aaron Rouse is on this list, but Marquand Manuel is not. Interesting.

[KYPack]

Aaron Rouse is on this list, but Marquand Manuel is not. Interesting.

Rouse did a good trick. From starter to cut in a week. Ahmad Carrol did the same stunt.

Manuel was a bum. I actually bragged about him on a now defunct forum. He played pretty good for a kid in Cincy, but never panned out for us. On these "worst" lists, I always look for Estes Hood, one of the worst of our many bad corners.

Minor point, but dept....

Randy Wright ain't no Wiskey native, he was a FIB.

[Pugger]

It is no coincidence that a lot of these bottom feeders played in the 80s! :shock: We really suffered thru some sorry teams, did we? Mandarich is probably where he should be. After he cleaned himself up he had a few decent seasons in Indy so he could actually play. Others like Ahmad Carroll disappeared. I'd put him higher (lower?:lol:).

[HarveyWallbangers]

The 80s weren't half bad. We actually went 8-8 in four years in the 80s, went 10-6 in 1989, and made the playoffs with a winning record in the strike shortened 1982 season (when we had our best team). So, only 4 losing seasons in the 80s. Now, the 70s were a different story. We had 8 losing seasons in the 70s. We won the division in 1972. We went 8-7-1 in another year (and lost the division tiebreaker to Minnesota). We had a losing record the other 8 seasons. Hard to believe, but we actually had a better record in the first half of the 80s then we did in the first half of the 90s. :lol:

[bobblehead]

Rouse did a good trick. From starter to cut in a week. Ahmad Carrol did the same stunt.

Manuel was a bum. I actually bragged about him on a now defunct forum. He played pretty good for a kid in Cincy, but never panned out for us. On these "worst" lists, I always look for Estes Hood, one of the worst of our many bad corners.

Minor point, but dept....

Randy Wright ain't no Wiskey native, he was a FIB.

Not the only spot the writer shows ignorance. He mocks Karl Swanke for weighing "only" 260 lbs. Problem here is that in 1920-1984 there were NEVER more than 8 players in the NFL that weighed over 300 pounds. OL routinely weighed in at 260-270. Ken Rutgers came out of college at 265, but he bulked up as that was the era that guys started getting bigger. Mandarich was considered a monster at 315. William Perry was smaller than BJ Raji but was considered a lard ass. Bill Fralic (roids boy) weighed 275. Larry McCarren about 255.

Karl may have sucked, but not because he was too small to play LT in the early 80's.

[Patler]

I was going to mention the same thing about Swanke's size. Swanke replaced Mark Koncar, who was listed at 270. Greg Koch was the RT when Swanke played, and he was listed at 270 as well. Three-hundred pounders were few and far between in those days. Ron Hallstrom was considered a big, big guard at the time, and he weighed 285.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I disagree with his assessment of Swanke's ability. Swanke was a decent player. Dickey was the QB, and was about as immobile as any QB that has played. Yet the sack totals were not outrageous, even though their offense was mostly a lot of deep throws. Swanke was also considered the "professor" of the O-line, knowing everyone's responsibilities inside and out. Before he became the starter at LT, he was their "super-sub" filling in anywhere along the line. Whenever anyone went out, Swanke went in. He even caught a TD pass lined up as a TE. He had lots of knee surgeries, and in those days they ended a lot of careers and certainly affected his. Toward the end of his career, Swanke started some at center for the Packers, after Ruettgers took over at LT.

The Packers had a lot of starters worse than Karl Swanke.

[RashanGary]

I'd call this list, a list of the bottom 20 memorable players in Packers history. I'm certain you could find more horrible players that nobody remembered their names.

[Patler]

I'd call this list, a list of the bottom 20 memorable players in Packers history. I'm certain you could find more horrible players that nobody remembered their names.

No matter what you call it, I don't think Swanke deserves to be on it. He was decent enough.
On the other hand, 1st round pick John Michel and his 14 starts should be on the list.
How about 1st round pick Jerry Tagge and his 12 starts?
Yet, the writer "picks on" a 7th round draft choice in Will Whittiker???

By the way, I think he is wrong about Tim Stokes' career. He didn't fill in for "the injury-prone Swanke quite often in 1981 and 1982," he filled in for injured Mark Koncar at LT in '78 (16 starts), '79 (4 starts), 80 (15 starts) and '81 (4 starts). Koncar was still the starter through '81. Swanke became the starter after Koncar left in '82.

[Fritz]

Where's John Hadl on that list? He may have been a super star in San Diego (I think it was SD) but he was all played out by the time he got to GB and he stunk.

[Freak Out]

Freaking Grabby Smurf...... every time I think of that guy I just have to laugh....what a debacle.

[K-town]

Where's John Hadl on that list? He may have been a super star in San Diego (I think it was SD) but he was all played out by the time he got to GB and he stunk.
Hadl last played for the Pack in 1975...past the 30 year time limit parameter. But if you want to talk about bad '70s QBs, don't forget Frank Patrick and Jim Del Gaizo.

[Joemailman]

Hadl last played for the Pack in 1975...past the 30 year time limit parameter. But if you want to talk about bad '70s QBs, don't forget Frank Patrick and Jim Del Gaizo.

...or Jerry Tagge.

[vince]

I'd call this list, a list of the bottom 20 memorable players in Packers history. I'm certain you could find more horrible players that nobody remembered their names.
His requirement was that the player had to "start" at least 10 games regardless of where they were drafted or how they were acquired.

Mandarich was OK - as a Colt. As a Packer - nothing short of brutal as I recall. Terrell Buckley was another guy who sucked as a Packer but was serviceable elsewhere.

[red]

i too found the will wittker bash a little uncalled for

he was a seventh round pick who was forced to start right away because of injury, cut the guy some slack. as a seventh round pick he wasn't even suppose to make the roster

the worst part about mandarich wasn't just the fact the he was roided up in college and sucked as a pro off the juice, its the fact that if we hadn't drafted him, we probably would have ended up drafting a hall of famer with that pick

can you imagine that eary to mid 90's team with favre, reggie, sharpe, and barry or deon, or derrick brooks to go along with the rest of that steller cast

we might have won a couple more super bowls

[Bretsky]

When I saw the thread title I instantly thought of Estus Hood from the 80's. Kudos to the list and for remembering the Hood

[Freak Out]

That list brings back a shitload of bad memories. Tom Birney.....brutal.

[MJZiggy]

Freaking Grabby Smurf...... every time I think of that guy I just have to laugh....what a debacle.

I will never look at oven mitts the same way again.

[hoosier]

I would put John Hadl on that list, and high too. He definitely qualifies (22 games, 19 starts), and his stats are solidly in the mediocre category (52% completion, 5.9 yards/attempt, and even worse is his 9 TDS to 29 INTS [5.4%]. But the most damning thing of all isn't his fault: it's what GB gave up to get him.

[Joemailman]

I would put John Hadl on that list, and high too. He definitely qualifies (22 games, 19 starts), and his stats are solidly in the mediocre category (52% completion, 5.9 yards/attempt, and even worse is his 9 TDS to 29 INTS [5.4%]. But the most damning thing of all isn't his fault: it's what GB gave up to get him.

The list is only for the last 30 years. Otherwise, I'm sure Hadl would be there.

[hoosier]

You're right, didn't notice that.

[Fritz]

What? That was over thirty years ago?

Damn, I'm getting middle-aged.

He did suck, though.

But Hoosier is correct - it was one of the biggest swindles of all time. A move of complete desperation. Right up there with the Herschel Walker trade.

[retailguy]

What? That was over thirty years ago?

Damn, I'm getting middle-aged.

He did suck, though.

But Hoosier is correct - it was one of the biggest swindles of all time. A move of complete desperation. Right up there with the Herschel Walker trade.

I believe it was 1974.... That'd make it 37 years....