Best Packer players since 1990??

[RashanGary]

Aaron Rodgers
Brett Favre
Reggie White
Charles Woodson


Who's next? Those are 4 clear HOFers. But who are the next guys?

Sterling Sharpe

Then who?

[Joemailman]

Leroy Butler belongs in there.

Adams, if he signs extension
Bakhtiari (Sorry Tex)
Janis

[Sparkey]

Ahman Green

[Upnorth]

Al harris!
Claymaker

Soon to be jaire Alexander.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Chad Clifton, Marco Rivera, Josh Sitton
Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings
Nick Collins

[smuggler]

Woodson, Sitton, Linsley, Bakhtiari, Matthews, Jenkins, Collins, Rodgers, Jordy, Tae, Jaire

The last decade those guys have been the best or in the discussion at their position at one time or another.

As much as I love Cliffy, I don't think that describes him.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Disagree. Clifton was that good. Should have made more than 2 Pro Bowls. In fact, I don’t think Bakh is appreciably better. And I don’t think Linsley was appreciably better than Frank Winters or Scott Wells.

[bobblehead]

Disagree. Clifton was that good. Should have made more than 2 Pro Bowls. In fact, I don’t think Bakh is appreciably better. And I don’t think Linsley was appreciably better than Frank Winters or Scott Wells.

Cliftons biggest flaw was that he was a notoriously poor run blocker. Like you couldn't even think about running left.

[RashanGary]

Sitton was probably the best lineman of the last 30 years. He did every kind of block well, especially pass pro.

[Joemailman]

Cliftons biggest flaw was that he was a notoriously poor run blocker. Like you couldn't even think about running left.

Yep. He was a more natural pass blocker than Bakhtiari, but....

[RashanGary]

I remember Clifton would go toe to toe against Jared Allen or against Peppers with no help and shut them down. Clifton was the better pass protector. But he was stiff and deficient trying to run block.

[RashanGary]

Those year's with Sitton, Lindsley, or Tretter and Lang were special. Rodgers would drop back, step up into a clean pocket, drop back again to let the tackles reset and then step up again, just waiting for dick rod or cobb or someone to come open. That was a truly special line.

Bakh/Sitton/Lindsley/Lang/Bulaga

Dick rod was the leading receiver that one year when Jordy was down and Adams was injured. I think Cobb had a shoulder too. Still a productive offense with Lacy and no one else at the skill spots.

[call_me_ishmael]

Man that 2014 team is one of the best squads in the FA era. Shoulda won it all.

[texaspackerbacker]

There have been a LOT of good WRs made that way by Favre and Rodgers. I liked Robert Brooks and maybe Antonio Freeman as good or better than Sharpe. Davante Adams may just be better than any of those WRs.

One thing that should be clarified: are we talking about "up to now" on the still active guys? Or projecting it out over a career? Aaron Jones, for example, if the likely future is considered, has any RB since 1990 beat. Bakhtiari is the same way - if he comes back and plays at a high level for 5-10 years, he might belong in the 5th to 10th place on that list. If we're projecting that way, though, I'd see Elgton Jenkins' chances better than Bakhtiari. At the same early stage of the career, you could have said the same about Sitton. It also makes a difference if you factor the importance of position into it - and of course, there is plenty of disagreement over that.

I concur with the top 3 - Rodgers, Favre, and White in that order head and shoulders above everybody else. Woodson is slightly lower but not much. 4-8 IMO after due consideration would be 4. Ahman Green 5. Clay Matthews 6. Charles Woodson 7. Davante Adams 8. Leroy Butler. That's sum total of performance to the present, no projecting into the future.

[Joemailman]

Those year's with Sitton, Lindsley, or Tretter and Lang were special. Rodgers would drop back, step up into a clean pocket, drop back again to let the tackles reset and then step up again, just waiting for dick rod or cobb or someone to come open. That was a truly special line.

Bakh/Sitton/Lindsley/Lang/Bulaga

Dick rod was the leading receiver that one year when Jordy was down and Adams was injured. I think Cobb had a shoulder too. Still a productive offense with Lacy and no one else at the skill spots.

Dick Rod was 3rd on the team in receiving in 2015 when Jordy was out. They signed James Jones who led the team in receiving, and Cobb was 2nd. He did have his best year with 510 yards and 8 TD's. And it did include the glorious Hail Mary Reception to beat the Lions.

[Bretsky]

There have been a LOT of good WRs made that way by Favre and Rodgers. I liked Robert Brooks and maybe Antonio Freeman as good or better than Sharpe. Davante Adams may just be better than any of those WRs.




COME ON MAN !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur0g-R7ZODY


Sterling Sharpe may have been the greatest WR of all time had he stayed healthy. He's in a different ballpark than Freeman or Brooks. Davante Adams may be in the same ballpark, but Sharpe's talent was still at a different level of Adams.

[texaspackerbacker]

But he didn't. I was looking for Tim Lewis to be an all time great Corner too, but he messed up his neck. Ditto that for Nick Collins at Safety. Are we talking about what somebody did? Or what they might have done?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Clifton wasn't stiff and wasn’t as poor of a run blocker as some of you guys are making him out to be. He was highly athletic. Tauscher was the stiff one.

[HarveyWallbangers]

At 334 pounds the dude ran a 5.05 40, 7.58 3 cone, and 30.5” vertical.

Tausch was 318, 5.37 40, 7.91 3 cone, 27” vertical. He was the stiff one.

Bakh was 299, 5.18 40, 7.7 3 cone, 25.5” vertical—but does appear much more athletic than that.

[Freak Out]

Cliffy was a badass tough motherfucker. Memory loss for some of you dudes. Those lines Green ran behind were amazing.

[bobblehead]

Clifton wasn't stiff and wasn’t as poor of a run blocker as some of you guys are making him out to be. He was highly athletic. Tauscher was the stiff one.

It was more about effort. He rarely made any kind of effort to do more than shield a guy off. Absolutely never locked onto a guy and drove him anywhere. He probably could have been better, he just was happy being the guy who could mirror the great edge rushers, or anchor vs. the great bull rushers. He was a wall.

[Bretsky]

But he didn't. I was looking for Tim Lewis to be an all time great Corner too, but he messed up his neck. Ditto that for Nick Collins at Safety. Are we talking about what somebody did? Or what they might have done?

good points; I didn't read that right. I thought you were saying those WR's were better than Sharpe

[texaspackerbacker]

I was hahahahaha - or at least just as good. Actually, what I said was that I liked them better, especially the breakaway speed.

[HarveyWallbangers]

There have been a LOT of good WRs made that way by Favre and Rodgers. I liked Robert Brooks and maybe Antonio Freeman as good or better than Sharpe. Davante Adams may just be better than any of those WRs.

Brooks and Freeman better than Sharpe? :) Sharpe was certainly faster than Freeman and Adams.

[Sparkey]

https://stathead.com/tiny/qpr8G

Sterling Sharpe was Adams but with deep speed. He is the best WR that ever played for the Packers.

[HarveyWallbangers]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gthQ25tuwPs

Sharpe vs Hall of Famer Rod Woodson

[texaspackerbacker]

I'm not gonna say any thing against Sharpe. He was a great possession receiver and a good deep threat too. I'm just saying, I liked Brooks and Freeman better. That and I don't think any of them were as good all around as Adams. And when we're talking about best player, that ought to reflect the whole career, or accomplishment up to now in the case of a current guy. If Davante's career ended right now, he would have accomplished more than any of those guys. If Sharpe had played for another 8 or 10 years at a high level, he might have been on a par with Jerry Rice - but he didn't.

[Joemailman]

I guess it depends on how you define best player. Is it based on who was the best player during the years they played, or is it based on who had the best overall career? If it's based on the former, then Sharpe was better than any Packer WR who has come since. For a number of years, Sharpe was the 2nd best WR in the NFL. And the only reason he wasn't #1 was because he played at the same time as Jerry Rice.

[smuggler]

Saying Clifton wasn't the best tackle in the league isn't selling him short. Get real. He was a fine player, but in the B-tier of NFL starters.

[Joemailman]

Saying Clifton wasn't the best tackle in the league isn't selling him short. Get real. He was a fine player, but in the B-tier of NFL starters.

B-tier of NFL starters? He had his weaknesses in run blocking, but he was as good a pass blocker as their was in the NFL.

[Bretsky]

I think Sterling would have been in top 10 of all time without injuries. Most likely top 5. Maybe the top

[Fritz]

DP

[Fritz]

I know this was before the 90's, but for my money James Lofton was as good as Sharpe. A different kind of receiver, but quite good.

And as for the best players since the 90's, where is my man Wayne Simmons??


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqbcj0dg5AE

[texaspackerbacker]

Yeah, I forgot about Lofton. He was great, and I prefer his kind of stretch the field type receiver.

Another one nobody mentioned, but if we're including short Packer careers, there was hardly anybody better as a LB than the Mad Stork, Ted Hendricks ...... oops, never mind, I see he played long before 1990. Lofton, BTW, left Green Bay in the '80s also.

[George Cumby]

And as for the best players since the 90's, where is my man Wayne Simmons??


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqbcj0dg5AE

Never gets old.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Sharpe vs Lofton is a good argument for best modern day WR in Packers history. Lofton was like Moss, but in a different era. Tall, world class athlete. Sharpe could do it all—including stretching the field. If I had to choose, I’d pick Sharpe by the narrowest of margins.

[Fritz]

Yeah, I forgot about Lofton. He was great, and I prefer his kind of stretch the field type receiver.

Another one nobody mentioned, but if we're including short Packer careers, there was hardly anybody better as a LB than the Mad Stork, Ted Hendricks ...... oops, never mind, I see he played long before 1990. Lofton, BTW, left Green Bay in the '80s also.

As I recall, he only played for the Packers for one year, but it was a helluva year. I'd have to agree with you on this one, Tex - Hendricks was like Too Tall Jones but at the linebacking position, and he really wreaked havoc on opponents. But I think he wanted lots of money and did not want to play in Green Bay.

[Fritz]

As I recall, he only played for the Packers for one year, but it was a helluva year. I'd have to agree with you on this one, Tex - Hendricks was like Too Tall Jones but at the linebacking position, and he really wreaked havoc on opponents. But I think he wanted lots of money and did not want to play in Green Bay.

Okay, it's one thing to post lazy shit on a fan board like this, but another to post a YouTube video of Ted Hendricks highlights and put on there that he was #82 for Oakland when in every frame he's number 83 in the Raider uniform.

But still, you get a sense of how effective he was. A damn good linebacker, and it's too bad Bart Starr didn't realize how poor his own drafting was, so that when Bart refused to give a big guaranteed contract to the Mad Stork, and then traded him away for two first-rounders, he'd end up drafting Ezra "Hot Dog" Johnson and Mediocre Mark Koncar.

Bart was not cut out to be a GM. And maybe not even a head coach.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPo1o6HEFo

[Sparkey]

The thing about Sharpe that is often overlooked. The guy put up huge numbers with some really shitty/average qb play for the first two thirds of his career:
88 - Majkowski/Wright
89 - Majik
90 - Majik / Dilweg
91 - Tomczak / Majik
92 - Majik / Favre
93 - Favre
94 - Favre

Put simply, if you had to build a team and had a choice of Adams prime or Sharpe prime, I personally do not think it is even a close. Sharpe every day!

[George Cumby]

And no legitimate threat on the other side, IIRC.

[Sparkey]

And no legitimate threat on the other side, IIRC.

Walter Stanley - 88
Perry Kemp - 89 thru 91
Sanjay Beach - 92
Mark Clayton - 93
Robert Brooks - 94

Lol, yeah some all time great side kicks!

I would guess, if Sharpe had not been injured, you could add another 1 or 2 SuperbOwls to the Packers list.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/353120-why-sterling-sharpe-was-an-injury-away-from-being-the-next-jerry-rice

[George Cumby]

Was Phillip Epps in that Murderer's Row?

[Sparkey]

Was Phillip Epps in that Murderer's Row?

Epps last year was 88 with the Pack. 89 he played for the Jets.

[George Cumby]

I choose to believe that you know that by memory.

:knll:

[Guiness]

Only saw one mention of Nick Collins here. He had three spectacular season and was looking to be on the way to an HOF career before the injury. His time at the top was relatively short but he was one of the best in the league for that time.

[Fritz]

Walter Stanley - 88
Perry Kemp - 89 thru 91
Sanjay Beach - 92
Mark Clayton - 93
Robert Brooks - 94

Lol, yeah some all time great side kicks!

I would guess, if Sharpe had not been injured, you could add another 1 or 2 SuperbOwls to the Packers list.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/353120-why-sterling-sharpe-was-an-injury-away-from-being-the-next-jerry-rice

Okay, Robert Brooks was a damn good wide receiver. If he hadn't gotten hurt, he'd be up there with the Freemans and Drivers, at least. He was the real deal, but an injury derailed him.

[Sparkey]

I choose to believe that you know that by memory.

:knll:

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/32017990.jpg

[HarveyWallbangers]

Good highlight video of Sharpe. He had shitty QBs for most of his career (Majik was really only good in 1989 and then he had Favre his last 2 years). He had no second WR to take coverage away until 1994. He played in an era where passing wasn't nearly as prevalent. Yet, he led the league in receptions in 3 of his 7 years (setting NFL records in both 1992 and 1993), had over 1400 yards twice (setting a Packers record in 1992), set a Packers record for TDs with 18 in 1994, and was one of the few people who won the triple crown in receiving (1992). He had four season of 90+ receptions, 1100+ yards, and 11+ TDs in an era where 90 receptions was generally top 5 in the league and only five players had ever posted 100 receptions in a season. He was generally considered the second best WR in the NFL--only because the goat, Jerry Rice, was in his prime.

The sad thing is: dude never missed a game in his career until the final game of of the 1994 season--when he got a neck injury that forced him to retire.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcTNxASXd5E

[th87]

How deep are we going? Some names to consider outside the obvious ones:

Tim Harris - I think most of his production came before 1990, and then again after he left for SF, but he almost reached 20 sacks and was an All Pro.
Bryce Paup - DPOY the season after he left though.
Sean Jones - He too was an All Pro with the Packers.
Brian Williams - All Pro, career cut short by injuries.

Ahman Green - best all around RB since 1990.
Javon Walker - thought he could've been great if not for his ACL injury.
Greg Jennings
Jordy Nelson
Donald Driver
Desmond Howard - we've never seen anyone like him since. He was an automatic TD in 1996, which is insane to imagine.
Jermichael Finley - injuries robbed him of a great career too.
Al Harris
Tramon Williams
Nick Collins

[smuggler]

Looking through this thread, Butler and Freeman need more love.

[George Cumby]

Someone else mentioned him earlier:

Brian Noble.

Man, I loved watching him play. He was my favorite Packer in that time-frame. Too bad he got hurt just as they were turning the corner.

[Thirteen Below]

I know this was before the 90's, but for my money James Lofton was as good as Sharpe. A different kind of receiver, but quite good.

And as for the best players since the 90's, where is my man Wayne Simmons??


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqbcj0dg5AE

"And stay there, damn it!"

When I used to play hockey, we had an expression called "ragdolling" a guy. But I've never seen it done quite like that! :-P

That was the Super Bowl year, wasn't it? 96? I remember Lee was crying about it after the game, saying he was "going to send film to the league." Simmons suggested he "shut up, grow up, and get a life". If I remember, the league agreed with Simmons' point of view, rather than Lee's.

[Thirteen Below]

Those year's with Sitton, Lindsley, or Tretter and Lang were special. Rodgers would drop back, step up into a clean pocket, drop back again to let the tackles reset and then step up again, just waiting for dick rod or cobb or someone to come open. That was a truly special line.

Bakh/Sitton/Lindsley/Lang/Bulaga




Cliffy was a badass tough motherfucker. Memory loss for some of you dudes. Those lines Green ran behind were amazing.

Reading this thread, and looking back over the years, I'm reminded once again of how fortunate we've been to have had so many years of really solid to actually outstanding offensive line play. There've been a few transitional years where we'd lose 2 or 3 guys to free agency really close together and it took a year or two to get their replacements up to par, or we'd get too many injuries at a thin position, but one thing I give Thompson and now Gutekunst credit for (and Wolf before them) is that for the most part, I think they've done a really good job of making sure Favre and Rodgers had a suitable workspace to do their jobs. It's made a significant difference in the careers both of them have been able to put together. Here's a thread about the greatest Packer players in the last 30 years, and it seems like at least 1/3 of the players mentioned are offensive linemen - and all that without anyone even getting as far down the list as Tony Mandarich!

OK. Sorry about that.

In addition to the obvious Big Three, my fourth would be Sterling Sharpe - one of the two best receivers ever to wear the green and gold, second only to Don Hutson. If it hadn't been for his injury, he might have been remembered as neck and neck with Jerry Rice in the conversation about greatest of all time.

After that, I'd have to say (in no particular order) Ahman Green, Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews, Corey Linsley, Josh Sitton, Greg Jennings, Gregg Tauscher... and I'm surprised at how much "meh" Chad Clifton is getting in this discussion. People can talk about his technique, and his athleticism, and his run blocking, and on and on, but the bottom line is when he was in the game, Brett and Aaron could drop back three steps every single snap without having to look back over their left shoulders. That's what you pay a left tackle left tackle money for, and Chad Clifton earned every dime of his left tackle money.

I'm also surprised not to see Donald Driver barely mentioned here. He turned 3rd and long into 1st and 10 more than any Packer receiver I remember in my lifetime. I'd also mention Marco Rivera - 2 times All Pro, 3 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl ring, Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame... he was a key contributor to some of the best years of the Green Bay Packers. He belongs on the list of the best Packers of his era.

I'm also going to mention one more guy - Aaron Kampman. He was one of only two Packers in history who won Defensive Player of The Week twice in one season; the other was a guy named Reggie White. When he first showed up for training camp in his draft year, the first thing he noticed was that 32 of the 53 roster platers were drafted in the 5th round or later. He immediately recognized that this was a team that valued hard work more than raw talent; understood the meaning of that lesson, and immediately went to work busting his ass. Mike McCarthy described him as a player without a weakness, and his position coach said he was the most complete player he had ever coached in the NFL.

But he was more than a good player; he was one of those players who make the whole team better. He was the guy who, every year, the coaches would pull the rookies aside and say, "See that guy? Be like him." Most of us have played sports, we remember that there sometimes seemed to be a couple of guys in the locker room that we just learned to want to be like because they just kept everyone upright and focused and in the right frame of mind. There are some players who it isn't just what they do on the field that makes them good players, it's what they do in the locker room and on the practice field. Every good team has one or two of those guys who make everyone try to be the best they can be because that's the team culture, and Aaron was that guy for Green Bay for quite a few years. I want to call out his name and remind everyone that sometimes there's more to being a great player than piling up big numbers, and Aaron Kampman was one of that type of great player.