Bretsky
05-11-2007, 10:17 PM
Rivera loved his time in Green Bay
By MARTIN HENDRICKS
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: May 10, 2007
When guard Marco Rivera puts on his imaginary general manager's hat, he comes to the same conclusion: his days as a Green Bay Packer were numbered after the 2004 season.
Marco Rivera says has the heart to play another year, but admits his mind is telling him to be smart. He underwent surgery for a back injury in January.
New Packers' general manager Ted Thompson was faced with the nearly impossible task of trying to retain three All-Pro players - Rivera, guard Mike Wahle, and safety Darren Sharper - under a tight salary cap.
"If I'm the general manager, and I know what Mike Wahle can do, what Marco Rivera can do, and what Darren Sharper can do, it was clear-cut," said Rivera, a Dallas Cowboy since March 2005 after signing a five-year, $20 million free-agent contract after a nine-year career in Green Bay.
"A new GM has no ties to the current players, so you have to go with the younger guy, Wahle, who's going to give you more playing time for a longer period of time. I hit the magic number - I was over 30, when (a lineman's) performance can go the other way."
What Rivera the GM doesn't agree with is letting all three veterans depart.
"I was ready and accepting of not being back, not being a Packer," Rivera said. "Which is a hard thing to do when you've played there for nine years, had great success, and everyone is like family. But I was really surprised they didn't sign Mike or Darren.
You just can't let great players leave."
Rivera is very happy in Dallas, but he also kept a close eye on the development of the Green Bay line and the Packers' fortunes.
"I have a lot of close friends on the team like Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton," he said. "The line was young last season and two years ago it was rough for Brett (Favre) and the Packers, but they have a good, young group of offensive linemen. I enjoyed my time in Green Bay, it's proven to be a special place."
Rivera said he is often asked by his Dallas teammates and sometimes even opponents whether playing in Green Bay and at historic Lambeau Field lived up to their billing.
"With the Cowboys, I still get some guys coming up to me in the locker room and asking me what it's like to play in Green Bay," he said.
"There's an aura about playing in Lambeau, and when visiting players get the chance to play there, it's special for them. It has been proven to me that Lambeau Field stands alone and Green Bay was a special place to play, a very classy organization."
Rivera considers himself fortunate to have played with two storied franchises. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound guard has started the past two seasons in Dallas and is preparing for his third as a leader on the Cowboys' offensive line.
Former general manager Ron Wolf made the former Penn State standout a Green Bay Packer with the sixth pick in the 1996 National Football League draft.
Wolf shared his thoughts on Rivera in a phone interview moments before the NFL draft began April 28, which he planned to check on between performing yard work at his home in Annapolis.
"We got really fortunate with Marco in the sixth round," Wolf said. "The thing about Marco was he was a tough, tough guy with a lot of pride who wanted to get better.
"He just kept getting better and better. What was invaluable for him was a year of playing in NFL Europe. He got with the right team and right coach and it just worked out for him. He took advantage of that playing time. He was kind of a late bloomer, but you don't get as good as he got without having the ability."
Rivera played for the Scottish Claymores of the World League (now NFL Europa) in 1997, starting all 10 games and earning honorable mention All-World League honors by Pro Football Weekly. He was deactivated for all 16 regular-season and three post-season games in the Packers' Super Bowl season of 1996, but became a starter in the 1998 season.
"I was deactivated my rookie year and did everything - practice, work out, meetings - but play in the regular games," Rivera said. "In practice, I was going against Gilbert Brown and Reggie White. As a rookie, that was unbelievable. We had such a great team, I was fortunate to just make it.
"I'll never forget watching Super Bowl XXXI, me and Mike Flanagan, from the sidelines," Rivera said. "We were cheering our teammates on, but wishing we could be in there, too. I remember Brett (Favre) running around the field with his helmet off and Reggie with the trophy after the game. I got spoiled and thought we could do this every year."
The Packers did go back to the Super Bowl the following season, but there was no repeat. John Elway and the Denver Broncos spoiled Green Bay's opportunity with a 31-24 victory.
"In 1997, we went to the Super Bowl again and I was on all the special teams - and was the wedge guy," Rivera said with a laugh. "I think we were the better team, but Denver played almost a perfect game. I mean they didn't do anything wrong - they were hard to beat on that day. The way I helped the team that year was on special teams before becoming a starter in 1998."
Rivera became one of the most durable linemen in Green Bay history, starting in 99 consecutive regular-season games through 2004, when he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
He joined the ranks of the franchise's elite linemen by starting seven consecutive seasons at offensive guard , second only to Jerry Kramer's mark of nine in a row from 1958-1966.
"I thought he had a really good career," Wolf said. "He was a key guy for us in Green Bay. With his development, we didn't have to get into a bidding war over Adam Timmerman, who was also a Pro Bowl player.
"Marco turned out to be even a better player than Timmerman for us. He was one of my favorites. He took his ability and made himself into a Pro Bowl player. He made it happen."
Rivera loves to travel, and his charitable and civic generosity have taken him to Iraq, Puerto Rico, and the White House during his Packer tenure. The list of his charitable associations takes up nearly a half-page in the 2004 Packer Media Guide, and range from The Marco Rivera Outreach Foundation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
In June 2004, Rivera visited U.S. troops in Kuwait and Qatar as part of an NFL-sponsored USO trip. In May 2002, he was one of several NFL player representatives who took part in a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, as a guest of President George W. Bush.
Rivera's favorite charity is the youth football clinics he has held since 1998 in Puerto Rico, his parents' home country. He also owns a home there.
"My dad was a butcher for close to 48 years," Rivera said. "I grew up in Brooklyn, and I grew up with those special cuts of meat. Our family always had a nice piece of meat on the dinner table. My mom never played sports and my dad was 6-foot-2 and on the husky side. Where I got my athletic ability is a mystery I'm still trying to solve."
Rivera had deep roots in Green Bay, but he had 20 million reasons to leave for Dallas and his big payday in free agency.
Surprisingly, a player known for his durability, who had played through numerous knee injuries as a Packer, suffered a freak back injury off the field that required surgery.
"The week after I signed with Dallas, I was in Maryland to receive the (Packers') Ed Block Courage Award," Rivera said. "I was at the hotel, working out on a treadmill, when I hurt my back. I thought I had pulled a hamstring, but it was a herniated disk.
"I went into that training camp not 100%, because I just wasn't as strong as I was in the past after the surgery. Coach Parcells demands a lot, and it was a challenge, but I threw myself in there. It's just who I am. It's mind over matter with injuries. I want to be in there - broken hands, torn MCLs, whatever - for my teammates. It's a source of pride for me and sets the tone for your team."
Rivera was an instant starter and played in 14 games in 2005 with Dallas, before suffering a neck injury in late December after landing on his head and being carried off the field on a stretcher.
"I sprained my neck against the Redskins, and that was real scary, not feeling your body for a few seconds," he said.
Rivera started all 16 games in 2006 as the Cowboys made the playoffs in the last week of the season as a wild-card entrant.
In a 21-20 loss to the Seahawks in a season-ending playoff game at Seattle in January, Rivera re-injured his back. He had surgery a week later, and his second back operation raised doubts about his ability to play in the 2007 season.
"I just turned 35, which is pretty old in football years," Rivera said. "And I have the rest of my life to live and a family. I'm at the point where my heart is telling me to play the game I love, but my mind is telling me to be smart. But they're being careful with me. I'm doing everything I can to get myself back to play one more year in Dallas."
No matter what transpires in the final chapter of his professional football career, Rivera will always remember his tenure as a Green Bay Packer.
"I put in a lot of work and sweat in Green Bay," Rivera said. "The highlight, obviously, was winning the Super Bowl my first year.
"I have so many memories, playing in Lambeau, all the Packer fans, making my first Pro Bowl. I played with Brett Favre and Reggie White and a bunch of great guys. I was coached by Mike Holmgren and Mike Sherman. Our GM was Ron Wolf. We did a lot of great things together."
By MARTIN HENDRICKS
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: May 10, 2007
When guard Marco Rivera puts on his imaginary general manager's hat, he comes to the same conclusion: his days as a Green Bay Packer were numbered after the 2004 season.
Marco Rivera says has the heart to play another year, but admits his mind is telling him to be smart. He underwent surgery for a back injury in January.
New Packers' general manager Ted Thompson was faced with the nearly impossible task of trying to retain three All-Pro players - Rivera, guard Mike Wahle, and safety Darren Sharper - under a tight salary cap.
"If I'm the general manager, and I know what Mike Wahle can do, what Marco Rivera can do, and what Darren Sharper can do, it was clear-cut," said Rivera, a Dallas Cowboy since March 2005 after signing a five-year, $20 million free-agent contract after a nine-year career in Green Bay.
"A new GM has no ties to the current players, so you have to go with the younger guy, Wahle, who's going to give you more playing time for a longer period of time. I hit the magic number - I was over 30, when (a lineman's) performance can go the other way."
What Rivera the GM doesn't agree with is letting all three veterans depart.
"I was ready and accepting of not being back, not being a Packer," Rivera said. "Which is a hard thing to do when you've played there for nine years, had great success, and everyone is like family. But I was really surprised they didn't sign Mike or Darren.
You just can't let great players leave."
Rivera is very happy in Dallas, but he also kept a close eye on the development of the Green Bay line and the Packers' fortunes.
"I have a lot of close friends on the team like Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton," he said. "The line was young last season and two years ago it was rough for Brett (Favre) and the Packers, but they have a good, young group of offensive linemen. I enjoyed my time in Green Bay, it's proven to be a special place."
Rivera said he is often asked by his Dallas teammates and sometimes even opponents whether playing in Green Bay and at historic Lambeau Field lived up to their billing.
"With the Cowboys, I still get some guys coming up to me in the locker room and asking me what it's like to play in Green Bay," he said.
"There's an aura about playing in Lambeau, and when visiting players get the chance to play there, it's special for them. It has been proven to me that Lambeau Field stands alone and Green Bay was a special place to play, a very classy organization."
Rivera considers himself fortunate to have played with two storied franchises. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound guard has started the past two seasons in Dallas and is preparing for his third as a leader on the Cowboys' offensive line.
Former general manager Ron Wolf made the former Penn State standout a Green Bay Packer with the sixth pick in the 1996 National Football League draft.
Wolf shared his thoughts on Rivera in a phone interview moments before the NFL draft began April 28, which he planned to check on between performing yard work at his home in Annapolis.
"We got really fortunate with Marco in the sixth round," Wolf said. "The thing about Marco was he was a tough, tough guy with a lot of pride who wanted to get better.
"He just kept getting better and better. What was invaluable for him was a year of playing in NFL Europe. He got with the right team and right coach and it just worked out for him. He took advantage of that playing time. He was kind of a late bloomer, but you don't get as good as he got without having the ability."
Rivera played for the Scottish Claymores of the World League (now NFL Europa) in 1997, starting all 10 games and earning honorable mention All-World League honors by Pro Football Weekly. He was deactivated for all 16 regular-season and three post-season games in the Packers' Super Bowl season of 1996, but became a starter in the 1998 season.
"I was deactivated my rookie year and did everything - practice, work out, meetings - but play in the regular games," Rivera said. "In practice, I was going against Gilbert Brown and Reggie White. As a rookie, that was unbelievable. We had such a great team, I was fortunate to just make it.
"I'll never forget watching Super Bowl XXXI, me and Mike Flanagan, from the sidelines," Rivera said. "We were cheering our teammates on, but wishing we could be in there, too. I remember Brett (Favre) running around the field with his helmet off and Reggie with the trophy after the game. I got spoiled and thought we could do this every year."
The Packers did go back to the Super Bowl the following season, but there was no repeat. John Elway and the Denver Broncos spoiled Green Bay's opportunity with a 31-24 victory.
"In 1997, we went to the Super Bowl again and I was on all the special teams - and was the wedge guy," Rivera said with a laugh. "I think we were the better team, but Denver played almost a perfect game. I mean they didn't do anything wrong - they were hard to beat on that day. The way I helped the team that year was on special teams before becoming a starter in 1998."
Rivera became one of the most durable linemen in Green Bay history, starting in 99 consecutive regular-season games through 2004, when he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
He joined the ranks of the franchise's elite linemen by starting seven consecutive seasons at offensive guard , second only to Jerry Kramer's mark of nine in a row from 1958-1966.
"I thought he had a really good career," Wolf said. "He was a key guy for us in Green Bay. With his development, we didn't have to get into a bidding war over Adam Timmerman, who was also a Pro Bowl player.
"Marco turned out to be even a better player than Timmerman for us. He was one of my favorites. He took his ability and made himself into a Pro Bowl player. He made it happen."
Rivera loves to travel, and his charitable and civic generosity have taken him to Iraq, Puerto Rico, and the White House during his Packer tenure. The list of his charitable associations takes up nearly a half-page in the 2004 Packer Media Guide, and range from The Marco Rivera Outreach Foundation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
In June 2004, Rivera visited U.S. troops in Kuwait and Qatar as part of an NFL-sponsored USO trip. In May 2002, he was one of several NFL player representatives who took part in a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, as a guest of President George W. Bush.
Rivera's favorite charity is the youth football clinics he has held since 1998 in Puerto Rico, his parents' home country. He also owns a home there.
"My dad was a butcher for close to 48 years," Rivera said. "I grew up in Brooklyn, and I grew up with those special cuts of meat. Our family always had a nice piece of meat on the dinner table. My mom never played sports and my dad was 6-foot-2 and on the husky side. Where I got my athletic ability is a mystery I'm still trying to solve."
Rivera had deep roots in Green Bay, but he had 20 million reasons to leave for Dallas and his big payday in free agency.
Surprisingly, a player known for his durability, who had played through numerous knee injuries as a Packer, suffered a freak back injury off the field that required surgery.
"The week after I signed with Dallas, I was in Maryland to receive the (Packers') Ed Block Courage Award," Rivera said. "I was at the hotel, working out on a treadmill, when I hurt my back. I thought I had pulled a hamstring, but it was a herniated disk.
"I went into that training camp not 100%, because I just wasn't as strong as I was in the past after the surgery. Coach Parcells demands a lot, and it was a challenge, but I threw myself in there. It's just who I am. It's mind over matter with injuries. I want to be in there - broken hands, torn MCLs, whatever - for my teammates. It's a source of pride for me and sets the tone for your team."
Rivera was an instant starter and played in 14 games in 2005 with Dallas, before suffering a neck injury in late December after landing on his head and being carried off the field on a stretcher.
"I sprained my neck against the Redskins, and that was real scary, not feeling your body for a few seconds," he said.
Rivera started all 16 games in 2006 as the Cowboys made the playoffs in the last week of the season as a wild-card entrant.
In a 21-20 loss to the Seahawks in a season-ending playoff game at Seattle in January, Rivera re-injured his back. He had surgery a week later, and his second back operation raised doubts about his ability to play in the 2007 season.
"I just turned 35, which is pretty old in football years," Rivera said. "And I have the rest of my life to live and a family. I'm at the point where my heart is telling me to play the game I love, but my mind is telling me to be smart. But they're being careful with me. I'm doing everything I can to get myself back to play one more year in Dallas."
No matter what transpires in the final chapter of his professional football career, Rivera will always remember his tenure as a Green Bay Packer.
"I put in a lot of work and sweat in Green Bay," Rivera said. "The highlight, obviously, was winning the Super Bowl my first year.
"I have so many memories, playing in Lambeau, all the Packer fans, making my first Pro Bowl. I played with Brett Favre and Reggie White and a bunch of great guys. I was coached by Mike Holmgren and Mike Sherman. Our GM was Ron Wolf. We did a lot of great things together."