Comparing the 1997 and 2011 Packers

[Brandon494]

Both the 1997 and 2011 Packer teams follow Super Bowl championship teams. How do these two teams compare? Is this year's team better than the 1997 team, and does this team have a chance to equal or better the end result of the 1997 team?

1997 key players/backups

OFFENSE
QB - Brett Favre, Steve Bono, Doug Pederson
RB - Dorsey Levens, Aaron Hayden, William Henderson, Travis Jervey, Chris Darkins
WR - Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Derrick Mayes, Don Beebe, Bill Schroeder, Terry Mickens
TE - Mark Chmura, Jeff Thomason, Tyrone Davis
OL - Earl Dotson, Ross Verba, John Michels, Adam Timmerman, Aaron Taylor, Frank Winters, Jeff Dellenbach, Marco Rivera

DEFENSE

DE - Reggie White, Gabe Wilkins, Keith McKenzie
DT - Gilbert Brown, Santana Dotson, Darius Holland, Paul Frase
LB - Bernardo Harris, Brian Williams, Seth Joyner, Wayne Simmons, Lamont Hollinquest, George Koonce
DB - LeRoy Butler, Eugene Robinson, Tyrone Williams, Doug Evans, Roderick Mullen, Mike Prior, Darren Sharpet

K - Ryan Longwell
P - Craig Hentrich
PR - Bill Schroeder
KR - Bill Schroeder
LS - Rob Davis

I was only 10 at the time but damn I miss watching this team play.

[Tony Oday]

Verba sucks at life damn wife beater.

[DonHutson]

Thanks, I couldn't remember...

He also had an encore season in Green Bay in 1999. Clearly a less memorable one.

[pbmax]

It's difficult to come up with a comparison of these teams off the cuff, as we readily remember the careers of the 1997 players, and not necessarily how well they played that year.

Longwell, Rivera, Verba, Schroeder, and Sharper were all rookies on that team. Verba started 11 games, Schroeder started 1 game, Rivera and Sharper were backups and special teams contributors.

What happened to Craig Newsome that year? Only played in one game. Did he suffer a season ending injury?

Knee injury cost him a year and his already average speed

[Fritz]

man, i never realized how much talent was lost between those 2 seasons

sean jones is the big one that sticks out to me

I agree here. I think his loss hit the team far more than they expected. I think Ron Wolf's ego might have cost the team on this one, just as I think Mike Holmgren's ego cost the team in 97. By the time they hit the playoffs the talk was all over about him going to Seattle, and Holmgren didn't really handle it well. It seemed clear he wanted out, wanted more authority, and it appeared his relationship with Wolf suffered as a result. Thus, when speaking to the media, Holmgren was not as persuasive as he might've been that his heart was still in Green Bay.

[pbmax]

I agree here. I think his loss hit the team far more than they expected. I think Ron Wolf's ego might have cost the team on this one, just as I think Mike Holmgren's ego cost the team in 97. By the time they hit the playoffs the talk was all over about him going to Seattle, and Holmgren didn't really handle it well. It seemed clear he wanted out, wanted more authority, and it appeared his relationship with Wolf suffered as a result. Thus, when speaking to the media, Holmgren was not as persuasive as he might've been that his heart was still in Green Bay.

The Seattle stuff didn't get huge attention until Holmgren openly entertained it during Super Bowl hype week.

Then it seemed to languish on for the entire 1998 season, including Holmgren's vindictive use of Levens in the opener after his holdout until 25 was destroyed late in the game. 1997 was tough, 98 was a nightmare.

[Patler]

K: 1997. Longwell though I have long grown tired of his as spokesman for the fraternity of misunderstood kickers.

I'm also a Longwell fan in some respects, but choosing between Longwell of 1997 or Crosby of 2011, I'll take Crosby. As a rookie, Longwell was very limited in range. They barely tried any FGs over 40 yards with him that year because he was very inconsistent. He was only an 80% kicker like Crosby, but from much shorter distances than Crosby. After '97 he completely changed his approach, and eliminated a step. His accuracy improved significantly, especially from longer distances.

If choosing between them at similar stages of their careers, 5th year, I would go with Longwell; but not Longwell of '97 vs. Crosby of 2011. Longwell became a different kicker after '97.

[smuggler]

Crosby is also better now at onside kicks than Longwell ever was.

[pbmax]

I'm also a Longwell fan in some respects, but choosing between Longwell of 1997 or Crosby of 2011, I'll take Crosby. As a rookie, Longwell was very limited in range. They barely tried any FGs over 40 yards with him that year because he was very inconsistent. He was only an 80% kicker like Crosby, but from much shorter distances than Crosby. After '97 he completely changed his approach, and eliminated a step. His accuracy improved significantly, especially from longer distances.

If choosing between them at similar stages of their careers, 5th year, I would go with Longwell; but not Longwell of '97 vs. Crosby of 2011. Longwell became a different kicker after '97.

A very fair point. I forgot it was his rookie year.

[gbgary]

A lot closer than you would think, at least for the starters.

Average age of starting players on offense/defense/kickers:

1997 - 27.593
2011 - 27.375

wow. whodathunkit?

[hoosier]

Sean Jones may have been a little more reliable than Gabe Wilkins, and Wilkins's rep really took a hit when he got hurt in the SB. But ae t that point in their careers Wilkins was unquestionably more talented. Remember his Dilfer-hurdling pick-6 against Tampa Bay that saved the Packers early in the season when the Bucs were threatening to run away with the division. Jones was dinged up in '96 and his overall production was not appreciably better than Wilkins in 97. If Wilkins had returned in the SB I think we would be saying that Jones-->Wilkins was a slight upgrade.

The real loss between 96 and 97 was, as Vince suggested, the departure of Desmond Howard.

[Patler]

man, i never realized how much talent was lost between those 2 seasons

sean jones is the big one that sticks out to me

I agree here. I think his loss hit the team far more than they expected. I think Ron Wolf's ego might have cost the team on this one, just as I think Mike Holmgren's ego cost the team in 97.

You are blaming Wolf for the loss of Jones???? Why? He was 35 years old, and I don't believe he played for anyone else after the Packers. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he simply retired, didn't he? Something to do with an off-season injury and his age.

[red]

i wasn't, don't go lumping me in with fritz and all his crazy over the top ideas

[MJZiggy]

i wasn't, don't go lumping me in with fritz and all his crazy over the top ideas

Don't his crazy over the top ideas usually revolve around sex? I thought you'd want to be lumped in with that.

[Patler]

i wasn't, don't go lumping me in with fritz and all his crazy over the top ideas

My remark wasn't directed at you, because you didn't say it. Fritz did. I included your quote in my post only because it was part of Fritz's post (he quoted you), and without it you can't tell what Fritz is talking about.