Worst Packers Team Ever

[HarveyWallbangers]

We've talked about the best ('61 and '96), but what would be the worst team ever? Maybe keep it to the years since the Lombardi era.

[Scott Campbell]

Hmmm. I don't remember the exact years, but I'd bet on one of those Scott Hunter, David Whitehurst, or Randy Wright teams.

[Scott Campbell]

And thanks a lot for the buzz kill Harv.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I saw NFL.com has all the stats from every year archived in a nice format like current stats, and I wanted to compare this year's team to those teams. Plus, it's part of being a Packers fan. We are sort of like the Cubs--except that we win titles occasionally. Remember the term "wait 'til next year?" That was a Packer fans favorite motto after yet another 4-12 season. Funny how the fans were so positive back in those days. Now, we are a lot less forgiving.

[Freak Out]

I remember so many bad years....with a few ok years thrown in willy nilly....I'll have to look but one of the worst teams I remember was one of Infante's.

Just painful to watch.

[Freak Out]

The 50s was the worst as far as wins and losses....thank goodness I was not around for that.

I was around for the 80s though........

[oregonpackfan]

I have to violate Harvey's rule about keeping it to since the Lombardi era.

The worst Packer team was probably the last year before Lombardi arrived. The coach was Scooter McLean and the Packers were 1-12. I think the year was 1958.

[mraynrand]

1986, hands down. 4-12 record. 86 was awful because it followed the scuttling of all he Packer 'greats' of the 80's and replaced them with crap. Their leading rusher, Kenneth Davis had no rushing TDs. Mossy Cade. James Lofton's middle finger. Abysmal. 1991 was bad too. They were a bit more competetive, but the starting QB was Mike Tomczak - bleeeccch! And a horrible 10-0 loss at home to the bears. I think that's the one where Majkowski had the open hand fumble/pass in the endzone. What a horrible way to lose to the Bears, getting shut out - nothing is worse. I think Sharpe almost had 1000 yards that season though. 1979 follows because it was just the second year following the change to 16 games - giving the Packer two more chances to lose. Plus they had teased the year before with a grat 6-2 start and then crapping themselves. Dickey got hurt and 'no touch' Whitehurst took over. Very depressing.

[KYPack]

I have to violate Harvey's rule about keeping it to since the Lombardi era.

The worst Packer team was probably the last year before Lombardi arrived. The coach was Scooter McLean and the Packers were 1-12. I think the year was 1958.

Was hoping another "legend era" rat would reply.

The '58 team was 1-10-1. They only played 12 games in those days. That season made the packer board try and find a top coach. That season is widely regarded by Packer historians as the worst season in Packer history.

The game that really set Packer fans on edge was a 56 - 0 shellacking by the Baltimore Colts. Considered the worst loss in Packer history

[AtlPackFan]

I remember so many bad years....with a few ok years thrown in willy nilly....I'll have to look but one of the worst teams I remember was one of Infante's.

Just painful to watch.

I think Infante's last was the worst....with Wolf looking over his shoulder waiting for him to F up. I can't remember at what point they brought Wolf in but you knew he was going to pull the plug no matter what Infante did. It had to be the same way Sherman felt in his last year with TT watching.

I can remember some pretty bad Devine teams and the team's Gregg fielded would remind you of the current Bengals but with no talent....thugs! Funny how Devine and Gregg both bolted for a college gig (Notre Dame and I think Texas A&M). From what I remember, Starr's teams were mediocre.

I think if you look, the record of each coach - from Bengston to Infante - got a little worse. Maybe someone can check that out.

Actually...if memory serves correctly...Devine had one pretty good year...with Starr as his OC. I think that was why Starr got the gig after Devine. If memory serves me correct...Starr was OC one year, Devine's last year he wasn't and then he was hired but I can't remember how long Starr was OC and I can't remember how many years after Starr left that Devine lasted.

Don't take me to task if I have some facts wrong...I am doing this from memory and I pretty much blasted the brain cells that control memory in college.

[Spaulding]

I'd have to throw 1988 up there. I remember worse teams in the 70's where Barty Smith was our leading rusher with fewer yards than AP put in one game but 1988 was frustrating on so many levels.

Have to watch Majkowski and Wright put up twice as many picks as TD's, Majkowski being something like our second leading rusher and Perry Kemp even seeing the field let alone be our second leading receiver just spells doom.

Finally, all appeared to be set to get the first pick and nab Aikman (thankfully Favre came five years later to provide a silver lining) and we go and win two final meaningless games and fall to #2 and take the bust that would be the roid freak Mandrich.

Then again, 1975 with Hadl throwing more than three times as many picks as TD's (6/21) combined with a declining Brockington was pretty bad.

[Carolina_Packer]

I have to violate Harvey's rule about keeping it to since the Lombardi era.

The worst Packer team was probably the last year before Lombardi arrived. The coach was Scooter McLean and the Packers were 1-12. I think the year was 1958.

Was hoping another "legend era" rat would reply.

The '58 team was 1-10-1. They only played 12 games in those days. That season made the packer board try and find a top coach. That season is widely regarded by Packer historians as the worst season in Packer history.

The game that really set Packer fans on edge was a 56 - 0 shellacking by the Baltimore Colts. Considered the worst loss in Packer history

Lombardi was the OC of the Giants and Tom Landry was the DC for HC Jim Lee Howell. How good was Howell's gig? The Giants played in 3 NFL Championship games, winning one in 1956. One interesting note that I recall from the David Maraniss book "When Pride Still Mattered" was that the Packers were considering hiring Landry before they finally hired Lombardi. I thought that was really interesting to think about what might have been.

I agree on 1986...yuck! They lost the first 6 games and were almost celebratory when they beat Cleveland 17-14 in week 7. They proceeded to lose the next three after that short lived good feeling. The 76 season with Carlos Brown playing QB...that was pretty putrid.

[StPaulPackFan]

1988 was a pretty bad year. I remember being in a few close games only to have Max Zendejas miss chipshot field goals to cost us any chance of victory. This was also the year the GB decided to pick it up at the end of the year and win their last two games to bump their record to 4-12. These two victories edged us past Dallas, hence giving Dallas Troy Aikman in the 1989 draft. But luckily we were able to land the "sure-thing" offensive tackle extraordinaire Tony Mandar"bich" with the second pick.

In retrospect, if we had gotten Aikman we would have never gotten Favre. So I guess in the end it worked out pretty good for GB.

[Carolina_Packer]

1988 was a pretty bad year. I remember being in a few close games only to have Max Zendejas miss chipshot field goals to cost us any chance of victory. This was also the year the GB decided to pick it up at the end of the year and win their last two games to bump their record to 4-12. These two victories edged us past Dallas, hence giving Dallas Troy Aikman in the 1989 draft. But luckily we were able to land the "sure-thing" offensive tackle extraordinaire Tony Mandar"bich" with the second pick.

In retrospect, if we had gotten Aikman we would have never gotten Favre. So I guess in the end it worked out pretty good for GB.

That's a good way to look at it.

[Badgerinmaine]

Actually...if memory serves correctly...Devine had one pretty good year...with Starr as his OC. I think that was why y years after Starr left that Devine lasted.Starr got the gig after Devine.

I don't remember when Starr was OC, but I do remember him as a color commentator on CBS before he took over as coach. The one good year under Dan Devine was '72, when they went 10-4, John Brockington ran wild and they won the Central Division. I still haven't forgiven Washington for beating them. 1973 might be the most disappointing season after the good year in '72. They went 5-7-2 with the QB troika of Scott Hunter, Jerry Tagge and the immortal Jim Del Gaizo.