Just how good was Don Majkowski?

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
You must be logged in to see this image or video!
Seems like a real sweet and nice guy. It's a shame what happened to him.
I wasn't following the Packers when he was playing.
So I missed out on him.
For those that didn't do you think he could have taken the team to the SB instead of his replacement?
 

PWT

Full On Cheesehead
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
263
Reaction score
25
When Ron Wolf became Packer GM , he decided the Do n Majkowki had to to be replaced as Packe r starting QB. Wolf decided that Brett Favre was th QB , who would become the Packer franchise QB. Wolf made a trade to get Favre from the Falcons in 1992.

Majkowski's success was cut short when, in the 10th game of the Packers' 1990 season, Majkowski was injured when he tackled on his shoulder by Freedie Joe Nunn of the Az. Cardinals . Majkowski's injury turned out to be torn rotator cuff . The Packers finished the 1990 season using backups.

During the course of the 1991 season, Majkowski was benched and replaced as starter, but resumed starting duties at the beginning of the 1992 season. On a play on Septemb er 20, 1992 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Majkowski tore a ligament in his ankle. He was replaced after the play by Brett Farve who completed the game.
Favre became the Packer QB until retired after the 2007 season.

Majkowski went on to play for the Colts for two years a bac k up QB and then to Lions for two years as a back up QB. he retired after the 1996 season
 

Oshkoshpackfan

YUT !!!
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
3,286
Reaction score
260
Location
Camp Lejeune NC
He only had one decent year. 1989 he threw for 4300 yds 27 TD's and 20 INT's. I remember him vividly. The "Majic" man....lol I guess after having subpar QB's for so long, that 89 season was Magical or Majical for packer fans.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
When Ron Wolf became Packer GM , he decided the Do n Majkowki had to to be replaced as Packe r starting QB. Wolf decided that Brett Favre was th QB , who would become the Packer franchise QB. Wolf made a trade to get Favre from the Falcons in 1992.

Majkowski's success was cut short when, in the 10th game of the Packers' 1990 season, Majkowski was injured when he tackled on his shoulder by Freedie Joe Nunn of the Az. Cardinals . Majkowski's injury turned out to be torn rotator cuff . The Packers finished the 1990 season using backups.

During the course of the 1991 season, Majkowski was benched and replaced as starter, but resumed starting duties at the beginning of the 1992 season. On a play on Septemb er 20, 1992 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Majkowski tore a ligament in his ankle. He was replaced after the play by Brett Farve who completed the game.
Favre became the Packer QB until retired after the 2007 season.

Majkowski went on to play for the Colts for two years a bac k up QB and then to Lions for two years as a back up QB. he retired after the 1996 season
OK now that we have all that history on the Magic Man, does anyone think he could have taken the team to a SB or at the very least the playoffs?
Sure, we can read about him but that's different than watching which I wasn't able to do.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
He only had one decent year. 1989 he threw for 4300 yds 27 TD's and 20 INT's. I remember him vividly. The "Majic" man....lol I guess after having subpar QB's for so long, that 89 season was Magical or Majical for packer fans.
From what I saw on Wiki, I'm happy that Packers nation was able to give him the best season he ever had for his career.
 

Oshkoshpackfan

YUT !!!
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
3,286
Reaction score
260
Location
Camp Lejeune NC
^ That is true. He had some good weapons to throw to as well.

WR sterling Sharpe
WR Jeff Query
TE Ed West a.k.a. the toolbox
RB Vince workman
Very fond memories of that crew........ahhh.....memories.

That was also the day of the DB chuck cecil.....WOW...that dude was a head hunter. He would launch at WR's and literally knock them out. He would break his own nose and be bleeding all over the place. He would be banned from todays wuss-i-fied game.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
^ That is true. He had some good weapons to throw to as well.
This game winning throw to Sterling Sharpe is what inspired this thread.

So was he like this a lot or was this a rare awesome TD moment for him and the fans?
You must be logged in to see this image or video!
 

Oshkoshpackfan

YUT !!!
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
3,286
Reaction score
260
Location
Camp Lejeune NC
Like I said, he was good for basically that one season.....his was above average for the rest, yet better than what we were previously used to...lol. The guy was by no means a bum, but by todays comparison of the pass happy NFL QB's, he wouldn't amount to much.
 

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,279
Reaction score
2,395
Location
PENDING
Majkowski - aka "the Polish messiah" was a good QB. He had average physical skills and a good mind. His best trait was his leadership/confidence. No matter what the situation, he carried himself very well and appeared cool. I don't think that trait is as appreciated by fans as it should be. I think it not only infuses confidence in his team mates but puts a microscopic iota of doubt into the defenders mind.

Could we have won a SB with him? Yes. I don't think he would have been a weak link.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
There's also this really nice video I also came across.
I love the way he handles the football at 0:50. That's some mad stuff skillz right there!
His wife is a looker and it brought a tear to my eye how he is being a great coaching dad with his kid when he could have gone on to bigger and better football related things.
A class act all around despite his unfortunate short Packers career.

You must be logged in to see this image or video!
 

gwh11

Cheesehead
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
231
Reaction score
56
Had he not suffered the rotator cuff injury, yes, I think he could've been effective through a playoff run.
Sterling Sharpe has said that had he remained healthy, we may never have heard of Brett Favre (he referrred to Majkowski as The Marlboro Man or Little Joe Cartwright in one interview, referencing his coolness, leadership, etc.).
Perhaps he didn't have the same level of raw Hall Of Fame talent as Favre, but he was able to make some tough throws when it was needed. I have several games on video from that era, so I've seen it myself.
 

El Guapo

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 7, 2011
Messages
6,111
Reaction score
1,589
Location
Land 'O Lakes
Majkowski was a decent quarterback. He wasn't always surrounded by very good talent. In today's rankings I think that he would grade out like a Joe Flacco - good enough to get you to the playoffs with enough talent but not enough to get there on his own.

Sterling Sharpe was by far his best offensive weapon. Sure the was Woodside, Fullwood (the Wood brothers!), and Vince Workman running the ball, but they weren't Edgar Bennett by any means. Jeff Query with his golden mane and Ed West were not offensive threats. West was a great blocker and made could move the chains, but he was a giant man who moved like a giant man. The offensive line wasn't great either so there really wasn't much of a running game. Ken Ruettgers was our best lineman by far. Our offense pretty much lived and died by the abilities of Sterling Sharpe. Majic could have gotten us to the playoffs but not much beyond.

The defense was pretty decent. As mentioned, Chuck Cecil was the enforcer and had a stream of blood running down each side of his nose by the middle of each game. The cameras never failed to show us the carnage. Tim Harris, Brian Noble, and Johnny Holland formed a pretty good linebacking corps but Matt Brock was our only horse on the defensive line. This was all before guys like Leroy Butler graced our defensive backfield.

The '89 season was tons of fun to watch, just because it had been so many years of misery preceding it. I just read that it was the first winning season since 1982 and the best record since the Dan Devine season of '72. That was a lot of years watching bad football, so yeah, 1989 was magical and Majkowski was a big party of it. You don't have miracle comeback wins with a ground game. It's done through the air. He just could do enough of it with the talent surrounding him to make playoff runs.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
The '89 season was tons of fun to watch, just because it had been so many years of misery preceding it. I just read that it was the first winning season since 1982 and the best record since the Dan Devine season of '72. That was a lot of years watching bad football, so yeah, 1989 was magical and Majkowski was a big party of it.
And yet every game day ya all tuned into your TVs or made the trek to Lambeau rain or shine to cheer on the team even if they went on to lose.
That's what makes this the greatest fan base in all of NFL history.
Sticken by this team through good times and bad.
Man, I'm glad to now and always be part of this Packers fan family. ;)
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
I love reading your stories about the Majic years.
Keep 'em coming, please, if you got 'em.

I would love to read from any fans who may have been there for the above posted vid of the win against Da Bears.
 

El Guapo

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 7, 2011
Messages
6,111
Reaction score
1,589
Location
Land 'O Lakes
You know, you bring up a good point. One of the reasons I'm such a big Packers fan is because of growing up watching them stink all of those years. I felt like a winner when they did. I'm a big fan of being a part of the underdog team. The victories are much more gratifying. Having crossed borders for school decades ago, I became a big Minnesota Gopher fan. Sure they lose a lot but it won't last forever (I hope). When they do finally win it will justify all of those years of watching them lose. The juice will be much sweeter than had I written them off for years or just jumped on the bandwagon.

As for the 1989 replay game, it was exciting just because replay itself was so new. I think that it only started in the 1986 or '87 season. While it had certainly been used before, I can't remember an instance of it being used to this extent. My grandparents, cousins, uncles, brothers, and I were all watching the game. The officials seemed to take 15 minutes to review the play. They showed it over and over as we watched on a "big" 27 inch tv in our living room. In reality I think the review was only 5 minutes but it took forever. It was the first time beating the Bears in several years too. It was one of those games that made us think that the Packers were turning the corner. We were wrong. Then Ron Wolf came along!
 

gwh11

Cheesehead
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
231
Reaction score
56
Majkowski was a decent quarterback. He wasn't always surrounded by very good talent. In today's rankings I think that he would grade out like a Joe Flacco - good enough to get you to the playoffs with enough talent but not enough to get there on his own.

Sterling Sharpe was by far his best offensive weapon. Sure the was Woodside, Fullwood (the Wood brothers!), and Vince Workman running the ball, but they weren't Edgar Bennett by any means. Jeff Query with his golden mane and Ed West were not offensive threats. West was a great blocker and made could move the chains, but he was a giant man who moved like a giant man. The offensive line wasn't great either so there really wasn't much of a running game. Ken Ruettgers was our best lineman by far. Our offense pretty much lived and died by the abilities of Sterling Sharpe. Majic could have gotten us to the playoffs but not much beyond.

The defense was pretty decent. As mentioned, Chuck Cecil was the enforcer and had a stream of blood running down each side of his nose by the middle of each game. The cameras never failed to show us the carnage. Tim Harris, Brian Noble, and Johnny Holland formed a pretty good linebacking corps but Matt Brock was our only horse on the defensive line. This was all before guys like Leroy Butler graced our defensive backfield.

The '89 season was tons of fun to watch, just because it had been so many years of misery preceding it. I just read that it was the first winning season since 1982 and the best record since the Dan Devine season of '72. That was a lot of years watching bad football, so yeah, 1989 was magical and Majkowski was a big party of it. You don't have miracle comeback wins with a ground game. It's done through the air. He just could do enough of it with the talent surrounding him to make playoff runs.
I agree with most of this, but I would emphasize that Tim Harris was a bona fide star at that point, and racked up 19.5 sacks that year. I think a lot of people have forgotten how dominating he was for a few years. That was Fullwood's one good year, and he also made the Pro Bowl. Perry Kemp was the other main WR opposite Sharpe, and was targeted more than Query (who did make some clutch catches during the season). The starting guards (Moran and Hallstrom) were pretty solid. Also, it seemed like week in/week out, it was Chris Jacke to the rescue, with a field goal to tie or win.
 
H

HardRightEdge

Guest
This game winning throw to Sterling Sharpe is what inspired this thread.

So was he like this a lot or was this a rare awesome TD moment for him and the fans?
You must be logged in to see this image or video!

In 1989 he was truly magical. He got a lot done outside the pocket that year, though nothing quite as dramatic or controversial as the play against the Bears you posted. As you can see in that clip, Majik had outstanding escapability and long-strider speed.

In 1989 we had 4 wins by 1 point (which I think was an NFL record at the time), plus a 2 point win, plus a 3 point overtime win. In 50 years of watching Packer football, I would judge 1989 the most exciting season (and Majik's performance the most exciting) among the years we did not make the playoffs. He had a quiet charisma...the Green Bay version of Joe Namath for a brief, shining moment.

Hopes were sky high for 1990. But Majik was not the same player in those first 9 games before the arm injury. He just did not seem to be the same cool and confident gunslinger of the prior year. I can't recall if he was being coached to stay in pocket or if defenses adjusted to contain him, but he was just not making plays outside the pocket as in the previous year. Or was it just a sophomore slump? We'll never know. After the rotator cuff injury the story was over.

Believe me, he shined very, very brightly, if ever so briefly. It brings a tear to my eye recalling it.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
I'm a big fan of being a part of the underdog team. The victories are much more gratifying.
I get that. I usually root for the underdog in games where I'm not a fan of either team.
So how about if we leave these stinking winners and go root for the Browns! LOL

Having crossed borders for school decades ago, I became a big Minnesota Gopher fan. Sure they lose a lot but it won't last forever (I hope). When they do finally win it will justify all of those years of watching them lose. The juice will be much sweeter than had I written them off for years or just jumped on the bandwagon.
You must be logged in to see this image or video!


The one thing I like about your gophers is your mascot.
I mean, how can you not love that cute little guy?

The way the Badgers are playing, it looks like you guys will finally get that darn ax back this year.

As for the 1989 replay game, it was exciting just because replay itself was so new. I think that it only started in the 1986 or '87 season. While it had certainly been used before, I can't remember an instance of it being used to this extent. My grandparents, cousins, uncles, brothers, and I were all watching the game. The officials seemed to take 15 minutes to review the play. They showed it over and over as we watched on a "big" 27 inch tv in our living room. In reality I think the review was only 5 minutes but it took forever. It was the first time beating the Bears in several years too. It was one of those games that made us think that the Packers were turning the corner. We were wrong. Then Ron Wolf came along!
Thank you for sharing that memory.
 
L

Lunchboxer

Guest
You know, you bring up a good point. One of the reasons I'm such a big Packers fan is because of growing up watching them stink all of those years. I felt like a winner when they did. I'm a big fan of being a part of the underdog team. The victories are much more gratifying. Having crossed borders for school decades ago, I became a big Minnesota Gopher fan. Sure they lose a lot but it won't last forever (I hope). When they do finally win it will justify all of those years of watching them lose. The juice will be much sweeter than had I written them off for years or just jumped on the bandwagon.

As for the 1989 replay game, it was exciting just because replay itself was so new. I think that it only started in the 1986 or '87 season. While it had certainly been used before, I can't remember an instance of it being used to this extent. My grandparents, cousins, uncles, brothers, and I were all watching the game. The officials seemed to take 15 minutes to review the play. They showed it over and over as we watched on a "big" 27 inch tv in our living room. In reality I think the review was only 5 minutes but it took forever. It was the first time beating the Bears in several years too. It was one of those games that made us think that the Packers were turning the corner. We were wrong. Then Ron Wolf came along!


Then I may as well Congratulate you on the Gophers on Winning Paul Buneon's Axe. Badgers have no chance.
 

milani

Cheesehead
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Messages
4,174
Reaction score
1,501
Great guy, Majik. In 1989 he almost did get us to the playoffs had it not been for the Bengals and Boomer giving the season finale away to the Vikings. In fact Majik was the last Packer QB to beat the Cowboys in Dallas.
I just recall him always running and scrambling; total opposite of Tom Brady. He could not keep his feet still.
He did not have much of an offensive line in front of him. Ditka still laments the replay game.
In 1991 he was not really benched. He suffered a severe leg injury to the Jets. It actually gave his rotator cuff injury more time to heal. But 3 major injuries in 3 years and we thought we had another Lynn ****ey.
#4 proved one thing. He was there every game for 16 years and that just never happens to any QB.
 

Wood Chipper

Fantasy Football Guru
Joined
Sep 30, 2010
Messages
4,180
Reaction score
1,028
Location
Virginia
I was being born during the 89 season so I have no recollection of him. But to me he seems like an above average QB with injury issues.
 

Staff online

Latest posts

Top