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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Packerlifer" data-source="post: 605666" data-attributes="member: 1242">Once again defense stands as the issue most pressing as the Packers start preps for the next National Football League season. Almost every year for as long as many fans can recall that's been the case. Will the Pack ever get a defense that can help them with another Super Bowl? Only time will tell. But we know when the Packers did have defense; and not coincidentally those have been the teams with the world championships on their resume. There's also a long history of the kind of questions and frustrations that have become the usual annual experience of the team for its fans.  The old saying "offense sells tickets but defense wins championships" is generally credited to the great college coach Bear Bryant. It seemed to ring true during the 1960's and '70's. The clubs that won the championships or made the most playoff games almost always had the elite defenses and there were more great defenses over a more sustained period than in any other era before or since in pro football.  And no one won more championships during that time than the Packers of Coach Vince Lombardi during the 1960's. Offense then, as now, got the marquee billing (Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, etc.) but defense was the bedrock of the Green Bay title teams of that decade. In fact, if not for that defense the Packers might not have won all of those 5 NFL and Super Bowl world championships then.  The Packer defense ranked first in the league twice and was second or third five times during the Lombardi dynasty run. They never finished outside the top seven. In ten championship and playoff games- 9 of which they won- they only once allowed the opponent to score more than 17 points against them. And Green Bay still won that game on a game saving play by the defense in the closing seconds.   More than the statistical ranking was the way the defense dominated and changed games. They four times led the league in fewest points allowed and were second or third in four additional seasons.  The following is what the Packer defense achieved in scoring defense, turnovers and defensive touchdowns during the Lombardi championship decade. ( Keep in mind the turnovers and defensive scores were in only 14 game seasons then.)    Season               PPG                  INT's           Fum. Rec.              TD's    1960                   17.4                    22                   21                            1    1961                    15.9                   29                   20                           4    1962                    10.6                   31                   20                           2    1963                   14.7                    22                   19                            0    1964                   17.5                    16                    23                           4    1965                    16.0                   27                    18                           5    1966                   11.6                     28                   15                            6    1967                    14.9                   26                   11                             2    Of ten players from that decade in the Pro Football Hall of Fame six are from the defensive side. End Willie Davis, tackle Hank Jordan, linebackers Ray Nitschke and Dave Robinson, cornerback Herb Adderley and safety Willie Wood were the steady nucleus of the unit through the decade. In addition at least a half dozen more Packers defenders were Pro Bowlers, when that selection really meant something.    One reason the defense was consistently so good for so long was their ability to find replacements when time and circumstance required. End Bill Quinlan and tackle Dave "Hawg"Hanner were followed seamlessly on the line by Lionel Aldridge and Ron Kostelnik. Bill "Bubba" Forrester, Dan Currie and Tom Bettis flanked Nitschke on the early title teams and were succeeded by Robinson and LeRoy Caffey for the "threepeat" run of '65-67. Bob Jeter teamed with Adderley to give the Packers one of the best shutdown corner duos in league history. And also circulating through the secondary then were Emlen Tunnell, Hank Gremminger, Johnny Symank, Jesse Whittenton, Tom Brown and Doug Hart.    Lombardi gets all the credit for the great things that happened in Green Bay football in the '60's, understandably, but the man who was most responsible for the defense was assistant Phil Bengtson. The term "coordinator" wasn't in use then but that's what Bengtson was for the Packers. Lombardi was primarily an "offensive guy," and he turned the defense almost entirely over to Bengtson to design, implement and run.    It was no accident that Lombardi chose Bengtson to be his successor as head coach in 1968. And how good a defensive coach Bengtson was may be most clearly evident in how strong the Packers remained on that side of the ball during his otherwise unsuccessful 3 year stint as hc.  Even after the dynasty had ended in 1968 the Packers still had the 3rd ranked defense in the league and allowed only 16.2 ppg: less than 2ppg more than in the previous year's world championship season. In 1969 the Packers defense ranked 4th and was third in fewest points allowed at 15.8 ppg.     Dan Devine, who followed Bengtson, is one of the most controversial and criticized head coach-general managers in club history and with good reason. But to his credit Devine appreciated the importance of defense and during his four year run in charge of the team the Packers were generally solid on that side of the ball.     When Green Bay won the NFC Central Division title in 1972 they had the top ranked defense in the NFC and were second overall in the NFL only to the undefeated Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins. They continued as a top ten unit in 1973 and in 1974, though only a 6-8 team ,they had the 6th ranked defense in the league and allowed only 14.7 ppg.     Devine appointed the first official "defensive coordinator" in Packers history when he promoted former player and defensive line coach Dave Hanner to the position in 1971. Hanner would be Green Bay's dc for the remainder of the '70's.     The Devine-Hanner defense was a mix of holdovers from the late Lombardi era, additions and acquisitions brought in under Bengtson and filled out by some astute drafting and trading by Devine himself.      The 1972 defense tends to be overlooked nowadays but it was arguably the best in Green Bay between the Lombardi era and the Super Bowl XXXI team in 1996. It allowed opponents an average of only 16.1 ppg and generated 39 turnovers in 14 games. In the club's only playoff game of the decade they held a Super Bowl bound Washington team to 16 pts in a road playoff loss in the nation's capital. The unit had 5 starters on it that were or would become Pro Bowlers during the 1970's.       Linebacker Dave Robinson was closing out his eventual HOF career and another remnant of the Lombardi period big dt Robert Brown had a breakout year, becoming a Pro Bowler.       Bengtson had begun bringing in fresh talent during his time in charge. He whiffed big time when he used his first round pick in the 1969 draft for a huge for the time dt Rich Moore. But in 1970 he swung a blockbuster deal with Chicago for the Bear first round pick, the second overall in that draft, and used it to land another mammoth dt Mike McCoy out of Notre Dame.       Needing a replacement at end for retired Willie Davis Bengtson dealt for a young talent from a crowded Dallas stable Sweeny Williams, who would be a starter for Green Bay for most of the decade.        Bengtson also had a knack for finding guys in the draft who were offensive players in college and making them solid defenders in the pros. Fred Carr was the Packers' first round pick in the '68 draft as a tight end. He was converted to linebacker and would be a 3 time Pro Bowl selection during his 9 years in Green Bay.       Jim Carter was a Big Ten fullback at Minnesota when the Packers drafted him in '70. Bengtson made him a linebacker and Devine anointed him the successor to Nitschke in the middle of the defense for the remainder of the decade.       Ken Ellis was a fast receiver and kick returner who became the replacement for Herb Adderley at corner.       Devine brought in linemen Alden Roche, Vern Vanoy and Dave Pureifory and safety Jim Hill to follow Willie Wood. And he hit a home run with his first round pick in 1972 cb Willie Buchanon, who became the NFC Rookie of the Year.       The secondary of Buchanon and Ellis at corner, Hill and Al Matthews (a Bengtson draftee) at safety allowed only 7 td passes to be completed against them for the entire season.       Devine continued to work the defense in 1973 trading for veteran de Aaron Brown and finding a good young lb prospect  in Tom MacLeod.       Devine is most remembered for the desperation trade for overage qb John Hadl in 1974. But earlier that same year he did a deal that was a masterstroke. He acquired all-pro lb Ted Hendricks from the Colts. An established, perenniel Pro Bowler, Hendricks had signed a contract with an upstart rival to the NFL the World Football League,which is why the Colts considered dealing him at all.       In his one season in Green Bay the 6ft 7 in. "Mad Stork" was a one man gang on defense and special teams. He had 75 tackles in 14 games, 5 interceptions and a fumble recovery, scored a safety, blocked 7 kicks. Quarterback sacks were still not being kept as a statistic but he was a dangerous rusher blitzing from the edge.       Defense, though, wasn't really the big problem in Green Bay during the Bengtson and Devine years. Of 45 games the Packers lost during those 7 seasons 18 or 38% were games in which the Packers held opponents to 17 pts or under. In those same 18 games, however, the Packers scored an average of only 6.4 pts.      The offensive struggles were the direct result and consequence of the failure of the team to find a consistent, NFL-caliber quarterback to replace Bart Starr. Thinking Starr himself might revive the offense and bring the Pack back helped fuel the sentimentality driven decision to hire Starr as Packers head coach and general manager following Devine's resignation under fire.      In time Starr would succeed in bringing the offense back and making it the identity of the club. But during the 9 year Starr era the defense would start to fall into patterns of disappointment and frustration that would recur for most of the following history of the team and sound all too familiar to present day fans.     Hailed as "the people's choice" Starr was initially received with enthusiasm by a fan base appreciative of his achievements as the club's championship winning quarterback under Lombardi. A "fresh start with Bart" was widely expected. But the Packers were in a mess state and Starr's lack of coaching experience didn't help matters.      The defense was considered his best asset heading into his first season in 1975 and Starr retained his old teammate Hawg Hanner as coordinator and assistant head coach. But a new set of position assistants was brought in among whom was a recently retired Detroit Lions cornerback **** LeBeau.      LeBeau would coach the Packers secondary for four seasons under Starr and, though the team was in a rebuilding mode with young players coming in, they would manage to produce double-digit interception totals each year. LeBeau, of course, was just starting his coaching career and it would be years before he would become the defensive guru and genius he is known as today.      The Packers struggled to 4-10, 5-9 and 4-10 records in Starr's first 3 seasons and the defense dropped off from its previously more respectable standing. They went from 6th to 16th in defensive ranking in '75, improved slightly to 16th in '76 and dropped back to 18th in '77.      Part of the reason for the drop-off was the loss of their best defensive member Ted Hendricks. A Devine loyalist, Hendricks didn't care to stay in Green Bay for an uncertain rebuilding program under Starr. After just one season with the Pack Hendricks signed with the Raiders and would go on to play on 3 more Super Bowl winning teams there; giving him four for his career and would be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although a Packer for just one year Hendricks would be the only defensive player to serve in Green Bay between the Lombardi era and Reggie White to be inducted into Canton.      But time was also marching on many of the players who had been on the defense since the beginning of the '70's. Starr gradually restructured the Packer secondary, bringing in safeties Steve Luke and Johnnie Gray and corners Mike McCoy, Perry Smith and Estus Hood. In 1976 the Packers signed a WFL and CFL veteran tackle Dave Roller.      By 1977 the Packers had finally paid off the mortgage on the '74 Hadl trade and had two picks in the first round of the draft. Starr used them for de's Mike Butler and Ezra Johnson.      The 1978 draft brought in linebackers John Anderson, Michael Hunt, Mike Douglass and Rich Wingo.  And that year Starr dealt for run stuffing dt Carl Barzilauskas; a former first round pick of the Jets.       For awhile in '78 it appeared that Starr was succeeding in bringing the Pack back. The team started 6-1 and at midseason had a commanding 3 game lead on the division. The defense was at the best it would ever be during the Starr tenure. Although it ranked only 19th it was the 8th toughest unit in the league to score on; giving up an average of only 16.8 ppg. They tallied 46 turnovers and, though qb sacks weren't yet being counted, by most estimates they approached 50. DE's Ezra Johnson and Mike Butler combined for an estimated 30+, with Johnson alone being credited with 20.5.      This was the era when it was fashionable for top defenses to get monikers to recognize and tribute them. "The Steel Curtain, " the "Purple People Eaters," "Doomsday," "NoNames," "Fearsome Foursome," "Orange Crush." The '78 Packers took as their handle "The Gang Green."     The club faltered, though, in the second half. They won only 2 and tied 1 of their last 9. Though they finished the season tied for first they lost out on the division title and the playoffs by the tiebreaker. But "The Gang Green" did their part of put the Pack back in the playoffs for the first time in 6 years. In three crucial games during the second half of the season the Packer defense held the Eagles and Vikings to 10 points and the Bears to 14. The offense, however, managed to score only 3 and 10 and were shut out in the third. Had the Packers won any one of those games they would have been NFC Central champions and in the playoffs.      The team would fail to build on the promise of '78 in 1979. A plague of injuries decimated the team and the defense fell off as well. The Packers allowed 2,885 yds rushing that season; at the time the fourth worst in NFL history. Opponents rushed for 150+ yds in 14 of 16 games and ranked dead last in rushing defense and 23rd overall.      Starr's coaching seat was now getting very warm. Club president Dominic Olejiczak and the Executive Committee gave him a vote of confidence but still removed him as general manager. It was mostly an administrative move. The Coach retained authority over the draft, trades and free agent signings.     But Starr knew he couldn't ride forever on the reservoir of goodwill from his playing days. He decided on a dramatic shake-up of the team for 1980. He would convert the Packers to a 3-4 defense. To implement the new scheme he jettisoned the Packers' long time defensive assistnt Dave Hanner and promoted linebackers coach John Meyer to the coordinator's job.     The centerpiece of the new defense was supposed to be Bruce Clark, the team's first round draft pick out of Penn St., as the nose tackle. But Clark, a 4-3 end in college, didn't want to play nose in a  3-4 or in Green Bay and warned the Packers against drafting him. Starr ignored him and took him with the fifth overall pick in the '80 draft. Clark promptly signed to play in the Canadian League and never played a down for the Packers.    Losing Clark was only the first setback in what would turn out to be a bad year for the team playing its first 3-4. During a winless preseason game against Denver at Lambeau Field de Ezra Johnson was seen on the bench during the game eating a hot dog. The incident outraged defensive line coach Fred vonAppen, who was having issues already with the Packers' best pass rusher. When Starr meted out a discipline to the player that the assistant coach considered too lenient vonAppen abruptly resigned from the staff the week before the opening of the regular season.     The year was essentially downhill from there. The Packers finished with another double-digit losing record. The team's first 3-4 defense gave up a club record 5,782 yds. and ranked 25th in the league.    But the offensive pieces seemed to finally be coming together and by the early '80's the NFL game was changing to favor more offense. Defenses didn't have to be great any more, just good enough for the offense to outscore the opposition. At least that became the approach in Green Bay.    Despite the poor first season there was reason to hope the Packers could yet develop into a respectable defense. They still had their bookend rushers Ezra Johnson and Mike Butler. The linebacking corps of John Anderson, George Cumby, Mike Hunt, Rich Wingo, Randy Scott and Mike Douglass were quick and could rush the passer or drop into coverage. By the early '80's the Packers had a now veteran secondary group in cb's Mike McCoy and Estus Hood and safeties Steve Luke and Johnnie Gray. And it would soon be upgraded with the draft additions of cb Mark Lee and s Mark Murphy and a free agency acquisition s Maurice Harvey.    But nose tackle would be a continuing problem. Whether Bruce Clark would have lived up to expectations can only be speculated. The Packers tried several options on the nose in the wake of his loss. Charles Johnson, Terry Jones and Richard Turner were hardly dominant.    In 1981 the defense improved notably,moving up to 9th in the league ranking but only 20th in points allowed. The Packers managed an 8-8 season and were in contention for the playoffs to the final game of the season.    The 1982 season would get an asterisk for the two month strike by the NFL players union two weeks into the schedule. The season was reduced to only 9 games and the league had to scrap its usual format for the playoffs. The Packers went in as the third "seed" behind Washington and Dallas; which got them their first home playoff  since the "Ice Bowl," 15 years before.    The Pack won big over the St.Louis Cardinals 41-16, even though they were actually outgained in the game. The Packer defense gave up 453 yds., including 347 passing, but generated four turnovers to help make the game a scoreboard rout.   The next round in Dallas they would not be so fortunate. Against a playoff seasoned  Cowboys team the defense got punched for 375 yds. and 37 pts and Green Bay's best chance for a Super Bowl in the Starr coaching era came to an end a game short of the championship round.     In 1983 the Packers would reach the offensive height and the defensive valley of the Starr tenure. The offense produced at historic levels while the defense was its mirror opposite. The Packers scored 52 td's and the defense got torched for 50. The Packers scored 429 pts. and allowed 439. They racked up 6,172 yds. and allowed 6,403.  They had the 28th ranked defensive team in the league.     As a result the team traded wins and lossses throughout the season but would still make the playoffs if they won the season finale in Chicago. Leading 21-20 in the fourth quarter the defense needed to make only one stand for the season. And they didn't. The Bears drove 58 yds. in 10 plays in the final 3 minutes and kicked the game winning field goal in the last 10 seconds. The defense for the day allowed 369 yds., including 236 rushing - led by Walter  Payton's 148.     The loss dropped Green Bay from the playoffs and the next day Starr was fired as head coach; leaving a coaching record over 9 seasons of only 52-76-3. The defensive part of the story of the Starr coaching era was bad luck and some bad decisions and in a few instances a combination.     On the hard luck side was the case of 1978 second round pick lb Mike Hunt out of Minnesota. His career was curtailed by injuries, including concussions after only 3 years but he was only active for one full season. The Bruce Clark case and the 1983 free agency defectiion to the United States Football League of former first round de Mike Butler were a combination of luck and decision making by Starr.     Then there were some crucial misses on opportunity in the draft when top notch defensive prospects were available but passed on. In 1981, with the fifth overall pick in the first round, Starr took qb Rich Campbell; who would be a complete bust. The players selected immediately after Campbell were lb Hugh Green (Tampa Bay) and s Ronnie Lott (49ers) who would both go on to all-pro careers- and in the case of Lott to the Hall of Fame. In 1982 Starr reached at #22 for guard Ron Hallstrom of Iowa. Had he looked to the other side of the Hawkeyes team he would have noticed lb Andre Tippett, who would have a HOF career with New England. Starr would not use a first round pick on a defensive player again until 1983 when he took good cornerback prospect Tim Lewis. Another play who, unfortunately, would have his career prematurely ended by a neck injury.     The knock on Starr from the beginning of his coaching career was that he was too gentlemanly, "too nice a guy" to be a successful NFL head coach. What the Packers needed, in the opinion at the time, was an old-fashioned ear chewing, butt-kicking coach; as the popular perception of Lombardi had become. And the Packers seemed to have just that kind in their next coaching hire, another of Lombardi's Hall of Famers Forrest Gregg. (End of part 1.)</blockquote>

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