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A defensive history of the Green Bay Packers.
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<blockquote data-quote="Packerlifer" data-source="post: 607986" data-attributes="member: 1242"><p>Part 4:</p><p></p><p> Ray Rhodes left the Packers after the '93 season to return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator there. Fortunately for Green Bay one of the most experienced, creative, respected defensive coaches in football was available to replace him. Fritz Shurmur by that time had been coaching defense in the NFL for almost 20 years; 13 as a coordinator for the Lions, Patriots, Rams and Cardinals. <a href="http://taylorblitztimes.com/2012/04/11/fritz-shurmurs-eagle-defense-the-birthplace-of-the-zone-blitz/" target="_blank">http://taylorblitztimes.com/2012/04/11/fritz-shurmurs-eagle-defense-the-birthplace-of-the-zone-blitz/.(to be continued.) </a></p><p></p><p> And with new defensive coaching the Packers also switched defensive schemes. After 14 seasons as a 3-4 team they converted to 4-3 in 1994 and would play that scheme for the next 14 years. The decision was driven in part by circumstance. Former first round olb Tony Bennett had already left in free agency the year before. Injuries had ended the careers of Brian Noble and Johnny Holland. And as good as Reggie White had been in Green Bay's 3-4 the previous season it was still felt he would be most effective playing with a four man front. The Packers brought in veteran all-pro Sean Jones in free agency to bookend Reggie.</p><p></p><p> The team also added a veteran mlb Fred Strickland, who had played under Shurmur before with the Rams. Strickland's addition allowed the Packers to move George Koonce outside opposite Bryce Paup.</p><p></p><p> An interesting addition to the team in '94 was 37 year old dt Steve McMichael; a member of the famous 1985 Chicago Bears "46" defense. McMichael would play in all 16 games, 14 as a starter in '94 as part of a rotation at tackle with John Jurkovic, Gabe Wilkins and Gilbert Brown. He would manage 2.5 sacks, 19 tackles and 9 assists.</p><p></p><p> The Packers produced a third consecutive 9-7 season in 1994 and for the second year in a row made the playoffs as a wild card team. But that was considered a bit of underachievement as rising expectations were by now attaching to the club.</p><p></p><p> The defense led the league for the first half of the season but then fell off during the second half and dipped from second to 6th in the final rankings. Though they did manage to hold steady in allowing 17.9 ppg and ranking 5th in scoring for the season.</p><p></p><p> Reggie White dropped from 13 to 8 sacks but much of the slack was picked up by newcomer Sean Jones who posted 10.5 sacks in his first season in Green Bay.</p><p></p><p> In a particular "test" game the Packers visited Dallas on Thanksgiving Day and couldn't stop third string qb Jason Garrett, who led the Cowboys to a 42-31 win after trailing at the half 17-7.</p><p></p><p> The Wild Card playoffs in the NFC in '94 were an all-NFC Central tournament as the Vikings, Lions and Bears all also made the postseason that year. For the second year in a row the Packers would face the Lions in a playoff, but this time at Lambeau.</p><p></p><p> The two had split their season games, with each winning a shoot-out at home. The Lions were a good team. They had won two of the previous 3 division titles and were in the playoffs for the third time in four years. And they had the best runningback of his generation in Barry Sanders; the 1994 NFL rushing champions with almost 1,900 yds.</p><p></p><p> Two weeks before the playoffs, however, the Packers had suffered a huge blow. All-Pro wr Sterling Sharpe suffered a neck injury, that would prove to be career ending, in the Packers' final game at Milwaukee County Stadium against Atlanta. Brett Favre passing to Sharpe was essentially the Green Bay offense at that time so his loss was gigantic. It would place even more stress than before on the defense for this playoff game.</p><p></p><p> In their two games against Detroit in 1994 the Packer defense had allowed 64 points and over 700 yards. Barry Sanders had hit them for 188 rushing yds. in their previous meeting in Pontiac. And he had demonstrated before that he could run against them on grass in Green Bay or Milwaukee in prior career games. It would take a monumental effort by the defense for the Packers to win this playoff game.</p><p></p><p> Monumental is what the Packer defense produced. They held Barry Sanders to minus-1 yd. rushing on 13 carries and the Lions as a team to minus-4 yds. on 15 attempts as the Packers edged out a 16-12 win to advance once again to a divisional round playoff at Dallas.</p><p></p><p> And once again they would see their season end there. The Cowboys handed the Packers their worst playoff defeat ever 35-9. Dallas racked up 450 yds on the Packers. QB Troy Aikman completed 23 of 30 passes and 3 Cowboys receivers had 100 yd. receiving days.</p><p></p><p> One conclusion coming out of the Dallas debacle was that the Packers needed a bigger, more physical corner to match up with the big Cowboys receivers. Former first rounder Terrell Buckley had been particularly roughed up in that game and the Packers would let him walk in free agency the next off season. <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BuckTe20.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BuckTe20.htm. </a></p><p></p><p> The Packers would replace Buckley in the first round of the 1995 draft with Craig Newsome. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JflWgKvcts" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JflWgKvcts. </a></p><p></p><p> The Packers would achieve a breakthrough season in 1995. They won 11 games, their highest total since 1966. They captured the NFC Central Division title for the first time since 1972. And they would break a playoff barrier to reach their first championship game since Super Bowl II.</p><p></p><p> For the first half of the season the Packer defense led the league. Until another meet-up with the Cowboys in Dallas in which they were hit for 448 yds and began a second half tail-off to end up ranked 14th. But they were 4th in scoring, giving up only 19.6ppg. Reggie White returned to double-digit sacks with 12 and Sean Jones added 9, leading the Packers' total of 39 qb sacks for the seasons. They could have used the 17.5 sacks made that season by Bryce Paup, who left the team in free agency that offseason, in Buffalo.</p><p></p><p> The Packers' 37-20 wild card playoff win at Lambeau over Atlanta was perhaps a representative game of the year for the defense. They gave up 366 passing yards and touchdowns on plays of 65 and 27 yds. but snared 2 INTs and held the Falcons to only 21 yds rushing and 20 points.</p><p></p><p> In the divisional playoff the Packers were once again expected to be eliminated. This time they would be going to the West Coast to take on the defending Super Bowl champion and playoff favorite 49ers.</p><p></p><p> On the first play from scrimmage lb Wayne Simmons delivered a jarring tackle on Niners back Adam Walker, forcing a fumble which Craig Newsome scooped up and returned 31 yds for a td. Before the 49ers knew it they were down 21-0 and, although they would rally in the second half, Green Bay held on for the 27-17 upset win.</p><p></p><p> The Packer defense forced 4 turnovers and sacked all-pro qb Steve Young 3 times in the game in addition to producing the game changing initial score.</p><p></p><p> The win was a particularly satisfying one for head coach Mike Holmgren, who was returning to his hometown against the club he began his NFL coaching career with. And it sent the Packers to their first championship game appearance in 28 years.</p><p></p><p> Unfortunately that NFC Championship Game was played at Dallas and with the usual result of a Packers' loss. They actually led 27-24 at the end of three quarters but then the Cowboys flexed their muscle and blew past the Pack in the fourth for the 38-27 win and go on to their third Super Bowl win in four seasons.</p><p></p><p> The Cowboys hit the Packer defense for 419 yds. in the game. Emmit Smith rushed for 150 of Dallas' 169 team rushing yards and scored 3 td's. Troy Aikman was his usual efficient self against Green Bay completing 21 of 33 passes for 255 yds. and 2 td's with no interceptions and was sacked only once.</p><p></p><p> In 6 games against Dallas under Mike Holmgren- five of which were at Dallas and all of which Green Bay lost - the Cowboys had run up 212 pts and 2,529 yds (1,771 passing, 758 rushing.) The Packers had managed to hold them under 30 points only once (27.) Four straight times the Cowboys had amassed over 400 yds. against the Packers. If the Packers were ever to make the Super Bowl they would have to figure out how to beat Dallas.</p><p></p><p> Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren knew their club was close as they loaded up to take down the Cowboys and win the Super Bowl themselves in 1996. The defensive mismatches for them against Dallas had mostly been dt John Jurkovic, mlb Fred Strickland, cb Terrell Buckley and s George Teague.</p><p></p><p> In free agency in '96 Wolf signed dt Santana Dotson from one of the top defensive teams in the league in Tampa Bay. Dotson could give the Packers more power and inside rush. The Packers also pursued another Bucs' Pro Bowler mlb Hardy Nickerson but were unable to close a deal with him. Fortunately second year lb Brian Williams emerged into a starter, allowing the Packers to move George Koonce to the middle. For additional depth and insurance Wolf also signed ex-Bear veteran Ron Cox. For the final piece Wolf traded for veteran Pro Bowl safety Eugene Robinson from Seattle and traded George Teague. (He would , ironically, end up playing in Dallas that season.)</p><p></p><p> With the defense upgraded and the offense led by league MVP qb Brett Favre the table was set for 1996.</p><p></p><p> End of Part 4.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Packerlifer, post: 607986, member: 1242"] Part 4: Ray Rhodes left the Packers after the '93 season to return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator there. Fortunately for Green Bay one of the most experienced, creative, respected defensive coaches in football was available to replace him. Fritz Shurmur by that time had been coaching defense in the NFL for almost 20 years; 13 as a coordinator for the Lions, Patriots, Rams and Cardinals. [URL='http://taylorblitztimes.com/2012/04/11/fritz-shurmurs-eagle-defense-the-birthplace-of-the-zone-blitz/']http://taylorblitztimes.com/2012/04/11/fritz-shurmurs-eagle-defense-the-birthplace-of-the-zone-blitz/.(to be continued.) [/URL] And with new defensive coaching the Packers also switched defensive schemes. After 14 seasons as a 3-4 team they converted to 4-3 in 1994 and would play that scheme for the next 14 years. The decision was driven in part by circumstance. Former first round olb Tony Bennett had already left in free agency the year before. Injuries had ended the careers of Brian Noble and Johnny Holland. And as good as Reggie White had been in Green Bay's 3-4 the previous season it was still felt he would be most effective playing with a four man front. The Packers brought in veteran all-pro Sean Jones in free agency to bookend Reggie. The team also added a veteran mlb Fred Strickland, who had played under Shurmur before with the Rams. Strickland's addition allowed the Packers to move George Koonce outside opposite Bryce Paup. An interesting addition to the team in '94 was 37 year old dt Steve McMichael; a member of the famous 1985 Chicago Bears "46" defense. McMichael would play in all 16 games, 14 as a starter in '94 as part of a rotation at tackle with John Jurkovic, Gabe Wilkins and Gilbert Brown. He would manage 2.5 sacks, 19 tackles and 9 assists. The Packers produced a third consecutive 9-7 season in 1994 and for the second year in a row made the playoffs as a wild card team. But that was considered a bit of underachievement as rising expectations were by now attaching to the club. The defense led the league for the first half of the season but then fell off during the second half and dipped from second to 6th in the final rankings. Though they did manage to hold steady in allowing 17.9 ppg and ranking 5th in scoring for the season. Reggie White dropped from 13 to 8 sacks but much of the slack was picked up by newcomer Sean Jones who posted 10.5 sacks in his first season in Green Bay. In a particular "test" game the Packers visited Dallas on Thanksgiving Day and couldn't stop third string qb Jason Garrett, who led the Cowboys to a 42-31 win after trailing at the half 17-7. The Wild Card playoffs in the NFC in '94 were an all-NFC Central tournament as the Vikings, Lions and Bears all also made the postseason that year. For the second year in a row the Packers would face the Lions in a playoff, but this time at Lambeau. The two had split their season games, with each winning a shoot-out at home. The Lions were a good team. They had won two of the previous 3 division titles and were in the playoffs for the third time in four years. And they had the best runningback of his generation in Barry Sanders; the 1994 NFL rushing champions with almost 1,900 yds. Two weeks before the playoffs, however, the Packers had suffered a huge blow. All-Pro wr Sterling Sharpe suffered a neck injury, that would prove to be career ending, in the Packers' final game at Milwaukee County Stadium against Atlanta. Brett Favre passing to Sharpe was essentially the Green Bay offense at that time so his loss was gigantic. It would place even more stress than before on the defense for this playoff game. In their two games against Detroit in 1994 the Packer defense had allowed 64 points and over 700 yards. Barry Sanders had hit them for 188 rushing yds. in their previous meeting in Pontiac. And he had demonstrated before that he could run against them on grass in Green Bay or Milwaukee in prior career games. It would take a monumental effort by the defense for the Packers to win this playoff game. Monumental is what the Packer defense produced. They held Barry Sanders to minus-1 yd. rushing on 13 carries and the Lions as a team to minus-4 yds. on 15 attempts as the Packers edged out a 16-12 win to advance once again to a divisional round playoff at Dallas. And once again they would see their season end there. The Cowboys handed the Packers their worst playoff defeat ever 35-9. Dallas racked up 450 yds on the Packers. QB Troy Aikman completed 23 of 30 passes and 3 Cowboys receivers had 100 yd. receiving days. One conclusion coming out of the Dallas debacle was that the Packers needed a bigger, more physical corner to match up with the big Cowboys receivers. Former first rounder Terrell Buckley had been particularly roughed up in that game and the Packers would let him walk in free agency the next off season. [URL='http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BuckTe20.htm']http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BuckTe20.htm. [/URL] The Packers would replace Buckley in the first round of the 1995 draft with Craig Newsome. [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JflWgKvcts']https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JflWgKvcts. [/URL] The Packers would achieve a breakthrough season in 1995. They won 11 games, their highest total since 1966. They captured the NFC Central Division title for the first time since 1972. And they would break a playoff barrier to reach their first championship game since Super Bowl II. For the first half of the season the Packer defense led the league. Until another meet-up with the Cowboys in Dallas in which they were hit for 448 yds and began a second half tail-off to end up ranked 14th. But they were 4th in scoring, giving up only 19.6ppg. Reggie White returned to double-digit sacks with 12 and Sean Jones added 9, leading the Packers' total of 39 qb sacks for the seasons. They could have used the 17.5 sacks made that season by Bryce Paup, who left the team in free agency that offseason, in Buffalo. The Packers' 37-20 wild card playoff win at Lambeau over Atlanta was perhaps a representative game of the year for the defense. They gave up 366 passing yards and touchdowns on plays of 65 and 27 yds. but snared 2 INTs and held the Falcons to only 21 yds rushing and 20 points. In the divisional playoff the Packers were once again expected to be eliminated. This time they would be going to the West Coast to take on the defending Super Bowl champion and playoff favorite 49ers. On the first play from scrimmage lb Wayne Simmons delivered a jarring tackle on Niners back Adam Walker, forcing a fumble which Craig Newsome scooped up and returned 31 yds for a td. Before the 49ers knew it they were down 21-0 and, although they would rally in the second half, Green Bay held on for the 27-17 upset win. The Packer defense forced 4 turnovers and sacked all-pro qb Steve Young 3 times in the game in addition to producing the game changing initial score. The win was a particularly satisfying one for head coach Mike Holmgren, who was returning to his hometown against the club he began his NFL coaching career with. And it sent the Packers to their first championship game appearance in 28 years. Unfortunately that NFC Championship Game was played at Dallas and with the usual result of a Packers' loss. They actually led 27-24 at the end of three quarters but then the Cowboys flexed their muscle and blew past the Pack in the fourth for the 38-27 win and go on to their third Super Bowl win in four seasons. The Cowboys hit the Packer defense for 419 yds. in the game. Emmit Smith rushed for 150 of Dallas' 169 team rushing yards and scored 3 td's. Troy Aikman was his usual efficient self against Green Bay completing 21 of 33 passes for 255 yds. and 2 td's with no interceptions and was sacked only once. In 6 games against Dallas under Mike Holmgren- five of which were at Dallas and all of which Green Bay lost - the Cowboys had run up 212 pts and 2,529 yds (1,771 passing, 758 rushing.) The Packers had managed to hold them under 30 points only once (27.) Four straight times the Cowboys had amassed over 400 yds. against the Packers. If the Packers were ever to make the Super Bowl they would have to figure out how to beat Dallas. Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren knew their club was close as they loaded up to take down the Cowboys and win the Super Bowl themselves in 1996. The defensive mismatches for them against Dallas had mostly been dt John Jurkovic, mlb Fred Strickland, cb Terrell Buckley and s George Teague. In free agency in '96 Wolf signed dt Santana Dotson from one of the top defensive teams in the league in Tampa Bay. Dotson could give the Packers more power and inside rush. The Packers also pursued another Bucs' Pro Bowler mlb Hardy Nickerson but were unable to close a deal with him. Fortunately second year lb Brian Williams emerged into a starter, allowing the Packers to move George Koonce to the middle. For additional depth and insurance Wolf also signed ex-Bear veteran Ron Cox. For the final piece Wolf traded for veteran Pro Bowl safety Eugene Robinson from Seattle and traded George Teague. (He would , ironically, end up playing in Dallas that season.) With the defense upgraded and the offense led by league MVP qb Brett Favre the table was set for 1996. End of Part 4. [/QUOTE]
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A defensive history of the Green Bay Packers.
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