Bart Starr as Head Coach

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
A lot of folks on here love and admire Bart Starr as the Green Bay Packers quarter back.
But what do you know or think of him when he was the head coach?
Freely share you thoughts and feelings on this.
 

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,306
Reaction score
2,414
Location
PENDING
He was a poor coach. He admitted later that he should have had some experience as an assistant coach. One year as an assistant QB coach wasn't enough to prepare him.

He built an okay team, but I don't think he would ever have gotten us to the Superbowl.
 

gwh11

Cheesehead
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
231
Reaction score
56
He started out quite badly, but by the time he was fired many of his players thought he had become a very good (or even great) coach. I recall reading several quotes from players who were very surprised that he was let go when he was, thinking that things were still coming together in a positive way. The defense still left a lot to be desired, but behind ****ey, Lofton, Jefferson, Coffman, etc. the offense was turning into an aerial circus that put a lot of points on the board. Obviously in retrospect they would've been a lot better off keeping Starr vs. hiring Gregg. Part of Starr's problems at the beginning (aside from his inexperience and coaching philosophy at the time) stemmed from Devine's infamous Hadl trade which robbed the Packers of important draft picks for a few years after.
 

Croak

Vincit qui patitur
Moderator
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Messages
6,478
Reaction score
1,154
Location
New Cumberland, PA
He started out quite badly, but by the time he was fired many of his players thought he had become a very good (or even great) coach. I recall reading several quotes from players who were very surprised that he was let go when he was, thinking that things were still coming together in a positive way. The defense still left a lot to be desired, but behind ****ey, Lofton, Jefferson, Coffman, etc. the offense was turning into an aerial circus that put a lot of points on the board. Obviously in retrospect they would've been a lot better off keeping Starr vs. hiring Gregg. Part of Starr's problems at the beginning (aside from his inexperience and coaching philosophy at the time) stemmed from Devine's infamous Hadl trade which robbed the Packers of important draft picks for a few years after.

He struggled as a coach. But you're right. He didn't have the best tools with which to work. Devine left things in a downward spiral. I don't think Starr was experienced enough to pull it out, but I've also heard the players liked him.
 

Bogart

Duke Mantee
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
Messages
2,547
Reaction score
839
Location
Mobile, AL U.S.
I always assumed he was talked into it, cause they wanted someone from the Lombardi days to coach the team. Could be wrong, but overall it just had to be a fan thing of having your favorite quarterback coaching the team.
 
OP
OP
Forget Favre

Forget Favre

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
9,115
Reaction score
1,807
Thank you for your insights and giving me an idea.
Keep 'em coming if you got 'em.
And if you have any memorable games when Bart was coaching, share those too.

I take it from what I'm reading that he didn't have a very good win record as coach?
Did they even get to one playoff game?
(I know I could look this stuff up but sometimes it's more fun to discuss.)
 

bhuggins

Cheesehead
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Messages
73
Reaction score
15
Bart was talked into taking the job and he only took it out of loyalty to the organization. He was dealt a bad situation. The John Hadl trade robbed the Pack of several high draft picks over the next 3 years. Bart was also over-ruled on some draft picks, particularly Joe Montana. Read the book "America's Quarterback: Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League" and you will gain an entirely new perspective on his coaching tenure.
 

Members online

Top