Greatest Defensive Packers

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lambeaulambo

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Let me rephrase, he was at his best playing for another team. As for more dominant in GB I disagree, by then he was on the downslope of his career and just didn't have the speed and explosiveness that he did when he was younger. In Philly he had a stretch of 3 seasons in which he had 18 21 and 18 sacks, he never produced like that for the Packers.

Downslope? I really REALLY didn't see that at all. The Packers' D literally transformed to a formidable group the second the man stepped on the field in Green Bay. Thats not downslope, thats unleashing the beast!! The guy was unstoppable.
 
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Did you see the movie The Longest Yard? Not the wimpy remake with Adam (Quarter-Back?-Yeah-Right) *******.
I mean the original and best with Burt Reynolds.
Anyway, Ray did some things in that movie which shows that he was willing to be a good sport about it when he was the butt of the joke.
Your probably right that Ray was a bad apple but he had his nice guy moments too.


That '74 original movie was an absolute CLASSIC!

Bodanski (Ray): What the hell was that? A dropkick? How much is that worth? 3 Points....for that? Bullsh*t! :roflmao:
 
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Its Reggie White by a little bit over some of the stalwarts of Lombardi era defense.

Phil Bengsten's D had so many great players that they didn't overshadow others on the squad as White did to his defensive teammates.

Nitschke, Adderly, Davis, Robinson, Wood, and Jordan all from the same defense. All in the HOF and while none of these were individually as good as Reggie White some were darn close to being as good.

What a star-studded group! Hard to find anyone on that list who may have taken a play "off!" If ever!:tup:
 

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I preferred playing defense to offense so I gravitated to defensive stars. Ray Nitschke was my favorite player during the Lombardi era but it was a close call with so many great players to choose from. Willie Davis was another favorite, I just read something a couple of weeks ago which said it's believed Davis had more than 100 sacks over 10 seasons (before sacks were an official stat). But Reggie White is the greatest defensive player I've ever seen.
I'd have to go with ray nitschke for the mean streak. The guy was a bad apple, from day one. He couldn't turn it off. Butkus was a mean guy on the field but was a sweethart off the field. Ray was just bad 24/7. If you can't turn off bad, good things can happen.
That’s not true. Nitschke’s marriage to Jackie changed his off-field demeanor and behavior. This is from “Nitschke” by Edward Gruver “Ray and Jackie were married on June 26, 1961… The change in Nitschke was dramatic. He gave up drinking entirely… ” He became just what you claim he didn't and many other sources, perhaps including some other posters here, will confirm this.
 

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I preferred playing defense to offense so I gravitated to defensive stars. Ray Nitschke was my favorite player during the Lombardi era but it was a close call with so many great players to choose from. Willie Davis was another favorite, I just read something a couple of weeks ago which said it's believed Davis had more than 100 sacks over 10 seasons (before sacks were an official stat). But Reggie White is the greatest defensive player I've ever seen. That’s not true. Nitschke’s marriage to Jackie changed his off-field demeanor and behavior. This is from “Nitschke” by Edward Gruver “Ray and Jackie were married on June 26, 1961… The change in Nitschke was dramatic. He gave up drinking entirely… ” He became just what you claim he didn't and many other sources, perhaps including some other posters here, will confirm this.

I'm sure he did, when he was older. Most of us do. If you think that the day he got married, he instantly transformed into a sweetheart, I'm sure there are "many other sources, perhaps including some other posters here, will refute this."

Anecdotal stories are great. Great stories. Ray was a rotten person in grade school, high school, college and the NFL. If you wish to believe that he changed on a dime to being nice in 1961, you may have a career as a death row attorney.
 

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For what it's worth, the Packers' former Chief of Security -- Jerry Parins put out a book with detailed commentary on Ray Nitschke when he was younger. I don't remember what the name of the book was.

I met Nitschke once -- mid 70's right after he retired and he was a perfect gentleman. While I too was a big Nitschke fan even when his skills deteriorated with age, I have to go with Reggie White...he was in my lifetime, the most dominant defensive player I had ever seen play. I used to watch Iggles games (and I can't stand that organization or their fans) as a younger man for the sole purpose of watching him play the game.
 

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That '74 original movie was an absolute CLASSIC!

Bodanski (Ray): What the hell was that? A dropkick? How much is that worth? 3 Points....for that? Bullsh*t! :roflmao:
Yup. It is a classic. My favorite football movie. I should get it.

Gotta give Ray props for being willing to do this!

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

And check out this feature.
They start talking about Ray at about 2:25 and it has some other tidbits about football.
Too bad they had to include the crummy remake stuff in at the end.
Before that it's all good.

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

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I'm sure he did, when he was older. Most of us do. If you think that the day he got married, he instantly transformed into a sweetheart, I'm sure there are "many other sources, perhaps including some other posters here, will refute this."

Anecdotal stories are great. Great stories. Ray was a rotten person in grade school, high school, college and the NFL. If you wish to believe that he changed on a dime to being nice in 1961, you may have a career as a death row attorney.

http://doubleshouldertaps.blogspot.com/2011/07/life-changer-and-champions.html

“Having a family really solidified my life. Before I got married I was kind of runnin’ them streets.” These words, spoken by a young Ray Nitschke, say it all about the man at the time. By his own admission he was undisciplined, selfish, adolescent, and lacked confidence.

That all changed the day he met Jackie Forchette. It was love at first sight for Ray, but Jackie thought exactly the opposite. She wanted nothing to do with the man and the reputation that came along with him.

The marriage was not the sole life changer for young Ray Nitschke. He rolled his car while driving intoxicated and nearly killed the love of his life. That was the last day that Ray Nitschke took a drink of alcohol
 

Forget Favre

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I'm sure he did, when he was older. Most of us do. If you think that the day he got married, he instantly transformed into a sweetheart, I'm sure there are "many other sources, perhaps including some other posters here, will refute this."

Anecdotal stories are great. Great stories. Ray was a rotten person in grade school, high school, college and the NFL. If you wish to believe that he changed on a dime to being nice in 1961, you may have a career as a death row attorney.

Your metaphors need a lot of work.
I have no clue (Am I the only one?) by what you mean with having" a career as a death row attorney."
In this case, the good old "I have a Brooklyn Bridge to sell you" or something like it is the one to use here.
Death row attorneys do not work in all states, like Wisconsin where we don't have the death penalty, and they actually do get sentences reduced or even in some rare cases the death row inmate freed.
It may be a depressing or stressful career but it may not be as bad as you are trying to make it out to be.
Read what's posted below if you insist on trying to make up new metaphors.
I'm not being picky. I'm making suggestions to help you be a better writer so that everyone can understand your points.

met·a·phor

noun \ˈme-tə-ˌfȯr also -fər\
: a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar

: an object, activity, or idea that is used as a symbol of something else

(How is being a death row attorney similar to believing that Ray Nitshcke became a sweetheart?)
Definition of METAPHOR
1
: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money); broadly : figurative language — compare simile
2
: an object, activity, or idea treated as a metaphor : symbol2
met·a·phor·ic or met·a·phor·i·cal adjective
met·a·phor·i·cal·ly adverb
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See metaphor defined for English-language learners »

See metaphor defined for kids »
Examples of METAPHOR
  1. “He was drowning in paperwork” is a metaphor in which having to deal with a lot of paperwork is being compared to drowning in an ocean of water.
  2. Her poems include many imaginative metaphors.
 
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Yup. It is a classic. My favorite football movie. I should get it.

Gotta give Ray props for being willing to do this!

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

And check out this feature.
They start talking about Ray at about 2:25 and it has some other tidbits about football.
Too bad they had to include the crummy remake stuff in at the end.
Before that it's all good.

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


Thanks for the videos! My favorite football movie, too. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.:roflmao:
I was sure fortunate (well, that makes me old now, though) to have gotten to see those great Packer players/teams
on the tube from the '60's. Great memories. I'll never forget the ICE Bowl game! Someday I'll make it up to "Titletown!" It's on my bucket list:tup:
 

TJV

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... you may have a career as a death row attorney.
Only if you were my first client.

Hey foolishly biased and uninformed about your favorite player is a hell of a way to present yourself on a football forum. Congrats.
 

Bus Cook

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Only if you were my first client.

Hey foolishly biased and uninformed about your favorite player is a hell of a way to present yourself on a football forum. Congrats.
I'm also foolishly biased and uninformed about my favorite rock star. I his 2001 book about touring that year, he described himself as clean and off smack. Little more than a year later, he was dead, from an overdose of...smack. I guess I'm not so naïve to believe just anything that a person says, just because its, you know, in their own words, whether it be Ray or Dee Dee.
 

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I guess I'm not so naïve to believe just anything that a person says, just because its, you know, in their own words, whether it be Ray or Dee Dee.
In addition to your blinding bias, you're having problems following along. What I quoted wasn't spoken or written by Nitschke, it was written by Edward Gruver in a book he wrote about Nitschke. Here are some more quotes, all from jsonline. Try to keep in mind none of the following was spoken by Nitschke – just about him.
You remember him as a family man. He married a Green Bay girl in 1961. Jackie Nitschke's influence transformed this football madman into a loving husband and father of three adopted children. He was a total family man. He did everything to help his wife raise three adopted children. He loved those kids. He played with them. He loved all children. He never had a childhood of his own.
Written by Bud Lea.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/215012441.html
The greatest impact on Nitschke's life came from marrying the right woman in June 1961. Jackie Nitschke, a local waitress, had more influence on Ray than any football coach. She helped Nitschke to stop drinking and curb his self-destructive behavior, and he mellowed and matured into a loving husband and father.
Written by Martin Hendricks.http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/40250302.html
"He's probably made a greater journey to success than anybody I've ever known in my life," Skoronski said. "Coming from the background that he did and the bringing up that he had to what he was here … absolutely amazing. "Still was that gruff guy to the public that knew Ray as a football player, but he also was a very loving and caring guy. You know, he found the only girl in the country who could tame him, and she did. Jackie was a great match. Don't overlook that."
Written by Bob McGinn. (BTW Bob Skoronski, the person quoted, played left tackle for Lombardi’s Packers.) http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxiii/news/ray31498.stm
But just as Nitschke's hardscrabble childhood shaped the marauding side of him, it also shaped a kinder, gentler side. He adored his wife, Jackie, and the three children they adopted. He played with them endlessly. He built treehouses for them. He loved all children. As clearly as I remember Nitschke's ferocity on the football field -- he was still growling at the party we enjoyed in New York after the Packers beat the Giants, 16-7, for the 1962 NFL championship, in which he was named Most Valuable Player -- I remember his tenderness off the field.
– Written by **** Schaap.
http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxiii/news/ray30998.stm

While Ray remained a fierce competitor both in games and practices throughout his football career, I thought Ray’s transformation from bitter orphan and trouble-maker to gentle giant off the field was well known. And I really don’t care about you – you’re either not a Packers fan or a bad one IMO. But there are posters here who weren’t alive during the Lombardi years and something as wrong as what you posted, “He couldn't turn it off. Butkus was a mean guy on the field but was a sweethart off the field. Ray was just bad 24/7...”, should be corrected at least for their benefit. And in the interest of, you know, the truth.
 

Bus Cook

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In addition to your blinding bias, you're having problems following along. What I quoted wasn't spoken or written by Nitschke, it was written by Edward Gruver in a book he wrote about Nitschke. Here are some more quotes, all from jsonline. Try to keep in mind none of the following was spoken by Nitschke – just about him. Written by Bud Lea.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/215012441.html Written by Martin Hendricks.http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/40250302.html Written by Bob McGinn. (BTW Bob Skoronski, the person quoted, played left tackle for Lombardi’s Packers.) http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxiii/news/ray31498.stm – Written by **** Schaap.
http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxiii/news/ray30998.stm

While Ray remained a fierce competitor both in games and practices throughout his football career, I thought Ray’s transformation from bitter orphan and trouble-maker to gentle giant off the field was well known. And I really don’t care about you – you’re either not a Packers fan or a bad one IMO. But there are posters here who weren’t alive during the Lombardi years and something as wrong as what you posted, “He couldn't turn it off. Butkus was a mean guy on the field but was a sweethart off the field. Ray was just bad 24/7...”, should be corrected at least for their benefit. And in the interest of, you know, the truth.

Sounds just like an AA meeting. A bunch of people, who will never be over their problem, talking about how many days they are over their problem. We can just agree to disagree. I don't think many people change all that much after they turn 20, you do. If it does happen, it takes years/decades. I know a lot of drinkers who have life changing experiences, 15 times. If Ray got soft when he turned 40, that wasn't really the point of my post as we were talking about defenders not golfers.
 

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In addition to not following along very well, your reading comprehension skills are also lacking - no surprise there. The consensus of those who knew Ray well is his wife (and the traffic accident that nearly killed her) caused him to change his life and his off-field demeanor. The changes referenced in the quotes I provided were clearly while he was still playing. But of course it’s no surprise you will ignore Skoronski’s admonition to not overlook that change in Ray and you’ll continue to believe what you want without any evidence to back it up. Just like posting the drafting of Casey Hayward was a whiff. Thank goodness I don’t know you personally, but there’s no question you post from a biased point of view and IMO what you posted about Nitschke is demonstrably false, just like what you posted about Hayward.

Unlike you I am willing to change my opinion based upon facts, so how about you provide some proof that until his playing career ended Ray, “… couldn't turn it off. Ray was just bad 24/7.” If he was still acting out as he did before he met Jackie and quit drinking, present some evidence – even anecdotal evidence – to support your opinion.
 

Bus Cook

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In addition to not following along very well, your reading comprehension skills are also lacking - no surprise there. The consensus of those who knew Ray well is his wife (and the traffic accident that nearly killed her) caused him to change his life and his off-field demeanor. The changes referenced in the quotes I provided were clearly while he was still playing. But of course it’s no surprise you will ignore Skoronski’s admonition to not overlook that change in Ray and you’ll continue to believe what you want without any evidence to back it up. Just like posting the drafting of Casey Hayward was a whiff. Thank goodness I don’t know you personally, but there’s no question you post from a biased point of view and IMO what you posted about Nitschke is demonstrably false, just like what you posted about Hayward.

Unlike you I am willing to change my opinion based upon facts, so how about you provide some proof that until his playing career ended Ray, “… couldn't turn it off. Ray was just bad 24/7.” If he was still acting out as he did before he met Jackie and quit drinking, present some evidence – even anecdotal evidence – to support your opinion.

My cousin's neighbor, who's son had a friend that once cleaned Ray's lodge buddy's gutters, was told by Ray's lodge buddy, at a bake sale, that only a tool would believe that Ray had changed from the mean SOB he really was. Sorry that my opinion of Ray differs from your's. Maybe as I get older, I will change and share your perception.

I'll wait for your reply.
 

13 Times Champs

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I hope you're joking... Because Frank Zombo is a better defensive player than Eric Walden will EVER be!
I'm not Joking! Walden was on the field for one of the Packers greatest defensive performances ever against SF in last years playoff game. He was a beast out there watching KP run his *** off. btw I would also like to include Charley Peprah in our list of greatest defensive performers.:)
 
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I agree with the idea that Reggie played his best years with the Eagles. The years in Green Bay were exceptional, just not all that long. I saw the 60's Packers and the 90's Packers. Nitschke and Herb Adderley would be in a tight race along with Willie Davis and Henry Jordan for the best of the 60's era Packers. Much depends on the era they played in. Reggie played alongside some outstanding talent as well. Again, Lombardi's teams dominated the 60's while Holmgren's teams were championship-level only a couple of years. Reggie embarrassed himself his last season in Carolina.
 

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