This team vs the 1997 team

[Bogart]

Coming off a Super Bowl win and bound to repeat, the 1997 season still holds one of the biggest disappointments ever, as losing to the Bronco's in the Super Bowl.

Not that I hate them, but I was happy to finally see John Elway get a ring after he had been thrashed in the Super Bowl all through the late 1980's. He paid his dues and went out as a champion retiring.

I think however, it's a fear in anyone's mind, to repeat and then go to the Super Bowl and lose it, but I don't see it happening to this team.

The 1997 squad finished a mirror record to the previous season at 13-3, division champions.

Last year,we had to fight to survive to make the playoffs at 10-6, and then on the road win 3 playoff games to get the Super Bowl.

So far we're 11-0, the division is locked up in our grasp, and soon home field advantage, we don't have to worry about going through other team's stadiums, we have our stadium to torture them in this season.

I think this team is going to achieve what our 1996/1997 team couldn't, by repeating as Super Bowl Champions, and I mean that in NO disrespect to that 1996 team, but I think this WR core is much more deep in depth.

 

[Jules]

I hate to bring up a painful memory but the 1997 Packers lost to an 0-10 Colts team.

I had doubts about those Packers repeating after that game to be honest......

I also don't see a John Elway story in the AFC that could stand in the Packers way this year.

 

[Forget Favre]

I 100% agree with your post Bogart.
Every time the Pack went to a Super Bowl, they have repeated going.
They didn't win every time.
But now we have a QB who is much more accurate and takes his time to make sure his throw will be caught by his own team instead of the other. And he has developed a great relationship with his (As you pointed out) awesome receiving crew.
Yeah, I think they will do it.
And, I know it's too soon, but even threepeat.
On this tidal wave of winning, I don't see how they can ever be stopped.

 

[Mr. StyleZ]

Keep in mind Elway was pretty much garbage in that SB..

Terrell Davis made us his b*tch..

 

[PackersRS]

Keep in mind Elway was pretty much garbage in that SB..

Terrell Davis made us his b*tch..

Yeah, not to mention the worst call in Holmgren's career...

But I think in the end that team went overconfident to that game, the players (like Chmura) say so themselves. Before they knew it they were facing an adversary at least as good as them and couldn't get back in the game.

I doubt this team will do the same, from top to bottom this team is much more professional and focused. It also helps that the HC isn't thinking of his next job...

 

[Jules]

Keep in mind Elway was pretty much garbage in that SB..

Terrell Davis made us his b*tch..

Yeah and then there is that......

 

[Forget Favre]

Bring home a 5th Lombardi and they are knocking on the door of the Stealers 6.
Of course it's the Stealers and not the Packers who have to play catch up for NFL championships, but a 5th would be sweet and make Stealers fans sweat.

 

[Jules]

I 100% agree with your post Bogart.
Every time the Pack went to a Super Bowl, they have repeated going.
They didn't win every time.
But now we have a QB who is much more accurate and takes his time to make sure his throw will be caught by his own
team instead of the other. And he has developed a great relationship with his (As you pointed out) awesome receiving crew.

Yeah, I think they will do it.

And, I know it's too soon, but even threepeat.
On this tidal wave of winning, I don't see how they can ever be stopped.

If Rodgers keeps messing around with his facial hair to keep the football Gods guessing then a threepeat is possible. Facial hair wins championships.

Why do people think I want Luck so badly? It's the facial hair not his skill set

 

[Forget Favre]

If Rodgers keeps messing around with his facial hair to keep the football Gods guessing then a threepeat is possible. Facial hair wins championships.

Why do people think I want Luck so badly? It's the facial hair not his skill set

Cute post of the week.

 

[longtimefan]

Didnt we have a thread like this?

I did a sim on a espn site for any team in history..

 

[PackersRS]

Didnt we have a thread like this?

I did a sim on a espn site for any team in history..

That was about the 1996 team, not the 1997...

 

[bhuggins]

If I recall, the 1997 team sustained some sigicant injuries to many key players, particularly some of the veterans. I think Gilbert Brown was bruised and battered along with Reggie going into the Super Bowl. The defense was an aging and beat-up team at that time.

 

[Kitten]

If I recall, the 1997 team sustained some sigicant injuries to many key players, particularly some of the veterans. I think Gilbert Brown was bruised and battered along with Reggie going into the Super Bowl. The defense was an aging and beat-up team at that time.

Agreed. The 1997 team marked the end of their reign, while the 2011 team's reign has but begun.

 

[longtimefan]

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1997-gb

 

[Lunchboxer]

In SB XXXII i dont think the packers were all to ready to win that day. They got over confidant.

There is no team in the AFC that could really phyicaly challenge the Offence.

The Dfence on the other hand can be destroyed by anyone..

 

[Bogart]

Yeah, not to mention the worst call in Holmgren's career...

But I think in the end that team went overconfident to that game, the players (like Chmura) say so themselves. Before they knew it they were facing an adversary at least as good as them and couldn't get back in the game.

I doubt this team will do the same, from top to bottom this team is much more professional and focused. It also helps that the HC isn't thinking of his next job...

I will always blame Holmgren for that game, some folks put it on Favre's mistakes, but that was the gunslinger in his prime, and while he was struggling, the Broncos were having a hard time stopping Dorsey Levens rush attacks, and Holmgren refused to start running the ball more, he should have got the idea that while our quarterback was struggling, the run game would have loosened it up. True to the other posts, Elway really didn't do much in that Super Bowl, but Holmgren also should have did something in the second half to try and stop Terrell Davis, he was destroying us.



I was a young boy when they won it in 1996, still in school and all that, but I remember going into the 1997 season I felt like no one was going to beat us. The winless Colts did, and so on down the road, I still felt like we were unstoppable going into the Super Bowl.

That Super Bowl remains one of the biggest disappointing football games ever for me, right up there with Alabama blowing the 24-0 point lead last year, and it took Favre's interception in 2007 to top it as the most disappointing thing ever, but probably because even with the aftermath of losing the Super Bowl, I was able to say "Well, at least Elway finally got his ring" where in 2007, I didn't feel like that at all.

 

[realcaliforniacheese]

Bring home a 5th Lombardi and they are knocking on the door of the Stealers 6.
Of course it's the Stealers and not the Packers who have to play catch up for NFL championships, but a 5th would be sweet and make Stealers fans sweat.

Looking forward to the eight and the 17th NFL championship. That way I won't have to keep explaining to Steelers fans that a championship, is a championship, is a Championship no matter what era it came in. You were the best of that year, period. Then I ask them how long the Steelers have been in the NFL or when the Cap came into being. That usually shuts them up.

 

[Forget Favre]

Looking forward to the eight but and the 17th NFL championship. That way I won't have to keep explaining to Steelers fans that a championship, is a championship, is a Championship no matter what era it came in. You were the best of that year, period. Then I ask them how long the Steelers have been in the NFL or when the Cap came into being. That usually shuts them up.

I get so sick and tired of their *Said in a mocking voice* "Six Pack" and "Stairway to Seven."
Well shut up! (Not you R double C. Stealers fans.)
Packers not only have a 12 pack, they are halfway to a case and have taken that stairway to the stars and beyond!
(I'll use that last sentence as my sig. line at the time if they play the Stealers again.)

 

[ivo610]

If Rodgers keeps messing around with his facial hair to keep the football Gods guessing then a threepeat is possible. Facial hair wins championships.

Why do people think I want Luck so badly? It's the facial hair not his skill set

No one has won 3 SBs in a row. Packers are the only franchise to win 3 championships in a row. I can't see them winning 3. I think we need to get to 2 first. I have seen some amazing franchises that won a few but never 3 in a row. Cowboys of the 90s. 9ers of the 80s. Rams pats of the 2000s ect.

 

[ivo610]

Oh and you don't want Andrew luck, you want Matt Flynn!!!

 

[Jules]

Oh and you don't want Andrew luck, you want Matt Flynn!!!

I cannot fathom that much greatness on the Colts but it's a nice dream. Flynn could turn around the franchise all by himself.

 

[Greenbayphil]

It depends on what defense shows up, sometimes I wonder if we will even make the SB when watching these guys play

 

[PackersRS]

It depends on what defense shows up, sometimes I wonder if we will even make the SB when watching these guys play

The defense has shown up every single time they were needed, why wouldn't they show up in the playoffs?

I think people look at the yardage and think this D isn't good. But yardage doesn't matter in the NFL. It mattered back in the days that field position was important, but nowadays with wide open offenses, it's not.

The 3 most important stats for our defense are opposing QB rating, number of rushing attempts against and points given up to either tie, take a lead or expand a lead.

The first one is self explanatory. Even if a QB is putting up yardage and points, if he's also throwing INTs, with our offense, he's going to lose the game. We're 8th. Worse than #1 last year, but still top 10, which is great. (we're #1 in QB rating differential, which historically is a great indicament of championships. We were also #1 last year in QB rating differential) Read here: http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_857_Our_stats_are_better_than_sex.html . Also here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/18NfD...ifferential/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_wr_a2

Rushing attempts indicate that the opposing team isn't controlling the game. If they are forced to pass, and their QB rating is low, it means the D is doing it's job. We're 6th, which is also great.

And the last one is "clutch performance". If the D doesn't let the other team tie, take a lead or extend the lead, they're doing their job. Who cares how many points they give up, if it doesn't ammount to anything? I don't have the numbers, but the only games where we've trailed by more than 1 possession were the Carolina and the Denver game, and we've never trailed by the 4th quarter.

Bottom line, this D is great at forcing mistakes, great at stopping teams from controlling the game, and great at keeping our team in the lead. With that formula, and an offense that is not only the most potent in the league, but also an offense that is great at ball possession, you end up winning 17+ games in a row...

 

[Greenbayphil]

The defense has shown up every single time they were needed, why wouldn't they show up in the playoffs?

Well Im talking about the defense that gave up 34 points to the saints, 23 points to the panthers and broncos!, 27 points to the vikings, 38 points to the chargers and 26 points to the bucs...

Giving up those sort of points will not get you far in january.

 

[PackersRS]

Well Im talking about the defense that gave up 34 points to the saints, 23 points to the panthers and broncos!, 27 points to the vikings, 38 points to the chargers and 26 points to the bucs...

Giving up those sort of points will not get you far in january.

The same defense that stopped the Saints twice on 4th down, including the game clinching stop, the defense that intercepted Newton 3 times and stopped him on a game clinching 4th down, the defense that intercepted Orton 3 times and ran one back for a touchdown, the defense that intercepted Ponder 2 times, that intercepted Rivers YET AGAIN 3 times, TWO ran for touchdowns and the last one a game clinching, and that intercepted the Buccanneers 2 times and stopped them on a game clinching 4th down? Is that the defense you're talking about? The defense that, outside of the first game against Drew Brees, hasn't allowed any other QB to have an 100 rating game?

And why would that defense cost you in january, if it hasn't so far and it didn't last year, with the same scheme and personel? Because, magically? Because, what, we're gonna face better defenses than the Bears' and the Lions'? Better offenses than the Saints' and the Lions'? And we're undefeated with this defense, and not only that, we've won every single game by more than 6 points, and there hasn't been an instance this season that a team had the chance to win the game in the last 2 minutes! I'm talking about this team being so good that we don't need to play 60 minutes to win a game!!!!!

Is THAT the defense you're talking about????