Facing the Green Bay Packers: Players Recall the Glory Years of the Team from Titletown, USA

by Chuck Carlson, Ron Wolf (Foreword by)

Overview

Over the course of nearly one hundred years, just a handful of NFL teams have enjoyed success across multiple decades. There’s absolutely no doubt which franchise the fans in Wisconsin would put at the top of the list.

Most Packers fans are familiar with the greatest players, games, and moments in team history. But what they don’t know is just what it was like to go up against their favorite team. When opposing clubs prepared to play Vince Lombardi’s squad, how did they contend with the one play they knew was coming: the green and gold’s formidable power sweep? When the Vikings, Lions, 49ers, and other teams played against the Brett Favre–led Packers, how did they fare against the three-time league MVP? After Favre departed the stage at Lambeau, how did opponents contend with another MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers?

In Facing the Green Bay Packers, veteran sportswriter Chuck Carlson takes Packers fans inside the locker rooms, onto the sidelines, and out on the field with opposing players and coaches. Carlson interviews some of the biggest names in the game to get their perspectives on playing against the best teams in Packers history. He covers the most dramatic moments, most intense rivalries, and most unforgettable games from Green Bay’s pro football lore—from the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Vince Lombardi famously said that “teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers is all about.” The result was unqualified excellence. This book describes what it was like to play against his Packers teams and others, in the words of players who did just that.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613219300
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	08/09/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	212
File size:	682 KB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Chuck Carlson has been a writer for more than thirty years, including twelve years covering the Green Bay Packers. He has also written 13 books, including ten on the Packers. He is currently an editor/writer for the Battle Creek Enquirer in Michigan.
Chuck Carlson was a sports writer/columnistfor more than 30 years with newspapers in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Illinois Nevada, and Wisconsin. He spent eleven years covering the Green Bay Packers for the Appleton Post-Crescent and this is his tenth book on the Packers. He is now director of media relations for Albion College in Michigan and he lives in Marshall, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Foreword Ron Wolf ix

Prologue xiii

Introduction xix

Chapter 1 Facing the Best Team in Football 1

Facing the Packers Aura 5

Bob Lilly 7

Lem Barney 8

Lee Roy Jordan 9

Tom Matte 9

Dave Manders 12

Mike Lucci 13

Bob Lurtsema 14

Dan Reeves 15

Bill Curry 16

Facing Bart Starr 19

Roger Brown 21

Lee Roy Jordan 22

Lem Barney 23

Bill Curry 24

Mike Lucci 25

Facing the Packers Sweep 27

Roger Brown 28

Bob Lilly 29

Mike Lucci 30

Lee Roy Jordan 31

Lem Barney 32

Facing Vince Lombardi 32

Bob Lilly 35

Mike Lucci 36

Dave Manders 36

Bill Curry 38

Facing the Lambeau Field Weather 40

Walt Garrison 41

Dan Reeves 42

Bob Lilly 43

Jeff Siemon 44

Doug English 45

Facing Linebacker Ray Nitschke 46

Dan Reeves 49

Bob Lilly 49

Al Baker 50

Dave Manders 51

Bill Curry 51

Tom Matte 52

Extra Point: Frozen in Time 54

Chapter 2 The In-Between Years 63

Facing the Packers Offense 67

Doug Plank 68

Al Baker 69

Doug English 70

Facing the Packers Aura 71

Jeff Siemon 71

Doug English 72

Doug Plank 73

Joe Theismann 74

Al Baker 75

Bob Lurtsema 76

Mark Murphy 77

Facing the Packers-Bears Rivalry 79

Doug Plank 82

Jim Osbourne 84

Tom Hicks 87

Tom Thayer 89

Steve McMichael 90

Dan Hampton 92

Extra Point: "It Was a Spectacle" 95

Chapter 3 Return to Titletown 101

Facing the Packers Aura 104

Paul Gruber 104

Don Beebe 105

Mike Alstott 108

Tim Krumrie 109

Gary Plummer 110

Vince Workman 112

Max Lane 114

Adam Timmerman 115

Luther Elliss 117

Tom Thayer 118

Scott Mitchell 119

Brent Jones 121

Tom Thayer 122

Steve Mariucci 123

Steve McMichael 125

Mark Brunell 126

Harry Sydney 127

Ron Wolf 129

Facing the Packers Defense 131

Scott Mitchell 131

Paul Gruber 133

Brent Jones 134

Max Lane 134

Facing Brett Favre 135

Steve Mariucci 138

Tom Thayer 140

Gary Plummer 141

Steve McMichael 142

Scott Mitchell 143

Don Beebe 144

Bob Lurtsema 145

Adam Timmerman 147

Luther Elliss 147

Mark Brunell 149

Mike Alstott 150

Harry Sydney 151

Ron Wolf 152

Facing Reggie White 153

Max Lane 156

Brent Jones 158

Mike Alstott 158

Mark Brunell 159

Luther Elliss 160

Steve Mariucci 161

Facing the Lambeau Field Weather 163

Gary Plummer 165

Paul Gruber 166

Vince Workman 167

Brent Jones 168

Mike Alstott 168

Extra Point: "The Guy Who Made Brett Favre's Career" 170

Facing Aaron Rodgers 181

Harry Sydney 183