The Ultimate Green Bay Packers All-Time Coaching Staff

Last week, I made an exercise to find the best possible 53-man roster in the history of the Green Bay Packers. Now, let's talk about the ideal coaching staff.

For this exercise, I decided to include coaches in not necessarily the same position they coached for the Packers. For example, Andy Reid was never an offensive coordinator — whether it's Green Bay or anywhere else. But he's so good of an offensive mind that he's on my ideal staff as an OC.

Head coach: Vince Lombardi
The greatest coach of all time and the name of the Super Bowl trophy. Nothing else to say.

Assistant head coach: Curly Lambeau
It was hard to find a position for Lambeau, because football was so different.

Offensive coordinator: Andy Reid
Reid is such an amazing offensive mind, even though he's never been an offensive coordinator. In Green Bay, he was assistant offensive line & tight ends coach, and then quarterbacks coach and assistant HC.

Quarterbacks coach: Mike McCarthy
Do you remember the Mike McCarthy QB School? It was a real thing. If you don't like, just watch some old Aaron Rodgers 2005 preseason highlights.

Running backs coach: Mike Holmgren
Holmgren would be another alternative for QB coach, as he worked with Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Brett Favre. However, his background developing strong running games is significant. Shaun Alexander is a great example.

Wide receivers coach: Jon Gruden
Gruden had recent off-the-field issues. In Green Bay, he worked as an offensive assistant/quality control, and then as WRs coach. He's a Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Tight ends coach: Matt LaFleur
LaFleur's intelligence and ability to teach is important for the tight ends, a position that demands a strong knowledge of the offense for its players.

Offensive line coach: Mike Sherman
Under Sherman, Green Bay had a strong run game and some great offensive lines in the early 2000s.

Defensive coordinator: Phil Bengtson
He was Lombardi's DC and led the unit during the 60s dinasty. He was so good that he succeeded Lombardi as the Packers head coach.

Defensive line coach: Dave Hanner
Hanner played as DT for the Packers from 1952 to 1964, and became the D-line coach right thereafter. When Bengtson was promoted to HC, Hanner became the DC.

Outside linebackers coach: Fritz Shurmur
Shurmur could easily be the DC here. His defenses in the mid-90s were solid and strong. He had a background coaching the defensive line too, so I accomodated him working with the edge players.

Inside linebackers coach: Burt Gustafson
Gustafson was the first true linebackers coach in Packers history.

Cornerbacks coach: Dom Capers
The end of his tenure was not good, I know, but he did some good things initially and is a smart defensive mind.

Safeties coach: Ray Rhodes
He wasn't good as HC, but he had a solid career as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator.

Special teams coordinator: Nolan Cromwell
Cromwell coached the special teams during the 90s, when each unit of the roster was amazing. Before leaving Green Bay, he also had one season coaching wide receivers.

Special teams assistant: Rich Bisaccia
Bisaccia has the strongest track record as a special teams coach.

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Wendell Ferreira covers the Green Bay Packers for Zone Coverage and Cheesehead TV. He is a Brazilian journalist with over a decade of experience covering the NFL, soccer, NBA, and MMA. Follow him on twitter at @wendellfp  

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5 points
 

Comments (44)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
croatpackfan's picture

July 04, 2023 at 11:13 am

Nothing to add. Well, that coaching stuff might be able to turn dirt into the gold.

Well done Wendell!

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splitpea1's picture

July 04, 2023 at 11:35 am

I'm glad you included some overlap, because what Holmgren did in harnessing Farve's talent brought this franchise out of the doldrums and into the winner's circle.

8 points
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SpikeHyzer's picture

July 04, 2023 at 12:17 pm

Bengston became one of the worst coaches in NFL history. He's out. McCarthy and Sherman are also out because overall they were terrible coaches who couldn't get to the Super Bowl and had such awful and inflexible personalities that they alienated the players and fans.

Gruden should be QB coach. Shurmur D Coordinator. LaFleur assistant O Coordinator (he's actually better than Reid).

-12 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

July 04, 2023 at 12:31 pm

McCarthy over Holmgren as a QB guru? Gruden would be the WR coach, where he started. Reid should have been the successor, making sherman and McCarthy irrelevant. Not a HOF move by Wolf. Bob Schnelker could run a passing offense with the best of them.

2 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

July 04, 2023 at 01:59 pm

The Wolfman, to his credit, once stated one of his greatest mistakes was not hiring Reid to replace Holmgren, thinking the TE coach was too young.

So he hires the familiar Rhodes from Philly and Reid takes his place as Eagles HC...and a Head Coaching star is born.

5 points
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HarryHodag's picture

July 04, 2023 at 03:06 pm

I got roasted awhile back for making the same point you did. Ron Wolf, as great as he was, made some miscues and not hiring Andy Reid to the top job is one of them. Can you imaging how many Super Bowl titles the Packers would have?

5 points
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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

July 05, 2023 at 10:46 am

Can you imagine the anger of the fans on message boards like this if they had existed back then? Maybe people wouldn't cite every single thing Ron Wolf did as proof that Thompson, Gutey, Murphy are idiots. I'm so tired of the perceived perfection of Ron Wolf.

2 points
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HarryHodag's picture

July 04, 2023 at 03:04 pm

I concur on Schnelker. His offenses were really good. Like many things, the Packers defense stunk then so they lost a lot.

4 points
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SoCalJim's picture

July 04, 2023 at 06:05 pm

He’s definitely my choice!

1 points
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Starrbrite's picture

July 04, 2023 at 08:03 pm

Great point on Schnelker—-he revoulitionized the screen pass for the Packers.

2 points
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HarryHodag's picture

July 04, 2023 at 03:01 pm

Phil Bengston: you know all those Hall of Famers on Lombardi's defense? Well, they were coached by some guy with the initials PB. Why do you think Lombardi left? He knew he had an aging team that wasn't going to win again any time soon. He handed the team to Bengston, went upstairs to GM for a year then left.

Mike Sherman has a winning record with the Packers. People remember him as a bad GM, but he was a decent coach.

McCarthy a terrible coach? I don't think there's much support for that or did you forget the Super Bowl?

Matt LF better than Andy Reid? What color is the sky in your world?

7 points
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marpag1's picture

July 04, 2023 at 04:09 pm

"McCarthy a terrible coach? I don't think there's much support for that or did you forget the Super Bowl?"

Yeah, there's a lotta hate for MM among some fans, but that's pretty uninformed IMO. All of this "Oh, he only won one superbowl" stuff is nonsense. In the whole, long history of the NFL, only 35 head coaches have won superbowls, and of those 35 only 14 have won more than one. So that's pretty exclusive company.

And if Holmgren gets the glory for coaching up Favre, why doesn't MM get full credit for coaching up Rodgers? Especially when the knock against Rodgers coming into the league was that his "Tedford" mechanics wouldn't work in the NFL? And besides, the obvious fact is that Rodgers was/is a hell of a lot more fundamentally sound as a passer that Favre ever was, and had a much greater ability to read defenses than Favre, and I would think that coaching has something to do with that.

8 points
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SoCalJim's picture

July 04, 2023 at 06:27 pm

I like your choice of Phil Bengtson as the best D-line coach.

2 points
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ricky's picture

July 04, 2023 at 12:23 pm

Adam Stenavich over Mike Sherman. Stenavich had a habit of taking later round players and getting the most from them. Also, perhaps Edgar Bennett should be included somewhere. Whether cornerbacks, safeties or RB's, he was a great influence on the players.

3 points
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HarryHodag's picture

July 04, 2023 at 03:03 pm

Stenavich has too few years to say he's over Sherman. Remember, Stenavich is the o-coordinator on an offense that sputtered last season.

8 points
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ricky's picture

July 06, 2023 at 07:46 am

The article had Sherman slated as the OL coach, not the OC. I'd still take Stenavich or OL coach.

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LambeauPlain's picture

July 04, 2023 at 02:07 pm

Good list, Wendell.

Capers, Pettine, nor Barry even sniff the list. DC coaching failures during Rodgers' Packer career is a primary reason he only played in one SB. And now Love is saddled with Barry.

At least Favre had the Great Fritz who helped get the team to two Lombardi Trophy games. When Favre and the O got a lead, Fritz and his men would keep it.

Been a while since the Packers had that dynamic.

6 points
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jont's picture

July 04, 2023 at 04:46 pm

I remember well when Holmgren left for Seattle I thought the greater loss for GB was that Fritz Shurmur went with him. He was outstanding and had Seatle's D quickly on track when health problems caught up to him.

8 points
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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

July 04, 2023 at 03:38 pm

No Shawn Slocum?

4 points
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SoCalJim's picture

July 04, 2023 at 06:29 pm

Hahahahaha! Thanks Doug!

2 points
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Starrbrite's picture

July 04, 2023 at 08:07 pm

Yes—where’s Drayton?

2 points
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bjkdad44's picture

July 04, 2023 at 08:20 pm

😂😂😂

2 points
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LeotisHarris's picture

July 04, 2023 at 07:54 pm

Remember, Sherm Lewis was OC from 1992-1999, and had great success handling the controls for that offense. Let's make it a big tent and find a place for Sherm. I'd boot Gruden (he only coached receivers two seasons and he's an irritating little prick) move Schnelker back to his role with the WRs (1966-1971) and let Sherm handle OC duties. Have a cigar!

5 points
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bjkdad44's picture

July 04, 2023 at 08:19 pm

MLF better start coaching!!!

2 points
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Since'61's picture

July 04, 2023 at 09:11 pm

Sorry Wendall, white I agree with most of your selections I would have Mike Holmgren as the all-time OC. Holmgren is the best offensive play caller the Packers have every had. Reid has evolved into a great play caller but that did not happen while he was in Green Bay.

Holmgren should be OC and Edgar Bennet should be the RB coach and Andy Reid would be the TE coach..

Thanks, Since '61

7 points
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marpag1's picture

July 05, 2023 at 08:01 am

The Holmgren point is certainly a fair opinion. I'm not sure why everyone seems so fired up on Edgar Bennet. He was a nice player and undoubtedly a nice guy. So nothing against the man, but I'm not sure why he should sniff the list of all-time great Packer coaches.

2 points
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Packers2020's picture

July 05, 2023 at 09:06 am

Agree, 61

And ML should not even be on this list. He has coached 4 years and not won anything. He has a lot more to prove before he should make the all-time coaching list for the Packers.

7 points
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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

July 05, 2023 at 12:48 pm

Well LaFleur does have a pretty high percentage win rate as a HC and has coached Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers in MVP years. And he mentored Robt Griffin III and Kirk Cousins to a combined 10-6 record their rookie years. He hasn't won a ring, but he didn't lose a game to an NFC North team as a rookie coach. GB hadn't even made the playoffs for two years and he took them to the NFC Championship as a rookie coach. He also led the team to 10 wins as a rookie coach. Only time will tell what LaFleur will do without a Hall of Fame QB, but I think he's done enough to qualify for the list.

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mnbadger's picture

July 05, 2023 at 01:55 pm

Thanks Wendell for taking a shot at this. I can question your choices, but not your courage.
I'm willing to throw out all of MLF's past accomplishments and failures, due to his inability to take ownership of the team (for obvious reasons)
One of the highest win %'s can't be overlooked.
Total Failure at leadership, coaching staff evaluation, clock management, officiating challenges and in-game adjustments.
Best TE coach? No possible chance. See Andy Reid.
GPG!

2 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

July 06, 2023 at 01:28 am

61, the article puts MLF as the TE coach. If that's a strength for him it bodes well for our TEs this season!

But yah I think that's a bit premature to make this list.

3 points
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Oppy's picture

July 04, 2023 at 10:20 pm

James Campen should receive strong consideration for OL coach.

He developed a style of OL play that was unique and dominant, exploiting the current rules in such a way as to basically legalize holding. Every defensive line coach in the league used to rant, bellow, and complain to the officials about the Packers OL play every time they faced us. Now, every team in the NFL now incorporates those techniques that Campen developed and taught to our linemen.

9 points
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marpag1's picture

July 05, 2023 at 08:04 am

Campen is a good option.

2 points
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Swisch's picture

July 05, 2023 at 05:53 am

For Vince Lombardi, being a head football coach of the Green Bay Packers was not just job or even a career; it was a calling, a vocation.
He saw himself as a teacher developing the whole person on the field and off.
His players responded with not only great effort in building on their talent, but also a remarkable development of their character.
Thus was formed not only the greatest team in the history of the NFL, but the most glorious.
The Packers of the Lombardi Era are legendary like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but they are also real men, some of them still with us to be appreciated and celebrated.
***
For Lombardi, it was more than systems and strategy, more than rules and regimens; it was about people and relationships and sacrifice and teamwork.
The players on the Packers were a diverse group of personalities from a wide array of backgrounds, but in camaraderie they achieved shared triumph on a monumental scale.
The magnitude of the experience had a transforming effect to profoundly better the rest of their lives.
***
For Lombardi, football was not just a game or a way to make a living; it was inseparable from the rest of life and worthy of a commitment to excellence.
He told his players to be proud of their profession, that what they were doing was noble and good and important.
With the likes of Lombardi, sports can be a highly beneficial influence on the entirety of our lives. A great lesson of his accomplishment is that the success of any organization, and society, depends on appealing to the whole person, body and soul.
The Packers thrived because they were not treated as machines or commercial commodities, but as men.
They knew they mattered as people, and so they performed to the utmost as players.
As fans of the Packers, we can find inspiration in the heritage of our team, which is a witness to humans overcoming flaws and faults to reach our potential, and a testament to the best of humanity in solidarity.

3 points
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stevebooth8739@gmail.com's picture

July 05, 2023 at 08:28 am

When I think of the man and how he impacted the lives of his players, I get shivers. He was greatness personified. He would also be successful in any era. A Far better coach than Bill Belichick.

3 points
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TxFred's picture

July 05, 2023 at 07:20 am

Lombardi of course. Schnelker as OC & Bengston as DC.

2 points
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dobber's picture

July 05, 2023 at 09:26 am

I'm confused. Is the idea just to name and honor a bunch of guys or is it to assemble a legit coaching staff based on success in those roles some of these guys had in GB?

4 points
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Johnblood27's picture

July 05, 2023 at 09:41 am

thanks for pulling the plug Dobbs.

I was almost happy there for a minute...

1 points
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dobber's picture

July 05, 2023 at 10:18 am

I've got bad news for you about the Easter Bunny, but I'll wait until Christmas to tell you...

3 points
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Johnblood27's picture

July 05, 2023 at 07:57 pm

and I have some bad news for you about how they make peanut butter... just sayin...

0 points
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Spock's picture

July 06, 2023 at 09:43 am

Here's how I make Peanut butter:
Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients:

15 ounces roasted, unsalted shelled peanuts (recommended: Trader Joe’s)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons no sugar honey (recommended: Honey Tree’s Sugar Free Honey)
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

Method :
Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

0 points
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Johnblood27's picture

July 06, 2023 at 04:49 pm

Fascinating...
\
|

0 points
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Since'61's picture

July 05, 2023 at 04:41 pm

Cookie! Thanks, Since '61

1 points
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T7Steve's picture

July 05, 2023 at 11:32 am

Too bad we have to go back sooo far to find any D coaches. Very telling.

I would put Steve Mariuchi on the list somewhere, if only because he's from Iron Mountain.

2 points
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stockholder's picture

July 05, 2023 at 07:08 pm

Lombardi - But look came came after him .
Joe Gibbs won 3 Super Bowls with three
different QBs. He Fed the hogs.
And Don Shula is the only coach with 300 victories.
I hope the packers don't turn into Fish.

0 points
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