The first two names that come to mind are no brainers.

Some may argue that Curly Lambeau is the best coach in the history of the team. How could one not  give him strong consideration? A founding father of not only the Packers but also the NFL, Lambeau led the Packers to a 212-106-21 record (.667 winning percentage) and 6 NFL titles during his tenure. He is the reason the Packers ever came into existence, and his legacy cannot and should not be overlooked.

The second name that has to be mentioned is Vince Lombardi. A coach who carried a presence larger than life, Lombardi took a pathetic Packers franchise and restored it to glory during his career in Green Bay. Going a ridiculous 98-30-4 (.766 winning percentage) Lombardi won 5 NFL titles in 7 years, and  in that time coaching the Packers, established himself as (in my opinion) the greatest coach in the history of the NFL.

It is beyond Lambeau and Lombardi that the pantheon of coaches gets a little murky. Names like Bengston, Infante, and Rhodes litter the history of the Packers. But I believe that the debate as to which coach should take their place after the two giants will be decided this year.

When Mike Holmgren arrived, he was exactly what the Packers needed. The hot coaching prospect at the time, Holmgren was a disciple of the Bill Walsh offense, which had won 3 Super Bowls during the 1980′s. Teamed up with Bob Harlan and Ron Wolf on the executive end,  and players like Brett Favre, Reggie White, and Leroy Butler on the field, Holmgren made the Packers winners again. In his 7 year stay in Green Bay, Holmgren went 84-42 (.667 winning percentage) including 9-5 in the playoffs. Winning Super Bowl 31 helped cement his place as one of the greatest coaches in Packers history.

Mike McCarthy’s story is similar in many regards to Holmgren’s. While not the highly sought after candidate, McCarthy took over a team which had been stripped of much of its talent and had to rebuild. And rebuild they have. With Ted Thompson on a never ending mission to stockpile talent, McCarthy has been able to bring the Packers back to the top of the NFL mountain. Going 68-36 thus far as coach, McCarthy has added to his resume the past two seasons by winning Super Bowl XLV and following it up with a franchise best 15-1 regular season record, and is still adding to his legacy.

That narrows it down to Holmgren or McCarthy for third best coach in Packers history. That is a difficult decision.

At this point, I have to give the edge to Holmgren. If for no other reason, Holmgren never had a losing record during the regular season. His worst coaching record was 9-7 (three times) but two of those seasons included trips to the playoffs. McCarthy has suffered one losing season (6-10 after 2008) and and 8-8 record during his first season in 2006. The 6-10 record looks especially poor considering it came on the heels of a 13-3 season and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. One can blame the Summer of Favre was a distraction to that team. How well a team can respond to adversity goes a long way in determining how good a coach really is, and at that time, McCarthy was not nearly as effective a coach as he is now.

Not that Holmgren is perfect. Far from it. His teams were designed for multiple Super Bowl titles, and only won one. Losing Super Bowl 32 was especially painful. And Holmgren’s flirtation with the Seahawks while still coach of the Packers was distracting. His legacy could have been much more secure if he could have maximized his time in Green Bay by either staying longer or winning another title. Instead, the door was left open for someone to supersede him.

So what does McCarthy need to do this year to move past Holmgren? Simple: win the Super Bowl. There are only two other coaches who have won multiple titles with the Packers, and you see where they are on this list. Adding another Super Bowl victory not only pushes McCarthy past Holmgren, but he then begins his march toward Lombardi/Lambeau in the discussion. Going to the playoffs is nice, but failing in the playoffs will not help. McCarthy needs to win another Super Bowl for this discussion to end.

As McCarthy enters his seventh year coaching the Packers, the expectations are greater than ever. Holmgren had seven years to make his mark on Packers history. This is going to be an interesting subplot to keep an eye on during the season.

Holmgren vs. McCarthy. The debate ends this year

I do not like the Lambeau Field seating expansion that is currently taking place.

Now before anyone thinks I am a non supporting hater of the Packers for saying that, please allow me to explain:

Last week, I wanted to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather the Midwest is experiencing, and decided to take a drive to Green Bay. My intention was simply to visit the Pro Shop, take in lunch at Krolls (which was fabulous, as always) and bum around the stadium area before heading home. A short day trip before going back to the grind the following day.

After walking through the Pro Shop and walking through the Hall of Fame, I felt the need to go on the Lambeau Field stadium tour. It had never occurred to me until this day that for as many times as I had been in the stadium, I had never gone on the tour around the stadium. Being 65 degrees in March, it seemed like a perfect day for than a walk around Lambeau Field, including a trip to the sidelines at field level. Perhaps more importantly, I was interested to see the construction of the new seating area.

My first impression of the new bleachers is that they are going to be tall. I mean reaaaallllllyyy tall. The frame of the bleachers is all that is in place at the moment, but I could start to see exactly how high these new seats are going to be. Sketch photos of what the finished product will look like do not do justice.

Perhaps more importantly, the new seats will take away from closeness to the field that Lambeau is known for, putting some 6,600 fans in the sky, minus the boxes.

The thought that I kept having was how these seats reminded me of the old upper deck at US Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. I had the unfortunate opportunity to sit in these seats for a game many years ago, and while I do not have a picture of just how truly scary these seats were to share, I can sum up the experience in words: imagine sitting many hundred feet above the ground in a seat which is pitching forward, and you have the ultimate sense of vertigo running through every fiber of your body, all the while trying to enjoy a game while enjoying a few ballpark snacks and beverages.

While I am confident that the new seats will not be as gravity defying as the ones at The Cell were, I do think that they are going to be far too high to enjoy the experience that goes along with seeing a game at Lambeau. The closeness to your neighboring fans is one of the unique features of Lambeau, yet it seems like these 6,600 fans will be in their own zip code with how far up they are going to be. Away from the rest of the bowl, these fans will get less than a birds eye view of the field during a game.

Now don’t get me wrong, IF I am ever fortunate enough to move ahead of the 79,000 plus currently in front of me on the season ticket waiting list for two of these seats, I will happily accept them. There is nothing better than seeing a game at Lambeau Field. I’ll just have to load up on Dramimine before heading into the sky to watch a game in these new seats.

Packers.com has provided a photo gallery of the construction process as of March 17.

Nothing Like a Road Trip

Fan Video #3: Lambeau Jump-Around

Entering Lambeau for the first time.

Packers Tailgate: Shotgun 2008

It’s a great day for Packer football

Stealing a page from my first Packer blog, the Packers Lounge introduces the Saturday Six-Pack. Each Saturday we will highlight six Packer stories from around the Packer planet.

The Saturday Six-Pack

1. We will start with some interesting stats on Ted Thompson.

2. Railbird Central starts breaking down some possible off-season coaching moves.

3. Did you know that Lambeau field is one of the best places to go vegetarian?

4. Here is the final Friday injury report.

5. Please tell me Aaron Rodgers was not at a Carrie Underwood concert.

6. Finally, this is perhaps the most fair-weather post that I saw this week.

(Stay Tuned)

Watch more MySpace videos on AOL Video

Gameday Carolina

If you have been following the Packers blog world lately, you would be aware that yours truly was recently called out by the folks at CheeseheadTV for bailing on the game during the blowout.

What those gentleman don’t realize is that when you call people out they might take the time to write a rap tune about you and how much you suck.

I don’t know what’s worse, having a song about you, or actually having to listen to it.

Your turn Cheeseheads.

Nothin’ Like Gameday

The Badgers take on Lambeau