Defending the Greatness of Vince Lombardi
David Michalski addresses the Cheesehead TV poll results of who is the greatest head coach in Green Bay Packers history.
A popular argument inside of sports circles today is the debate of which player or coach is considered to be the greatest of all time in their respective sport. Usually, this is a debate reserved for water cooler talk at work or when friends gather together to watch a sporting event. With Super Sunday on the horizon and the Packers disappointing season all but behind us, the time has come to bring the discussion of all-time great coaches in NFL history back to the forefront of the conversation.
Most football fans believe that the debate of who is the greatest NFL coach of all time starts and ends with the great Vince Lombardi. After all, either the Patriots or the Rams will be receiving the Vince Lombardi Trophy after becoming the Fifty-Third Super Bowl Champion on Sunday Night. You would think that any debate to challenge the great Vince Lombardi would end right there, but apparently, for some, it doesn't.
Surprisingly, there seems to be some debate amongst the Cheesehead TV following of whether Vince Lombardi is even the greatest coach in the illustrious history of the Green Bay Packers. Since joining the Cheesehead community, I decided to kick the can of discussing this topic down the road and wait for the right time to bring it up.
Since the season has been over for quite some time and I have pontificated at length about how I believe the Packers should approach this offseason, I believe that the time has finally come to discuss the troubling poll results that have been tabulated on our site about who you all voted as the Greatest Coach in the history of the Green Bay Packers.
Here are the results to the Cheesehead TV Poll of who is the Greatest Packers Coach of all Time:
- Vince Lombardi 28%
- Mike Holmgren 36%
- Mike McCarthy 36%
So before everyone gets defensive of their candidate, I would just like to say that I admire and respect the jobs that all of these great men in Packers history have done for the franchise. They all have achieved success and demanded excellence from their players and coaching staffs. They have all epitomized "Lombardi Standards" throughout their tenures in Green Bay and will be forever revered throughout Packers history.
Despite what the Cheesehead poll numbers show, I still believe that all debates to determine the greatest coach in NFL history begin and end with the great Vince Lombardi. From my time writing here at Cheesehead TV, I have read many of your comments and opinions about how you believed a certain player(s) or coach(es) did not exemplify or live up to "The Lombardi Way" or "Lombardi Standards". These sentiments show me that many of you also, either consciously or subconsciously believe that the debate begins and ends with Lombardi as well.
So for the few that detract Lombardi's greatness (72% of our pollers), let me give a quick resume to compare the field of the Packers all-time great coaches:
- Vince Lombardi: 9 years- 89-29-4, .754 winning percentage, 3 NFL Championships, 2 Super Bowl Championships (I, II)
- Earl "Curly" Lambeau: 29 years, Packers Founder- 209-104-21, .668 winning percentage, 6 NFL Championships
- Mike Holmgren: 7 years- 75-37, .670 winning percentage, 1 Super Bowl Championship (XXXI)
- Mike McCarthy 13 years- 125-77-2, .618 winning percentage, 1 Super Bowl Championship (XLV)
If I was in a water cooler debate at work, I would only seriously listen to a case that was made between the candidacies of Vince Lombardi, and Packers founder, Earl "Curly" Lambeau. In addition to bringing the great state of Wisconsin a football team and having the Packers current home named after him, Lambeau won over 200 games and 6 NFL Championships en route to establishing the Green Bay Packers as one of the most illustrious and historic franchises in NFL history.
Vince Lombardi was the perfect coach to usher the Packers into a new era of football. He demanded excellence and precision like execution from his players every time that they stepped onto the field. Former Lombardi players that I have spoken with like Dave Robinson, Boyd Dowler, and Donny Anderson have all told me that their coach was an excellent teacher and motivator which is why all of his former players still hold their former coach to a level higher than sainthood.
Part of the reverence that Lombardi holds throughout coaching circles is his ability to meld the art of precision like execution with a fierce motivation to win which were the key components to all of his team's success.
Lombardi's .754 regular season winning percentage, 5 championships (2 Super Bowls) and his 9-1 playoff record in just nine seasons speak volumes about the coach that he was. Not only should he be considered the greatest coach in Green Bay Packers history, but he should also be revered as the greatest coach in NFL history.
In NFL circles, Lombardi is considered to be the greatest coach of all time and the same sentiments should ring true here at Cheesehead TV. The fact that Vince Lombardi did not receive100% of the vote in this poll is quite baffling.
I encourage you to join the debate and let me know who you consider the greatest coach in the history of the Green Bay Packers to be and why you feel that way. I would also like to encourage all of our members who have not yet voted, to cast your vote on our website and let us know who you believe the greatest head coach in the history of the Green Bay Packers is.
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David Michalski is a staff writer for Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter @kilbas27dave
Comments (58)
Qoojo
February 02, 2019 at 11:16 am
What speaks the most about MM's greatness is that he is still unemployed. Holmgren won 1 championship and went on to have some success with the Seahags. Lambeau had longevity in a less competitive era, but won. Lombardi kicked some butt in his brief time with the packers, and went on to turn Washington around.
1. Lombardi
2. Lambeau
3. Holmgren
MM is gone in 3 years without Rodgers. Doesn't even deserve to be mentioned on the list. The one superbowl win was due to Rodgers consistently throwing the ball into breadbox sized areas. Plus, the bump from a new Capers' simplified defense. Unlike the 3 coaches on the list, MM was clueless about fielding a defense, and that's not good in a head coach. MM will be the coach that wasted Rodgers' career.
It seems pretty clear to me.
D.D.Driver
February 02, 2019 at 02:32 pm
"MM is gone in 3 years without Rodgers. "
**rolls eyes**
Rodgers didn't even play the first two years that MM coached the Packers. And, the only reason he did play in year three was because McCarthy and Thompson unpacked their shovels for the national shit blizzard that was Favre's departure. But yet, there will always be some fans that honestly believe that Thompson and McCarthy just got really lucky. Twilight Zone, man. Twilight Zone.
Qoojo
February 02, 2019 at 03:56 pm
*rolls eyes* I can play the petulant teenager too.
Yea, I got the 3 years wrong, but the point remains that MM is long gone without Rodgers. MM doesn't know his head from his backside when it came to defense. I said nothing of TT.
Hawg Hanner
February 02, 2019 at 03:48 pm
Look where they finished in Lombardi's other seasons. Let's be frank, under Lombardi the Packers never lost a game after first season, they just ran out of time!
Barnacle
February 02, 2019 at 04:28 pm
Lombardi and McCarthy should not be mentioned in the same article or paragraph. Murphy should be ashamed for extending an incompetent coach.
Coldworld
February 03, 2019 at 05:21 pm
This discussion baffles me. Lombardi on results alone is not even in the same league as MM or Holmgren, good though both were. The era was different, but it was for all his opponents. Only if it is the best coach you remember would the other two deserve a mention.
Lambeau is the one interesting wild card. The NFL in those days was less stable and much more uneven. It is much harder to judge his prowess in part due to his longevity and in part due to the league of his day. I will say this, he is probably the single most critical character in Packer history, but as a coach, but Lombardi has to be afforded the accolade of best coach.
Qoojo
February 03, 2019 at 08:25 pm
Considering the question was greatest in packers history. It's hard to put anyone but Lombardi over Lambeau. Lambeau did a lot to keep the packers alive, and he won 6 championships. Given his longevity, you know he had to adapt over time to keep winning.
TKWorldWide
February 02, 2019 at 04:47 pm
Where the love for Lindy???
ricky
February 02, 2019 at 06:23 pm
What about "The Pack's Starr is Rising"? And how can we forget those years when Forrest Gregg turned a great franchise into a thug factory? MCCarthy was really, really good until 2014. From that point on, something changed, and he became a shell of himself. But nothing without Rodgers? Why is is that coaches that outlive their welcome suddenly are a product of their players?
Johnblood27
February 03, 2019 at 01:02 pm
Why is is that coaches that outlive their welcome suddenly are a product of their players?
This may be a rhetorical question, however I will address it anyway.
The answer to your question is because although the lens the situation is viewed through can change (coach perspective, player perspective, FO perspective, fan perspective) The situation is always a composite built from all perspective holders.
Scapegoating narrows the focus of the perspective with the goal of laying blame and advocating change to suit the individual perspective.
Carry on...
Since'61
February 02, 2019 at 11:21 am
The NFL Championship Trophy or the Super Bowl Trophy is named after him. What else is their to say when the trophy that stands for achieving excellence in an NFL season is named the Lombardi Trophy.
The only reason why someone would vote for another candidate either as greatest Packers coach or the NFLs GOAT coach is because they didn’t see Lombardi’s team play.
If you saw them play there is no doubt about the greatest coach of all time and the greatest Packers coach of all time. 5 NFL (Super Bowls) Championships in 7 years including 3 in a row. If the NFL championship game was called the Super Bowl back in 1961 the Packers would have won 5 in 7 years. Again if you saw them play you would know they would have defeated any old AFL team that could have been sent against them as they did to the Chiefs and Raiders in SBs 1&2. Thanks, Since ‘61
Thegreatreynoldo
February 02, 2019 at 11:30 am
Lombardi gets represented as a pure disciplinarian far too often. In truth, Lombardi took different approaches to different players. He was very, very good at pushing the correct button when dealing with his players, and that button's description varied.
Since'61
February 02, 2019 at 12:35 pm
Very true TGR. Lombardi was very smart. That is why he would succeed in any era. Thanks, Since ‘61
Rebecca
February 03, 2019 at 12:42 pm
My Dad still tells stories of Lombardi dealing with Playboy Paul Hornung and Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer who always gave 100% but liked to party on Saturday nights before Sunday’s game.
Demon
February 02, 2019 at 01:27 pm
Well said 61!
Tundraboy
February 02, 2019 at 04:41 pm
Well said Tornado. Don't know why someone disliked this either.
TKWorldWide
February 02, 2019 at 04:45 pm
Well said Tundraboy.
One dislike is the new zero, anyway.
packerbackerjim
February 02, 2019 at 11:21 am
Hands down, Lombardi. The loss to the Eagles in the 1960
Championship prompted Vince to promise the Packers would NEVER lose another champions game. 5 Championships in 7!years. As good as it gets.
davfar
February 02, 2019 at 01:09 pm
We need to realize for most of today's younger fans, the ones who vote for this stuff, history is whatever happened within the last two weeks.
Coldworld
February 03, 2019 at 05:25 pm
If you hold a best anything poll it is true that most pick a current coach or player or one very recently retired. Perhaps the best response to that is not to opine if you really don’t know anything other than yesterday. These days however, that seems an alien concept to most preople and we are deluged with drivel as a result.
JonathanSpader
February 03, 2019 at 07:21 pm
In their defense Coldwater NFL stands for Not For Long. Unfortunately for them it's not really a contest Lombari is the greatest coach of all time.
Demon
February 02, 2019 at 01:57 pm
I find it sad the amount of drug abuse in this country. The people that named MM better that Holmgren or Lombardi definitely have a substance abuse problem.
Lombardi was the standard the best coaches are measured against.
Holmgren was one of the most intelligent people in the game. Not to mention one of the more strict demanding coaches. Never were the words complacency or nonaccountability associated with his teams.
Lombardi
Holmgren
Lambeau
McPad Level id put in the same category with Forrest Gregg and Mike Sherman maybe ok if they have a good team.
WilsonMaywick
February 02, 2019 at 01:23 pm
One trait I admired in Lombardi was his humility. In Maraniss' book, "When Pride Still Mattered" he tells the story of Lombardi, when he coached the NY Giants went to Frank Gifford and others one night to ask them what he was doing wrong. He was not connecting with the offense. They told him not to treat them like college kids. A trait not often attributed to Lombardi but I always loved that story.
ThxJackVainisi
February 02, 2019 at 01:46 pm
I remember after the "Majik" '89 season a radio poll of Packers fans had Lindy Infante winning as the best HC in Packers history. Voting either Mike as the Greatest Packers Coach isn't quite as ignorant but it's close. And ignorant is the word: Not "stupid" but uninformed - to an embarrassing degree. It's the equivalent of leaving Washington and Lincoln out of the discussion of greatest Presidents, because 'what have they done for us lately'? That there "has to be" a piece on a Packers forum defending Lombardi as the GOAT should give any Packers fan pause when Packers fans are alleged to be among the most knowledgeable football fans.
Handsback
February 02, 2019 at 02:46 pm
OMG...this is crazy talk. Find the coaches that have won 3 NFL titles in a row and vote between them. Wait there's only one! I say he's the best. Everyone is battling for 2nd.
Johnblood27
February 03, 2019 at 01:07 pm
Curly Lambeau also won 3 league titles in a row in 1929, 1930 and 1931 when league record determined the champion.
Lombardi repeated the three-peat in the playoff era.
Nobody else has ever done that.
splitpea1
February 02, 2019 at 03:14 pm
Any coach who takes a 1-10 team, albeit with good young talent already in place, and turns them into an instant winner and perennial champion is clearly the best.
NickPerry
February 02, 2019 at 04:02 pm
Lets not forget the number of players that Lombardi helped turn into members of the Pro Football HOF on that same 1-10 team. Lombardi was the best coach there ever was. He's the best yesterday, today, and I'm 99.9% sure about tomorrow.
jeremyjjbrown
February 03, 2019 at 07:59 am
This Article, and some of the comment show how real Recency Bias is.
arnieherber
February 02, 2019 at 03:30 pm
Until recently I thought that Lombardi/Starr were the greatest combination of coach/qb in the history of the NFL. If you asked me that question today, I would have to say Belichick/Brady. Don't get me wrong, I have been a diehard Packers fan since the Lombardi glory days. Belichick has been in 8, yes 8 Super Bowls, winning 5. Yes, Lombardi had won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls, but who is to say if the Super Bowl existed prior to 1967 he would of won that extra game. Also, the fact that free agency did not exist in the early years of the game has to play a factor in winning championships.
NickPerry
February 02, 2019 at 04:21 pm
"but who is to say if the Super Bowl existed prior to 1967 he would of won that extra game. Also, the fact that free agency did not exist in the early years of the game has to play a factor in winning championships."
No offense arnieherber but I'd take that bet every time. I mean who's to say Belichick even makes it to ONE SB with the rules Lombardi coached under or Brady lasts even half as long as he has in todays game.
Both are great in there own right but in completely different eras of the game. I mean in Lombardi's time they did it with (IIRC) a 40 man roster AND they literally beat the hell out of each other.
Coldworld
February 03, 2019 at 05:30 pm
I agree. One cannot deny the results. Even with the rediculously easy qualification for most of their time due to terrible division and conference, what they have done is remarkable. I say that sadly as I think that the organization has been a disgrace to the NFL in some ways during that time, but I don’t think it made a significant difference in the outcome. What a shame they couldn’t have played fair. It will forever tarnish their legacy, but that legacy is nevertheless real.
Skip greenBayless
February 02, 2019 at 03:40 pm
1. MM - Had to deal with Favre and Rodgers. No other coach in NFL history had two bigger egos to not only deal with but to keep on winning.
2. Bart Starr - He was ahead of his time. Nice to all the players and opponents. Would be the Sean McVay of coaches if he was coaching today vs the 70's. Young people today would have loved Bart Starr. The perfect "tone". It's all about tone today. Winning is secondary.
3. Vince Lombardi - Might have won a lot but did so thru bullying his poor players and paying them poorly. Treated them like slaves. Would never be able to coach with his style today. Some day all his statues and signs will be taken down when the country eventually turns to socialism. They'll change history on him in time mark my words. He'll be looked at like the confederate flag. I don't agree with it but that's what I see happening and it will be a sad day when it does happen.
4. Mike Holmgren - Another bully who slipped in just before PC totally took over. Bill Schroeder's neck still hurts from that vicous grab on the sidelines.
5. Curly Lambeau - Had to throw him in there.
6. Yank Ur Chain. Had fun writing this.
Qoojo
February 02, 2019 at 04:05 pm
Bart Starr was nice. I like him. Shame about the defense though. You should have given a mention to Lindy Infante after the dark ages of the mid-80s, and finally beating the bears in the replay game.
Skip greenBayless
February 02, 2019 at 04:20 pm
I was going to mention Lindy but thought that might be pushing it. I will say the 1989 Bears replay game was my all time favorite game and the 1989 season was also my favorite season and they were coached by the late and legendary Lindy "Air" Infante.
Dash
Qoojo
February 02, 2019 at 07:56 pm
Well, I thought it was funny.
I agree about 1989 season and that bear game. The extra bonus was how it made Ditka so mad.
CoachJV
February 02, 2019 at 05:15 pm
In all fairness - and I know you wrote this as a joke - but Lombardi had a diva to contend with as well. Paul Hornung was as diva as they come. the GBP version of Broadway Joe.
So MM wasn't alone in dealing with huge ego's.
Tundraboy
February 02, 2019 at 04:44 pm
"Vince Lombardi 28%Mike Holmgren 36%Mike McCarthy 36% "
Wow, just wow. I know I'm another generation, but this is lunacy.
Lombardi, Lambeau and Holmgren. All built and coached dominant teams.
Skip greenBayless
February 02, 2019 at 04:42 pm
Tundraboy, the polls have spoken. You are in the minority. Accept the results. The polls clearly say MM and Holmgren were better than Lombardi. I for one accept the results. We can't go around whining when we don't get the poll results we wanted or expected. The fact Lombardi was a bully probably has something to do with his low poll numbers. Young people were taught to hate bullies by their teachers. Lombardi was not liked by his own players and he clearly isn't liked by today's younger generation. As I said earlier it's all about "tone" today. Winning is secondary. The polls pretty much prove my theory.
Dash
Tundraboy
February 02, 2019 at 04:45 pm
Lol
Coldworld
February 03, 2019 at 05:38 pm
You are all wrong. LaFleur is the greatest, he is young, innovative and has never lost a game in green and yellow. I don’t know why you’d add guys just because some old farts put his name on a stadium or some road, but I did hear some Nitsky guy was pretty good because he has a field and none of you even mentioned him as a great coach.
croatpackfan
February 02, 2019 at 05:13 pm
I have to admit I do not understand why is necessary to decide who is/was better. They are all great coaches, but they all belongs to their eras.
So, I believe we should respect all of them and be happy they led Packers, each in their era...
Swisch
February 02, 2019 at 05:55 pm
Not only has no other team in NFL history ever come close to Lombardi's Packers in winning 5 championships in 7 years -- including 3 in a row -- but, more importantly, no team is as legendary for its array of wonderful personalities coming together for shared glory.
No team is as endearing or enduring.
The greatness of Lombardi was his genius in coaching so many diverse players to individual success while also getting them to work together for team excellence.
It's not that Lombardi was perfect. He may have been a bully at times, and highly flawed in other ways, but love covers a multitude of sins. Lombardi loved his players, and his players loved him back. Together, they were in-Vince-able.
His players love him always. He was like a father. He cared about his guys, and his guys responded with the most incredible display of team potential in the history of professional sports.
Love is the only way to sustain team greatness over egos and rivalries and everyday irritations, over complacency and fatigue and pain.
By comparison, the Patriots of Belichick and Brady are not really a team, but an efficient and effective organization -- cold and calculating, nameless and uninspiring.
Homer Simpson is right about the heartlessness of the Patriots. If this franchise is a role model for America, it seems to explain our epidemic of addictions and overdoses and divorces and suicides. We are individualistic to the point of isolation. It is a success that is ultimately disappointing, if not meaningless.
In retirement, the magnificent Herb Adderley said he thought about Lombardi every day. Look up the cover of Sports Illustrated after the Packers beat the Raiders in Super Bowl II -- with Jerry Kramer helping to hoist Lombardi off the field, and the two looking at each other with such transcendent esteem and affection.
After years of individual sacrifice and common triumph, the Packers of the Lombardi Era would never be the same. They were not only legends of the game, but profoundly better as persons.
The glory of the Lombardi Era is sacrifice and gain, brotherhood and personal fulfillment. Only love is lasting.
JonathanSpader
February 02, 2019 at 05:51 pm
Some of the most famous Lombardi Quotes:
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Winners never quit and quitters never win.
It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.
Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.
Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.
Mike McArthy Quotes:
Throwaways are OK. When a quarterback throws the ball away in our system, that's a plus. That's a plus decision. That's the way I've always graded it.
I understand how success is judged and calculated in the coaching profession. That's really all I care about. You go about this business a certain way. Everybody has a certain style and opportunities that are presented to them during your career. When it's over, I'll be judged by that. I care more about the people I work with.
I got three years invested in Brett Hundley, two years invested in Joe Callahan. The quarterback room is exactly where it needs to be.
I worked at a place that followed a system where the quarterback was taught to take the sack rather than force the throw. That's kind of an old-school theory, but it has existed in this game.
The reality is, if you're going to have a defeat on the road, Week 1 is probably the best time to have it.
The performance of your position coaches is obviously more than just the actual statistics of how their players perform. There's insight from relationships you have around the league throughout all the different interactions that you have.
ricky
February 02, 2019 at 06:48 pm
Lombardi achieved greatness in another era. When there was no free agency; when the rules were much more friendly to management, and the seasons and playoffs shorter. He was truly the greatest coach of that era. No doubt. But the greatest coach of all time? That honor would have to be given to Bill Belichick. Head coach of NE for 19 years. Twelve of those years the Pats were either in the AFC championship game or SB. This while facing a lot more challenges than Lombardi. Is this to denigrate Lombardi? Never. Lombardi was the best HC of his era. Belichick is the best of his era.
Skip greenBayless
February 02, 2019 at 07:02 pm
I think you said it the best ricky. Screw the polls.
Dash
Johnblood27
February 03, 2019 at 01:18 pm
Belichick, challenges?
See AFC East during the Belichick years.
I call BS!
An automatic bye into the playoffs every year? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
A weak AFC to advance through? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
Coaching your players to play outside the rules because the officials will not call it on every play? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
Illegal video taping of your opponents practice before the championship game? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
Illegal video taping of your opponents on the sidelines to steal signals and communications? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
Endorsing alteration of the equipment used to play the game, like ball inflation? Yeah, thats overcoming a challenge.
Do you really think that my short list strictly from my old and fading memory is comprehensive?
Do you really think that everything that B&B led Patriots have done outside the rules has been discovered?
These guys are the proof of the sports cliche: "Sport doesn't build character, it reveals it"
Keep your GOAT label and deliver it to somebody else, these guys do NOT deserve it.
Swisch
February 03, 2019 at 01:57 pm
Good stuff, JohnBlood, an outline of a real indictment and matter for a serious discussion.
No wonder Homer Simpson took his family on a hate-cation to Boston. (Where's Hank Scorpio when I need him?)
The memory of the tainted Patriots will likely have at least a couple of asterisks to tarnish their record and deflate their legacy.
I'm not even sure I'll watch the Super Bowl today; but if I do, it will be as a new and temporary fan of the Rams (at least they have cool helmets).
Coldworld
February 03, 2019 at 05:47 pm
I disagree in that you assume it was easier in Lombardi’s day. In many ways it was harder to assemble a team in GB pre the modern structure. Moreover, there were no easy divisions or conferences. Can you argue with results for either? No, which is why the poll results are as dumb as would be one asking the same in regards to Patriots coaches that returned anyone other than Belicheck.
One thing I will say, I am happy to have had Lombardi than Belicheck. Lombardi was hard in a hard age, but we played fair, plus I think his quotes are likely to outlive those of mr Belicheck.
LeotisHarris
February 02, 2019 at 10:00 pm
Here is what I think about the vote that was described in the article Defending the Greatness of Vince Lombardi that was written by David Michalski on CHTV:
I think that a lot of people that voted did not know that Vince Lombardi had the ability to meld the art of precision like execution with a fierce motivation to win, and that enabled him to win more championships than any other coach that coached the Packers. That said, it seems that the best thing that we can do is have another vote that will decide who that best coach is. Or, if a lot of people that didn't vote will now see that after reading the article that Lombardi was the greatest coach of all time and now will vote for him, well, that would be good, then.
Richard J. Donovan
February 02, 2019 at 11:09 pm
Lombardi, the Beatles, the sun rises in the east, all's well with the world.
NitschkeFan
February 02, 2019 at 11:44 pm
I think it’s impossible to compare different eras. The NFL had 12-14 teams (expansion) during the Lombardi era. So yes he was the best of his time but winning multiple Championships in a 32 team league with salary caps, free agency, multiple playoff rounds etc is a much different story.
I don’t think anyone can make the argument that either of the Mikes were the best NFL coach of their time.
Slim11
February 03, 2019 at 09:03 am
Don't forget the AFL started during the Lombardi era. Unlike salary caps and the free agency as it exists today, Lombardi, as the GM, had to deal with bidding wars and drafting players who would actually sign with the Packers.
He had challenges today's GM doesn't have to worry about.
The Marathon Man
February 03, 2019 at 08:54 am
Anyone who would select ANYONE other than St. Vincent was probably born after 1990. I would want to know the demographics of those responding to this poll (or why this is even a poll).
Vince is the GOAT...hands down, end of argument.
4thand1
February 03, 2019 at 09:29 am
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!!!???? Of course Vince was the GOAT, no debate. He found a way to get the most out of every player. Do your job was was decades ahead of belecheat. What stands out to me was his distain for racism over 50 years ago.
ILPackerBacker
February 03, 2019 at 10:33 am
This poll explains why, when I called the packers about Bob McGinn not getting his press credentials, the answer was Cheesehead tv.
This was so funny I actually laughed....then so did the packer office.
About half of what's published here is just wasted, wrong, not remotely correct...and that is not counting the comments.
David is one of the real stars of this blog. Great articles, knows what he is talking about, communicates his knowledge well, and his articles are appreciated.
But if the poll was real it is like sending a college prof to kindergarten. yet I can totally believe it based on even the overall production of those published here.
JonathanSpader
February 03, 2019 at 07:26 pm
"About half of what's published here is just wasted, wrong, not remotely correct...and that is not counting the comments."
Gotta disagree kettle.
Swisch
February 03, 2019 at 12:06 pm
If we're asking if Lombardi would have done as well in the NFL of this era, it's worth asking if Belichick would have done as well in the 1960s.
For one thing, the Packers were 11-2-1 in 1963 and didn't even make the playoffs. To make it to the championship game, either you finished with the best record, or you were left out.
In any case, no matter what happens today in the Super Bowl, the Patriots have never won 5 championships in 7 years, or won 3 of them in a row.
I consider myself quite fortunate to be a Packers fan -- past, present and future.
Playoffs next season; a win in the Super Bowl soon thereafter.