When compiling a list of the ten greatest Packer players of all-time there are many things about the historic franchise that stand out.  First and foremost, is the impact that Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi had on the NFL history books.  A vast majority of the finalists played under one of those two coaches and it really got me thinking about how great coaching is unique to football.  In other sports, winning and losing is driven by player empowerment.  Do you really think Eric Spoelstra was an immortal coach for winning 2 NBA Championships in 4 years with the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and even Ray Allen (sorry Bucks fans) all on the court at once?  

Yes, great players always make great plays, however, in football great coaches always have a way of giving role players a purpose, making average players good, making good players great, and making great players into Hall of Famers.  The 1960's Packers had generationally great players, but it took Vince Lombardi and his staff to unlock his players full potential and develop some of the greatest positional groups of all-time during that era of championships.  Furthermore, if you ask members of the Lombardi Packers, like Jerry Kramer and Dave Robinson (I actually had the privilege of talking to Dave on a flight into Appleton) they would (and did) say that the key to the success of those Packer teams was the way Lombardi was able to bring both the offense and defense together as one singular unit and how he was able to instill discipline, hard work, and an unbreakable toughness into every member of the team.  

It is a rarity for every member of a team to be on the same page with both their coach as well as their teammates.  When this level of team solidarity is achieved with generational players on the roster, that particular team is able to achieve unprecedented greatness and historic feats like the 1960's Packers were.  This idea of buying into a philosophy, a level of intensity, an unbreakable toughness, and an unwavering discipline to the fundamental principles of football or any sport for that matter; and come to the realization that you are playing for something bigger than just yourself is when great teams become immortal.  

Could the LeBron James Miami Heat teams have gone down as one of the few monumental teams in sports that won four straight championships? Absolutely, yes!  They had the talent, they had generational players on their roster, and they were better than everybody else during their four year run.  So why did this group of hall of fame players fail to become an immortal team?  In my estimation, this group fell short because of a lack of an unbreakable toughness, a lack of fundamental discipline, and an inconsistent continuity with each other as teammates as well as with their coaching staff and front offices' philosophies.

Lombardi and his coaches were able to unlock immortality because they were able to convey to their players that toughness, discipline, and continuity within the team structure would bring championships and that was really all that mattered.     Who would have thought that touchdowns, interceptions, and rushing yards would come from something other than a players given ability and unlock Championships, the Hall of Fame, immortality, and yes, even the Hall of Fame pyramid.