David Bakhtiari Turns 30

It was somewhat out of character when the Packers signed 29-year-old tackle David Bakhtiari to a four-year $100-million contract in November, but he has been a bulwark since he arrived in Green Bay as a fourth-round pick from Colorado in 2013. He moved immediately into the starting lineup at right tackle as a rookie and then moved to the left side a year later to serve as Aaron Rodgers’ blind side protector.

In Bakhtiari’s first eight seasons, he missed 10 games due to injury, but started all 118 others. He has been named first team All-Pro twice and second team All-Pro three times, as well as being selected for the Pro Bowl three times. Unfortunately, a month after signing the big contract extension, he tore his ACL in practice and opened the 2021 season on injured reserve.

Bakhtiari demonstrates the propensity of former GM Ted Thompson to do better drafting offensive linemen in later rounds. In the first two rounds, Thompson hit on first-round tackle Bryan Bulaga in 2010. Second round guard Daryn College was a decent player, but first round tackle Derek Sherrod and second rounder Jason Spriggs did not pan out. By contrast, Thompson nabbed Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang and J.C. Tretter all in the fourth round and Corey Linsley in round five. The latter group drew All-Pro notice 11 times and went to nine Pro Bowls. Bulaga drew All-Pro notice once. Here’s hoping that Bakhtiari has more great seasons left in the tank.

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Tuffy

Today in 1914, Clarence “Tuffy” Thompson was born in Montevideo, Minnesota. The speedy 5’11” 170-pound halfback went on to play on the National Championship Golden Gopher squads of 1935 and ’36. Thompson signed with Pittsburgh in 1937 and appeared in 17 NFL games over the 1937 and ’38 seasons, rushing for 219 yards and catching 15 passes for 181 more yards. He scored two touchdowns.

With the retirement of Bob Monnett in 1939, Curly Lambeau sent center Frank Butler to Pittsburgh for Thompson as a potential replacement. In Green Bay, he would join fellow Minnesota alums Charles Schultz, Warren Kilbourne, Frank Twedell, Bud Svendsen, Andy Uram and Larry Buhler in their title quest. Tuffy was lauded as being second only to Don Hutson in speed on the team, but would appear in just one game for the Packers during their championship season, gaining nine yards on the ground and catching one pass for one yard. Thompson was released on October 18 when Lambeau signed guard Gus Zarnas to the roster.

During World War II, Thompson joined the Navy and served as a fighter pilot and then trainer based in Jacksonville, Florida. Tuffy stayed in Jacksonville after leaving the Navy in 1949 and coached high school football there into the 1960s. He died there on February 5, 2000 at age 85.

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Hal Faverty and the Hard Rock Packers

Under head coach Ivy Williamson, the University of Wisconsin developed a nationally renowned defense in 1951, known as the Hard Rocks. That season, the Badgers allowed just 66.8 yards per game rushing and 154 total yards per game, while holding opponents to six points a game. After losing their opener 14-10 to Illinois, they went 7-0-1 and were ranked number eight in the country. Three of them would eventually play for the in-state Packers. Today marks the birthday of one of the three, Hal Faverty, an end and linebacker.

Faverty was born on September 26, 1927 in Hammond, Indiana, and lettered at Wisconsin as a freshman in 1945 before going into the Navy for two years. He returned to the Badgers in 1948 and then was drafted in the 15^th round in 1949 by the Bears. However, Hal remained in school. He missed the ’49 season due to being academically ineligible but returned for his junior and senior seasons of ’50 and ’51 and Hard Rock fame.

Faverty reported to the Bears in 1952, but was waived in October and signed by the Packers for whom he started the last 11 games of the season. One of his fellow rookie starters was linebacker Deral Teteak, another Hard Rock and a ninth round selection of the Packers. In San Francisco, a third Hard Rock, Pat O’Donahue, was a fifth round draft pick who would start nine games at defensive end for the 49ers in ‘52. O’Donahue then went into the service for two years before returning to the NFL with the Packers in 1955, where he teamed with Teteak on the Green Bay defense for one season. Teteak would finish his NFL career in ’56 still with the Packers.

Faverty was obtained by Philadelphia in 1953, but spent the season playing Canadian football with Toronto instead. He then retired and eventually went into real estate. Hal died at age 80 on July 21, 2008.

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The Incredible Bulk/Bust

Tony Mandarich turns 55 today. He was born in 1966 in Oakville, Ontario, the son of Croatian immigrants. His older brother John won a football scholarship to Kent State University and convinced his parents to let Tony live with him in Ohio for his senior year of high school so the younger brother would have a better chance at a football scholarship in the U.S. John would go on to play seven years in the CFL. Tony was recruited to Michigan State by Spartans assistant coach Nick Saban in 1984. By Mandarich’s senior year, the 6’6” 330-pound tackle was an All-America, and he won the Outland trophy as the nation’s top lineman.

Green Bay selected Mandarich with the second overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft, but everything went wrong right from the start. Tony held out until the week before the season and had also lost some of his bulk since he stopped taking the steroids that had inflated his body and surface potential. Instead, in Green Bay, he flailed badly on the field and developed addictions to both alcohol and painkillers.

When Mike Holmgren came in 1992, he cut the arrogant Mandarich prior to the final season of his rookie contract. Tony had started 31 of the 45 games in which he appeared in for the Packers but was out of football for the next four years. Mandarich returned to the game in 1996 with the Colts under his former Packer coach Lindy Infante and played decently at guard for three seasons before a shoulder injury ended his career in 1998. He has since become a photographer and his work can be found on the internet.

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A Look Back at 2008

Brett Favre and the Packers each had a great revival season in 2007, but, according to Bob McGinn, team management concluded that Favre was no longer the man to lead the team to a Super Bowl, owing to his streak of postseason games ending with his interceptions. The team gave Favre a March deadline to decide whether he wanted to continue playing or to follow through on his retirement threats of the past few years.

Favre tearfully announced his retirement on March 4, 2008. In July, he changed his mind, but the team had committed to Aaron Rodgers. Favre lobbied for his release so he could sign with Minnesota, but GM Ted Thompson refused. Favre awkwardly reported to training camp in August and was traded to the Jets for a conditional fourth round pick a few days later. Thus, began the Aaron Rodgers era.

The team won its first two games with Rodgers at the helm and were an inconsistent 5-5 when the wheels came off. A five-game losing streak sunk the 6-10 season. The offense continued to play well, scoring 419 points (fifth), but the defense allowed 380 (22^nd). The Pack was 3-9 against winners and 3-1 against losers. They were 4-4 at home and 2-6 on the road.

Rodgers started all 16 games and completed 63.6% of his passes for 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while averaging 7.5 yards per toss. Matt Flynn added two completions for six yards. Ryan Grant ran for 1,203 yards, while Rodgers was third on the team with 207

Greg Jennings caught 80 passes for 1,292 yards and nine scores. Donald Driver added 74 receptions for 1,012 and five TDs. Jordy Nelson caught 33 and James Jones 20. Will Blackmon scored twice on punt returns. Mason Crosby led the team with 127 points.

On defense, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson each grabbed seven interceptions and Tramon Williams nabbed five. Aaron Kampman recorded 9.5 sacks, with Woodson and AJ Hawk each adding 3. Woodson and Collins were named second team All-Pros and went to the Pro Bowl. Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, Josh Sitton and Matt Flynn all arrived in a promising draft.

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Atari Bigby is 40

Born in Jamaica on September 19, 1981, Atari Bigby grew up in Miami and attended Central Florida University. He went undrafted by the NFL but signed with the hometown Dolphins as a free agent in 2005. When Miami cut him in training camp, he caught on briefly with the Jets but they released him as well. Green Bay signed the safety to the practice squad that season, and he appeared in the Christmas Day game with the Bears that season.

In 2006, Bigby was still seen as in need of polish and again spent most of the year on the Packers’ practice squad. However, he did appear in five of the last seven games of the year. He made the leap to starting safety in 2007 and started all 16 games for the only time in his career for the revived Packers, recording five interceptions. Injuries limited him to seven games and six starts in ’08, and in ’09 he appeared in 13 games and started 11, picking off four passes.

Bigby won a ring in his final year in Green Bay, although injuries limited his appearances to four games. That year Green Bay also drafted hard-hitting safety Morgan Burnett, indicating that Bigby’s time in Wisconsin was coming to an end. He signed with Seattle as a free agent in 2011 but served as a reserve behind Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. Moving on to the Chargers in 2012, he returned to the starting lineup, but went on Injured Reserve in week 12. The following season he was cut.

Bigby was 5’11 and 210 pounds and a big hitter who recorded all 10 of his NFL interceptions with the Packers. In Green Bay, he was known for big plays but also big mistakes. He was a force in the 2007 postseason, hinting at his ability, but generally was an inconsistent player who is remembered for his impressive dreadlocks.

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A Look Back at 2007

The Ted Thompson era began to bear fruit in 2007, with the Packers finishing a surprising 13-3 and reaching the NFC Championship game. With Favre returning to form in Mike McCarthy’s offense, the team scored 435 points (fourth) and gave up 291 (sixth). Of course, in the playoffs, Brett turned back into a pumpkin, in fact, a very cold, old gourd.

Green Bay capitalized on having a weak schedule by earning a first round bye in the NFC playoffs. The Pack was 9-2 against losing teams and 4-1 against winners; they were 7-1 at home and 6-2 on the road. Both postseason games were memorable ones at Lambeau. On a snowy day in the divisional round against the Seahawks, runner Ryan Grant fumbled twice in the first four minutes, allowing Seattle a quick 14-0 lead. Grant and the team suddenly righted themselves. He ran for 201 yards, and the Packers rolled over the Hawks 42-20.

It all crashed to the ground a week later in minus-three-degree weather as the visiting Giants outlasted the Packers 23-20 in overtime, with the winning score coming after an ill-advised sideline pass from Favre to Driver that was picked off. The Giants then went on to conquer the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Favre started all 16 games again, for the last time in Green Bay. He completed 66.5% of his passes for 4,125 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while averaging 7.8 yards per pass. Aaron Rodgers threw for 218 yards and a touchdown, and third string Craig Nall threw for 88 yards and one score as well.

Rookie trade acquisition Ryan Grant ran for 956 yards, but the Packers were a passing team. Donald Driver caught 82 passes for 1,048 yards. Greg Jennings grabbed 53 for 920 yards and 12 TDs. Tight end Donald Lee caught 48 and rookie James Jones added 47. In the return game, rookie Tramon Williams had a 94-yard punt return score, and Will Blackmon had one from 57 yards. Rookie kicker Mason Crosby scored 141 points.

On defense, Atari Bigby had five picks and Charles Woodson four. Aaron Kampman recorded 12 sacks and KGB 9.5. Favre, Kampman, Nick Barnett and Al Harris all were named second team All-Pro. Favre, Kampman, Harris, Driver and Chad Clifton all were picked for the Pro Bowl. Although top pick Justin Harrell was a bust, and second pick Brandon Jackson never lived up to potential, third rounder James Jones and sixth rounder Crosby, along with Grant and free agent Tramon Williams, made this a good rookie class.

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Rich McGeorge Turns 73

Rich McGeorge, born on September 14, 1948, in Roanoke, Virginia, spent his career wondering why the Packers didn’t get him the ball more. As a two-time NAIA All-American at tiny Elon College in North Carolina, the 6’4” McGeorge caught 224 passes and 31 touchdowns in four years as an undergraduate. However, the Packers’ second first round pick of the 1970 draft caught just 175 passes and 13 touchdowns in nine years as a pro, which still was a team record for a tight end at the time. He averaged 13.5 yards per catch, a figure Bubba Franks would die for. While Elon even would spread Rich out wide at times, that was not the case in Green Bay where his job was more strictly defined.

McGeorge bulked up to 235 as a pro and learned how to block; it would become his main skill as a pro. McGeorge was slow but had good hands and could get open. The main problem was that he played in stodgy offenses with a long series of substandard quarterbacks. The team’s best season, 1972, McGeorge injured his knee in week two and missed the entire season. Over the next 12 games, his backup Len Garrett barely matched the four catches Rich had in the first two games. McGeorge’s highest seasonal totals of 30 and 32 catches came in 1974 and 1975 respectively. Cut in 1979, Rich went into coaching and worked as an assistant in both the college and professional ranks for over 30 years.

On a better team with better quarterbacks and a more open offense, McGeorge most likely would have had a better career. In fact, it’s interesting to speculate what he might have done had his career begun in 1979 rather than ended then.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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A Look Back at 2006

Ted Thompson hired Mike McCarthy as head coach in 2006, and the team limped to a 1-4 start before the bye. After the bye, though, the Pack showed signs of life with a 7-4 finish, including winning the last four for an 8-8 mark. The only winning team Green Bay beat was the Bears in the finale. They were 1-7 against winners and 7-1 against losers, 3-5 at home and 5-3 on the road. The Packers were 5-1 in their division, and the defense showed marked improvement by not giving up more than 10 points in any of the final three games of the year.

Brett Favre started all 16 games, completed 56% of his passes for 3,885 yards, 18 TDs and 18 picks. Aaron Rodgers completed six of 15 for 46 yards in mop up duty.

Ahman Green returned for his final 1,000-yard season, gaining 1,059 and catching 46 passes. Second on the ground was Vernand Morency with 421 yards. Donald Driver caught 92 passes for 1,295 yards and eight touchdowns. Rookie Greg Jennings added 45 catches. With Ryan Longwell gone to Minnesota, free agent kicker Dave Rayner led the team with 109 points.

The defense upped its interception total to 23, aided by free agent signee Charles Woodson’s eight. Aaron Kampman topped Green Bay with 15.5 sacks and was supported by Corey Williams’ seven and Cullen Jenkins’ 6.5.

The rookie class was led by AJ Hawk in round one, Jennings and Daryn Colledge in round two, Jason Spitz in round three, Will Blackmon in round four and Johnny Jolly in round six. Kampman was named second team All-Pro, and he and Driver were selected to the Pro Bowl. Reggie White was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame.

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Aaron Rodgers, GM

When Aaron “will-he-or-won’t-he-report” Rodgers showed up for training camp at the end of July, he offered his critique of Packer management in recent years:

“I think there was a lot of things that transpired. This wasn’t just a draft-day thing. It started with a conversation in February, after the season ended. I just expressed my desire to be more involved in conversations directly affecting my job. Also, I wanted to help the organization maybe learn from some of the mistakes in the past, in my opinion, about the way some of the outgoing veterans were treated, and just the fact that we didn’t retain a number of players that I felt like were core players to our foundation, our locker room, high-character guys. I’m talking about Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, James Jones, John Kuhn, Brett Goode, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, guys who were exceptional players for us but great locker-room guys, high-character guys, many of them whom weren’t offered a contract at all or were extremely low-balled or were in my opinion not given the respect on the way out that guys of their status and stature and high character deserved.”

While there is much to criticize about bad draft picks and missed free agent signings by Packer management in the past decade, the list of players Rodgers cited as having gotten away reminds one that Arod should not be hired as GM any time soon. With the exception of the final two, defensive backs Casey Hayward (who celebrates his 32^nd birthday today) and Micha Hyde, those former Packers were all past their peak and were better off being replaced. Here’s what we missed:

Woodson: 37 years old, played three years at safety, intercepted 10 passes and made one charity Pro Bowl.

Nelson: 33 years old, one year in Oakland with 63 catches with an 11.7-yard average.

Peppers: 37 years old, returned to Carolina for two seasons of 11 and five sacks.

Matthews: 33 years old, managed an empty eight sacks for the Rams in one season after not having reached that total in his last five years in Green Bay.

Cobb: 29 years old, 55 catches in Dallas and 38 in Houston earns him a return to Green Bay as Rodgers’ security blanket.

Jones: 30 years old, caught 73 passes with a 9.1-yard average in Oakland before returning to Green Bay for one final season of 50 catches.

Kuhn: 34 years old, spent two seasons (18 games) in New Orleans.

Goode: 32 years old, has not played since.

Lang: 30 years old, two years (19 games) in Detroit with one Pro Bowl on reputation.

Bulaga: 31 years old, 10 games for the Chargers in 2020.

Hayward: 27 years old, a major mistake by Ted Thompson to pass on Hayward who went on to start 75 games in five years in San Diego, intercepting 14 passes, making two Pro Bowls and thrice being named a second team All-Pro.

Hyde: 27 years old, has started 62 games in four years in Buffalo, nine picks, one Pro Bowl and one second team All-Pro. A solid player who was better than what the Packers had in that time.

So, aside from Hayward and Hyde, these fine old warriors had very little left in the tank, and it is clear why they were not retained. Yes, let’s have Rodgers making personnel decisions. What could go wrong?

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