A Unique Green Bay Packers All-Time Team
Robert Olson, Kevin Olson, and Bob Olson, three generations of Packers fans and family members, created a Packers All-Time Team.
By robertolson
This is not an ordinary Green Bay Packers All-Time Team. It was created by three generations of Packers fans—my grandpa, Bob Olson, my dad, Kevin Olson, and me. My grandpa, who lives in Wisconsin, has been on Earth for all 13 Packers championships, my dad was born in Wisconsin during the Lombardi era, and my lifetime began at the start of the Mike Holmgren era.
After long, detailed discussions, the three of us came to a consensus on what the Green Bay Packers All-Time Team should look like. Enjoy and discuss, Packers fans!
Head Coach- Vince Lombardi
Offensive Coordinator- Bob Schnelker
Defensive Coordinator- Fritz Shurmur
Special Teams Coordinator- Nolan Cromwell
Offense
QB- Bart Starr
FB- William Henderson
RB- Jim Taylor
TE- Paul Coffman
WR- Don Hutson
WR- Sterling Sharpe
LT- Chad Clifton
LG- Gale Gillingham
C- Jim Ringo
RG- Jerry Kramer
RT- Forrest Gregg
Defense
DE- Reggie White
DT- Henry Jordan
DT- Gilbert Brown
DE- Willie Davis
OLB- Dave Robinson
MLB- Ray Nitschke
OLB- Clay Matthews
CB- Charles Woodson
FS- Willie Wood
SS- LeRoy Butler
CB- Herb Adderley
Special Teams
K- Mason Crosby
P- Craig Hentrich
KR- Travis Williams
PR- Desmond Howard
Thanks for reading, Packers fans. Follow me on Twitter at @RobertOlson92 for analysis on the Packers.
Comments (32)
ejr450
January 31, 2016 at 04:40 pm
Awesome group. Wonder about WR3 & 4, TE2, RB2, and Nickel & Dime backs, knowing how Fritz loved his 5 DB plan.
I'd say Nelson & Dowler, Chmura, Ahman... Not as clear on the DB side. Thoughts?
jeremyjjbrown
February 01, 2016 at 09:42 am
WR3 - Jordy Nelson
WR4 - Donald Driver
TE2 - Mark Chmura
RB2 - Ahman Green
DB3 - Al Harris
DB4 - Nick Collins
Just my opinion, I feel like I'm leaving out the 60's but I'm not that old.
D.D.Driver
February 01, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Lofton is gonna be higher on the list than Jordy Nelson.
robertolson
February 01, 2016 at 10:06 am
Our #3/#4 WRs would be James Lofton and Donald Driver, our #2 TE would be Bubba Franks, and our #2 RB would be Ahman Green. We didn't do Nickel and Dime backs, because we wanted to make this All-Time Team just like a typical starting lineup for a team: 11 players starting on offense, 11 starting on defense (base 4-3 scheme with 4 DBs), and the key special teams players.
Evan
February 01, 2016 at 11:04 am
I was going to post something about how it's crazy to put Bubba over Chmura...but I just looked up their stats, and Chmura had a shockingly average career.
3 time pro bowler, sure, but just 188 receptions, 2,253 yards and 17 TDs over 89 games (7 seasons).
He really only had 3 "good" seasons.
1995: 54/679/7
1997: 38/417/6
1998: 47/554/4
I guess the Packers had a ton of offensive weapons then, but my memory of Chmura was far more productive.
Bubba wasn't all that much better (256 receptions, 2,300 yards, 32 TDs in 114 games). After Coffman, Packers have sort of a black hole at TE. I might actually put Finley as the 2nd best TE ever (223 receptions, 2,785 yards, 20 TDs in 70 games).
RCPackerFan
February 01, 2016 at 11:36 am
The biggest difference between Chmura and Franks is the yards per catch. Chmura had an average per catch of 11.9 yards. Whereas Franks had an average of 8.9 per catch. (based off your stats).
A lot of that is where they used Bubba. He was their redzone threat. No he wasn't a field stretching TE, but his number of TD's showed that he was a big redzone threat.
Finley had and average of 12.4 yards per catch.
I agree about Chmura from memory. I expected bigger numbers based off of memory.
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:04 pm
Yes we have not had a great TE since Coffman.
WKUPackFan
February 01, 2016 at 01:54 am
Hi Robert, fantastic list! Your Dad must be around my age (56).
Great to see Paul Coffman and Craig Hentrich on the list. Perhaps an extra special teams position could be created to include Paul Hornung?
robertolson
February 01, 2016 at 09:35 am
Thank you! Paul Hornung was a tough one. He was a great Packer (very versatile player), but we didn't know where to put him.... We wanted to make this list like a true team (11 on offense, 11 on defense, with a kicker, punter, kick returner, and punt returner). We could've put Hornung at RB and Jim Taylor at FB (since they both ran and blocked for each other), but we wanted to put a true FB at the FB position. In our opinion, the best pure FB in Packers history was William Henderson, so that's why we put him there. Just know that we realize how great and versatile Hornung was, but in this format, it was tough to put him at a particular position.
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:10 pm
Agree on Hornung. Understand Henderson as a modern blocking FB and Taylor has to be on this team. Has to. Taylor was a great running back who blocked as well as he ran.
NickPerry
February 01, 2016 at 07:19 am
That back 7 on defense would be every bit as good or better than any other teams 'All Time Team". Crosby over Longwell? Well maybe, just because he went to play for that team in purple takes him of the list I suppose.
robertolson
February 01, 2016 at 09:59 am
It was very close between Crosby and Longwell. Longwell played nine seasons for the Packers, and Crosby has also played nine seasons, so that was helpful. Overall, Longwell has a slight edge in accuracy, but that's about it. First off, Crosby is better at kickoffs than Longwell was (even when considering they moved kickoffs from the 30 to the 35-yard line in Crosby's 5th year). Secondly, Crosby simply has a better leg. His range is much better than Longwell's was (Crosby holds the Packers record for the longest field goal). Finally, we couldn't ignore the fact that Crosby just passed Longwell to become the all-time points leader for the Packers. If Crosby re-signs with the Packers, I think there's a good chance that he will continue to show why he deserves to be on this list. Last thing: We tried to look at both of them and their play on the field.... We really didn't consider Longwell going to play for the Vikings, but I'll just say that it doesn't help him much (in terms of being on a Packers All-Time Team).
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:09 pm
Chester Marcol was better.
Handsback
February 01, 2016 at 07:48 am
Good list, but have to disagree w/ your RBs. Jim Taylor was a FB and I don't see how you can exclude Green as the other RB.
robertolson
February 01, 2016 at 10:20 am
Jim Taylor was listed as a FB, and he did block for Hornung, but he led the Packers in rushing for seven consecutive seasons when he played. The RB and FB positions were essentially the same positions (interchangeable) back in the late 1950s and 1960s. Taylor was a dominant player in 12/14-game seasons.... We had to put him at RB over Ahman Green, especially since Ahman had some fumbling problems. We put William Henderson at FB, because we saw him as the best pure/traditional fullback in Packers history.
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:16 pm
Spot on about nature of position and dominance of Taylor. Led in yards at a time when Jim Brown played.
Bearmeat
February 01, 2016 at 08:16 am
Great stuff Robert. Thanks.
To add to the list:
QB 2: Brett Favre
QB 3: Aaron Rodgers
RB 2: Ahmab Green
RB 3: John Brockington
WR 3: Jordy Nelson
WR 4: Robert Brooks
WR 5: James Lofton
CB 3: Sam Shields
CB 4: Al Harris
KR/PR: Desmond Howard
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 10:19 pm
Lofton behind Brooks?? I think not and not Jordy either.
Bearmeat
February 02, 2016 at 08:05 am
I remember Lofton as a Bill - not as a Packer. His stats and old videos don't make the same impression as memories. ;)
Tundraboy
February 03, 2016 at 09:43 am
You missed a great Packer and player.
Since'61
February 01, 2016 at 09:32 am
Robert - excellent list. But I would have to add Paul Hornung to any all-time Packers team. I don;t know if you saw Hornung play or not but he was an all-time great player and a great Packer, much more so than William Henderson. In addition to his skills as a runner, passer, receiver and place kicker, Paul could block as well as a guard and often did. As for for WR I would take James Lofton over Sterling Sharpe. Lofton was a much more fluid runner and he had better hands than Sterling Sharpe. Also, Lofton is a Hall of Fame WR. And now for the tough one. I would take Aaron Rodgers over Bart Starr at QB. Don't get me wrong, I love Bart Starr and he is one of my all time favorite Packers, but Rodgers has him beat with his throwing arm and his ability to move and extend plays. Starr is an all-time great but Rodgers has taken the QB psotion to another level with his mobility and his ability to make any throw while on the run. Starr, as great as he was, never had that ability and he played behind one of the greatest if not the greatest OL in NFL history. This is borne out by the fact that you have 4 out of 5 of Starr's OL on your team. Put Rodgers behind Starr's OL and I doubt if the Lombardi Packers ever lose a game. It is the added dimension of his mobility that makes Rodgers not only a great QB but a unique player at his position. Otherwise, your selections are pretty much spot on. Thanks, Since '61
robertolson
February 01, 2016 at 10:35 am
Thanks! Like I said in my comment above, Paul Hornung was a tough one. We realize that he was a great Packer (very versatile player), but we didn't know where to put him. We could've put Hornung at RB and Jim Taylor at FB (since they both ran and blocked for each other), but we wanted to put a true/traditional FB at the FB position. In our opinion, the best pure FB in Packers history was William Henderson, so that's why we put him there. Taylor was listed as a FB, but he led the Packers in rushing for seven consecutive seasons when he played, so we thought it was best to put him at RB. Sharpe and Lofton are debatable.... My grandpa and especially my dad had a hard time deciding which one to put on here, but we went with Sharpe (my dad loved Lofton). Both were great for the Packers. Finally, I think Aaron Rodgers will be on this list once he retires, but for now, we felt it was best for Starr to be there. Rodgers still has several years left to accomplish even bigger things.... I expect Rodgers to be named the greatest Packers QB of all-time when he retires.
Since'61
February 01, 2016 at 10:49 am
Thanks for the reply. Good logic on your choices. I agree and expect that Rodgers will become the greatest Packers QB when he reaches retirement, hopefully not for another 5-6 seasons at least. I always enjoy these debates about all-time players and all-time great teams. If nothing else these discussions prove how great the Packers heritage is and how fortunate we are to be Packers fans regardless of when our fanship began. Thanks, Since '61
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:33 pm
We are fortunate. We have enough of a heritage to have two all time teams!
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 09:20 pm
I can tell we are about the same age. Well said and dead on.
Since'61
February 02, 2016 at 10:00 am
Thanks Tundra! I have already passed the big 60 trying to find the rewind button. Since '61
Tundraboy
February 03, 2016 at 09:44 am
58 here, time flys.
ray nichkee
February 01, 2016 at 01:36 pm
William henderson. I love it when i hear his name.
Evan
February 01, 2016 at 01:41 pm
All-time favorite.
WKUPackFan
February 03, 2016 at 03:29 am
Agreed
Tundraboy
February 01, 2016 at 11:21 pm
That's some great team. Glad to see Travis, Gillingham and Coffman on list. Wish we had a TE like Coffman now,thats exactly the type we need. Only thing I would be quick to change is Lofton over Sharpe. Lofton was phenomenal, the Hutson of his era imo. Sharpe very good. Leaving out Hornung I dunno. Canadeo?
JamesKnell
September 08, 2019 at 01:00 pm
I found this old thread by googling "Green Bay Packers all-time team"... I regard myself as pretty knowledgeable about Packer history, but the recent passing of DB Bobby Dillon made me aware of my own short-coming. "Despite only having one working eye, Bobby Dillon is the all-time Green Bay Packer's career interceptions leader with 52."
Bobby Dillon entry on wikipedia
With all due respect to the other Packer Greats at DB, "The Hawk" was the greatest of all-time when measured against this peers.
From footballdbdotcom/teams/nfl/green-bay-packers/leaders/career-defense-interceptions
I imagine without guys like Dillon make the losing teams of the 1950s bearable to watch, the Packers may not have made it to the 1960s.