Jeff Klopmeyer Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Why save your reverence for teams of the Super Bowl era when the Packers of the early '60s were clearly better than the Packers teams that won the first two Super Bowls? I hear what you're saying. I think the reason why there seems to be a cut-off at the AFL-NFL merger point is that was the earliest time you could really have a comparable league to today, and could therefore contrast team/individual stats as such. But you are right in that no one today seems to give due credit to the early Packers teams, and as people get older, less and less of them will even be aware of Green Bay's early successes. Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Why save your reverence for teams of the Super Bowl era when the Packers of the early '60s were clearly better than the Packers teams that won the first two Super Bowls? I hear what you're saying. I think the reason why there seems to be a cut-off at the AFL-NFL merger point is that was the earliest time you could really have a comparable league to today, and could therefore contrast team/individual stats as such. I understand that's the conventional wisdom. But was football in the '70s more like today than the '60s? I'm not convinced. How about football during the '80s? Maybe that decade is the bridge between then and now. The way I see it, the beginning of the modern era started with the fabled 1958 NFL Championship Game. That contest propelled the NFL center stage with the American public, beginning a road to success that would eclipse even America's pastime. The resulting increased attention from the public is probably what allowed the nascent American Football League to get off the ground and become a rival to the NFL, making the Super Bowl and league merger possible. And the game has continued to evolve since then. Rule changes that protected the quarterback and receivers have made the passing game more important than the running game, bringing the West Coast offense into prominence; and free agency and the salary cap have changed the ways teams are built and preserved. It makes more sense to me to draw a line in the sand with those rule changes than it does with the creation of the Super Bowl as football's most important game, but YMMV. But you are right in that no one today seems to give due credit to the early Packers teams, and as people get older, less and less of them will even be aware of Green Bay's early successes. Thanks, Jeff. Yeah, it's easier to give prominence to things that lie in our memories than history we read about. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I can't look at Aaron Rodgers and not think of Jake Gyllenhaal. Separated at birth? The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I never noticed the resemblance before; but now that you mention it, maybe Jake can play Aaron in a movie if his career continues on the right path. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 A lot of Super Bowl media hype has referred to the Packers and Steelers as "storied franchises," but little has been said about these franchises' actual stories. For instance, the Green Bay Packers were formed in 1919, the year before the NFL began; but they didn't join the league until the year after its creation. They are the only NFL franchise from the early years to keep its original name and location. The Steelers were formed in 1933, beginning life as the NFL Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh made history in 1938 by signing future Supreme Court justice Byron "Whizzer" White to what was at the time the biggest contract in NFL history. More here: History of the Green Bay Packers History of the Pittsburgh Steelers Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 ... future Supreme Court justice Byron "Whizzer" White... I like the word "Whizzer"as a nickname for people named Byron. Can we start calling steadyb "Whizzer" at this point? I think we should. Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 ... future Supreme Court justice Byron "Whizzer" White... I like the word "Whizzer"as a nickname for people named Byron. Can we start calling steadyb "Whizzer" at this point? I think we should. Seconded. Can we take out the 'h' though? A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Wizzer loves the Lake. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 BTW, here in Houston we're having a good laugh at the weather in Dallas right now. It's cold (for Houston) here right now, but temps aren't even supposed to get above freezing for the next few days up there. The press is gonna love that. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 You folks in Texas will get no sympathy from us in PA, it was -1 yesterday morning. Its a good thing it wasn't windy. Cheers, Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 BTW, here in Houston we're having a good laugh at the weather in Dallas right now. It's cold (for Houston) here right now, but temps aren't even supposed to get above freezing for the next few days up there. The press is gonna love that. For all the bitching they do about the game being in northern cities, this is what they deserve. At least in Indy we're reasonably prepared for this kind of weather. Even with all the ice we've, you can still get around pretty safely. Next year when Indy's supposed to host the game, it'll probably be mid-50's and up, sunny, with no game because of the lockout.... A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I get what you guys are saying; but if the Steelers and Packers can't handle a little freezing weather, who can? Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I get what you guys are saying; but if the Steelers and Packers can't handle a little freezing weather, who can? Best, Geoff By 'they' I, of course, mean the sports media A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I see. I wasn't sure if the sports media was all of "they" or just part. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 A sober Joe Namath had a few things to say about the game on ESPN radio about a half hour ago. He started out by saying that he's a western PA boy and his family still live there. However, he's picking Green Bay over the Steelers. He made some good points. With Pouncey out, that leaves a big gap in the middle of the Steelers Offensive line. He also mentioned that Adams is a 13 year player on the line and isn't going to get the job done. Joe doesn't see Pittsburgh pulling it off. My guess is that if the Pack is a bit star struck when they hit the field and Pittsburgh can get an early lead, this could be a competitive game. But if the Pack gets up 21-0 in the first half, it won't be pretty. SO, how do you guys see it? Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 I give the Pack the edge for peaking at the right time and finding strong players to replace injured ones, while the Steelers have the experience. I expect a close game that could go either way. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 SO, how do you guys see it? Not the way Namath does, sober or otherwise. The Steelers have the better receiving corps including the fastest man in the game today (Wallace - did I mention that he has good hands?) and one of the toughest receivers to ever play the game in Hines Ward. The Packers have three outstanding defensive players, but the Steelers' linebacking corps alone has three outstanding players. The Steelers' DBs are TOUGH. X-factor: Troy Polamalu, Defensive Player of the Year Both teams have good running backs. QB: Rodgers is as athletic as Ben, but Ben is a little tougher to knock down. Tight end: Heath Miller will have an impact on the game. Kicking: The Daniel Sepulveda injury hurts the Steelers, but Suisham is a scoring machine. Head Coach: Two excellent coaches, but Tomlin has SB experience. Coordinators: Dom Capers is good, but he's no Dick LeBeau. Could this be LeBeau's final game? I wouldn't want to bet against that guy. Special teams: Ha-ha! The Keystone Kops! The Steelers' Achilles' heel. Let's just hope that they don't give more than one TD. Make room for Number Seven, baby (and I'm not talking about Roethlisberger)! The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Dan - funny part is, ST is the Pack's Achilles' heel too... so I'd call that a wash. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Pouncey off crutches, hopes to play Sunday Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I'll be rooting for the Pack and see it as an excellent matchup down the line. --Neither team ran the ball especially well this year, but both have started to improve in that department in the playoffs, of all places. Go figure. --Two playmaker QBs. Since he came back from the concussion, people have been saying some outlandish things about Rodgers, e.g., Joe Gibbs: "Rodgers might have played the best QB game ever in the playoff game against Atlanta." Roethy? Goodness lord. He stays on his feet, he stays on his feet, he stays on his feet, super fast guys run all over the field, touchdown. I am getting a little sick of it, but it is remarkable how consistent and effective it is, as a potential third title in five years should prove. Two all around very good defenses who rush the QB consistently, against two QBs who kill you if you rush them too consistently...hell I don't know. Steelers defense can be shredded in the short passing game--been true all year. I think the Packers have the more sound and complete defense. But the Steelers have the more intimidating, violent, alpha D, which counts for something. I think the Packers have the overall edge. I also usually think big game experience is a bit overrated, but I don't in this case. This particular Steeler team has won not one but two Super Bowls in which they were really prolly kinda not the better team on the field that day. That gives you something. BTW, I have strenuously avoided coverage and commentary these past 11 days, only getting winged accidentally once, when I heard Gibbs says Rodgers just played the best game ever. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 31-27 Green Bay. Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 5 hurt, 1 critically, by ice off Cowboys Stadium Steelers C Pouncey ruled out; Legursky to start Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 http://www.geoffgrace.com/Pictures/Cricket.jpg *crickets chirping* Man, I'm as wound up as a kid during the holiday season; and everyone else is off posting in the NBA thread! I guess that makes sense--the season is essentially as good as over for everyone but our resident Steelers fans and me. No matter, it's less than 48 hours until the biggest game of the year! http://www.geoffgrace.com/Pictures/Packers1.jpeg GO PACKERS!!! Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Go Packers! A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks, Kevin! Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 This is such a tough game to call, and all I really want is a classic. Is that too much to ask? Remember when Super Bowls almost always sucked? I am so glad we're past that era. Why do you think that is? Have preparation methodologies gotten really standardized so we no longer see that radical disparity in attitude and confidence that we saw throughout the '80s and into the '90s? Or is it simply that the cap has prevented the formation of truly dominant teams, with the Johnson/Switzer Cowboys being the last true supergroup? The last bad game was TB/Oak, and Bal/NYG a few before that Other than that, it has been a great run. All three NE wins were good games (Carolina probably my favorite of the bunch). And while it would be hard for any game to surpass the NE/NYG epic, that Pitt/AZ game was not far off! Now watch this game defy all odds and be a blowout or a sludgy non-starter, like some nondescript Minnesota/Oakland game from the '70s. BTW, the first Super Bowl I remember watching was KC/Minn, though I have a distinct memory of my father being disappointed when I walked out on the Jets-Colts game to go play football with friends in the street. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieP_MechE Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 GO STEELERS! [video:youtube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 by Geoff Grace: Man, I'm as wound up as a kid during the holiday season; and everyone else is off posting in the NBA thread! Neither Pittsburgh or Green Bay have a professional Basketball team. Some people in Pittsburgh say that they don't have a professional baseball team either, but that's for another thread. Geoff, as a life-long Steelers fan, I have to say that Green Bay is a really talented team that started putting it all together despite all the injuries to key players and have been on a serious roll. The make shift Offensive line the Steelers have is going to be a serious problem for the Steelers and unless Green Bay chokes because of the magnitude of this game, the Pack could run up the score on my Steelers. I hope I'm wrong about that, I want to see a good competitive game and let the chips fall where they may. Cheers, Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 by Geoff Grace: Man, I'm as wound up as a kid during the holiday season; and everyone else is off posting in the NBA thread! Neither Pittsburgh or Green Bay have a professional Basketball team. Some people in Pittsburgh say that they don't have a professional baseball team either, but that's for another thread. LOL! Geoff, as a life-long Steelers fan, I have to say that Green Bay is a really talented team that started putting it all together despite all the injuries to key players and have been on a serious roll. The make shift Offensive line the Steelers have is going to be a serious problem for the Steelers and unless Green Bay chokes because of the magnitude of this game, the Pack could run up the score on my Steelers. Green Bay could break through the line repeatedly and still not drag Big Ben down. That guy shrugs off tacklers like he's shooing off flies. On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers is more elusive to grab in the first place; but if Pittsburgh's defense manages to give him another concussion, then all bets are off. Pittsburgh has the experience, so they should win; Green Bay is peaking at the right time, so they should win. One of those suppositions will be wrong. We have two impressive teams and all the makings of a great game. Let's hope we get one and that both teams can hold their heads high at the end. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 This is such a tough game to call, and all I really want is a classic. Is that too much to ask? Remember when Super Bowls almost always sucked? I am so glad we're past that era. Why do you think that is? Have preparation methodologies gotten really standardized so we no longer see that radical disparity in attitude and confidence that we saw throughout the '80s and into the '90s? Or is it simply that the cap has prevented the formation of truly dominant teams, with the Johnson/Switzer Cowboys being the last true supergroup? My bet's on the latter. The last bad game was TB/Oak, and Bal/NYG a few before that The Gruden Bowl was a big exception to most Super Bowls because he essentially wrote the playbook for both teams. Other than that, it has been a great run. All three NE wins were good games (Carolina probably my favorite of the bunch). And while it would be hard for any game to surpass the NE/NYG epic, that Pitt/AZ game was not far off! The Giants/Patriots game was classic David beats Goliath. Nothing can top that. But we've had a remarkably good run beginning with the Rams/Titans Super Bowl. BTW, the first Super Bowl I remember watching was KC/Minn, though I have a distinct memory of my father being disappointed when I walked out on the Jets-Colts game to go play football with friends in the street. My first distinct Super Bowl memory is returning from a tennis lesson to watch the second half of that Colts/Jets game, as Don Shula finally took Earl Morrall out and gave Johnny Unitas a chance to win... too late. My mom was disappointed that I never took to tennis--a sport she hoped would keep me fit during my adult years. Instead I was fit during my youth from playing football, and now I sit in a chair watching it as an adult. Sorry, Mom. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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