Gospel of St. Vince

 

....had no idea what he was hiring in Lombardi, other than a guy who couldn't take a joke. 

According to Palau's son, Mark, the Fordham teammates were heading out to a big dance at the school, the two of them dressed in tuxes as they prepared to pick up their future wives, when Palau slipped green dye into Lombardi's hair gel. As soon as the lineman noticed his dark hair turning the color of lettuce, he grabbed a fire ax hanging nearby, chased the quarterback down a staircase and threw the ax in his direction, not missing by much.

Just read article and watched video clips on the site. Im not old enough to remember Lombardi, but between reading things like this, reading the Maranis (sp) book, and watching things like the documentary HBO did on him, I can't help but just be in awe of the man even though I know he had his flaws.  Would be curious to get some feedback from some of you who lived through that generation of the GB Glory Years and what your memories were of Lombardi.

On a side note, one of my favorite nights was being in NYC a couple of years ago. Packers had just won the SB lead by AR, and I was in town for a sales training. "Lombardi" is still playing on Broadway with Dan Lauria and Judith Light. There's a Palm's Steakhouse directly across the street from the theater. Stop into the packed bar before the show for a glass of red or two then check out the play solo. Afterwards go back and have a steak and a bottle of red in a corner booth solo again. One of the best nights I ever spent alone...... Well you know what I mean.

I was one of those snot-nosed kids who used to hang around outside the locker room to get autographs before and after practice. Still have them. Bart Starr was so classy, asking us our name, how we were doing in school, etc. Kind to children. Vince NEVER gave us his autograph, and one time it was just me and my brother there. He'd say, "After practice, boys" (while wearing that same coat you always see in the movies--did he have a closet full of them?) and after practice he never seemed to come back.

Over the years many have speculated that Vince's style wouldn't have translated to a more modern era and that coaches like Bill Walsh or Bill Belichick are in fact the greatest NFL coaches ever.  Poppycock.  

 

This article on Vince's formative years is yet more evidence to this end. Anyone who has studied Lombardi at all understands that, as another poster on the board said this week, he had the "greatest coach ever gene".  The same guy who got the best out of the physically limited, regimented Bart Starr also got the best out of the freewheeling Sonny Jurgensen.  The coach who made Willie Davis, Willie Wood, Herb Adderley, Dave Robinson and other black players in 1960s Wisconsin and society feel comfortable and allowed them to flourish as leaders on and off the field could have adapted easily, IMO, to the coaching demands of any era.

 

Greatest NFL coach ever, case closed.

Preaching to the choir, brother.

Not only that, but Vince's attention to detail would have translated to any era. Best. Coach. Ever.

Helluva GM too.

Jack Vainisi was better. 

He was great at seeing where his team was deficient and making trades to get the players to fill those needs.  He was also great at getting contracts signed. Not so great at college player drafting. Not many of his upper draft picks made it.  As Packdog stated Jack Vainisi  had the pieces in place, Vince coached them to the promised land.

 

I'm unsure of how good a GM he would be today with he salary cap and everything else that has changed so much in the NFL. Of course halas probably wouldn't be as good either.

Well said, cuqui.  Obviously, he would have had to evolve with the times... but I believe he could and would have.  It certainly wasn't the same game and the same era in 1969 as it was in 1959... but he again took a perennial loser to victory then.

quote:

He was great at seeing where his team was deficient and making trades to get the players to fill those needs.

Trades?  What are those??