Earlier this week, the Packers inducted former cornerback Mark Lee into the team’s hall of fame. Unlike his co-honoree, Donald Driver, who played in the current renaissance featuring back-to-back league MVP and Super Bowl champion quarterbacks, Mark Lee played back in the bad old days (aka the 80’s) and wasn’t afraid to remind people.
Lee made this comment about his one playoff season in Green Bay: “I played 11 years and those were the only two playoff games I got to play in here.”
Think about that.
Lee played 11 years for the Packers, started 139 games, and intercepted 31 balls (including 9 in 1986 alone).
In all his time with the Packers, he went to the playoffs a grand total of one time and that was the strike-shortened 1982 season when the Packers managed a whopping total of 5 wins (a feat equalled or exceeded by 14 of the 28 teams in the league that year – stunning mediocrity, but the lone bright spot in the franchise’s otherwise playoffless stretch from 1973 to 1992).
The Packers only had fewer wins one time since Mike Tomczak and Blair Kiel started at QB in 1991 and that was the brutal 2005 season that finally led to Mike Sherman’s long-overdue dismissal.
Now the Packers are riding a wave of success that can eclipse the greatest string of playoff appearances of all time this year (and they don’t even play in the AFC East!).
But do fans appreciate it? No, they just complain that we haven’t won “enough” Super Bowls and that we’re wasting Aaron Rodgers’s prime and Ted should be fired.
Does the media appreciate it? No, PFT recently posted a nonsense poll asking who was to blame for the Packers underachieving with Aaron Rodgers.
Underachieving?
They been to the playoffs 8 straight times (and counting) and have played in 16 playoff games in that stretch. They’ve been to the NFC Championship game twice in the last three years. They won it all as recently as 2010 and have only had 2 losing seasons in the last quarter century!
Underachieving?
Why won’t people just appreciate all this winning? Mark Lee had two playoff games in his 11 seasons with the team. The current squad, led by ARodg, MM, and TT, has averaged 2 playoff games a year since 2009!
When you feel like that’s not enough, remember Packer Hall of Famer Mark Lee.
… or talk to a Lions fan.
YAY, welcome back!
Now, I suppose I should read the article…
Thanks, it’s good to be back!
That poll made me unsubscribe to PFTs feed.
There’s enough sensationalized garbage in every other aspect of life these days, I don’t need my entertainment annoying me.
Did you hear Charlie Peprah got promoted?
I didn’t until you told me – that’s interesting though; good to see the talent department keep developing.
Unfortunately, despite pft circling the drain of late, if you ask the average Packer fan I believe they would agree that failing to win at least 3 super bowls with Rodgers’ talent is underachieving and should be punished with wide ranging firings. Immediately. No other factor than Rodgers’ talent is relevant to this discussion. But, in fairness to unreasonable people, we live in an instant gratification society and they are not ashamed of that. I for one, believe I deserve a free cookie at this moment. I’m becoming aggravated that no one has brought me one yet.
Well said – it’s the unfortunate state of reality.
But consider this: In Mark Lee’s 11 years with the team, he made it to two playoff games. In the last 11 years, the team has been to the NFC Championship four times!
Having lived through both eras, and having enjoyed a great deal of the Rodgers era, I just can’t see how it qualifies as failure.