It's ACE LOOMIS days until we get married

The circled player is Ace Loomis in 1953, when he wore 48.

43 is a difficult number to write about, because you almost definitely have to talk about the most infamous person to wear number 43...but I'm not going to.

Instead, I'm going to tell you about Ace Loomis, a "back" for the Packers from 1951 to 1953. Loomis has a biography that reads like a textbook 1950's athlete, a mix between the dreams of the rapidly growing business of professional sports and the reality that the NFL wasn't quite there yet.

Loomis grew up in Iowa, but attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1951, after he finished his studies. However, he initially hadn't planned on playing football professionally, so he never made it to Cleveland to start his career.

It seems, at least according to this old article from the Milwaukee Journal, that football wasn't quite out of his system. He apparently had been playing with a team called the Wausau Muskies (in a league that I hadn't heard of until today) when the Browns traded him to the Packers. He played three years in Green Bay, splitting time on both offense and defense. His offensive role was limited, but on defense he caught four interceptions in each of his three seasons in Green Bay. He retired after the 1953 season.

But this is where it gets kinda weird for me. If you'll notice on that Milwaukee Journal article, it shows that he was actually traded on September 18, 1953, not 1951. But every other source I look at (the NFL's official stats, Pro Football Reference, Wikipedia) shows that he played all three of his seasons with Green Bay, meaning he had to have been traded in 1951.

To top it off, I can't find any solid historical record on when the Wausau Muskies were actually around. I can find some evidence of individual games being played, but beyond that, it gets fuzzy. When did Ace Loomis actually play?

I don't know for sure, but at least I didn't write about M.D. Jennings. Wait...shoot...

It's JAMES STARKS days until we get married

I've written a few times about how important it is for players to find their "fit." Or, more accurately, I've written about a few of the guys who didn't really find their fit with the Green Bay Packers.

James Starks, a running back for the Packers, is one of those guys who took a while to find how he fit, but has been very valuable ever since.

There were 13 running backs picked in the 2010 NFL Draft, and Starks was the 12th one taken, falling to the Packers in the sixth round. Injury concerns pushed him down the draft board to the Packers, and injuries kept him on the sidelines early in his career in Green Bay. He wasn't on the active roster as a rookie until late in the season, and he was benched the week after his debut because of conditioning issues.

However, he turned out to be a valuable part of the Packers' playoff run, rushing for a Packers rookie record 123 yards in their first round playoff game. He helped the Packers win Super Bowl XLV, even though his role changed throughout the playoffs.

His role stayed in flux over the next couple years, too. Starks battled injuries again for the next two season and never really secured the starting job, despite being given multiple opportunities to do so. Without a defined identity, Starks was a bit of a mystery man for a couple years.

But then, with the arrival of Eddie Lacy, Starks suddenly had a role. Relieved of the pressure of being a starting back, Starks relished his chances as the top backup for Lacy, In 2013, Starks averaged a whopping 5.5 yards per carry when Lacy needed a breather, and last year, although he saw his yards per carry average drop, he was still an important role player.

The Packers will likely look to Starks to fill that role as a top-flight backup running back again this year. If he can stave off the effects of age, he may be a valuable contributor again.

It's GUYS WITH WEIRD NAMES days until we get married

No one player really jumps out from the 14 players that have worn number 45 in the Packers history, but a lot of them do have really weird sounding names, so let's take a look at a few.

Perry Smith was a defensive back for the Packers from 1973 to 1976. He's ostensibly the best player to wear the number, but Perry Smith is a boring name so let's not talk about Perry Smith Any more.

Emlen Tunnell, however, is not a boring name. How many guys named Emlen do you know? Tunnell is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he did the bulk of his damage in the NFL before he arrived in Green Bay in 1959. During his 14 year career, Tunnell made 9 Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro four times.

John Rowser reminds me of Bowser. He was an average defensive back for the Packers from 1967 to 1969.

Dave Hathcock played 14 games for the Packers in 1966 and that's all I'm going to say because I'm afraid of making an inappropriate joke about Dave Hathcock.

Dexter McNabb had perhaps the most uneventful NFL career of anybody who's ever played 33 NFL games. In two seasons as a fullback in Green Bay and another in Philadelphia, he touched the ball a grand total of three times: twice on running plays and once on a kick return. Still, he made it to the NFL and I did not.

Vai Sikahema is a name that everyone can get excited about. He's one of only a few guys to have played for both the St. Louis Cardinals AND the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, the St. Louis Cardinals are a baseball team, but they were once a football team, too. Sikahema was a Pro Bowl kick and punt returner for the St. Louis Cardinals before he eventually made his way to the Packers for one season in 1991. He also played for the Eagles. Fun fact! Vai Sikahema is originally from Tonga. Not a lot of football being played in Tonga, I would imagine.

Dick Wildung played on the Packers defensive line in the 1950's and 60's. I am so sorry, Dick Wildung. (No, but seriously, Dick Wildung was cool. He was a Navy lieutenant on PT boats in the Pacific Theater from 1943 to 1945. Football was a boring fallback plan for Dick Wildung. Which, I suppose, was good, because you're not gonna make it in show business with a name like Dick Wildung.)

It's NOBODY WANTS TO BE NUMBER 46 days until we get married

Vince Workman doing a thing.

Athletes and sports fans have an odd fascination with numbers. Heck, this entire blog is centered around numbers and the players that wore them. But certain numbers are obviously more desirable than others.

For instance, in basketball (as I'm sure you know), you'll often see the best player on a team (or guys that perceive themselves to be the best player) wear number 23. Football isn't quite the same, but you'll see running backs and defensive backs wear numbers in the 20's if they're a certain kind of player (generally a speedy, shifty back will go for a number in the low 20's).

Nobody, however, seems to like the number 46. It's a number that's not quite fit for a defensive back and not quite fit for a linebacker, and it's remarkably unpopular among Packers players, although it's not quite as scored as number 49, which we talked about earlier. Nobody has worn 46 in a game for the Packers since Rodney Artmore did it in 1999,

In fact, since I've been alive, the best player to wear number 46 has been Vince Workman, a low-profile running back who played in 56 games for the Packers from 1989 through 1992, although to relatively uninteresting effect. Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to Steve Luke, a defensive back who wore the number for 1975 to 1980. While effective, Luke wasn't all that interesting either.

All that, I suppose, to say this: sometimes history in sports is changed by what people think is cool.

It's MATT GIORDANO days until we get married

Former safety Matt Giordano is one of the most unique players in Packers history.

Not only did he suit up for the Packers for five games in 2009, a short stop in his eight year, NFL career, he also devoted himself to becoming a yoga master. Reading from the bio on his website:

"At the young age of 7, Matt began studying Martial Arts. The disciplined practice of holding postures while maintaining absolute focus on the breath was strikingly familiar when he began his Yoga journey at age 24. Matt began by exploring many different styles of yoga, and practicing up to 8 hours a day."

That's pretty impressive considering that Giordano played for five different NFL teams, even winning a Super Bowl with the Colts in 2006.

What's that you say? There's more than one Matt Giordano? One is a football player and one is a yoga instructor?

Huh...well okay then.

It's VONTA LEACH days until we get married

Yesterday I told you a little bit about the Career AV stat at Pro Football Reference. Keep that point in mind, because it's important today.

The most notable guy to ever wear 48 for the Packers isn't Vonta Leach. It's probably Ken Ellis. But I don't want to talk about Ken Ellis. I want to talk about Vonta Leach.

Leach was a fullback out of LSU. The Packers signed him as an undrafted free agent before the 2004 season, and he played in 23 games for Green Bay, never really making an enormous impact.

But after he left the Packers, Leach quickly caught on with the Houston Texans, where he went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro bids in three consecutive seasons.

Why didn't things work out in Green Bay? It's tough to say. The Packers were and still remain one of the only NFL teams to consistently use a fullback, so it's not for a lack of playing time. He was getting on the field for the Packers, appearing in all 16 games in 2005. But he didn't stick around for whatever reason, even though he obviously had the talent to succeed in the NFL, as evidenced by his high degree of success.

I don't have any grand point about this, I suppose. I just think it's interesting that the Packers gave up on Leach only a few years before he'd become about as big of a star as a fullback can possibly become. Even in the NFL, where millions of dollars are spent every year on evaluating players, it's possible to make a mistake.

It's ROBERT FRANCOIS days until we get married

The website Pro Football Reference uses a unique metric called Approximate Value to compare players from across eras. I'm not sure how effective it really is, but it gives a good baseline measurement for seeing how players stack up.

When it comes to players that have worn number 49, only three players even show up on PFR's ranking...and their numbers aren't very impressive. The AV rankings identify linebacker Robert Francois as the best player to ever wear number 49, and his Career AV number is...4. By way of comparison, Brett Favre's career AV number is 222.

Francois, in all honesty, barely made a dent, and his fellow 49's aren't much better. The combined Career AV of all 14 players to wear the number is just 6, and that comes from just three players: Francois, David Greenwood, and Ed West.

Francois is most notable for what he did before he did before Green Bay, and it didn't even happy on the field. An undrafted rookie out of Boston College, Francois was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings, but he was released when the team needed to open up a roster spot for Brett Favre. He caught on in Green Bay, and carved out a short NFL career that saw him win a Super Bowl championship in 2010 as a backup linebacker.

But like I said, he wasn't the only person to don those digits. David Greenwood sported 49 for one season in 1986, recording three sacks. Greenwood is a Wisconsin native (his Wikipedia page says he's "considered by many to be the best high school athlete in the history of the state"), and he also played in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders before his brief NFL career.

Then there's also Ed West, a tight end who wore the number 49 for one season. Packers fans will remember Ed "The Toolbox" West as number 86, but as a rookie he wore 49 and caught six passes, four of them four touchdowns. He also ran for a score, going on to play another ten years with the Packers as a tight end and fullback.

It's A.J. HAWK days until we get married

Expectations are a funny thing, especially when they're applied to athletes before they've even stepped onto their field of choice.

For example, if I'd told you that there was a Packers player who won a Super Bowl, made a Pro Bowl team, and only missed three games in nearly a decade with the team, you'd probably think that's pretty fantastic, right? For good reason, I'd imagine. That's a pretty solid career by just about any measure.

Just about any measure, that is, except those typically applied to linebacker A.J. Hawk.

The fifth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Hawk never had the kind of franchise-altering impact you'd expect from such a high selection. He was solid for many years in Green Bay, but he never showed the kind of surpassing excellence you'd expect.

To make matters worse, several players selected after Hawk did go on to have incredible impacts on their respective franchises. Tight end Vernon Davis, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, and even fellow linebacker Chad Greenway almost certainly were more successful than A.J. Hawk, and probably would have been better picks for Green Bay than Hawk.

Or would they have? I can't really say for sure. Hawk may not have been spectacular, and the Packers probably held on to him two years longer than they should have, but he was always reliable, always available, and never tried to be more than he was.

And that, I suppose, sometimes just has to be good enough.

It's JIM RINGO days until we get married

Jim Ringo may be the best center to ever play for the Packers, but he left the team under very unusual circumstances.

Ringo had been a stalwart on the Packers offensive line, for a decade, making seven Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams between 1953 and 1963. But before the 1964 season, Ringo tried to negotiate a new salary with Vince Lombardi, who was notoriously slow to negotiate. Lombardi, on hearing of Ringo's desire for more money, promptly traded him to Philadelphia, or so the story goes. Nobody really knows for sure.

At any rate, Ringo would go on to play a few more seasons in Philly, making three more Pro Bowls in the four years he was there.

The Packers, meanwhile, received Lee Roy Caffey (whom you know about) and a first round pick, which they'd use to select halfback/punter Donny Anderson, who'd win four titles with the Packers.

Nobody's ever really known for sure what happened between Lombardi and Ringo, but it ended up being a defining moment in Packers history. Ringo was great, but he was certainly on the downside of his career when it happened. Caffey ended up being a mainstay on the Packers defense for more than a few years, while Anderson was solid in his own right. Football is a cold business, and even a Hall of Famer like Ringo is not immune to its effects.

Other players to wear 51 include Brady Poppinga (another linebacker who went by the nickname "The Swarmin' Mormon), Brian Williams (a linebacker who was pretty average 1995 and 2000), and Nate Palmer (still one more linebacker who currently wears the number for Green Bay).

It's FRANK WINTERS days until we get married

I'm a firm believer in natural talent. If you've followed sports for any amount of time, you know the gist of what I'm talking about: the guys who just look like they belong in professional sports. Think of LeBron James or Terrell Owens or somebody else whose physical talents are just obvious to everybody watching.

He may not be as obviously physically gifted as the other two guys I just mentioned, but I think former Packers center Frank Winters also falls into that category.

Sure he looks doughy and kind of oddly shaped, but look at it this way: it takes a lot of effort to be an offensive lineman-sized person. Winters makes it look pretty easy. He was listed at 6-3 and 291 pounds during his playing days, and he looks close to that today. I think Winters is one of those guys who's naturally big, and he used that physical gift to his full advantage.

Winters had short stints with three other teams before he landed in Green Bay, but he never started regularly before he joined the Packers. However, as soon as he joined the team, he quickly became an integral part of the Packers offensive line, starting 141 of the 156 games in which he appeared.

The best part of Winters' career is his nickname: Ol' Bag of Donuts. Why is that his nickname? I don't know, but it seemed to fit perfectly. Winters was just a big, salt of the earth dude, and he fit in as well as anybody possibly could in Green Bay.

Plus, now that he's a middle aged guy, he kind of looks like a mafia boss, so he's got that going for him.

Oddly, the other notable player to wear 52 is Clay Matthews, who has to be the polar opposite of Frank Winters persona-wise. Winters is blue collar and grungy, while Matthews has muscles on top of muscles and movie star good looks. Football is an odd game that way. You need so many different kinds of people to play it, and putting them side by side makes for some funny comparisons.

It's FIVE MORE LINEBACKERS days until we get married

Talking about groups of linebackers has made for interesting discussion so far, so here's five more that you should know about.

First, there's 2012 first round pick Nick Perry. A defensive end in college, Perry was converted to outside linebacker to fit in the Packers' 3-4 scheme. He's found moderate amounts of success with the Packers, but he's been hampered by injury throughout his career. We see flashes of his immense potential from time to time, like the time he destroyed Andrew Luck (and was flagged completely unjustifiably).


George Koonce donned the number 53 for eight years in Green Bay in the 90's, appearing in 112 games. He was a starter on the Packers 1996 Super Bowl team, Koonce never made a Pro Bowl, but he did bring big cheers of "KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONCE" from the Lambeau faithful whenever he made a play.

In older days, Mike Douglass and Fred Carr both sported 53 for the Green and Gold from 1978 to 1985. Douglass was undersized for a linebacker, but was as tenacious as he was small. He earned the name "Mad Dog" for good reason, Douglass was so devoted to playing linebacker that he wore ankle weights on weigh-in day to meet the minimum threshold to play linebacker.

Carr, meanwhile, was an enormous (6-5, 238 pounds) presence at linebacker from 1968 to 1977, utilizing his phenomenal athleticism to earn three Pro Bowl nods. Carr wasn't just a great linebacker, he was an All-State forward in basketball in high school, in addition to snagging a national ranking as a disc thrower.

Finally, there's Spence Havner. He wore 53 for just the 2008 season before he switched to another number which I will reveal later, Havner was unremarkable as a linebacker, playing mainly as a special teams body. But as a tight end...well...you'll see that when the day comes.

It's LARRY MCCARREN days until we get married

Larry McCarren was a two-time Pro Bowl center for the Packers during his dozen year NFL career, but he's more well-known for two things: being an integral part of the Packers radio network and having one really weird finger.

McCarren serves as a color commentator for Packers radio broadcasts, and he's absolutely fascinating. "The Rock," as he's known, is about as plainspoken as they come, offering up unvarnished missives on the performances of various players. He's incredibly enthusiastic, too, without being overbearing, although sometimes he's so excited that he steps on the play-by-play call. But that's a minor quibble for an overall excellent radio guy.

TV, however, is a different story, though no fault of McCarren's. He's a fine TV host and analyst, but he has an extremely distracting feature: the really weird finger I mentioned earlier. I won't post a picture of it here, but if you want to see what a finger deformed by years of blocking NFL defensive linemen looks like, click this link.

McCarren isn't the only notable person to wear number 54 for the Packers, though. There's also Brandon Chillar, the unofficial mascot of The Packer Perspective. Mmmm...enjoy that beard!

It's ANDY MULUMBA days until we get married

I can say with complete confidence that there is no player on the Packers with a more unique backstory than linebacker Andy Mulumba.

Born in the Congo, Mulumba and his family moved to Canada when he was 12 years old to escape the Second Congo War. Growing up in Canada was difficult for the transplanted Mulumba, but he quickly grew into an impressive physical specimen that attracted the attention of the coaching staff at Eastern Michigan University.

Though it was difficult for him to move away from his family, Mulumba excelled at EMU, starting 31 games over four seasons despite never playing organized football until he was 17 years old. His small school success, however, didn't attract the attention of NFL scouts, at least not as a draft-ready prospect. He was raw and unrefined, but his size and athleticism were tantalizing.

For that reason, the Packers came calling and picked Mulumba up as an undrafted free agent. He made the team as a rookie, started three games, and seemed poised for a bigger role last season before he tore an ACL in the second game of last season.

Mulumba's future with the Packers is a little murky at this point. Returning from an ACL tear is far from an exact science, and every player's body handles it a bit differently. The Packers also are fairly deep at his position, which further reduces his chance of making the roster. Long as the odds may be, though, I'd be hard pressed to bet against who's already faced the toughest challenge just about anyone could imagine.

It's INTERESTING LINEBACKERS days until we get married

56 days until we get married means it's time for a BONUS POST of sorts. Not just ONE player today, you get FOUR who work number 56 for the Packers, starting with Nick Barnett.

Barnett was a first round pick of the Packers in 2003, He was never really spectacular, but was solid for the most part. He never made a Pro Bowl, but he did return an interception 95 yards for a touchdown in 2005.

Julius Peppers you already know, of course. Peppers joined the Packers last year (on a day that I was visiting you in Chicago, oddly enough!) and performed admirably in his first ever season playing outside linebacker. Peppers is almost certainly a Hall of Famer. He's the only player in NFL history with 125 sacks and 11 interceptions. HAVE SOME HIGHLIGHTS.

Ted Hendricks is also a Hall of Fame linebacker with a relatively short tenure in Green Bay. Hendricks is better known for his stints with the Colts and the Raiders, but his one season was pretty memorable. He suited up for the Packers in 1974, earning both All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition for his trouble. And as exciting it is to be a Hall of Fame player, I think Hendricks is much more notable for his nickname: the Mad Stork, called such for his impressive 6'7" frame.

Finally, there's Hardy Nickerson. Ah, yes, Hardy Nickerson. A two-time All-Pro and five time Pro Bowler when he signed with the Packers in 2002, Nickerson was thought to be the solution to the Packers woes at linebacker. He very well might have been, too, had he not been 37 when he joined the squad. Nickerson played one lackluster year with the Packers before he retired, leaving the number 56 open for Nick Barnett, who was drafted to replace Nickerson the very next year.

It's CHRIS GIZZI days until we get married

You've almost certainly never heard of Chris Gizzi, but he's responsible for one of the most iconic moments in recent Packers history. He was a backup linebacker in parts of two seasons with the Packers, totaling just 14 tackles over those two seasons, mainly on special teams. But those numbers barely begin to tell the story.

Gizzi wasn't just a football player. He was a Air Force reservist as well, having graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1997. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after he finished at the Academy and served two years with the Air Force after that. The Broncos cut him before he ever played a game, but he later caught on with the Packers.

However, he caught on with the Packers in 2000, kicking around mainly on special teams. The following year, he made one start...but that's barely a footnote, thanks to 9/11.

I know, the September 11th attacks reduce a lot of things to footnotes, but this is the good kind of footnote.

The NFL cancelled its full slate of games the week following 9/11, but the following week was one of the biggest moments for the league in recent history. You can choose to embrace or reject the story lines about patriotism or what the games meant if you want, but you can hardly ignore what Chris Gizzi did the night of the first Packers game after 9/11.

Gizzi, an Air Force reservist, led the Packers onto the field that night, sprinting the full 100 yards across Lambeau Field carrying an American flag before planting it into the turf.

That's about as big as the highlights got for Gizzi, although he returned to the Packers last year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. Even if he never did anything else, though, and even if nobody remembers that name, he'll always have that moment.

It's SAM BARRINGTON days until we get married

Inside linebacker Sam Barrington hasn't done anything interesting on the field in his career so far, but that doesn't mean he's not an interesting player.

Well, maybe it does, but I still think Sam Barrington is an interesting guy. To that point, a story:

Two years ago, one of the Packers' training camp practices was a derailed by a fight. This isn't unusual, as training camp tends to get monotonous and frustrating for players after a while, and eventually the tension bubbles over and they start taking things out on each other.

The fight itself was nothing serious, and was quickly broken up, but the players kept talking about in the locker room afterwards. Most guys laughed it off, but not Sam Barrington. He took the fight seriously. Very seriously.

"Anybody who knows anything about the Greek mythology, gladiators don't go out there to be nice to anybody," he said. "So that's kind of how I see myself. You go to war every day. You have to take it like you're out there to take a guy's head off. You have to have that mentality. Because if you don't, the next guy will. You'll be defeated."

Keep in mind, Barrington was a rookie at this point. This was his first training camp. As a seventh round pick, he was literally fighting for his NFL life from the moment he stepped on the field for his first practice. So even if it sounds like he's being a bit dramatic, his seriousness was (mostly) appropriate.

This kind of serious attitude isn't atypical for Barrington. His entire twitter feed is basically a series of inspirational quotes. A sampling:

• Anything lost can be gained again except for time.
• Get it how you are until you live how you want.
• Love all.
• Don't wish for it. Work for it.
• You say you're humble...but are you really. Maybe you just know what you think you know...
• Don't let fake reality mess up your real reality.
• When you're busy working on you...everyone else's business is irrelevant. So all the talkers must not be working.

Sam Barrington isn't fake serious. He's for real. It's an all-the-time thing for Barrington. And to me, that makes him interesting.

It's VARIOUS LINEBACKERS days until we get married

Former linebacker Wayne Simmons is the first Packers player that I can remember dying in my lifetime.

I realize that's a grim way to start a write-up, but it's true. Simmons, a starter on the Packers 1996 Super Bowl team, was a serviceable NFL player, and was probably more notable to me as a fan in death than as a player.

The circumstances were nothing unusual or scandalous. He was speeding, rolled his car, and died. This was in 2002, when I would have been just heading into eighth grade. For some reason, it had never occurred to me before that football players, though superstars on the field, were human off of it. They could make mistakes. They could speed. And yes, they could even die in crashes.

On the field, I remember Simmons primarily for his enormous neck roll, the thing some players would wear on the backs of their should er pads in hopes of preventing their heads from being pushed back too far. I don't know if it actually helped, but it sure made Simmons look big and imposing as he slammed opposing running backs into the ground.



Simmons, though, is far from the only Packers linebacker to wear number 59. The player who wore it the longest while I've really been a Packers fan is Na'il Diggs, who sported it from 2000 through 2005. Diggs (whose first name is pronounced "Nile") was a pretty good linebacker, although nothing terribly special. He was more notable for his unusual name than anything on the field.

That's not the case for John Anderson, however. He was an outside linebacker for more than a decade, and was named a second-team All-Decade player for the 1980s by the NFL. Anderson was originally from Wisconsin (growing up in Waukesha), and he played for Bo Schembechler at Michigna.

Finally, there's the "legendary" Tracy White. The undersized White was only ever a special teams contributor, but he excelled in that role. He was so exceptional as a special teamer that he inspired outpourings of emotion among certain corners of the Packers blogosphere when he was finally released.

It's ROB DAVIS days until we get married

Like Brett Goode yesterday, Rob Davis was also a long snapper for the Packers, playing in 167 games for the Packers between 1997 and 2007. While he never made a Pro Bowl, he was very good at his job, and was notable for hustling down field and making tackles on punts, even after snapping the ball.

Davis had a winding road to Green Bay, spending two years as an off-season and practice squad player for the Jets, playing a season for Baltimore's short lived Canadian Football League team, kicking around briefly with the Chiefs, and playing another single season with the Bears before he finally ended up in Green Bay.

He was already 29 by the time he signed with the Packers, which is hardly young by NFL standards. Davis, however, made the most of what very well could have been his last shot at the NFL, playing in every game from the time he was signed to when he retired in 2007.

One story sticks out from Davis's time in Green Bay. It's common for players to sign autographs after the Packers wrap up practice for the day. One day, near the end of his tenure, my family was in Green Bay for a practice. All the players were making their way to the locker room from the practice field, and the autograph hounds quickly swarmed around the high profile players: the wide receivers, the running backs, the linebackers.

A few people drifted over towards Davis, and he graciously signed whatever memorabilia was stuck in his face. Most of the fans ignored him, being just the long snapper that he was, but before too long, all the other players had made their way inside. Fans saw Davis still signing, and quickly ran over to see if they could get something from the last remaining player.

Davis immediately saw the crowd gathering and walked away, saying something to the effect of "if you're just noticing me now, I"ve got nothing to sign for you."

I don't know why, but that really stuck out to me at the time. He may only have been a long snapper, but he had pride. It mattered to him that he could decide who he interacted with and when, and he chose to walk away when he saw the reason for the attention he was getting.

Following his playing days, Davis snagged a job in the Packers' front office, working as the team's director of player development.

It's BRETT GOODE days until we get married

Since I was born, only three players have worn the number 61 for the Packers, and only Brett Goode has worn it for more than one season.

Goode has been a near-indispensable part of the Packers over most of the past decade. Along with kicker Mason Crosby, he's the only player to appear in every game the Packers have played over the past seven seasons, but most days he'll be on the fields for ten or fewer plays. Yet still he remains incredibly important, because he's the long snapper.

You probably know generally what a long-snapper does, but if you want to take a cool look at how it works, check out this awesome breakdown from the New York Times. Goode does all the jobs required of a long-snapper, and he does them very well. Misfires are rare when Goode is on the field, and there's every indication that he's going to be on-point for years to come.

It's BUDDY AYDELETTE days until we get married

Offensive tackle Buddy Aydelette only played nine games for the Packers in one season, so why would I include him in this countdown? Well, it turns out he was actually a really good football player...except not for the Packers. Not even in the NFL, in fact.

The 1980's were a weird time in professional football. The AFL/NFL merger was barely a decade old, and the USFL was about to come onto the scene. When it did, in 1983, it poached some of the best young talent coming out of college in that era. Steve Young, Herschel Walker, and Reggie White all spent time in the USFL before heading to the NFL.

And that brings us to Budy Aydelette. The Packers drafted him in the seventh round in 1980, but he made barely a dent on the NFL. He stuck around for nine games, but never started, and the picture you see to the left is the only real evidence I could find that he'd ever played for the Packers at all, and that's a tiny, blurry picture.

But his unsuccessful time with the Packers notwithstanding, Aydelette wasn't done with football yet. He caught on with the Birmingham Stallions in 1983, and put together a terrific run. He made every possible all-league and all-star team available during his three years there.

Unfortunately, the USFL folded after the 1985 season, and that left Aydelette without a home. He made it back to the NFL in 1987, playing twelve games for the Steelers, including five starts. Aydelette was 31 at that time, and whatever success he found in the USFL didn't follow to the NFL. His career ended after just 21 total NFL games.

If history is written by the victors, then only NFL history really matters when it comes to professional football, so Aydelette's accomplishments in the USFL are all but lost. But they still happened, and even if they're only a footnote, he's still one of the more interesting Packers to wear number 62.

It's SCOTT WELLS days until we get married

Former center Scott Wells is not the most notable Packers player to wear number 63 for the Packers. (That would be Fuzzy Thurston, who we talked about briefly yesterday. If you haven't listened to Jerry Kramer's eulogy for Thurston, DO IT NOW. Please.) Wells, however, has one of the most interesting stories of anyone to wear the number. Watch the story of Wells and his wife as they went through an adoption process that took an incredible turn. This happened after Wells had left the Packers for St. Louis, but it doesn't make it any less heartwarming.



Other notable 63s: Corney Linsley (2014-present, current starting center), Adam Timmerman (1995-1998, starting guard on two Packers Super Bowl teams), James Campen (1989-1993, former center and current Packers offensive line coach)

It's JERRY KRAMER days until we get married

Brett Favre gets a lot of the headlines, but you'd be hard pressed to find a tougher player in Packers history than offensive guard Jerry Kramer.

Before, during, and after his career, Kramer endured injuries and health issues including taking a spiked plank to the stomach, a shotgun blast to the arm, and actinomyocosis, a bacterial infection that can cause serious jaw issues.

But Kramer was more than just toughness and grit. He was a key part of Vince Lombardi's famous Packers Sweep, which you can learn about here:



With Kramer and fellow guard Fuzzy Thurston leading the way, the Packers rode the sweep to five straight NFL titles, including the first two Super Bowls.

Kramer's legacy extends far off the football field, though. He's one of the first professional football players to really embrace his off-field influence. He wrote numerous books, both about his own experiences in the NFL and about how professional football affected his friends and teammates, including Vince Lombardi himself.

That writing and public persona was on full display last fall, when Kramer memorialized Fuzzy Thurston, his offensive line running mate who'd passed away after a long battle with a variety of health issues. Watching Kramer's speech, it's easy to see he's more than just a great football player, he's a great man.

It's MARK TAUSCHER days until we get married

Mark Tauscher holds a pretty unique place in the football history of Wisconsin. He's one of only a handful of players to grow up in Wisconsin, attend the University of Wisconsin, and play his entire career for the Packers.

Unfortunately, that's about all I have to say about Mark Tauscher.

It's RAY NITSCHKE days until we get married

As you know by now, Ray Nitschke is one of just five (soon to be six) players in Packers history to have his numbers retired by the team. Since he retired in 1972, no one who has contributed in any meaningful way to the Packers has worn the jersey (although it was twice issued to reserve players).

If you look at the raw numbers, it's easy to dismiss Nitschke's on-field career. He only made two All-Pro teams in his career, and while his 25 career interceptions are impressive for a linebacker of any era, it could be tempting to wipe those aside as merely an outlier, a statistical oddity in an era of ground-bound NFL offenses.

So what made Nitschke great? Well, if not the numbers specifically, it may have been that he was simply outstanding in just about every facet of the game that's not measured by numbers specifically. Consider the write-up in his hall of fame biography:

"In the mid-1960s, a national sports magazine asked a group of former NFL linebacking stars to rate the middle linebackers of the day. The panel first determined the skills it would seek in the ideal man -- strength, quickness, speed, toughness, and leadership. Ray Nitschke, the choice as the all-around top man, ranked very high or absolutely tops in every category. "The core of the Packers"..."an inspiration on the field"..."gives 100 percent all the time"..."lahs an overwhelming desire to make the play"..."without peer as a leader"...panel members remarked as they explained their consensus opinion."

Beyond that, Nitschke was an absolute terror on the field. There's a story (although it may be embellished) of one particular play in Nitschke's career. Fran Tarkenton played quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings during part of Nitschke's tenure with the Packers. As he is to this day, Tarkenton was a bit of a rabble-rouser. In one particular game, he'd said something that drew Nitschke's ire, but the Packers linebacker quickly had an opportunity to get revenge.

Later in the game, Nitschke intercepted one of Tarkenton's passes and had a clear path to the end zone. But instead of attempting to score, Nitschke went looking for Tarkenton, taking advantage of a rare chance to get a free shot at the quarterback. After all, nobody can fault a ball carrier for doing whatever he needs to when he's trying to get to the end zone, right?

I don't know if that's a completely true story, but it fits with the rest of Nitschke's persona perfectly. I guess if you're gonna be bald, you might as well be nasty.

It's KARL SWANKE days until we get married

Football is an odd sport. So many different things can happen during the course of a single game that when you add up season after season after season, you can find some guys with some pretty odd careers.

Take, for example, Karl Swanke, an otherwise nondescript offensive lineman from the Packers' dark ages in the 1980s. Three unusual incidents highlight his career, one that would otherwise have been more or less lost to history.

First, there's the touchdown catch. It's not entirely unusual to have an offensive lineman head out for an occasional pass route, but it's pretty rare to have them actually score a touchdown. But that's exactly what happened during a game in 1981. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

"Swanke remembers his shining moment: 'I block, I fall down, then run the other way...Everything was in slow motion, I could see every rotation of the ball as it left [Lynn] Dickey's hand. It was quite a thrill to score, but it went out the window because we lost the game."

Then, there's the time Swanke took out Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor...using some unconventional means. Again from the Journal-Sentinel:

"Color analyst John Madden singled out his play against all-pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in the Packers 23-20 victory at Lambeau Field in 1985.

'Madden said veteran linemen will do anything to stop defenders from getting to the quarterback," Swanke said. "I hit Taylor with an open hand to the face, and at that same instant, I kick him in the stomach with the back of my foot (as he's falling).

'Taylor went down like a sack of potatoes. So Madden circles the hand to the face (on the Telestrator). Then he circles the foot to the stomach. I had a real good game, and Madden said I should get the game ball.'"

And finally, there's the rushing attempt. As odd as it is for an offensive lineman to catch a pass, it's still more rare for them to ever carry the ball. But still, there it is: Swanke's official career stats show one carry for zero yards. I don't know how it happened, as it wasn't on a fumble recovery. For all intents and purposes, it looks like Swanke had some kind of honest-to-goodness rushing attempt.

And that's the tale of Karl Swanke.

It's BLAISE WINTER days until we get married

If you put Blaise Winter's story in a movie, people would think it was too unrealistic, but it's completely true.

Winter was born with a cleft palate and deaf in one ear, he faced near constant bullying at school. He told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that "Seventh and eighth grades were the worst. I remember being thrown in dumpsters, beat up, spit on. Some days more than others. I just thought bullying was part of being different."

Things weren't any better at home, unfortunately. His father was extremely abusive, so he turned to his mother for support. What a support she was, too. After Winter didn't get any recruiting offers coming out of high school, he and his mom went on a whirlwind tour of college campuses, just trying to get a meeting with a coach. Nobody offered a scholarship, but Syracuse offered him an opportunity as a walk-on. He took that chance and ran with it, earning the team's MVP award before he was ultimately drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.

A few seasons later, he made his way to Green Bay as part of his decade long NFL career as a defensive lineman. Winter was never an all-star, but he was far more than just a warm body to fill a roster, too.

After his NFL career came to an end, Winter took up a new profession as a motivational speaker. I actually got to see him when I was a grade-schooler. My dad, brother, and I went to see him speak, and we bought his book, even getting it autographed. I was pretty transfixed by the speech, and I still remember a lot of what he had to say today.

It's DAVID BAKHTIARI days until we get married

Sometimes, athletes are interesting because they are athletes.

Sometimes, athletes are interesting, but the fact that they are athletes are the least interesting things about them.

Such is the case of David Bakhtiari, the Packers current starting left tackle. His career narrative is still being written, but his personal life is more interesting than anything that he does likely ever will be.

For example, Bakhtiari is one of just a handful of Iranian players to make it to the NFL. There are only three that I know of, and one is Bakhtiari's older brother Eric, who spent parts of four seasons with a half-dozen NFL teams. The other is T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a wide receiver who played for the Bengals, Seahawks, Ravens, and Raiders.

Bakhtiari is also the man responsible for getting the Packers into Pitch Perfect 2. He became a fan of the first movie and reached out to Elizabeth Banks on Twitter, and things sort of just worked themselves out from there.

He's also a big fan of the board game, Settlers of Catan, and has recruited a few teammates for some marathon gaming sessions.

Here's just a few of the other things that make Bakhtiari interesting:

• His full name is David Afrisiab Assad Bakhtiari
• Created a community scholarship fund while in high school
• Regularly signs autographs in exchange for donations to a cancer charity
• Lettered in lacrosse in addition to football as a sophomore and junior in high school
• Was only ranked as a two-star prospect coming out of high school (relatively low stature), but he handled it with remarkable aplomb, saying "People come up to me and go 'Oh, you're only a two-star.' But I don't really care what my ranking is. All that matters is how you do when you put on the pads."

It's T.J. LANG days until we get married

Time isn't a luxury many NFL players are afforded, but sometimes time is exactly what guys need to find the right opportunity in the league.

T.J. Lang is one such player. Drafted in 2009 out of Eastern Michigan University, Lang was originally considered an offensive tackle when he arrived in Green Bay. He lacks ideal size for that position, but his aggressiveness and drive made him an attractive prospect nonetheless. As Chad Clifton aged, Lang was thought to be a possible replacement at left tackle.

Early on, it seemed as though that's exactly how things would play out. As a rookie, Lang started three games at tackle (both left and right) due to injuries to Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. It seemed like Lang was in an ideal position to take over for one of the two down the line.

However, wrist surgery in the off-season after his rookie year derailed those plans. Lang didn't have an opportunity to make good on the early potential he showed, and when the Packers drafted Bryan Bulaga in the first round in 2010, it put an even further damper on Lang's starting prospects. He served entirely in a reserve role that year.

Opportunity soon came knocking again, though. Before the 2011 season, Lang switched to guard and has started every game at that spot since then. The Packers rewarded his versatility with a four year contract extension in 2012.

Even though he switched from left guard to right guard before the 2013 season, Lang's success has been nearly constant. Last season, NFL analytics site Pro Football Focus rated Lang as the third best guard in all of football. Not bad for a guy once thought to be best suited to an entirely different position.

It's SANTANA DOTSON days until we get married

I've told you before how the Packers have historically built their team in accordance with the "draft and develop" philosophy. It's usually best and cheapest to stick closely to this method, as it allows for maximum talent acquisition for minimum price.

But occasionally, there are exceptions to that rule, and former Packers general manager Ron Wolf was adept at spotting those exceptions.

Such is the case of defensive tackle Santana Dotson. Dotson was originally a fifth round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though lightly regarded as he joined Tampa's squad, he quickly outplayed his relatively lowly draft status, starting all 16 games during his rookie season in 1992 and totaling 10 sacks, a terrific year for a rookie. But over his next three seasons in Tampa Bay, he managed just 13 sacks and saw his playing time diminish.

So after four years with the Buccaneers, Dotson was out of a job, and that's when Wolf came calling. He snagged a starting spot on the defensive line, along with Reggie White, Gilbert Brown, and Sean Jones. From that point on, Dotson was as solid as he'd ever been, averaging four sacks a season and appearing in 88 of a possible 96 games during his time in Green Bay and winning a super Bowl during the 1996 season.

Dotson proved to be a valuable exception to the draft and develop philosophy, and his legacy with the Packers is still strong. He does a lot of charity work through his Santana Dotson Foundation, and his nephew Alonzo is currently a scout with Green Bay.

Other Notable 71s - Josh Sitton (current starting guard, considered the best at his position in the NFL), Bill Forester (linebacker and four time Pro Bowler, 1953-1963)

It's VARIOUS LINEMEN days until we get married

Earl Dotson is one of many players to wear 72 for the Packers

The number 72 is a tough one. Nobody of particular note has ever donned the number 72, so in lieu of talking about one particular player, here's a few quick notes on some of the guys who have worn it.

Earl Dotson (right tackle, 1993-2002) - Never made a Pro Bowl and only played all 16 games in a season just twice in his career, but he did start two Super Bowls for the Packers.

Dick Himes (offensive tackle, 1968-1977) - Had a mustache. His nickname was Ox.

Jason Spitz (guard/center, 2006-2010) - Is the only player to ever wear number 72 for the Packers whose name is a sentence.

Steve Wright (right tackle, 1964-1967) - Never started a game in college, but carved out a nine year NFL career anyway. Was the model for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award trophy, which, oddly enough, is not modeled after Walter Payton.

Tom Neville (left guard, 1986-1988, 1992) - Played two stints with the Packers during an odd and somewhat sad career. He played three seasons in Green Bay, spent a season away from the game, returned for a year with the 49ers, then came back to the Packers to finish his career. A few years later he died after an encounter with police related to what seems to be a psychological breakdown. His death led to greater awareness on helping players adjust to life after football.

Kit Lathrop (defensive tackle, 1979-1980) - Played for a whopping seven professional teams in two leagues during his career, including the Packers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Washington Redskins in the NFL, and the Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers, and Arizona Outlaws in the USFL.

Johnny Miller (offensive AND defensive tackle, 1960) - Notable for playing both on offense and defense. Because of the era in which he played, he only has two recorded stats in his four year career: a 15 yard kick return in 1958 and a safety in 1956. The rest of his career is lost to history.

Ben Davidson (defensive tackle, 1961) - Was a giant at 6-8 and 245 pounds. He went on to have a small acting career, appearing in bit parts in M*A*S*H* and Conan the Barbarian.

Todd Auer (linebacker, 1987) - Graduated from the terrifically named Gale-Ettrick-Trempeleau High School (which still exists!) in the small but picturesque town of Galesville, Wisconsin.

Dick Afflis (guard/tackle, 1951-1954) - Actually wore four different numbers for the Packers (15, 62, 72, and 75) and went on to have a pro wrestling career under the name Dick the Bruiser.

Warren Bone (defensive end, 1867) - Was named Warren Bone, which is cool.

Steve Gabbard (offensive tackle, 1991) - Played just one season with the Packers, which was interesting, but he also played for the London Monarchs in NFL Europe and the Sacramento Gold Miners of the Canadian Football League, which actually did try to put teams in the United States for a while.

Tom Johnson (defensive tackle, 1952) - Was just the second African American to play for the Packers.

J.D. Kimmel (defensive tackle, 1958) - Played three season in the NFL, including one with the Packers, but made good use of his post-football life. He returned to school and earned a Master's degree in petroleum engineering and went on to be a successful businessman.

Theo Sherman and Herbert Taylor (offensive tackles, 2011) - Sherman and Taylor both wore the number 72 in 2011, but appeared in a combined zero games, which tells you everything you need to know about their stints in Green Bay.

It's TOOTIE ROBINSON days until we get married

Tootie Robinson was an offensive tackle for the Packers for two seasons in the early 90's. Literally all I know about him is that his name was TOOTIE ROBINSON.

If having a name like Tootie Robinson isn't enough to make it into this countdown, I don't know what is.

His name is Tootie Robinson.

Tootie Robinson

Other notable 73's - Daryn Colledge (offensive lineman from 2006-2010), Aaron Taylor (offensive lineman from 1995-1997).