Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

BD Sullivan wrote:Not sure Lombardi and Unitas would have gotten along, since Johnny had a reputation of tolerating his coaches and calling his own game. Somehow, I'm guessing Vince just MIGHT have raged about that,

Mike Curtis talked about that once. He didn't like that. He said that he would have duck taped Unitas if he was the coach.

BD Sullivan wrote:Not sure Lombardi and Unitas would have gotten along, since Johnny had a reputation of tolerating his coaches and calling his own game.

Quarterbacks DID call their own game back then, unless your coach was named Brown or Landry. Unitas and Lombardi would have had a level of respect for each other that I'm sure would have made for a fine relationship...but, really, why do we care???

JohnH19 wrote:

BD Sullivan wrote:Not sure Lombardi and Unitas would have gotten along, since Johnny had a reputation of tolerating his coaches and calling his own game.

Quarterbacks DID call their own game back then, unless your coach was named Brown or Landry. Unitas and Lombardi would have had a level of respect for each other that I'm sure would have made for a fine relationship...but, really, why do we care???

While it's true that QBs called the plays, Lombardi gave Starr a very limited number of options for most down-and-distance situations. The Packers worked with a smaller ready list than most teams did, to start with, and most plays were only for very specific situations. If Starr had called a play on 3rd-and-2 that was supposed to be reserved for 2nd-and-short, Lombardi would not have been happy at all.

But Starr had a way of standing up for himself. One time, early in their time together, Starr had a pass tipped and intercepted. Lombardi chewed him out in front of the team. Starr went to see him and told him (paraphrasing) " Look, you expect me to be the leader of this team, but when you rip me like that in front of them, it demeans me. If you want to chew me out, you do so in the privacy of this office, not in front of my teammates." Lombardi never ripped Starr in front of the team again.

Of course, proving one size doesn't fit all, Brady and Belichick have had the most wins together of any coach-QB combo. Belichick has routinely ripped Brady in front of the team. If Brady threw an interception, even in practice, Belichick would highlight it in film study and say ""Hey, Tom, I could go get the quarterback at Foxborough High to do it better than that." Belichick knew Brady could take the criticism and it sent a message to the team that nobody was above Belichick's scrutiny.

One of the most important coaching/management lessons I learned from reading about Lombardi was understanding that not everyone is motivated in the same way/by the same thing.

Some people need "the carrot" (praise) and others "the stick" (discipline). Some need no motivation (the intense ones) and some only excel when properly motivated. Some play for the team and others understand only what effects them.

Point being, Lombardi knew how to be flexible enough to get along with anyone (who helped the team win).
(imho)

L.C. Greenwood wrote:Wish I could remember the program, but there's a odd story about Unitas, Dan Fouts, and the 1973 Chargers. Apparently, the San Diego coaches told Unitas they didn't want him giving advice to Fouts, as moronic as that sounds. The young Fouts was concerned about what would happen next, but Unitas assured him the advice would continue, regardless of what anybody said.

There was also a quote I read where Fouts said at the time "that having Unitas on the sideline was like having a dictionary for quarterbacking. Any problems I encounter I could come over and look it up."

JuggernautJ wrote:One of the most important coaching/management lessons I learned from reading about Lombardi was understanding that not everyone is motivated in the same way/by the same thing.

Some people need "the carrot" (praise) and others "the stick" (discipline). Some need no motivation (the intense ones) and some only excel when properly motivated. Some play for the team and others understand only what effects them.

Point being, Lombardi knew how to be flexible enough to get along with anyone (who helped the team win).
(imho)

For as pro-player as Lombardi has always been portrayed, his loyalty usually bent in only one direction. He had a "dead to me" philosophy towards players like Jim Taylor, etc., and made a point to passionately fight against the NFLPA (or whatever form it was in the 60's and 1970).

BD Sullivan wrote:

JuggernautJ wrote:One of the most important coaching/management lessons I learned from reading about Lombardi was understanding that not everyone is motivated in the same way/by the same thing.

Some people need "the carrot" (praise) and others "the stick" (discipline). Some need no motivation (the intense ones) and some only excel when properly motivated. Some play for the team and others understand only what effects them.

Point being, Lombardi knew how to be flexible enough to get along with anyone (who helped the team win).
(imho)

For as pro-player as Lombardi has always been portrayed, his loyalty usually bent in only one direction. He had a "dead to me" philosophy towards players like Jim Taylor, etc., and made a point to passionately fight against the NFLPA (or whatever form it was in the 60's and 1970).

On the 50th Anniversary of Super Bowl I, the NFL Network ran a special. They showed NFL Films footage of the last minutes of the game. Lombardi was clearing the bench. He said, "Andy, Andy, go in for Pitts." Then, "Grabbo, Grabbo, go in for.." and his voice trailed off. Lombardi couldn't say the word, "Taylor," as in "Grabbo go in for Taylor."

I once heard someone say Shula and Unitas butted heads because they were exactly alike. Probably some truth to that.

Shipley wrote:I once heard someone say Shula and Unitas butted heads because they were exactly alike. Probably some truth to that.

There's a book that pretty much comes to that conclusion: Jack Gilden's Collision of Wills.