Jerry Kramer "Finalist" for Hall of Fame

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To each his/her own. I've said that I believe JK deserves to be in the HOF. I also said I think this is the year he finally makes it. Of course I can't help but think it is more of an "OK we will vote him in just shut the hell up about it already" type of thing as opposed to "we think he really deserves it" type of thing. That said I am a Packer fan and team accomplishments are more important to me than any individual player accomplishments.

It's about recognition for the best of the best and properly immortalizing that legacy. And yeah, it matters to those of us who actually care about the men inside the uniform more than just the uniform itself.
 

The Drew

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Not at all, he does deserve it and yes, he should be in already. I prefer to live in the present however and having a few pro bowlers, especially on defense probably means our team is better than it is. Yeah it sucks that JK is not in the HOF but him making it will do absolutely nothing to improve the Packers in 2018. Having a few pro bowl players just might.

A few Pro Bowl players doesnt repair Aaron Rodgers collar bone either... Seasons over, root for JK64
 

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Super Bowls come and go.
Not if you're the Cleveland Browns.
I want the best for Kramer as much as anyone, but I can't agree that individual honors are more important than team honors. I think he would say the same. Nothing trumps a Super Bowl win.
 

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I want the best for Kramer as much as anyone, but I can't agree that individual honors are more important than team honors. I think he would say the same.

Well no kidding. He's a humble man. But I bet if it was Starr or Fuzzy who was snubbed he would rather see them get what they deserve rather than a SB in any given year.
 

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Well no kidding. He's a humble man. But I bet if it was Starr or Fuzzy who was snubbed he would rather see them get what they deserve rather than a SB in any given year.
We really have no idea what Jerry wouod want... my guess is he would rather see the Super Bowl .... but again we don't know.
 

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We really have no idea what Jerry wouod want... my guess is he would rather see the Super Bowl .... but again we don't know.

And respectfully, I believe you would be mistaken. No, we can't know 100% which he would chose because none of us has posed the question to him. But we can surmise based on his words and writings over the years, as well as the perspective one tends to gain as an 81 year old man. When you put it in its simplest terms, a binary choice between either the Packers winning the SB in a given year or a well-deserving teammate finally being enshrined in the HOF becomes a question of which is more important, a game or the men who pour everything they have into that game? If you asked Jerry Kramer which he loved more, the Green Bay Packers or Bart Starr, Jim Ringo, Ray Nitschke, Fuzzy Thurston, Willie Davis, Jim Taylor, Boyd Dowler, Forrest Gregg, Herb Adderly, et al, I would bet my last dollar that the Green Bay Packers would be at the bottom of that list. Vince would almost certainly be at the top. In his book "Instant Replay" he refers to his teammates as family more than once, and family comes before sports, even if that family is born of sports. Funny thing about championships... as soon as you win one, you're right back where you started looking for the next one all over again.

I suppose to some who only see the uniform, a Super Bowl might be the only thing of any importance. But for those who see the men who wear the uniform, there is certainly much more.
 

rmontro

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If you asked Jerry Kramer which he loved more, the Green Bay Packers or Bart Starr, Jim Ringo, Ray Nitschke, Fuzzy Thurston, Willie Davis, Jim Taylor, Boyd Dowler, Forrest Gregg, Herb Adderly, et al, I would bet my last dollar that the Green Bay Packers would be at the bottom of that list..
But those guys collectively were the Green Bay Packers. And if it weren't for all those championships, probably nobody today would be talking about Jerry Kramer being in the Hall of Fame.
 

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But those guys collectively were the Green Bay Packers. And if it weren't for all those championships, probably nobody today would be talking about Jerry Kramer being in the Hall of Fame.
And I was talking about the Green Bay Packers as an organization.
 

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Super Bowls come and go. This team will win more Super Bowls in the future. HOF is once in a lifetime and Kramer deserves it more than anyone, bar none. If it was a hypothetical one or the other prospect of either winning the SB or telling Kramer to suck it yet again, what kind of Packer fan would choose to prolong The Snub?



So you're saying once players retire, you have no more concern for them and you don't have any appreciation of the history of this grand franchise... Unreal.

Yeah, I think that is exactly what he is saying. :laugh:
 

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sschind, quit while you're behind, JK is one of the reasons this a grand franchise
 

TouchdownPackers

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Kramer will never be just another guy to Packer fans. Is Reggie White just another guy? Is Bart Starr just another guy?

Being an OL makes a difference. Obviously Jerry Kramer is not "just another guy" in Packers history, but if you asked fans of other teams to name the all-time best guards, how many would list Kramer?
 
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Being an OL makes a difference. Obviously Jerry Kramer is not "just another guy" in Packers history, but if you asked fans of other teams to name the all-time best guards, how many would list Kramer?

I guess most fans currently wouldn't consider Kramer as one of the best guards in league history but you have to realize that he was named first-team All-Pro five times and is the only member of the NFL's 50th Anniversary All-Time team not in the Hall of Fame.
 

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Being an OL makes a difference. Obviously Jerry Kramer is not "just another guy" in Packers history, but if you asked fans of other teams to name the all-time best guards, how many would list Kramer?

It doesn't matter. Opinions of those who do not remember are irrelevant. Facts are facts and the fact is that the Packers thrived on Lombardi's power sweep which fueled them to many championships. And who do you think made that power sweep click more than anyone else? Kramer took the guard position and changed it from a position where you just stuck a big lumbering brawler and turned it into an athletic position that combined size, speed and strength in a way that had never been seen before. He very rarely gave up any kind of QB pressure. He was an excellent traditional run blocker and he could lead block and run like a FB. Even today it's rare to see a pulling guard still blocking 40 yards downfield on a sweep. JK did it frequently.
 

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Unless I missed it earlier in the thread;
Will a senior selection- either Kramer or the other gentleman up as a senior- definitely be going in, or do they still have to meet a minimum vote threshold?
 

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It doesn't matter. Opinions of those who do not remember are irrelevant. Facts are facts and the fact is that the Packers thrived on Lombardi's power sweep which fueled them to many championships. And who do you think made that power sweep click more than anyone else? Kramer took the guard position and changed it from a position where you just stuck a big lumbering brawler and turned it into an athletic position that combined size, speed and strength in a way that had never been seen before. He very rarely gave up any kind of QB pressure. He was an excellent traditional run blocker and he could lead block and run like a FB. Even today it's rare to see a pulling guard still blocking 40 yards downfield on a sweep. JK did it frequently.

To be fair, though, he weighed what a TE does now.
 

AKCheese

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Ok debating Kramer getting in vs a Super Bowl or Pro bowlers...... SERIOUSLY.... ????

Not sure that's the dumbest arguement I've seen here buts its gotta be top 10...

I hope he gets in.... maybe I'll go reread Instant Replay and Farewell to Football.... plus he's a VANDAL.... bet they'll be pumped at the Kibbie Dome!!
 
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Unless I missed it earlier in the thread;
Will a senior selection- either Kramer or the other gentleman up as a senior- definitely be going in, or do they still have to meet a minimum vote threshold?

Kramer still needs to receive 80% approval of the Selection Committee for election.
 

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Yes, of course, but you were talking about his ability to pull and get downfield. I was merely pointing out that, to be fair, it's easier for a 250 pounder to do that than today's 300+ guards.
 

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it's easier for a 250 pounder to do that than today's 300+ guards.
Two-a-days and wind sprints. Get the fat people to shape up!
Really, in Jerry's day he didn't spend most of the off season training to be a better athlete. He had a real job to put food on the table and started working out a bit to get ready for camp when the weather turned nicer.
 

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Wow, sooooo many reasons to wish for the old days again. Couldn't just it lie there, could you? :)
 
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