Best NFL Players of All Time: Willie Davis. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Willie Davis

The most significant member of Green Bay’s defensive line during the Vince Lombardi era was not pleased with his trade to the Packers. The Cleveland Browns drafted Davis in 1956, but his football career would not begin until 1958 due to a military engagement. When he eventually got a chance to play, the Browns played him in a variety of offensive line spots that did not exactly fit into their long-term plans. As a result, Davis was traded to Green Bay in 1960, which he did not particularly enjoy.

At the time, Green Bay was not an easy place to live for an African-American athlete. Aside from Packers players, there were very few African-Americans residing in Green Bay and the surrounding areas. With the Packers hardly registering on the NFL radar, Davis considered retiring from football and entering the business world. Davis knew little about their head coach, Vince Lombardi, who had recently completed his first year with the Packers. Despite being a prominent assistant on Jim Lee Howell’s New York Giants team (together with Tom Landry), Davis had little knowledge of Lombardi. Lombardi was not impressed by the Packers’ 7-5 record in his first season, despite it being the most wins in Green Bay since 1944.

However, Davis elected to talk with Lombardi before making any career decisions. Lombardi informed Davis that he would no longer switch positions on the offensive line and would instead play defensive end with the Packers. “I consider speed, agility, and size to be the three most important attributes in a successful lineman,” Lombardi instructed Davis. “Give me a man with any two of those proportions, and he will do fine. But give him all three, and he’ll be fantastic. “We believe you have all three.

Davis was satisfied enough to pause his post-football career. He was a standout with the Packers as a pass rusher and run defense specialist. Lombardi had high expectations for Davis, and he exceeded them in every way. Lombardi expected him to produce huge plays, but he also became a leader on defense and a calming influence on his teammates in tight situations. Middle linebacker Ray Nitschke provided plenty of passion for the squad, while cornerback Willie Wood was a spectacular athlete with an instinct for interception and the ability to lock down receivers, but Davis was the team’s go-to guy in crunch time.

The Packers began their championship run in 1961, finishing 11-3 and defeating the Giants 37-0 in the NFL Championship Game. They boasted the league’s second-best defense that season and would never finish lower than second for the next six seasons. While the Packers’ steadiness was excellent, what they accomplished in 1966 was remarkable. They finished the season top in points allowed (163) and passing yards allowed (1,959), allowing only seven touchdown passes to 28 interceptions.

“It was a remarkable year for the Packers defense and the thing I remember most is that no quarterback we faced ever had time to pass,” Jerry Kramer, a Packers guard, told ESPN. “It seemed like Willie was in the backfield all season. He was either sacking the quarterback, pressuring him, or deflecting a ball. “It was nearly impossible to block him.”

In 1967, the Packers were nearing the end of their three-year championship streak. They defeated the Rams in the first round of the playoffs and faced the Cowboys in the famous “Ice Bowl” for the NFL championship. The Packers won the game with Bart Starr’s 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown in sub-arctic weather on the final play, which Davis was unable to witness. “I was thinking of everything that could go wrong on that play,” Davis admitted. “The snap, block, or fumble—anything could have happened.” I could not watch. To be honest, the crowd told us what had transpired. I wasn’t the only defenseman who couldn’t watch.”

Davis’ relocation to Green Bay proved to be a watershed moment in his career, as he went on to win five All-Pro awards and be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Willie Davis Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk	Sfty	AV
1958	24	CLE	LDE	77	12	6			0
1959	25	CLE	DT	77	12	2			0
1960	26	GNB	LDE/RDE	87	12	12			0		0	1	0	0	6		7
1961	27	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	3	0	0	9.5		8
1962	28	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	3	0	1	13		20
1963	29	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	4	10	0	8.5	1	13
1964	30	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	2	0	0	14.5		14
1965	31	GNB	LDE	87	14	14	1	21	0	21	0	2	0	0	11		16
1966	32	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	2	0	0	11		16
1967	33	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	0	0	0	11	1	15
1968	34	GNB	LDE	87	14	14			0		0	3	9	0	9		8
1969	35	GNB	LDE	87	14	12	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	6		8
Career					162	144	2	21	0	21	0	22	19	1	99.5	2	125
10 yrs		GNB			138	136	2	21	0	21	0	22	19	1	99.5	2	125
2 yrs		CLE			24	8			0						0

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk	Sfty
1958	24	CLE	RDE	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0
1960	26	GNB	LDE	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1961	27	GNB	LDE	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1962+	28	GNB	LDE	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1965*+	31	GNB	LDE	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1966*+	32	GNB	LDE	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	1.5
1967*+	33	GNB	LDE	3	3			0			0	0	0	0	0	4
Career				11	11			0							0	5.5
6 yrs		GNB		10	10			0							0	5.5
1 yr		CLE		1	1			0							0	0

 

 

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