Inbox: Signing Reggie White signaled the rebirth of a franchise

5. Which NFL player did you want to see most on the Packers? Did it ever happen?

Jim from Westland, MI

The player I wanted the Packers to sign in free agency but knew it would never happen was Reggie White. After the decades of questionable off-field antics and poor on-field performance, there was hope with No. 4. I believe moves made in the early '90s saved the franchise, later rebuilt a stadium, and set the stage for current Titletown investment and upcoming draft. Signing Reggie signaled the rebirth of a franchise, city...dreams.

Marin from West Lawn, PA

Without doubt, Reggie White! Living in Eagles country, I watched No. 92 on a weekly basis wreaking havoc on opposing teams and truly wished he could be a Packer. I'll never forget the sheer joy of seeing Reggie sign with the Packers amid all the shock and disbelief of Eagles fans around me seeing Reggie fly the coop and play for MY team!! The first thing I did was purchase a Packers No. 92 Reggie White jersey and wore it everywhere I went!

Shannon from Ovilla, TX

I recall wanting Reggie White to sign with the Packers so badly during the initial free agency time frame. The '89 and '92 seasons gave hope, but you knew at the time they needed someone like him to make it OK to play for Green Bay. I was so shocked when he actually signed and the immediate impact he had on the franchise. Bob Harland, Ron Wolf, and Reggie truly saved this franchise.

Etienne from Saint Joachim de Tourelle, Canada

I have a two-way tie. I wish Packers would have sign Randy Moss back when he left the Raiders and end up in New England. No. 1 gunslinger and No. 1 deep treat would have been a blast to watch. That said, drafting Barry Sanders would have spell nightmare for every other team, and a special mention to Brian Westbrook. That one is link to the first time and the last time Vic answered me. I'll never forget that.

Sharon from Lakewood Ranch, FL

This year! While watching the Wisconsin-MSU game last fall, after each of his exceptional catches, runs, and that 'throw', I kept shouting to my son, "Packers, better get Jayden Reed!" throughout that game. On Day 2 of the draft, at No. 50, my plea was answered when it was announced "Tthe Green Bay Packers pick Jayden Reed!" I jumped for joy! Love that pick! I predict it's gonna be an excitingly good '23 football year! Now "Reed 'em and reap!

Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL

I'll start with Randy Moss but add in Justin Jefferson hoping that thinking it will make it come true this time. Damn Patriots!

Al from Tulsa, OK

Marshawn Lynch. When he became available as a FA, Aaron Rodgers wanted "Beast Mode. He knew him from his college days at Cal, but the Packers didn't jump at the chance. I think that was a missed opportunity.

Brian from Twain Harte, CA

The player I wanted to see as a Packer the most was Aaron Rodgers. As a Cal grad, I often went to Cal games when AR8 was QB. In 2005, I tuned into the NFL draft around pick No. 15 to see who selected AR8. To my surprise, he was not yet picked. I watched every pick hoping he would be available when GB was on the board. When it came time for GB to pick, I was literally screaming at my computer for the Packers to pick Rodgers. Apparently, TT must have heard me. GPG.

Tim from Greensboro, NC

Tremaine Edmunds. I really hoped the Packers would draft him when he was still available at their pick. Now I have to watch him play for Da Bears.

Nathan from New Lisbon, WI

I was never overly obsessed with acquiring specific players, but in 2010, I NEEDED the Packers to draft Golden Tate. I saw him as the second coming of Steve Smith and thought the Packers would regret passing on him. Much respect to Mike Neal, but Tate's career spoke for itself. If missing out was bad enough, I then had to witness him not catch a Fail Mary against the Packers two years later! The only positive I could see to not getting him was that we likely would not have drafted Randall Cobb in 2011…

Alex from Duluth, MN

Brian Urlacher (spoiler alert, it never happened). For as much as I despise Da Bears, I always coveted Urlacher for the way he carried himself on and off the field and found myself daydreaming about him in green and gold.

Juan from San Antonio, TX

Devin Devorris Hester Sr. and the Packers teams during that time would have been scary. Too bad my choice never came to fruition.

Ross from Grand View, WI

Bo Jackson. I feel that without the Tampa Bay incident and his unfortunate injury he would've been the best football player of all time. Just to watch a supreme athlete in action, for however long it lasts, is a privilege and a thing of beauty. Wouldn't he have looked great in a Packer uniform?

Michael from Granite City, IL

For me the player I wanted most depended on which era of Packer football we are talking, and what the team needed to address. When I was young, I thought that DT Alex Karras would make a good addition, but that was pre-free agency. As I grew older, I decided that maybe the GM knew better.

Carl from Orlando, FL

For many years, two Dallas Cowboys topped my list. As Brett Favre's career wound down (first time), I felt that we should have swung a deal to pick up a Wisconsin native QB. Of course, Dallas wasn't giving up Tony Romo at that time. The same goes for Jason Witten. After Jermichael Finley's injury in 2013, we really haven't had a go-to tight end on third down. Imagine Rodgers to Witten - Automatic. With apologies for my sacrilege, Go Pack Go!

Steve from Eagle, WI

Back in October 1993, it was going to be a great day: Eric Dickerson was traded to Green Bay for RB John Stephens. I had been a big fan of him with the Pony Express at SMU and any team he happened to play for. A lot of my friends and family called me as they had heard about the news and knew I would be pumped up about it. Unfortunately, a few days had past and news came out that he didn't pass the physical and retired. Dream came true and crashed all within a few days. GPG

Shilo from Murrieta, CA

Eric Dickerson! I was excited when we signed him, disappointed when they found his neck issue, but proud to be a Packers fan because we were honest with him and didn't try to cover it up just to have him play. I remember Eric doing an interview on "The NFL Today" on CBS, and he was very thankful to the Pack for doing right by him.

Derek from Eau Claire, WI

My son and I jumped up off the couch and celebrated when Christian Watson's name got called. I truly think we are about to see something special this season from No. 9.

George from North Mankato, MN

I always wanted to see Barry Sanders or Walter Payton in a Packers jersey. Too many years of watching highlights of those two running wild against the Pack. It obviously never happened, but a kid could dream.

Richard from Madison, WI

I remember as a kid thinking that this Jim Brown guy from Cleveland couldn't be that much better than our own Jim Taylor, but if the Packers could pick him up for a Jim-Jim backfield, there'd be no stopping us. Did it ever happen? Many, many times…in my head.

Al from Green Bay, WI

Here's an answer nobody else will give to this question. As a raw child, I was thrilled to hear that the Packers landed Jon Hadl as their quarterback. Jon Hadl! I knew right then that the Packers were destined to return to glory with this one transaction. I had no comprehension that Hadl was on the last legs of his career, and that the price paid would set the team back for years to come. Ah, the innocence and ignorance of youth!

Brian from Moncks Corner, SC

Earl Campbell. Nope. The Oilers traded up to No. 1 from No. 17 to pick him, giving up relative peanuts in the trade. It would have been very feasible for the Packers at No. 6 to make that trade. It would be a great research article to understand the backstory, if any, on the Packers' interest in trading up for Campbell. However, James Lofton's bust is in Canton and my favorite all-time Pack receiver, so no complaints here. But Earl Campbell man!

Carlos from El Paso, TX

The answer for No. 5 is also my answer for No. 1. I watched Aaron Jones play at UTEP and thought, "(Darn), he's a beast! Too bad he's from El Paso and plays at UTEP as he won't get much recognition!" but it panned out. I was excited to see he was drafted by GB and has become a star. So much so, he has his own cereal box, which I actually own as part of my memorabilia as a prize for a bet. Just need it signed to go with his signed charity softball jersey and bat!

Bob from Park City, UT

Ray Lewis, wow, what could have been...

Vince from Green Bay, WI

Johnathan Franklin, running back from UCLA. To see him play as a Bruin, I thought he could add an electric component to the Packers' backfield. I had visions of him being Thurman Thomas. He did get drafted, and as we know his career ended too soon for us to know what kind of player he would be come. Hopefully, he is doing well. From all the interviews he did, Franklin seemed like he had a good head on his shoulder, much like Aaron Jones.

Florian from Kronach, Germany

Equanimeous St. Brown. As E.Q's mother is German and he has double citizenship, I hoped he would make football in general more popular over here (as, of course, we have a closer look at "our" players in the NFL). Glad he was drafted by the Packers and sorry he didn't really pan out in Green Bay.

Bil from Stateline, NV

Marcedes Lewis. Just sayin'. (So Wes won't have to.)

6. What is the goofiest thing you've done to celebrate a Packers victory?

Ummy from Two Rivers, WI

Jan. 8, 1983. Yes, I was one of crazies tearing down the goal posts after the playoff victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Our group managed to get our piece cut up that day and I still have an 8-inch portion of it. Two months later, I wake up in my hospital room after having my leg removed due to bone cancer and what is waiting for me? An autographed picture of Bart Starr with words of encouragement. Ironically in 2019, I started working for the Packers on gameday security duty. Go Pack Go!

CJ from Waxahachie, TX

Week 8 in 2021 against the Cardinals. I got home from taking my wife out for her birthday that night and watched the rest of the fourth quarter on my back porch. Weather was nice. When Rasul Douglas picked off Kyler Murray in the end zone to ice the game, I did this weird run around my backyard yelling that we won. We beat the only undefeated team left that year and I felt on top of the world. I'll never forget that game.

Taylor from Fargo, ND

My family has a tradition called the "Packers dance" that is performed after every touchdown. Grab a towel (or pretend you have a towel) and rub it between your legs as you dance back and forth. It's cute when the kids do it. Not so much the adults.

Alex from Eau Claire, WI

When Packers won Super Bowl XXXl and I was eight, all the adult men (my dad, brother, neighbors, friends dad's, etc.), my friends and myself all stripped down to our underwear and ran door to door doing a victory lap in most of the living rooms on our street. There are pictures somewhere in a scrapbook in my basement (mid-90s fashion included a LOT of tighty whiteys). Memories make us rich.

Randy from Raymond, IA

I made a bet with a female co-worker and lifelong Bears fan on the outcome of the game at Soldier Field in 2011. If the Bears won, I would have to wear her Walter Payton jersey all day on our assembly line. We made those green-and-yellow, Packers-colored tractors! If GB won, she would have to wear my cheesehead. GB ended up winning 27-17 as Jermichael Finley had three touchdownreceptions from AR. She was a good sport and wore that cheesehead all day despite a lot of my teasing!

Dee from Florence, WI

The best celebration I have ever participated in was in Houston. We go to Arizona for the winter and stop in Houston to visit our son. On Sundays, we found a "Packer" bar to watch the game. Every time the Packers scored a touchdown, a very skinny gentleman who looked to be 90 years old climbed up on the bar and jumped into the arms of his fellow Packers fans standing at the end of the bar with their arms out to catch him! The LAMBEAU LEAP right in front of us!

Jerad from Fitchburg, WI

The goofiest celebration I remember was when we won the Super Bowl in the 1996 season. I was five at the time, but my dad and his friends insisted that we needed to burn a couch after winning. We put it on our burn pit and up it went. He said it is good luck and will bring us back to the Super Bowl. He wasn't wrong, but too bad he didn't say it would allow us to win the next Super Bowl, too. (Editor's note: If you burned a couch for winning a Super Bowl, I'm afraid to ask what you did when the Packers lost the following year).

Wayne from Lake Hallie, WI

In 1997, some friends and I got front-row seats to the Packers/Vikings game at Lambeau. It was a perfect day and there was substantial tailgating activity in the parking lot with other fans. The game was action-packed and resulted in a 38-32 Packers win, which led to more celebration afterwards. Back at the hotel, a couple of buddies climbed onto a luggage cart and told me to push them, at top speed, up and down the hallways. Security was not impressed.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

On Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, we were on a cruise ship and the stop was Nassau, Bahamas. We were with about 20 co-workers, and everyone was dumbfounded that I was going to spend a day in the Bahamas at a sports bar! Of course, Brett Favre to Greg Jennings set the all-time touchdown record in Minnesota! On the way back to the cruise ship, after quite a few adult beverages, in the pouring rain, we made it back with only about ten minutes to spare!

Greg from Princeton, MN

This is more of a big play celebration, but me and my son have been known to get up and swing our arms around like the Bushwackers from the WWF used to do. Would love to see a player doing this after a TD one time. Hoping you guys can make this happen.

Jeff from Montclair, VA

I caught pneumonia after taking shirt off when Yancey Thigpen dropped the game-winner at Lambeau.

Grant from Janesville, WI

After Super Bowl XLV, my friends and I couldn't contain our excitement, so we dashed outside and ran around the neighborhood whooping and hollering. In retrospect, we were obnoxious, but that night, nobody yelled at us. In fact, many people stepped outside to cheer with us.

Greg from Long Beach, CA

I watched the fourth-and-8 pass to Randall Cobb game at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Seattle with my dad and couple friends. After the score, my dad and I ran thru the entire restaurant high fiving anyone that was willing to put their hand up. Was it over the top? Of course. But it is one of my cherished memories with him. Also, I changed a flight back and called out of work on Monday to watch the Packers and Vikings play on Sunday Night Football in my hometown, also with my dad.

Mark from Big Bear City, CA

We have a Brett Favre Beanie Bear who sits on a miniature GB Packers couch. If they win two games, he gets to cross his legs. Three games, he gets to put on the GB G sunglasses, but if they lose, we turn him around and his rear-end goes up in the air and stays that way till they win again. Poor little guy had a rough season last year. GPG!!

Shane from Saxon, WI

After the 1996 NFC Divisional playoff win against the 49ers, we had to drive from Saxon to Washburn in a snowstorm. The only reason we didn't stay in Saxon was because our dog was home. U.S. 2 was closed in Ashland. It was so bad. I was a mile from my house, and I drove off the road on the opposite side. I walked home in waist-deep snow. My neighbor had a front-end loader, and he plowed the road and pulled me out. The next weekend, we were at the NFC Championship game against Carolina.

Marin from West Lawn, PA

The goofiest way I celebrated a Packers victory was in January 2011. Living in Pennsylvania, with many Eagles fans as neighbors back in 2004, I had to endure the humiliation of fourth-and-26. Seconds after the Packers beat the Eagles in Philly in the first round of the playoffs, I stepped out of the house and yelled with all my might to all the same Eagles fans around me "Fourth-and-26 has been avenged!! Now it's YOUR turn to watch MY team go to and win the Super Bowl!" Venting has never been so much fun!

Tony from Lima, OH

For the 1996 NFC Championship Game, our little group decided we were going to join the Lambeau crowd and watch the game outside. The night before, the temps dropped, and the snow came. We had to clear the deck before the game to build a so-called wall so we could do a Lambeau Leap when the Packers scored. Temps at kickoff were a balmy minus-3 here in Ohio. Our celebration made the local news. Great memory!