With the offseason upon us, the time has returned to sort through the Ask Packers.com mailbag.
This installment of questions and answers includes popular inquiries about official team colors and stadium music. But it also includes unique inquiries regarding a legendary defensive back, the quarterback rating and the infamous Lambeau Leap.
What Green Bay Packers defensive back was blind in one eye? He wore uniform No. 44. -- Brian (New London, WI)
The player you are referring to is Bobby Dillon, who played with the Packers from 1952-59 and indeed wore No. 44. Despite his handicap, Dillon led the Packers in interceptions seven of his eight seasons with the team and remains the Packers' career leader in interceptions with 52.
He's also tied for the NFL single-game record, having made four picks against Detroit in 1953.
In 1957 he made interceptions in five straight games, which is also a Green Bay record.
One of the few Packers interception records not held by Dillon belongs to Irv Comp, who also happened to be blind in one eye. Comp played with the Packers from 1943-49, seeing action on both sides of the ball.
In his rookie season he tallied a franchise record 10 picks (there have been 10 9-interception seasons in team history, including three by Dillon). That same season, he also had 77 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns with the offense. Over his carrier, he amassed 519 rushing yards.
He also played quarterback, completing 213 of 519 passes for 3,354 yards with 28 touchdowns and 52 interceptions.
With 33 career defensive interceptions, only Willie Wood (48), Herb Adderley (39) and LeRoy Butler (38) stand between Comp and Dillon on the Packers' all-time list.
How can I write fan mail to the players? -- Rosanna (Lannon, WI)
This information can be found within the FAQ page of Packers.com, but we'll include the address here, too.
Attention: Individual Player Name
Green Bay Packers
PO Box 10628
Green Bay, WI 54307-0628
What are the official color shades of the Packers? -- Tim (Clarksville, TN)
This isn't on the FAQ page of Packers.com, but it should be (and soon will be). The official Packers colors are Dark Green (PMS 5535-C), Gold (PMS 1235-C) and White.
Who is the artist or what is the name of the song they play right before kickoff? The song doesn't have any words. It's all instrumental with a lot of bass. Thanks. -- Robb (Fond du Lac, WI)
That song is 'Sandstorm,' by Darude.
What is the name and recording artist of the instrumental music played at Lambeau Field that has the word "Hey" used in it? -- Dave (Hartford, WI)
You are probably referring to the song 'Rock N Roll Part II' by Gary Glitter, a staple for many sporting events.
During Packers games and after the game you play a song either called 'My House,' or 'Our House,' I am not quite sure. What is the right title and who does that song? -- Dean (Mosinee, WI)
The reoccurring lyric in the song says 'our house,' but the song is called 'My House.' It's by Rich Fagan.
I'm going insane. I need to know the title and artist to that song before the start of the games. It goes like "oh oh oh oh oh...oh oh oh oh...oh...oh oh oh oh oh." Nice I know, but those are the words! -- Jason (Green Bay, WI)
Sorry, you're going to have to be a little more specific.
What is the formula that is used to determine a quarterback's rating? -- Tracie (Wauwatosa, WI)
Adopted in 1973, the quarterback rating takes four areas into consideration: 1) Percentage of completions per attempt, 2) Average yards gained per attempt, 3) Percentage of touchdown passes per attempt and 4) Percentage of interceptions per attempt.
The idea behind the computations is that quarterback excellence is 70 percent completions, 10 percent touchdowns, 1.5 percent interceptions and 11 yards average gain per pass attempt.
Calculating Brett Favre's quarterback rating for 2002 would work like this:
Percentage of Completions: Favre completed 341 of 551 attempts this season, or 61.89 percent.
Take that percentage (61.89), and subtract 30 (31.89), then multiply by 0.05. The result is a point rating of 1.595.
(Note: The highest that can be awarded for any category is 2.375).
Average Yards Per Attempt: Favre passed for 3,658 yards on 551 attempts, resulting in an average of 6.64.
Take that average (6.64) and subtract 3 (3.64), then multiply by 0.25. The result is 0.91.
Percentage Of Touchdown Passes: Favre threw 27 touchdown passes on 551 attempts, resulting in an average of 4.90.
Take that average (4.9) and multiply by 0.2. The result is 0.98.
Percentage Of Interceptions: Favre threw 16 interceptions on 551 attempts, resulting in an average of 2.9.
Take that average (2.9) and multiply it by 0.25 (0.725) and subtract that result from 2.375. The result is 1.65.
Now, take the results of the four steps (1.595, 0.91, 0.98, 1.65) and add them together (5.135). Divide that number by 6 (0.8558) and multiply by 100. That results in a quarterback rating of 85.6.
When doing the Lambeau Leap, how tall is that wall? -- Sean (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)
That's a good question. The Lambeau Leap dates back to 1993, when LeRoy Butler followed a fumble return for a touchdown with a leap into the arms of fans in the south end zone bleachers. Since, the spontaneous celebratory move has evolved into a calculated tradition at Packers home games. But the Lambeau Leap isn't as easy as it looks.
On average, the wall behind the end zone stands 6-foot-4. In some areas, it's a few inches higher.
The wall is lowest in the centermost point of the north end zone, where the Packers' old tunnel used to be. There the ground has been mounded up toward the wall, making it less than 4-feet high.
However, it should be noted that the difficulty of the Lambeau Leap isn't related to the height of the wall, but the surface from which the players jump. The natural grass surface at Lambeau Field is bordered by a strip of concrete. Even if covered by a mat, for players wearing cleats, stepping off of the grass onto the hard surface can be like stepping onto a sheet of ice.
