Ron Wolf, the Packers and a philosophy that will last forever

Here is the Hall of Famer on why Green Bay is truly unique, the "guts" it takes to move on Aaron Rodgers & the enduring value of the quarterback position. His pearls of wisdom stand the test of time.

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The scene was surreal. When Ron Wolf took over as the general manager in November 1991, the Green Bay Packers were a dreadful football team. Yet, when he looked around Lambeau Field late that 4-12 season, the stands were… full.

Huh? In minus-8 wind chill?

Very quickly, the new boss realized Green Bay was a different place. It’s always been this way, too. From Curly Lambeau to Vince Lombardi to Wolf reviving the franchise through the 90s to today. Two weeks ago, LeRoy Butler put Aaron Rodgers’ looming exit into perspective by explaining how the “G” is forever bigger than any individual player.

Now, Go Long chats with one of the greatest team-builders in the sport itself: Pro Football Hall of Famer Ron Wolf.

The Packers were a comatose franchise for a quarter-century, 1968 to 1991, before the GM changed everything.

Wolf was ahead of his time and, as you’ll read below, one fact will never change in the NFL. It’s as true now as it was in the 1950s: Draft quarterbacks when you don’t necessarily need one. If Jordan Love pans out, we’ll see more NFL teams willing to ruffle its current quarterback’s feathers in the name of long-term stability. Through his decade as Packers GM, Wolf won a Super Bowl, reached another, and never had a losing season. Whenever he heard from fans, their question rarely ever was about a specific player. Rather, the Packers. His perspective helps explain how the current Packers’ stance.

But even beyond this, his perspective as an NFL lifer (and legend) comes in handy for all 32 teams on the cusp of the 2023 draft.

Our conversation flows from those “magical names” in the Lambeau bowl to why teams should value the QB far more than they do to Paul Hornung and Johnny Unitas and T.J. Rubley and GMs today putting up with quarterbacks who demand personnel control. As Wolf says, nobody wants “a pin in your side every day, every five hours, every two hours or every two minutes.” He also believes the organization is regaining its backbone with the current GM, Brian Gutekunst, showing “guts.”

As always, Wolf is exceptionally candid and wise.

Here’s the full Q&A…