It is fitting that the 1960s Green Bay Packers are best remembered as ground pounding football team. They were very well grounded in the Earth.
Welcome to the first in a series of pieces on General Compatibility and team chemistry. The objective is to demonstrate that the great teams of NFL history just happen to have incredible elemental synastry between teammates.
This is particularly true with the offensive units, and never more true than among the skill position players. It is at least somewhat true with the defensive units, but it is not as pronounced as it is with the offense.
Why is elemental compatibility and synastry important on offense? Because compatibility and synastry is not just for romantics. You need to be able to tolerate and work well with your teammates before we can ever endevor to do something as complex, difficult and dangerous as win multiple championships.
We can go further still. I don't know how many times I have heard big-time coaches say words like "In the end, the game belongs to the players. In the end the players win the game for each other because they love each other." That's team chemistry folks. No great love hath a man than when he lays down his life for another. In the end, the players won't make the sacrifice of blood and treasure necessary to make a run at a championship unless they have tremendous camaraderie and esprit de corp.
This won't ever develop if the players don't like each other in the first place.
Folks, it is always easier to destroy than it is to create. This is why it is more fun to play defense than offense. Good offense is a very, very difficult act of creation. It is accepted as law that offensive skill position players have to play off the same sheet of music. They must have outstanding timing. They must know each other. They must have good communications. They have to help each other out.
All of these things are helped along tremendously by great general compatibility and high synastry.
With all that said, let's consider the Green Bay Packers.
Every last swingin' member of the famous Green Bay Packer backfield is an Earth man. Specifically, we have two Capricorns and a Virgo. We find another Capricorn at TE. We find a Taurus at WR.
Only Flanker Max McGee is a Cancer (Water). That's just fine, because Water and Earth go together splendidly. We can go further. Cancer is the 180 degree opposite of Capricorn. There is tremendous oppositional attraction between these two signs. Bart Starr (Capricorn) sure looked like he had fine synastry with Max McGee (Cancer) on that highlight film of Super Bowl I.
On the offensive line we find some interesting variance. Fuzzy Thurston (Capricorn) and Robert Skoronski (Pisces) keep the general compatibility express rolling. However, Bill Curry (Libra), Jerry Kramer (Aquarius), and Forrest Gregg (Libra) are all Air boys. Of course, they are all three compatible with each other, however, they break the liturgy.
This is a common pattern in a number of dynasties. The offensive line does not need to share the same element as the skill position players, and it seems to be okay if they are a bit muddled. It seems to be vital that the skill position players be united, but some variance in the offensive line is acceptable, as you will soon see from the other pieces in this series.
I find it interesting that Vince Lombardi was a Gemini. Normally, this is not seen as a leadership sign. Further, he is not elementally compatible with his crew of offensive stars. It should be remembered that Vince Lombardi did not assemble this team. He never had draft or roster powers. One of the reasons he left for the Redskins was that he wanted those rights. St. Vince coached the guys they gave him. Those guys were Earth men.
I also find it interesting that Gemini Vince Lombardi heaped praise on Libra Forrest Gregg and Aquarius Jerry Kramer. I also find it interesting that Libra Bill Curry couldn't stand Vince in the beginning. Our contemporary Coach Curry freely admits that this dislike only developed because the young Bill was immature, full of himself, and stupid.
One other point is incredibly interesting about this chart. There are an incredible number of Cardinal Leadership guys on in this unit. Libra and Capricorn are both Cardinal signs, and 90 degrees squared against each other. Cancer is also a Cardinal sign. Seven of the 11 members of this unit are Cardinals. You would think this would lead to Whose the Boss conflict. Not so. Evidently, Bart had it all well in hand.
Maybe you can't have enough leadership. I just heard the NFL Total Access guys protesting that the Dallas Cowboys do not have single good player leader on the roster. The theory holds that they have very few playoff victories because of this fact.
The Packers of the 1960s had plenty of leaders and plenty of playoff victories.
