Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Teague had historic moment as a rookie
George Teague’s career with the Green Bay Packers began and ended with a phone call.
The first phone call came in the midst of the first round of the 1993 NFL draft. Teague, fresh off a national championship season with the University of Alabama and a stellar performance in a Sugar Bowl victory over Miami, was assembled with family and other top collegiate players at a sports bar in Atlanta.
“That single game probably influenced the Packers to trade up and take me in first round,” Teague said in a phone interview from his Texas home. “I had an interception for a touchdown and the ‘Big Strip’ — that’s what everyone calls it. I chased down a guy and took the ball from him. I had a very dynamic game on a national stage that led to a lot more interest in me across the NFL.”
The 6-1, 198-pound safety was a playmaker, a difference-maker in the secondary that attracted the attention of NFL scouts and general managers, including Ron Wolf of the Packers.
“I was looking for that key deep guy,” Wolf said last week from his Florida home. “I always wanted to be solid down the middle of our defense: nose tackle, middle linebacker, free safety. George was a big play-maker in college and that’s what you look for. I was willing to move up to get him.”
Wolf did just that.
After taking Clemson linebacker Wayne Simmons with the Packers’ first pick in the first round (15th overall), the Green Bay general manager set his sights on Teague. He dealt Green Bay’s two second-round picks, a fourth-rounder, and an eighth-rounder to Dallas for the 29th overall pick and a fourth-rounder.
“The funny thing was, at that time, there were bag phones,” Teague explained. “They issued us players these old-school cell phones with dedicated numbers so the NFL teams could call you. When that thing rang, it was exciting.”
Teague got a call much earlier than he
or his agent expected.
“It was very surreal because I was thinking third or fourth round,” he said. “When I got the first call from Ron Wolf and (head coach) Mike Holmgren they said, ‘How’d you feel about coming to Green Bay?’ I said I’d be excited for the opportunity. So they kind of laid it out for me. They said if the next three teams don’t take you we’re going to trade up.”
Teague then experienced the longest 45 minutes of his life as the final picks of the first round were made. “I’m sitting there watching it on TV and it was kind of like a soap opera, watching it all unfold,” he said.
Teague finally received a second phone call from Wolf.
“It was stressful because at that time they had 15 minutes on the clock, it’s shorter now,” Teague said. “It seemed like an eternity. Then they called me the second time congratulating me. Definitely one of the highlights of my life being drafted by the Packers in the first round.”
Teague and Simmons became starters on a Green Bay defense that featured mega-star Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Bryce Paup, and Terrell Buckley. The firstround draft picks also made the NFL’s All
Rookie Team.
Teague started 12 games and recorded 36 tackles, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and one interception in the regular season, but saved his biggest play for the Packers’ 28-24 victory over Detroit in the NFC wild-card playoff game.
With the Lions leading, 17-14, late in the third quarter and deep in Green Bay territory, Teague picked off an Erik Kramer pass in the end zone and raced 101 yards for a touchdown to give the Packers their first lead and set an NFL playoff record that still stands today.
“He went 101 yards with that interception to snatch victory from defeat,” Wolf said. “And then Brett hit Sterling Sharpe with the game-winner.”
Teague knew the Packers were a team on the rise with Favre at quarterback and the infusion of talent from big-name freeagent signings.
“Exciting times in Green Bay as the Packers made big moves and brought in guys like Reggie White and Sean Jones,” Teague said.
Teague had a thyroid condition that impacted his training camp and conditioning at the start of the 1994 season, but he started 16 games and totaled 53 tackles and three interceptions (tied for second on team). Green Bay again lost in Dallas in the NFC divisional playoffs.
In 1995, Teague started 15 games and registered 57 total tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. The Packers claimed the NFC Central title with an 11-5 record and beat Atlanta and San Francisco in the playoffs before falling to the Cowboys at Texas Stadium, one game shy of the Super Bowl.
“It was mentally draining because we kept losing to Dallas,” Teague said. “But we had our chances. One of the saddest moments of my career was the 1995 championship game loss.”
Then another phone call from Wolf changed his NFL career in July 1996. After acquiring Eugene Robinson from Seattle in a June trade, Wolf dealt Teague to Atlanta for a conditional draft pick.
“Wasn’t aware I was on the trading block,” Teague said. “I was very disheartened when I found out I was traded.”
Teague revitalized his career as a Cowboys starter before playing one season in Miami mainly as a backup. He returned to Dallas and started through the 2001 season.