Preseason Prowess

It seems that during part of every preseason, there's one unheralded player (typically a rookie free agent) who out performs expectations, hinting at greater glory in a final roster spot. Of course this sort of rags-to-riches story rarely plays out to a memorable ending. At the beginning of this decade, that player was Herbert "Whisper" Goodman.

Goodman (whose nickname "Whisper" came from his college coach in deference to his soft-spoken nature) demonstrated flashes of brilliance as a running back in the preseasons of '00-'02, but never caught fire as a starter. Used mainly as a special teams player for a handful of games in 2000-2001, he was allocated to the Scottish Claymores of the now defunct NFL Europe league in 2002. There, he tore up fields from Barcelona to Frankfurt, leading the league in rushing with 873 yards in the 10 game season.

Pictured below is Goodman's home jersey worn during that 2002 season. While not a Packers jersey per se, it is at least related, due to the "G" sewn on the base of the collar. Some of the NFLE uniforms were visually interesting, (and some had advertising patches redolent of soccer jerseys) and the Claymores were no exception.

The silver/pewter and blue scheme of the home jerseys were complimented nicely with the Claymores logo patches sewn on the sleeves:
Requisite running back wear in the form of repairs and scuffs:
NFLE jerseys used to be a bit more available (largely via eBay) when the league was still functioning; with their demise they've become somewhat more scarce. Still pretty affordable when found, adding one from a Packers-allocated player would be an interesting way to mix up the usual game-used collection.

Worth Mentioning: Please check out Chance Michaels' Packers uniform history blog, The Wearing Of the Green(and Gold). Michaels bravely details the minutiae of the team's sartorial history.

Also Worth Mentioning: I've received word that a nice, 1950's game used Jim Ringo jersey will be offered at auction this fall. 1950's Packers jerseys are very scarce, and if this is the one I've seen before, it's a home jersey dating from 1956-1958. Stay tuned.