Lynn Dickey, the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers the past two seasons, was promised by coaches and the 'higher ups' that they were going to seek out an elite wide receiver to assist him come 1978.  It has been thought by the top brass of Green Bay that Dickey's woes are not solely his fault.  "We need to help Lynn out.  I'll admit the league is changing- the pass game is opening up.  We did fall a bit behind in that regard.  I told Lynn that," said general manager Ulysses Upstein.  Dickey has seen his fair share of troubles through the 1976 and 1977 seasons, as have the Packers as a whole.  In that time span Dickey went 154/334 (46%) with 19 TD and 17 INT, while the Packers have won just five games.       

Enter 1978:  The Packer brass made good on their offer, delivering WR James Lofton in the first round of the draft.  However, in Week 15 of the '77 season Dickey was cast out of the game with a concussion.  The first thing that came to Dickey's mind?:  "More time to rest."  Dickey insisted afterward that he was just having fun, making light of a frustrating situation.  Not long, though, after clarifying his statements, Dickey was told by team doctors that not only did he suffer a concussion against the Chicago Bears, but he also had several broken bones in his left leg.  Dickey recalls:  "I was so woozy I didn't even notice."  Game footage reveals Dickey walking off mostly on his own accord, leaning on the shoulders of two trainers, as he slowly left the field.  "I was shocked," Dickey admitted.  Dickey's situation went from bad to alarmingly worse.       

Early February 20th- the same day as the TLL77 Super Bowl- Dickey went in for further evaluation on his tattered left leg.  A severe hit by Chicago linebacker Doug Buffone, resulting in a concussion and a broken leg, didn't keep Dickey down as long as the news he was about to hear.  Dickey immediately froze and sank, sitting on the trainer's table, then driftingly laying down, after a team doctor broke it to Dickey that he would most likely miss the entire 1978 season.  "It seemed like I laid there half a day," remarked Dickey.