Fans Turn Against Majik Man : Football: Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski was idolized in 1989 but is being heavily criticized in 1991.

The Majikal Mystery Tour came to a crashing halt one afternoon in Phoenix last fall when Freddie Joe Nunn slammed Don Majkowski to the Sun Devil Stadium turf.

Green Bay’s cavalcade of last-minute heroics might have already reached a crescendo when the Packers won seven of their last nine games in 1989--three by one point and another in overtime. But this was a real show stopper.

There is no two-minute-drill cure for a tear in the rotator cuff. The miracles were over. Pain, frustration and lots of hard work were ahead.

The man who would put meaning into those tired “The Pack Is Back” bumper stickers was human after all.

After passing for 4,318 yards and 27 touchdowns in 1989, the good folks of Wisconsin figured they could ignore the blond hair hanging out of the back of his helmet and admire this kid.

After all, he had finished second to the original miracle worker, Joe Montana, in the Most Valuable Player balloting. He had guts. He had touch. And, most important, he was a winner.

Who could forget the three touchdown passes against the Saints that turned a 17-point halftime deficit into a 35-34 victory?

Who could forget the four touchdowns he ran for in victories over the Bears and 49ers?

And who could forget the 14-yard pass to Sterling Sharpe on fourth-and-goal with 32 seconds remaining that lifted Green Bay over Chicago, 14-13?

Packer fans, that’s who. They weren’t pleased that Majkowski decided he wanted more money and held out for 45 days before agreeing to a one-year, $1.5-million deal less than a week before the 1990 opener.

And they really turned last winter when the Packers’ long-time team physician, E.S. Brusky, suggested publicly that Majkowski was healthy enough to return to action. Was he a malingerer attempting to protect his shoulder, fearing he might blow his chances at another big contract?

Majkowski was vindicated when a San Diego specialist found a half-inch tear in his rotator cuff. His prize for proving his case was surgery two weeks before last Christmas.

When he began his rehabilitation regimen, there wasn’t really much to it. Of course he couldn’t move his arm an inch in any direction.

“It was a very frustrating time, a very scary time for me,” Majkowski said. “It just goes to show you that any one play can end your career pretty quickly, but I’ve never really paid too much attention to getting injured.”

That’s odd, considering a broken arm during his senior season at Depew (N.Y.) High School ruined his chances of getting a scholarship to a major football school and resulted in an unhappy year in a military school.

A year later, he got an offer from Virginia and became the school’s all-time passing and total offense leader. But a shoulder injury during his senior year seriously damaged his NFL prospects in the 1987 draft.

“I don’t worry about hurting my arm now,” he said, “but it does make you realize that you have to appreciate this time while you’re able to play.”

Green Bay is 1-3, Majkowski has a quarterback rating of 57.9--the only one worse in the NFC belongs to Jim Everett--and everyone involved seems to be having a tough time finding things to appreciate.

Some members of the Packer organization have said they believe Majkowski doesn’t have the same velocity on the ball he did before the surgery. Majkowski says he’s throwing as hard as ever. Coach Lindy Infante says he can’t see any difference, either.

But Majkowski’s 1991 statistics--which include six interceptions and just two touchdown passes--have left the Packer faithful wondering where the magic went.

“First off, I don’t think Don’s struggling,” Infante said. “I think he’s played pretty good, off and on. He’s had some moments he would surely like to forget, I’m sure any quarterback has. But I think he’s performing good enough for us to be more successful than we have been in the win-loss column.

“He’s had a few fluky things happen that you hope won’t happen on a weekly basis.”

Majkowski’s misfortunes reached a peak last week in Miami when he fumbled twice in the fourth quarter. The first one was the killer. He dropped back to pass and simply dropped the ball in his own end zone. The Dolphins recovered for a touchdown that tied the score, 13-13.

Miami later took a 16-13 lead, and Packer hopes were dashed for good when Majkowski fumbled on the Green Bay 38-yard line with 1:47 to play.

When it comes to the fourth quarter, Green Bay fans no longer believe in miracles.

And Majkowski, like Everett, is taking some heat from the local media and the fans.

“I don’t really pay that much attention to it, to tell you the truth,” he said. “A lot of people are on the coach, a lot of people are on me, a lot of people are on the offensive line. There’s a little bit of everything.

“When we won those close games in ‘89, I was the Majik Man. The Packers were magic because of me. But, in a lot respects, I wasn’t doing all the work. When you start to not be so successful, then you get all the blame and that just comes with the position of quarterback. It’s something you have to accept and be responsible enough to handle when you choose the quarterback position.”

So the golden boys of ’89 have become the whipping boys of ‘91, but Majkowski will guarantee that both he and Everett will be back on top one day soon.

“I think both of us are competitive enough that we’ll keep our composure, keep our spirits up and keep our confidence level up,” he said. “We know we’re capable of being successful quarterbacks in this league because we’ve proven it before.”

At the moment, however, he wouldn’t mind changing places with Everett. It’s not that he would rather throw to Henry Ellard than Sharpe. He wouldn’t mind trading his small town for a larger one, though.

Even in the best of times, he finds himself feeling a bit claustrophobic in Green Bay.

“I really don’t know what it’s like to play in a big city, but from what I understand, it’s a little easier to hide,” he said. “You can mix in and do things because there are so many places to go. Playing in this town . . . there isn’t any place you can go in the state without really drawing a lot of attention. We’re such a big deal. We’re the only show in Wisconsin.

“I’m not the kind of individual who likes to give 100 autographs everywhere you go. Some guys thrive on that, but I don’t. So I spend a lot of time at home. But I would love to be able to just go out and mix in. It gets very lonely playing here.”

If the Packers continue their losing ways, it could get even lonelier.