drafted as an offensive tackle, mandarich never lived up to the stellar expectations set for him. after a lengthy holdout, which was not settled until the week before the regular-season kickoff, he spent most of his first year on the special-teams unit. he was also known for having attitude issues. he was quoted as saying: "i am not like other players, i am tony mandarich, and they have to understand that. if they don't like it, that is just the way i am and they are going to learn to like it." after three seasons of lackluster performance on a four-year contract, mandarich was cut in 1992 by the packers who cited a non-football injury. mandarich is often referred to as one of the top 5 bust nfl draft picks of all time, having been drafted ahead of such future nfl stars as barry sanders, derrick thomas, deion sanders, steve atwater, eric metcalf, and andre rison. the september 28, 1992, cover of "sports illustrated" featuring mandarich labelled him "the nfl's incredible bust".