Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was (a) a man of faith; (b) a man who yelled a lot at his players; (c) someone who demanded the best of everyone; (d) a good teacher; (e) a winner.
The answer would be all of the above.
A new HBO film, "Lombardi," which premieres at 6 p.m. MST on Dec. 11, gives an unvarnished picture of the Green Bay Packers coach who won an unprecedented three consecutive National Football League titles and the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967.
You might think this film is only for football geeks — you know, the ones who are glued to the tube every Sunday and on Monday nights.
You would be wrong.
From looking into his family to his motivation to his addiction to winning to his later regrets, "Lombardi" is a sometimes-riveting —but always interesting — visit inside the life of the man famous for saying, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
But as the price of winning got higher through the years, Lombardi mellowed, if only a little.
"Lombardi" uses a variety of interviews with former players, family members and journalists; old film clips; photos; and audio clips to trace his career from schoolboy to high school coach to college coach and then the pros.
Lombardi's son, daughter and brother are especially candid about his strengths and failings as a father and human being.
Anybody could identify with his son, Vincent, who thought he couldn't please his father but who came to realize that his father wanted him to be the best, to reach his potential.
And the players he coached who thought he was overly critical and always yelled later realized he just wanted them to give 100 percent and play as hard as they could every minute they were practicing or during a game.
"We are going to relentlessly chase perfection," Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr quotes Lombardi as saying when he arrived in Green Bay to coach an underachieving (1-10 record the year before) team.
The next year, the Packers went 7-5 and it was win-win-win from then on.
And it was yell-yell-yell, as well.
"What's going on out there?" We only want winners!" And worse.
His daughter, Susan, says, "He was bi-polar. When he got out of control, I ran down to the basement."
Son Vincent added, "Nobody could yell like he did all the time."
But the man who yelled so much was also the same one who believed he could bring Christian love into the football locker room. The man who had thought about becoming a Catholic priest before he found football. And the man who said later that he wished he hadn't said "that winning thing."
And the one about whom brother Harold Lombardi said simply, "He was amazing."
Narrated by actor Liev Schreiber, "Lombardi" seamlessly pieces together the interviews and clips into a biography that will appeal to many viewers.
Older fans familiar with him when he was coaching in Green Bay and then Washington will learn something new about him. Younger football fans will become acquainted with a complicated, legendary man they need to meet.
Sensitivity rating: Yes, it is HBO and it is about football, so there are a few instances of salty or profane coach and player language, as well as a couple of scenes with smoking and drinking.
"Lombardi" premieres on HBO at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11 and repeats several times on HBO and HBO2. It is available on HBO on Demand Dec. 13-Jan. 10.
e-mail: rwalsh@desnews.com