From profootballtalk.com...

[musccy]

"HELP WANTED" IN LAMBEAU

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Packers have fired coach Mike Sherman. The move comes less than a year after Sherman was relieved of his G.M. duties in favor of Ted Thompson. Now, the guy who became Sherman's boss in 2005 has put a shoe in Mike's butt to start 2006.

Per Glazer, the Packers will interview Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress and Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. We think that current Green Bay defensive coordinator Jim Bates should also get some consideration, given his management of a talent-challenged defense and his performance as the interim head coach in Miami in 2004.

Sherman was the head coach in Green Bay for six seasons. He leaves with his two-year extension from 2005 in place, which we always regarded as a face-saving Band-Aid aimed at avoiding the distractions of a lame duck season.

In the end, it fairly can be said that Sherman the G.M. got Sherman the coach fired, since the holes up and down the roster in 2005 were the result of personnel decisions made and contract negotiations conducted on Sherman's watch. We'd heard repeatedly that Sherman was not properly delegating duties, either as a G.M. or as a head coach, and it appears that it finally caught up with him. Our guess is that he'll land with one of his former colleagues, such as Andy Reid or Mike Holmgren.

[b]The biggest potential consequence of the decision to fire Sherman could be that quarterback Brett Favre views the whole thing as an implicit message that it's time for him to move on[/b]. Although we've heard that the team wants Favre, the info came from the same source who told us that Sherman was safe.

There were rumors several weeks back that Favre wants former Packers quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci to take over the team. If Mooch's name doesn't appear quickly on the list of candidates, Brett might interpret that as yet another message that the team is ready to move on without him.

If that's what the team is trying to do, they are playing the situation very effectively. This way, it'll look like it was Brett's decision to leave, not the team's.

And that should go a long way toward preventing a Cheesehead Rebellion.

Meanwhile, the Packers are now the third team in the NFC North to be looking for a new head coach at the same time. It's definitely shaping up to be a seller's market, and it'll be interesting to see if any bidding wars break out for the same candidate(s).

 

[GakkofNorway]

http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/jan06/382192.asp

JSOnline has this article

HURRAH!

 

[packerfan4ever]

i have to ask since tice is out of minn. do you think t.t. would ask him just wondering not to many good coaches to choose from,maybe bates but then who takes over for him,also larry is on the hot seat after they showed him yesterday,he needs to diet,no offence just like him he is good but he could have a heartatct anyway it looks to me like we will be in a rut come next year.

 

[rabidgopher04]

uummm...no on Tice.

 

[Zero2Cool]

Green Bay - Mike Sherman was fired as coach of the Green Bay Packers this morning, a day after the end of a 4-12 season.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson made the announcement at a news conference at Lambeau Field.

"Decisons like this are never easy," Thompson said. "They require a lot of thought and consternation. But at the end of the day, I felt like we needed to go in a different direction. ... I do think in the long run, this is what's best for the Green Bay Packers."

Thompson said he made his decision in the last two or three days after going back and forth during the season. He said he had a "quiet and somber" conversation with Sherman early this morning to inform him of the decision.

He said he would begin interviewing potential replacements for Sherman this week.

Names on Thompson's list might include Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates; University of Iowa Kirk Ferentz; former 49ers and Lions coach Steve Mariucci; and Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress.

"I have some ideas," Thompson said at his news conference.

But he went on to say, "I've also spoken with a number of people who have gone through this process and they tell me over and over again, what you really think is going to happen turns out not to be the case. The person you think is going to be the right fit is not the right fit and it turns out to be somebody completely suprising to you. So we're going to try to interview as many good candidates as possible and try not to have the answer before we go into the process."

With Brett Favre's future also in question, Thompson said that did not weigh into his decision. "Am I going to fire Brett Favre? No," Thompson said in response to a question. "But eventually Brett Favre will retire and go back to Mississippi. But that didn't have any sway in this particular situation."

Thompson said he did not tell Favre about his decision yesterday after the Packers beat Seattle, 23-17, when Favre declined to address the media about his future plans. Earlier this season, Favre said it would be tough for him to come back and learn a new system under a new coach, but Thompson dismissed that today, saying, "He's a pretty bright guy."

Sherman, the 13th coach in franchise history, ends six seasons in Green Bay with an overall record of 59-43 (.578), with seasons of 9-7, 12-4, 12-4, 10-6, 10-6 and 4-12. His teams were 2-4 in the playoffs. He was 34-16 at Lambeau Field, 25-27 on the road, and 26-15 against divisional foes.

Sherman's winning percentage is the fourth best all-time among Packers coaches, behind Vince Lombardi (.746), Mike Holmgren (.670) and Curly Lambeau (.657).

Sherman was given a two-year contract extension by Thompson before this season, worth $3.2 million per year through 2007, but that ended up providing little job security. "I did what I thought was best at the time that I did it," Thompson said of his pre-season decision. "Based on his record in the past, he deserved that vote of confidence."

After the Packers beat Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks yesterday to end a dismal season, Sherman addressed his tenuous future.

"Regardless of circumstances or situations, every coach is measured by wins and losses, and we fell short in that area," he said. "But I thought the guys gave what they had when they took the field, for the most part."

Sherman was hired in January of 2000 by then-general manager Ron Wolf, following Ray Rhodes' dismissal after one 8-8 season. Rhodes had taken over for Holmgren, who left for the Seahawks after six seasons in Green Bay.

When Wolf retired in 2001, he recommended to team president Bob Harlan that Sherman add the GM title. Sherman's dual role continued until after the 2004 season, when Thompson was hired to assume the general manager's job.

Thompson, a protege of Wolf's, came to Green Bay from Seattle, where he had followed Holmgren when he left the Packers after the 1998 season.

Complete coverage of this story will appear on JSOnline during the day and in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday morning.

 

[CalifPacker]

A lot of clubs will be scrambling as Texas, St. Louis, Minnesota, and K.C. are all looking for coaches. The Packers better move swifly.

 

[vixtalkn]

Man, we're suddenly a very desperate division.

Tice is out; Mariucci is out; Sherman is out.
Culpepper is a ? mark; Harrington is a ? mark; Favre is a ? mark.

Who will come to save the day in the NFC North? Tell me not 2 guys named Lovie and Rex. Who'd a thunk?