Interesting article...

TomAllen

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McCarthy should review Sherman's notes
Posted: July 19, 2006


Richard Pufall
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Mike McCarthy has something in common with thousands of Packers fans scattered all over the world: They all believe they can coach the Green Bay Packers. The difference, of course, is that McCarthy is living the dream.

There was, as you know, a changing of the Mikes at 1265 Lombardi Ave., when McCarthy replaced Sherman, who was fired by general manager Ted Thompson after a 4-12 season in 2005.

The ouster of Sherman was a history-making event for the Packers, in a dubious kind of way. Never before had the organization fired a head coach with a winning overall record.

But Thompson played that new tune, dumping Sherman after six years on the job and a regular-season record of 57-39, a .594 winning percentage.

McCarthy, of course, must focus on football as he prepares his team to open training camp on July 28 in his rookie season as a head coach.

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However, as McCarthy walks the sidelines of football fields in the weeks ahead, he might do well to keep an eye on the political landscape as well.

And as McCarthy settles into that chair once filled by Sherman, it might be a good idea to poke around that big office looking for the deposed coaches memoirs, or at least his notebook list of do's and don'ts. That list might look something like this:

Do love this team. Certainly, Sherman loved his Packers. That love affair began for Sherman as a boy growing up in New England at a time when Vince Lombardi's Packers were dominating the National Football League in the 1960s.

Coaching his Packers was a dream come true for Sherman. Being fired by them was his nightmare.

Do love the fans. Sadly, the fans never embraced Sherman as he did them. Sherman understood that it was the fans who paid his and the players' salaries. He knew without the fans there would be no Packers, no NFL. So he encouraged his players to reach out and always remember the fans.

Sherman was, indeed, the champion of Packers fans. A few fans understood that and appreciated him, but most did not.

Do everything to keep your general manager from retiring. When Ron Wolf stepped out as GM, Sherman's 16-hour days increased to 20 and the clocked began to run down on his time left in Green Bay.

He had no choice but to accept the dual roles of coach and general manager when it was offered by Bob Harlan. Sherman, an intelligent man, knew that only GM Mike Sherman would want to inherit Coach Mike Sherman.

To be sure, Sherman loved the power and control that came with both jobs. But it was just too much for one man.

Do spend more time away from the job. Sherman never got this done. He was consumed by work. In six years on the job Sherman aged at least 15. He gained weight and his health appeared to suffer. And fatigue probably made him less effective than he might have been.

The Green Bay job probably took a few years off Sherman's life, but it would be those shuffling-around-looking-for-your-teeth years, so he probably considers it a good trade.

Do stand up for your players. If a rogue like Warren Sapp cheap-shots a player like Chad Clifton, get in his face. Sherman did and it was perhaps his finest hour. With the exception of the Mike McKenzies of the world, the players liked Sherman. And they played hard for him.

Do string together winning seasons. Sherman never got his team to the Super Bowl, but until 2005 he had five consecutive winning seasons.

That 4-12 record last season was a team effort that started in the general manager's office.

Ted Thompson did little to help Sherman. By drafting Aaron Rodgers No. 1 in 2005 there was no immediate help for the team from the top pick. And Thompson let both starting guards - Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera - get away without bringing in adequate replacements.

Green Bay played most of the season without injured stars Javon Walker, Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport.

Still, Sherman's team was in every game but one. The Packers lost six games by a total of 17 points, an average of 2.8 per game.

But losing is losing and when you finish 4-12 and you're not the general manager's guy, you're gone.

Don't let your defense get beat on fourth and 26. Enough said.

Don't be so scripted during games. Too often Sherman could be seen on the sideline with his nose buried in his play card. He often looked to be ordering a pizza. If he couldn't find a play on the card, he didn't seem to have one. At least not the right one.

Don' t be a party to drafting anyone who resembles Jamal Reynolds with your No. 1 pick. Sherman blames Wolf for this one. Wolf blames Sherman. You make the call.

Don't let the team spend money on players such as Joe Johnson or Cletidus Hunt. This, of course, will be Thompson's call, but who is a better consultant than his head coach?

Don't be a party to trading up in the draft to take a punter in the third round. Sherman did that when he drafted punter B.J. Sander in the third round in 2004. He also drafted cornerback Joey Thomas and defensive tackle Donnell Washington in the same round. Thomas was waived. Washington was waived. And there's a cab waiting to take Sander to the airport.

Don't try to do it all by yourself. Sherman had 18 assistant coaches, but seemed obsessed with being hands-on and trying to do their work, too. When Johnny Roland left after just one season as Sherman's running backs coach (2004), Roland said the only coaching opinion Sherman valued was his own.

Don't lose in the playoffs. Sherman got the Packers to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons (2001-'04), but his teams won just two of six games.

Don't lose a playoff game at home. Sherman's 2002 team became the first Green Bay team in franchise history to lose a home playoff game when the Packers were embarrassed, 27-7, by the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field.

Don't lose a home playoff game to the Minnesota Vikings. Sherman's team had been there and done that, losing to the Vikings, 31-17, following the 2004 season.

Don't get fired in Green Bay. This is a résumé killer. Of the 13 head coaches before McCarthy, only Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, Mike Holmgren and Sherman had winning records. Of those four, only Sherman was fired.

Of the other nine coaches who were fired, only Lindy Infante (Indianapolis, 1996-'97) got another head coaching job in the NFL. Including the Packers, 10 head coaching positions opened up after last season. Sherman didn't get any of them, instead settling for an assistant's job with Houston.

Sherman has time left on his personal game clock. He might again be a head coach in the NFL.

For now, the Mike coaching the Packers is McCarthy, not Sherman. One good man replacing another good man.

McCarthy would be wise to study the do's and don'ts from the Sherman era. He should borrow from the good and learn from the bad. And he would be smart to start working on his own to-do list, keeping it short and to the point.

Do: win.

Don't: lose.

Send e-mail to [email protected]
 

DePack

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Good article!!

This statement describes this forum:

"Sherman was, indeed, the champion of Packers fans. A few fans understood that and appreciated him, but most did not."

Go ahead and start ripping.
 
OP
OP
T

TomAllen

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DePack,

I agree that Sherman was a good man, and a Packer fan, but I do not think that he was a great HC. Perhaps the weight of being a GM made him even worse.
 

tromadz

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if by telling the truth, you mean ripping...then ill rip

he was a horrible coach(in the playoffs)

he had a good team for the most part and wasted some of bretts last years.

theres the truth..i mean...ripping.

good guy though. ugly sweaters, but good guy..
 

DePack

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TomAllen said:
DePack,

I agree that Sherman was a good man, and a Packer fan, but I do not think that he was a great HC. Perhaps the weight of being a GM made him even worse.

I'm OK with Sherman being gone although I wish he stayed. TT wanted his own guy, even though Harlan said he hired TT because the two work together well. Again, I'm over that. I just don't think he was ever appreciated for the way he loved Green Bay, the fans and the Packers.

Too many times we had to read what a duma$$ he was, or what a fat *** he had, or someone took a picture of him with his eyes closed at the combine and all of a sudden he was asleep on the job. To be honest I have always been proud to be a Packer fan and represent them on the east coast. All my eagle fans have always envied the relationship the fans have with the Packer players and coaches. Packer fans have always been a class act. I just think they acted with a little less class than usual with Sherman. It just took a little luster off the pride of being a lifelong Packer fan in the Philly area.


I still got em though...Super Bowls: GB-3 Phi-0
 

DePack

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tromadz said:
if by telling the truth, you mean ripping...then ill rip

he was a horrible coach(in the playoffs)

he had a good team for the most part and wasted some of bretts last years.

theres the truth..i mean...ripping.

good guy though. ugly sweaters, but good guy..


Yea....he was a good regular season coach but sucked in the playoffs. That makes sense :roll: Did you ever think that winning in the playoffs was tougher? He was 2-4, so what. A 500% in the playoffs is good.

If MM wins 60% of his reg season games and has two playoff wins in six years you'll be bending over to get a taste of him.
 

Lare

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IMO, Sherman was either dragged down by those around him or he simply wouldn't listen to those around him. Either way, some pretty poor coaching, personnel, draft, and play calling decisions were made during his tenure.
 

tromadz

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oh, poor mike sherman. winning in the playoffs was too tough for him. awww poor mike sherman.

Ive said this...to multiple people...about multiple sports...its what you do in the playoffs (my bulls, mycubs[ha], and the packers).

sherm turned lambeau into a joke.

im done speaking about it...hes gone...dont know why this article is even here.
 

Since69

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That was a good article. Mike Sherman (like any other coach who goes out on a down-note) will be remembered more for his failures than for his successes. I can't comment on whether or not McCarthy is a better HC, but I know that Sherman was a good man who always did what he thought was best for the Packers and their fans.

The Green Bay job probably took a few years off Sherman's life, but it would be those shuffling-around-looking-for-your-teeth years, so he probably considers it a good trade.

Love that line... :)
 

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tromadz said:
im done speaking about it...hes gone...dont know why this article is even here.

Trom...

This is a good read. It belongs here, and I hope our new Mike posts it in his office and reviews it weekly. I do not know much... but I do know this; If a person or organization forgets mistakes that were made they are doomed to repeat them.

You are right as rain though Trom... Sherman made some huge mistakes and his loyalty to his D.C. was one of the biggest. I think his biggest mistake was not allowing his coaches to coach or giving validity to their imput (With the exception Rossley) The cry here on this forum and from almost every Packer fan was..."Toss Ross" This opinion by the fans may be, the one time the majority of fans were right. Why Sherman could not see that is simply due to loyalty.

Loyalty is a good thing but it also can kill you.

I am heading to Napa Valley on Monday for camp, The coach the Packers perhaps should have given a shot to has his Rookies and Vet's reporting together earlier than any other team.

Go Pack... Hope to see both my NFC and AFC passions in the Superbowl.

R.P.
 

TOPackerFan

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I always liked Sherman and thought he was a good coach, perhaps not great, but certainly good. Also, after reading the article he wrote to the fans of the Green Bay Packers after he was fired from his dream job, showed me a lot about his character and I'll respect and admire him forever for that.

I just can't seem to shake the feeling that we're going to regret firing coach Sherman and that in about a month or two we're all going to be longing for the Sherman era. This is, however, one of the few times in my life that I hope I'm wrong.
 

tromadz

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**** Jauron was also loyal to a fault...how did that work out. Where is the objectivity. sigh...

I hope TT\MM\etc dont get involved in that sort of mess
 

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I don't think I've ever heard anyone rip Sherman's dedication or commitment to the Packers. The problem for Sherman was that he came in as a head coach without any head coaching experience at any level and I think that's tough to do. He got hired as a GM without any training whatsoever in personel, draft room ettitquete etc. In other words, no matter how good of a man he was, he simply didn't have any kind of training to help him to be successful. The fact that he had a winning record was more a testaent to his work ethic than his coaching or personel skills. And..................................he kept Rossely as his coordinator and didn't have the balls to fire him. But as a person, I liked Mike Sherman. I wish him well.
 

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The world is full of wonderful people who have failed in one way or another in their professional career. Yes, Sherman was by all accounts a more than decent guy. He was as dedicated to, and as knowledgeable of, the Packers as an organization and historic entity.

All that being said, he came up way short for all the reasons that have been discussed for years. Why is it so hard for some of you to seperate MS the coach/GM from MS the person?

If you ran a business and were entirely reliant on that business to feed, clothe and house your family, are you going to hang on to an employee who consistently underachieves due to his own poor decisions and mistakes just because he is a nice guy.

If you said yes, you are a liar. MS and the Packers are no different.
 

Heatherthepackgirl

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You cant get down on a man that had "one" bad season. When we were out in Green Bay last November sitting by the fense to get autographs, Bob Harlan stopped to chat with us, he had said that Mike Sherman would be out around 10pm and probably would stop, but we didnt stick around that late, now I had wished we did, would have loved to get his autograph. Oh well, I sure hope MM does a good job for this team, it wont be cause he didnt try. :)
 

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digsthepack said:
The world is full of wonderful people who have failed in one way or another in their professional career. Yes, Sherman was by all accounts a more than decent guy. He was as dedicated to, and as knowledgeable of, the Packers as an organization and historic entity.

All that being said, he came up way short for all the reasons that have been discussed for years. Why is it so hard for some of you to seperate MS the coach/GM from MS the person?

If you ran a business and were entirely reliant on that business to feed, clothe and house your family, are you going to hang on to an employee who consistently underachieves due to his own poor decisions and mistakes just because he is a nice guy.

If you said yes, you are a liar. MS and the Packers are no different.


digs...nobody is calling for him to be reinstated and my post wasn't about the coaching aspect of it. My post was about the trash that call themselves "Packer fans" who got personal with the man and his family. Bash me if you must but these people aren't real Packer fans.

I don't think he should have been fired but my opinion doesn't count and I'm on board with the new regime. If they have the same record as Sherman and represent Green Bay the way Sherman did I will support them just as vehemently. I trust you guys will be trying to run them outta town if the results are similar?

Heather, I will PM you a story about Sherm...
 

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You are correct....if the current regime performs poorly, they should not be afforded any more chances than Sherman. Sadly, this is a bottom line, "what have you done for me lately" business like no other.

Just the way it works.
 

DePack

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digsthepack said:
You are correct....if the current regime performs poorly, they should not be afforded any more chances than Sherman. Sadly, this is a bottom line, "what have you done for me lately" business like no other.

Just the way it works.

I hear ya!
 

Greg C.

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This article is a pretty good summary of Sherman's strengths and weaknesses. I think the author makes a good point about Sherman's loyalty to Packer fans not really being paid back to him. I think this happened because Sherman was operating in the shadow of Mike Holmgren, who had won a Super Bowl, and also because he was not a charismatic guy. I don't know what he was like in the locker room, but in public he was extremely bland.

Overall, I think Sherman was a victim of being promoted too quickly, but he did get five years to prove himself in Green Bay (year six looked like a set-up for failure to me, so I don't hold it against him very much). That's more of an opportunity than most coaches get.
 

tromadz

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DePack said:
digsthepack said:
You are correct....if the current regime performs poorly, they should not be afforded any more chances than Sherman. Sadly, this is a bottom line, "what have you done for me lately" business like no other.

Just the way it works.

I hear ya!

I agree. If McCarthy doesnt get to the playoffs within 2 years, and do well, he should go(maybe TT too, depending on how his players do...it mighta just been a bad coaching hire).

If McCarthy has a 2-4 playoff record in ...4 years(how long did we have to endure sherman? feels like forever)

then yeah...get rid of him. I'm for the Packers doing well....which means I will support our coaches\GMs\Players unless they show over years they cant do the job (Carroll).
 

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Anyone that would have directly attacked(verbally) Sherman or his family as a person is an idiot.
It's about buisness and the job he did. Some obviously feel he did a good job others do not.

I personally do not feel he was a very good coach, certainly not in close or big games and he had absolutely no buisness being the GM.

There are reasons why is not a HC somewhere or still the HC of the Pack.

For one, a HC in the NFL today HAS to surround themselves with good people and utilize that "braintrust" and maximize their value. This takes the ability or willingness to put trust in others. This is something MS obviously, for whatever reason, refused to do and one reason why is no longer an HC.

Another reason is that while his record overall was good it didn't look so good on a graph over a five year period. Simply, the angle of the line was going the wrong way.

I do not believe MS would have been fired IF:

A) The personnel on the team was getting BETTER each year, and
B) His record would have been something like 8/8, 10/6, 11/4, 4/12.

A team and HC that is building on something, showing progress both personnel and record wise can be much more tolerated than watchin a team regress year after year. A team going the right way having a year besieged with injury is considered a "bump in the road" year.

A team less and less talented each year, winning less and less, that experiences a bad year with a bunch of injuries is a HC's ticket out of town.

I wish MS as a person all good fortune. I doubt though we will see him again as a HC.
 
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Sherman and Bates were a greater duo than McCarthy and Sanders.

It says something when McCarthy wasn't the first choice for the HC job. Sherman never once lost his players, because his players never quit on him. More importantly, Sherman never quit on himself. Sherman was beginning to learn from his mistakes, but unfortunately for him it was too late. Sherman and Bates where the best chacne at winning now, and so I am sad to see them go.

TO, any chance you could provide a link to the article Sherman wrote to the fans? Would love to read it.
 

tromadz

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all about da packers said:
Sherman and Bates were a greater duo than McCarthy and Sanders.

said before 1 game is played.

thats impressive. impressively stupid.

Could you wait (i dunno..) at least 1 game before you say something so stupid...I mean bold?
 

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