Bretsky
07-21-2006, 08:24 AM
McCarthy should review Sherman's notes
Posted: July 19, 2006
Richard Pufall
E-MAIL
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.
First-year head coach Mike McCarthy, overseeing the team's minicamp in May, is trying to put his imprint on the Packers. McCarthy is hoping not to make the same mistakes that led to the firing of Mike Sherman at the end of last season.
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.
Posted: July 19, 2006
Richard Pufall
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.
First-year head coach Mike McCarthy, overseeing the team's minicamp in May, is trying to put his imprint on the Packers. McCarthy is hoping not to make the same mistakes that led to the firing of Mike Sherman at the end of last season.
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.