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Since this is the looking back thread, I was actually pondering what, for me, were the most painful Packer losses I ever experienced. One, of course, was the Seattle game. The other was the 4th-and-26 game.
While I think Mike Sherman was in over his head trying to both coach and GM, I loved his offense while he was here. Ron Wolf had pretty much stolen Ahman Green from Seattle for a corner named Fred Vinson (a move Seattle paid back later by giving Green Bay the opportunity to move up in the draft to take the inestimable Jamaal Reynolds while Seattle picked up some extra picks and took All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson with the 16th or 17th pick or whatever it was). Favre was Favre, but Green took a lot of pressure off him. I don't recall how well Ahman Green could pass block (though I think it was seen as slightly less important than MM thought it was), but after he started wearing sleeves, he could catch a pass, and the man was an incredible mix of speed, burst, and strength. To me, he's one of the best Packer running backs ever. Ever. Including Hornung and Taylor (though I did not get to see Taylor play as he was traded before I was old enough to understand why my dad was screaming at the television on Sundays), including Lacy at his best, or Brockington at his best, or Eddie Lee Ivery before he got hurt. Green was a monster, an absolute monster. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry in 2003 and he had 50 catches. Yup. 50. Now, he couldn't poop in a laundry basket like Najeh Davenport, but he could do about anything else (including, apparently, abuse his wife, but we'll keep to football here). The dude had, I think, over 1800 yards rushing that year.
And Sherman used him. Sherman had that U-71 thing, with Kevin Barry as an extra tackle, and man, did that work. While Green Bay's defense was not the greatest, it did feature Al Harris and Mike Mckenzie at the corners, KGB, Gilbert Brown, Aaron Kampman, Darren Sharper, Na'il Diggs, and Nick Barnett. But I liked the way Sherman was willing to pound the ball, which freed up Favre. That year, the Packers won their last four in a row to get into the playoffs, while Philly was 12-4 and had the best record in the NFC.
And I was okay with Sherman going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Philly one or two yard line. I was fine with the call - I believe what happened was that one of the right-side offensive linemen got pushed back, and Green actually tripped over his own player's calf, trying to get outside to the wide-open spaces.
But I can't forgive Sherman for punting it back to the Eagles at the end of the game. The Packers had driven from their own sixteen to the Eagles' 38 and used up over five minutes of clock. Ahman Green, who ended the game with - get this - 25 carries for 156 yards, was just ripping through Philly's tired defense. It was fourth and two, maybe. About 2:26 left in the game. One more first down and the game would be about over. (I don't recall how many, if any, timeouts the Eagles had). All Sherman had to do was call one more running play to Green, get that first down, and the Packers would be going to Carolina for the NFC Championship, having taken down the top-ranked team in the NFC.
And Shermy punted. Of course, it went into the end zone, so the Eagles started with just under two-and-a-half minutes left from their own 20. The Packers netted 18 yards of field position. Then came the infamous 4th-and-26. I think the Packers may have had a timeout left - I'm not sure, but I remember screaming at the television (just like my old man) for the Packers to call a timeout before the play to make sure they had their defense set. The Packers did not. A linebacker chipped Mitchell near the line of scrimmage, but other than that the middle of the field was totally free, and McNabb put the ball where he needed to, and that was that.
While I think Mike Sherman was in over his head trying to both coach and GM, I loved his offense while he was here. Ron Wolf had pretty much stolen Ahman Green from Seattle for a corner named Fred Vinson (a move Seattle paid back later by giving Green Bay the opportunity to move up in the draft to take the inestimable Jamaal Reynolds while Seattle picked up some extra picks and took All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson with the 16th or 17th pick or whatever it was). Favre was Favre, but Green took a lot of pressure off him. I don't recall how well Ahman Green could pass block (though I think it was seen as slightly less important than MM thought it was), but after he started wearing sleeves, he could catch a pass, and the man was an incredible mix of speed, burst, and strength. To me, he's one of the best Packer running backs ever. Ever. Including Hornung and Taylor (though I did not get to see Taylor play as he was traded before I was old enough to understand why my dad was screaming at the television on Sundays), including Lacy at his best, or Brockington at his best, or Eddie Lee Ivery before he got hurt. Green was a monster, an absolute monster. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry in 2003 and he had 50 catches. Yup. 50. Now, he couldn't poop in a laundry basket like Najeh Davenport, but he could do about anything else (including, apparently, abuse his wife, but we'll keep to football here). The dude had, I think, over 1800 yards rushing that year.
And Sherman used him. Sherman had that U-71 thing, with Kevin Barry as an extra tackle, and man, did that work. While Green Bay's defense was not the greatest, it did feature Al Harris and Mike Mckenzie at the corners, KGB, Gilbert Brown, Aaron Kampman, Darren Sharper, Na'il Diggs, and Nick Barnett. But I liked the way Sherman was willing to pound the ball, which freed up Favre. That year, the Packers won their last four in a row to get into the playoffs, while Philly was 12-4 and had the best record in the NFC.
And I was okay with Sherman going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Philly one or two yard line. I was fine with the call - I believe what happened was that one of the right-side offensive linemen got pushed back, and Green actually tripped over his own player's calf, trying to get outside to the wide-open spaces.
But I can't forgive Sherman for punting it back to the Eagles at the end of the game. The Packers had driven from their own sixteen to the Eagles' 38 and used up over five minutes of clock. Ahman Green, who ended the game with - get this - 25 carries for 156 yards, was just ripping through Philly's tired defense. It was fourth and two, maybe. About 2:26 left in the game. One more first down and the game would be about over. (I don't recall how many, if any, timeouts the Eagles had). All Sherman had to do was call one more running play to Green, get that first down, and the Packers would be going to Carolina for the NFC Championship, having taken down the top-ranked team in the NFC.
And Shermy punted. Of course, it went into the end zone, so the Eagles started with just under two-and-a-half minutes left from their own 20. The Packers netted 18 yards of field position. Then came the infamous 4th-and-26. I think the Packers may have had a timeout left - I'm not sure, but I remember screaming at the television (just like my old man) for the Packers to call a timeout before the play to make sure they had their defense set. The Packers did not. A linebacker chipped Mitchell near the line of scrimmage, but other than that the middle of the field was totally free, and McNabb put the ball where he needed to, and that was that.
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