May 22, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson (right) visits with Texas A

Packers’ general manager Ted Thompson has one hell of a hard job. His decisions are viewed and analyzed by millions who take them personally. Even calls that are objectively easy, like not re-signing Donald Driver, can gather storm clouds in the form of angry Green Bay fans. It often takes years before his moves are given due credit.

Such is likely the case once again with Charles Woodson’s release.

Many cried foul in the wake of the Woodson news. A 15-year veteran, seven with the Packers, Woodson was widely acknowledged as the “heart” of Green Bay’s defense. The common themes amongst the angst-ridden were Packers GM Ted Thompson’s “insensitivity,” “disloyalty,” and “stupidity.” If the only opinions that mattered were those of the fans, Thompson would be joining Woodson on his way out of Green Bay.

But those opinions – formed largely through emotion and sentimentality – don’t matter. The only opinions that mean anything are those of Thompson and his assistants.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Thompson operates like a mathematician. He crunches numbers, projects production, and makes the personnel decisions. And more often than not, Thompson has made the right calls: calls that fans, so often emotional and sentimental, can’t understand. What those fans fail to understand is that in order for a GM to be successful, he needs to approach decisions as a detached third party. That may feel wrong to fans, but success is built through proper perspective.

When Thompson analyzed Woodson, he weighed the production the Packers would receive versus the $10 million cost. He then looked at the replacement options. With the emergence of slot corner Casey Hayward and safeties Jerron McMillian and M.D. Jennings, the decision was simple.

Woodson’s release, along with the pending departure of Greg Jennings, is part of a big picture approach to team building. Few would argue that there isn’t a drop off from those veterans to their inexperienced successors, but these moves aren’t made in a vacuum.

Thompson knows this isn’t a decision between Woodson and McMillian. It’s a decision between Woodson and B.J. Raji, or Woodson and Matthews, or any of the other players in need of a contract extension. Because Thompson is so skilled as a talent evaluator, there are just too many good players to keep on one roster. At that point, the best move for the Packers is to retain the younger players who can contribute for longer. Woodson fell on the wrong side of that equation.

Defensive end Joe Johnson, one of the most disappointing free agent signings in Green Bay Packers history.

If you find yourself questioning this approach, just think back to the Mike Sherman era. Sherman was aggressive in free agency and ignored age in doing so. In 2001, Sherman signed Joe Johnson, a 30-year-old defensive end with 21 sacks over the previous two seasons. Johnson received a six year, $33 million contract, much of which was guaranteed. In return, the Packers received only 11 games played.

The biggest disappointment wasn’t how ineffective or unavailable Johnson was, but rather how much valuable cap space the contract ate up. By deferring much of Johnson’s signing bonus, Sherman guaranteed that the Packers would lose valuable assets in the years to come. That debt was paid following the 2004 season when the Packers lacked the cap room to re-sign All-Pro guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera.

Mike Wahle (68) talks with Marco Rivera (62) during their final season together in 2004.

Those twin losses effectively ended the Mike Sherman era as well as the Packers’ early 2000s run as contenders. Without Wahle and Rivera, the offense changed overnight. Favre, sacked only 12 times in 2004, was dropped behind the line 24 times the following year. Not coincidentally, his interception total rose to a league high 29. Green Bay wouldn’t have a winning record again until 2007.

Would Woodson have gone the way of Joe Johnson had he been retained? Likely not, but that doesn’t alter the cap ramifications of such a move. Woodson’s return would have meant departure for someone important, if not this year than next.

And it’s not only the big names that could be leaving. Sam Shields, Brad Jones, Bryan Bulaga, James Jones, Morgan Burnett, and Desmond Bishop are among those whose contracts expire over the next two years. At 36, Woodson doesn’t have the value to Green Bay as those players.

Fans may view Thompson’s decision on Woodson as inglorious, but choosing long-term championship contention over sentimentality is anything but.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Lombardiave.com. He has previously written for Hail to the Orange, College Hoops Net, Mocking the Draft, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JBHirschhorn.

Donald Driver, who will formally announce his retirement next week after 14 years in a Green Bay Packers uniform, breaks a tackle after one of his patented catch and runs.

From his humbled beginnings living in a U-Haul trailer, his adolescent dalliance with drug dealing, and the transformation which turned him into the Green Bay Packers all-time leading receiver, Donald Driver’s life story has been well chronicled. His incredible tale has been woven into the fabric of Packers’ history. Even the most casual fans know Driver’s narrative much as they do the pledge of allegiance. Yet somehow the full account of Driver’s rise to prominence manages to be even more remarkable still.

In commemoration of Donald Driver’s illustrious career, let us return to 2002; the year a legend was born.

The 2002 offseason began with a mandate: revamp the receiving corps. The previous year had ended with the debacle in St. Louis, a game which saw Brett Favre throw 6 interceptions while regular season leading receiver Bill Schroeder managed only 2 catches and 39 yards. Mike Sherman, in his first year as general manager, let Schroeder leave along with longtime Packer and fan favorite Antonio Freeman. Sherman also left Corey Bradford unprotected in the Houston Texans expansion draft, and he was promptly scooped up. With running back Ahman Green’s 594 yards the highest remaining receiving total, the Packers’ offense was set to feature a very different look in 2002.

Sherman’s first move was the high profile acquisition of disgruntled wide receiver Terry Glenn. Glenn brought with him the pedigree of a decorated collegiate career, rookie of the year honors, and an All-Pro season just a few years prior. Sherman felt Glenn provided the vertical threat that the Packers lacked. To further bolster the group, Sherman used a first round draft pick on receiver Javon Walker.

Everyone expected that these two moves, coupled with anticipated development from second year wide-out Robert Ferguson and red zone specialist Bubba Franks, would return the Packers’ offense to its mid-90s dominance.

In his Chicago Sun-Times feature “Helping Hands for Favre,” reporter Dan Pompei chronicled how strongly the Packers coaching staff felt about the new look receiving corps. Photos of Glenn were prominently displayed, as well as quotes and scouting reports for Franks, Ferguson, and the new additions. Not until the very last paragraph did Pompei include a word about fourth year receiver Donald Driver.

And why should he have? Driver had only 13 receptions the previous year and just 37 in his three years in the league and appeared mostly on special teams. The coaches viewed Driver as a backup kick returner who might, if  they were lucky, develop into a fourth or fifth receiver. With Glenn, Walker, Ferguson and Franks ahead of him, no one expected that by the end of the season Driver would become the Packers number one target.

Driver spent training camp and the preseason outworking and outsmarting the inexperienced Walker and Ferguson. Driver, now famous for his offseason workout regimen, had put on 10 pounds of muscle. His newfound strength along with having the most exposure to Sherman’s offense gave Driver a head start over the other wideouts.

While he remained below the others on the depth chart, the coaches took notice. By the start of the regular season, Driver had gone from a possible roster cutdown casualty to being guaranteed some snaps in games. Now all Driver needed was an opportunity in the regular season.

As fate would have it, that opportunity came right away. Ferguson was hurt before the season opener. With the rookie Walker still learning the playbook, Driver was thrust into the starter’s role. He responded, leading all receivers that day with 7 catches for 78 yards.

Driver scored his first touchdown of the season the next week while catching 4 passes for 51 yards. The now healthy Ferguson had officially been displaced on the depth chart. While most observers were impressed with Driver’s early season production, he was still thought of as merely an overachieving role player. That perception changed over the next three weeks.

In a must-have game in Detroit, Driver wasted little time in demonstrating his abilities. His first quarter consisted of receptions of 25, 8, 19, and 21 yards, the last of which was for a touchdown. He would have another 21-yard catch later on, establishing himself as the missing vertical threat in the Packers’ offense.

The following week brought Driver’s first multi-touchdown performance, along with the first Lambeau Field chant of “Double-D.” Finally, as if to leave no doubt that he had arrived, Driver produced one of the all-time great performances in the Packers-Bears rivalry. In the much chronicled Monday Night Football matchup, Driver burned the Chicago secondary for the now infamous 85-yard touchdown. Driver’s score gave the Packers a lead they would never relinquish. From that point on, no one questioned if the Packers’ offense could stretch the field. Neither did anyone question who their go-to receiver was.

By the end of the year, Donald Driver had accumulated 70 receptions for 1,064 yards and 9 touchdowns, all team bests. The tumultuous offseason which led to the much-ballyhooed additions of Terry Glenn and Javon Walker had culminated in the first of Driver’s many Pro-Bowl selections. The vertical element missing from the Packers’ passing game had been there all along, waiting for his opportunity.

In a mere season, Driver had straddled both ends of the roster. He had gone from the outhouse to the penthouse. Through his hard work and persistence, Driver had made himself into a team leader and star performer. Most importantly, he had set himself on the path to becoming one of the all-time greats in Green Bay Packers’ history.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Lombardiave.com. He has previously written for Hail to the Orange, College Hoops Net, Mocking the Draft, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JBHirschhorn.

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Mike Sherman talks with Brett Favre at training camp in 2004. It was 13 years ago today that Sherman was named the 13th head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

It was 13 years ago today that the Green Bay Packers got their new coach – Mike Sherman was announced as the franchise’s 13th head coach by then-general manager Ron Wolf.

This was after the failed one-year experiment that was Ray Rhodes.

Mike Sherman and Brett Favre at training camp.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Wolf was highly impressed with Sherman after interviewing him and making the announcement, saying, ”He just blew my socks off.” Sherman had been Mike Holmgren’s offensive coordinator in the first two years of Holmgren’s time in Seattle coaching the Seahawks. However, prior to that, Sherman coached in Green Bay as the team’s tight ends and assistant offensive line coach.

Sherman had a significant amount of success in Green Bay, winning three consecutive NFC North Division titles, 2002, 2003, and 2004 with Brett Favre as his quarterback. Under Sherman, the Packers had five straight winning seasons, and according to his Wikipedia page, “From 2000–04, he compiled a 53–27 record, and a .663 winning percentage, which was the second highest in Packers history, trailing that of Vince Lombardi‘s, who is one of the most successful coaches in the history of football. Additionally, Green Bay and the Philadelphia Eagles were the only two teams to make the playoffs for four consecutive seasons from 2001–04.”

While Sherman was successful as a coach, his downfall with the Packers began when he took over the general manager’s position from Wolf in 2002. He had some success in drafting players (Nick Barnett, Scott Wells and Cullen Jenkins) and had teams that were very successful in running the ball with Ahman Green, it was the team’s poor showing in 2005 that cost him his job. When Ted Thompson was hired as general manager in 2005, he fired Sherman at the end of that season after the Packers suffered their first losing season since 1991 under Lindy Infante.

In all, Sherman finished his stint with the Packers with a record of 57-39. He had a 2-4 records in the playoffs.

A couple of Sherman’s biggest failures occurred in the Playoffs. in 2002, his 12-4 team was beaten badly at home by Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons and then in 2003 and 2004, the Packers were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. In 2003, the Packers lost to the Eagles in overtime in the famous “fourth and 26″ game. In 2004, the highly-favored Packers lost to the Vikings at Lambeau Field – a game where the Vikings’ Randy Moss “mooned” the crowd.

Since leaving the Packers, Sherman has spent time with the Houston Texans and was head coach at Texas A&M for four years before joining on with Joe Philbin, the former Packers’ offensive coordinator and now head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Sherman is that team’s offensive coordinator.

When coach Mike McCarthy took over in 2006 Brett Favre went out on a limb, calling that edition of the Packers the most talented he had known. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Many of us remember the mid-90s and the resurgence of the Green Bay Packers. Many of us thought this was a team of destiny … there was even talk of a dynasty – that is until the team lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII and Ron Wolf deemed the team a “fart in the wind.”

That stretch of teams from 1995-98 may be the best teams with which Brett Favre may have been associated.

However, it wast until 2006 that Favre was really excited  - and as we all know, he was right to be excited. He called it the most talented team he had been around. What was unusual at the time was that the Packers were coming off a really bad season – the season that saw head coach Mike Sherman get axed.

Today’s Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame posting for today remembers Favre’s excitement.

In the meantime, check out the Hall’s post below or go to their website here.

Brett Favre Labels ’06 Packers Team Most Talented

July 31, 2006 – “I really feel, as far as talent is concerned, this is the most talented team that I’ve been part of as a whole.”

That statement, coming from Brett Favre early in training camp, has reporters and fans alike scratching their heads. This from a quarterback who just months earlier was wondering if it was worth returning to the Green Bay Packers for a 15th season after a 4-12 finish in 2005 cost coach Mike Sherman his job.

Though he claims the team is talent-laden, Favre further notes that it is also “the most unproven, inexperienced team that I’ve ever played on. The Packers finish 8-8 under first-year coach Mike McCarthy in 2006.

NFL Network announcer Warren Sapp has declared bankruptcy. Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The news today that seven-time Pro Bowler and NFL Network loudmouth Warren Sapp has filed for bankruptcy. The Associated Press says he owes more than $6.7 million to creditors, also owing back child support and alimony.

Wow!

How does this happen to a highly successful player who spent years making millions of dollars? In fact, his MONTHLY income is reported to be $115,000. Among the assets he lists? Lots of shoes and a lion skin rug.

According to published reports, here is a description:

Sapp’s $6.45 million in assets includes 240 pairs of Jordan athletic shoes worth almost $6,500, a $2,250 watch and a lion skin rug worth $1,200. He also reported losing his 2002 Super Bowl ring with the Bucs and his 1991 national championship ring from the University of Miami.

Remember his blindside hit on Packers offensive tackle Chad Clifton and his face-to-face showdown with then-head coach Mike Sherman? Those incidents, his continued head-butting with Brett Favre and many other run-ins with players and coaches throughout his career were only superseded by his flapping lips – something that he’s carried into the NFL Network’s studios. He most recently got himself into hot water when he called tight end Jeremy Shockey as the “snitch” responsible for the New Orleans Saints’ Bountygate.

According to the bankruptcy filing, his NFL Network contract is up in August. We wonder if he will be renewed.

He was a great player, no doubt. He recorded 96.5 sacks in a career in Tampa Bay and Oakland, but that doesn’t matter now.

Sapp’s situation is a sad, sad statement on our society and an embarrassment to a supposed superstar who can’t support his children and former mate … consider all those in the world who don’t have a roof over their heads nor food in their stomachs. It’s pretty difficult to be feeling sorry for Mr. Sapp.

In fact, his last name says it all … yes, he is a sap.

Mike Sherman will get a second interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leaving no stone unturned in their search for a new head coach to take over for Raheem Morris, who was fired after a disappointing 2011 campaign.

After Oregon coach Chip Kelly decided he wasn’t interested in the job, the Bucs have amped up the search with a second round of interviews – at the top of their list is former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman.

According to profootballtalk.com, Sherman, with his second interview, is being considered a finalist for the job. There has also been talk that should Sherman not earn the job in Tampa Bay, new Miami Dolphins head coach and former Packers offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin, may consider Sherman for a job as a member of his staff – possibly as his offensive coordinator.

Sherman, who is the head coach at Texas A&M, was one of the first candidates to interview with the Buccaneers who hope to make a selection sometime soon.

Could Mike Sherman be headed to Tampa Bay?

Josh Hill over at The Pewter Plank today blogged about the possible coaching candidates to consider for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coaching position – placing current Texas A&M and former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman at the top of his list.

Interesting.

I was never a Mike Sherman fan, especially after the Packers debacle in the Sunday, Jan. 11 , 2004, playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles … can you say 4th and 26?

Though Sherman did have a successful run in Green Bay up until his draft decisions finally caught up with him, he hasn’t been considered for another NFL head coaching gig for a reason.

But what do I know. Maybe The Pewter Plank’s bloggers knows what the Bucs need more than I do.

To read the post, check it out here.

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If you dare relive one of the worst memories in Packers history:

Aaron Rodgers would like to be slinging passes to James Jones this coming season. However, the decision will be made by general manager Ted Thompson. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

I don’t think there has been a general manager in the history of the National Football League who has made a decision based on the opinion of a star player … save maybe Brett Favre’s influence over Mike Sherman – and we all know how that ended.

But when Aaron Rodgers came out publicly Tuesday saying that Ted Thompson needs to look toward the James Jones camp and make an overture to the free agent and to do it now, we again don’t feel it will sway Thompson one way or the other.

If Thompson has already made up his mind, and my guess is that is the case, he needs to stick to it. If that decision is to pursue Jones to keep the cadre of receivers from the championship together for at least one more season, then Rodgers will be pleased. (more…)