Green Bay Packers: Mike Sherman’s Exciting, Disappointing Tenure
By Tim Muma
This was the epitome of the Mike Sherman era with the Green Bay Packers – so close to greatness, but ultimately, a big fail.
Most Green Bay Packers’ fans should know how this season ended, but the lead-up was special.
After a home defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Packers fell to 4-5 and looked a bit lost.
From there they would win six of their last seven games, including the final four contests. In those last four, they averaged 36 points per game.
Prior to their Week 16 tilt in Oakland, Favre’s dad died. With postseason hopes still alive, Irv’s son took the field against the Raiders with the team fully behind him.
Favre made some spectacular throws. His receivers and tight ends came up with many incredible catches.
As Monday Night Football viewers and the hostile “Black Hole” found themselves rooting for Favre, the Packers destroyed Oakland 41-7.
Favre finished with 399 yards, four touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
The following week, Green Bay was routing the Denver Broncos at Lambeau. Unfortunately, the win meant nothing unless the Vikings lost to the lowly 3-12 Arizona Cardinals.
In the game 2,000 miles away, it was happening.
Arizona scored a touchdown and recovered an onside kick. A few plays later, Nate Poole made a terrific catch in the end zone – on 4th down – to give the Cardinals the victory.
Fans glued to radio and TV sets went bonkers. The players celebrated on the sidelines. Green Bay won the NFC North and was headed back to the playoffs.
The chances of a 4th-and-26 conversion happening in general is around one percent. Just awful – but so famous, it has its own Wikipedia entry.
At Lambeau in the opening round, the Packers went back and forth with the Seattle Seahawks. Going to overtime, Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck famously exclaimed, “We’ll take the ball and we’re going to score.”
Less than five minutes into the extra frame, cornerback Al Harris picked off Hasselbeck and raced to pay dirt. The Packers were headed to the Divisional Round.
Everything looked to be going the Packers way again in Philadelphia the following week.
Now, 4th-and-26 is the reason they lost that night. Favre’s overtime heave was atrocious, but it should NEVER have come to that.
The chances of a 4th-and-26 conversion happening in general is around one percent. Just awful – but so famous, it has its own Wikipedia entry.
Anyway…
Green Bay played a flawless first half, and with a pair of Favre to Robert Ferguson strikes, led 14-0.
That’s when Sherman’s decision-making went especially haywire.
First off, the Packers, who had a terrific run game, failed to take advantage of the Eagles’ poor run defense (22nd in yards allowed).
Starting with the second quarter, the Packers called 19 pass plays and ran 17 times, up until their final drive in the fourth.
The Packers averaged more than 5.5 yards per carry in the game. Unfortunately, they kept trying to fool the Eagles with play action.
It’s a large part of the reason the offense only tallied three more points the whole game.
One huge decision came on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line with two minutes left in the first half.
The Packers led 14-7, and a field goal would’ve been a big edge going into the locker room. Taking a 10-point lead in the playoffs is enormous – especially on the road.
Instead, Sherman went for it and the Eagles defensive line blew up the play for a stop. Fine, you were aggressive and it backfired.
Multiple players said that after that happened, Sherman proclaimed if they were in a 4th-and-short situation again, he’d go for it.
Fast forward to the 4th quarter with 2:30 remaining, the Packers up by three, and sitting at the Eagles’ 40-yard line.
It’s 4th-and-1, so time for Sherman to go for it like he said, right? Nope. He chickens out at ends up punting. Absolute worst decision, regardless of the outcome.
As noted, the Eagles were a bad run defense and the Packers totaled more than 200 rushing yards that day.
Green Bay had the ball for more than five minutes on that drive, including a pair of 3rd-and-short conversions. It would have been the 11th play of that possession against an extremely tired defense.
And finally, would you rather need one yard with your 4th-ranked offense or have to prevent a field goal with your 17th-ranked defense?
Sherman foolishly elected to punt while Eagles’ coach Andy Reid released a huge sigh of relief. The rest is history. After a pair of sacks on blitzes, the Packers played a super-soft coverage on 4th-and-26.
Nick Barnett inexplicably ran up to cover the tight end 15 yards from the first down, Darren Sharper set up beyond the marker, and Freddie Mitchell made the catch for 28 yards and the first down.
A few plays later a field goal tied it. Green Bay again (foolishly) didn’t run the ball, and Favre chucked up the pick to set up the game-winner. Brutal.