Wolf's NFL legacy hinges on his latest coaching hire

Sporting News, The, Feb 21, 2000 by Tom Silverstein

A month and a half ago, Packers general manager Ron Wolf sat in front of a curious horde of reporters and said it all came down to winning and losing. He was speaking about the bottom line to which he was holding fired coach Ray Rhodes, who, in his only season in Green Bay, went 8-8. But Wolf also was speaking to his own bottom line, one which he admittedly is straddling.

"If we don't get this problem answered," Wolf said at the time, "there'll be somebody else sitting up here."

It is a tribute to Wolf that the bottom line in Green Bay has progressed from accepting repeated failure from ex-glory years icons to firing a guy who can't win more games than he loses in a single season. But success is a raging monster that must be fed, and not even its creator is immune from being consumed.

Wolf drew quizzical looks from around the NFL four weeks ago for choosing little-known Mike Sherman as Rhodes' successor. In Sherman, 45, a first-year offensive coordinator in Seattle last season, Wolf hired a career offensive assistant who had never been a head coach at any level nor an NFL offensive coordinator who has called plays.

At least when he hired Rhodes, Wolf was bringing aboard a guy who was the NFEs Coach of the Year in 1995. Rhodes was a surprising choice to succeed Mike Holmgren given his recent failings, but he had been a very successful defensive coordinator in Green Bay for two seasons and a head coach with the Eagles for four.

Those who have entrusted Wolf with running the Packers' organization support him Unconditionally with the choice of Sherman. Wolf, they argue, is the man who should be credited with restoring the luster of the storied franchise. Since he took over the football operations in November 1991, the team has not had a losing season and has gone to two Super Bowls.

But Wolf is not flawless, and it can be argued that if it weren't for two very critical decisions he made in his first three months on the job, he would never be held in such high esteem. Wolf replaced Lindy Infante with Holmgren and traded a first-round draft choice to Atlanta for quarterback Brett Favre.

Wolfs strength is judging talent, but what made his early days with the Packers so fruitful was the working relationship he had with Holmgren. Together, they formed an irrepressible team. They were the perfect example of two heads being better than one, and they rode an incredible wave of success in a very short period of time.

Wolf and Holmgren could have ridden into the sunset together, both headed for more Super Bowls and possibly the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had the latter not decided he needed the challenge of running his own club. By no fault of his own, Wolf lost his head coach and the comfort of knowing the talent he brought in would be used the right way.

Wolf was 1-for-2 in head coaching hires going into the Sherman decision and desperate to lift his batting average over .500. It was eerie to listen to Wolf describe how he settled on Sherman because it was almost identical to the way he settled on Holmgren.

In 1992, Wolf was considering the recently retired Bill Parcells when he was blown away by Holmgren's interview. Parcells backed out, and Holmgren was hired. In 2000, Wolf was considering the recently retired Marty Schottenheimer when he was blown away by Sherman's interview. Schottenheimer backed out, and Sherman was hired.

It wasn't Wolfs fault that the list of experienced coaches available for the job was not significant this offseason. Unlike a year ago, when the only man he talked to was Rhodes, Wolf went through a lengthy interview process, contacting coaches in the college and pro ranks.

He probably would have given the job to Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez or Miami's Butch Davis if either had been willing to leave his comfortable college job.

It certainly didn't hurt Sherman that five of Holmgren's former Packers assistants--Rhodes, Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden, Andy Reid and Dick Jauron--have become head coaches in the NFL. In hiring Sherman, Wolf gets a Holmgren disciple who is well-versed in the West Coast offense and familiar with the Packers' personnel.

The question is, can he really coach?

If he hits it big on this pick, Wolf will solidify his status as one of the top front office figures in modern football history. But if this one goes the way of the Rhodes' hiring, Wolf will be up at the podium talking about the bottom line again. Only this time, it will all be about his own and not somebody else's.

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