Mike Sherman
Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954 in Norwood, Massachusetts) is an American football coach and former general manager who was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from the 2000 season to the 2005 season. Sherman was raised in Northborough, Massachusetts, where he attended Algonquin Regional High School. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: daughters Sarah, Emily and Selena, and sons Matthew and Benjamin.
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[edit] Early Career
Sherman played defensive end and offensive tackle at Central Connecticut State University.
Sherman’s coaching career began in 1981-82, when he was a part-time coach at the University of Pittsburgh. From there, he moved on to Tulane, where he coached the offensive line in 1983-84, and then to Holy Cross, where he also coached offensive line in 1985-87 before being named offensive coordinator in 1988.
He spent seven years in College Station as the Texas A&M offensive line coach from 1989-93 and 1995-96, where he met current Texans head coach Gary Kubiak during the 1992-93 seasons. Between those times, Sherman spent the 1994 season as the offensive line coach for UCLA.
Sherman's first coached in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers from 1997-98, when he was the tight ends/assistant offensive line coach. Sherman followed Mike Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks to become the offensive coordinator for the 1999 season.
[edit] Green Bay Packers Head Coach (2000-2005)
Sherman became Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2000. Until his hiring, he had never been a head coach at any level. Sherman guided the team to five winning seasons in six years. From 2002-2004, Sherman led the Green Bay Packers to three consecutive NFC North division titles. His .663 winning percentage (53-27) over his first five years was second only to the great Vince Lombardi in Packers history. His Green Bay Offense's were the most productive in Packers history. During his tenure the Packers broke the rushing mark and passing mark in back to back years.
In spite of receiving a contract extention earlier in the season, Sherman was fired on January 2, 2006, after the Packers finished with a 4-12 record.
In his six year head coaching career with the Packers, Sherman compiled a 57-39 regular season record and a 2-4 postseason record.
[edit] Green Bay Packers General Manager (2001-2004)
Sherman succeeded Ron Wolf as General Manager of the Packers in 2001, taking on the dual role as Head Coach and GM. Although the decision was made prior to the 2001 NFL draft, Wolf was at the controls for the draft that year. Sherman was responsible for the following three drafts (2002-2004).
Although, Mike Sherman found success in his coaching arena, his GM accomplishments were much different. Sherman signed free agent defensive lineman Joe Johnson to a very lucrative contract in the off-season of 2002 and the following year invested heavily to retain free agent lineman Cletidus Hunt. Neither player lived up to the monetary commitment that Sherman had given them and both were released within two years of their signing.
Even more than the missteps in free agency, Sherman's draft performance was widely regarded as a failure. Sherman was very aggressive in trading away draft picks, either to acquire active NFL players or in order to move up in the draft order.
Sherman's best move in trading draft picks for existing players came in 2003, when he traded a second-round pick for Philadelphia Eagles defensive back, Al Harris and the Eagle's fourth rounder. Harris went on to become a quality starting cornerback for the Packers. However, Sherman also traded future draft picks for R-Kal Truluk, Derek Combs, Rod Walker, and Terry Glenn. Truluk, Combs, and Walker were serviceable backups and special team players, while Glenn had 56 receptions and two touchdowns as a receiver in his one season with the Packers. Sherman had sent two fourth-round picks to the New England Patriots in exchange for Glenn. Following the 2002 season Sherman traded Glenn to the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth-round choice.
Sherman also traded up several times in his three drafts in order to nab players that he expected to have significant impact. However, for the most part, these moves didn't work out. In 2002, Sherman traded up to grab Javon Walker in the first round. While Walker provided a great deal of talent for the team initially, he demanded to be traded 4 years later after producing 157 catches and 22 touchdowns for the Packers. 2003 was Sherman's most aggressive year for trading up in the draft, trading up or trading future picks in order to select Kenny Peterson, James Lee, Hunter Hillenmeyer, and Chris Johnson. Of those, Hillenmeyer has had the most success, though not with the Packers. Sherman released Hillenmeyer one week into the 2003 season and he has gone on to be a starting linebacker for the rival Chicago Bears. The 2004 draft again resulted in Sherman trading up to draft specific players; this time, B J Sander and Corey Williams. While Williams proved a quality selection in the sixth-round, Sander became the symbol of Sherman's failures in personnel decisions. Sherman moved up in the draft to select the punter in the third-round, but Sander struggled in training camp. After losing Hillenmeyer to the Bears in the previous season, Sherman seemed afraid another team would claim Sander if he were released. Sherman signed another punter and retained Sander on the 53-man roster that year though Sander never made it onto the field during his first season. The following year, Sherman turned over the punting responsibility to Sander, who struggled. Ultimately, Sander was released after only two seasons with the club by Sherman's successor, Ted Thompson.
Sherman was relieved of his GM duties following the 2004 season, but retained his role as Head Coach for the 2005 season.
[edit] Assistant Head Coach Houston Texans (2006-)
Sherman signed with the Houston Texans as an assistant head coach on February 15.
[edit] Coaching History
2006: Assistant Head Coach/Offense, Houston Texans
2005: Executive Vice President/Head Coach, Green Bay Packers
2001-04: Executive Vice President/General Manager/Head Coach, Green Bay Packers
2000: Head Coach, Green Bay Packers
1999: Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends, Seattle Seahawks
1997-98: Tight Ends/Assistant Offensive Line, Green Bay Packers
1995-96: Offensive Line, Texas A&M
1994: Offensive Line, UCLA
1989-93: Offensive Line, Texas A&M
1988: Offensive Coordinator, Holy Cross
1985-87: Offensive Line, Holy Cross
1983-84: Offensive Line, Tulane
1981-82: Part-Time Coach, University of Pittsburgh
