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PACKERS HOST MINNESOTA VIKINGS SUNDAY
posted 12/24/01
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| GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman |
THE GAME: Having returned to the postseason for the first time since 1998, the fast-finishing Green Bay Packers (10-4) now focus on the next objective: Improving their position in the playoffs.
The first requirement: Winning their last regular season home game against the Minnesota Vikings (5-9) in Lambeau Field Sunday (December 30).
And, beyond that, winning their season finale against the New York Giants at East Rutherford, N.J., January 6.
The Packers qualified for a wild card berth with a workmanlike, 30-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns in snowy Lambeau Field over the weekend - thus assuring their seventh postseason appearance in the past decade.
For the ideal playoff scenario to unfold, the Green and Gold would need the "assistance" of the Chicago Bears, current leaders of the NFC Central Division with an 11-3 record. The Monsters of the Midway would need to lose one of their last two games - at Detroit Sunday (December 30) and at home to Jacksonville (January 6) - for Green Bay to move past them and capture the division title, thus earning the right to host a playoff game.
The Packers also could possibly draw a first-round bye in that situation because of having a better record than the Eastern Division leader, Philadelphia Eagles (now 9-5).
In the absence of such a happy set of circumstances, the Packers could still possibly host a wild card playoff contest the weekend of January 12-13 by finishing ahead of the San Francisco 49ers (11-3), currently the fourth seed in the current playoff structure - behind St. Louis (12-2), Chicago (11-3) and Philadelphia.
There also is at least one other scenario under which Green Bay could host a playoff game. As a fifth seed - their current status - they could entertain the sixth seed in an NFC Championship game.
If the Packers should remain the fifth seed at season's end, they would be playing a wild card game on the road the first weekend of the playoffs.
Remaining Games
Green Bay (10-4): vs. Minnesota; at N.Y. Giants.
St. Louis (12-2): vs. Indianapolis; vs. Atlanta.
Chicago (11-3): at Detroit; vs. Jacksonville.
San Francisco (11-3): at Dallas; at New Orleans.
Philadelphia (9-5): vs. N.Y. Giants; at Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay (8-6): vs. Baltimore; vs. Philadelphia.
New York Giants (7-7): at Philadelphia; vs. Green Bay.
New Orleans (7-7): vs. Washington, vs. San Francisco.
Atlanta (7-7): at Miami, at St. Louis.
THE TV-RADIO COVERAGE: Pat Summerall will call the play-by-play and John Madden will provide the analysis for the Fox Sports Network's telecast of Sunday's game, with Ron Pitts reporting from the field. Bob Stenner is the producer and Sandy Grossman directs.
The game also will be broadcast along the Packer Radio Network (Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren) and will be available on the internet via www.packers.com.
THE SERIES: The Packers' series with the Chicago Bears, contested over eight decades and 162 games, stands alone among all of the rivalries in professional football. But the Green and Gold's series with the Minnesota Vikings, though 40 years "younger," has to be a substantial second.
A glance at the series record offers eloquent confirmation. The regional rivals have met 80 times over the past four decades but are in a virtual deadlock from the won-lost perspective. The Vikings lead the series by one, having won 40 games while the Packers have prevailed in 39, and there has been one tie, a 10-10 sudden death overtime standoff played in Lambeau Field in 1978.
The record is underscored by the fact that better than one-third of those 80 meetings - 28 to be exact - have been decided by seven or fewer points.
And, with the exception of this year's first encounter, the neighborhood rivalry seldom has been more closely contested than during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. During that span, only 18 points separated them - an average of a mere 4.5 points per game - and one of those went into sudden death overtime.
For the record, the Packers' longest winning streak in the series has been the six-game skein with which they launched the series (1961-63). The Vikings' longest dominance occurred when they won seven in a row under Bud Grant from 1975 through 1978.
THE COACHES: Resourceful Mike Sherman, in his second season as the 13th head coach in the Packers' 82-year history, has been closely approximating the on-field success of the legendary Vince Lombardi as Green Bay's field leader while also executing the additional responsibilities of executive vice president and general manager. The first man to carry his tri-cornered role since team founder E.L. "Curly" Lambeau last functioned in those capacities in 1949, Sherman has compiled a 19-11 regular season record - just one game below that of Lombardi, who was the possessor of a 20-10 mark after his first 30 games as Green Bay's general manager /head coach. The 46-year-old New Englander's comprehensive credentials include a Super Bowl following the 1997 season, during which he was a member of the Mike Holmgren staff that led the Packers into Super Bowl XXXII against the Denver Broncos at San Diego. It was to be the first of three consecutive years in the playoffs for the Central Connecticut State University graduate, who returned to the postseason with the Packers in 1998 and as the offensive coordinator on Holmgren's Seattle Seahawks staff in 1999. In 2000, Sherman made an impressive debut as Green Bay's head coach, rallying his team from a 5-7 start to score a rare sweep of the Packers' four NFC Central Division rivals (Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota and Tampa Bay) for a final 9-7 record and lead the Green and Gold within tantalizing range of the playoffs.
The Massachusetts-born mentor brought to his head-coaching role a 22-year coaching resume - one that encompasses experience at every coaching level, having launched his coaching career at Stamford, Conn., High School in 1978.
He went on to coach in the college ranks for 16 years - including a year as offensive coordinator at Holy Cross and terms as offensive line coach at such highly regarded programs as UCLA and Texas A&M.
Dennis Green, nearing the end of his tenth year as Minnesota's head coach, has maneuvered the Vikings to a 97-61 record and has been to postseason play in 11 of the last 12 seasons (1992-94 and 1996-2000) and, earlier, 1986-88 as an assistant coach at San Francisco.
A former running back at the University of Iowa, he is one of only seven persons in the history of the league to lead his team to the playoffs in his first three seasons as an NFL head coach.
Among active head coaches, Green and Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher have guided their teams longer than any other coach in the league. Green has led the Vikings to the playoffs in 8 of the past 9 seasons.
THE LAST TIME: Failure to take advantage of early opportunities proved the Packers' undoing in their first 2001 encounter with the Vikings, one which found the Green and Gold yielding a 35-13 decision to the Purple Gang at the Minneapolis Metrodome on October 21.
-The series of miscues began when placekicker Ryan Longwell missed a 51-yard field goal attempt.
-A second misadventure occurred when the Packers elected to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Minnesota 7-yard line and running back Ahman Green was thrown for a 4-yard loss.
-The third also involved a missed filed goal - a 42-yard Longwell effort, an opportunity which had been presented when linebacker Nate Wayne recovered a Daunte Culpepper fumble at the Green Bay 46-yard line.
Trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Packers staged an impressive, 73-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, a march capped by a 2-yard Brett Favre pass to tight end Bubba Franks in the end zone.
That, however, was the extent of their offensive success in the second half until Favre hit Charles Lee with a 3-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of play, merely a consolation score at that point.
Although it wasn't a cause for celebration under the circumstances, running back Ahman Green made Packers history in the losing process, when he became the fastest in team annals to reach 100 pass receptions. He turned the trick in only 22 games, thus breaking the club record of 23 games, set by Sterling Sharpe.
Overall, Green contributed 109 yards of offense to the cause - rushing for 73 yards in 11 attempts and snaring 5 passes for 36 yards.
Favre, meanwhile, closed out the day with 21 completions in 35 attempts for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, with one interception.
THE CONNECTIONS: Minnesota has at least four direct ties to the Packers, including offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis (Green Bay O-coordinator 1992-99), defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas (D-coordinator, 1999), receivers coach Charlie Baggett (receivers coach, 1999) and outside linebackers coach Chuck Knox Jr. (defensive assistant/quality control, 1999). Meanwhile, four individuals in the Packers organization have previously worked or played for the Vikings: receivers coach Ray Sherman (quarterbacks coach, 1995-97; O-coordinator, 1999), director of research and development Mike Eayrs (similar capacity, 1985-99), college scout Lee Gissendaner (player, 1996) and associate PR director Jeff Blumb (PR intern 1985 in Bud Grant's return season). Packers GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman and Vikings defensive assistant Trent Walters coached together at Texas A&M from 1991-93. Minnesota's head trainer Chuck Barta and Packers assistant trainer Kurt Fielding were classmates at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Vikings running back Michael Bennett rushed for 1,681 yards in his only season as a Wisconsin starter, 2000, second in Badger history; a former Milwaukee Tech High School star, Bennett's uncle is former Packer Tony Bennett. Minnesota tight end Byron Chamberlain, Packers linebackers Nate Wayne and Chris Gizzi, and Green Bay D-coordinator Ed Donatell were together in Denver during the late 1990s. Vikings receiver Randy Moss, running back Doug Chapman and Packers defensive lineman Billy Lyon were collegiate teammates at Marshall. Vikings linebacker Andre O'Neal also played at Marshall with Lyon and was on the Packers' roster earlier this season for Weeks 4-6. One of Daunte Culpepper's collegiate targets at Central Florida was Packers receiver Charles Lee. Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Vikings receiver Nate Jacquet were teammates at San Diego State. Green Bay cornerback Bhawoh Jue and Vikings linebacker Jim Nelson were together at Penn State. Ray Sherman and Lewis coached together at Michigan State from 1976-77. Thomas in Green Bay coached with Lionel Washington, current Packers defensive backs assistant, in 1999; Thomas (receivers coach) and Washington (defensive back) were also together on the 1983-85 St. Louis Cardinals clubs. Dean Dalton, Minnesota's quality control/assistant offensive line coach, was a coach at the University of Wisconsin (1986-87).
THE CONFERENCE CALLS: Vikings coach Dennis Green will be available to Wisconsin's sports media via conference call in the media auditorium of the Packers' administration building at 12:45 Wednesday, to be followed by wide receiver Cris Carter at 4 o'clock.
THE (NFL) STATISTICAL UPDATE: Running back Ahman Green, with a 168-yard afternoon against the Cleveland Browns, retained the NFC lead in total yards from scrimmage with 1,813 and regained the conference lead in rushing with 1,255, according to the latest official figures announced today.
Kansas City's Priest Holmes paces the AFC and the league with 1,856 total yards and 1,347 yards rushing.
In other categories, Green ranks second in the NFC in the production of first downs with 73 (51 rushing and 22 receiving) and is tied for fourth place in third-and-one rushing with an 80 percent success rate (8 "conversions" in 10 attempts).
Quarterback Brett Favre ranks second in the NFC and third in the NFL as a whole with a 94.1 passer rating, based upon 281 completions in 451 attempts for 3,437 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions.
Favre shares the league lead in touchdown passes with the Rams' Kurt Warner, who also has thrown for 30 scores.
The Packers' veteran field general also ranks third in the NFC in both third-down and fourth-quarter passing. He has an 87.4 rating in the former, based on 70 completions in 126 attempts for 881 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 5 interceptions, and a 101.9 rating in the latter, based upon 62 completions in 101 attempts for 820 yards and 7 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions.
Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Cleveland's Jamir Miller are tied for second in sacks in the NFL with 13.0 apiece - behind league-leader Michael Strahan of the New York Giants, who has 18.0.
Tight end Bubba Franks, with two touchdown receptions against the Browns, climbed into a tie with Mike Horn of New Orleans for fifth place in NFC non-kicker scoring with 54 points.
Punter Josh Bidwell moved up to fourth place among NFC punters - his highest ranking of the season - with a 43.6-yard average for 69 punts.
Wide receiver Bill Schroeder now owns the NFC's second-highest average per reception, 17.5 yards, for 45 catches. The Rams' Isaac Bruce leads with a 17.7-yard average.
As a team, the Packers rank seventh in the NFL on offense (16th in rushing and fifth in passing) and ninth on defense (12th against the run and 10th against the pass).
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