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Go-To Guy | Weakest Link | Burning Question | Offseason Movement

Glance Head coach: Mike Sherman 2001: Results 2002: Draft picks Training camp: July 24 at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.  2002 Schedule Date  Vs.  Time  Sept. 8  ATL.  1 p.m.  Sept. 15  at N.O.  1 p.m.  Sept. 22  at Det.  4:15 p.m.  Sept. 29  CAR.  1 p.m.  Oct. 7  at Chi.  9 p.m.  Oct. 13  at N.E.  1 p.m.  Oct. 20  WAS.  4:15 p.m.  Oct. 27  Open     Nov. 4  MIA.  9 p.m.  Nov. 10  DET.  1 p.m.  Nov. 17  at Min.  1 p.m.  Nov. 24  at T.B.  1 p.m.  Dec. 1  CHI.  1 p.m.  Dec. 8  MIN.  8:30 p.m.  Dec. 15  at S.F.  4:15 p.m.  Dec. 22  BUF.  1 p.m.  Dec. 29  at NYJ  4:15 p.m.

By B. Duane Cross, CNNSI.com

In his first full year out from the shadow of longtime Green Bay GM Ron Wolf, Packers head coach Mike Sherman is hoping his 2002 draft decision-making will mesh with Wolf's parting picks.

Wolf's final draft yielded Jamal Reynolds, Robert Ferguson, Bhawoh Jue, Torrance Marshall, Bill Ferrario and David Martin, arguably the biggest contributor last season -- as a sixth-round choice. Jue also stepped into the starting lineup Nov. 22 after safety LeRoy Butler was lost for the season because of a broken shoulder blade.

This offseason, Sherman pulled the trigger on a trade for former New England enigma Terry Glenn and signed defensive end Joe Johnson and linebacker Hardy Nickerson, who had a franchise-record 230 tackles for Jacksonville last season. He also moved up eight spots in April's draft to snare WR Javon Walker.

Combined with the breakout season of DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (13 1/2 sacks, though only two in the final five games) and the ever-present Brett Favre, Titletown is thinking back to the future, circa 1993. That's when God "told" Reggie White to sign with Green Bay, and four seasons later the Packers were celebrating their third Super Bowl victory.

But all is not cheese-in-the-sky over Brown County. Reynolds and Ferguson were unqualified busts last season, and Butler's injury weakened an already susceptible secondary.

Reynolds' miserable rookie year entailed just two sacks in eight games after a left knee injury in training camp set him back. He underwent arthroscopic surgery Jan. 28 to repair cartilage damage in the joint, but did not participate in either of the team's two minicamps. Ferguson was active for only one game in 2001 because of a combination of injury and questionable work habits.

Nonetheless, the pieces are in place, including Ahman Green, the NFL's fourth-leading rusher last season, the return of all five starting offensive linemen and a bulkier defensive front.

"I sit back and I think about this camp, a couple of years ago when I first got here," Sherman said. "Every day is just so much smoother and our talent level has improved dramatically since that point. I feel we're a better team, collectively and individually at certain positions than we were a few years ago."

And Wolf is never far from Green Bay. In fact, he was at the team's minicamp in early June. "It's more just the fun of being around," he said. "It's interesting to see there's so many new faces here just in a year, which to me is so incredible, but also a sign of football today.

"[Sherman] has his own thing to do," Wolf said. "I'm just like yesterday's tissue paper: down the drain. And that's the way it should be. It's his team."

This year more than ever.

Fact Last year, Brett Favre set the NFL record with his 10th consecutive season of 3,000 yards passing. Dan Marino holds the career record with 13 total seasons of 3,000 or more yards.

Brett Favre, QB -- While the NFL discourages teams from retiring numbers -- it prefers teams retire "jerseys" -- the Packers should thumb their noses and go ahead and hang this one up. No. 4 has been a staple under center for a decade and was as good in Year 10 as in Year 3, the first of his three consecutive MVP seasons.

After back-to-back subpar seasons, by today's Hall of Fame standards, Favre responded in 2001 with 3,921 yards, 32 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 94.1 QB rating, fourth-best in the league and his highest mark since 1996.

But the overlooked aspect of Favre's persona is his charisma, a locker room presence who paved the way for Sherman to make the trade for Glenn. Favre is only 32, so the chance to add a potential game-breaking receiver -- Antonio Freeman, since released, had lost that distinction -- was too good to pass.

"I don't know how he and Drew [Bledsoe] got along, and I don't really care," Favre said. "I think I'm as easy as anyone to get along with, and I want him to feel comfortable. There's no reason why he shouldn't. The guy can play. The sky is the limit for him. I don't think there's a better place he could have gone to for a chance to really produce and put yourself back on top. It's up to him."

And with that, Glenn immediately became one of the guys. Granted, one of the guys shouldered with the burden of lifting a young receiving corps, but as the No. 1 receiver the Favre-Glenn combination does have big-play potential.

"The first thing I thought when I heard about the trade was 'Oh my God, Brett Favre and Terry Glenn together,'" said Maurice Carthon, offensive coordinator with Detroit and a Patriots assistant from 1994-96. "He could put years onto Favre's career."

Even more concerning for opposing coaches: Favre suggested at minicamp that the offensive talent -- albeit young -- is the best he's seen in his 10 years in Green Bay, which includes the Packers' Super Bowl teams of 1996 and '97.

Fact Hardy Nickerson, who will enter his 16th season, is the most-tenured LB in the NFL. The only other active defensive players who have played longer: CB Darrell Green (20) and DE Bruce Smith (18) of Washington.

Linebackers -- After bolstering the secondary through the draft in recent seasons and bulking up the trenches via free agency, the Packers added Nickerson to help improve clearly the Achilles' heel of the defense.

Defensively, Green Bay ranked 12th last season -- 15th against the run and 16th in passing.

While Marshall is progressing, the second-year player isn't Ray Nitschke. And neither are Nate Wayne and Na'il Diggs, but they are serviceable. Still, Nickerson will be 37 in September and while he comes relatively cheap ($1.5 million), this is clearly a shot at the brass ring for him -- and not a longtime solution for the team.

The rest of the LBs are a collection that only a mother could love: veterans Rob Holmberg, Chris Gizzi and neophytes Anthony Sessions, Algie Atkinson, Cornell Menafee, Adrian Hollingshed, Marcus Wilkins and Paris Lenon.

Entering his 16th season, Nickerson has played in 209 games. The other four players with experience have played in 183 games combined.

With a glut of talent up front, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell will use the "56" (five down linemen, six defensive backs) as the base defense. To that end, Sherman and Donatell gave Gbaja-Biamila some work at strong-side linebacker during the April minicamp. "We'll just have to wait and see," Sherman said. "If he can't we will at least have tried it and if he can we have another potential linebacker in the bank."

"I'm a team kind of guy so whatever helps the team," Gbaja-Biamila said. "I'm just looking at it as trying to revolutionize what I do, just trying to open the door for what I can do."

With the loss of Allen Rossum, who will return kicks?

Fact A former minor league baseball player, Javon Walker had as many hits, one, as he did strikeouts during the annual Brett Favre Celebrity Softball Game on June 9.

With most of the problem areas addressed, finding a sure-handed, fleet-footed return specialist will be a training camp priority.

Rossum signed with Atlanta as a free agent this offseason, a blow to both the Packers' special teams and depth in the secondary. In his place, Green Bay will look at a variety of players to fill the void. Charles Lee, Scott Frost, Ferguson and rookies Richard Lewis and Walker are being considered for punts. Lee has the most experience -- three returns for 6 yards last year. Ferguson returned one -- for 4 yards -- and fair-caught two others.

However, don't be surprised if Sherman deals for a returner. After all, it's how he landed Rossum after a preseason trade with Philadelphia in 2000.

"I think we have people back there who can do it," Sherman said. "It's going to be fun trying to find the right guy to do it. That's been a position that I've struggled with because it's easy to say, 'Let's get this returner or that returner.' But until I can be convinced that he'd be part of the 45-man roster, and who are you going to sit down to do that. ... Everybody wants us to get a return man on the staff, but I guarantee you none of those coaches want to give up a player at their position to justify that."

Lewis, a return specialist at North Dakota State, was a two-time All-American and averaged 14.3 yards on 53 punt returns with four TDs and 22.9 yards on 25 kick returns with a TD.

"It's a concern. It's always a concern when you lose a guy of the quality of Allen Rossum and what he provided for us," special teams coach Frank Novak said. "Not only as a kick returner but as a punt returner and being able to play on defense. It's a big concern."

Rondell Mealey and Herbert Goodman have the most kick-return experience, but neither were impressive last season. Mealey averaged 15.8 yards on four returns, while Goodman returned one for 21 yards. Mealey has four career returns for 63 yards; Goodman five for 150.