Newly arrived bad boy Terry Glenn is healthy and wealthy, but is he finally wise?

By Jeffri Chadiha

Green, who had a team-high 62 catches last season, will get some help this year. Al Tielemans Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Packers " Ahman Green has really improved. With him running, they've now got the balance that Mike Holmgren always wanted.... The turnover in personnel at wide receiver could hurt. The West Coast offense involves timing, memorization of plays and making small adjustments. That's going to be tough for those young receivers.... Their offensive line is solid, and with Brett Favre 's quick release and vision, they just have to hold their blocks for a couple of seconds. Depending on how long he's out, the injury [broken thumb] to center Mike Flanagan could hurt -- he was the quarterback of the line. For now, they'll have to rely on backup Frank Winters , who's 38.... Bubba Franks doesn't have speed at tight end, although he's a decent blocker. People were down on him because he dropped some balls last year, but I think Favre's velocity might be a factor. I'm sure he has broken a lot of fingers in his career.... They're thin at linebacker except for Hardy Nickerson . He stays in outstanding shape, and even though he's not big [6'2", 230 pounds], he has range and smarts.... By adding Joe Johnson , the defensive line becomes formidable. He's going to take pressure off the secondary because the pass rush will be much stronger.... I don't see any holes at cornerback. They have three solid cover guys, and Mike McKenzie is a phenomenal athlete. He can jump for balls with any receiver in the league." In the Year 2001 Record: 12-4 (second in NFC Central) NFL rank (rush/pass/total) Offense: 21/3/6 Defense: 16/15/12 New Twist Darren Sharper , who already was one of the game's best free safeties, will take on the job of being the secondary's emotional leader. For 12 years that role was filled by LeRoy Butler , the recently retired strong safety whose candid personality was well-suited to the job. By contrast Sharper, 26, is a soft-spoken type who'll have to become more vocal. Schedule Strength NFL Rank: 28 Opponents' 2001 winning percentage: .465 Games against playoff teams: 7

He had his boys, some beverages and a big-screen television. Last Super Bowl Sunday, in the basement of his Columbus, Ohio, home, Terry Glenn was doing the same thing as millions of other people -- stretching out on a sofa and settling in for kickoff with a bunch of buddies. But ordinary fans didn't have friends teasing them. ("You wish you were there, don't you?") They didn't experience the gut-wrenching jealousy that shot through Glenn when the Patriots won or the ambivalence he felt when a pal asked if he would get a Super Bowl ring. "I said I wouldn't know what to do with one," says Glenn, who didn't receive a ring after being suspended three times by the Patriots last season for various infractions and missing 15 games, including the Super Bowl. "As much as I wanted to be there, I also want to feel part of a team. Watching that game made me hungry."

No player enters this season under more scrutiny than the 28-year-old Glenn, who was acquired by the Packers in March for two draft choices. He's football's most notorious bad boy, a seven-year veteran who, as quarterback Brett Favre says, seems as though he's been around longer because of the publicity he has generated. Still, Glenn has tried to leave his baggage in New England. So far in Green Bay he has worked hard, though minor injuries to both knees kept him out of some practices and the first two preseason games. He has been up front in discussing the seasonlong feud with the Patriots that involved his violating the NFL's substance abuse policy by missing a drug test, New England's withholding $8.5 million of his $11.5 million signing bonus, and his filing a grievance against the Patriots and a lawsuit against the league (both of which, along with the team's countergrievance, were dropped when the trade was made).

Second chances are not unusual for a player with the hands, quickness, speed and body control of Glenn. He says he's motivated, and if that's true, Glenn should help the Packers improve on last season's 12-4 record. "The guy is capable of 100 catches," Favre says. "He has to get used to starting over, which is hard. But I know he's trying. We know he can catch. We want him to be comfortable." Favre has done his part. Shortly after Glenn's arrival in Green Bay, Favre took him golfing; during camp Favre made sure Glenn saw plenty of passes, to build his confidence and the chemistry between the two. In return the receiver has credited Favre for easing the transition. "He's a draw-it-up-in-the-dirt-type quarterback," Glenn says. "If the play is a comeback and something goes wrong, I know I can't give up. As long as I get open, he'll find me."

Glenn faces added pressure this fall because he's the most experienced wideout on the roster. Though Green Bay was third in passing offense last season, the team replaced its three top receivers because they were injury-prone, ineffective or lazy enough to agitate Favre. Along with Glenn the Packers need rookie first-round pick Javon Walker (Florida State) and inexperienced players such as Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson and Charles Lee to energize an air attack that in 2001 relied heavily on running back Ahman Green, who had a team-high 62 receptions.

Glenn will play flanker and move into the slot in three-wide-receiver sets, but he'll have to prove that his 5'11", 195-pound frame can withstand the pounding that comes from playing in the West Coast offense. His career includes a broken collarbone ('97) and ankle ('98), along with assorted hamstring injuries. He also must avoid a repeat of last year's off-field drama. "Time will assure me more than anything," says coach Mike Sherman. "Adversity will come, and that will be the true test of whether he can handle it."

Glenn claims he's ready. Of his past difficulties he says, "I was naive. There's no beating the NFL or the Patriots. Looking back, I would've done things differently."

The wait-and-see attitude of some in Green Bay doesn't bother Glenn. "People have their doubts, but that's a blessing," he says. "I got a little complacent in New England and probably needed a change. That experience helped me grow. And there's no way I would trade that for a Super Bowl ring."

Issue date: September 2, 2002