Sherman Gets 2 More

Coach Mike Sherman today received a 2-year extension to his existing contract. Basically, he'll still have the same contract as before -- which actually still pays him ($3.2 million/yr.) as if he was the GM/Coach. Good gig. Packer prez Bob Harlan didn't cut Sherman's pay when he yanked the GM title from him last Jan.. While Sherman is obligated to the Pack, the Pack may not be obligated to him...although no doubt there is a buy-out clause specified in the contract should the Packers decide to dump him overboard at some point.

Sherman's success as a winning coach can't be argued, although he sure seems not to always get the respect that he should get as a result. Sherman has the 3rd best winning percentage (.663) of all current active NFL coaches, although since Jim Mora, Jr. is included in that total and only has one season under his belt we should really toss that one out. In that case, Sherman trails only Philly's Andy Reid. The knock, of course, is that despite having the best quarterback in football for all 86 games of his head coaching tenure at Green Bay, Sherman has yet to lead the Pack to the NFC championship game let alone the Super Bowl. No need to rehash the blown opportunities and bad coaching decisions at some critical times in certain games -- Packer fans know those all too well. Still, Sherman's record ranks 3rd in all-time Packer coach winning percentage behind Lombardi and Holmgren and ahead of Curly Lambeau. That certainly deserves a contract extension...but until he wins more than Division championships, Sherman's legacy -- despite overall winning percentage -- will not put him on the same level as the Pack's greatest coaches.