Scanning all the comments on all the sites on a regular basis, you can get a pretty accurate feel for the pulse of Bucs Nation. It didn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to get that Bucs fans wanted Raheem Morris fired, and while they didnt feel he was the only one at fault, it didn’t really matter. Morris had to go, and the Glazers let him free less than 24 hours after the last game.
With the word that former Packer HC and Texas A&M HC Mike Sherman was brought back for a second interview reaching the bay area, Bucs fans have made themselves quite clear.
Mike Sherman is not wanted by Bucs fans in Tampa Bay. He does absolutely nothing to excite Bucs fans in any way.
His teams at Texas A&M were not really anything to write home about. One can only imagine what former Kansas State QB Josh Freeman thinks of Sherman’s offensive prowess from his time in the Big 12.
What can we take from Sherman’s Texas A&M teams?
Well they finished 3rd in points for in conference play behind OK State and Baylor.
They were 5th out of 10 teams in scoring defense in conference play.
Texas A&M was 8th in home records in conference play (2-3), only winless Kansas and Texas Tech finished worse.
Sherman’s team was 1-4 vs Top 25 teams. Thats not good.
What about past seasons? Sherman was Head Coach from 2008-pres.
2010 Tied for best conference record at 6-2.
5th place in Conference scoring points for.
4th place in Conference scoring points against.
Again, 2-4 against ranked teams.
2009 3-5 in conference play
3rd in conference points for
Dead last in conference points against!
2008, Sherman’s first year- Tied for second worst record in conference play.
Only three teams scored less conference points for in 2008.
Dead last in conference points against.
So Sherman was not able to make an immediate impact, but he has over the course of 4 seasons, thats quite a bit of time however. What does that say about his ability to turn around the Bucs in 2012 and beyond?
Lets look at the Packers while Sherman was coach there from 2000-2005.
2005 18th Offense ranking in NFL,
7th passing, #30 Rushing. (Ahman Green Injury)
7th ranked Defense
2004 #3 Offense in the NFL,
3rd Passing, #10 Rushing
#25 Defense
2003 4th best offense in the NFL,
16th passing, #3 rushing.
#17 Defense
2002 12th best Offense in NFL,
10th Passing, #12 Rushing.
#12 Defense
2001
6th overall offense, #3 Passing, #21 rushing
12th Ranked Defense
2000 Brett Favre was the 5th ranked QB.
Packers 8th Passing, 23rd rushing, 15th offense overall. 15th Defense.
The Packers under Sherman were led by Brett Favre playing in arguably his prime years. In 2003 and 2004, the Packers were one of the best offenses in football, and they did it evenly: running and passing the ball with balance. But there was always something missing when Sherman was head coach. If the team was running and passing, the defense fell. If the Defense was highly ranked, and the passing game, Ahman Green was lost for the year in 2005 and the Packers rushing attack ground to a halt. Green Bay had its worst season in years, and Sherman was fired at the end of the season.
In the end, even more injuries plagued the 2005 Packers than just Green. WR Javon Walker, Robert Ferguson, RB Najeh Davenport and Green’s Back up Samkon Gado went down too!
Green Bay lost three games (weeks 2, 3 and 4) by a combined 6 points, including a one point loss to the Bucs when an extra point was missed that cost the Packers the game to the bucs.
Then they cruised over the Saints 52-3 which caused the Packers to have a positive point differential most of the year in spite of a 4-12 losing season.
So you have to make the call Bucs fans. If Sherman is hired, obviously its not the exciting hire that will generate some champagne bottles popping their corks; but could it result in a 9-7 season in 2012, morphing into winning trend? Isnt that what really matters?
Or is it beyond Sherman’s ability?
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