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While others go, there's no one like Mike
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by Peter Jackel the Journal Times
Green BAY - Like those comfortable old shoes you eventually resign yourself to replace, we'll learn to live without the pleasant, home-spun airwaves Jim Irwin and Max McGee brought us every Sunday.
And if the Rev. Reggie White follows through with his pledge to forsake sacks in favor of sermons, somehow life will go on without him, as well.
Both of the above are melancholic, yet tolerable realities. A far more loathsome reality is the idea that Mike Holmgren might be pounding a ``For Sale" sign into the frozen turf of his front yard this winter.
As for Holmgren, though, there's no replacing him.
Someone like Andy Reid, Sherman Lewis or Ray Rhodes may be forced to try next season if Holmgren finds the power he is seeking for from some NFL team and that would just be too bad for the Packers. This is a team, after all, that is as dependent on Holmgren as a diabetic is on insulin.
And it was Holmgren who whipped a team that has seen Favre struggle most of this season into a playoff qualifier even when it has had no right to be one.
When Dorsey Levens' leg snapped last September, Holmgren stuck with it.
When Raymont Harris was being stopped on those third-and-ones, Holmgren stayed the course.
When the Minnesota Vikings were dropping bombs all over the place during that Monday night debacle last Oct. 5, Holmgren was a composed leader.
When Holliday, Craig Newsome, Travis Jervey, Frank Winters, Marco Rivera, Tyrone Davis, Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, George Koonce and Mark Chmura joined Levens on the injured list, Holmgren rolled up his sleeves and drove himself just a little harder.
``This is what makes him a great coach," Favre said. ``He has a knack for keeping guys together. Our first year here (1992), we were not very good and we almost made it into the playoffs with a team that was 4-12 the year before. I think we went on a six- or seven-game run that year and the reason for that is Mike has a way of keeping guys together.
``You never see guys fighting in practice, you never see in the paper the offense talking about the defense or the defense talking about the offense ... it's always positive things. Now sometimes we may feel like saying things like that, but he comes into team meetings and he stresses those types of things how important it is to stay together.
``Sometimes the most talented team doesn't win and that's the truth. And if you can get 50 guys to believe in each other, it's amazing what you can do. He's always been able to do that and some coaches can't. So when he comes into team meetings and stresses things, we believe in it as opposed to just letting it go in one ear and out the other."
It was more of the same Sunday against the Tennessee Oilers. Tight end Mark Chmura strained a calf muscle on the second play of the game and didn't return, junking Holmgren's elaborate double-tight end sets against the Oilers.
``So, we were down to one tight end and we had all these great two-tight end plays gone," Holmgren said.
Instead, Holmgren saw his team adjust to play its most error-free game of the season (no turnovers and just two penalties for 25 yards). Freeman took care of the big plays with three touchdown receptions while the still-recovering Levens balanced things out despite averaging just 2.7 yards per carry.
Just as he's done most of this season, Holmgren somehow managed to make something out of nothing.
He found a way to win, even when he had no right to.
``It was very true," Holmgren said. ``We had been sloppy. I've said that. We've had too many penalties. I've said that. We've had too many turnovers. I've said that.
``We have overcome that, however and if we take care of business next week (against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field), we'll be 11-5 and we're in the playoffs. So who knows?"
The next time you question how talented of a coach Holmgren is, all you have to do is remember the meltdown the Kansas City Chiefs have experienced under Marty Schottenheimer this season. And under circumstances far less serious than the Packers have experienced.
Holmgren has demonstrated time after time that he can almost will his team to victory under the most trying of circumstances and that's a rare skill to have. Vince Lombardi could do it, as can Bill Parcells now.
So many others haven't been able to.
And for that reason, you'd better hope that the tune of the Packers' $4 million offer per season to Holmgren will start ringing in his ears.
When you consider the Los Angeles Dodgers recently gave Kevin Brown, a one-time 20-game winner, more than $100 million over seven years to pitch once every fifth day, Holmgren seems worth so much more than that
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