1999 record: 8-8, fourth place in NFC Central.

Last five years: 56-24.

Coach: Mike Sherman is in his first season as an NFL head coach.

Playoff past: The Packers are 10-7 in postseason play since the merger and the team has three Vince Lombardi trophies, symbolic of victories in Super Bowls I, II and XXXI, in its complex. One of the more disappointing defeats for the Packers, though, was their loss to Denver in Super Bowl XXXII. It was a setback from which the team seemingly has not yet recovered. The team lost at San Francisco in the first round of the '98 playoffs on a last-minute touchdown pass by 49ers quarterback Steve Young to wide receiver Terrell Owens and that seemed to augur a slide of sorts. Notable is the Packers have not experienced a losing season since 1991.

Outlook

The abrupt and unexpected departure of coach Ray Rhodes after just one season, and an 8-8 record that sadly mirrored the Green Bay Packers' unmistakable mediocrity in 1999, brought the team under the close scrutiny of civil rights groups like the Rainbow Coalition.

It galvanized the critics who contended that, had Rhodes been a white man, a .500 record would have certainly been sufficient reason to keep him on the job at least another year. It forced general manager Ron Wolf to defend himself and his decision-making processes. And, frankly, it made a lot of people even in the NFL offices a tad uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, amid all the rhetoric and the social saber-rattling and do-good doggerel the firing of Rhodes spawned on a national basis, most people missed an important point. The dismissal of Rhodes after one season on the job, the first time a league coach had been fired so quickly since the New York Jets booted Pete Carroll following the 1994 campaign, was as big a self-indictment by Wolf as it was a commentary on the coach he hired to succeed Mike Holmgren.

Ron Wolf (left) hopes new coach Mike Sherman will lead the Packers back to glory.(AP)

There is no big-picture football decision that gets made in Green Bay that isn't made by Wolf, the best general manager in the league. When he makes a mistake, as he clearly felt he did by hiring Rhodes, then Wolf admits it. And the dismissal of Rhodes the night the season ended, a move so expeditiously carried out that it stunned even a few Green Bay front office types, was perhaps the most public admission of Wolf's long and celebrated career that he had screwed up.

"As it turned out," said Wolf, "he just wasn't the coach I thought I had hired. He wasn't the same guy who had been here as an assistant. It was a tough thing."

But now comes the really tough thing -- finding out if the Packers' talent is as good as Wolf thinks it is, even while some of his peers insist the roster is in decline. Other discoveries will be whether rookie coach Mike Sherman, a man who impressed Wolf with a disciplined approach that represented a 180-degree departure from Rhodes, is as good as mentor Holmgren claims he will be and whether Wolf is still an amazingly astute judge of players and of the guy who should lead them.

As much as anything, Wolf fired Rhodes because the general manager believes that guys like Dorsey Levens, Antonio Freeman, Vonnie Holliday, Santana Dotson and others are good players. And he believes the Packers' good players, the core group every team must have performing well if it is to win consistently, had regressed. One confidant of the general manager noted that Wolf could have gone against his own instincts and given Rhodes another year, but that the result could be the standout players had fallen even further behind.

"What people don't realize," said the friend, "is that Ron put even more pressure on himself by doing what he did."

Given his track record, the smart money is on Wolf, a guy who ranks among the most respected people at any level of the game. Then again, this is not as well-rounded a Green Bay team as the one that captured Super Bowl XXXI and nearly took Super Bowl XXXII. The biggest equalizer is the quarterback, and it will be up to Sherman and offensive coordinator Tom Rossley to return Brett Favre to his past glories.

Training camp and the preseason have signaled that the new staff won't be so quick to coddle the three-time league most valuable player, won't be so dismissive of his mistakes, won't overlook the lapses in judgment or the stretches when Favre reverts to freelance, playground football.

At age 30, Favre is still a relatively young quarterback. It's just that he has been on center stage so long now that people regard him as nearing his football dotage. Wolf disregards such rhetoric and so does Favre, who is being asked to paint by numbers after a couple seasons when he just splashed the paint on the canvas and hoped the picture turned out OK.

For years now, this has been Favre's team, and it still is. For years now, it has been Ron Wolf's passion, and it still is. For eight seasons, ever since Wolf traded for Favre when the Falcons all but ordered his old friend Ken Herock to deal the quarterback, the two men's lives and dreams have been intertwined. This year, they may be more so than ever.

Schedule preview: In a rarity, the Packers don't face a division opponent the entire first month of the season, but then play nothing but NFC Central opposition in all four December games. The team usually has at least one three-game road stretch but has been able to avoid that in 2000. There is, however, a stretch in the middle of the season when the Packers play four of six games away from Lambeau Field. Only once, though, do they have consecutive home games. The "bye" week is conveniently placed on Oct. 22, after seven games. The final game of the season, at home on Christmas Eve, is against Tampa Bay.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 9 overall, No. 21 rushing, No. 7 passing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 19 overall, No. 22 vs. the rush, No. 18 vs. the pass.

Key players lost from 1999: TE Mark Chmura (released), LB George Koonce (released), DE Keith McKenzie (Cleveland), CB Fred Vinson (Seattle), DE Vaughn Booker (Cincinnati), TE Jeff Thomason (Philadelphia), QB Aaron Brooks (New Orleans), TE Lamont Hall (New Orleans).

Key additions for 2000 RB Ahman Green (from Seahawks), DT Russell Maryland (from Raiders), DE John Thierry (from Browns), DE David Bowens (from Broncos), LB Anthony Harris (from Dolphins), LB K.D. Williams (from Saints), LB Mike Morton (from Rams), TE Kaseem Sinceno (from Eagles), P Tommy Hutton (from Dolphins).

Rookies to watch: With 13 selections, thanks in large part to a bounty of compensatory picks, the Packers tied Cleveland for most overall choices in the 2000 draft. Give general manager Ron Wolf and personnel director Ken Herock that many shots at the target and they're going to hit at least a few bull's eyes. First-round tight end Bubba Franks, who the team had rated only slightly ahead of Anthony Becht, has stepped right into the starting lineup to replace the deposed Mark Chmura. He isn't as precise a route-runner as his predecessor and quarterback Brett Favre won't have the same comfort level, but Franks should, in time upgrade the position. The team feels it struck gold in the second round, with former Tennessee offensive tackle Chad Clifton, projected as a future starter on the left side. Fourth-rounder Na'il Diggs is competing for the starting strong-side linebacker job and seventh-round offensive tackle Mark Tauscher is getting good reviews. There are some clunkers, like fifth-round wide receiver Joey Jamison, who already has been waived, and No. 4 wideout Anthony Lucas, who will undergo knee surgery and miss his whole rookie campaign. But the coaches like the late-round picks and this appears to be a very good draft for the Packers.

Offensive line: It might not seem like a radical reshuffling, but coaches and team officials feel the move of Ross Verba inside to left guard could make this a special unit. Verba is the resident tough guy who demonstrated a mean streak the first time he stepped on the field in '97. But he surrendered a little too much to the outside against upfield speed-rushers as a left tackle and the new staff asked him early on to move to guard. If he is as good there as the people to whom we have spoken claim he has been, the Packers will have an inside player capable of brawling with the tougher defensive tackles in the league, like Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp. For the switch to work, the left tackle spot must be viable and the jury remains out on Mike Wahle.

A solid and flexible athlete, blessed with long arms and a rangy frame, Wahle might need some time to settle into the position. If he struggles, don't be surprised to see rookie Chad Clifton get some playing time. Center Frank Winters has lost some inside push and this could be the year Mike Flanagan challenges for a starting job at the hub, provided he stays healthy. Right tackle Earl Dotson is the classic drive blocker but has two left feet and 16 false-start penalties the past two seasons.

Wide receivers/tight ends: Depending on who you talk to, wide receiver Antonio Freeman has either been a textbook underachiever since netting his new, $5 million-a-year contract or was merely the victim of injuries. No matter the excuses, it's time for less talk and more production from the one big-play guy in the aerial game. Never a speed guy, Freeman didn't seem to work hard enough to defeat the initial jam against "press" coverages in '99 and appeared to lose some heart across the middle. Without tight end Mark Chmura, the middle wasn't cleared out nearly as well, either, and that might have been a factor.

That's why the Packers need first-round choice Franks to make an immediate impact at tight end. Franks is probably a better blocker at the point of attack than Chmura, lacks his awareness in the passing game, but should do better running after the catch. Wideout Bill Schroeder had 74 catches for 1,051 yards in '99 but has to get the ball into the end zone more. The best raw talent is wideout Corey Bradford, a pet project for Favre, but a guy who is more raw than Steak Tartar.

Running backs: For the Packers to be truly effective, they need to have the ball in the hands of tailback Dorsey Levens 20-25 times a game as a runner and receiver. But the versatile Levens has been a walking welt the last couple years, injuries robbing him of some toughness, and durability has suddenly become a question mark with him. The team acquired speedy Ahman Green from Seattle, not only to provide a change of pace in the running game but also to take some carries away from Levens. There are times when Green just outruns his blockers or doesn't correctly read the blocks, but he is an exciting player who will help return the screen pass to prominence in the Green Bay attack. Fullback William Henderson slipped a bit in '99, but he remains one of the game's best lead-blockers and a totally selfless performer.

Quarterbacks: It's almost sacrilegious to suggest the new coaching staff will try to take some of the pressure off Favre in 2000, but that appears to be the case. The Packers still will only go as far as Favre can take them, but Mike Sherman would prefer he take them there in once piece. So the offense will be a bit more diverse, the running game a lot more physical and the blocking schemes under former offensive line coach Sherman noticeably sounder.

Favre had a built-in excuse for his uneven play last year, the thumb injury that would have kept lesser players out of the lineup. The thumb probably isn't ever going to be 100 percent, but the pain and swelling subsided during the offseason and Favre was zipping lasers again in camp. The new staff will hold him more accountable for mental errors and blunders in reading coverages, and Sherman already has demonstrated he won't hold back verbally in chastising his star. Matt Hasselbeck has developed into a superior backup and some teams attempted to pry him away from the Packers with offseason trade proposals. Hasselbeck is big and rangy, with an above-average arm. Former Heisman winner Danny Wuerrfel is more notable than most third-string quarterbacks.

Defensive line: Since this unit displayed last year that it lacked the physical ability to take up the sack slack created by the retirement of Reggie White, new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell will try to play a lot of different personnel packages and outscheme opponents. The best player still is end Vonnie Holliday, but he is more an all-around performer than a pure sack threat. Holliday is a master at playing off blocks with his hands and anchoring against the run. Donatell will take a chance that former first-round bust John Thierry, who showed some rush ability late last season in Cleveland, can apply pressure on the pocket. He'll also hope that second-year pro David Bowens, acquired in a trade with Denver, is as good a rushman as he looked in camp. Bowens was one of those "tweener" players who didn't have a position, but has bulked up to about 260 pounds and certainly looks the part of a rush end now.

The interior players, Santana Dotson and new addition Russell Maryland, should fit well with the one-gap style being espoused. Dotson has always been a guy looking to get into the backfield quickly. The problem inside is a notable lack of size and the staff is hopeful that third-round tackle Steve Warren can help in that regard. Youngster Billy Lyon and Cletidus Hunt also will see considerable playing time.

Linebackers: Another undersized bunch, especially if weak-side standout Brian Williams isn't sufficiently recovered from '99 knee surgery by the start of the season, which he likely will not be. The new scheme is perfect for Williams, an active linebacker equally adept at dropping into coverage or dropping in on an unsuspecting quarterback. But he can't do either on one leg. That means Jude Waddy, a terrific athlete but only about 210 pounds, probably begins the season as the starter. And it means opponents are going to run right at him. Bernardo Harris is a very good run stuffer in the middle, but just a two-down player who can't play the pass. The strong-side spot is up for grabs, and could go to former Miami part-time starter Anthony Harris or rookie Diggs, a fourth-round pick. There are suddenly a bunch of veteran backups, but what this unit needs more than anything is for Williams to get healthy fast.

Secondary: The team spent its first three choices in the '99 draft on defensive backs and two of them are still around, and likely to be starting. The staff likes left corner Mike McKenzie every bit as much as did their predecessors. Happily, this staff is getting more out of right corner Tyrone Williams. McKenzie is a slick coverage player who doesn't mind the physical roughhousing. Williams is a little bigger, but got out of shape in '99 and never regained the form that made him a real "comer" the previous season. Whether it's at corner or safety, the Packers are going to have to find a home for '99 first-round pick Antuan Edwards. A safety with corner coverage skills, he was the unit's premier player in the spring. The problem is, the staff can't take strong safety and team leader LeRoy Butler off the field in favor of Edwards, and the hope is that free safety Darren Sharper finally lives up to his billing. But Edwards is way too good to just be a "nickel" defender, so someone is going to step aside.

Special teams: The big question mark is, who will return punts? The bigger one is, who will be punting in 2000? Second-year punter Josh Bidwell is coming off surgery for testicular cancer and, while everyone is hoping for a strong return, there are no guarantees he will win the job. There are no viable candidates right now apparently for the return job, since the Packers early this week waived fifth-round pick Joey Jamison, a guy drafted specifically to handle that chore. Kicker Ryan Longwell has an 80 percent career success rate, but he tends to try to overpower the longer field goals and had three blocked in 1999.