Monday, Jan. 3 I'm not shocked, but I'm a little surprised that Ray Rhodes was fired so quickly, after only one year. I understand that the Packers didn't get what they wanted out of Rhodes and the football team this year. And I don't question GM Ron Wolf because he has been so successful. But usually, when you sign someone to a four-year deal, you would expect him to at least get two years to make his mark. I would have thought Rhodes would get one more year to see if he could get the Packers headed in the right direction. And then if he couldn't, fire him. There must be some philosophical differences that Wolf just wanted to take care of right away. The issue had to be more deep-seated than how Rhodes coached. I'm sure Wolf has someone else in mind. When a coach is fired that quickly, it's more than just one thing.

"I make no excuses," Rhodes said. "This is a business about getting things done and I understand that. This was a tough year for a lot of our guys."

Rhodes had three seasons remaining on his contract at an estimated $1 million per year.

Wolf made no effort to hide his disappointment.

When asked what Rhodes' response to his dismissal was, Wolf said: "I don't think he's very pleased with it, but I think he understood. We had a long and involved conversation last night."

Wolf did not rule out the possibility of hiring a college coach, although he normally prefers one with NFL experience.

Rhodes' statement

Statement by Ray Rhodes on Monday following his firing after one season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers: First of all, it's not a funeral, people. It's not, OK? Just smile a little bit. But I'll make it very brief and short. First of all, I'd like to thank the Packer organization for giving me the opportunity. Coming in here, you know it's a big situation, a big job here, trying to keep this thing afloat, keep it on top. We didn't get that part done. I realize that you guys have been with me all year and talked with me a lot and you guys know me. I'm not an excuse-maker. As a team we didn't get this thing done this year. I will be the last to try to make any excuses for anything. This is a business about getting things done. Everyone knows that when things don't happen, these are the circumstances that follows. I'd like to say that as a young man I do feel like I have been wonderfully blessed to have been here with this football team, to be a part of the Packer organization. But, again, business is business. I'd like to thank our players. This was a tough year for a lot of our guys. A lot of them. First year not making the playoffs since '93 or '92. It was tough, tough on all our players. Believe me, I bled with them because I know how that feels to miss out on something that you're accustomed to doing. I know for each one of the guys coming back next year they'll redouble their efforts to get this thing done. That's what I asked them to make sure they thought about during the offseason this year. I'd like to thank the supporting staff. I'm referring to the equipment people, the PR department, trainers, video people, all the secretaries that work in the building. They've been very, very nice to me and I really appreciate their support. It's been great working with them. Like I said, I'll make this very short and as far as the media is concerned, you guys have been very fair with me. One thing I'll never question is you write what you see and that's your jobs. I appreciate how you guys treated me also. I think that'll be the extent of it. I would leave this for questions and answers, but at this time I'm deferring away from the questions and answers, but I want to thank everybody. OK? Fine.

Barry Alvarez, who led Wisconsin to its second straight Rose Bowl win, often has been mentioned as a future NFL coach. Offensive coordinators Mike Martz of St. Louis and Tom Moore of Indianapolis are the "hot" assistants and former Carolina Panthers coach Dom Capers restored his reputation with his work as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator this season.

The move in Green Bay comes almost exactly one year after Wolf signed Rhodes to a four-year, $4 million contract to replace Mike Holmgren. Less than a month ago, Wolf dismissed as "ludicrous" the idea that he would fire Rhodes after his first season.

There were rumblings of player unrest after the Packers suffered a 29-10 loss at Tampa Bay on Dec. 26. Safety LeRoy Butler, receiver Antonio Freeman and defensive end Vonnie Holliday were among the players who questioned the toughness of the team. Rhodes passed the comments off as "frustration" and said that lack of toughness was not an issue.

Wolf admitted Monday he saw signs of player dissension in practice.

"You can get a pretty good pulse of the team at practice," Wolf said. "There was a different pulse in the latter part of the season. I think that reflected in our play."

Butler had previously voiced displeasure with his role in the defense. Often used in blitz packages under Holmgren and former defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur, Butler was used primarily in coverage by Rhodes and defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas.

The Packers have an additional incentive to field a winning team as quickly as possible. The team is attempting to entice Wisconsin residents to approve funding for extensive renovations to Lambeau Field or a new stadium entirely.

Holmgren led the Packers to two Super Bowls and one NFL championship during the franchise's return to prominence in the 1990s. In January, Holmgren left Green Bay after seven seasons to become coach and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks.

Though most of Rhodes' staff was new to Green Bay, offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis completed his eighth season with the Packers on Sunday. Along with defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas, Green Bay's staff was the first in NFL history with blacks in all three top positions.

Rhodes came to Green Bay with the reputation of being a players' coach, and the Packers initially responded to his methods. But as a pair of three-game losing streaks killed the team's playoff chances, grumblings began that Rhodes didn't assert enough control over his players.

Ironically, Holmgren was criticized for being too dictatorial when he left Green Bay a year ago.

"This is a total surprise," Favre told the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Sunday night. "I thought he was a real good coach. Guys related to him well because he was a former player. I think what happened, to a certain degree, guys took advantage. And Ray, he wanted to trust in guys."

	Ray Rhodes was 8-8 with Green Bay.

Rhodes, the 12th coach in Packers history, becomes just the second to be fired by the team after one year on the job. Ray "Scooter" McLean was dismissed after the 1958 season.

Rhodes was Holmgren's defensive coordinator in Green Bay for two seasons. He spent the previous four seasons as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, who fired him a year ago.

None of the coaches indicated they had any knowledge of their firings when they left the stadium after Sunday's season-ending victory over the Cardinals.

"I'm sure they'll sit down and evaluate the coaches and see if they can't make some decisions," Lewis said before leaving the stadium. "We'll just wait and see."

When Holmgren left, San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci was thought to be Wolf's first choice for the job. A native of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and a former Packers quarterbacks coach under Holmgren, Mariucci instead signed a contract extension with the 49ers.

"Everybody feels bad about the way things have gone this season," Rhodes said after the Packers were eliminated. "I'm disappointed that we didn't get the help we needed today from the Giants.

"It's tough to have your season end the way it has, watching Dallas win a game on television. But we have no one to blame but ourselves -- we got in this situation by not taking advantage of some opportunities we had earlier this season."