New coach and old friend Ray Rhodes is singing a one-big-happy-family tune as the Pack makes one more run, but Father Time is creeping up

At 5'11", Williams (37) will have his hands full facing the likes of the 49ers' J.J. Stokes.   Peter Read Miller

During training camp, the Packers dress in their Lambeau Field locker room and then make their way -- on foot, on bikes borrowed from fans or in cars -- the quarter mile across Oneida Street to the Don Hutson Center practice facility. On one warm August day, defensive end Vonnie Holliday had begun the trek when he heard someone say, "You want a ride?" The voice belonged to first-year coach Ray Rhodes. The gesture was unusual because Green Bay coaches just don't give players rides. At least they hadn't before then.

"But that wasn't the biggest thing," says Packers strong safety LeRoy Butler. "Ray was in the passenger seat. It was a two-door car. And he got out of the car, flipped the seat forward and moved into the back. Vonnie sat in front! Can you believe that? We're all watching this happen, and no one can believe it. That's the kind of stuff that builds camaraderie."

Meaningful? Maybe. Symbolic? Absolutely. Last January, Rhodes returned to Green Bay as coach, replacing Mike Holmgren, who had left to become the coach and general manager of the Seahawks. Rhodes, who had been the Packers' defensive coordinator in 1992 and '93, returned to Green Bay with a reputation for dictatorial behavior during four roller-coaster years in charge of the Eagles. But heading into a pressure-packed year with an aging team trying to make one last run at greatness, Rhodes has been light on the Vince Lombardi blowups and heavy on the Willie Stargell We Are Family approach. Oh, he'll get out the whip when he has to. That's also how he approached his job in Philadelphia. The difference is that because of the Eagles' poor play and attitude, Rhodes felt he needed to be volcanic on a regular basis. In Green Bay, he says, "guys worked hard this off-season, came in committed. This is a good team, with good leadership. They know what needs to be done to contend."

That's not to say that Rhodes won't make changes. He knew Butler, a frequent pass rusher in the mid-'90s, was unhappy with his increasingly passive role in the secondary, so Rhodes has put more Butler blitzes back in the playbook. He's going to let Brett Favre air it out more, though little in the West Coast scheme will change now that offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis finally gets his chance to design, script and call the plays, duties that Holmgren reserved for himself.

Rhodes will still blister players, but quietly and most often out of the earshot of others. His trademark speeches won't change -- he told the Eagles that if they wanted to play for him, they'd have to play like they had a loaded .38 against their temples -- but he'll most likely need to use them less. Also, impassioned talks seem to work better when they fall on the ears of talented players.

After winning the NFC Central the previous three seasons, Green Bay finished 11-5 in 1998, four games back of the Vikings. With its starting lineup virtually intact, Minnesota doesn't figure to take any steps back this season. Knowing that these Packers had but a year or two left to contend for the Super Bowl, general manger Ron Wolf settled on Rhodes because he wanted a coach who would ride Pro Bowl players if need be, yet still have the enduring respect of every man in the locker room. "When Ray came in, he licked our wounds, which we needed," says Butler. "Last year we were a distracted team, because we all knew Mike wanted to be a general manager. This year we know we're all pointed in one direction."

That all sounds great, but Green Bay's time is fading rapidly. Defensive end Reggie White has retired, leaving a gaping hole in the pass rush. Wideout and locker room leader Robert Brooks had to quit because of knee and back injuries. The offensive line, particularly left tackle Ross Verba, sprang some leaks; the pressure rained on Favre, and four of the same five blockers are back.

Though Green Bay ranked 10th in the league in pass defense last year, Minnesota exploited the secondary in a pair of victories, piling up 706 yards through the air. Craig Newsome and Tyrone Williams return at cornerback, but Wolf used his first three picks in last April's draft on defensive backs: Antwan Edwards of Clemson, Fred Vinson of Vanderbilt and Mike McKenzie of Memphis. McKenzie has been impressive in camp and might push for a starting job.

Still, the Packers decidedly trail the Vikings in the Central. Rhodes was the right man for this job, but he can't cover Randy Moss.

-- Peter King

Fast Facts

1998 RECORD: 11-5 (2nd in NFC Central)
     NFL rank (rush/pass/total): offense 25/3/5; defense 4/10/4

1999 SCHEDULE STRENGTH (rank): 7 (tie)
     Opponents' 1998 winning percentage: .523; Games against playoff teams: 6

Player to Watch

Keith McKenzie may be the biggest beneficiary of the Packers' coaching change. Unlike his predecessor, Mike Holmgren, new Green Bay coach Ray Rhodes believes that his right defensive end doesn't have to be a 300-pound run stopper. As a cat-quick situational pass rusher, McKenzie had eight sacks playing about 40% of the defensive downs last year. When Reggie White retired, Rhodes switched Vonnie Holliday from right to left end and told McKenzie to go get the quarterback from the other side. "It's the chance I've waited for," says McKenzie, a 6'3", 266-pound seventh-round pick from Ball State in 1996. Though left tackles figure to handle him on running plays, McKenzie says, "I'm a high-intensity guy, and when I've played end, I've held up against the run well." Now he'll get his chance to show he can do it full time.

Other Info

1999 Team Schedule
Team Depth Chart