It's strange, but they edited out of that article some stuff about Ken Herock. It was in there yesterday, but not today. Here is that part of the story:
jsonline.com
Right-Hand Man Seemed Left Out
Herock Was Thought To Be Heir-Apparent
By MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2001
Green Bay - The assumption was that if Green Bay
Packers general manager Ron Wolf ever decided to leave
his job, longtime friend and current right-hand man Ken
Herock would succeed him as the team's top personnel
executive.
But Packers president Bob Harlan decided not to go that
route. Wolf announced Thursday that he will retire effective
June 1 and Harlan, in a surprise move, said Mike Sherman
would assume Wolf's duties while continuing as the team's
head coach.
Sherman, 46, just completed his first season as a head
coach at any level and has never been a scout or personnel
director. Herock, 59, has evaluated player personnel for 31
years and, except for Wolf, is by far the most experienced
on the Packers' 12-man personnel staff.
Wolf endorsed Sherman as his successor and Harlan, who
preferred to promote from within, agreed. So he selected
Sherman over other potential candidates, including Herock,
the Packers' vice president of personnel since April 1999.
"I wanted to go in another direction," Harlan said. "Right or
wrong, I wanted to go in another direction."
Herock said Harlan never talked to him about succeeding
Wolf and that Wolf, who had been contemplating retirement
since August, didn't tell him about his plans until the last
moment.
"I didn't see it coming," Herock said. "I didn't expect it. I
was very, very much surprised."
However, Herock said he wasn't disappointed that neither
Harlan nor Wolf approached him about the job. And
Herock said he didn't consider himself the heir apparent to
Wolf.
"I can't say that, no," he said. "I was here to go through with
Ron, and I basically thought we would finish up at the same
time. But I haven't hit the wall yet.
"Mike is a good man, and (Harlan) made a decision to go
with a guy he is comfortable with in that position. We are
here to help Mike in any way we can. Ron made sure that
we have good people here. Now Mike will have to come to
us and get all the information."
Herock, who has never been a general manager,
acknowledged he would have been interested in the
Packers' general manager job if approached. But he said he
doesn't plan to leave the Packers for another team.
"My plans are to finish (my career) with the Packers," he
said. "I enjoy it here. I have a task. I came here with
intentions of attending some Super Bowls, and that still is
what I want to do."
Herock, who played seven NFL seasons as a tight end with
the Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and Boston
Patriots, has worked under Wolf for three different NFL
teams, including his first job as special teams coach and
scout for the Raiders in 1970.
Herock and Wolf were together in Oakland until 1975, in
Tampa Bay from 1976-'78 and again in Oakland from
1984-'86. Herock left the Raiders to join the Atlanta
Falcons in 1987 and stayed until rejoining the Raiders for
the 1997 and '98 seasons. The two were reunited when
Herock joined the Packers in 1999.
"One of the reasons to get here was to be with Ron again,"
Herock said. "Now he is headed into the sunrise, as they
say. But I will tell you this: I have got a great job and this is a
great team. Now it is a matter of marching forward."
As general manager for nine years, Wolf enjoyed a rare
amount of freedom, in part because the Packers are a
publicly owned franchise with no owner to look over his
shoulder. Wolf has consulted Harlan about major decisions
but generally has free reign.
When he arrived in Green Bay, Wolf already had spent 27
years working in NFL personnel departments, and his
decisions on players were credited with helping the Packers
return to prominence after two decades of mediocrity.
Now Sherman will be asked to take over as the Packers
could be on the verge of returning to the playoffs after two
seasons.
Herock said he doesn't anticipate the personnel staff will
have to adjust much to working for someone with no
background in scouting.
"Mike is a sharp enough guy that he will realize what he wants, and we will adjust to whatever it is he
wants," Herock said. "The people in personnel here can adjust. I don't think it is going to be much
different. Mike has been around Ron and seen how Ron has operated, and I think we will pretty much
stay the same course." |
