GREEN BAY, Wis. -- One year of mediocrity was one too many for Ron Wolf.
The Green Bay Packers' autocratic general manager fired first-year coach Ray Rhodes and his entire staff just hours after the Packers missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years, a source close to the team told The Associated Press late Sunday night.Rhodes confirmed this morning on his arrival at Lambeau Field that he and his staff had been fired, WTMJ television and radio reported.
The AP source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Packers would announce the firings at a news conference they had scheduled for Monday.
The move 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.
ESPN first reported Rhodes' firing, which was reported by several media outlets this morning. Phone calls to Wolf and team president Bob Harlan were not returned Sunday night.
The Packers (8-8) thrashed the Arizona Cardinals 49-24 Sunday in their regular-season finale, but the Cowboys' 26-18 win over the New York Giants put Dallas (8-8) into the NFC's final playoff spot. Green Bay hadn't missed the playoffs since 1992, Holmgren's first year with the team.
Rhodes endured intense fan and media scrutiny as the Packers struggled to their worst season since 1992. As Green Bay's losses mounted, even quarterback Brett Favre began measuring his comments on Rhodes' control of the team and his strategic decisions.
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 during the 1990s. In January, Holmgren left Green Bay after seven seasons to become the 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 African-Americans 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 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."
Rhodes, the 12th coach in Packers history, becomes just the second coach to be fired by the team after one year on the job. Ray "Scooter" McLean was fired 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.
Packers quarterbacks coach Mike McCarthy and tight ends coach Jeff Jagodzinski both refused to confirm the reports late Sunday night, though McCarthy indicated he had spoken with his "coaching colleagues" about the matter.
"We will be able to talk about this at a later date," McCarthy said.
Offensive line coach Larry Beightol was seen removing materials from his office at Lambeau Field late Sunday night, and the Packers' public relations staff could be seen working well past midnight.
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.