[CBFF] Bears Fans, Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses

[Steve Behrens]

((( Yes,  Bears fans are worried about obvious problems with our team, but
sometimes you have to stop and appreciate the good in life.....)))


*1-5 at home? No wonder fans boo*

Slump started with Sherman, but McCarthy must reverse

*By Mike Vandermause <mvandermause at greenbaypressgazette.com> *

Charles Woodson was taken by surprise when the Green Bay Packers were booed
off the field at halftime on Sunday.

"You hear so many great things about Lambeau Field and playing here in Green
Bay," Woodson said, "and that's the one thing I've never heard before I came
here is Green Bay being booed. It's never fun to get booed. When your home
crowd is fed up with what's going on on the field and they boo you, that's a
little disappointing."

The Packers cornerback understood the fans' frustration.

"With the performance we had (Sunday), if I was a fan, I probably would have
booed too," Woodson said.

It was arguably the worst first-half performance in the history of the
franchise, and the resulting 38-10 beatdown at the hands of the Jets left
the reeling Packers with the worst home record in the National Football
League.

Remember when opponents hated the thought of coming to Lambeau Field,
especially in December? Remember when the Packers were virtually unbeatable
at home?

Now teams are lining up for a chance to play here. Not only are the Packers
1-5 at home, they haven't been competitive in three of those five losses.
The Bears, Patriots and Jets have combined to pummel the Packers 99-10 at
Lambeau.

It's beyond embarrassing.

The Packers have sunk to depths not seen in Green Bay since the 1950s.

Even the Packers' lean years in the 1970s and 1980s look good compared to
what has been on display at Lambeau lately.

Dan Devine and Bart Starr had rocky coaching stints in Green Bay, but both
posted winning home records. Devine was 14-11-3. Starr was 35-30-1. Forrest
Gregg (13-18-1) and Lindy Infante (13-19) were far less successful at home,
but their winning percentages are positively glowing compared to the
Packers' pathetic 4-12 record in their last 16 home games.

Is it any wonder the fans were booing on Sunday?

If the Packers lose their final two home games against Detroit and Minnesota
this season, they would finish 1-7 at Lambeau and equal the worst home mark
in team history, set by Gregg's 1986 team.

By comparison, Mike Holmgren needed seven years to accumulate seven losses
at home.

Holmgren was an astounding 54-7 in home games from 1992 to 1998. Who can
forget the Packers' remarkable 29-game home winning streak, including
playoffs, from 1995 to 1998?

After witnessing Sunday's debacle, that era seems like a long time ago.

First-year coach Mike McCarthy is only partially responsible for the
Packers' recent troubles at home.

The first crack in the Lambeau mystique appeared in January 2003.

Until then, Mike Sherman had posted a gaudy 22-3 home record in his first
three seasons as the Packers' coach. His .880 winning percentage almost
matched Holmgren's .885 mark.

But after Sherman guided his team to an 8-0 record at Lambeau during the
2002 regular season, fans watched in stunned disbelief as the Packers
suffered their first home playoff loss in team history on Jan. 4, 2003 — a
27-7 drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons.

That loss sent Sherman careening to a 13-14 home record over his final three
years, including another devastating playoff loss to Minnesota.

It only has gotten worse under McCarthy, whose lone victory at Lambeau Field
came at the expense of the Arizona Cardinals, who have the third-worst
record in the NFL.

The Packers' woes at Lambeau coincide to some degree with the team's decline
in recent seasons.

But if the rebuilding Packers want to become a playoff contender again, the
foundation for that success must start at home.

Otherwise, the booing will get louder.

Or worse yet, the silence of apathetic fans will become deafening.