The legacy of the Green Bay Packers is an established one. From Curly Lambeau to Vince Lombardi to Mike Holmgren, Packers' fans enjoy a history of success enjoyed by very few other teams.

Considering their past, if someone asked you which Packers' coach holds the second highest percentage for wins mark, who would you say?

If you guessed Mike Sherman, you got it right.

This is the man who lives and breathes Packers football, the man who felt progressively sick week after week when seeing his team fall to 1-4, the man who poured out his heart after the 1-4 start and said, "Men, I still believe in you."

After five straight wins to rejuvenate a lost season, it appears that the men believed in him, too.

Let?s face it, Green Bay was going nowhere after their humiliating 48-27 at home by the Tennessee Titans. Their disgruntled best cornerback had just been shipped to New Orleans. The defense was allowing scores at will. There appeared to be no indication on either side of the ball that things were going to get turned around.

The quiet voices that suggested Sherman?s firing got louder, and even though we heard the players say after every additional defeat, "This is where we need to respond," we all got the same feeling -- they were saying what they were supposed to say. But, it was nothing more than talk.

Fast forward six weeks later. The Packers haven?t lost since losing to the Titans, playoff dreams that were lost after the 1-4 start have become a likely reality and slowly but surely, they?ve climbed their way to the top of the NFC North.

If either the defense or the offense isn?t showing up, the other is doing just enough to compensate. It appears that "The Talk" conducted by Sherman may have been the turning point of the season.

Although it is unclear what took place in that talk to inspire his players to rise to life, one thing is clear -- the Green Bay team that has won its last five games is not the same team that lost the four preceding that.

Many would argue that any coach who can take his team and guide them through the depths when things have hit rock bottom, is a great mentor.

This is not the first time that the Packers have seemingly destroyed their season?s hopes, only to miraculously bring it back a few weeks later. They have found a way to rise from adversity, a way to win every game down the stretch when it really counts, and a way to get miracles when all hope is lost.

This is all fine and dandy, but what has it proven?

The miracle fourth down catch by Nathan Poole when the St. Louis Cardinals knocked the Minnesota Vikings out and the Packers into the playoffs in 2003, will someday be forgotten. It will be dismissed as nothing more than a fond memory, just like Al Harris? interception return to defeat Seattle in the first round of the playoffs.

However, fourth-and-26 will be ingrained in the minds of Packers fans forever. It haunts, it terrorizes, and makes all fans wonder what might have been. No one will ever forget the scene of an agonized Mike Sherman on a fourth-and-inches call, finally decide to fold his cards and punt away.

The foreseeable nightmare was already beginning to unravel. Just like the Terrell Owens catch that knocked the Packers out of the 1998 playoffs, losing a game that seemed to be won, can engrave itself into the psyche of players for a long time. The only thing that can erase these memories is to get back to that point and rewrite a different ending this time around.

This is where Sherman has a chance to establish his place in the realm of Packers coaching greats.

He dedicates 80 hours every week to his team. He does everything he possibly can to assure that the team has the best possible chance to go out on Sunday and win. Unfortunately for Sherman, no one will remember any of this if he can?t bring home a championship.

The pieces appear to be there. The offense is possibly one of the most talented that the organization has ever had. The defense is the Achilles heel but continues to improve. If it can rise to the occasion as the playoffs approach, the offense may be able to do enough to lead the team to the promised land at Super Bowl XXXIX.

Philadelphia and Atlanta are considered the front-runners at this point, but both have showed signs of vulnerability.

The time is now. Gone are the days of a two-team race between Dallas and San Francisco for the NFC. The conference is more wide open than possibly ever before, for any team that is willing to work for it.

At age 35, Brett Favre is still as hungry as ever for another chance to play for a championship, and the desire of his teammates to rise to the occasion both for him and for themselves can be seen.

Sherman, though wrapping up his fifth year as a head coach, is still learning. He learned last season that playing by the book is not always the way to win. He was out-coached by Andy Reid in the loss to the Eagles, and Sherman may get the chance now after a year of waiting for redemption.

Sherman has made a habit of winning games throughout his tenure as coach, but he must not let this opportunity slip away. He has never been able to get to an NFC Championship Game, much less win the Super Bowl.

No matter what a team?s regular season record is, the playoffs are the only thing that really count. No coach in NFL history can be recognized for greatness if he has not guided a team to a title.

When you think of the great coaches in Packers? history, you think of Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren.

Mike Sherman has a chance to add his name to this prestigious list. Whether or not he is up to the task remains to be seen.