An abrupt end .......

The speeding bullet that shot down the Green Bay Packers 1999-2000 season, didn't stop with the team yesterday, it also found its target in head coach Ray Rhodes and his entire staff. Ron Wolf, the straight shooter who is known for making snap decisions, must have been thinking about his murderous act for weeks and when he finally sighted his target after the Packers 49-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the final regular season game, his aim was true.

The team's general manager didn't waste any time informing Rhodes and his staff of his decision just after the game, according to anonymous sources.

A formal announcement of the firing took place Monday morning, Jan. 3. "I relieved Ray Rhodes as head football coach of the Green Bay Packers," announced Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf at a packed news conference at the Packers headquarters.

"For whatever reason, our players did not respond to this program," said Wolf. "We will begin our search for a new coach at once."

Rhodes' last game was, ironically, an impressive win, albeit one over an injury- depleted Arizona Cardinal team that had reached about as far as they could in their depth charts without hiring people off the street.

While the Packers did everything they could to assure themselves a spot in the post-season playoffs on that final day of the regular season, the team still needed help from the New York Giants in their game against the Dallas Cowboys.

However, when the Cowboys defeated the Giants, the Packers were done. It was a season of incredible highs and lows for Rhodes, who came to Green Bay less than one year ago with hopes of bringing glory back to Titletown after coach Mike Holmgren moved on to greener grass in Seattle.

Three last-second wins jump started the Packers to a 3-1 record in September, but it was evident this wasn't the same Packer team that had been nearly unbeatable at home over the previous seven seasons.

The slide started when former coach Holmgren embarrassed the Packers at Lambeau Field on national television during the first week of October and hit a new low when Green Bay lost to the hated Chicago Bears after a potential game- winning field goal was blocked.

It became obvious to fans and the media that something was amiss. Rhodes was supposed to be the motivating, hard- nosed coach who could bring out the best in his players. It didn't happen.

Each week brought renewed futility to a franchise that had been nothing but spectacular for most of the decade. Fan Internet forums were full of disparaging remarks about the coaching staff and media reports continually questioned the integrity of the team.

Wolf was listening and watching. He simply didn't like what he saw and probably made his decision to fire the staff weeks ago. The final straw came when the Carolina Panthers came into Lambeau Field a month ago and stole a win from the Packers on the final play of that game. Losses to division rivals Minnesota and Tampa Bay probably didn't help Rhodes' cause either.

Clearly, backing into the playoffs wasn't acceptable to Wolf, who saw so much wasted talent on this year's team. Too many times the team lost games they should have won and even Sunday's impressive offensive outing wasn't enough to save the coach's job.

Which direction Wolf will go in hiring a new staff is uncertain, but some names being thrown around include Steve Spurrier and Bill Parcells. That list will probably grow as the general manager looks to fill the position in the coming weeks.

How soon he will fill it is also questionable. When he hired Rhodes last year, he didn't consider anyone else, interviewing only Rhodes for the job. He may be more thorough and deliberate in his decision-making this time around.

No legacy will survive this one-year coach and he joins Ray "Scooter" McLean (1958 with a 1-10-1 record) as the only other coach in team history to serve just one season.

What has become clear through all this is that Wolf isn't one to hide behind bad decisions. He proved by firing Rhodes that he can own up to his mistakes, make the necessary corrections and move on.

In which direction he will take the team isn't certain, but one thing is for sure - there are plenty of Green Bay Packer fans who are relieved. For 25 years the fans had endured losing teams. But when Holmgren and Wolf teamed up to bring consistency and high expectations to Titletown, the fans became re-accustomed to winning.

Wolf knows the fans won't stand for anything less than an honest effort. He knows they didn't get that from Rhodes and his staff and fired the gun that ended the pretending.

Now, after an abrupt end to a highly disappointing season, the team starts from ground zero again. Whether they can re gain what fans have come to expect is only speculation at this point.

At least fans can breathe a sigh of relief after having run the marathon of this past season.