The Packers’ 25th appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated came during the one year tenure of coach Ray Rhodes. The Packers had started their decline in the post-Holmgren era, and the magazine took notice. Pictured on the cover is tight end Mark Chmura, who has just been walloped and is laying on his back, looking like he’s wondering what happened.
The headline reads “Bottoms Up: The Lions are on top, the Pack is on its back, and the Broncos, Vikings and Niners are reeling. What’s going on?” Apparently, it wasn’t just the once-winning Packers who were experiencing troubles on the field.
As the feature article opens with a two-page photo of Packers ’ running back Dorsey Levens getting gang-tackled by the Detroit Lions, the accompanying text reads “Piling On: In the season’s crazy first two weeks, some some erstwhile NFL have-nots have jumped all over venerabe haves.” The article does not focus on the Packers only, but on all the teams that were having trouble winning at the start of the 1999 season.
The article does state: “The 49ers aren’t the only aging power... Reggie White has left a big defensive hole in Green Bay, and Favre’s vital weapons are disappearing faster than they can be replaced.”
