Could ex-Packers coach Mike Sherman join Lovie Smith's Illini staff?

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The Illini have a former Bears head coach running the show now in Champaign. So why not add a former Green Bay Packers head coach to the mix?

According to a report from Fox Sports' Alex Marvez, new Illinois head coach Lovie Smith is targeting Mike Sherman to be his offensive coordinator.

Sherman most notably was the head coach of the Packers from 2000 to 2005. He also was the head coach at Texas A&M from 2008 to 2011. But he's had myriad other coaching jobs at the college and pro levels, also the high school level, as his current gig is as the head coach at a Massachusetts high school. Sherman has been the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins, and he's been a college assistant Pittsburgh, Tulane, Texas A&M and UCLA.

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Sherman's Texas A&M teams could really move the ball through the air, in line with the rest of the pass-happy Big 12 during those years. From 2008 to 2011, Texas A&M ranked 39th, 17th, 17th and 16th in the country in passing yardage. The 2010 team tied for the Big 12 championship

During his time leading the Packers, the team made four playoff appearances and won three consecutive division titles with Brett Favre at quarterback.

Smith's tenure with the Bears and Sherman's tenure with the Packers overlapped by two seasons. The Bears went 3-1 against the Packers in 2004 and 2005.

The other two assistants mentioned in Marvez's report have ties to Smith, too. Holt was Smith's offensive line coach with the Bears during the 2012 season. Hayes-Stoker was Smith's wide receivers coach last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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