Let’s isolate and examine just one of the major criticisms of Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy and the way he does his job: predictable offensive play calling.
The sampling of quotes that follow show these critiques go back to at least 2014. The endless complaints have come from individual fans, bloggers, local media, national sports outlets and even one honest Green Bay player. Nowhere has the criticism been made more pointedly, more repeatedly, or for a longer duration than on the Total Packers site – by both contributors and commenters.
Following the NFC Championship game loss to the Seahawks that ended the 2014 season: McCarthy is a micromanaging, “joystick” coach… Instead of adjusting in-game or coaching with any kind of feel, however, he walks into a contest with a plan and loathes to deviate. “If you want to question my playcalling… I’m not questioning it,” McCarthy boasted… Unfortunately for Green Bay fans, the target can change and sometimes you need a coach to realize it.
– January 19, 2015 – Fox SportsFollowing consecutive losses to the Broncos, Panthers, and Lions in mid-2015: “I think that our offense has become too predictable. Teams know exactly what we’re going to do every week. We need to show them some different things. We’re not intimidating the defense right now. We’re not making them think, so they can just play really fast.”
– November 16, 2015 – former Packers guard Josh Sitton“The last thing [McCarthy] wants is for this offense to become as predictable as it was in 2015.”
– June 21, 2016 – Jeffri Chadiha, NFL Media columnist“In 2015, however, Green Bay didn’t look like themselves on the offensive side. They finished the season 23rd in total offense and 15th in points per game. Without injured wide receiver Jordy Nelson, Rodgers looked mortal for the first time and the offense became predictable and stagnant.”
– June 21, 2016 – Jack Browne, TheScore.com“Seeing all 16 games (most on film) and talking with NFL coaches, can say GB had worst-coached offense in NFL last year.”
– August 8, 2016 – Andy Benoit, Sports Illustrated analystColumn title: “Mike McCarthy, predictable Packers struggle through same offensive issues”
– September 20, 2016 – Rob Demovsky, ESPN“Packers teams [ever since 1992] have used the bye week to delve into data on themselves, trying to find out whether they had become predictable to their opponents. It’s a fine exercise that almost every team in the NFL does now, but one that does not serve the Packers very well this year.”
– October 3, 2016 – Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel“The predictable offense that McCarthy had used for most of this season’s first three games was gone in a single, thrilling series [against the Giants]. Then it wasn’t… predictably, the offense stalled and looked much like the unit that came into the game ranked 29th in total yards and 29th in passing yards per game.”
– October 10, 2016 – Rob Demovsky, ESPN“Boy, was Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy ticked off today… But don’t you dare question Fat Mike about the shortcomings of his stale, predictable offense. Don’t you ever do that! During his Wednesday press conference, McCarthy was asked about this very thing. His response? ‘I don’t know why the hell I have to come in here and answer questions about what you think went wrong on offense.’ ”
– October 12, 2016 – Mordecai Jones, Total Packers“Of all the comments made on Total Packers, I think the most often-repeated gripe is that the offensive play calling is predictable and uncreative.”
– October 13, 2016 – Rob Born, Total PackersColumn title: “Predictable Mike McCarthy still dragging down Aaron Rodgers, Packers’ offense”
– October 17, 2016 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News“[Aaron Rodgers] can’t surprise defenses when his team runs the most predictable offense in the NFL.”
– November 7, 2016 – Nate Scott, USA TodayStarting last Nov. 1, when the Packers were blown out at the Denver Broncos, their offense has been exposed. There’s not much creativity to it. There aren’t many play calls designed to get receivers open. They rely on receivers to win individual routes and/or Rodgers to make a phenomenal play… The offense, and maybe [McCarthy’s] message, has gotten stale
– November 13, 2016 – Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
Beyond the obvious message, here’s my point: Mike McCarthy has only himself to blame. This isn’t mere ignorance or stupidity on his part. He has stubbornly, bullheadedly, and immovably refused – for at least three years now – to acknowledge or listen to the legions of critics who have tried to point him and the Packers in the right direction.
Coach, do the honorable thing: resign!
I’m not sure so much, it’s stubbornness. It may just be, that McCarthy doesn’t know how to adjust and change, and implement new schemes……fuck it, why bother……….
Just quit already, be gone.
Have the wisdom to be truthful with yourself, that most people don’t want you around anymore. If your so damn successful, go somewhere where they might want you. Cleveland and Jacksonville might be interested.
Ugh. That awful to read. This team is so fucked.
Predicatable. Defined as pass, pass, pass.
Why? Because it doesn’t have a running game. GB never developed a reliable running game.
Defenses know what is coming and pin back their ears and gun it for the QB.
A coach who is flexible knows he has to adjust his plan if it isn’t working. A coach has to know when to go to plan B. Also, injuries are part of the game. They have to be calculated in. A good coach has reinforcements on the ready. I don’t think people would associate ferocity with the Packers. For years they seem to relatively speaking, go through the motions. I think that they benefited from a weak division where they could count on some cheap wins. I think we are seeing the real McCarthy coached Packers now. I think that Rodgers bailed McCarthy out a lot. McCarthy has Rodgers to hide behind, to cover deficiencies. If something doesn’t change soon then that would point to dysfunctionality at the upper management level. Do I think it is McCarthy’s fault? Absolutely I believe the coach is to blame if the team doesn’t adjust and improve. Losses will happen. But if the trend shows no improvement over time, one or two seasons, then the coach would appear to lack answers and be incapable of coming up with creative solutions and creating an environment where others can help find solutions.
This team is a fucking joke. Everything about it. It is a goddamn dumpster fire and it needs to either burn out and the ashes put in an urn and dumped in the Fox River or….ah fuck it.
Seriously. Here is the long and the short of it. Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson are laughing at you right now. They know the stands will be full every weekend. They know the tv share will be massive.
Look at all of it since the NFC title game at Seattle. One coaching and general manager fuck up after another. I’m typing on my phone and too fucking tired to type a list of shot as long as this article is, but there are so many cases of buffoonery that I can’t do it anymore. This organization simply doesn’t deserve my 3 or 4 hours a week anymore.
This ^^^^^^^^
This year, whenever he had the chance, he went back to the über predictable 3WR-1TE-1RB, that opposing defenses have analyzed ad nauseam. And no, our runs get stuffed at the line a lot, so running it more would mean punting more. The short passing game with the many good-but-not-great receivers was straining defenses and moving the ball… but then we return to the 3WR set with Nelson, Cobb and Adams (who, after being given an inordinate amount of chances last year, found himself now, enough to be a good WR3). Back to the formation that was being 3-and-outed a lot.
Has anyone watched SEA – NE? Man, that was a football clinic. A chess match of feints and counterfeints. Two generals trying to stretch the rival to a point he could not follow, trying to exploit the almost nonexistent weakness of their rival. It was excellence. From coaching to discipline and execution by the players. SEA’s defense made no mental lapses against an offense that takes whatever they can get matchup-wise, that is surgically precise finding weak links. Now imagine our defense facing NE’s offense… 90 points? Or how many 3-and-outs we would collect against SEA’s defense. That was a clash of truly elite teams, and we have fallen far behind that level.
Yes the contrast was terrifying. Makes a GB fan wonder how we can even win another game this year the way the team is playing.