In the past, these things have sometimes taken time to play out. However, as of right now, it appears the only change to the Green Bay Packers’ coaching staff will be associate head coach Tom Clements.
Clements will not be returning for the 2017 season. His contract expired and the Packers have decided not to renew it.
Of course, they put it a little differently.
McCarthy said associate head coach/offense Tom Clements is going to move on "to some other interests. His contract has expired." #Packers
— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) January 26, 2017
We’ve spoke about how Clements and his position were a redundancy in the past.
McCarthy promoted Clements from offensive coordinator to associate head coach/offense after the 2014 season ended. He also bestowed play-calling duties on Clements. In turn, the Packers promoted Edgar Bennett to offensive coordinator.
The Clements move didn’t work out, as the Packers offense struggled through most of 2015. McCarthy ended up taking play-calling duties back late that year (in fairness to Clements, the offense didn’t improve).
Despite that, the Packers went into 2016 with the same offensive coaching structure. McCarthy called the plays, so he is in essence the offensive coordinator. Bennett still held that job title and Clements kept his, so the Packers essentially had two guys implementing the game plan that McCarthy devised each week.
And there’s your redundancy.
It was actually swell of the Packers to let Clements remain on staff until his contract ended.
If you’re wondering if McCarthy might actually fire someone, that possibility still remains (although we doubt it will happen). All of the Packers’ coaches are evaluated over a period of a week or so. It took McCarthy a good two weeks to fire special teams coach Shawn Slocum back in 2015.
Moving on to some other interest huh? hmmmm, interesting.
I thought of him leaving as he started making fewer and fewer press conference appearances. It seemed as though McCarthy was phasing him out.
If that’s the only change that happens, i’m going to be one pissed off Packer fan.
Reporters like Ryan Wood, don’t think any changes will or should be made. His only reasoning is because the Packers keep making the playoffs.
What these experts can’t seem to digest is…
1) The NFC North is arguably one of the weakest Divisions in the NFL.
2) We have Aaron Rodgers at QB.
3) If Daffy Duck was the General Manager, and Elmer Fudd was our head coach. with Aaron Rodgers this team would still be in the playoffs.
Let me explain it like this…..If Aaron Rodgers was with the vikings all these years, and Bridgewater and Ponder, and Bradford were the Packers QB.
Which of these teams go the the playoffs every year?
(If you said the Packers, feel free to shoot yourself)
It’s not hard to figure out is it?
That’s why it’s so hard to debate with people like Ryan Wood. In order to debate, you need the ability to think.
Ugh. Capers will be back. And McCarthy seemed to think TT was staying put. Goddamnit.
How many years, do we keep things the same, and expect different results?
How many years of failure has to happen, before somebody, anybody says….enough is enough?
6?..8?….9 years?….Rodgers retires?
Here’s how McCarthy stated it.
“Division titles are important,” McCarthy said, “but I don’t lose any sleep over it. Because we have a bigger goal. We don’t hang divisional title banners around here. So, frankly, once you cross the threshold into the playoffs, it’s about getting to the final game and winning.
So after 6 years of failure Fat Mike…Maybe you better just hang up those Division banners, because that’s all that you have fucking won.
Tell us again how successful you are. Because according to your own standards. All you’ve done is fail.
Apparently Fat Mike also doesn’t lose any sleep getting embarrassed in the playoffs. Not enough to try and improve anything anyway.
Keep things the same Mark Murphy!! Don’t get involved and make anyone accountable Mark!! Because it’s all working out right Mark!!
Because we made the fucking playoffs again!! Right Mark?
The only way to make changes is to hit them in the pocket book. Which will never happen because to many people are ok with the just winning the NFC north and being one and done.
Well, technically we haven’t been one and done since 2013.
Wouldn’t it be interesting, if Ted got in front of a camera, and a reporter asked him, what has been the team’s goal each season?
Ted: “Well, ummmmm….let me explain something first. We play in a brutal Division. In a brutal league. Winning is ummmm, well…never easy.”
Ted: “Next question please”
Reporter: “Yes Ted, could you answer the last question”
Ted: “That is, ummmm, exactly what i just ummm did.”
Reporter: “Ted, part of the problem seems to be your defense. Lack of pass rush and underperforming cornerbacks that you drafted in 2015. How do you describe the defense this season and against the Falcons?”
Ted: “Ummmmmm, Good?
Reporter: “What do you say to your boss when he questions you about the poor defensive play that seems to hold you back as a team?”
Ted: “What boss?”
Ted: “Listen…ummmm i have to go watch some game tape of a couple of Division 2 basketball guards i’m scouting. See you after the draft….maybe.”
We were done at the opening kickoff of the Falcon game.
Meaning, we were one and done.
Remember when Rodgers said that Clements playcalling wasn’t the problem with the offense? Then McFatty took over and they still sucked balls for another year? Now everyone is back to calling McFatty an offensive mastermind because things are finally clicking again. Makes you wonder how vital McCarthy actually is to the offense, and what could Clements have done if there wasn’t a funk going on. Not saying it would have been much better but who knows.
Considering McCarthy’s offense has been recently labelled rudimentary, I’d say McCarthy really isn’t vital. The one ignorant comment among many that McCarthy has made that still irks me is this one:
“I came in here to run the ball. The one statistic I had as far as a target to hit was 20 rushing attempts in the second half, I thought that would be a very important target to hit for our offense.”
That came after the choke job against the Seahawks in NFC championship game 2 years ago. After getting spanked by the Cowboys this past season, when questioned about his offense, “I don’t know if I agree with ‘broken.’ It’s definitely not clean in some areas,” coach Mike McCarthy said.
Rodgers drawing plays up in the huddle works just fine.