New Year’s Eve, 4:00 PM, Press Room, Ford Field, Detroit. Mike McCarthy steps up to the podium for his post-game press conference.
Reporter: Looking back, what might you have done differently after Aaron Rodgers’ injury?
MM: Hindsight’s always 20/20.
Reporter: Coach, Aaron Jones leads the league in rushing yards per carry, but he got only three carries today, and only 10 carries in the last four games. What gives?
MM: I thought the rotation of the backs was really healthy.
Reporter: Critics say that you’ve been way too conservative with your play calls since Brett Hundley took over.
MM: Define what’s conservative.
Reporter: Jeff Janis hasn’t been on the field for 10 weeks – is he in your doghouse?
MM: No one’s in the doghouse, we played multiple personnel groups.
Reporter: Will Janis be back in 2018?
MM: I wish him and his family nothing but the best.
Reporter: You’ve often said it all comes down to winning – is that still your view?
MM: That’s an emphasis for us.
Reporter: How can you get back to the team’s winning ways?
MM: From a training standpoint, we’re going to spend more time on it.
Reporter: What caused the season to go down the toilet?
MM: We went down a slippery path and here we are today.
Reporter: What is your plan to fix things?
MM: Everybody needs to clean their own house. It needs to be cleaned up. It’s all in the details.
Reporter: What do you think caused this season to unravel?
MM: We’re starting in the process of collecting that information.
Reporter: What one thing stands out about this latest defeat?
MM: It’s really the details, the alignments, the scheme recognitions, discipline your eye placement. Things like that.
Reporter: But if you had to name just one thing?
MM: The rush lane integrity, poor eyes, discipline our eyes.
Reporter: Can you narrow that down a little?
MM: We need to do better on situational offense and defense.
Reporter: Okay… what do you mean by situational offense?
MM: At the end of the day, when you look at our situational offense, a lot of it points to the fundamentals – we’ve got to stay in tune to the tendencies… the heightened awareness, the focus on matchups.
Reporter: I’m not sure I’m following you.
MM: You look at the tendencies, you look at the fundamentals, you look at the techniques, and make sure you’re totally in tune.
Reporter: What specific fundamentals and tendencies?
MM: You gotta tackle, you gotta break tackles, you gotta take care of the football, you gotta take the football away. We knew this was going to be key.
Reporter: Let me move on to another topic.
MM: We’ve got to take that experience… and push it forward. It’s really in the details of how we’re doing it, not as much what we’re doing.
Reporter: It’s still not getting any clearer to me.
MM: It always comes back to the fundamentals and techniques, whether the pass lane integrity, the rush lane integrity, the matchups…
Reporter: Coach, I think you’re avoiding my questions.
MM: Let me be frank here… we all need to do better – we had an injury to Aaron Rodgers and nobody has stepped up.
Reporter: Has your coaching strategy evolved any this year?
MM: I always tilt toward less volume, more creativity – that’s something I’ve always coached.
Reporter: Can you put your 11th straight loss in perspective?
MM: If we had won we’d still be having the same conversations. This is an important time in any NFL season.
Reporter: Do you think your play-calling could have had anything to do with the offense being the league’s worst?
MM: It’s really just cleaning up the details and it all comes down to execution.
Reporter: Which details are you referring to?
MM: Scheme-wise and planning-wise, we really got to just trust our process as far as conceptually attacking what they do.
Reporter: At this low point, what’s foremost in your mind?
MM: This is the time you really have to start to put your best foot forward.
Reporter: Coach, your season is over.
MM: We’re focused on playing our best football.
Reporter: You missed the playoffs.
MM: The way you move forward – that’s just another challenge to an NFL season.
Reporter: Coach, I think you need to do a reality check.
MM: Tomorrow’s practice will be a true test.
Reporter: Coach, there won’t be any practices next week.
MM: We got to stay true to the process. I’m a big believer, you know, preparation will definitely carry over to the performance.
Reporter: It’s over, you just finished last in your division, for the first time since 2005.
MM: That’s the kind of stuff that makes for a long week.
Reporter: The team hasn’t had a worse record than 4-12 since 1958. Are you worried about your job?
MM: I haven’t heard anything – I’m not concerned about it.
Reporter: With only four wins, how can you justify keeping your job?
MM: There’s usually a fine line between being successful and not successful.
Reporter: The 14th player on the team has now signed a petition saying if you come back next year, he won’t. What’s your reaction?
MM: I wish him and his family nothing but the best.
Reporter: How can you turn this losing streak around going forward?
MM: I really don’t have those answers for you.
Reporter: Did you sit down and talk with him about leaving?
MM: I did not have a conversation with him about that… it really wasn’t a topic of conversation.
Reporter: I’ve just been told that Aaron Rodgers is now the 15th player to sign that petition.
MM: I wish him and his family nothing but the best.
Reporter: Thanks coach, I hope you haven’t taken my questions the wrong way.
MM: I’d like to have a beer with you and talk football sometime, but it ain’t gonna happen tonight.
Note: While I’ve altered the questions, all the answers are direct quotes by Big Mike from press conferences since Aaron Rodgers’ injury.
Brilliant article, well written.
MM would make a fine politician, seeming to answer questions solidly with answers that evaporate in the sunshine of content extraction.
Packers won’t lose the rest of their games. As I’ve said, even bad teams win games. 4th place is possible though and I think will happen is the Packers lose to the Bears this week. And in fantasy football I did pick up the Bears defense and am starting it this one week especially for the Packers.
WTF do you know…?
KILLER
11/05/2017 at 2:59 pm
Rest easy, Packers will win tomorrow.
You must be one of those fans that thinks MM should share every detail. Obviously, he gives general answers because the only thing giving specifics would do is give things away to other teams. He has no obligation to answer questions how fans or media want.
And you must be one of those homers who hasn’t seen enough of this shit storm to realize no matter what McCarthy says, the product and the end result on the field never changes. You probably think McCarthy is a good coach.
Just like in 2010 when scheming his entire offense around Jermichael Finley, the Packers floundered around after Finley was lost for the season and had help getting into the playoffs where they won in spite of McCarthy. Just like in 2013 when he lost Rodgers and they floundered around yet again playing musical QBs until Rodgers came back and bailed McCarthy out again. Just like in 2014 when it wasn’t his ultra conservativeness on offense in Seattle in the NFC championship and his predetermined number of target carries by the RBs, but Brandon Bostick/special teams/the defense to blame. Just like in 2015 when Jordy Nelson went down and the offense floundered while QB1 was having an off season-by his standards. Just like in 2016 when through the sheer will of QB1 they have to run the table to even sniff the NFC championship game. To this season having eyes on his QBs for 2 and 3 years already and not realizing that Hundley sucks, or McCarthy is too afraid to let Hundley play. If a 3rd year QB can’t see the receivers when they are wide open running down the field waving their arms wildly to draw his attention, then not only does Hundley suck but McCarthy is a shitty offensive guru and he can take his vaunted QB school and shove it up his ass.
The man is a terrible coach and an egomaniac. He doesn’t need to share any details because the proof is the shit show he trots out there season after season. If you look up inept in the dictionary there is fat Mike looking perturbed such a highly successful NFL head coach has to answer to peons like us. They are looking for homers like you over at packers.com. That might suit you better.
No mention of pad level? I was under the impression that’s always the solution.
Reporter: What caused the season to go down the toilet?
MM: Injuries, or should I say injury. Just one. One injury. To one player. One player that has kept me employed for the past few years. Well, that and about 50 other things but I don’t think we have enough time for that. I’m a highly successful offensive coordinator don’t you know. Oh wait, I’m the coach? When did they give me that position? That’s ok, I fully trust Dom with the defense and won’t bother him one bit.
Aaron Rodgers was the man that held this house of cards together, and now that he’s gone the whole thing is falling unto itself.
I’ll tell ya what, the NFL will be investigating this situation. They usually don’t take hiding injuries lightly. Not saying there is anything to it, but that’s what Marti Bennett is claiming, so they will look into it.
With that said, i don’t think the Bennett sisters are the NFL’s best example of honesty and integrity.
This situation has the potential to get really ugly. This is turning out to be a nightmare season for the Packers hierarchy, and the seasons only half over.
Will Ted show his face at all? Will he put on his big boy pants on and act like an NFL GM and come forward and address this shit storm? Or will he just hide and let McCarthy deal with his fuck up? This signing was done by Ted, for him to hide tells you all you need to know about what kind of man he is.
This team is broken.
If Marty was gonna have surgery before being released but is now able to play for the Patriots, I think that speaks volumes about what Marty is all about. Say what one will about Belichick, but I don’t think they would have took the risk signing a guy who was claiming he was injured bad enough to need surgery in the last week to clearing him medically. Unless of course they knew Marty was injured last season as well and how to manage that.
There is zero risk on the patriots part. No guaranteed money after this year, he still has to pass a physical
Yes no risk from a financial standpoint. From a headcase standpoint, well I guess they knew what they were dealing with last year. I meant the risk of signing a guy who was injured bad enough to need surgery, unless said surgery is now an elective surgery since he is practicing with the Patriots. Funny how in Green Bay the Dr. was pushing Marty to play but now with the Patriots, must be Marty’s call. What a dick move. Good riddance.
The other day I was listening to Sirius NFL radio on my drive home. One of the talking heads, I think it was Pat Kirwin was talking about how everything is simply masked by Aaron Rodgers. He ran the scores of games from like 2010, where the Packers were victorious, and the writing was there in plain sight. Winning 28-27, or 45-38, or 33-27, or 38-35, or 45-41. He was saying basically this, what is happening with the Packers right now shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that isn’t wearing green and gold shades that Rodgers’ ability to lead to wins changed the narrative of all those post game pressers. Instead of talking about how suspect the defense is or how poorly the special teams played, instead the focus was on the amazing win and the overall record. And he’s right.
I don’t remember too many games during 1996 or 1997 where the majority of games came down to the wire and the outcome was in doubt. Those teams put their opponent away early, and if not early, after making halftime adjustments. You could literally see the adjustments play out on the field after halftime. You knew how good those teams were. What we have known since those teams is Favre can chuck it and pull shit out of his ass when not contemplating retirement or revenge, and Rodgers does more with even less than Favre had. Imagine if Holmgren had Rodgers instead of Favre. Imagine if Rodgers had anyone competent other than McCarthy.
Brilliant and spot on. Great job. When I think about the 1996 and 1997 teams like you said you KNEW those teams were good. If they lost its because they took a week off. Some teams didnt even sniff the same field as them. We have not had anything close to that since Mcfatty got here. I cant imagine what a good GM and coach could have done the last 9 years with Rodgers. There would be 2 dynasties fighting for all the glory in the NFL instead of 1.
The Packers board of directors MUST adopt the common catch phrase from ‘Rob’s post when answering questions about Mark Murphy, Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, and Dom Capers:
We wish them and their families nothing but the best.
If significant changes do not happen, I will vote NO to retain any and all members of the board when submitting my proxy vote next summer.
You do realize the board has ZERO power and say when it comes to Packers operations right? The only power they have is elect the President. The President then acts in the role of owner and has 100% control over the organization.
I’m not sure where to even start with this……
The Board can’t tell the President who to hire as head coach, yadda yadda yadda….you are correct. Also, the President can’t tell the GM what coach to hire. If the President had 100% control over the organization, couldn’t he tell the GM what coach to hire? The answer is no.
The Board of Directors hold the power to replace the 7 member Executive Committee. The 7 member Executive Committee hold the power to replace the President, the President has the power to replace the GM, and so on down the line.
The President (Murphy) does NOT have 100% unquestionable authority. He has the power hire and fire the GM, but it isn’t 100% carte blanche as if he was sole owner.
Redefined powers were established and written in the bylaws for the GM prior to the Wolf hiring. Because Wolf demanded it. Bart Starr use to have to go meet with the Board of Directors after every game on Monday and review the game. Keep in mind, most of these members didn’t know shit about football, and that hasn’t changed much in today’s reality. They are mostly business people, attorney’s etc.
That leaves us with two realities, Gort was correct. The other reality to me, is that the executive Committee and the Board of Directors would not exercise their powers unless something really egregious happened. as they are all in bed together. This is where the “lack of accountability” stems from, the very top.
There is a lot to like about how this teams hierarchy is set-up. The one downside is you don’t have that one owner who can demand accountability in an instant.
Yes, Mark Murphy acts as a proxy owner concerning NFL business. He’s also the idea man behind sledding hill.
You and me both!
With all this drama mid season and only 4 new articles since Thursday, should we start writing the Eulogy?
Accountability is the key. In corporate America it is not uncommon for a president of an underperforming company to be replaced. The Packers are similar to the corporate model. The public owners, like me who vote our small number of shares largely via the annual proxy process, should attempt to encourage the needed accountability to the board and therefore the executive committee with our vote to not retain them. It may be equivalent to the mouse giving a middle finger to the hawk in that last great act of defiance, but if there are enough NO votes, who knows what impact the combined votes of us mice might have.
It’s game day bitches!!
Here’s yet another view into the Packers future…
Aaron Rodgers will have the option of opting out of his contract after this season. It’s my opinion that he will hold the most leverage over a team, that any player has ever held, in the history of the NFL. You might have been in shock over Staffords new contract, but you haven’t seen anything yet. I’m not saying he can write his own ticket, but what i will say, is he can just about write his own ticket. I’ll have more on this when the time gets near. Maybe in week 16 when we start discussing our top ten draft pick.
For those of you misguided souls who thought Rodgers should have been taking a pay cut, stay tuned.