Green Bay Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy essentially has two jobs. Call some plays, keep QB1 happy.
QB1 does not appear to be happy. Aaron Rodgers expressed — I guess we’ll call it concern — that McCarthy fired quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt earlier this offseason.
And McCarthy did it without discussing the decision with the franchise.
“My quarterback coach didn’t get retained. I thought that was an interesting change — really without consulting me. There’s a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach. And that was an interesting decision.”
On one hand, okay. The Packers certainly need to keep Rodgers happy.
We suspect when he becomes the highest-paid player in the game again — something that is surely in the works — he’ll forget all about who his quarterbacks coach is.
On the other hand, the reason the Packers shook things up when the season ended is because they had become complacent. We’re not going to suggest Rodgers is complacent or that he doesn’t work hard.
However, I think McCarthy was sending a message. Everyone is on notice.
Van Pelt may have had some bond with Rodgers, but when it comes down to brass tacks, who cares? Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need a quarterbacks coach. Brett Hundley needs a quarterbacks coach. And was Brett Hundley ready for the big stage?
Nope.
In fact, McCarthy said after the season he didn’t think Hundley was prepared.
So really, the decision wasn’t that interesting at all. It was simply the dispatch of someone who didn’t do his job very well. Perhaps Van Pelt should have spent less time being Rodgers’ pal and more time developing Brett Hundley?
McCarthy shares the blame on Hundley’s failure, although I think Hundley simply had a low ceiling. Rodgers is starting to become Favre in the aspect that he is wanting be involved in coach/personnel decisions. It isn’t his place, just my opinion.
Reading this article I happened on this line: “However, I think McCarthy was sending a message. Everyone is on notice.” While I may agree with it in principle, I am left scratching my head with that statement. When has this fucker ever put anyone on notice? and more to my point, When will somebody put this BUFFOON on notice? He has shit the bed so often and under numerous aspects of being a head coach it is a wonder that he has not been “run out of town on a rail”. IMHO the only guy that should have been held to a stricter attention to his work is this BUFFOON! This guy threw most everyone under the bus (except some of his “buddy’s”) to save his lame poor game time management, piss poor play calling and questionably skilled players’ assessment ass . . . There may be a remote possibility that Rodgers DOES NOT re-up with the Green and Gold and goes somewhere else. Would any of you blame him? TT,DC and MM have almost assured him that he may NEVER get another crack at the SB because of their ineptness and unfounded arrogance.
Sounds dramatic.
Sorry, my attempt at maintaining a “Professorial Tone”. I believe it was not harsh enough . . . When you are a team “gifted” with possibly the GOAT QB1 and you continue to NOT do the requisite amount of scouting, coaching, personnel acquisition and player assessment needed to accomplish what would be a much easier task (as it is with Rodgers at QB1), there should be much ado regarding this ineptitude presented to us annually since 2010. Mark Murphy should have his ass on notice as well.
I could not agree more or have said it any better!!!!
Green and yellow
I will echo MM2SUCK’s sentiment. “McCarthy was sending a message. Everyone is on notice.” Capers should have been sent a notice years ago. Slocum was held on too long as well because he was Buffoons buddy. Everyone is on notice except McCarthy who doesn’t have to answer to his handpicked GM. He answers to the spineless Mark Murphy who is a large reason this team is the way it currently sits.
Van Pelt is a scapegoat. When Rodgers plays lights out it’s always because McCarthy is a “Quarterback Guru.” But when Hundley plays like total shit it’s somebody else’s fault. I saw an article that mentioned McCarthy saying all of the new hires needed “to fit.” Is this him being an egomaniac, or does that insist that the previous employees didn’t fit? And why wasn’t something done about it earlier? Then again, Josh Sitton called McCarthy out on his shitty playcalling and all of a sudden Sitton, the pro bowl left guard and leader of the O-line, was no longer a fit for this team.
Yep. Spot on.
What exactly is the role if a qb coach when the starting qb is a future HOF’er? Seriously, I always wondered. Do they just filter through some of the film and present it? Maybe provide a in game perspective on what they saw on a specific play? If that? Certainly a QB coach is not going to teach the Rodgers, Brees, Brady types of qbs anything new.
If that is realistically the job description of the qb coach, then why the hell wouldn’t Rodgers be allowed to appoint, or atleast be “consulted ” as it seems he would have liked.
Rodgers seems to have a big ego, and when it comes to football it is appropriate for him to have that ego. I would say he has earned it. And no doubt earned the right to hand pick or retain an assistant (or qb coach as the job title states).
After all look at New England. They traded away a GREAT qb and potentially thier future qb just to keep brady happy for another couple of years. Meanwhile the packers assign a new QB coach to work with Rodgers.
Im not saying van pelt deserved to stay. I just find it “interesting”, like Rodgers.
Some great points.
IMO….it had nothing to do with putting anyone on “notice”. Wouldn’t that be implying a standard of accountability? Have i entered the Twilight Zone?
A dash of recent Packer history knowledge, sprinkled in with some common sense tells me It was simply a deflection of blame.
McCarthy stated that Hundley wasn’t prepared (after the season). That was code for it wasn’t my fault. But it is his fault, he’s the head coach. Are we to believe that McCarthy did not know what he had in Hundley until after this season, his 3rd season? Fire Alex Van Pelt….”Nothing to see here folks, don’t look at me!!” – Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy can act like it’s all Clements fault, Pelt’s fault, Bennett’s fault, Gash’s fault, Fontenot’s fault, etc. McCarthy needs to look in the mirror.
The ONLY time this team portrays like they are holding people accountable, is when they need to fire a fall guy to deflect blame, it’s that simple.
Knowledgeable Packer fans are getting sick and tired of McCarthy’s song and dance. I have posted for a long time how it’s not very hard to have a highly successful head coaching career with two H O F QB’s. Take those away, then we see who you really are, a sub .400 coach and when that happens….damn it, people need to get shit canned!!
As far as Rodgers goes, he’s done more for this teams success post Harlan, Wolf, Favre era. If he’d like to be consulted about firing his coach, is that really too much too ask?
To draw any parallels of comparison between Rodgers and Favre simply because of that, is fucking ridiculous.
From what I have read, Van Pelt decided last year was his last with the Packers before the season began. If so, pretty much gotta believe everyone knew it. I’m guessing this whole story is a big troll event because there ain’t enough hype for the Superb Owl bowl so let’s give the impression Rodgers ain’t happy in Green Bay and watch everyone squirm to sell some copy.
Who the fuck wrote this article? Some Mike McCarthy apologist? Holy fucking dogshit Joseph Bonham where the fuck did this come from? It’s called a scape goat. WTFU.
With that one year extension the position coaches and players are not the only ones on notice Big Mike. This team is in transition mode not reload mode.
Brett Hundley doesn’t need a QB coach, he needs a dose of reality.
In other words, someone to explain to him….the difference between what he thinks he is, and what he really is.
If were going to judge Van Pelt harshly because, idk…. Hundley has no clue how to slide, how about, we question how the fuck a QB reaches this level without knowing how to slide. Can anyone answer that riddle?….Ted?
These are the kind of comments that will come up when the commentators are more knowledgeable than the writer.
Sorry Joseph.
That ^^^