This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to the Green Bay Packers falling below .500. Nor is it a reaction to the fact that the Packers might miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, although that should seal it. It’s become clear over the course of this season that the game has passed Mike McCarthy by.
McCarthy, the highly-successful football coach that he is, was once considered an offensive genius. A quarterback whisperer. A play-calling savant.
But things change. McCarthy has never been adept at adaptation and that is no more clear than it is now.
If you look around the league at what other coaches are doing, it’s obvious that McCarthy needs to be put out to pasture.
The New Guard
I’ve been talking about two young coaches for much of this season. The Rams Sean McVay and the 49ers Kyle Shanahan.
This is the new school. McVay and Shanahan have developed offensive systems that elevate their players. We saw this when the Packers played both teams this year.
In the Rams game, McVay’s offense had a crappy first half. In the second half, he called plays designed to get his receivers open. Has McCarthy ever even designed a play to get a receiver open? Sure, the Packers have some pick plays, but McCarthy primarily relies on Aaron Rodgers to throw receivers open.
Consider this. The Rams do not have world beaters, other than Aaron Donald. Aaron Rodgers is better than Jared Goff. Davante Adams is better than Brandin Cooks. And okay, Todd Gurley is the best back in the league, but McVay worked him into the passing game.
How many passes to the running back have the Packers executed this year? Probably more in the game against the Patriots than they have all season.
McVay gets that he needs to innovate. That he needs to adapt.
The same goes for Shanahan. Yes, the 49ers are garbage this year, primarily because they lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the season. Still, the 49ers almost beat the Packers with C.J. Beathard at quarterback.
Last week, Shanahan trotted out undrafted rookie Nick Mullens at quarterback. He threw for 262 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. The 49ers raked the Raiders 34-3.
And here’s where I have two words for you: Brett Hundley.
Despite McCarthy’s reputation as a great developer of quarterbacks, what quarterback has he ever developed? Certainly not Hundley. Scott Tolzien? Matt Flynn? Brian Brohm? Graham Harrell?
Traded to Seattle, Out of the league. Out of the league. Out of the league. Out of the league.
Shanahan strolled out with an undrafted rookie and had him ready to play. The Raiders do suck, but the 49ers won with a third-string quarterback by a huge margin.
Did the Packers win with Hundley by a huge margin last year? No. They barely won at all.
The Old Guard
What is even more frustrating is there are coaches who have been around for a long time who have adapted. I’m going to give you Sean Payton and Bill Belichick here.
If you saw the Saints play the Rams on Sunday, you probably noticed former Packer Taysom Hill.
Hill was a quarterback at BYU. He was primarily a running quarterback, but had a hell of a preseason throwing the ball for the Packers in 2017. They released him — another brilliant move by senile Uncle Ted, another turd who was kept around too long — and the Saints claimed him on waivers.
Hill is now the Saints kickoff returner. He plays on all the special teams units. Payton brings in Hill to throw the ball or play running back from time to time.
Can you imagine McCarthy doing anything like that?
I can’t.
It’s actually a good thing Hill isn’t on the Packers. He would just be sitting around, rotting away.
As for Grumblelord, I mean… can you believe it?
This curmudgeon not only gets a performance out of anyone, he isn’t afraid to pull out any sort of play from the playbook.
Belichick put former Vikings receiver and first-round bust Cordarrelle Patterson at running back on Sunday. He ran for 61 yards on 11 carries.
McCarthy couldn’t figure out how to use Ty Montgomery in the same situation in two years.
And then there’s the trick plays. Pitch to Julian Edelman, who throws to James White. Touchdown.
Edelman was a quarterback in college. Do you know who else was a quarterback in college at one time?
Randall Cobb.
Would McCarthy ever call a play like that?
Nope.
Just Like Ted
We were adamant — sometimes over the top — that the Packers needed to remove Ted Thompson as general manager years ago.
We’ve repeated it 100 times if we’ve said it once. Draft and develop doesn’t work if you draft for shit. And Thompson was tied to that. And he drafted for shit the last few years of his tenure.
“Ted was one of the best in football at running a draft,” one longtime NFL personnel executive said. “But he wasn’t in the same mindset those last few years.”
No. He wasn’t. He was long gone and it was obvious.
The Packers parted ways with Thompson two or three years too late. That’s on team president Mark Murphy, who wanted to be involved in the football operations and now is.
McCarthy is now one year overdue for a boot to the curb. If it becomes three then we can start talking about the Packers wasting Aaron Rodgers.
Actually, then we can start to talk about Mark Murphy — that Ginger Gap Tooth motherfucker — wasting Aaron Rodgers. He’ll waste all that talent by forcing Fat Mike on him for another year.
McCarthy is running an offense that was innovative in 2008. McVay, Shanahan, Payton and even Grumblelord have adapted.
McCarthy never will.
It won’t happen during the season. It better happen after the season.
The game has passed McCarthy by. He needs to go. He needs to go if the Packers are going to win another Super Bowl with Rodgers.
We’re not certain if Murphy has a pair, but he better fucking grow a pair and make this happen.
Last updated on January 24th, 2019 at 03:47 am
Wow, this is some real in depth reporting.
Of the “No shit, glad you could join us” variety.
Just spotted this …..
“Sunday morning report that the Cleveland Browns — a team led by a cavalcade of former Packers scouts — see McCarthy as a possible replacement for deposed head coach Hue Jackson further reinforces the idea that Green Bay will make a change this offseason”
MM and the Browns – Perfect match
I find the reports of MM as a candidate for the head coaching job in Cleveland to be hilarious. From what I have seen John Dorsey has done a great job in Cleveland of positioning them going forward with personnel, similar to what he was able to do in Kansas City before personality clash led to his departure. He has also cherry-picked people he knows and wants from Green Bay. So, based on this talking heads want to speculate Dorsey would be interested in McCarthy. What they seem to miss is, if Dorsey is as sharp as he appears, he will recognize McCarthy is a shit coach, and not a ‘highly successful’ coach, who has ridden Rodgers coat tails for years.
Good point
When Ted is out of the building, then they parted ways.
I’ll also add Murphy didn’t want to be involved in football operations. That’s the end result of the situation McCarthy manipulated.
Facts matter.
“We’re not certain if Murphy has a pair”
Are you fucking kidding me?? Of course he doesn’t. Murphy’s one job was to make sure Ted was doing his own job. COMPLETE FAIL.
“Ted will let me know when he’s done.” Does that sound like someone who has a pair? Ted isn’t even the GM anymore but he’s still on the payroll. For what? No one really knows. I can’t imagine he needs any more money. AKA- Team Pet.
There’s even rumor that Murphy had the unqualified Russ Ball doing Ted’s job while TT was losing it the past few years instead of dropping the axe and hiring a real GM. “We’re not certain if Murphy has a pair” I think the answer is clear as day, and with the comments from Alonzo Highsmith saying that he “wouldn’t be the last person leaving GB,” that is VERY TELLING about the state of the Packers front office.
Murphy isn’t getting rid of anybody. Listen to him talk. He avoids conflict and snakes around tough questions constantly. The only way McCarthy gets fired is if Murphy gives Gute permission to do so. And after axing Jordy, it appears that Gute could care less about appeasing anybody.
I would rather keep McCarthy than let Murphy hire the next coach. Because I have zero trust in Murphy hiring anyone that is competent. Gutekunst needs to head the coaching search. Sure, if Murphy wants to wag his cock and provide “input” then so be it. But Gutekunst needs to be ultimately responsible for the next head coaching hire. Otherwise’ they might as well roll with McCarthy
I would rather the Executive Committee give Murphy choice A) or choice B) and he resigns. While we hear valid news reports of how McCarthy will be leaving to go to Cleveland.
Anything less is unsatisfactory, that building needs to have the bad karma purged out.
FLAT DICK Murphy have a set? hahahahaha that/s a good one!
Murphy always wants decisions of any type to be made by a committee. It is the way Murphy works. Deflect the blame for any mistakes no matter how small from Murphy. That is why Murphy had to have a committee to hire a new GM and why Murphy wanted to set up group hugs on a regular basis with MM, Ball, Murphy, and Gutekunst.
Now that Gutekunst is showing he will stick his neck out and make the tough decisions, right or wrong, I think Murphy will let Gutekunst make the decision on MM, because it takes the heat off of Murphy. It does not matter to Murphy if the decision is the right thing it only matters to Murphy that Murphy is not responsible for blame if the decision goes wrong.
Everyone can discuss all the problems with MM’s play calling, game management, losing the locker room, etc. the one thing that has bothered the shit out of me is that MM cannot find a play caller, special teams coach, etc. that the rest of the league really wants, or pans out as a quality coach.
MM may not want football innovators or a play caller on his coaching staff because it may, in MM’s mind make him look less highly successful. What I really believe is MM just isn’t very good at hiring/judging football coaches that can make the team better, or MM retards the coaches ideas to more fit his own philosophy. Name one coordinator or assistant coach who after leaving MM prospered in the NFL, if they were even hired by another team.
Howard as always the voice of reason. It’s nepotism plain and simple. That’s the primary criterion for McCarthy hiring coaches. Are they a buddy from the past? The one exception to the rule is the hiring of Pettine, which not surprisingly seems like his only good coaching hire to date.
Murphy has to go too. The man is nothing more than a clown who was never qualified to be team president. Also, the morons on the board have to go too. A clean sweep is needed in GB. BG had a good first draft but he needs to improve his player evaluation skills. I mean he did think the safety and OL talent was good enough when it was obvious it was’nt. Also, lets not fall into the must hire a HC from the NFL ranks. Plenty of offensive minded coaches in college.
2-fer ticket to Cleveland….????
The definition of insanity. Doing the same things over and over again (which don’t work) and expecting different results.
Simple fix? Use motion offense, especially on third downs, to try and get the opposing defenses thinking a little more. Thinking is bad in football due to the speed of the game.
You’re welcome!
very good story