I think most of us are still in shock that the Green Bay Packers fired coach Mike McCarthy on Sunday. Not that he didn’t deserve it. Just because that’s not how they normally would do business.
United front and all. President, general manager and coach.
There’s still a united front at 1265. It just happens to be with the president and general manager and not the coach.
Both Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst met the press on Monday about the McCarthy firing.
Let’s go Murphy first.
The #Packers press conference with CEO Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst is on @nflnetwork now. Murphy: “In evaluating the season, I really felt change was needed and Mike’s tenure had run its course. We needed a new voice. It happens in our league.” Compares him to Andy Reid.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2018
I guess that’s a nice way of saying Fat Mike will probably have success elsewhere. Do you know where elsewhere is? Cleveland. The Browns are the elsewhere of the NFL. It’s now where we ship all of our shit. That’s why they’re called the Browns, I guess.
Here’s Gutes.
#Packers GM Brian Gutekunst: We’ve had certain expectations and standard for a long time. They haven’t been met. To come out at home against a team we felt we should beat wasn’t acceptable for what we want around here.” Adds, “I don’t think we’ve played well most of the season."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2018
Stating facts, that guy. Should have curb-stomped the Arizona Cardinals at home. And haven’t played well most of the season? Yeah, I think the record indicates that.
What else came out of this?
Did Aaron Rodgers and his short-arming, throwing-to-no-one tactics get McCarthy fired? These boys say no. They also say Rodgers will have no influence on who the team’s next coach will be.
Mark Murphy & Brian Gutekunst downplayed any friction between Aaron Rodgers & Mike McCarthy. Rodgers won’t be part of the process in the hiring of the new head coach and played NO part in the decision to fire McCarthy, per Murphy. #Packers pic.twitter.com/bhh0FTWuHS
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) December 3, 2018
But of course we are already hearing the name Jeff Tedford. Maybe it’s nothing, but Tedford was Rodgers’ coach at Cal. When they fired Tedford, Rodgers famously started saying Butte Community College as his school on those Monday Night Football intros. He hated Cal — kinda like he hates his family — until they hired his boy, former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox in 2017.
Make no mistake. This is a fickle individual. He’s also one you paid $134 million to. While he may have no input in the coaching search, he’s going to have to be considered. Or at least his nature is.
But guess what? The narrative is no longer going to be: are the Green Bay Packers wasting Aaron Rodgers? Now the narrative has to be: is Aaron Rodgers too much of a damn prima donna?
You wanted it? You got it, honey!