2018 Green Bay Packers Season Thread: 6-9-1: Mike McCarthy Fired, Philbin Interim HC

[pacopete4]

Watching New Orleans.....Drew Brees takes three steps, sets, and throws the ball. Literally every single time.

 

It’s a thing of beauty.

[MrTPlush]

I’d love McDaniels.

 

I don’t see him waiting out to take the team when Brady bails. Seems like a terrible career move. Why not take over a Super Boel contender in the Packers? I don’t think it happens, but not bad.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This is such a weird season. Normally when the Packers pull this 10 game meh fest, they are facing a miracle finish to be a wild card. This year, they are given new life every week. We keep saying it's a must-win every week, but then things shake out and they are basically at break-even.

 

If they win this week they are essentially in a playoff spot. They'd have a tiebreaker over Minnesota, and you have to doubt Washington is hanging on to that division or a .500 record very long without Smith. Dallas isn't even good, so they could still fall behind the Packers too.

 

They very likely still have a loss to give, possibly a couple of them. It's maddening really how close they are to being one of the leaders in the conference. But it also feels like they are 2-8 for some reason.

 

Just an odd year. You're torn between "they stink, let's get McCarthy out of here" and "They're right there; if they turn the corner they can make a run."

[bjkrautk]

Watching New Orleans.....Drew Brees takes three steps, sets, and throws the ball. Literally every single time.

 

Seems as good a time as any to remind that I greatly preferred Sean Payton over Mike McCarthy back when that hire went down.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The Saints were stuck in a 7-8 win purgatory every year before last. He's been less successful than McCarthy, who's been on the brink of getting back to the SB twice with Rodgers and once with Favre. The Saints are a pretty good comp with GB and basically the go-to team when people start comparing the Packers to the Patriots.

 

If McCarthy is riding Rodgers' coattails it is hard to argue Payton isn't doing the same with Brees, and he's been worse at it. I don't know enough to know if McCarthy can hold Payton's jock, but when I see this argument come up it's not a particularly strong one.

[PeaveyFury]

Yeah, it's somewhat remarkable that Payton survived to this point in the 'what have you done for me lately' makeup of the current NFL. 7-9 for three straight seasons while 'wasting seasons with a HOF QB' gets a lot of coaches fired, especially when involved in a significant sports scandal.

[bjkrautk]

Payton took the head coaching job as an offensive-minded HC in 2006. Since then, the Saints have been a top 4 offense every year but one (2010)...when they were 6th in the league. The Saints' struggles have had much more to do with the defense.

 

Where part of the rationale for MM's likely termination is that his offense has gone stale...no one is saying that about the Saints. Case-in-point is their innovative use of the QB the Packers discarded after a great pre-season in 2017: Taysom Hill.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I didn't hear anybody calling for SP when the Saints won 7 games for 4 of 5 seasons. I guess a few of their fan boards wanted him fired too.

 

The Packers not closing the deal has had waaaay more to do with their defense for the past seven years than MM. At some point the head coach gets the blame though. Until this season, I don't think it's ever really been the offense. It's had months where it's struggled, but I'm sure the Saints have too.

[pacopete4]

Doug Pederson was an offensive genius 10 months ago. Now he’s going to miss the playoffs in a lousy division. These hot takes on coaches are crazy to me. McCarthy is a good football coach.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think he's a good coach. A great coach even. Belichick doesn't really heap empty praise on guys and he has made his admiration for MM clear. But I think his schtick is cold in GB; both things can be true. It's best for both to move on at this point, IMO.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I have no doubt that McCarthy is a fine coach, and he will likely have success as a head coach again in the NFL after this season. I just doubt it is going to be with the Packers. Sometimes it's just time for a change of scenery, and I think both sides have gotten to that point. This team used to have enough talent to overshadow McCarthy deficiencies as a coach, and the talent has eroded to the point where those can no longer be glanced over. Is that fair to him? No, but that's life in the NFL.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Wouldn't be terribly surprised if MM wound up on Belichick's staff with the way he's always been so vocal about his respect for him. If McDaniels did leave, he would make a damn good OC there, if he were willing to be an OC. Might be moot since he may get a HC job super fast. Hard to guess.

 

Still a moderate leap to assume MM is fired in the first place.

[homer]

I think he's an OK coach. His teams don't quit and they are well prepared. Where he falls short is in-game decision making.

 

As an aside, Bob McGinn is really giving it to Rodgers on his site this season. Either he sees all the talent and wants him to be better or he just doesn't like the guy.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Wouldn't be terribly surprised if MM wound up on Belichick's staff with the way he's always been so vocal about his respect for him. If McDaniels did leave, he would make a damn good OC there, if he were willing to be an OC. Might be moot since he may get a HC job super fast. Hard to guess.

 

Still a moderate leap to assume MM is fired in the first place.

 

McCarthy to the Browns makes a ton of sense. Lots of young talent there, a stud young QB he can help mold, and a GM that he has a ton of history and a good relationship with. I'd be very surprised if McCarthy is let go after the season if one the first calls he gets isn't from John Dorsey.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

To be honest, I've grown really tired of McGinn. I know he's a revered figure and I always read his work. I know he works really hard, but he seemed to be overdoing the "tough critic" thing his last couple years at the paper, to the point he was going for shock value. He's had several stupid columns. Nobody will ever forget the one that the Packers would be 11-5 without Rodgers the week before he broke his collarbone.

 

He had another a few years ago where he declared Rodgers was no longer an elite QB. I went to j-school, and I hate when people say this about reporters, but he really started to come off like a guy that had an ax to grind with Rodgers.

 

Then there would be his report cards where he'd write stuff like "established himself as elite at the position" and give them a B-.

 

The random sources spouting off extreme generalizations about guys, arbitrarily deciding that somebody wasn't good anymore...it just got random to me like he was trying to be a hard ass.

[PeaveyFury]

McGinn needs to write articles for 'shock value' now to get eyes on his product. He lost relevance when he left the JS, IMO.

 

I'm very much on the 'voice has gotten stale' side of things with McCarthy, and expect the team to move on. Like Andy Reid in Philly, he's a good coach who will succeed elsewhere, probably fairly quickly.

 

But, the Packers can also make a devastating hire that comes out of the 'grass is always greener' stuff. Heck, look and the Bears since dumping Lovie prior to this year. Let's hope we get another Holmgren and not another Ray Rhodes.

[pacopete4]

It’s refreshing to see many posters say he’s a good coach because elsewhere on the internet, it is completely brutal seeing the stuff posted about the man.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Rodgers has publicly stated his disdain for McGinn in subtle ways, like he usually does. I can't remember who it was, but some local guy mentioned him and he rolled his eyes. I remember the reporter going "What! He's good!" and Rodgers just sort of said "Yeah, he's good all right."

 

I think it was Homer, but can't remember. Rodgers does not like him at all. Favre was much more of an open book and a lot more fun for reporters to cover.

 

As an aside, Peavey...I'm not buying the Bears. They do this every so often. I firmly believe they will be 6-10 next year after losing their first playoff game. The fact that they are a contender is one of the reasons I still hope the Packers get in because they don't scare me at all.

[HarveysWBs]

I'm not buying the Bears. They do this every so often. I firmly believe they will be 6-10 next year after losing their first playoff game. The fact that they are a contender is one of the reasons I still hope the Packers get in because they don't scare me at all.

 

I agree with this 100%. I know the NFL isn’t NCAA, but who have the Bears defeated? What’s their signature win? One score wins against thoroughly average Vikings and Seahawks teams—both at home?

 

They remind me of a poor man’s Eagles (I know they won the SB last year, but stay with me). New coach revitalized the offense and shocks the league with unscouted looks. Young, opportunistic defense gets a ton of takeaways. The team overall seemingly comes out of nowhere, and maybe they can make a nice run, but the Eagles had to eventually beat good teams down the stretch. Bears haven’t done it yet. And at some point, people are going to get tape on that offense and start to pick it apart. The Bears are paper tigers until they prove otherwise.

[homer]

Aaron Rodgers donated $1 million to California wildfire recovery.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/21/aaron-rodgers-donates-million-california-wildfire-recovery/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4dc66ef91ed1

[pacopete4]

Aaron Rodgers donated $1 million to California wildfire recovery.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/21/aaron-rodgers-donates-million-california-wildfire-recovery/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4dc66ef91ed1

 

And his brothers Luke and Jordan making sure everyone knows their family issues. Yikes.

 

(Quotes per their Twitter accounts):

Luke- “Love that! Can you imagine being such a giant coward that you don’t even call to check on your parents during this fire?”

 

Jordan- “PLEASE DONATE, SPREAD AWARENESS & SEND LOVE.

 

But when your own Mom is home alone during the fires, car packed ready to evacuate, & you miss the fundamental first step of compassion; calling your parents to make sure they are safe....

 

Everything else just feels like an act.”

[homer]

I guess I don't get why the brothers would go and post that publicly?

[nodakfan17]

I guess I don't get why the brothers would go and post that publicly?

That’s why I tend to give Aaron the benefit of the doubt in the family feud.

[pacopete4]

I guess I don't get why the brothers would go and post that publicly?

That’s why I tend to give Aaron the benefit of the doubt in the family feud.

 

Me too. But maybe it is the only way they can send their messages to him and they got fed up and are standing up for their mother. Either way it’s a bad look all around.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

His family seems utterly nuts. Sorry, I can't speak for the parents, but his brothers are tools. Go back before this started, and they were both whoring him our for every cent they could get. Selling crappy shirts they made. It was pathetic.

 

I think he's got an ego, but they used him. It says a lot when you're jilted ex comes out and defends you.