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

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

So, this is the end of the era, right? We have to be watching it unfold before our eyes.

I can’t put this particular loss on McCarthy ... not enough horses tonight.

 

I've never felt more confident in McCarthy being done. This is it. The era is over on NYE. This game may not be his fault, but he needed the playoffs for a chance at his job.

 

I feel that the odds really tipped against him tonight.

 

I think you're going to see a full coaching housecleaning. Gute is also going to be given full control of the roster and coaching staff. None of this three-headed monster crap. McCarthy pulled a power play when Gute was hired, and it has backfired on him immensely.

 

I so wanted Kevin King to work out to shut up the "durrrr draft Watt I'm an idiot homer" fan, but if he can't stay on the field, that's looking like a wasted pick. Of course, as soon as the Packers cut bait with him, he'll go somewhere and be a star.

[pacopete4]

Agreed. I mean, what does a SB team look like to Rodgers? The year they won it they were a bunch of nobodies.

 

Really? They had a top 5 defense.

 

Right. I didn’t say they weren’t good. They became stars a season after winning it all. They were 10-6 that season and didn’t even win the division. If Rodgers is twiddling his thumbs waiting until he “sees” enough talent to give a rip, we are in big trouble.

[adambr2]

How Spriggs is on our roster still, amazes me. Ted Thompson should get his Packers HOF taken back for how terrible of a job he did late. What an absolute joke some of these players are.

With the pick the Packers traded to move up 8 spots to get Spriggs, the Bears took OG Cody Whitehair who has started every game of his 3-year NFL career. Nothing like doing your biggest rivals a solid.

 

Bears wanted Spriggs. They had the next pick and traded out after GB took him.

 

Should have let them have the bum.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't care where we or the Saints pick. Competence is a lot more important than order or the Browns would have ten titles by now. If they draft as well as they did last year we will be just fine with any draft position.

 

I want to see our young guys get experience down the stretch and continue to grow. A couple wins here and there can't hurt.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Agreed. I mean, what does a SB team look like to Rodgers? The year they won it they were a bunch of nobodies.

 

Really? They had a top 5 defense.

 

Right. I didn’t say they weren’t good. They became stars a season after winning it all. They were 10-6 that season and didn’t even win the division. If Rodgers is twiddling his thumbs waiting until he “sees” enough talent to give a rip, we are in big trouble.

 

 

It's half true. That defense had a lot of firepower. Woodson and Matthews were elite players at the time. Shields was a nobody that played like a stud that year. Nelson was a developing talent still, really the Super Bowl was his coming out party.

 

But they largely were nobodies outside a few huge stars.

[adambr2]

MM is toast for sure. He used up his mulligan last year.

 

Could see Pettine surviving an overhaul depending on where the new HC is on that.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Pettine was a rumor for HC should McCarthy fail.

 

It's anyone's guess right now. I'd think this vacancy would be every candidate's dream gig, so they should have their pick of the litter.

[brewcrewdue80]

McCarthy and another 4th down misstep. Collinsworth called him out for not even asking for a measurement! MM's mindset was all about this looming timeout and he cant even figure out to ask for one.

Another thing, 4th&inches-QB sneak? This has been something I recall not in MM's playbook. Belichek with Brady? Everytime I watch them. They've got it so ingrained they rush to line &pull it off. But Baby McCarthy is whining to playclock rather than watching the QB sneak that should be an automatic.

These situatio s where you are at 4down possible territory, how you dont see 2 immediate runs blows my mind. And yet Rodgers/McCarthy have blown countless timeouts on the situations.

Spriggs is terrible/like all Indiana Football teams I can remember since the Badgers began winning Rose Bowls. 1st play and he whiffs horribly. Not the first time whiffing, but holy crap that has to be the NBA version of being posterized! He should be gone tomorrow like Mccarthy.

The O-line has been awful for a long time now. The lack of addressing it is one of the biggest reasons I think the team hasnt returned to the Super Bowl.

0-6 on the road. It is looking like an 0-8 road season. When would be the last time the Packers did that?

[nodakfan17]

John Harbough, please.

 

It’s amazing to think they are even on the year for turnovers, despite Rodgers throwing only one pick (3 turnovers, if you count his 2 fumbles).

 

There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about next year - 10 draft picks, $30 million in cap space, Nick Perry back. OK, that last one was pure sarcasm, but I still remain hopeful about 2019.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'd prefer a young guy versed in analytics to the classic NFL method of retreads until one sticks.

[pacopete4]

Trade Rodgers to Chucky in Oakland for all the firsts they have in 2019 and 2020. Not sure if I’m serious or not.

[adambr2]

Trade Rodgers to Chucky in Oakland for all the firsts they have in 2019 and 2020. Not sure if I’m serious or not.

 

If we overhaul everything this offseason, I wouldn't be totally opposed to the idea of trading Rodgers for numerous 1st rounders, drafting his replacement early, starting Kizer for a year before the draft pick takes over, and investing all the extra money and picks into weapons on both offense and defense. I know that sounds crazy.

[MrTPlush]

Trading Rodgers would be a terrible idea. I’m not sure how many firsts it would even take. The biggest problem is you would have to get an impactful replacement right away. No FA will hold a candlestick to him and your odds of drafting a Pro Bowl QB are absolutely terrible. Most totally fail or are huge disappointments.

 

You just can’t trade Rodgers. The odds such a move blows up in your face seems incredibly high. Better not draft the wrong QB if you trade him.

[OldHeidelberg]

Without looking at the contract details I would guess Rodgers cannot be traded or even cut for at least a couple of years. I think he got something like a $57 million signing bonus that would be accelerated right into the cap if they trade him. Never happen anyway, for better or worse he is our QB for a few more years. Just need a new coaching staff, this front office has always been slow to make changes with the one exception of Rhodes but that was with Wolf in charge. It was funny how the TV crew made a point to blast his moves last night when he has been doing the same dumb stuff for years.

 

I wouldn't mind Pettine for the new HC, he has experience and is outside the current coaching tree. Plus a defensive coach would have a layer between him and Rodgers. No more play calling coaches, I think that is a big part of MM's problem, he makes game decisions off a chart without regard to what is going on in the game because he is too caught up in the plays.

[adambr2]

Trading Rodgers would be a terrible idea. I’m not sure how many firsts it would even take. The biggest problem is you would have to get an impactful replacement right away. No FA will hold a candlestick to him and your odds of drafting a Pro Bowl QB are absolutely terrible. Most totally fail or are huge disappointments.

 

You just can’t trade Rodgers. The odds such a move blows up in your face seems incredibly high. Better not draft the wrong QB if you trade him.

 

Of the recent 1st round QBs (2016 and 2017 not including 2018 since it's too early to evaluate), Goff and Mahomes look like elite franchise QBs for sure, and Watson, Wentz, and Trubisky all look like franchise QBs with normal growing pains along the way. Only Paxton Lynch has been a true 100% bust. Not sure where you are getting that most totally fail or are huge disappointments or that the odds of drafting a replacement are terrible.

[PeaveyFury]

As others said, the cap situation would be messy and makes this completely hypothetical and not reality, but the Raiders have 5 first rounders over the next two years, and that would be enough return for me to at least have to consider it.

 

With the Packers having three first rounders themselves in that time, 8 first round picks over the next two years is a franchise-changing amount of talent. Again, though, it's never going to happen.

[nodakfan17]

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t think this team is that bad (by no means am I suggesting they’re good). The early returns on the 2018 draft class are good and they have the capital to make a splash in the 2019 draft. One upside to the 3 consecutive bad drafts is they won’t have to resign a lot of players in the next 2 years and will have plenty of cap space. Things could be worse.

[pacopete4]

Yeah, it is never going to happen. I just thought it would be a really interesting scenario that would unfold with it. If you're Gute, you ride or die based on if you nail a couple of drafts. Either that or you go down as one of the worst GM's in football's history.

[Surhoff5]

Trading Rodgers would be a terrible idea. I’m not sure how many firsts it would even take. The biggest problem is you would have to get an impactful replacement right away. No FA will hold a candlestick to him and your odds of drafting a Pro Bowl QB are absolutely terrible. Most totally fail or are huge disappointments.

 

You just can’t trade Rodgers. The odds such a move blows up in your face seems incredibly high. Better not draft the wrong QB if you trade him.

 

Of the recent 1st round QBs (2016 and 2017 not including 2018 since it's too early to evaluate), Goff and Mahomes look like elite franchise QBs for sure, and Watson, Wentz, and Trubisky all look like franchise QBs with normal growing pains along the way. Only Paxton Lynch has been a true 100% bust. Not sure where you are getting that most totally fail or are huge disappointments or that the odds of drafting a replacement are terrible.

 

2016 and 2017 do look pretty good, but if you go back to 2014 and 2015, you have Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota (who is ok), Blake Bortles, and Johnny Manziel. I agree with Plush, it's just a crap shoot when trying to hit on the one that will become a franchise level guy.

[homer]

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t think this team is that bad (by no means am I suggesting they’re good). The early returns on the 2018 draft class are good and they have the capital to make a splash in the 2019 draft. One upside to the 3 consecutive bad drafts is they won’t have to resign a lot of players in the next 2 years and will have plenty of cap space. Things could be worse.

 

I agree. The last two drafts have been decent. Off the top of my head they are very good at RB, WR, QB, and CB going forward. Tight end needs an upgrade. The OL is good but needs some back fill (too bad about Cole Madison. Wonder if he is ever going to play football again? Haven't heard squat since the summer.) DL is good but I worry about depth and how Daniels will age. OLBs need help. Matthews should be gone at that salary. Is Fackrell the real deal? As mentioned above they can't cut Perry until after next year. MLB needs an upgrade. Martinez is just a guy in my opinion and jury is out on Burks. Morrison is filler. Jake Ryan is too slow for modern day NFL. If they could draft a stud MLB and Burks develops that would be ideal for me. Safety is another spot they need to focus on. Obviously they shouldn't go into next season with Williams back there and Jones is kind of hit and miss.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Trading Rodgers, lol. Come on people. This is the first time since 08 they will miss the playoffs with him starting. He's 35, and should play at least five seasons and likely several more than that. They're having a bad year, it happens. But they aren't terrible, there are plenty of reasons to think they will be back in the thick of things even a year from now.

 

The Packers went from bottom dwelling in '05, wasted that pick on meh AJ Hawk and were back in the NFCCG by 2007. With an old Favre.

 

They are some patchwork away from that level again. They stink right now, but it's not like the bottom has fallen out of the franchise. A good number of people thought this was a 7-9 win team; they basically are, and have been on the short end of the turning point of seemingly every game.

 

They'll be OK. I believe it was early in 2014 when Belichick started getting questions about replacing Brady.

[pacopete4]

I think someone took the trading Rodgers thing a bit too seriously. I don't think anyone believes for a second that it would or will happen, or even that it should. Just an interesting idea with Oakland holding so many draft picks in 2019 and 2020. Don't make it more than it is.

[FVBrewerFan]

Trade Rodgers to Chucky in Oakland for all the firsts they have in 2019 and 2020. Not sure if I’m serious or not.

 

Well, you say something like that and you can't expect people to ignore it. Thing is, I would have been open to that. Too late now, the cap hit they would take for trading Rodgers would make a trade impossible.

 

Just for fun though, let's take the cap hit out of it. Say you could get 4 1st round picks out of Oakland. That's something I would need to think long and hard about before turning it down. Not only would you get those picks, you would free up a massive amount of cap room that Rodgers takes up.

 

Closest thing to Fantasy Football, only for real. Packers would then have SEVEN 1st round picks in 2019/2020 and almost unlimited cap space. They could literally draft anyone they wanted the next two years, and sign anyone they wanted. Think about that.

 

Also, QBs entering the NFL lately seem to be much more prepared for the transition. Partly because modern NFL offenses aren't super complex, like the Packers offense. Not that it would be automatic they draft a really good one, but with all those picks and FA available they should be able to find either a Goff type or Cousins type. No Aaron Rodgers maybe, but a good QB with a much better supporting cast.

 

That has been the challenge, and will continue to be the challenge. Find cap room for 49 other players (or whatever it is) with what's left over after paying Rodgers. That means you can't afford to make mistakes on other semi-large contracts and you need real impact from rookies and 2nd year players. Basically, the old "everything has to go exactly right."

 

When you look at both options, having unlimited cap space and a ridiculous number of 1st round picks isn't that crazy at all.

[KeithStone53151]

Trading Rodgers for 3-4 1st rounders would be a better argument if he was 38 or 39 and another team was seriously stupid. It's not really realistic right now though. Plus, a majority of those would probably be between picks 24 and 32 overall considering wherever he goes would likely start winning immediately...so long as it wasn't to the 2019 Browns led by Mike McCarthy.

 

Going this route would basically be the Rams current model. The Rams stockpiled draft picks and they struck gold with Goff...then they spent like drunken sailors and are basically all in over the next 2 years. Their cap situation is going to be an absolute disaster in 3+ years with a lot of old players, but right now they have an elite roster across the board and are playing for superbowls the next 2-3 years.

[LouisEly]

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t think this team is that bad (by no means am I suggesting they’re good). The early returns on the 2018 draft class are good and they have the capital to make a splash in the 2019 draft. One upside to the 3 consecutive bad drafts is they won’t have to resign a lot of players in the next 2 years and will have plenty of cap space. Things could be worse.

 

I agree. The last two drafts have been decent. Off the top of my head they are very good at RB, WR, QB, and CB going forward. Tight end needs an upgrade. The OL is good but needs some back fill (too bad about Cole Madison. Wonder if he is ever going to play football again? Haven't heard squat since the summer.)

According to this:

 

https://emeraldcityswagger.com/2018/10/04/washington-state-football-ex-cougars-nfl-10-2018/2/

 

Gute supposedly believes Madison will be a part of the team next year.