How Hot Is Mike McCarthy's Seat?

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is heading into his 11th season with the team.  That's a long time.  A really long time.  Not since Curly Lambeau, the first head coach in the Packers' storied history, have the Packers had a head coach for that long.  Many revere Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as two of the best in the team's history.  Lombardi spent 10 total years with the team, serving as general manager for his last and Holmgren served just seven years.  Lombardi is in a class of his own and led the team to many championships, including the first two Super Bowls.  Holmgren brought the Lombardi trophy home to Green Bay after nearly 30 years back in 1996.  McCarthy's Packers won a Super Bowl in his fifth season with the team and in the same amount of time as Holmgren.

The Packers have appeared in the playoffs in seven-straight seasons and won at least one playoff game in four of those years.  During one of the seasons in which the Packers did not win a playoff game, they were 15-1 and secured the NFC's top seed.  That resume, especially in terms of today's NFL where teams rise and fall quickly, is a pretty good one.  Yet, McCarthy seems to be under a bigger microscope than at any other time during his tenure.  Many cite the words of former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, who said that most NFL coaches reach a ceiling with their teams after 10 years.  At that point, it's time for a fresh face, voice and ideas.  So are we approaching that very situation with McCarthy?

The Packers don't tend to be a franchise that makes knee jerk movements.  Whether it's cutting a player, replacing him with a better option or letting go of staff, the Packers seem to give their own a more robust chance to succeed than many other teams would.  Packers fans have almost become conditioned to exercise less patience than they may have over 20 years ago and so now, at the first sign of trouble, the "hot seat" argument gains momentum.  Last season with an offense that had torn through the league for the past several seasons, was sputtering.  Most of the discussions about the team's regression led back to McCarthy.  His leadership style, offensive game plan, relationship with his quarterback, frustration with the front office were all cited as potential roots of the problem.  The Packers were able to win a road playoff game and nearly a second without several key offensive players and on paper, the season was saved.  It ended with a decent measure of success.

Still, much has been written and said about how much pressure there is on McCarthy to produce more this season.  By "more", it would seem that unless the Packers are in another conference championship game or even playing in Super Bowl LI, it may be time for the Packers to make a change.  Those who support that idea point to 2011, 2012 and 2014 as proof of how McCarthy's teams have under achieved.  Those against it point to 2013 and last year as proof that he is able to keep the team together and over achieve.  So which side has more merit?

While our attention spans are increasingly shorter and shorter, which leads to more frustration with each mounting playoff loss, the Packers aren't likely to make a change anytime soon.  This season could prove differently, if the team continues the struggles it had last year or takes a dive in the standings.  But with team president Mark Murphy and general manager Ted Thompson in place, McCarthy is likely to continue serving as captain of the ship until further notice.  Green Bay's approach has more of a "if it's not broken, don't fix it" mentality than simply "it's time for a change".

Despite the Packers success, in terms of wins and losses as well as playoff appearances, many will still argue that the Packers ship is broken.  Why haven't they won more playoff games?  How can this team only have one Super Bowl championship with a guy like Rodgers at quarterback and many good players around him?  I've said many times that a team can't win a championship without first getting into the postseason.  

Many point to the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick as the current gold standard of how to maintain success over a long period of time.  Belichick seemingly gets a pass because his teams are able to sprinkle a championship in every five years or so, on average.  Reminder: the Patriots are the exception, not the norm (they have also been found to bend the rules to do so).  Winning in the postseason is not easy.  Like most other major sports, playoff time is an entirely new season.  Regular season success often gets nullified and that's why a 15-1 Packers team was knocked out in their first playoff game (and at home) and also why the 2010 team went on a road rampage and brought home the bacon.

There are many reasons why a football team wins and loses games.  Coaching is certainly part of that equation, no question about it.  Some say that quarterbacks get too much credit when the team wins and too much blame when the team loses.  The same applies to coaches, but they're at the top of the chain of command and as we see in all walks of life, the lens is affixed to the top when things are going very well or very poorly.  At the end of it all, if the team is responding well to the head coach and having success within their structure, then it would appear that the current leadership is effective.  

With so many young players year after year, the Packers coaching staff is challenged with squeezing more out of that youth than we typically see elsewhere in the NFL.  If not for McCarthy's approach and programs, the Packers simply wouldn't be winning as many games and playing late into January each year.  Quarterback Brett Hundley appears to be taking a big leap from year one to year two.  We all know Rodgers' story.  Both have happened on McCarthy's watch and are a testament to the choices he's made to fill out his coaching staff.  We see and hear the players every week.  We talk about the plays they made and how they stepped up in crunch time.  We don't often think about those who are preparing them each week.  

As we approach the 10th anniversary of McCarthy's first game as Packers head coach, there seems to be more to be thankful for than not.  The Packers are still considered one of the best teams in the league and have very good odds to win another Super Bowl.  If someone said 10 years ago that would still be the case today, most would have been ecstatic.  By present standards, McCarthy has achieved high success at the highest level and deserves to continue on until that changes.  As far as I'm concerned, McCarthy's seat should feel about as hot as the Lambeau Field bleachers in mid-December.

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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

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Comments (68)

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croatpackfan's picture

June 27, 2016 at 05:47 am

I think Ted Thompson take care to keep Mike McCarthy seat warm and confortable... I do not see it unpleasently cold, unpleasently warm or burning. There is no reason for that. Also. I expect some influence from OC this year on Packers playbook...

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cheesycowboy's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:51 am

Would that be MM, TC or EB?
This seems to still be too heavy.

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croatpackfan's picture

June 28, 2016 at 07:09 am

In my mind I had EB! Tom & Mike wrote existing playbook. It is always nice to have some fresh ideas!

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Hematite's picture

June 27, 2016 at 05:58 am

McCarthy will remain in Green Bay at least through Rodgers career with the Packers.
When Rodgers is gone there will be a lot of changes in Green Bay.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 27, 2016 at 06:41 am

How hot is McCarthy's seat???? Really???

At LEAST 25 out of the 31 other teams in the league would KILL to have MM coaching their team.

This is just silly. MM (and TT) are going nowhere until they decide to hang it up. And they shouldn't.

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WKUPackFan's picture

June 27, 2016 at 07:19 am

Hi Bear! How's your summer going?

As Packers fans we're so lucky to have MM. I'd up your numbers to 30 of 31 teams. Only BB is superior.

Now let's get the "championships are all that matter", "quite wasting AR's last years" comments rolling.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 27, 2016 at 08:18 pm

Summer is going well WKU. Thanks for asking. Moved to a new state. Starting a new job at a new college. Like my new colleagues (and the superior pay!). How about you?

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WKUPackFan's picture

June 28, 2016 at 09:53 am

Enjoying the usual 90+° summer in Louisville. My son's Transylvania University lacrosse team won the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference regular season and tournament championships. All is well. Good luck with the new position!

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 29, 2016 at 12:51 am

Congratulations! My older son played Lacrosse in college and still plays on a club team. He went to Turkey for a week 2 years ago to play several games. My son is getting older, and of course works full time now. I have to admit that I am not altogether sorry that he isn't playing much anymore: it is a tough sport.

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jasonperone's picture

June 27, 2016 at 09:02 am

Read to the end, Bear. Read to the end

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Bearmeat's picture

June 27, 2016 at 03:59 pm

Haha. Sorry Jason. I woke up too early and started reading CHTV. :)

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Mojo's picture

June 27, 2016 at 12:16 pm

When discussing disappointing post-season performance ( i.e. not many SB appearances) I hope people realize when they praise the coach, they by inference are then dogging the GM.

So if you love MM (and that's fine) then the problem must be the talent level (or just plain bad luck year-after-year). In that case we should be getting on TT.

If we're not getting the end results we want, someone should be accountable.

You'd think if both TT and MM were among the best in the league, if not the best, we'd have been in more SB's.

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Bearmeat's picture

June 27, 2016 at 08:11 pm

Thanks for raising this issue Mojo. IMO the problem is more TT than MM. And although they've been better than everyone (or as good as) other than the Patriots, GB absolutely SHOULD have won at least 2 Lombardi's since 2007 with the QB play they've had.

But those issues have been discussed ad nauseum, and they don't need to be broached again. We've got what we've got - which is a lot better than all but maybe a couple teams every year. Hopefully we break through 1-2x before ARod retires.

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NickPerry's picture

June 28, 2016 at 05:41 am

I believe to win a SB teams need to use ALL avenues to improve their teams. Some GM's use it to build a roster which we've saw doesn't work, but those that use it sprinkled in with the draft have had winning results.

MM suggested the Packers "May surprise people this year in Free Agency". Was it nothing more than a ploy to try and get Thompson with the program? So he signed Cook at TE and added a OLB ST Demon from the Broncos. McCarthy can ONLY coach what Ted gives him. If I was McCarthy, had AR and a an offense that can hang 30 on just about anybody any game I'd be sick and tired of Thompson's approach.

We started to see the many fans this past March begin to question TT, especially with some of the "Deals" that were made with players at positions of need like ILB or TE.

IMO Thompson has cost the Packers at least one SB with his thrifty ways but that's just me. Thompson also has many excellent qualities which make him an excellent GM. I just think he could be better and better would mean more SB's.

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croatpackfan's picture

June 28, 2016 at 07:17 am

Nick, I understand your frustration, but I would like to ask you, who you would hire instead of Ted Thompson? And what if results starts to be worse every year after that change?
My opinion is that Mike McCarthy makes enough changes every year, except one on which I think he can not influence - injuries!
Last year Jordy injury - lot of you blamed preseason games - I said thank God. What if that injury came in week 2, or week 3? James Jones would not be available at that time, probably... And injury like Jordy's is something that happened without many influence from the opponents...

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Ibleedgreenmore's picture

June 27, 2016 at 07:23 am

To me Mike is here as long as they win, with Rogers and company this will happen. We are a very spoiled fan base, only a few other teams have had the run this team has had over the last 30 some years if I remember correctly only one really bad season.

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egbertsouse's picture

June 27, 2016 at 07:28 am

Packers post record profits. No one is on the hot seat. It's all about the Benjamin's.

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marpag1's picture

June 27, 2016 at 08:28 am

"Winning in the postseason is not easy."

And it's harder than most casual fans seem to admit. Apparently, it's not clear to everyone that the postseason is usually populated with pretty good football teams.

People sometimes try to fault McCarthy for what they imagine is his "terrible, horrible, god-awful disgusting post-season record." You know, how he "can't win the big one" like everybody else apparently can (even though McCarthy DID win it all in 2010).

Here are the best active coaches in terms of TOTAL post season wins. No one really blows MM away except BB:

Bill Belichick 23-10
Andy Reid 11-11
John Harbaugh 10-5
Pete Carroll 9-6
Mike McCarthy 8-7

So only four guys are ahead of MM in total wins, and one of those is Andy "Big-Fat-Ugly-Bridesmaid" Reid.

Here are the top active coaches in terms of post season win percentage (with total postseason games in parentheses):

Gary Kubiak .714 (7)
Bill Belichick .697 (33)
John Harbaugh .667 (15)
Rex Ryan .667 (6)
Pete Carroll .600 (15)
Sean Payton .600 (10)
Mike Tomlin .545 (11)
Mike McCarthy .533 (15)

So only 7 guys have a better post season win percentage, and unless you really want Rex Ryan or Gary Kubiak instead of McCarthy, we might want to cross those guys off of our list of potential MM replacements.

Four of MM's seven postseason losses were in overtime. Just let that settle for a minute. Four of seven postseason losses were in overtime. A fifth game was lost on the last play of regulation. I am convinced the THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HATE MCCARTHY, even though he is one of the best coaches in the NFL. It's not because McCarthy sucks, it's because fans got their hearts broken.

And no, I do not think that losing in overtime somehow makes you a worse coach than losing in regulation (or not making the playoffs at all).

Of all the coaches above, only Belichick has more than one superbowl win. Andy Reid and Rex Ryan have none.

Sometimes MM is bashed for not having more than one Superbowl. Here is a list of every coach who has won the SB more than once. There are only 13 in the history of the NFL. Coaches with an asterisk (*) are already in the HOF.

4 - Belichick, Noll*
3 - Gibbs*, Walsh*
2 - Coughlin, Flores, Johnson, Landry*, Lombardi*, Parcells*, Seifert, Shanahan and Shula*.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 27, 2016 at 07:57 am

As a serious take (as opposed to my post below) on the issue of how hot MM's seat should be, Marpag's post above is as good as I've read. More of that darn research!

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jasonperone's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:21 am

I have to chime in here as well and give it up for the numbers work, marpag. As I alluded to below with Reynoldo, I'm not a big stats guy. I get the importance, I just don't often approach my topics from that angle as much as I do a stream of consciousness.

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marpag1's picture

June 27, 2016 at 12:26 pm

Hehe. Well, y'know... some guys have stats, while other guys have lives, girlfriends, respect and that kinda stuff. We make our choices.

Honestly, I don't consider myself much of a "stats guy," either. I HATE the idea of trying to build a team through "analytics," and I truly believe that the only way to really judge a player is with your eyes and with your gut. But I'm also kind of a "show me" sort of guy, and one thing that no one can deny about McCarthy is that he wins a heck of a lot of football games, and there are precious few people who win more. He's also proven he can win a Superbowl. Lots of people have personal opinions about McCarthy, but in the end Parcells was right: "You are what the scoreboard says you are." The score is the ultimate statistic.

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dobber's picture

June 27, 2016 at 02:42 pm

What the research does is kill the moody, knee-jerk reactions, the personal grudges, the "they say..."s, and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately's. nice work, Marpag.

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jasonperone's picture

June 27, 2016 at 04:58 pm

I enjoy all of those things! #nomoreresearch

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:04 am

This article is all over the place, but maybe that is fair, since it also hits pretty much all of the main issues fans bring up. Some things I noted:

1) "Packers fans have almost become conditioned to exercise less patience than they may have over 20 years ago." Why? Because we've had 2 HOF QBs back to back, and because we see a lot of talent on this team. Of course, it could be our attention spans are shorter - I'll be taking my Methylphenidate as a dessert now that I've eaten my Ritalin.

2) I've no idea why Hundley's progress is a testament to MM's coaching staff as a whole. It is a testament to MM, and Clements, pretty well-respected QB coaches, probably Van Pelt, and to Hundley himself. I wouldn't give credit to any of the other coaches for it.

3) GB has so much youth due to a pretty top heavy salary structure, with 10 players accounting for $99.34M of the $155.27M salary cap (64%).

4) "At the end of it all, if the team is responding well to the head coach and having success within their structure, then it would appear that the current leadership is effective." I don't know what this means, or how to test or measure it. Really, I suspect it is gobblygook like one finds in governmentese or educationese, and has no meaning.

5) "The Packers don't tend to be a franchise that makes knee jerk movements." I suppose. Rhodes got a quick hook. OTOH, personally, I recall thinking that Gregg, Devine, Starr (OMG - 9 seasons!) had to go long before they were canned. I'm trying to remember if I was on my Ritalin cocktail back then. Nah, I think it was alcohol.

6) QBs (and coaches) get too much credit and blame for wins and losses. Guess that leaves the GM and Board of Directors. And TT has even more job security than the coaches. BOD even more.

7) "I've said many times that a team can't win a championship without first getting into the postseason." I've said that a team can't win without first getting out of bed in the morning.

8) "As far as I'm concerned, McCarthy's seat should feel about as hot as the Lambeau Field bleachers in mid-December." Pretty close, but what has MM done for me lately?

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jasonperone's picture

June 27, 2016 at 09:02 am

You never disappoint Rey Rey.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:03 am

But look, my attention span has increased to over 50 minutes. Not sure if your reply is sarcastic or or otherwise, but you are smiling in your picture, so based on that evidence, I'll assume the latter! I'll get a lot of deserved dislikes: every paragraph I wrote has something somebody will dislike. Now I'll just totter off for another Ritalin cocktail.

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jasonperone's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:18 am

No, it's not sarcastic. I appreciate everyone's takes. Sometimes, admittedly it's hard to tell when something is satirical or serious but regardless, we as writers have to 1) appreciate our following and 2) handle the feedback either way. I got a chuckle out of the above and trust me, I've read some things and had a similar thought train myself before.

I think you and I have discussed before, I'm not anywhere near a stats guy. Numbers are important and I agree my pieces are on the very light side but in that, at least I'm consistent. If you want the hard-hitting numbers pieces, that's Thomas and formerly Chad and Mike. I speak more generally and from the perspective of the "fan at the bar". I never approached this with the goal of disproving a theory or making an indisputable case for why MM's job is safe. I actually try to pick topics that aren't easy to prove because they promote more banter. That is what, in my eyes, brings people to our site and together as fans. OK, now that this has turned into one of those "after school commercials", I'll wrap up.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:34 am

"Pretty close, but what has MM done for me lately"

Spot on TGR. I mean the guy hasn't won a game in over 5 months! Lombardi never would have put up with that. A total waste of almost half a year of a HOF quarteback's career.

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croatpackfan's picture

June 30, 2016 at 03:06 am

Maybe Lombardi would have differents massages to send if he had to fight with Salary Cap and constant, every year, team rebuilding, restricted number of practice and prescribed what you can and what is not allowed during practice...

I think it would be interesting to see how Lombardi will carry on in modern football...

And this is nothiing to disrespect Lombardi. He is institution and inspiration for the people who lives football, but he was the best at his time. How he would handle with today rules is pure speculation!

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Amanofthenorth's picture

June 27, 2016 at 08:05 am

What we have here is classic editor pressure to come up with articles that get eyeballs. Training camp can't come fast enough.

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Since'61's picture

June 27, 2016 at 08:57 am

Marpag has covered the point brilliantly in his post. The only thing I would add is that if you really want to waste 2-3 seasons of Rodgers career then you would replace MM and introduce a new system for the team to learn. There is no justifiable reason for replacing MM at this point. A new head coach guarantees nothing, just look back at what happened when Mike Holmgren decided he wanted to become more than just an HC. Thanks, Since '61

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MarkinMadison's picture

June 27, 2016 at 09:57 am

Amen. And to add a line: Just look at what happened when you had a future HOF QB that the coach was afraid to challenge.

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WinUSA's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:12 am

McCarthy isn't dragging his buttocks across Tim Robbins coals...that for sure.

....and that's all I've got to say about that! :9)

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DrealynWilliams's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:51 am

Jeff Fisher...Marvin Lewis...

The only pressure MM is facing is self....

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EdsLaces's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:20 am

Haha Marvin Lewis .....just thinking about his team makes me laugh. Wow I hate the Bengals so so much for ruining my vacation 2 years ago. If I don't laugh about that team I'll start to throw things.

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TarynsEyes's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:04 am

McCarthy does come up with some revolutionary camp break snacks while all the other stuff is just football.

Every season we get a list of guys who became media darlings in regard to being a possible head coach. How many of these guys actually succeed past their first 3 years because of inability for whatever reasons.

Gase is now in Miami, the miracle that changed Cutler last season, let's see how he handles the whole team experience. Being awarded a chance is easier to get these days but doing the job never is.

Can McCarthy do better, should McCarthy do better....probably. But the question is....Will he do better and if another season of one and done looms, how can replacement not be a meaningful discussion or action. : )

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Tundraboy's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:43 am

"Being awarded a chance is easier to get these days but doing the job never is."

Perfectly stated.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:35 am

Whaaaat?

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Tundraboy's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:43 am

Nothing at all ???

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4thand1's picture

June 27, 2016 at 05:26 pm

You're mental

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JerseyAl's picture

June 28, 2016 at 12:29 pm

hacked...

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:31 am

I would have fired McCarthy every off season for many years now. Starting with right after they won the super bowl.

The things that he has the most individual control over are his decision making and is too often not good.

Things like kicking FGs against Seattle, not going for 2 vs Arizona, not adjusting D to account for Plaxico, horrific challenge decisions - ones that even your WR has to cover your but and pickup a flag, taking the O from #7 DVOA to #23 or so when he started calling plays, in part because he gave the ball to Kuhn, his lack of adhesives l aggression, his punting in game down late. On and on.

The teams performance without Rodgers emphasized just how much of his success is due to Rodgers.

MM's biggest responsibility is making decisions, and he's bad at that. That is clear. Much of the other things he does is heavily influenced by others and much harder to give him credit or blame.

If he's not going to get fired soon, and he likely won't (Rodgers wins too much) he needs to hire a "bench coach". Someone he trusts; he lessons to, but can challenge him. That's what he should have done as his big move last year.

I do like his leadership, especially outside of the games. I like his football class. I like plenty of other things about him; just too often his decisions are poor.

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Tundraboy's picture

June 28, 2016 at 02:56 pm

Like many a coach he learned by making mistakes on the job. Yes in 2010,he made some major ones and Rodgers bailed him out as I recall. All the same he guided and led that team through a great deal of adversity. He has continued to make mistakes but the record speaks for itself and we are always in the race. I for one believe he has learned from those mistakes and that this year, with some of health and some breaks we are poised to win it all.

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 12:04 pm

The record speaks for a lot of people. It's hard to know how much credit he should get for or if it should even be better with a different coach.

His errors in Seattle didn't seem to teach him anything at the end of regulation in Arizona. I will say his challenges were improved last year, but that could easily be a small sample.

The things that are clearly his affect ate too often not good.

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WinUSA's picture

June 27, 2016 at 02:49 pm

Chronologically correct all the way down the line...nice post. When I wrote my deep frustration for not going for 2 against Arizona the majority of our readers took a Toro mower and cut my grassy ass.

Don't forget the critical march down the field by Seattle, when McCarthy didn't even know that Mathews wasn't even in the game.

McCarthy has done about as many good things as bad but the bad sure can fill an outhouse!

We are just so very fortunate that a generation has seen only the likes of Favre and Rodgers, they both make any manager look good. When Rodgers is gone we are going to be like 75% of the league and that is we will be scrambling for a starting QB.

Mr Tally man isn't going to find a starting QB amongst the banana trees that's for sure.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

June 27, 2016 at 04:32 pm

"When I wrote my deep frustration for not going for 2 against Arizona the majority of our readers took a Toro mower and cut my grassy ass."

I can't stop laughing.

On a serious note, it's hard for me to jump on McCarthy for not going for 2 against Arizona in Arizona. Believe me, I get both sides (sending it to OT and going for 2), but Rodgers was playing with WRs #5,6 and 7 and #5 was shut down for the entire game. Not much confidence -- let alone experience in the remaining WR group.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

June 27, 2016 at 09:38 pm

I'm not fighting it. I get it.

But which formation and personnel group are you throwing out there with the game on the line?

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:07 pm

It doesn't appear you do get it. Which personnel group would be run for 9 consecutive plays on a game winning drive?

Whatever negatives exist for the 2-point play exist in OT for multiple plays, and may even be worsened with additional wear and tear.

In overtime every play is with the game on the line.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:29 pm

Lol, another one, I see.

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Tundraboy's picture

June 28, 2016 at 08:23 am

Cow, I agree. And I think he has learned from that. I sure hope so. I expect that he will be more assertive this year, and play to win in the big moments.

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WKUPackFan's picture

June 28, 2016 at 10:10 am

Respectfully, going for two there is not only poor strategy, it's the sign of a weaker team. It's what the Appalachian State's of the world do against the Michigan's (poor example I know since Appalachian State didn't need a two to win that game).

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WinUSA's picture

June 28, 2016 at 02:07 pm

Hey Cow...weren't you one of the readers that had his hand on the Toro's throttle and was running a pattern on my ass?

But hey...my memory isn't what it use to be...I see that you concur at this time.

Here's the way I saw it real time.
We had just scored a hail Mary.

Arizona's players had a glazed look of disbelief in there eyes looking at each other wondering "what the hell happened out there"

Running out personnel to do a 2 pointer would have shocked them even more.

The best player on the field (Rodgers) had the ball in his hands.

When in the hell else would it be TIME to run a 2 point.

I was jumping up and down like a Jack Russel in heat.. yelling at the screen with foam running down my chin to do the two pointer.

My wife looking at me..... I now sleep alone.

Sigh...but that's all history.

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WKUPackFan's picture

June 28, 2016 at 10:03 am

@gr7070 - While I respectfully disagree with most of your post, I agree with the bench coach idea. Someone with experience who could stay close to MM during the games would be helpful in some of those critical decisions.

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Gianich's picture

June 27, 2016 at 11:35 am

Mashed Potato Mike Scheming again! One coach dedicated solely to the WRs and one coach dedicated solely to the QBs rather than one coach balancing both is going to make a world of difference IMHO.

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 12:07 pm

I actually like the approach of combining WRs and QBs. Makes a lot of sense to me. A good MM decision.

Now giving that responsibility to only one coach may not have been a great decision.

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SpudRapids's picture

June 27, 2016 at 04:56 pm

Schematically yes.... fundamentally no....

This setup is great for the game plan but not for critiquing technique and player development. This could be the reason both Rodgers and WR's had a down year. Think about... both groups are used to having a singular coach, however with time being split, both groups might not have received the time they needed to improve week to week.

When you throw in the amount of injuries the WR corps had you would have to think that the coach spent the majority of the time getting those rotating WR's up to speed and not working on the gameplan with Rodgers. This might have had a huge effect on the offense's stagnation.

Couple the above scenario with an unhealthy offensive line, an out of shape Lacy and you have the reasons the offense underperformed. Personally I think this is more of a perfect storm of circumstances then the trend of what to expect from the Pack's offense moving forward.

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PortlandMark's picture

June 27, 2016 at 12:34 pm

There is an element of luck in the post season. NE could easily sitting with only one SB win or could have more. The last second FGs that won two of their games weren't sure things. Their pick of Wilson was the only time all year that an interception was thrown from the one yard line. The fumble call that got reversed in the playoffs would've ended their season.
As much as I hate to admit it, the Seahawks of the 2014 were better than the Packers. They had home field. In the NFC title game they had more yards and more first downs. Our vaunted offense couldn't get it done against the Seahawks defense. The only post season games that really frost me are the two home games against inferior NJ Giant teams. If only that 2011 Packer team could tackle...

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Spock's picture

June 27, 2016 at 03:01 pm

Disagree on 2014, the Packer's were clearly better than the Seahawks for all but a few minutes of that game (and it was the Special Teams that killed that game), even with Rodgers playing essentially on one leg! If our quarterback was healthy, McCarthy WOULD have gone for touchdowns instead of field goals and that game (despite the special team snafu's) would have been out of reach for Seattle. "Our vaunted offense" was being run by a one legged quarterback. Did you forget that Wilson's q.b. rating at half time was 0.0???

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Lphill's picture

June 27, 2016 at 01:20 pm

No excuse for losing the first playoff game after going 15 and 1 , after winning the SB , that was was all on MM , team was flat after the bye , I don't think it was due to the terrible loss of Philbins son, that was McCarthy not having his team ready to play , should have been back to back SB's, he should have been fired then.

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SpudRapids's picture

June 27, 2016 at 05:00 pm

I would agree with you if the Giants wouldn't have gone on to beat the Patriots in the Superbowl. I don't think anyone was beating them that postseason because they were the hot team. Same thing for the 2010 Packers, no one was going to beat them.

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:20 pm

"...because they were the hot team. Same thing for the 2010 Packers..."

I despise this BS. The Packers weren't simply the hot team in the playoffs. They finished the regular season as the best team in the NFL. They just happened to have a record that masked that.

Check out the Football Outsiders rankinga in week 16.

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chungo's picture

June 27, 2016 at 01:36 pm

Its still safe to say that they still cant tackle!

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Icebowler's picture

June 27, 2016 at 02:53 pm

"Many cite the words of former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, who said that most NFL coaches reach a ceiling with their teams after 10 years. At that point, it's time for a fresh face, voice and ideas "

Maybe we should trade MM to the Saints, straight up, for Sean Peyton. Both are in the same 10 year boat:)

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marpag1's picture

June 27, 2016 at 04:34 pm

Hehe... or imagine how much the Patriots must want to get rid of Belichick, who is now entering his 17th season with that team. Man, that must be getting stale!

Bill Walsh changed the game and won three Superbowls, but that quote of his is overrated. Probably the main reason that Bill Walsh said that is because HE HIMSELF coached the Niners for exactly ten seasons and then wanted to retire. It was his explanation for hanging 'em up. And it probably was just being modest... and not entirely truthful. Walsh had just won his third Lombardi at the time of his retirement.

Landry spent 29 years with the Cowboys, Shula 26 with the Dolphins, Noll 23 with the Steelers, Cowher 15 with the Steelers, Going way back, both Halas and Paul Brown coached for an eternity. There are others.

Coaches get out because A) they start losing (or just suck) and get fired, or B) they want to retire. But there is no mystical ten-year expiration date. The idea of "getting stale" is kind of silly, IMO.

It's an interesting question though... if you could trade MM for Peyton straight up, would you do it? I like Peyton as a coach, but personally I don't think I would. Tough call, though.

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:37 pm

Most players are out of the NFL in less than 5 years, and those guys are on the save team, on average, even less than that.

So who is this message getting old with? The two players that might have been on the same team for that coaches tenure?

The quote is worthless.

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al bundy's picture

June 27, 2016 at 07:54 pm

Yes its understandable the pack fans and the org want superbowls but realistically your not getting one every year. Next, they want playoffs and Mike has been solid getting there.
My take is his seat gets hot if they fail to make the playoffs and Rogers is not hurt in like game 5 for the season.
I think his seat is fired upon if he did this two years in a row, otherwise whats to talk about.

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gr7070's picture

June 27, 2016 at 10:42 pm

"1 appearance in 9 Rodgers-seasons doesn't cut it."

That's not the reason he should be fired. Similarly he shouldn't be lauded if they had won 3. Luck has a lot to do with winning 1 or 3.

It's for many other reasons he should be replaced.

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Point-Packer's picture

June 28, 2016 at 02:51 pm

Totally agree. One Super Bowl appearance with Rodgers is unacceptable.

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