Packers Daily Links: McCarthy "Appalled" by Questioning of Capers
Head coach Mike McCarthy answered questions about the future of the defensive coordinator position in Green Bay. That and more in today's Daily Links...
During his season-ending press conference held on Tuesday, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had an unusually temperamental response to a question about the future of defensive coordinator Dom Capers in Green Bay. "I think it's ridiculous that I have to answer the question, frankly. I'm appalled by it," McCarthy is quoted as saying by Nancy Armour of the Associated Press. "I would not do my job, I would not fulfill my responsibility if I didn't look at the job Dom Capers has done, the job Mike McCarthy's done, what (offensive coordinator) Tom Clements has done, all the way down. I can promise you that's what's going to happen." McCarthy would also say he was "very confident" that Capers would be the defensive coordinator next season. But please Mike, spare the fans and the media the rhetoric that you're somehow above having to answer questions about your underlings. By all means, feel free to defend Dom Capers if you so choose, but don't give off some sort of arrogance after an early playoff exit in which the defense made NFL history for all the wrong reasons by allowing Colin Kaepernick to run wild.
More on Mike McCarthy comes from ESPNMilwaukee.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Packers official website, Lombardi Ave. and JSOnline.
Dom Capers also spoke to the media on Tuesday for the final time this season, and said he'd like to continue coaching. He also tried to rationalize what happened to the defense in the aftermath of their playoff loss, saying it was Colin Kaepernick's scrambling ability and not the zone-read that killed the Packers. "Our issues in the first half weren't as much the zone-read play as much as they were the quarterback scrambling and running against us and not being able to get off the field on third down," Capers is quoted as saying at JSOnline. "Now we start the second half with a three-and-out, then they break the long run on the zone-read play, the 57-yard touchdown.
More on Dom Capers and the Packers defense comes from the Journal Sentinel, ESPNMilwaukee.com, Fox Sports Wisconsin and Wisconsin State Journal.
Outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene had the quote of the year when he answered a question about whether Dom Capers should be the Packers defensive coordinator. "Does a fat baby fart? Big time. Absolutely. No doubt about it," said Greene, as quoted by Tyler Dunne at JSOnline. Fabulous response.
Kevin Greene also defended Erik Walden saying he wasn't responsible for Colin Kaepernick's long zone-read touchdown run in the playoff loss, as noted at the Press-Gazette.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play in the Pro Bowl citing injuries to multiple lower extremities during his weekly radio show on the ESPN Radio affiliate in Milwaukee, 540 AM WAUK. "I did get banged up in the game," Rodgers is quoted as saying by Jason Wilde. "I’ve been on the injury report at various times during the season with my ankle (that) was hurting me. I will say that my ankle has definitely been a problem. During the season I’ve been on the injury report at least once with that. But yeah, I’m not going. I’m sorry to the fans, the Green Bay fans that are going to be out there." Can't blame Rodgers for not taking risks during what amounts to an exhibition game.
More on Aaron Rodgers comes from the Press-Gazette, ESPN.com and JSOnline.
Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt acknowledged there will be an open competition at cornerback next season in articles at the Journal Sentinel and JSOnline.
The Chicago Bears hired Marc Trestman of the Montreal Alouettes as their new head coach. That means Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements won't be receiving the job, as reported at Fox Sports Wisconsin.
Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum indicated that Jeremy Ross will compete for the kick return jobs next season, as noted by JSOnline, ESPNMilwaukee.com and the Press-Gazette.
Jermichael Finley's future in a Packers uniform is uncertain, but it didn't stop him from making appearances in the community on Tuesday. More from the Journal Sentinel, Press-Gazette and Fox 11.
Taking a look ahead to the 2013 season is Bleacher Report NFC North blogger Andrew Garda and Ol' Bag of Donuts.
Lovie Smith and the 4-3 defense aren't right for Green Bay, says Chad Toporski of AllGreenBayPackers.com.
An article on Charles Woodson appears at Packer Report.
Video: For the last time of the season, Packers legend LeRoy Butler answers questions in his video series at JSOnline...
Brian Carriveau is the author of "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and an editor at Cheesehead TV. To contact Brian, email [email protected].
Comments (35)
January 16, 2013 at 10:16 am
I guess if the question re: Capers appalled MM so much it must mean that he is more appalled by the players he has on the defensive side of the ball.
I know, probably reading too much into it....
January 16, 2013 at 10:18 am
I'm appalled that this team looked so unprepared on defense to face SF. They looked like they hadn't watched a minute of film on Kaepernick.
I'm appalled they the coaches seem to be in denial about how they really performed in that game. They can say all they want about "how they didn't play their best game", but all of us who watched the game know it wasn't just that. It was game planning, coaching, play calling, and execution....not just "not a good game".
Coaches need to look in the mirror....
January 16, 2013 at 03:05 pm
1000% Agree. Appaling! Unbelievable!
January 16, 2013 at 10:22 am
Of course you don't actually know what the question that was asked was (unless you were there or have knowledge not in the article in which case accept my apologies).
If the question was "will you be looking to make changes on the defense" then the response looks different to if the question was "will you fire Dom Capers"
Brian Carriveau
January 16, 2013 at 10:24 am
Read Jason Wilde's article to learn what he exact line of question was.
January 16, 2013 at 12:24 pm
You can hear Wilde's question if you watch MM's presser.
January 16, 2013 at 10:26 am
You've got to listen to Wilde recount the exchange since he's the one that asked the question. It's the very first segment of today's Green & Gold broadcast. It's less dramatic then the manner in which it's likely to be recounted in.
January 16, 2013 at 11:05 am
Send all time LB sack leader Kevin Greene out of town with Walden. If he can't coach him to hold the point in 2 years he doesn't belong on any NFL coaching staff. Defending him is like defending the captain of the Titanic. Good riddens Greene, bring in John Anderson to coach the linebackers or Brain Noble.
Brian Carriveau
January 16, 2013 at 11:10 am
I think you'll have a hard time finding support for that one.
January 16, 2013 at 11:11 am
So you think Walden still has an upside?
January 16, 2013 at 11:06 am
I believe MM stated that a reason he didn't like doing this presser at this time is the proper amount of due deligence to assess all the players,coaches hasn't been afforded the necessary time frame.
I read many a tweet yesterday from some here at CHTV that had me sensing they actually thought and more so were demanding that MM utter the words 'Yes,Dom Capers has been let go"..are you serious?
Did any of you really believe such words or decision would be spoken while TT is away at the Shrine.
Talk about knee-jerk reactions from what is suppose to be a level headed thinking group.
January 16, 2013 at 11:12 am
"....what is suppose to be a level headed thinking group."
Since when?
January 16, 2013 at 11:53 am
Not my job to be level-headed.
Get rid of anyone that has had a hand in the last 2 playoff debacles.
This team wins games IN SPITE of its coaching staff.
January 16, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Changed my mind.
Might as well keep all the coaches.
Getting rid of multiple coaches would "f" things up even more.
Just gotta hope that the talent is enough to overcome the lack of direction.
January 16, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I'd say wait and see if the falcons and ne/bal get torn apart by Kaep and also if they can make adjustments. If they can do either o those reasonably well then Capers should be let go immediately, because neither of this teams have more talent on D than we do.
As for McCarthy, he should be stripped of the playcalling duties. Cow is correct, we won all year in spite of his moronic play calling. He needs to focus on the big picture of the team, not how he's going rip off 50 yard bombs on 3 &1 or how he's going to keep our D on the field for 2/3's of the game. Or how he's going to get Arodge sacked 50 times and do nothin to correct 12's bad habits.
January 16, 2013 at 12:18 pm
"...he’s going rip off 50 yard bombs on 3 &1."
You need to strip #12 of his audible privileges and pre/post snap reads if that's your gripe. That ain't McCarthy.
January 16, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Seattle absolutely crushed SF on both sides of the ball in thier last meeting. Kaepernick was their leading rusher in that game with I believe 70 yards. That game should have been a highlight reel of how to contain him.
As for ATL, it will be interesting to see how this game plays out. I don't think they have the players to stop him either. Go back and watch what Cam Newton did to them in both time they faced him. If the Packers head shed is waiting to see how others fare against him before making a decision, I think there are more problems than just a DCs job.
January 16, 2013 at 02:59 pm
I believe that Bill Barnwell on Grantland wrote that the 49ers played almost no pistol offense in the last two weeks of the year (which would include the Seattle game) and then played it a ton against us. That doesn't excuse Capers, but it may not be a direct comparison.
January 16, 2013 at 03:03 pm
Yep: "Finally, let's go back to Saturday night, where Jim Harbaugh put on yet another clinic in a big game. Never mind that the 49ers stopped running the Pistol in Week 16 and Week 17 to get it out of Green Bay's minds and film watching before bringing it back in style in the divisional round."
I had missed the nugget earlier.
January 17, 2013 at 09:07 am
Many, many teams have more talent in their defensive front 7 than the Packers put on the field Saturday.
January 16, 2013 at 03:34 pm
I think as fans we were badly let down by this game and the NYG playoff game last year. It's more than just being upset about losing.
Most fans try to understand and anticipate the improvements that will give the team a better chance to win the next time. But this was just like the last time.
If the coaches think they have it figured out then that's scary because they clearly do not and if they think it was "just a bad game" that's even more scary considering this was the playoffs.
Face it, GB got outplayed, outschemed and outcoached. I don't think that the coaches are getting the most out of the talent that is on this team and McCarthy's "formula" for winning is flawed.
You know the worst part for me? No playoff caliber team fears playing the Green Bay Packers....weak defense, inconsistent offense, same scheme, not mean or physical.
January 16, 2013 at 04:47 pm
I think MM is appalled by 95% of the questions 'Drama' Wilde asks.
January 17, 2013 at 10:56 am
So, would you have preferred that Wilde NOT ask the question?
January 18, 2013 at 09:19 am
I could care less what our head coach is asked or not asked.
I'm not the type that feels fans are entitled to know something before it happens, like a lot of folks, including Wilde. We will know as soon as something happens, and if it doesn't happen, ain't nothing my or Wilde's whining is going to do to change it.
That doesn't mean I agree with everything that is done, I just don't think it's healthy to worry about things that are completely out if my control.
January 16, 2013 at 05:20 pm
I keep hearing that the coaches couldn't figure out how to stop Kapernick. Has anybody given any thought to the fact that maybe they could figure it out in terms of scheme but that the players could not execute? Coaches can come up with a bunch of schemes but if there is a lack of talent then maybe is the players. How about the 49ers offensive line opening large holes in the Packer defensive line? Was that the coaches fault? How about linebackers not maintaining the edge and getting suckered? Was that the coaches fault? How about the lack of speed on the Packer defense (with exception of Sam Shields)? Was that the coaches fault? Or is it Ted Thompson's fault for being so rigid in his philosophy that he will not supplement his draft picks with quality free-agent signings once in a while? I know free-agents don't work just look at the 49ers signings of Justin Smith and Carlos Rogers.
January 16, 2013 at 08:49 pm
Yeah, stupid TT and his lack of free agent signings... *cough*Pickett&Woodson*cough*.
So what free agent in the two years since Super Bowl XLV did we miss out on that would have put us over the hump for another Lombardi trophy? Help me out here.
January 17, 2013 at 10:42 am
First of all your an A HOLE for calling anybody stupid. I agree with TT's draft first philosophy but he is extremely rigid as far as obtaining a free agent or two that may be able to help the young kids. He let go of Cullen Jenkins and the defensive line has not been the same. He would not give up a non-first round draft pick for Marshawn Lynch. Just think how balanced the Packer offense would be with Lynch. The Packers have been looking for a Linebacker to compliment Matthews on the pass rush. Julius Peppers was available in 2009. They could also have signed Carlos Rogers who is a pretty good DB with the 49ers. I can keep going and going. Woodson and Pickett are a couple of exceptions but one right does not correct a lot of wrongs.
January 18, 2013 at 09:24 am
This is such a faulty sense of logic.
We don't know who TT did or did not go after any year other than the guys he did sign. Peppers, Rogers, etc...you nor I have any idea what TT did or did not do in trying to sign those guys. That being the case...why waste your and other's time whining about something you have no clue about??
January 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm
You obviously missed the sarcasm Pack12. Also, Cullen Jenkins was way overpaid in Philly and is basically at the end of his career. Julius Peppers wanted no part of a 3-4 defense. Carlos Rogers??? Why would we need another Db? He would have been just another guy getting toasted last season while our opposing QB danced around for 8 seconds in the face of our non-existent pass-rush.
The money that would have been needed to bring these guys into GB would have been astronomical. Remember, this isn't Madden Football. Even with our winning tradition and success over the past two decades, most big-name free agents tend to put us low on their list for a number of reason (cold, small town, etc.).
Yeah, Marshawn Lynch would have been nice in a trade, but to be fair, most everyone saw him as an extremely risky acquisition at the time. To rip TT for one miss (one that 30 other GM's missed on as well) is very short sighted.
For that matter, while Justin Smith & Rogers were great signings for the niners, that team is still largely a product of the draft. Aldon Smith... Patrick Willis... NaVorro Bowman... Frank Gore... Vernon Davis... Michael Crabtree... Colin Kaepernik... need I go on?
January 17, 2013 at 12:11 am
DOM CAPERS NFL RESUME 1992 - Present
To all you alleged Packer fans who claim no other fans have the right to voice their opinions, especially 1after909, and tank79, you apparently have no clue what you are talking about which is evidenced by Capers NFL resume. So, here it is.
He began his NFL career as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints and was named defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992, including a trip to the AFC Championship game in 1994. He remained with the Steelers until becoming head coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995.
Capers remained with the Steelers until becoming head coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995. After 1995's 7–9 season, a record breaking mark for an expansion team, the Panthers went to the NFC Championship game in 1996. Continuing to spend against the salary cap, and eventually TAKING CONTROL OF PERSONNEL in 1997, the Panthers went 7–9, followed by a dismal 4–12 season in 1998, at the end of which he was “terminated”.
After being let go from the Panthers, he served as an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars until becoming the head coach of the expansion Houston Texans on January 21, 2001.
After starting out 4–12 (2002) and 5–11 (2003) in his first two seasons in Houston, the Texans posted a 7–9 mark in 2004. The Texans announced in 2005 following their record of 2-14 that Capers would be “fired” January 2, 2006.
On January 23, 2006, the Miami Dolphins announced the hiring of Dom Capers as the team's defensive coordinator. There, he served as assistant head coach with an annual salary of $2.6 million. On Thursday, January 3, 2008, Dom Capers was “fired” along with all offensive and defensive coaches.
On February 21, 2008, Capers was hired by the Patriots as their secondary coach/special assistant, replacing Joel Collier.
On January 19, 2009, Capers was named the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator by head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson where he replaced the 4-3 defense Green Bay has used since 1992 with the 3-4 he used in Miami. (3-4 didn’t work – fired – see above).
After being fired so many times Thompson was able to acquire Capers for next to nothing. Ted Thompson is a bargain basement shopper. And you usually get your monies worth in the bargain basement.
1992-1994 Steelers
1995-1998 Panthers – Fired
1999-2000 ’99 - Jaguars as assistant
2001-2006 Texans – Fired after 18-46 record
2006-2007 Dolphins – Fired
2008 Patriots – did not extend contract
2009-2012 Packers – Post Season blowouts 51-45; 37-20; 45-31 in 3 of last four seasons
Let’s see, he was fired from 3 jobs and had one job where his contract was not extended (let go). That is a 2-4 job record. That makes him a “genius” and a “guru”. Vic Ketchum, what is your criteria for a “genius”? We are “fair weather fans” because we will not follow along with the b.s. Vic is trying to feed us. Looks like it’s better to be labeled a “fair weather fan” than an ignorant “sheeple”.
January 17, 2013 at 11:00 am
People get fired all the time in coaching. Belechik got fired from Cleveland. Jimmy Johnson was fired from the Cowboys if I'm not mistaken. Wasn't George Seifert fired? My point is that it's rare for a coach to end his job on his own terms. Getting fired as a coach doesn't always indicate you're not good at it.
January 17, 2013 at 11:07 am
This particular part:
"After being fired so many times Thompson was able to acquire Capers for next to nothing. Ted Thompson is a bargain basement shopper. And you usually get your monies worth in the bargain basement."
...isn't remotely accurate. They were reportedly paying him upwards $2 million/year. That's a very high DC number. That, and TT wasn't the one doing the shopping, it was McCarthy.
January 17, 2013 at 01:35 am
How different would our offense be if that idiot Thompson would have listened to #12 and brought in Marshawn Lynch for nothing 2 years ago. Tired of Thompson hoarding his draft choices instead of getting what the team needs. He could have got Tony Gonzales a few years ago too. He needs to make some moves in free agency for once and shore up the defense this year. Perry and Bishop will be back but needs to sign a good DT and corner to help. MM also needs to hire an offensive coordinator. Not one screen pass, short check down to Harris in the middle or Finley down the middle 15 yards all game.Come on Mike, you would get your butt kicked on Madden 2012!
January 17, 2013 at 10:59 am
It's easy to look back now and be a revisionist on how much of a 'no-brainer' the move for Lynch should have been. Left out of the discussion are:
* Lynch was just coming off a suspension for misdemeanor gun possession and a league suspension for his stupidity.
* He than proceeded to get game time only after Fred Jackson was injured. He then didn't hit the 100 yard mark once and looked average.
* When you make a trade, player for picks, you have to assess your ability to resign that player. Can you retain him? Did the Packer organization believe Lynch wanted to stay in a rural market comparable to the one he just played himself out of (Buffalo)? I don't know what they felt, but you have to assess the risk when you're giving away picks in exchange for no guaranteed future.
Again, there's nuance here but people are too angry about Saturdays playoff exit.
January 17, 2013 at 11:06 am
As much as I want the defense to do better - especially postseason - I'm starting to calm down on the whole fire Capers thing. I mean, just look at the scores from last week:
Baltimore and Denver both are supposed to be some of the better defensive teams. The score? 38 -35. Defense is also supposed to be the strength of Houston. The score? 41-28. Seattle's another top defensive team, but Atlanta put 30 on them. Now, clealy I understand that Green Bay was woefully unprepared for San Francisco, but on the other hand, you pretty much had to score around 40 points to assure yourself a victory in last weekend's games. It's pretty clear that handling opposing offenses is not just the problem of Green Bay. The other elite teams didn't do so great either.