When the Green Bay Packers lost 20-17 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, there was widespread speculation that the upset would herald the end of Mike McCarthy’s term as head coach. Few expected the transition to come so rapidly. Only hours later, the Packers announced McCarthy’s departure and that offensive coordinator Joe Philbin would serve as temporary head coach. McCarthy’s 13-year tenure in Green Bay ended abruptly and ignominiously with that shocking statement.
The 2018 season did not live up to the Green Bay Packers’ aspirations and standards. As a result, I made the tough decision to remove Mike McCarthy from his position as head coach, effective immediately,” Packers CEO Mark Murphy stated in a statement, before thanking McCarthy for his service. “Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field.”
While there was no denying McCarthy’s success in Green Bay, it was clear that what had worked in the past was no longer working. As the losses piled up, it became clear that McCarthy’s season was over unless a miraculous reversal occurred. After falling to 4-7-1 after losing at home to a Cardinals squad that had won exactly two games, the Packers felt there was no use in delaying the inevitable
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As with everything in Green Bay, the decision was ultimately made by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, a two-time MVP, has been one of the league’s greatest starting quarterbacks for the majority of his career, and the team has advanced to the playoffs every year he has been healthy since 2008. In all of his Super Bowl appearances, he has only won one. While some of this is due to the caliber of players the squad has assembled around him, there has been a perception that McCarthy’s play-calling has been, at best, ineffective. As long as the Rodgers/McCarthy combination was continuously making the playoffs, the Packers were unlikely to make any dramatic changes. Well, the Packers, losers of their last three games, are currently
McCarthy’s play-calling has been at best ineffective. As long as the Rodgers/McCarthy combination was continuously making the playoffs, the Packers were unlikely to make any dramatic changes. The Packers, who have lost their last three games and are presently third in the NFC North, will not make the playoffs this season.
