I’m Back and I’m Still Not a Happy Packer Backer

It’s been many, many weeks since I’ve weighed in on the sinking ship that is the 2018 Packers, but, at least, for today, I’m to give my 6 cents on what’s happened and is happening and what will happen.

Mike McCarthy has coached the Packers longer than anyone else since Curly Lambeau. The immortal Curly Lambeau won 6 titles in 31 years and the extremely mortal Mike McCarthy has won 1 in his 13 years as head coach. Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr were coach for 9 years and Mike Holmgren for 7 years and Mike Sherman 6.

One of the reasons I haven’t commented on the terrible play in general, the yearly rash of injuries and the terrible play calling of Mike McCarthy is because what I had to say was something I’ve been saying for years now and again after the “new beginning” during the offseason.

I wanted McCarthy fired years ago for not firing Dom Capers. Remember McCarthy kept Dom Capers on WAY TOO LONG after he became a liability. I was calling for Capers to be fired since the 2011 season and it took him 7 years to do so. The hallmark of a Capers defense is that in a crunch it will fail and it seems Mike Pettine’s defense isn’t much better.

Déjà vu and Other Observations

The 2018 new look Green Bay Packers opened the season with a 31-17 win over the Tennessee Titans at LAMMMMMMbeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I watched the entire game except for 8 minutes in the second quarter when my stream froze up. But to me the new look Packers looked a whole lot like the old look Packers.

I was anxious to see how the Packers looked because all the press reports from the local kiss ass media was so positive I was almost in diabetic shock from the sweetness. But I have to admit a couple of the things the LDAM has been saying turned out to be true, but only a few.

My FIRST IMPRESSION was the Packers were playing like it was 2017. The Packers kick off and it seemed they were sleepwalking on the kickoff coverage team letting the Titans return the kickoff for over 30 yards. Then the Mike Pettrine super aggressive defense and not the old Dom Capers no pass rush, let them complete 3rd down passes down the middle and let them score so the Packers are behind, but I didn’t see that. What I saw was Déjà vu all over again when the Titans marched down the field and scored.

Six Degrees of Separation Packers Style

Mike Holmgren's 1992 Coaching Staff
including Jon Gruden (top) and Andy Reid (4 down on the stairs)

Coaching Carousel  

The NFL coaching carousel began October 5 when the Dolphins fired their head coach and ended with a total of 7 head coaches losing their jobs and another 8 surviving to coach another season.

1. Miami Dolphins

Joe Philbin

The Dolphins fired former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start.

Interim head coach Dan Carpenter (5-7) was not retained and the only man who has been able survive Jay Cutler with his reputation intact (I think if he had stayed another season the Cutler Curse would have got him too) Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase has been hired to take over the Dolphins.