Pack93z
You retired too? .... Not me. I'm in my prime
In addition to all the other moves MM and his staff have made this season, this short article sums it up well. We can all sit here and debate the tiring GM debate to death.. and we have countless times.. we are not successful if MM and his staff didn't fit the game plans and in game adjustments to the folks we have had.
Regardless of what the AP writers voted.. MM is my coach of the year.
http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/packers/267117
Polzin: McCarthy's moves now make him look like a genius
Jim Polzin — 1/14/2008 7:03 am
GREEN BAY -- Prior to the start of Saturday's NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field, Packers coach Mike McCarthy tried to relay some good news to the officials while making small-talk on the field. Based on information he had received from a member of his administrative staff, McCarthy informed them it would stop snowing right around the scheduled 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
It may have been the only mistake McCarthy made during his postseason debut as a head coach.
Then again, it's been that kind of season for the second-year coach, who has pushed all the right buttons in leading the Packers within one victory of a trip to Super Bowl XLII. Green Bay (14-3) will meet the New York Giants (12-6) Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau.
It was fitting that Saturday's 42-20 rout of the Seattle Seahawks came two years to the day after general manager Ted Thompson named McCarthy as the franchise's 14th head coach.
If "Who in the world is Mike McCarthy?" was your reaction to the hire, you certainly weren't alone. At the time, McCarthy was a known commodity only to NFL insiders. And even some of those folks had to be skeptical because, while McCarthy had been in the league for 13 years, he had never been a head coach and was about to take over one of the greatest franchises in professional sports.
Even McCarthy's biggest backers couldn't have seen this coming. After inheriting a 4-12 team and losing eight of his first 12 games during his first season in 2006, McCarthy has led the Packers to victories in 18 of their last 21 games.
One of those setbacks came on Nov. 29, when Dallas beat Green Bay 37-27 in Irving, Texas. The victory gave the Cowboys the inside track to home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
In what seemed like a questionable decision at the time, McCarthy decided to keep a pair of key players who were battling injuries -- starting cornerback Charles Woodson and valuable pass rusher Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila -- on the bench.
While the move decreased the Packers' chances of beating the Cowboys, McCarthy ended up looking like a genius because the team he took into the postseason was as healthy as it has been at any time during his two seasons.
"They both probably could have played in that game," McCarthy said Sunday. "If that was for the NFC Championship game, they both would have played. But we had a lot of football in front of us."
And, as it turned out, only one of the teams playing that Thursday night ended up making it to the NFC Championship game.
Dallas peaked that night against Green Bay. The Cowboys should have lost the next week but escaped with a one-point victory at Detroit, which handed the game to the Cowboys. Dallas did lose the following week, at home to Philadelphia, and fell again two weeks later at Washington to close the regular season.
The Cowboys still earned home-field advantage, but they blew it Sunday by losing to the Giants 21-17 at Texas Stadium. Just like that, Dallas' season was over.
Meanwhile, McCarthy and the Packers have gone 4-1 since the loss to the Cowboys. Granted, the Packers were awful in the lone setback during that stretch -- a 35-7 loss to the Chicago Bears at a windy Soldier Field on Dec. 23 -- but they outscored their opponents 147-54 in the four victories.
The most recent of those routs was the most unexpected. Seattle came to Lambeau Saturday with a more experienced coach in Mike Holmgren and more seasoned players, especially in the postseason, yet the Packers outgained the Seahawks 408-200 in total yardage and outscored them 35-6 when you take away points scored off turnovers.
"We played our best football game (Saturday) as a football team, if you take away the two plays on offense," said McCarthy, referring to a pair of fumbles by running back Ryan Grant that helped Seattle build a 14-0 lead just over 4 minutes into the game.
"Clearly the best football game that we've played since I've been here, and that's important. This is when you want to play your best football."
To his credit, McCarthy didn't hit the panic button after Grant fumbled twice in the opening 69 seconds of the game. Instead of yanking the young running back out of the game, McCarthy stuck with Grant, who redeemed himself by setting franchise postseason records by rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarthy, who also calls the plays on offense, was on top of his game in leading the Packers to scoring drives on six consecutive series as a 14-point deficit became a 22-point cushion.
Perhaps it was the first of many postseason victories in Titletown for McCarthy, who admitted Sunday that he's close to agreeing on a contract extension.
"I feel good about the progress that we've made," McCarthy said of the contract talks. "I'm just excited about being a part of the near future of this organization. We're moving forward."
Faster than anybody could have predicted when McCarthy was hired two years ago.
Regardless of what the AP writers voted.. MM is my coach of the year.
http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/packers/267117
Polzin: McCarthy's moves now make him look like a genius
Jim Polzin — 1/14/2008 7:03 am
GREEN BAY -- Prior to the start of Saturday's NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field, Packers coach Mike McCarthy tried to relay some good news to the officials while making small-talk on the field. Based on information he had received from a member of his administrative staff, McCarthy informed them it would stop snowing right around the scheduled 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
It may have been the only mistake McCarthy made during his postseason debut as a head coach.
Then again, it's been that kind of season for the second-year coach, who has pushed all the right buttons in leading the Packers within one victory of a trip to Super Bowl XLII. Green Bay (14-3) will meet the New York Giants (12-6) Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau.
It was fitting that Saturday's 42-20 rout of the Seattle Seahawks came two years to the day after general manager Ted Thompson named McCarthy as the franchise's 14th head coach.
If "Who in the world is Mike McCarthy?" was your reaction to the hire, you certainly weren't alone. At the time, McCarthy was a known commodity only to NFL insiders. And even some of those folks had to be skeptical because, while McCarthy had been in the league for 13 years, he had never been a head coach and was about to take over one of the greatest franchises in professional sports.
Even McCarthy's biggest backers couldn't have seen this coming. After inheriting a 4-12 team and losing eight of his first 12 games during his first season in 2006, McCarthy has led the Packers to victories in 18 of their last 21 games.
One of those setbacks came on Nov. 29, when Dallas beat Green Bay 37-27 in Irving, Texas. The victory gave the Cowboys the inside track to home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
In what seemed like a questionable decision at the time, McCarthy decided to keep a pair of key players who were battling injuries -- starting cornerback Charles Woodson and valuable pass rusher Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila -- on the bench.
While the move decreased the Packers' chances of beating the Cowboys, McCarthy ended up looking like a genius because the team he took into the postseason was as healthy as it has been at any time during his two seasons.
"They both probably could have played in that game," McCarthy said Sunday. "If that was for the NFC Championship game, they both would have played. But we had a lot of football in front of us."
And, as it turned out, only one of the teams playing that Thursday night ended up making it to the NFC Championship game.
Dallas peaked that night against Green Bay. The Cowboys should have lost the next week but escaped with a one-point victory at Detroit, which handed the game to the Cowboys. Dallas did lose the following week, at home to Philadelphia, and fell again two weeks later at Washington to close the regular season.
The Cowboys still earned home-field advantage, but they blew it Sunday by losing to the Giants 21-17 at Texas Stadium. Just like that, Dallas' season was over.
Meanwhile, McCarthy and the Packers have gone 4-1 since the loss to the Cowboys. Granted, the Packers were awful in the lone setback during that stretch -- a 35-7 loss to the Chicago Bears at a windy Soldier Field on Dec. 23 -- but they outscored their opponents 147-54 in the four victories.
The most recent of those routs was the most unexpected. Seattle came to Lambeau Saturday with a more experienced coach in Mike Holmgren and more seasoned players, especially in the postseason, yet the Packers outgained the Seahawks 408-200 in total yardage and outscored them 35-6 when you take away points scored off turnovers.
"We played our best football game (Saturday) as a football team, if you take away the two plays on offense," said McCarthy, referring to a pair of fumbles by running back Ryan Grant that helped Seattle build a 14-0 lead just over 4 minutes into the game.
"Clearly the best football game that we've played since I've been here, and that's important. This is when you want to play your best football."
To his credit, McCarthy didn't hit the panic button after Grant fumbled twice in the opening 69 seconds of the game. Instead of yanking the young running back out of the game, McCarthy stuck with Grant, who redeemed himself by setting franchise postseason records by rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarthy, who also calls the plays on offense, was on top of his game in leading the Packers to scoring drives on six consecutive series as a 14-point deficit became a 22-point cushion.
Perhaps it was the first of many postseason victories in Titletown for McCarthy, who admitted Sunday that he's close to agreeing on a contract extension.
"I feel good about the progress that we've made," McCarthy said of the contract talks. "I'm just excited about being a part of the near future of this organization. We're moving forward."
Faster than anybody could have predicted when McCarthy was hired two years ago.
