The Packers success has caused a “brain drain”. In addition to losing Philbin, they’ve lost Dorsey, McKenzie, Schneider in their personnel department, and perhaps a couple of others I’m forgetting. As I’ve posted before, it’s difficult for outsiders like us fans to know the impact of any person’s departure. Regarding the loss of Philbin specifically it no doubt has had an impact, but IMO the adjustments defenses in the league made after the 2011 season has had a greater impact (but again, it’s hard to know for sure). With few exceptions, defenses have played two deep safeties – like the Tampa two or a version thereof - in an attempt to take away the long ball that worked so well for the Packers in 2011. (BTW, I remember being amazed – and delighted - at Houston’s DC stubbornly sticking to his one deep safety scheme.)
One of the ways to counter that adjustment is having a talented TE to exploit the middle of the field in front of the safeties and cause matchup nightmares for the LBs. And LB just happens to be the weakest part of the CIN D. That’s why Finley’s early injury and the inability of any other TE to step up against the Bengals really affected the Packers game plan.
As to the fourth down call IMO assigning 80% of the blame to McCarthy is ridiculous. If McCarthy had called for a pass in that situation and it failed, imagine the second guessing – ‘Franklin had been kill’n em, just hand it off to him!’ or ‘If you can’t make a foot by running the ball…' Etcetera. McCarthy would have been accused of stubbornly refusing to the run the ball. No, the worst McCarthy could have reasonably expected was turning the ball over to the Bengals at about their 30 yard line. There was no reason to anticipate Franklin would fumble the ball, and absolutely no reason to think it would have ended up a TD for the Bengals.
MM has always been a good leader of men, a good HC but as far as a play caller he is extremely questionable and always has been. Philbin being gone really exposes that. That naked bootleg pass to Quarless he rolled out twice today is just awful. Even best case scenario it gets you 3 yards. The risk reward ratio on that play is terrible.
As for the discussion of McCarthy’s play calling, even with the adjustments by league defenses last year and the absence of Philbin, the Packers finished 5th in league scoring last season. BTW, I would have preferred that bootleg pass after a fake to Franklin up the middle giving Rodgers the option to run for the first down. But that play, like every other play, isn’t fool proof.
Philbin was someone who knew the offense as good or better than MM.
Please let us know what information/evidence you have to support this claim. Keep in mind that 5th place finish in league scoring last season sans Philbin was better than the Philbin/McCarthy average.
Less than a fraction of a second after Franklin was handed the ball he was met in the backfield by more than one Bengal.
I think you’re the one who should look at it again. No question the blocking on the OL broke down but did or did not Franklin leap near the LOS in an attempt to make the first down? It looked to me like that was when the fumble occurred. If he were met “less than a fraction of a second” (IOW “instantaneously”) after receiving the ball how could he have jumped – he wouldn’t have been able to take a step unmolested, let alone leap.