Mike McCarthy: Year 1 Review

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We've had 16 games to see McCarthy in action.

What are some things that have impressed you about our HC?

What are some things that you have been less than impressed about with our HC?

What are some of the things you'd like to see McCarthy improve upon next season?
 
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I was really impressed with Coach McCarthy's attention to basics. We saw much less penalties, false starts, etc. and that was really beneficial.

I was also really impressed with the ability of Coach McCarthy to respond and adjust based on his players. I think nothing can be a bigger example of this than the Packers being 2nd in the NFL (behind the Saints) in Yards After Catch. The Saints are a great team, but if you would have said last year the Packers would be able to do stuff after the catch, I'd be inclined (along with others IMO) to say that would a bit of a stretch. Looking at the Packers roster, besides Driver there wasn't anyone who stood out. Credit to Coach McCarthy though for putting his players in a position to do something after the catch, and in the end I don't believe a coach can do anything more than giving his pupils a chance to make plays.

I was also impressed with the ability of McCarthy to win over the players. Obviously they liked Mike Sherman, but they also spoke fondly of Coach McCarthy. Stuff like 'he gets his message across without going on a rant or expanding to the nth degree' were things that the players really liked.

Finally, I was really impressed with McCarthy's willingness to attempt to coach Favre. Too many times under the Sherman regime, after Brett threw a pick you'd see Mike Sherman on the sidelines with a "oh crap" angered look on his face. Not so with McCarthy; he would display anger but one time I just saw a smirk and a "I can't believe he did that" type of look and it was refreshing. He obviously talked with Favre but established that he (McCarthy) was in charge and I really respect that. I think that was something Favre was missing, some solid distinctions in the player/coach relationship.

One thing I didn't like, and thus hope McCarthy really improves upon, is halftime adjustments. I can't recall seeing any halftime adjustments, and the Philly game comes to mind... it seemed as ift he good/great teams we faced would come out with some adjustments to strategy at halftime, and in the second half they'd dominate. I did become frustrated by this at points in the season, but hopefully McCarthy improves.
 

warhawk

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The thing I am most impressed with is that he was not only a rookie HC but his assistant offensive and defensive coordinators were in their first year as well along with having to start many rookies and first year players.

This being said he did not waiver or ever appear in doubt about the plan installed and did not panic.

Finishing the way we did after that rough patch in the middle of the season where we looked like we were heading south was very impressive to me.

With a young staff and many young players it could have gotten very ugly if it weren't for a coach that was steadfast in his beliefs. I think we have one strong guy right there.
 

fvre4mvp

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The one glaring problem I see w/ MM is the redzone offense. I did not like the plays he called one bit for most of the year. If we don't have that problem we would probably have made the playoffs.
 

millertime

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Rookie Head coaches make mistakes. McCarthy made a lot. I'm still on the fence with him. We have to beat some quality oppponents next year to make me really like him. We lost winnable games this year against St. Louis and Buffalo. Those two wins put us at 10-6. We win one of those and we are in the playoffs.
 

tromadz

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When McCarthy was hired, I was skeptical like most people. The OC of one of the worst offenses in the league. He was also QB coach of GB a long time ago during one of Favre's worst years. Things didn't really add up. But I ALWAYS give gms\coaches\players the benefit of the doubt, and he was no different. Through the offseason, I liked almost everything he said. I liked his style, his swagger,etc. But, and I said this a couple times last offseason, none of that matters, it comes down to what you do on Sundays.

Then the Sundays came.

The first game was the Bears, and it was total destruction. The Bears, who would end up being a superbowl team, exploited our young head coach, as well as exploiting the young GB team in general. The first start for the much criticized young offensive linesmen. Things weren't pretty. It was at this time many GB fans began their unclassy freakout, when I said they were a young team, give them time, they will improve,etc. And they did.

During a lot of the early losses, there were a lot of winnable games, and GB let them slip away. There was nothing anyone can do to get them back. GB had lost. The only thing there WAS to do, was to learn from the mistakes, and improve.

The final four games showed an improvement in every area. McCarthy's playcalling was effective, the pass defense actually showed up, and the team had taken on the identity of the head coach. The intensity, which has been lacking from GB teams in previous years, was the driving force of the team.

conclusion(thank god): McCarthy made a lot of mistakes. Losses were racked up due it. McCarthy got better. Wins were racked up due to it. The team seems to be building a good team so hopefully this young head coach can continue how he finished the 2006 season.


The one glaring problem I see w/ MM is the redzone offense. I did not like the plays he called one bit for most of the year.
Wouldn't that be on TT, not McCarthy, since GB doesn't have many redzone threats. TT put his money(literally) on Bubba, which made sense, cuz Bubba has been a RZ thread for a long time for Brett, but...not anymore for some reason.
 

cheesey

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I agree, MC looked pretty good for a rookie. I also would have liked more halftime adjustments.
I think he did pretty good with what he had to work with.
But they HAVE to get better in the red zone. Too many games they moved the ball up and down the field, only to bog down at the end. If you don't have plays that can get this done, then you NEED to adjust your plays to the players you have. Go towards their strong points.
 

Timmons

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I think early in the season he was talking about how we were going to run the ball, and I don't have the stats handy, but I think the first four games, he all but abandoned the run. That I didn't like.

I did like the extra protection packages for Favre.

I like his intensity and ability to bring that out of the team. I can't remember the last time I've seen so many sacks by the Packers.

I think he'll be a fine head coach. He relates well to the players and has a good idea of what he wants from the team and gets them to go get it.
 

Greg C.

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What I like best is how he appeared to earn the respect of the players very quickly, and to hold their respect for the entire season. He seems like a player-friendly coach, without being too loose (Ray Rhodes was too loose). That's a good start for a new head coach, especially one whose credentials were not overwhelming by any means.

I like that he was willing to pass the ball often when the running game was not working, in spite of the fact that he preached a run-first mentality. Some fans saw this as being wishy-washy, but I think that when plan A simply is not working, you have to go to plan B. I expect the running game to be improved this year, so we will see more of a run-first offense. If this happens, it will also make the passing game more effective. Favre's completion percentage should go up.

I liked seeing a new wrinkle in the offense toward the end of the season, where they would pull the guards and run the ball to the edge, which is not part of a strict zone blocking offense. It was encouraging to see the playbook opened up a little, and this is also something I would like to see more of this season.

Overall, it was a promising first year for McCarthy. I am cautiously optimistic.
 

packedhouse01

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The best thing that I like about McCarthy is he apparently commands the respect of his players. I didn't think that was going to happen with all the guys missing OTA's last year. When we hit the four game slump in the middle of the season he didn't lose control he kept the team focused and got his coaches to coach better.

He still has to prove to me that he's got the guts to let go of a bad coach. (Schottenheimer) That was one of the many things that got Sherman run out of town.
 

retiredgrampa

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MM, with TT supplying the talent, make a promising tandem. Both are learning together. The acid test, to me, is how we'll start out the new season. If we start slow again, it will illustrate to me just how far down the road we really are. If, however, the season starts well, it will show that MM has a long future with us. Same with TT.
 

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