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| McCarthy Contemplates Future, Photo by Dylan Buell, Getty Images |
I may not have expected it, but I think it was the right call. Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, maybe, was just the last straw, so disheartening that it forced Mark Murphy's hand. Or who knows? Maybe McCarthy and Murphy got into a shouting match, ending with "you're fired!" Or more likely than that, I could see McCarthy, no dummy and realizing what was coming after Week 17, saying "Let's just get it over with right now." Why prolong the agony if the end result was a given, anyway?
Everybody knew that the only thing that could save him was a deep playoff run, and that chance was (all but mathematically) ended on Sunday. I have seen some hand-wringing that this was unprecedented, that McCarthy deserved better treatment, etc., but I am not sure letting him dangle on the sidelines, with all the reaction shots as four more tedious games play out, would have been kinder to him in any way.
Both the Packers and McCarthy himself made nice gestures after the firing. The Packers allowed McCarthy to come back and say goodbye to the coaching staff and the players, and he reportedly received a standing ovation from the players. And Mike McCarthy took out a classy full-page ad in the paper, thanking the Packers and the community for a good run as head coach.
McCarthy's replacement was due, if not overdue, as I said last week. But that doesn't mean I take any real joy in seeing him fired. "We may have lost, but it felt like a win." This was one of the Facebook messages to Aaron Nagler on his Daily Chat Sunday afternoon/evening. I can't get behind that kind of gloating at all. McCarthy was a good coach, he led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory, and he is one of only 3 coaches in Packers history who can say that. But the time had come to make a change, and that pathetic loss to the Cardinals evidently made it clear to Mark Murphy that the time was now.
What is the point of firing him now and moving on with an interim coach? I see lots of points. McCarthy, as noted above, is put out of his misery. We don't have to listen to all the questions, see all the reaction shots, etc., for the next 4 weeks. The Packers can begin their job search in earnest without having to answer any questions about any interview or scouting activity that takes place. But most fundamentally, it gives the team a chance to try to change the momentum. Four more games like we saw on Sunday, and the off-season would be filled with nothing but bitter memories. With two home games remaining, this gives the team a chance to show if they can get a better vibe going, and at least generate some interest in what happens for the end of the year. The players get a chance to try to demonstrate that they were not the cause of the Packers' woes this year. Joe Philbin gets a chance to see what he can do, as a tryout for this job or any other future job. They get to see more playing time for some of their rookies in a low-risk environment. If, hypothetically, the team wins at least a couple games, we fans can at least see some hope for next year. If they look better, and get a new coach that excites the players and the fans, this team can be a contender again soon.
Everything I see and read points to while McCarthy was in the locker room after the game he was told (at least one report say Brian Gutekunst delivered the message) to see Mark Murphy in his office upstairs now. Then shortly thereafter Joe Philbin was summoned to Mark's office. I think this is being handled very well. This situation is much, much better for everyone involved … except the proverbial handwringers who think its better for McCarthy to have been left hanging for four more games which would have been cruel and inhuman treatment of a guy who deserves better from the organization.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dick. Taking your comments into account, it appears to me that what probably happened is that Murphy had already determined before the game (and, who knows, maybe several games ago), that as soon as the playoff race was more or less ended, he would fire McCarthy to bring an end to the misery. And last week's game got him to that point. So to that extent the whole thing was premeditated.
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