Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy thought about it for a week then decided to fire pretty much the entire defensive coaching staff after a season that saw his defense fail him game after game. The Packers’ defense was a major disappointment this year when going into the season it was supposed to be the crutch, along with a strong running game, for first-year starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. As it turned out, Rodgers was the only who played up to par.
Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders and all his position coaches except Winston Moss were fired. Sanders had a scheme that is outdated and unable to adjust to injuries and in the end even opponents offensive game plans. The Packers’ defense was at its worst when the pressure was on. Game after game against some of the best teams in the NFL Rodgers and the offense had the lead or was tied with four minutes to go. Not once could the defense come up with the big stop to win the game. Granted, Rodgers was given a chance to win some of those games, two of which ended with Mason Crosby missed field-goals, but in many cases the Packers used the clock and their final timeouts to take the lead and leave the game in the defense’s hands, crippling a late offensive drive that should never even occur. Big mistake.
Now the Packers have cleansed themselves from the Jim Bates era completely and once and for all. The early word is former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan is the front-runner to get the job of replacing Sanders. If that is true the Packers would probably become a 3-4 defense which I think is just great. The pundits say the Packers linebackers can’t play that scheme, but I think just the opposite is true. This is just what A.J. Hawk needs. A scheme that lets him just play football. Plus it will likely get Desmond Bishop on the field and his athleticism has never been questioned. I have always thought that the Packers’ current defensive scheme was too restrictive to players, there was too much thinking and not enough reacting meaning not enough playmaking, certainly not along the defensive line and linebackers.
My first choice was Rod Marinelli, but when you really think about it, how can you give a guy who went 0-16 a job as important as defensive coordinator? I would love it if Marinelli would take the job as defensive line coach, however. My second choice was Romeo Crennel, but it appears that is not going to happen. I also wouldn’t have minded seeing Eric Mangini, but Mangini would also have brought the 3-4 to town and appears headed to Cleveland as head coach.
I like the 3-4 because I think we have the players to play it, I think Hawk can be a playmaker and I think Poppinga can use his pass-rushing skills more and I like Bishop. Not to mention Nick Barnett. Four quality guys right there just waiting to make plays. I’m probably getting ahead of myself because PFT is not always right and my first guess is McCarthy disappoints us all and hires Winston Moss. I will be wild if that happens. If you have the quality candidates available that are available now and hire Moss instead, you might as well apply for unemployment now for 2010. Could McCarthy be that stupid? We are about to find out. One thing is sure, there is no way he can spin Winston Moss into a defensive coordinator. With four games to go in the 2008 season I called for Sanders to be fired and Moss to be given a four game job application. At the time I thought Moss would maybe fire up the defense down the stretch. But that didn’t happen and with the list of available coaches out there, there is no way Moss is more qualified than any of them and it would be a travesty if he got the job now.
One thing is sure, this is the biggest hire in McCarthy’s career to date. If he gives it to the unproven Moss, the Packers are doomed. I sure hope PFT is right this time.