Vince's Blog

McGinn Goes from Jeers to Cheers

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Mike McCarthy signed a new 5-year deal to coach the Packers through 2015. [URL="http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/116282714.html"]The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the deal to be worth $5 million per year[/URL], $2 million a year less than Mike Shanahan of Washington and $1 million a year less than Jim Harbaugh, who's never coached a game in the NFL, is getting from the Niners.

It's pretty clear that McCarthy could have gotten more if he pushed harder. The fact that he values all the things that Green Bay and the organization have to offer and it's not just about the money says a lot.

And not to steal McCarthy's thunder, but Ted hompson is underpaid too, more so than McCarthy perhaps. Here's an interesting passage from the JSO article.

[QUOTE]Some friends of Thompson expressed reservations about just how long he wanted to continue working at his current pace. In September, a friend in the scouting fraternity said he wouldn't have been surprised if Thompson would just ride off back to Texas and take a job for Green Bay or another team as a lowly area scout.

"Ted's in a very secure place financially and knowing who he is and what he wants to do," the source said. "He's a football guy through and through. The thing he doesn't like is all the other (expletive) that goes with it. At some point, sooner than later, he's going to say, 'You know what? I've had enough of it.' "

Thus, Murphy and the Packers' executive committee were said to be overjoyed when Thompson agreed to remain running the football department for at least five more years. [/QUOTE]

That type of support by Murphy and the executive committee is what keeps a guy like Thompson around. It's about a lot of things for Thompson, but unlike most human beings, by all accounts and appearances the money isn't one of them.

And isn't it ironic that McGinn - the Godfather of the "expletive" that Thompson hates about his job - is now bringing all the love home for him. McGinn's transformation in attitude from just a couple years ago is pretty remarkable, although you can't say the same about his foresight.

Here's what McGinn had to say back in January, 2009.
[url]http://www.jsonline.com/packerinsider/37689889.html[/url]

[QUOTE]The Green Bay Packers look as bad right now as they have in almost 20 years, with a head coach fresh off a firing frenzy unprecedented in team history and some of his peers across the league wondering how in the world this could be happening in such a stable franchise.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Is it the beginning of the end for McCarthy? Possibly. He has four years left on a contract that pays him about $4 million per year, but the track record for sitting coaches after they've fired a bunch of assistants and Murphy's aggressive stance aren't suggestive of coaching longevity.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]But now the spotlight will be trained squarely on McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson, the man who hired him. And it means more pressure. Canning eight coaches can be compared to painting an old fence. In time, the paint will wear away and the same problems will surface. By and large, head coaches who fire people are looking for ways to escape the heat and beat the reaper themselves.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Several coaches said they'd be leery of McCarthy now because if he fired a bunch of guys once he'd surely do it again. ... When McCarthy fills all his vacancies, there will be happy talk all around. But the bloom is off now. Nobody fires eight coaches without the next finger being pointed at him.[/QUOTE]
You've come a long way Ted and Mike, in the eyes of so many. You've gone from making the organization look as bad as it has in 20 years to making it look as good as it has in 40 years - all in just 2 short years.

Congratulations on sticking to your guns, seeing what so many others couldn't, and working hard to make your vision a reality.[/QUOTE]
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