woodbuck27
06-25-2006, 05:10 PM
I Search The Web So You Don't Have To
McCARTHY CREATES A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE
By Pete Dougherty / PackersNews.com
Mike McCarthy has been on the job for barely more than five months and hasn’t coached his first game, so we’re a long way from knowing what he and his Green Bay Packers are all about. But a change in head coach always changes an NFL team, and in McCarthy’s short time with the Packers, he’s begun putting his stamp on the team.
Most notably, his approachable demeanor with his players and the football staff has established a more relaxed working atmosphere at 1265 Lombardi Ave. than the past couple of seasons under the departed Mike Sherman. Without question, most new coaches benefit from a honeymoon period, and the relatively low-pressure working conditions in the offseason are far more conducive to friendly relations than the fires of the regular season.
But it’s also apparent to team observers and insiders that Sherman’s dual role as coach and general manager inhibited communication with his players, and that last year his tense relationship with Ted Thompson, who was hired over him as GM, had filtered throughout the organization and to the team. That’s not the main reason the Packers went 4-12 last year, but it’s surely the main reason Sherman no longer is Packers coach.
“Very personable,†defensive lineman Kenny Peterson said in describing McCarthy. “He talks to everybody, laid back, down to earth. That’s the kind of coach you want to play for, a coach you want to grind for.†No doubt, a more relaxed working atmosphere doesn’t necessarily equate to a better team.
When Ray Rhodes took over for Mike Holmgren as Packers coach in 1999, players and staff members almost unanimously praised the looser working climate he established after experiencing the ever-escalating tensions under the mercurial Holmgren. Rhodes, however, ran too loose a ship, and his one season as coach was a disaster for a team that reflected his unorganized leadership.
One of Rhodes’ greatest failings was that despite his reputation as a tough guy, he was too soft on players individually and avoided confrontation. There’s no knowing whether McCarthy will succeed or fail in his first go as a head coach, but in interviews during the Packers’ organized-team activities that finished last week, several players said that during film sessions with the offense, McCarthy has been bluntly critical in pointing out individual mistakes, rather than just talking about mistakes in general. “Doesnâà ¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t beat around the bush,†said Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ backup quarterback. “If we’ve had a rough day at practice, he’s going to tell us about it, by number and name. That wasn’t common last year. He’s kind of highlighted (individual criticism).â€ÂÂ
Though all NFL programs have common denominators, some emphasize different parts over others, and one of the biggest changes in philosophy accompanying McCarthy is his unusually sharp focus on his weight-training program.
When he joined the Packers, he immediately ordered a $200,000 facelift for the weight room and replaced the weight machines with free-weight racks. He hired former New Orleans strength coach Rock Gullickson as the Packers’ strength coach  McCarthy and Gullickson worked together with the Saints for five years  and immediately put the team on Gullickson’s free-weight, power-oriented program.
McCarthy says player participation in the team’s offseason training program, which began March 20 and ran for 13 weeks, was 30 percent higher than any previous year here.
“We had an excellent weight program in New Orleans, and that carried over to the field,†McCarthy said. “If nothing, we were a physical football team the five years we were there. I think I’ve definitely emphasized it more than any team I’ve ever been with and coaches I’ve worked for.â€ÂÂ
Though attendance in that program was strong compared to the past, it was down for the team’s voluntary organized team activities this month, with a number of players missing at least a few of the 14 practices over a 3½-week period. Two starters, newly signed cornerback Charles Woodson and cornerback Al Harris, missed all the workouts, and other prominent players such as defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, receiver Rod Gardner and tight end Bubba Franks missed a majority of the practices.
“We need to improve that,†McCarthy said. “That is a fact.â€ÂÂ
As far as McCarthy’s demeanor on the practice field, he’s not the dominant presence Holmgren was, for instance, though he has occasional outbursts when a player makes a rudimentary error such as jumping offsides.
Also, though position coach Tom Clements does almost all the quarterbacks teaching during most practice drills, McCarthy works more hands-on with that position during 11-on-11 periods. McCarthy also worked intensively with his young quarterbacks during what he calls “quarterbacks school,†the individual teaching that was part of the offseason workout program that began in March.
McCarthy’s work developing quarterbacks, and especially of former NFL most-valuable player Rich Gannon, was one of the reasons Thompson hired him, and McCarthy has suggested he’ll probably always work closely with that position. The way McCarthy has structured his coaching staff, he coordinates the passing game, and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski coordinates the running game.
“I'll say one thing, I'll never be just a head coach because I'd be bored to death out here if I didn’t coach a position on offense or defense,†he said.
McCARTHY CREATES A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE
By Pete Dougherty / PackersNews.com
Mike McCarthy has been on the job for barely more than five months and hasn’t coached his first game, so we’re a long way from knowing what he and his Green Bay Packers are all about. But a change in head coach always changes an NFL team, and in McCarthy’s short time with the Packers, he’s begun putting his stamp on the team.
Most notably, his approachable demeanor with his players and the football staff has established a more relaxed working atmosphere at 1265 Lombardi Ave. than the past couple of seasons under the departed Mike Sherman. Without question, most new coaches benefit from a honeymoon period, and the relatively low-pressure working conditions in the offseason are far more conducive to friendly relations than the fires of the regular season.
But it’s also apparent to team observers and insiders that Sherman’s dual role as coach and general manager inhibited communication with his players, and that last year his tense relationship with Ted Thompson, who was hired over him as GM, had filtered throughout the organization and to the team. That’s not the main reason the Packers went 4-12 last year, but it’s surely the main reason Sherman no longer is Packers coach.
“Very personable,†defensive lineman Kenny Peterson said in describing McCarthy. “He talks to everybody, laid back, down to earth. That’s the kind of coach you want to play for, a coach you want to grind for.†No doubt, a more relaxed working atmosphere doesn’t necessarily equate to a better team.
When Ray Rhodes took over for Mike Holmgren as Packers coach in 1999, players and staff members almost unanimously praised the looser working climate he established after experiencing the ever-escalating tensions under the mercurial Holmgren. Rhodes, however, ran too loose a ship, and his one season as coach was a disaster for a team that reflected his unorganized leadership.
One of Rhodes’ greatest failings was that despite his reputation as a tough guy, he was too soft on players individually and avoided confrontation. There’s no knowing whether McCarthy will succeed or fail in his first go as a head coach, but in interviews during the Packers’ organized-team activities that finished last week, several players said that during film sessions with the offense, McCarthy has been bluntly critical in pointing out individual mistakes, rather than just talking about mistakes in general. “Doesnâà ¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t beat around the bush,†said Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ backup quarterback. “If we’ve had a rough day at practice, he’s going to tell us about it, by number and name. That wasn’t common last year. He’s kind of highlighted (individual criticism).â€ÂÂ
Though all NFL programs have common denominators, some emphasize different parts over others, and one of the biggest changes in philosophy accompanying McCarthy is his unusually sharp focus on his weight-training program.
When he joined the Packers, he immediately ordered a $200,000 facelift for the weight room and replaced the weight machines with free-weight racks. He hired former New Orleans strength coach Rock Gullickson as the Packers’ strength coach  McCarthy and Gullickson worked together with the Saints for five years  and immediately put the team on Gullickson’s free-weight, power-oriented program.
McCarthy says player participation in the team’s offseason training program, which began March 20 and ran for 13 weeks, was 30 percent higher than any previous year here.
“We had an excellent weight program in New Orleans, and that carried over to the field,†McCarthy said. “If nothing, we were a physical football team the five years we were there. I think I’ve definitely emphasized it more than any team I’ve ever been with and coaches I’ve worked for.â€ÂÂ
Though attendance in that program was strong compared to the past, it was down for the team’s voluntary organized team activities this month, with a number of players missing at least a few of the 14 practices over a 3½-week period. Two starters, newly signed cornerback Charles Woodson and cornerback Al Harris, missed all the workouts, and other prominent players such as defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, receiver Rod Gardner and tight end Bubba Franks missed a majority of the practices.
“We need to improve that,†McCarthy said. “That is a fact.â€ÂÂ
As far as McCarthy’s demeanor on the practice field, he’s not the dominant presence Holmgren was, for instance, though he has occasional outbursts when a player makes a rudimentary error such as jumping offsides.
Also, though position coach Tom Clements does almost all the quarterbacks teaching during most practice drills, McCarthy works more hands-on with that position during 11-on-11 periods. McCarthy also worked intensively with his young quarterbacks during what he calls “quarterbacks school,†the individual teaching that was part of the offseason workout program that began in March.
McCarthy’s work developing quarterbacks, and especially of former NFL most-valuable player Rich Gannon, was one of the reasons Thompson hired him, and McCarthy has suggested he’ll probably always work closely with that position. The way McCarthy has structured his coaching staff, he coordinates the passing game, and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski coordinates the running game.
“I'll say one thing, I'll never be just a head coach because I'd be bored to death out here if I didn’t coach a position on offense or defense,†he said.