motife
09-23-2007, 07:50 AM
Slowly but surely, McCarthy is making his mark
Posted: Sept. 22, 2007
Bob McGinn
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Green Bay - For more than 18 months just about everyone that follows the Green Bay Packers has been trying to get a handle on the new coach, Mike McCarthy.
Curly Lambeau came first. Then Vince Lombardi. Then Mike Holmgren.
They brought the 12 National Football League championships to Green Bay. In their own way, they set the standards under which McCarthy is operating today.
The other 10 coaches in franchise history pale so much by comparison that they really don't matter.
During my almost three decades on this beat, Holmgren was the pre-eminent coaching figure. He was one of the first to install Bill Walsh's methodology outside of San Francisco. He possessed keen intellect. The confidence that he exuded rubbed off on his players. And he had a remarkable capacity for keeping people on their toes.
One minute he would be as engaging as any coach could ever be. The next minute he would blow his stack over something large or small and everyone in the building would be jumping for cover.
After 25 years of defeat, few in Green Bay had any idea what was required to win. But it took less than a year of observing Holmgren to understand that he knew how to win and that he wouldn't stop until the entire organization knew what he knew.
To win the Super Bowl, the head coach almost always needs some greatness within him. Holmgren had it in spades.
Is there greatness in Mike McCarthy?
Let's be honest. At this point, one would be hard-pressed to say that there is. I'd take him over Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Lindy Infante and Ray Rhodes. I can't say I'd take him over Mike Sherman. I would not take him over Holmgren.
But considering the mess that McCarthy inherited from Sherman, the fact that the question legitimately can be asked means he has turned out better than many expected given the inauspicious nature of his resume.
Eighteen games into his tenure, there is one element of McCarthy's record that is stunning. His road mark is 6-3.
Performance on the road is a wonderful way to judge a coach. There's the opponent, the crowd and sometimes the officials to overcome. If the visiting team isn't prepared for noise, chaos and adversity, it will all unravel and it won't be pretty.
Counting playoffs, Starr was 18-47-2 (28.4%) on the road, Gregg was 12-19 (38.7%) and Infante was 11-21 (34.4%).
Sherman finished 24-26 (48%). Even Holmgren was below .500 at 29-34 (46%). Lombardi's 44-17-3 (71.1%) road mark almost defies belief.
Since taking the job, McCarthy's road record trails just two active coaches: Bill Belichick is 8-1, Lovie Smith is 7-2.
Not only that but McCarthy forged his 6-3 record despite being an underdog in all nine of his road games. Holmgren and Sherman each were 3-6 in their first nine as a road underdog. Lombardi was 4-5 in his first nine games on the road.
On the other hand, McCarthy's record at Lambeau Field is merely 4-5. Last season, he was out-coached by Smith and the Bears, suffered the Packers' worst home defeat in 36 years against New England and was embarrassed by the New York Jets.
Holmgren's teams were almost unbeatable in Green Bay, and Sherman's were dominant during his first three seasons. Not taking anything away from those coaches, but the Lambeau Field crowds of today aren't as intimidating as they were just a few years ago. Nearly a generation of winning has sapped some of the fervor.
A few weeks ago, McCarthy said the most important part of his job was setting the mood for the team. He lacks a polished delivery and is prone to malapropism, but many players and associates sincerely credit him for being straight-forward and speaking from the heart.
In the vernacular of the day, McCarthy wanted the "locker room" to be a positive place. To do so, he absolutely had to have Charles Woodson on his side.
Woodson challenged McCarthy by blowing off his off-season workout program. Then he put it in cruise control during training camp and had some poor games in the first month of the season.
At that point, Woodson suffered a shoulder joint sprain that required wearing a harness. Given Woodson's reputation for being something of a malcontent in Oakland, it would have seemed perfectly normal if McCarthy would have come down hard and insisted that he practice.
Instead, McCarthy appeared to win Woodson over by not making him practice, and Woodson responded by playing hurt - to the amazement of some in the organization - and crafting perhaps his finest season.
"I was very appreciative," Woodson said last week. "I could just give it all out on Sundays. It just helped me out a great deal dealing with injuries. He's approachable. I think I'm more the unapproachable one in the past."
Several times, McCarthy and Woodson could be seen having long conversations on the field after practice.
"We've had our little issues and problems but we were able to talk through them and get through a season," said Woodson. "We have a good relationship, I feel. He goes a great job getting guys ready to play."
Unlike Sherman, who in his later years wouldn't even acknowledge people in the hallways, McCarthy is pleasant. Having worked in his father's tavern at a young age, he understands people.
"He's somebody that you can actually touch," safety Atari Bigby said. "You're going to get a chance to know him. I can look in his eyes and he can look in mine and we know what we're thinking."
To some players, McCarthy's personality is an obvious counterpoint to general manager Ted Thompson, who comes across to them as cold and dark. McCarthy and Thompson don't socialize but colleagues say their relationship could hardly be any better.
"But he's not this happy-go-lucky guy turned head coach," Aaron Kampman said. "If there's something that needs to be said, he says it."
There were times during his five years in New Orleans when McCarthy's famous temper would get the best of him. He still gets angry and emotional with players and assistants. But as he matures McCarthy has come to realize that most leaders can't afford tantrums if they want to be taken seriously. Thus, he almost never explodes anymore.
Not unlike Holmgren, McCarthy doesn't want to hold a stopwatch and scout. When Thompson determined that the organization would go young, McCarthy understood the on-field product would suffer early but never complained publicly.
One of the scouts who worked alongside McCarthy in New Orleans credited him for listening and encouraging his input. He tends to put people at ease and, partially as a result, gets them to open up with him.
Although his expertise is on offense, he also works closely with Bob Sanders on defense and Mike Stock on special teams. Sanders and Stock both looked like candidates for the firing line last season but McCarthy understood the rigors of being first-year coordinators and let them work out their problems, which they have.
The major blot on McCarthy's record has been the running game. After coordinating a power-oriented running game with the Saints and 49ers, his colleagues expected him to stay with what had made Ahman Green successful.
Instead, he hired Jeff Jagodzinski to mimic the zone scheme that had excelled in Atlanta and Denver. When he left, McCarthy stayed the course and promoted Joe Philbin. After running merely 39.7% of the time in '06, the Packers are down to 35.1% two games into '07.
In the passing game, McCarthy blends the West Coast concepts he first learned from Paul Hackett with various personnel groupings and formations. Trying to keep Brett Favre on task and utilize his vast experience, McCarthy has given up some autonomy by letting Favre check off at the line the direction of runs given the defensive front or the best pass given the coverage.
Last week, a veteran NFL defensive coach who has studied the Packers throughout McCarthy's tenure said they were on the right track offensively.
"I think they're medium predictable," the coach said. "What's happening is he's got somebody scouting him doing a self-scout during the game. They're doing a pretty good job breaking their tendencies."
Then the coach was asked to compare McCarthy as an offensive tactician and play-caller against the combinations in place for the other 31 teams. After careful consideration of all 31 situations, McCarthy came out in a six-way tie for 16th place.
In other words, the coach said McCarthy was better than 11 other combinations, including six in the NFC (Dallas, New York Giants, Washington, Atlanta, St. Louis, San Francisco) and five in the AFC (New York Jets, Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland). McCarthy was judged even with the offensive brain trusts in Minnesota, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.
"With McCarthy, I like the fact you know what you're going to get," the coach said. "I don't like the way someone like Mike Martz throws the ball around, and his flamboyance. Right now, the Packers are playing to the strengths of the players they have. Running back might be the stumbling block."
Through McCarthy's 18 games, the Packers are plus-2 in turnover differential (they were minus-24 in 2005) and have been penalized less than the NFL average. McCarthy is trying to win with defense and special teams, and if that means barking at Favre to accept his formula, then he will bark at Favre.
From radical changes in the weight room to major alterations of the training camp schedule, McCarthy fearlessly is making his mark. The start has been good. His future looks bright.
Posted: Sept. 22, 2007
Bob McGinn
Green Bay - For more than 18 months just about everyone that follows the Green Bay Packers has been trying to get a handle on the new coach, Mike McCarthy.
Curly Lambeau came first. Then Vince Lombardi. Then Mike Holmgren.
They brought the 12 National Football League championships to Green Bay. In their own way, they set the standards under which McCarthy is operating today.
The other 10 coaches in franchise history pale so much by comparison that they really don't matter.
During my almost three decades on this beat, Holmgren was the pre-eminent coaching figure. He was one of the first to install Bill Walsh's methodology outside of San Francisco. He possessed keen intellect. The confidence that he exuded rubbed off on his players. And he had a remarkable capacity for keeping people on their toes.
One minute he would be as engaging as any coach could ever be. The next minute he would blow his stack over something large or small and everyone in the building would be jumping for cover.
After 25 years of defeat, few in Green Bay had any idea what was required to win. But it took less than a year of observing Holmgren to understand that he knew how to win and that he wouldn't stop until the entire organization knew what he knew.
To win the Super Bowl, the head coach almost always needs some greatness within him. Holmgren had it in spades.
Is there greatness in Mike McCarthy?
Let's be honest. At this point, one would be hard-pressed to say that there is. I'd take him over Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Lindy Infante and Ray Rhodes. I can't say I'd take him over Mike Sherman. I would not take him over Holmgren.
But considering the mess that McCarthy inherited from Sherman, the fact that the question legitimately can be asked means he has turned out better than many expected given the inauspicious nature of his resume.
Eighteen games into his tenure, there is one element of McCarthy's record that is stunning. His road mark is 6-3.
Performance on the road is a wonderful way to judge a coach. There's the opponent, the crowd and sometimes the officials to overcome. If the visiting team isn't prepared for noise, chaos and adversity, it will all unravel and it won't be pretty.
Counting playoffs, Starr was 18-47-2 (28.4%) on the road, Gregg was 12-19 (38.7%) and Infante was 11-21 (34.4%).
Sherman finished 24-26 (48%). Even Holmgren was below .500 at 29-34 (46%). Lombardi's 44-17-3 (71.1%) road mark almost defies belief.
Since taking the job, McCarthy's road record trails just two active coaches: Bill Belichick is 8-1, Lovie Smith is 7-2.
Not only that but McCarthy forged his 6-3 record despite being an underdog in all nine of his road games. Holmgren and Sherman each were 3-6 in their first nine as a road underdog. Lombardi was 4-5 in his first nine games on the road.
On the other hand, McCarthy's record at Lambeau Field is merely 4-5. Last season, he was out-coached by Smith and the Bears, suffered the Packers' worst home defeat in 36 years against New England and was embarrassed by the New York Jets.
Holmgren's teams were almost unbeatable in Green Bay, and Sherman's were dominant during his first three seasons. Not taking anything away from those coaches, but the Lambeau Field crowds of today aren't as intimidating as they were just a few years ago. Nearly a generation of winning has sapped some of the fervor.
A few weeks ago, McCarthy said the most important part of his job was setting the mood for the team. He lacks a polished delivery and is prone to malapropism, but many players and associates sincerely credit him for being straight-forward and speaking from the heart.
In the vernacular of the day, McCarthy wanted the "locker room" to be a positive place. To do so, he absolutely had to have Charles Woodson on his side.
Woodson challenged McCarthy by blowing off his off-season workout program. Then he put it in cruise control during training camp and had some poor games in the first month of the season.
At that point, Woodson suffered a shoulder joint sprain that required wearing a harness. Given Woodson's reputation for being something of a malcontent in Oakland, it would have seemed perfectly normal if McCarthy would have come down hard and insisted that he practice.
Instead, McCarthy appeared to win Woodson over by not making him practice, and Woodson responded by playing hurt - to the amazement of some in the organization - and crafting perhaps his finest season.
"I was very appreciative," Woodson said last week. "I could just give it all out on Sundays. It just helped me out a great deal dealing with injuries. He's approachable. I think I'm more the unapproachable one in the past."
Several times, McCarthy and Woodson could be seen having long conversations on the field after practice.
"We've had our little issues and problems but we were able to talk through them and get through a season," said Woodson. "We have a good relationship, I feel. He goes a great job getting guys ready to play."
Unlike Sherman, who in his later years wouldn't even acknowledge people in the hallways, McCarthy is pleasant. Having worked in his father's tavern at a young age, he understands people.
"He's somebody that you can actually touch," safety Atari Bigby said. "You're going to get a chance to know him. I can look in his eyes and he can look in mine and we know what we're thinking."
To some players, McCarthy's personality is an obvious counterpoint to general manager Ted Thompson, who comes across to them as cold and dark. McCarthy and Thompson don't socialize but colleagues say their relationship could hardly be any better.
"But he's not this happy-go-lucky guy turned head coach," Aaron Kampman said. "If there's something that needs to be said, he says it."
There were times during his five years in New Orleans when McCarthy's famous temper would get the best of him. He still gets angry and emotional with players and assistants. But as he matures McCarthy has come to realize that most leaders can't afford tantrums if they want to be taken seriously. Thus, he almost never explodes anymore.
Not unlike Holmgren, McCarthy doesn't want to hold a stopwatch and scout. When Thompson determined that the organization would go young, McCarthy understood the on-field product would suffer early but never complained publicly.
One of the scouts who worked alongside McCarthy in New Orleans credited him for listening and encouraging his input. He tends to put people at ease and, partially as a result, gets them to open up with him.
Although his expertise is on offense, he also works closely with Bob Sanders on defense and Mike Stock on special teams. Sanders and Stock both looked like candidates for the firing line last season but McCarthy understood the rigors of being first-year coordinators and let them work out their problems, which they have.
The major blot on McCarthy's record has been the running game. After coordinating a power-oriented running game with the Saints and 49ers, his colleagues expected him to stay with what had made Ahman Green successful.
Instead, he hired Jeff Jagodzinski to mimic the zone scheme that had excelled in Atlanta and Denver. When he left, McCarthy stayed the course and promoted Joe Philbin. After running merely 39.7% of the time in '06, the Packers are down to 35.1% two games into '07.
In the passing game, McCarthy blends the West Coast concepts he first learned from Paul Hackett with various personnel groupings and formations. Trying to keep Brett Favre on task and utilize his vast experience, McCarthy has given up some autonomy by letting Favre check off at the line the direction of runs given the defensive front or the best pass given the coverage.
Last week, a veteran NFL defensive coach who has studied the Packers throughout McCarthy's tenure said they were on the right track offensively.
"I think they're medium predictable," the coach said. "What's happening is he's got somebody scouting him doing a self-scout during the game. They're doing a pretty good job breaking their tendencies."
Then the coach was asked to compare McCarthy as an offensive tactician and play-caller against the combinations in place for the other 31 teams. After careful consideration of all 31 situations, McCarthy came out in a six-way tie for 16th place.
In other words, the coach said McCarthy was better than 11 other combinations, including six in the NFC (Dallas, New York Giants, Washington, Atlanta, St. Louis, San Francisco) and five in the AFC (New York Jets, Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland). McCarthy was judged even with the offensive brain trusts in Minnesota, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.
"With McCarthy, I like the fact you know what you're going to get," the coach said. "I don't like the way someone like Mike Martz throws the ball around, and his flamboyance. Right now, the Packers are playing to the strengths of the players they have. Running back might be the stumbling block."
Through McCarthy's 18 games, the Packers are plus-2 in turnover differential (they were minus-24 in 2005) and have been penalized less than the NFL average. McCarthy is trying to win with defense and special teams, and if that means barking at Favre to accept his formula, then he will bark at Favre.
From radical changes in the weight room to major alterations of the training camp schedule, McCarthy fearlessly is making his mark. The start has been good. His future looks bright.