Murphy Interview

[Scott Campbell]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Well, it isn't exactly Murphy's job to fire the coach. That's the GM's job. Hierarchy, people! Hierarchy!

True, unless he took em both out at once.

[mngolf19]

Also, were either TT or MM on the hot seat after last season? No. Unless your Rhodes or Steckel, you get one season of warmth before your pushed out. Your likely stuck with him/them for at least one more year. This was Chilly's hot year, he is currently trying to get out of that chair.

[Smidgeon]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Well, it isn't exactly Murphy's job to fire the coach. That's the GM's job. Hierarchy, people! Hierarchy!

True, unless he took em both out at once.

I think for both to happen at once, both would have to have taken to the franchise to a place that made him need to clean house. I mean drastic measures. Where we are now isn't close to drastic. Drastic is Washington, Oakland, Tampa, etc.

[mraynrand]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Well, it isn't exactly Murphy's job to fire the coach. That's the GM's job. Hierarchy, people! Hierarchy!

True, unless he took em both out at once.

He could just Fire TT, hire a new GM and keep McCarthy in place. Then the new GM could evaluate MM for a year, before deciding whether to get a new coach. That always works out really well.

[MichiganPackerFan]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Well, it isn't exactly Murphy's job to fire the coach. That's the GM's job. Hierarchy, people! Hierarchy!

[Fritz]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Yes and no.

While there is no advantage right now; if for example one of the available coaches (Gruden, Cowher, Shanny, Marty S, Dungy) were to be hired, it would be advantageous to do so prior to the end of the season. A 2-3 week window at the end of the season gives the coach time to evaluate the roster and other coaches, in practice and in games.

That way when keep/not keep decisions are made, when free agency decisions are made, when draft decisions are made, they are made with more information than just game tape. The coach would have the chance to evaluate each player with his own eyes and see what they can do and how he works with them.

Plus you could get that coach without any competition for his services. He wouldn't have multiple offers to choose from. Yet.

This is only true under a couple of conditions. One, that you already know you want one of those people and not someone who is an assistant somewhere. If you have your eye on the next Mike Holmgren, you can't have at him til the end of the season. Two, you assume there's no competition for the coach's services because it's mid-season. But how many of those coaches will sign on at mid-season? My sense is that many if not all would prefer to wait until the season's end to see what other jobs shake out. And if you were willing to give that up, your agent would surely demand compensation. He'd want your team to pay for the coach giving up the advantage of having multiple offers.

If you're going to fire someone before the season's end, it actually makes more sense to fire the GM. A new GM can step in and evaluate the talent on the roster, as Wolf did when he was hired in GB.

But I don't know that this organization has yet determined whether this lack of success so far is due to poor coaching or a lack of talent, though one might glean from Murphy's interview that he's more in Thompson's corner than McCarthy's.

[hoosier]

Why do so many people want to go all Al Davis on this team every time it loses?

Look, I think this team has been a huge disappointment. And I see no sign of it getting better. As I've written elsewhere, MM and others have said before that a team is either getting better or getting worse. This team is getting worse.

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Besides, the season is long. I personally don't think it'll turn around much at this point, but it could - if you're a fan you've seen just what Murphy has said - teams start hot and seem a sure thing but fade, and others come on at the end.

If this team continues to suck butt and at the end of the year heads don't roll, well, then I'll be the first one gathering the pitchforks for a good ol' mob gathering, but it just doesn't make sense to do that yet.

But do sharpen up those tines, and get up into the rafters of the garage and get that bucket of tar warmed up.

One thing that could be done now if you're Murphy/TT, and which would make a lot of sense, IMO, is to force MM to delegate playcalling responsibilities to Philbin. Then at the very least we would have a slightly clearer picture of what is contributing to the Packers malfunctions--which will either get better when they restore some kind of normalcy to playcalling or they won't. If humiliating the HC isn't cathartic enough, then try some real bloodletting: pick a scapegoat who gets the axe now, say, either Slocum or Campen. And don't let McCarthy fill the position by promoting from within.

[Smidgeon]

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Well, it isn't exactly Murphy's job to fire the coach. That's the GM's job. Hierarchy, people! Hierarchy!

True, unless he took em both out at once.

He could just Fire TT, hire a new GM and keep McCarthy in place. Then the new GM could evaluate MM for a year, before deciding whether to get a new coach. That always works out really well.

That's the way it goes. It's the GM's decision. And when a new GM comes in, he doesn't have to keep the current coach. Most don't. TT did because the current coach was the former GM, and M2 was probably told he could keep coaching if they stripped his GM duties. Just speculation, but that's what I think happened.

[Scott Campbell]

Wasn't Shermy the coach coming off a 10-6 season? No coach gets fired after one of those.

[woodbuck27]

How much was Brett Favre really worth to the Green Bay Packers? Since Favre we are 10 W and 14 L. Brett Favre teams are 16 W and 8 L.

Because the difference between the Vikings and the Packers sans the QBs is negligible...

I'd have to disagree with you there.

LET ME GIVE THIS A SHOT


MN RB > GB
MN OL > GB

MN TE = GB TE

MN DL > GB DL
MN LB = GB LB

GB CB > MN CB
GB S = MN S

MN SPECIAL TM > GB SP TEAMS

You forgot WRs.

Yes and I believed that the Packers have superior WR's but Favre seems to know how to pick up an ordinary WR to achieve far better. Brett Favre spends time with his WR's to get them on the same page with him. Favre is a solid team leader as well. Aaron Rodgers will hopefully grow in that direction. It's really brutal the pressure Aaron Rodgers is under to do his very best week to week with an inconsistent to horrible OL. Do any of you now realize the level of play that Favre brought to the table in 2007? 13 regular season wins in 2007 was just outstanding.

One of the strongest parts of the Vikings 'D' I'm seeing are the linebackers. The only area that the Packers outshine the Vikings at present is in the secondary. The Vikings have more star players at key positions too IMO.

[Smidgeon]

Wasn't Shermy the coach coming off a 10-6 season? No coach gets fired after one of those.

That was probably the other reason.

[woodbuck27]

Why do so many people want to go all Al Davis on this team every time it loses?

Look, I think this team has been a huge disappointment. And I see no sign of it getting better. As I've written elsewhere, MM and others have said before that a team is either getting better or getting worse. This team is getting worse.

But what else can Murphy really say or do right now? Firing a coach in midseason makes not one iota of sense. You can't install new schemes in midseason. It wouldn't work and it makes no sense. There's no advantage to firing your coach midseason.

Besides, the season is long. I personally don't think it'll turn around much at this point, but it could - if you're a fan you've seen just what Murphy has said - teams start hot and seem a sure thing but fade, and others come on at the end.

If this team continues to suck butt and at the end of the year heads don't roll, well, then I'll be the first one gathering the pitchforks for a good ol' mob gathering, but it just doesn't make sense to do that yet.

But do sharpen up those tines, and get up into the rafters of the garage and get that bucket of tar warmed up.

Of course your correct Fritz but I certainly don't see a whole lot that is encouraging towords real growth in the future on the Packers team we are seeing at present. The heat is on and Dallas is at Lambeau this week. We get another chance to assess our team, but a win one - lose one scenario for remainder of this season has to call for a major change.

[Fritz]

I agree with you, the only proviso being that the team is not wracked by injuries. And frankly I don't count the offensive line injuries as debilitating. Colledge, Wells - a previous starter - and Sitton and Barbre have been healthy all year long (or as healthy as an NFL player can be during a season).

So - if the team stays relatively healthy but finishes 8-8, seesawing back and forth between a win and a loss, then I agree with you, Woody. Which is unusual, but there ya go. Nothing like failure to bring people together!