Mike McCarthy Retires His Sharpie: Clements Promoted to Playcaller

[Deputy Nutz]

I think this was a smart move by McCarthy, but one that was an outcome forced by the loss to Seattle. Maybe the loss pointed out the obvious to McCarthy that you can't oversee the entire team and call plays. He just went and increased his coaching staff so that is telling me that he saw some holes and is going to the wall to fix things before they become glaring weaknesses. I think coaches are now going to be accountable for the decisions with McCarthy. No longer can McCarthy just rely on his coaches to make crucial decisions without his input. If he would have conferred with Slocum before the fake field goal maybe things would have played out differently, if he knew that his best defensive player was hanging out on the side line the last 5 minutes of the game he could have addressed the issues and got him back out on the field.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Bingo, Nutz!

[pbmax]

M3 was the source. It was attributed to him in the JS blog about the changes:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/291700331.html

(On making the change) Where I was prior years is irrelevant. Something I felt very strongly about. When I told Ted about the decision, he was like, 'Woah, are you sure you want to give up play calling?"

Yeah, but a) there is no Murphy and b) that doesn't mean Ted didn't say something has to change with game management.

I can agree I am surprised this was the change.

[pbmax]

I think if M3 knows Matthews is out it changes the Offense more than the Defense. He doesn't overrule medical; in fact I am not sure there has been a single case of him doing so. He's more likely to fib about what he knows about how bad an injury is.

Not attacking Sherman was just a plain failure. If Nelson or Cobb don't know then people aren't just paying attention.

[Smidgeon]

Also from GBPG:

At his press conference Thursday to announce the coaching changes, McCarthy said that even general manager Ted Thompson and team president Mark Murphy were taken aback when he informed them of his plans to hand over play calling to assistant Tom Clements.

[pbmax]

Also from GBPG:

At his press conference Thursday to announce the coaching changes, McCarthy said that even general manager Ted Thompson and team president Mark Murphy were taken aback when he informed them of his plans to hand over play calling to assistant Tom Clements.

OK. Probably a partial quote at JSO then.

[Pugger]

" Both TT and Murphy thought that MM should continue play calling and urged MM to not make as drastic of a change. " ThunderDan

Then what are we the Green Bay Packer fans to think of the decision making skills of Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson?

Of their overall management skills?

I don't think anything is wrong with their management skills. They are giving MM a compliment - they like his playcalling abilities and might not agree with Mike that he should have ceded that. And Mike can always change his mind if it doesn't work out.

[pbmax]

" Both TT and Murphy thought that MM should continue play calling and urged MM to not make as drastic of a change. " ThunderDan

Then what are we the Green Bay Packer fans to think of the decision making skills of Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson?

Of their overall management skills?

McCarthy said he looked at a couple of different combinations of restructures before deciding on this. I doubt changing play calling duties is what either Ted or Murphy asked for, despite suggestions here from red (I think) and Maxie along those lines.

The Packers have one of the top 3 offenses in the NFL since M3 started calling the plays. You do not start by fixing what isn't broken when looking to improve. If anything, this is an admission that the other areas of the team need help.

Other play callers, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs (I think he called his own offense but not certain), Holmgren, Shanahan, Gruden and Payton have won big.

There are other ways to structure game management and situational football so the HC isn't overwhelmed. This is just one option.

[woodbuck27]

McCarthy said he looked at a couple of different combinations of restructures before deciding on this. I doubt changing play calling duties is what either Ted or Murphy asked for, despite suggestions here from red (I think) and Maxie along those lines.

The Packers have one of the top 3 offenses in the NFL since M3 started calling the plays. You start by fixing what isn't broken when looking to improve. If anything, this is an admission that the other areas of the team need help.

Other play callers, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs (I think he called his own offense but not certain), Holmgren, Shanahan, Gruden and Payton have won big.

There are other ways to structure game management and situational football so the HC isn't overwhelmed. This is just one option.

Backing up a bit.......

RE: MM being HOT after games and closed to media questions that can corner you:

I can sympathize with Mike McCarthy and the stress he was under immediately following the NFCC game.

Who could be at their best in such a dramatic case as that game turned out. The shock factor was very much alive.

When he gets a question RE: the integrity of his play calls he might take that personal as he's right at that time processing it all and he knew there was a whole lot wrong in that game as Aaron Rodgers and other Packers and .... well thousands of people did. He wasn't going to take all the blame at least not at that time without a thorough analysis. That's a normal human survival instinct. Secondly the media looks for the sensational story. He's got to be sensible enough not to give it to them.

We know here at Packerrats that there were 15-20 things obviously wrong and Green Bay Packers and the NFCC game.

It was then expected that there had to be change. If you weren't there you certainly weren't paying attention.
'
It's MM's job with 'emphasis on real and honest', to act on the negative (s) and certainly not dismiss them. Maybe those he reports to ( TT and ? Mark Murphy) simply waited to see what he came up with after some exhaustive and deadly honest analysis. MM has also just suffered the loss of a younger brother.

Maybe when he comes forward with a decision to drop play calling that surprized them and so they (gave MM) spoke the words to him they thought he might normally hope to hear?

"Drop play calling Mike..are you sure?"

I'm totally ignorant as to the politics and the NFL Owner > GM and > HC relationship. I mean in terms of manners, ethics and decorum. Hopefully normal decency presides.

If I was MM's GM and gave him free rein as the Packer HC and saw what we saw in that NFCC game. Ethically I couldn't FIRE MM. I might be crossing a boundary even questioning his game management and play calling. ie

"After all I have him installed in his position and without glaring issues I should stand by him through years end on into the total review and evaluation > the next season."

There's this too.

Ted Thompson isn't exactly the most visible GM. In fact one of my major issues with TT is that he's so behind the scene. Maybe he simply hoped or trusted after the flop in Seattle that MM had to get this one right?

[Carolina_Packer]

If Sean Payton has another bad season, he might consider the same idea, especially if this improves things for the Packers. Although, one could argue that Green Bay was 2 minutes and change from a Super Bowl, and while the way they blew it was disappointing, they were so close, which is better than New Orleans can say this year.

Can anyone here recall another team that had a head coach who called plays and removed the responsibilities from himself? I know in Dallas Jason Garrett had the responsibilities removed, but I'm not sure it was his idea.

[Deputy Nutz]

There is no owner so the accountability will always fall on McCarthy and Thompson. It seems like Thompson never speaks, so the focus fall on McCarthy to be the figure head for the entire franchise and has to take the biggest brunt of fan disappointment and questioning the direction of the franchise.

[woodbuck27]

There is no owner so the accountability will always fall on McCarthy and Thompson. It seems like Thompson never speaks, so the focus fall on McCarthy to be the figure head for the entire franchise and has to take the biggest brunt of fan disappointment and questioning the direction of the franchise.

TT is something else.

[Patler]

For me, it's quite simple. MM should be the one who hires the coaches and defines their duties. He knows what success he has had as the play caller. He also knows if he feels he lacks the necessary controls and inputs elsewhere on the team because of the distractions of play calling. He also knows if he feels "stale" as a play caller, if he is losing his edge, if he and AR mesh as well as they could, if AR has earned the right to have more control/input, if that can be done better thru Clement, etc.. He knows Clement well, he knows AR well. He knows their strengths and weaknesses. Maybe he feels he himself is burning out, and he needs to rejuvenate himself by changing his involvements with D and ST.

If MM thinks this is the best thing to do, they have to do it; because it is MM's job to make these types of decisions for the team. Ultimately, he is the one who will be held responsible.

Great improvement always entails risk. This is no different. The status quo seemed to make them a playoff contender annually, but not the team to beat. Perhaps this will push them up the next step.

[ThunderDan]

TT is something else.

Yeah, he helped build the Seahawks team that made it to the playoffs twice and the Super Bowl once. Then he came to the Packers who have won the Super Bowl once and gotten to the NFC Championship game 3 times in 10 years.

[woodbuck27]

I don't think anything is wrong with their management skills. They are giving MM a compliment - they like his playcalling abilities and might not agree with Mike that he should have ceded that. And Mike can always change his mind if it doesn't work out.

I'm trying to come to terms or get a grip on TT being outside of the loop in such important decisions.

ie .... Who has ultimate authority? Who has final say?