McCarthy Making Believers out of Critics

[vince]

McCarthy's turning ship around midway into first season
By Brad Zimanek

It looks like Packers general manager Ted Thompson knew what he was doing.

Mike McCarthy can coach.

Seven games into his first season and McCarthy's made a believer out of me.

Early on that couldn't have been further from the truth. I was very skeptical.

There were so many things wrong you couldn't keep track of them all.

The Packers struggled counting to 11 or lining up in the proper position much less knowing what they were supposed to do, and actually doing it, once they got there.

But some strange things have happened since.

Each game, the Packers keep improving, including in Sunday's 31-14 win over Arizona.

You can see it on offense. You can see it on defense. You can see it on special teams.

The zone-blocking scheme that once looked all talk and little substance now has the Packers resembling the Denver Broncos East. How else can you explain two running backs with more than 100 rushing yards in a game for the first time in 21 years?

"What I saw is a surge off the line of scrimmage play after play," McCarthy said. "That speaks volumes. Running the football is an attitude. We definitely played that way."The NFL's worst passing defense, one week after allowing more than 400 yards to Joey Harrington, held the Cardinals to 132 yards and sacked Matt Leinart four times.

Obviously, Arizona has a porous offensive line and was without Larry Fitzgerald, but the Packers executed the recent game plan of stopping the run, having Al Harris clamp down on the opposition's top receiver while never letting the quarterback get settled.

On special teams, the Packers actually had a semblance of punt return game for the first time in awhile, averaging 13.3 yards on four attempts, and creating a little excitement.

Even McCarthy's biggest mistake, the ill-fated fake field goal attempt, showed me something else that I like about McCarthy and that every Packers fan should learn to appreciate – he plays to win and he's willing to accept the blame when's he wrong.

First, he said a fake field goal would work better on fourth-and-six rather than fourth-and-inches. Second, he said the miscommunication among the players was his fault.

And, third he couldn't believe why he didn't just run for the first down when the Packers were having so much success with 20 yards on their first four carries.

That same attitude paid dividends in third quarter when he elected to go for it on fourth-and-six from Arizona's 34-yard line – a decision rarely made under Mike Sherman.

Cardinals defensive end Chike Okeafor was called offside and gave the Packers a much more manageable fourth-and-one that eventually led to a game-clinching 28-7 lead.

This isn't a coronation of McCarthy after back-to-back wins against horrible teams.

But you can see impressive preparation, control and decision-making at work.

Against Miami, starting left tackle Chad Clifton is scratched from the lineup with a stomach virus, inserting a third rookie on the offensive line. After a shaky start against defensive end Jason Taylor, the Packers make adjustments that lead to a road win.

Against Arizona, Green Bay's receiving corps is decimated. Rookie Greg Jennings can't start because of a sprained ankle after losing veteran Robert Ferguson the week before.

McCarthy starts seldom-used Ruvell Martin (two catches for 26 yards) while using more two tight end sets. David Martin catches four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.

McCarthy takes what he has available, even if the talent level is not what he would like it to be, and emphasizes the Packers' strengths and exploits the opposition's weaknesses.

His job for this week, as the Packers try to climb back to .500 at 4-4 with a game at Buffalo, doesn't get any easier. Vernand Morency, who rushed for 101 yards on 11 carries Sunday, injured his back. David Martin injured his jaw. Fullback Brandon Miree hurt his elbow. Wide receiver Donald Driver, even though he came back, injured his ankle.

But the only white towel McCarthy wants to see being waved are the freebies Packers fans were given Sunday upon entering Lambeau Field. "It meant a lot to see everybody having a great time," McCarthy said after securing his first home win.

When Thompson selected McCarthy, I thought about waving the white flag, thinking he was the worst of the seven first-time NFL head coaches hired in the offseason. But now I wouldn't be surprised in a few years if McCarthy turns out to be one of the best.

Brad Zimanek is The Post-Crescent sports editor. He can be reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 297 or by e-mail at bzimanek@postcrescent.com.

[FritzDontBlitz]

very well put, and i pretty much agree with it all. i like the way mccarthy does things, and its slowly beginning to transform the team into a winner. my preseason assessment was a team that would go 9-7, i see nothing so far to indicate they won't reach that won/loss tally.

[FavreChild]

This article is so bad on so many levels, I don't even know what to say.

These kind of attributions are completely ridiculous. I mean, it's one thing to say, maybe M3 knows something here, maybe he has some potential. But this guy is practically calling him the next Lombardi. Sheesh.

There is still extremely limited evidence about M3's coaching abilities. Not that he doesn't have some talents, but these articles are getting ridiculous - I love to win as much as everyone else, but a little perspective, please!

[vince]

This article is so bad on so many levels, I don't even know what to say.

These kind of attributions are completely ridiculous. I mean, it's one thing to say, maybe M3 knows something here, maybe he has some potential. But this guy is practically calling him the next Lombardi. Sheesh.

There is still extremely limited evidence about M3's coaching abilities. Not that he doesn't have some talents, but these articles are getting ridiculous - I love to win as much as everyone else, but a little perspective, please!

FavreChild, you don't need transparent historical proof to see attributes that breed success in people - at least some people don't.

There are characteristics that some people have that create winners, and in the opinion of this writer, McCarthy has them. Just because others don't know what to look for, or don't believe what they see doesn't mean that everyone should be myopic in their projections.

For you to suggest that such observations are ridiculous is, well, ridiculous.

[FritzDontBlitz]

me likes vinnie's 'tude today. go get'em dude.

[Lurker64]

I'm actually pleasantly surprised with McCarthy. Initially I just thought Thompson hired him in order to keep Favre playing (because of their history together) and so Mike could groom Rodgers into somebody other than a Tedford QB. He's actually shown himself to be everything I hoped Mike Sherman could have been come crunch time.

[FavreChild]

Just because others don't know what to look for, or don't believe what they see doesn't mean that everyone should be myopic in their projections.

Don't believe what we see?? What? That we have won games against the Dophins and Cards? Might that have anything to do with confidence? Might position coaches be the source of inspiration? Might players be capable of motivating themselves?

Pray tell, how does M3 "look" like a leader?

M3 should be given a chance, but for crying out loud, he has a LOT left to prove. Be happy with the progress, but no conclusions about his coaching can be reached.

Again, M3 may have potential, but he sure as hell is no coaching genius. Let's keep it real, people.

[Bretsky]

I'm pleasantly surprised in MM as well; here's my reasoning

1. He's coaching Favre and he looks better

2. Besides the dreadful Bear game, his playcalling has been very solid

3. He's got guts; not afraid to use trick plays, reverses..go for it on fourth down

4. They've looked MUCH better organizational wise after the bye; going into it he targeted some things to get fixed and they seem to be fixed

5. This team seems more disciplined against committing stupid penalites than Packer teams of the past five years

[MadtownPacker]

All you M3 doubters can now say you love him!! Cmon FC, you know you wanna say it!

Here is the pic I rigged after he was hired.

Feel the power!!!!!!!!!!!

[vince]

Just because others don't know what to look for, or don't believe what they see doesn't mean that everyone should be myopic in their projections.

Don't believe what we see?? What? That we have won games against the Dophins and Cards? Might that have anything to do with confidence? Might position coaches be the source of inspiration? Might players be capable of motivating themselves?

Pray tell, how does M3 "look" like a leader?

M3 should be given a chance, but for crying out loud, he has a LOT left to prove. Be happy with the progress, but no conclusions about his coaching can be reached.

Again, M3 may have potential, but he sure as hell is no coaching genius. Let's keep it real, people.

Projecting a coach to be a winner has nothing whatever to do with the last two games (that's what I mean when I say it's not about transparent historical proof) or what he "looks" like. (I assume you're not using that term in the physical sense.)

I'm going to say what I think about leadership here, and why I believe Mike McCarthy is a good leader, because you asked me to, not because of some self-righteous bend, as I fear it will be interpreted.

Leadership has relatively little to do with "motivation" from any external source like a coach. As you say, if the players aren't self-motivated, they aren't going to last long at this level. You can have a bunch of highly motivated people working feverishly - that fail miserably because they are not doing the right things to succeed, have no idea what each other is doing, and/or do not understand why they are doing it.

Mike McCarthy has proven that he knows how to get a group of people to deeply understand and internalize the achievement of a future state. He has won over his team to get them to "buy in" to his vision.

Mike McCarthy has gotten this organization, a complex body of minds and egos - to ignore their self-interests, or has convinced them that it is in their best interests to follow his direction - because it's the RIGHT direction.

He has proven that he knows how to do this through a combination of tearing down and building up. Mike McCarthy is has a confidence about himself, and he knows how to build that into his team. Teach, implement, correct, reinforce when successful. Make decisive corrections when failure continues. Develop greater confidence and effectiveness by building on successes.

Mike McCarthy has proven to me and others that he not only understands, but is effectively teaching an understanding of - the bigger picture. Then he has proven that he can teach players to have an understanding of how to get there.

He's emphasized and taught players an understanding of the importance of the fundamentals, and accepting individual accountability for their performance. He's demanded - and gotten - a winning attitude. And he's gotten increasingly better performance from his team.

He has proven that he knows, and can instill in his players day in and day out, an understanding of what it takes to build on success - to continuously improve.

He's proven that he is looking for players with the attitude, talent, skills, ability and internal drive to excel. He's proven that he will decisively rid the team of the players who don't possess those attributes.

Mike McCarthy has proven his credibility to the team. He definitely knows his business. Great leaders are able to get those people following them to accept their leadership - even the most experienced and accomplished members of the team.

Mike McCarthy is a proven offensive genius. Anyone who equates San Francisco's problems last year to Mike McCarthy has no idea whatsoever about which they speak. He led the most prolific offensive stint in New Orleans' 45-year history as Offensive Coordinator, breaking numerous team records along the way. In 2000 McCarthy was chosen Assistant Coach of the Year by USA Today.

He is fearless, tough, passionate, aggressive, disciplined, determined, and communicate well, but in a no-nonsense fashion.

But don't take my word for all this. Take someone else's. Here's what one pretty successful disciple of Mike McCarthy - Rich Gannon - has experienced and believes about him:

"He's the guy that really helped catapult my career. He was the guy who really taught me the West Coast system of football. He really taught me how to prepare for a game, taught me how to watch film, how to break down an opponent, how to study. It was really those things I took with me to Oakland. There was never a doubt in my mind he'd be a head coach. He a great play-caller, great working with the quarterbacks. He's a tough guy, a guy willing to do the work, and he's a leader. I think he'll do a phenomenal job."

I believe that Mike McCarthy IS a coaching genius and a true leader - not because of any kool-aid, or green and gold colored glasses. I didn't think that when he was first hired. Like most fans, I knew very little about him at the time. But over time, I've listened to him state his priorities, I've seen him act exceptionally consistent with those priorities, I've read his writings, I've watched his actions, I've researched his history, and I've witnessed the daily results of his efforts. He has torn down a team and rapidly but effectively rebuilt it into his image of what it takes to be successful.

Now all the pieces of the puzzle aren't there yet in terms of personnel and player experience, but I believe this team possesses the foundation of what it takes to be successful. I believe it resides in Mike McCarthy. High praise for an unproven coach for sure.

Of course he has a lot left to prove. Noone said he doesn't. Some people just believe he will prove himself. I, along with the others that "like" Mike McCarthy as a coach, could be wrong about him. I don't think I will be.

I trust that's keeping it very REAL...

[LL2]

M3

M3 has done a lot of good things so far, but he needs a little more time and has more to prove. I support what M3 and TT are doing. If they win the next two games then M3 will make everyone forget about last year. If they do finish better than 8-8 Favre will look prophetic for his statement during the preseason about "This team has more talent..."

[BF4MVP]

Very, very good post, Vince.

[VegasPackFan]

You would have to be blind to not see the improvement so far. M3 gets the credit, because if they were still floundering around getting beat by these teams, we would all be calling for his head.

He seems to be very straight forward about things. He has shown some guts with some of his calls.

So far, I like the guy. We are one win from matching last year's record. But it is on an upswing of potential and hope, instead of a downswing of underachievement and despair.

[Partial]

Vince,

[HarveyWallbangers]

I like the fact that he pretty much gives Jags all the credit for the running success. He seems like somebody that doesn't care to get the credit when things are going well.

(Jagodzinski responsible for installation and implementation of the zone-blocking scheme?)
No, this is the specialty that Jeff brings to us. This is the stuff, under Alex Gibbs' tutelage, that they have taken this thing to another level. Jeff is the one who has installed it - everyone has had history with zone-blocking schemes, but the way we do it, particularly the way we train it and the adjustments we make, is clearly what Jeff brought in here.

(Did Gibbs run it like this with you in Kansas City?)
No, we were more of a pattern scheme, power and things like that. This took off when Alex went to Denver in 1995.

(Is this why you hired Jagodzinski?)
This is a part of it. I didn't hire him because of his run-game ability - I hired him because I think he's a very good football coach. I think he's an up-and-coming coordinator that people will be talking about in the near future. This is a scheme I believed in, and like I said, I think they've taken it to another level. We're starting to see the benefits of it.

(How rare is it to have 3 rookie O-lineman performing at this level?)
Well, when you try to build a foundation, you look for body types, the type of people that fit the scheme. All the lineman that we brought in here fit the bill. The fact that they're young and all growing together is very positive. We're very pleased with the progress we're making, but we still have a long ways to go. There are a number of things we need to improve on, and we'll continue to work at it, but I think we're off to a good start.

(Ever been with a team with three rookies starting on the O-line?)
No, I've never had three rookies. Will Shields started as a rookie in '93 and played every game since then in KC. In New Orleans, LeCharles Bentley was a rookie who started. Rookie offensive lineman - it's hard to start. People talk about playing quarterback - playing offensive line is tough. That game happens so fast in there, and the other team is six inches off your nose, so I haven't been around too many rookie offensive linemen.

(What is the O-line doing now that they weren't?)
The first thing you see, you can see it from the sideline in the game and it's even more evident in watching the film today, is the way they're coming off the ball in sync. The urgency, the speed, the continuity - there is excellent tempo in the way the back, particularly the fullback, is fitting into his decision-making process, and now the running back puts his foot down and goes. When you see that rhythm and everything is in sync, that's what you're looking for. Frankly, in the past when it wasn't going quite right, it was one guy here and one guy there. You're seeing them all come off the ball in rhythm and timing, seeing the cut-blocks happen on the back side. It's just a lot more decisive. That's the thing that really jumps out at you.