Is any NFL head coach's seat hotter than Mike McCarthy's
The 4-5 Packers play the 5-3-1 Redskins today with Packers coach Mike McCarthy squarely on the hot seat.
With much of the football-playing country seeing their first snow of the season, and with temperatures chilly across the northern third of the country, it finally feels like football season.
Except, it doesn't feel like football season!
Late November, the Packers, among the pre-seasons NFC favorites were supposed to be embracing the chill in the air, unleashing Eddie Lacy and his bone-chilling style of play with Aaron Rodgers painting a November masterpiece, setting the Packers up for a run at another Super Bowl title.
Instead, the Packers are 4-5, losers of three straight, coming off a blowout loss to a so-so Titans squad and facing the daunting task of tackling a good Washington squad, on the road.
It's supposed to be one happy family up in salt-of-the-earth, northern Wisconsin, right?
Former receiver Greg Jennings took the happy gloves off this week and took a few shots at No. 12.
Eh, not so much.
The team discord has been well documented with Aaron Rodgers facing the media several weeks ago and giving the biggest non rah, rah speech ever delivered.
This week, former Packers receiver Greg Jennings took the gloves off and pointed the finger squarely at Rodgers himself.
“I need to go back to my college days where the quarterback wasn’t just viewed as oh-so-great and still prove that I can be successful.” Jennings said in July. “A lot of times when you have a guy who creates that spotlight for himself and establishes that and takes a lot of that, it becomes so-and-so and the team,” he said. “It should always be the team ... Don’t get me wrong, ‘12’ is a great person. But when you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, it’s hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says ‘Man, come on, you’ve got to hold yourself accountable for this.’ It’s hard for someone to see that now because all they’ve heard is I’m doing it the right way, I’m perfect. In actuality, we all have flaws.”
With all due respect, ya can't take shots at No. 12, right?
Apparently you can, although it almost feels like a sin in some odd pathetic way. Rodgers had been good, 22 TD's and 7 int's and the Green Bay defense, while not spectacular is 4th against the run, allowing just 83 yards per game. Those numbers are supposed to be indicators of success, and yet, the Packers are in free fall.
Clearly the lack of a running game has hurt. The Packers are 30th in the league with 84 yards per game and while Ty Montgomery has filled a need, not a lot of teams lining up WR's at the RB position are finding success.
Is the addition of Christine Michael enough?
The Packers added Seattle RB, Chistine Michael to the mix this week.
Loved the addition of Seattle RB, Christine Michael this week. While the move will certainly help the run game, will he be up to speed today? That's the thing, as the turmoil swirls and the losses keep piling up the window of 2016 opportunity is closing.
Lose today and the anxiety only heightens, and the pressure mounts.
If ya can't talk bad about Aaron Rodgers then the logical next step is to look at the coach. Mike McCarthy is in his 11th season with the Packers and while the Packers don't change coaches very often, they don't deal with losing very often either. The only losing season under McCarthy's tenure was the 6-10 debacle in 2008. Whatever the problems are in Green Bay, McCarthy hasn't been able to fix them.
Win today, Christine Michael looks good, win next week and suddenly all is well in Green Bay. Lose today and McCarthy's seat will be the only warm thing in northern Wisconsin, and it will be sizzling!
Must win baby!
