Green Bay Packers: Mike McCarthy’s days officially numbered

It’s been a middling season for the Green Bay Packers. Sunday’s result against the Arizona Cardinals may have sealed Mike McCarthy’s fate as head coach.

Nobody could’ve expected the season the Green Bay Packers have endured so far in 2018. After a 20-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Week 13, the Packers are who they are at this point: a 4-7-1 team still searching for an identity, with a less than one percent chance of reaching the postseason.

What changed for the Packers, though? Aside from an outlier year in 2017, Green Bay had been one of the most consistent teams of the past decade. Entering 2018, expectations were back where they belonged.

The return of Aaron Rodgers from a collarbone injury, the hiring of new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, a new general manager in Brian Gutekunst, a fully revived defense, and some key free agent acquisitions all created one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory.

Despite all the new moves, however, Packers’ president Mark Murphy decided to stick with head coach Mike McCarthy, who perhaps got a pass in 2017 due to Rodgers’ season-ending injury. Green Bay finished the 2017 season at 7-9, which may as well have been dubbed as a season of “what if?”

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What if Rodgers had never gotten hurt last season? What if the Packers had a top half defense in the NFL? What if Brett Hundley kept Green Bay afloat until Rodgers returned?

How’s about this proposition: What if Mike McCarthy wasn’t the head coach of the Green Bay Packers? Would Green Bay still be 4-7-1 under a different coach?

Sure, McCarthy has been and probably will continue to be a good head coach in the NFL elsewhere. During his time with the Packers, he has an impressive 125-77-2 record. He’s led the Packers to nine winning seasons out of his previous 12 years of coaching, and brought the team to eight straight postseason appearances.

But like everything else in life, all good things must come to an end. And so will the Mike McCarthy-era. Right? Not so fast. The Packers have never been known as a reactionary franchise. And ultimately, the decision to move on from McCarthy and onto a new coach would fall solely on the shoulders of president Mark Murphy.

As Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed out last week, general manager Brian Gutekunst is essentially an executive vice president of player personnel, as he does not have the power to fire the head coach.

So what would it take for Murphy to pull the trigger? When is enough, enough? After a devastating loss to the Cardinals on Sunday — a team currently challenging for the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft — is it finally time to move on from McCarthy?

To anyone watching the game, it was blatantly obvious that the Packers lacked any sort of enthusiasm or motivation in their play. From having three dropped passes by their receivers, to Rodgers’ enigmatic throws and decision-making, to the constant special teams penalties and lack of consistency overall.

Besides that, it was reported last week by Kalyn Kahler of Sports Illustrated that McCarthy and Rodgers have had tension for a few years now. It was never more evident than when Rodgers took a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals last season, as CBS cameras caught him muttering, “Stupid f—— call!”

It’s finally time to accept the truth: Mike McCarthy’s time as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers has come to an end. That doesn’t mean he didn’t serve Green Bay well during his entire tenure. And it certainly doesn’t mean he still isn’t a good coach.

What it means, however, is that McCarthy’s time in Green Bay has run its course. His message to the team has clearly become stale. His play calling has become predictable and lackluster. At this point, it’s abundantly clear that the Packers and McCarthy should part ways.

The Packers may or may not move on from McCarthy. If we’ve learned anything from 2018, though, it’s that Green Bay needs a new leader.