Packers fire Slocum

[ExpatPacker]

I am now more negative about this probable hire than I was before. I have often wondered about McCarthy's seeming unwillingness to listen to advice/criticism or recruit from the outside. This just seems to confirm suspicions that many have had for a long time. As I said, recruiting from inside is ok when you are successful. STs hasn't been a success for years, and so the wise thing to do is to get a proven coach from outside. But MM? No, not him. One of the worst things someone in charge can do is to ignore independent points of view and surround himself with those who are already part of the "framework".

I imagine we'll hear some more of his babble about "doing a thorough analysis" and "evaluating this and that", blah blah blah, which virtually assures us that no serious, objective evaluation will be done.

 

[Half Empty]

We'll fix that.

 

[ExpatPacker]

McCarthy just promoted another of his pals. Great. Let mediocrity reign.

 

[El Guapo]

Wow - the ignorance on this forum is staggering. How do ANY of us know what Zook did on special teams this year? He could have literally sat in a chair, smoking a cigar all season watching everything that Slocum did wrong, waiting until they turned the reigns over to him.

All because Zook was brought in last year, several posters here have automatically assumed that he's a dyed-in-the-wool clone of Slocum and 100% bent on continuing the same system. Some people need to take a deep breath and relax.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Wow - the ignorance on this forum is staggering. How do ANY of us know what Zook did on special teams this year? He could have literally sat in a chair, smoking a cigar all season watching everything that Slocum did wrong, waiting until they turned the reigns over to him.

All because Zook was brought in last year, several posters here have automatically assumed that he's a dyed-in-the-wool clone of Slocum and 100% bent on continuing the same system. Some people need to take a deep breath and relax.

Zook was part of the special teams coaching staff, a unit that allowed a total of seven blocked kicks, finished dead last in the Dallas Morning News rankings and had two huge mistakes in the NFCCG. I´m totally sure he wasn´t brought in to do nothing so he was part of the problem.

 

[Mondio]

I don't think he sat by doing nothing, or maybe he did, it's hard to tell from the way they performed all year. Regardless, he doesn't instill confidence in me at all. There isn't a history of success with other teams, there isn't a history of success with this team, but now I"m supposed to believe he has what it takes?

I still have hope though, nothing has been made official .

 

[fritothedog]

"Zook's 35-year coaching career includes just six years on special teams."

This doesn't inspire much confidence either. I suppose he had some role in ST when he was a HC

 

[7thFloorRA]

They still need an assistant I would hope. Someone needs to bring some fresh ideas in. Daric Riley is still sitting at UAB waiting for a program or a job. A guy that turns STU's around that fast could be a huge find even as an assistant to Zook.

 

[Half Empty]

Wow - the ignorance on this forum is staggering. How do ANY of us know what Zook did on special teams this year? He could have literally sat in a chair, smoking a cigar all season watching everything that Slocum did wrong, waiting until they turned the reigns over to him.

All because Zook was brought in last year, several posters here have automatically assumed that he's a dyed-in-the-wool clone of Slocum and 100% bent on continuing the same system. Some people need to take a deep breath and relax.

Yup, great way to keep the forum active and stimulate discussion. Let us know when we can have opinions again.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Sam Barrington congratulates Ron Zook on being named special teams coordinator in a tweet.

 

[adambr2]

I would have preferred an outside hire, but I'll reserve judgment until they have a season under Zook first.

 

[7thFloorRA]

The positives on Zook are that he is a high energy, fired up kind of guy that gets the players going. He seems to have their respect which is HUGE for special teams. I do not think they respected Slocum or at least they did not think he knew what he was doing. You need guys on special teams to buy in and sell out their bodies to be effective. There is a certain attitude to it. I never saw that attitude with the Pack. I saw Bush have it and that was it. I want to see a pack of wild dogs at the point of contact every play.

 

[RepStar15]

I think hiring externally with help get a new dynamic to special teams and approach we have lacked since Desmond Howard days. I like what Micah Hyde has been doing on the return, and I think with a few personnel switches our punt return can be great.

 

[El Guapo]

Yup, great way to keep the forum active and stimulate discussion. Let us know when we can have opinions again.

Feel free to have opinions, but we should also feel free to call others out when they are uninformed. You can do so to me if you feel the need.

 

[Half Empty]

Feel free to have opinions, but we should also feel free to call others out when they are uninformed. You can do so to me if you feel the need.

Having lots of trouble with language today. Most people are complaining that Zook was a part of the coaching staff that was responsible for bad ST performance. Not a good idea to elevate someone who was part of the problem. Opinion - I don't want him. Uninformed, to me, means there's some available information that would change the opinion, and I don't see that.

 

[TJV]

Wow - the ignorance on this forum is staggering. How do ANY of us know what Zook did on special teams this year? He could have literally sat in a chair, smoking a cigar all season watching everything that Slocum did wrong, waiting until they turned the reigns over to him.

All because Zook was brought in last year, several posters here have automatically assumed that he's a dyed-in-the-wool clone of Slocum and 100% bent on continuing the same system. Some people need to take a deep breath and relax.

That's right, we don't know what he did last year.

 

[DaveRoller]

Feel free to have opinions, but we should also feel free to call others out when they are uninformed. You can do so to me if you feel the need.

He just did, quite effectively.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

McGinn criticizes McCarthy for promoting Zook to special teams coordinator:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...-for-special-teams-b99449492z1-293538271.html

 

[yooperpackfan]

McGinn criticizes McCarthy for promoting Zook to special teams coordinator:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...-for-special-teams-b99449492z1-293538271.html

Well, reading that wasn't a good way to start a Monday.

 

[TJV]

McGinn criticizes McCarthy for promoting Zook to special teams coordinator:

Yep

 

[adambr2]

I agree, Zook is just a lateral move.

If anyone thinks that maybe Zook is just a guy who needs a shot to see what he can do, don't bother. Zook has been down this road already several times and failed just about every year at it both in Pittsburgh and in Illinois at the college level.

 

[fanindaup]

For the last few years I've defended Slocum to some degree for the under performing STU. I thought much of that was due to injuries which caused a lack of continuity. This past season proved that was not the case. I was wrong. Slocum seemed to have lost the confidence of everyone including the players. I'm now concerned, even before reading McGinn's piece, because I'm not sold on Zook. However, I will note the Packers have former head coaches in the coordinator positions and I assume MM will still have his hand in calling the offense. I'm willing to give Zook some slack but let's hope if a change needs to be made it doesn't take nine years. I'd have felt better about bringing in someone younger with some innovative ideas who was hungry to make a name for himself. I guess at this point we have no choice but hoping MM knows what he's doing.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Look for more starters on special teams:

http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-p...-planning-a-veteran-approach-to-special-teams

 

[El Guapo]

....I'm bumping this thread back to discuss the broader special teams, versus the Tim Masthay-focused punting thread I started.

I think that Zook did a decent job pulling this group up. I didn't expect a worst-to-first turn around, but am still expecting things to improve. They need to get somebody quick returning punts, but admittedly I'd rather have sure handedness over a few extra yards. The biggest concern that I see is having the kickoff coverage unit. It's still swimming in the garbage pile and must improve.


http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-2015-team-report-card-b99656525z1-366332531.html

SPECIAL TEAMS (C)
First-year coordinator Ron Zook engineered a 17th-place finish in the Dallas Morning News' rankings of overall performance, a substantial jump from 32nd in 2014 but on a par with 2011-'13 (tied for 13th, 12th, 19th). Green Bay still trailed the NFC North teams. KO returners Ty Montgomery (31.1, seven attempts) and Jeff Janis (29.0, 14) were the team's best since Najeh Davenport (31.6, 16) in '03. The Packers improved from 23rd to tied for fourth in average start after kickoffs (23.0) but were tied for 27th (22.7) in opponents' average start. Janis (15 tackles) and Demetri Goodson (12) were instrumental in NFL-best punt coverage (4.2). Their aggressiveness as gunners helped Tim Masthay break Jerry Norton's club's record for net punt average (40.2). In other statistical measures, Masthay didn't fare nearly as well. Mason Crosby was one of five full-time kickers to make every extra-point try. His .857 FG mark included a 52-yarder that was mis-hit and would have beaten Detroit. Ameer Abdullah's 104-yard KO return turned around the upset loss to the Lions; the Packers ranked 29th in KO coverage (26.7). Micah Hyde's longest of 30 punt returns was just 17 yards. There were 23 penalties, most since '09, and 24 missed tackles, including four each by Aaron Ripkowski and Ryan. Chris Banjo led in tackles (24) and snaps (375). Kennard Backman and Goodson gave up first downs on fake punts whereas Masthay converted a fake punt. The turnover differential was plus-1.

 

[HardRightEdge]

....I'm bumping this thread back to discuss the broader special teams, versus the Tim Masthay-focused punting thread I started.

I think that Zook did a decent job pulling this group up. I didn't expect a worst-to-first turn around, but am still expecting things to improve. They need to get somebody quick returning punts, but admittedly I'd rather have sure handedness over a few extra yards. The biggest concern that I see is having the kickoff coverage unit. It's still swimming in the garbage pile and must improve.

Yeah, 26.7 avg. surrendered on KO returns (4th. worst in the league) could be better. I believe the problem on punt returns was the blocking. It seems to me Hyde had guys in his face all season.

All-in-all, there was a lot of improvement over 2014.