oh, he's respected by his peers. Now if it's the players that don't then we have a bigger problem than the coach. They can't be leaving that many plays on the field to be made and blame it on anyone but themselves. Change the coach, when things get tough if we have a group of guys blaming others rather than looking in the mirror, the results will be the same.
Mike McCarthy is a well respected coach. Respected by his peers and most players. He is a man of integrity. He has values. He is one of three coaches to bring home the Lombardi trophy to its rightful home. His legacy in Green Bay is secured.
He is also loyal to a fault.
His loyalty has failed him on two fronts. With a resume like McCarthy's, he has continually been loyal to players and
coaches to the team's detriment.
1) A person can "
fall on the sword" so many times that eventually they'll become the scapegoat for everything that is wrong. Playing the martyr backfires and instead of respect, you get apathy. This has happened to McCarthy. A lot of coaches both past and present from McCarthy's staff are, and have been mediocre. Its a system of
who you know and not
what you know. Taking chances on coaches instead of hiring coaches that perform up to standard is McCarthy's M.O.
2) A coach has a lot influence on personnel, he
is coaching them, and interacting with them on a daily basis. When free agency comes around, and the coach keeps sticking up for
his guys, it allows a team to get stagnant. Especially when the players are well past their prime (i.e. Matthews, Cobb, Bulaga). Not speaking up and giving constructive input on team construction is a self inflicted wound. Also, holding onto players that know everything you will say and do is a recipe for disaster.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Rookies and players looking at the older vets questioning the coach's direction leads to doubt and that has clearly shown up in the team's play.
McCarthy's message has grown stale like his philosophy on football. A change is needed.
