Assignment 20: Wild Card

(Opinion) Why Mike McCarthy will be fired by the end of 2018 NFL season.

Image via USA Today

I've been a dedicated Green Bay Packers fan since 2009 when I watched my first NFL game on TV. It was storming and the power was out at my house. My mom called her business downtown and the answering machine answered, meaning there was still power at that part of town. We loaded up some snacks and made our way to her store.

There wasn't very much more to do at the store than there was at home, but there was a TV with cable. The sad news was that there were only four channels. Of course, nothing was on on a Monday night that I was interested in, except a football game. I wasn't the biggest football fan but I knew some things about it, mostly from watching the Razorbacks play on Saturdays.

The game was between the Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers and the Brett Favre led Minnesota Vikings. It was time to pick someone to root for, and I chose the green and gold. 

Mike McCarthy was a premier playcaller in the NFL for numerous years. I'll never forget the 2010 Super Bowl run where the six-seed Packers ran the gauntlet to win it all. McCarthy established himself as a brilliant offensive mind, leading the Packers to multiple deep-playoff runs behind the arm of Aaron Rodgers and an unstoppable offense. Things began to change in 2015.

Teams around the league soon learned how to beat McCarthy; stop Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy did what any smart coach would do and that's to use your best player to your advantage. However, one player can only get you so far. Playcalling becomes essential when your opponent knows what you're going to do, but it's like McCarthy doesn't realize that.

It's been a steady decline for the Packers. Every year, the offense seems to perform subpar until about midway through the season, at which point Aaron Rodgers takes over the second half of the season to make a playoff push. The defense is always underwhelming and can't hold up their end of the game. The one consistent is Mike McCarthy and his predictable, non-risky playcalling.

The Packers need change. McCarthy's era will forever be remembered, but if the Packers want to win before Aaron Rodger's retirement, they need someone new.