Why Me Laugh?
What's it called when you are so fatigued by a dismal situation that you lose the ability to cry or complain and resort to hollow laughter?
I want to know because that word should be the official theme of the 2006 Packer season.
Today we hired yet another non-up-and-comer who has
no history of success,
no experience in a system that performed well, that is totally
unheard of, and is
unwanted by any other team.
He joins a defensive coordinator whose never been a defensive coordinator before, an offensive coordinator whose never been a coordinator before, and assistants who come from failed systems who never performed with distinction.
The coach himself is not ready to be a coach, has never coached before, has never been successful outside of one year with the saints, has never worked in a good system, has no real playoff experience, has not been mentored by a top coach, and guided the worst offense in the NFL last year.
Jim Bates thought so little of McCarthy that he took his hiring as a degrading and unforgivable insult, even refusing to work with McCarthy next year.
And at the top of the food chain, we have the deer-in-the-headlights-with-a-stick-up-it's-ass Thompson running the show, ...a guy who'd never been a GM before, was unwanted by any other teams, had no record of excellence, refuses to bring in top flight free agents, and almost single-handedly let a team crumble from 10-6 to 3-13. A
SEVEN game drop.
That word I was searching for, ...
hopelessness.
2006, a season of hoplessness.
Oh My Fucking God
This is a
must see.
If you're like me and have always wondered what it would be like if Spider-Man rode a dirt bike, was Japanese, lived in 1978, and had something to do with a transforming robot genie, then go
here to slake your curiosity.
(cheap shot alert)
Hey, at least it's better than Attack of the Clones.
The Training Wheels of the NFL
Well, when you have a GM with scant experience and no record of excellence, I guess it should not be a suprise that he hires a coach with no experience and no record of excellence, who then hires an offensive coordinator with no experience and no record of excellence, and a defensive coordinator with no expereice and no record of excellence.
You know what I really love? After each person is hired, the deciding factor seems to be the comfort level of the person doing the hiring. Forget about finding the best person for the job, lets get someone who will kiss my ass, agree with me about everything, and not challenge my authority.
If there is any upside here (and there isn't), it's that we'll know where to point the finger(s) for this disaster.
Maybe it will all work out in a few years, ...Thompson could be fired after three more years of wins in the low single digits, and we could hire Charlie Weiss who might be ready to leave Notre Dame by then.
Hey, I'm a "glass half full" type of guy.
Weekend Predictions
Seattle - because Washington sucks and I hate them.
Carolina - because they are out for revenge and I hate the Bears.
Indy - because Pittsburgh doesn't have a chance.
New England - because I can't picture myself saying, "Wow, Jake Plummer really outplayed Tom Brady, huh?"
Goodbye Larry
McCarthy let Larry Beightol go today along with a gaggle of other Sherman left-overs.
I think Beichtol has been overlooked in his time with the Packers. Much of their success over the past seven years has been because of his ability to develop talent on the offensive line.
Wahle, Flannigan, Tauscher, Rivera, Clifton, Barry, ...none of them were highly tauted draft picks or free agent signings.
McCarthy wants to go with a Denver/Wisconsin style zone blocking scheme, so he's hiring his buddy Jagodzinski from Atlanta. He's entitled.
But I hope Larry's contribution here isn't forgetten.
Highly Recommended Viewing
Kristanna Loken's sex scene.
On McCarthy
I waited until after his press conference to comment.
My fear is that he is Marty Schottenheimer with a bad, possibly volatile temper. Oh, ...and he has ZERO history of excellence.
He may not be an improvement over Sherman.
Things that buttress this line of thought:
Steve the Homer True - "This is the longshots of all longshots." "Ted Thompson has hired his own Mike Sherman." "The decision is indefensible."
Jim Bates - He was angry at being passed over. Although he wouldn't say so publicly, ...I suspect he's pissed because of who he was passed over for. He sounds awfully bitter, more so than you would expect.
Numerous people close to McCarthy were shocked and surprised that he got the job. Even those that like him seem to realize this is stretch, at best. It's too early for him. He's not ready.
John Clayton - League insiders caught by surprise. People are "stunned". League perception is that they wanted Childress, and when they lost out on him they would get Bates.
On the other hand, ...well the best you can say is this:
Maybe he has all the tools and attributes necessary to be a good coach in the NFL. And since there was no lead-pipe-lock in the existing coaching candidates, this is the best you can hope for.
He runs quarterback clinics in the offseason. He appears to be an expert and is probably one of the best candidates to mentor Aaron Rodgers (or if we get lucky, DJ Shockley).
Ok. Maybe.
But he's still a longshot.
He's a west coast offense "purist", almost as much as Holmgren. This means less running, more passing.
To be charitable, he's a less than articulate guy. I hear a lot of Tice in him, ...but maybe we have to look past that and give him the benefit of the doubt.
The deal is done, and we are stuck with this gamble.
If he fails, we'll revisit this territory when it comes time to fire Thompson in about, ...say 10 months.
Going forward, I have the following concerns:
1. He doesn't appear to be prepared for this job. He doesn't know who his staff will be, and doesn't even know if he will call his own plays. At the very least, this suggests he will have a weak staff.
2. He doesn't appear to be eager to re-up with Bates. Good grief. Who are we going to get for the defense?
3. His inability to speak in coherent sentences raises a red flag. How well will he communicate to the players?
4. He's already been run out of one town in a dispute with his QB, now that he's The Man, how many players will he lose or dump because of disputes?
So, to summarize ...I'm quite skeptical, but open-minded.
Thumbs down.
UPDATE: Thumbs down on the pick. No one really knows if he will be a good coach or how soon he could get the Packers back in the playoffs. Maybe next year, maybe never. I don't have any idea how good he will be. No one does. That's why I say thumbs down, ...it's such a gamble.
Thoughts on the Draft
Vince Young will be better than Michael Vick. He's bigger and stronger, slightly less mobile, and a MUCH more accurate passer. In fact, I don't think he should be comparing him to Vick at all.
Bush will be an outstanding running back if used properly, ...like a hyperfast Warrick Dunn.
Most mock drafts have the Packers taking either Mario Williams (DE) from NC State or AJ Hawk (OLB) from THE Ohio State University. My head tells me to take Williams because an awesome DE is more valuable than and OLB, and harder to find. BUT, it's been said that Williams is an underachiever and doesn't always give 100%, so that make me nervious. I'd hate to go through this awful season, get a high draft pick, and end up with a bust. So, I'm officially supporting either trading down for multiple #1 picks or taking AJ.
There is one guy who I'm deperate to see in the green and gold, Georgia QB
DJ Shockley. He finished behind only Young and Bush for player of the year honors from the AP.
Shermy Press Conference
Obviously emotional in his prepared statement.
Reading past the cordiality, I think it's safe to say that he feels the firing is Unfair.
He feels that Thompson didn't give him a fair chance, stating that Thompson probably just wanted to hire his own man for the job.
He's obviously bitter, specifically at Thompson.
It's not a stretch to think that Shermy might feel (as I do) that at least part of the reason he was let go was to cover up for Thompson's mistakes as a GM that led to their miserable season.
Believes they would have won 10 games if not for the injuries. Thinks the Packers will be fine next year. He believes they just need a good draft to get back to their winning ways.
He doesn't really know why he was fired.
He definitely wants to coach again, and he WILL get another chance to be a head coach, possibly next year.
He hasn't thought about his future, but he wants to coach again.
Seems to be bothered that the firing seemingly had nothing to do with his coaching ability.
Thompson never asked him to change any of his assistant coaches.
Seemed most excited when talking about the game of football and it's challanges, and the fans.
Sounds like he has already started micro-managing around the house and driving his wife nuts.
Seemed more at ease towards the end of the press conference, cracking jokes.
Says he's not burned out on coaching. "Not even close."
Not a Time for Dancing
Although I've been a tad critical of Sherman over the years (
cough), I'm not sold that this was the right move.
Why?
Because there is something worse than another losing year under Sherman, ...another losing year under another coach who is worse than Sherman.
A new coach will get a few years to try and build up the team, ...if he fails, we'll be in for a long, suffering ride. If we give Shermy another chance and he fails, he can just drop-kick him next season.
So, a new coach poses a whole series of risks that I don't like, ...and the current climate only amplifies the probability of those risks coming true. There are seven current coaching vacancies. Even if you find a candidate that you believe in, you will have to fight six other teams for him, and pay a lot more for him (if you succeed).
There's a good chance that you don't get
your guy at all, and are forced to take a flyer on someone like the guy from Iowa or Jim Bates.
So, I hope Thompson has a real good feeling about someone.
Jay Glazer from FOXsports.com says that (former Packer great)
Tim Lewis (Giants defensive coordinator) and (former Badger coordinator)
Brad Childress (Eagles offensive coordinator) will get nibbles. Also, Thompson will interview Bates.
My choice to replace Shermy, ...
Charlie Weis.
Ok, so he's probably not available.
I'm very leery about Childress. I get the same feeling from him that I got the first time I saw Rossley's picture. He just looks out of step somehow. Very un-leader-like.
I wouldn't mind Vermeil (if he takes another job this year), but I don't like any of the coaches fired this year. I also don't want Mooch or Fassel (who may go to the Vikes HAHA!).
And I'm not sure Bates is the right fit either.
Anyway, ...this is a BIG roll of the dice.
A cynic might say that this smells like Thompson placing the blame on Shermy for the bad season instead of placing the blame on HIMSELF for his MORONIC off-seaon decisions.
Hmmm, ...good thing there's no cynics around here.
Draft Order
According to ESPN, the Packers will draft #5, behind Houston, New Orleans, Tennesse, and the Jets.
It pisses me off that a team like Tennesse can jump ahead of three teams because they laid down and the other teams fought hard.
Hopefully, Appearances Can Be Deceiving
All appearances suggest that Favre is walking away.
The look on his face from the outset, the sadness evident in his play, the lack of fire, the walk off the field, the salute, the way he left the field as quickly as possible (as if to hide tears) ...everyone is speculating.
Shermy stated after the game that he gave Favre the walk-off opportunity "just in case" it was Favre's last game. He thought the fans deserved the opportunity to send him off with a standing ovation. So, maybe we shouldn't read too much into it.
But that
wave really looked like a "goodbye".
