McCarthy Suffering from Gruden Syndrome
Posted in Green Bay's Mood
In 2002 Jon Gruden took over the head coaching duties for Tony Dungy, coincidentally enough, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When he did, he inherited a team that was Superbowl-ready. A team that had it’s moral and football compasses both pointed north. All they needed was someone with a little fire to ignite the men and propel through the playoffs.
They got that in Jon Gruden.
But after that Superbowl year, every year after it the Tampa Bay Bucs slowly slid backwards into mediocrity until last year when Gruden was summarily fired immediately following the regular season.
And I guess if you look back further into history you might call it Barry Switzer Syndrome, Switzer inheriting the reigning Superbowl champion Dallas Cowboys, taking them to the NFC Championship the next season and a Superbowl win in the following season. But as soon as Switzer’s methods took hold and Jimmy Johnson’s faded, the ‘Boys faded quickly to a 6-10 record and Switzer’s stepping down as head coach.
Now I have a hard time swallowing the idea that Mike Sherman left McCarthy with a ready-made winner that merely needed a new voice on the sidelines. Sherman was a bad GM. A bad coach. But maybe the ace up his sleeve was the guy we (and by “we” I’m including myself) wanted to get rid of, the Drama Queen of the NFC.
Because here we are, 4 years into McCarthy’s tenure as coach and this team is looking a lot more like a submarine that just filled it’s ballast tanks than a jet that’s kicking on it’s afterburners at mid-season. It’s the most penalized team in the league. Even the Raiders are calling the Packers dirty players.
I think McCarthy is on the verge of losing the respect of his team. I mean, WWHD if Jolly pulled what he pulled against the Vikings and Holmgren was still coaching? You think the walrus’ face would have been lit up like a fire engine? Damn right it would have. You’d have been able to hear Holmgren from the Lambeau parking lot. I’m beginning to think McCarthy just sounds tough and the fucking crossed eyes make him look a little crazy, but he’s really just a stay-puft marshmallow. Apply a little heat and he gets all gooey inside.
Hell in a handbasket, my friends. And McCarthy and Thompson are holding that basket, skipping right along.
Technorati Tags: Green Bay Packers, Uninspired, Both My Writing and The Packer Play, Mike McCarthy
The steady decline of the McCarthy/Thompson reign of mediocrity has been predictable. There has been an inate cluelessness on the part of McCarthy to evaluate player strengths and weaknesses that is at once as baffling as it has been stupid. Unimaginative play calling and a belligerent insistance on running a vertical passing game have combined with the aforementioned, to give us a unique blend of “bubba on steriods” stupidity. Aaron Rodgers obviously has difficulty reading defenses and has poor anticipation ability of his talented recievers ability to uncover. But McCarthy insists on putting him in “no win” positions with sets that offer no safety valves and dump offs.
I suspect that McCarthy’s tactical talent ends with taking out the trash and placing it by the street after having been told to do so by his wife. That is where his decision making responsibilities should end. He desperately needs to be fired so he can pursue a career taking orders from someone else.
As for Thompson, there is nothing left to say that hasn’t been said. Fire him yesterday so he and MIke can go screw up somebody elses football team, not my Packers please.
Green Bay Packer fans have always been too tolerant. We need to close the chapter on these two idiots. Maybe Mike Sherman needs some help ruining the program at A&M?
Thompson
You Packer fans have a serious disease called nofarveanidious it destroys the brain and turns it in to CHEESE ! GO VIKINGS!
I have bookmarked this blog. I have hung around since the early 70s but hate to see what the top knuckleheads are doing in green bay. Bring matt millen in for some improvement.
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