GREEN BAY, WI — The Green Bay Packers have parted ways with Head Coach Mike McCarthy and have now named Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin as the team’s interim head coach, President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy announced Sunday.
“The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately,” Murphy said. “Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field. We want to thank Mike, his wife, Jessica, and the rest of the McCarthy family for all that they have done for the Packers and the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. We will immediately begin the process of selecting the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers.”
The Packers earned their seventh loss of the season on Sunday, falling 20-17 to the lowly Arizona Cardinals, who now improve their record to 3-9. After the game, McCarthy vented a bit to reporters about how he’d approach the season’s final four games:
“I’ve never been in this spot,” he said during the Dec. 2 press conference following the game. ” I’m not going to act like I know what the hell I’m going to do tomorrow when they get in here. We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to represent the Packers the right way. I know that. Other than that, we’re going to focus on what’s in front of us.”
About two hours later, he was dismissed.
Doug Farrar had this to say about the apparent reasons behind McCarthy’s dismissal:
“McCarthy’s Achilles heel as a head coach and an offensive play-designer was his rigid inflexibility and inability to design passing concepts that would regularly beat even the most rudimentary of defenses. Add in his frequent in-game strategic gaffes this season, and it was clear that Murphy had to make this move.”
Rumors are beginning to circulate on McCarthy’s next landing spot – and Cleveland has been brought up for their leadership team’s ties to the erstwhile Green Bay coach.
“Sources have told FanSided that the Browns are already working on whether they will hire McCarthy. McCarthy has obvious ties to the Cleveland front office, most-notably general manager John Dorsey, vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith and assistant general manager Eliot Wolf.”
Related Reading:
Here’s who wanted McCarthy fired, and who wanted him to stay.
Mixed Legacy
McCarthy’s legacy will forever be tied to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, however part of that legacy will be whether the two should have ended up winning more than they actually did.
“If championships are the way to measure greatness, then the Packers have failed to fully redeem the gift of a two-time MVP who will go down as one of the best ever,” Kevin Siefert of ESPN.com wrote. “The window is not shut, of course. … But it’s fair to ask if the Packers simply have been unlucky during Rodgers’ career, or if he is caught in a systemic shortcoming that will limit his impact on history.”
McCarthy captained Aaron Rodgers to a victory in Super Bowl XLV, but while the team has been successful in the regular season, the Packers haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since 2010 despite five seasons with more than 10 wins. And of those playoff loses, who could forget when Green Bay blew a 19-7 lead with just three minutes left in the 2014 NFC Championship Game defeat against the Seahawks.
Mike McCarthy’s Coaching Record Through The Years (all with the Packers):
2006: 8-8
2007: 13-3 — Lost to New York Giants in NFC Championship Game
2008: 6-10
2009: 11-5 — Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Wild-Card Game
2010: 10-6 — Super Bowl XLV champions
2011: 15-1 — Lost to New York Giants in NFC Divisional Game
2012: 11-5– Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Divisional Game
2013: 8-7-1– Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Wild-Card Game
2014: 12-4 — Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Championship Game
2015: 10-6– Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Divisional Game
2016: 10-6– Lost to Atlanta Falcons in NFC Championship Game
2017: 7-9
2018: 4-6-1
McCarthy has yet to issue an official statement, though at least one source is reporting that McCarthy is keeping things positive.
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This is a breaking news story, and Patch will update this article throughout the evening.
Photo Credit: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers watches his team against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Ford Field on October 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)